“Here’s Your Sign!”
Days of variety, Father – what a blessing! Rain, sun, home, away, normal, special – there is so much to rejoice about in life! May I be grateful for whatever lies before me. Amen.
Luke 11:29-30 (<<click to read the passage)
There is a comedian that runs the country circuits by the name of Bill Engvall. I’ve heard some of his stuff but one routine that he is known for is his “Here’s Your Sign” standup routine. It is based on people asking stupid questions. He laughingly says it would make things a lot easier if people would wear “I’m stupid” signs, it would save time and maybe help them to not do stupid things, if people saw it.
Here’s an example from one of his shows.
I was driving around, and I had a flat tire. I pulled my truck into one of those side-of-the-road gas stations. The attendant walks out, looks at my truck, and looks at me and…he went, “Tire go flat?” I couldn’t resist, I said, “Nope. No, I was driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me!” And without missing a beat, he goes, “Well, the heat’ll do that.”
Sometimes people don’t say smart things. They ask things or demand things and often they don’t even know what they are saying or asking for. From a comedic side of things, we could say, “Here’s your sign!”
In today’s passage, there is absolutely no humor intended or implied. Jesus is totally serious when the people ask Him for a sign – a miraculous sign – and He basically says, “You want a sign? Here’s your sign!”
Why were they asking for a sign? Were they selfishly motivated? Were trying to trip Him up? Were they just wanting to be entertained? Maybe… but overall, they were not looking at who Jesus really was. For many, He was just there to meet their need. “Hey, man, jump through this hoop! Hey, man, do what I say!”
Jesus had no intention of doing their bidding. He wasn’t some kind of circus act. He wasn’t there to entertain or perform on command. He was there to change lives. He was there to bring salvation, where the only option available was damnation.
Jesus said, “…the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.”
So, what is the significance of the prophet historically swallowed by a giant fish?
(The story is laid out in a most excellent way by an online video ministry, called BibleProject. Click here to see their website. Click here for the video of the book of Jonah – you won’t be sorry that you did!) (I also put the Jonah video at the bottom of the blog.)
Watching the above-mentioned video does a much better job of explaining things but let me just say, Jonah was sent to call an enemy nation to repentance and he did everything he could to avoid saving them – he wanted them to die. He wanted them all to die. He sailed the other way, got thrown overboard, got swallowed by a giant fish, got spit out, prophesied (sort of), and was still ticked at God because He didn’t take out His enemies but forgave them because they repented.
Jesus came for all people, not just a chosen few. He came to save the world.
In John 3:16-17 Jesus proclaimed for all to hear…
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (NKJV)
He came to save us but it would involve Him being in the “belly” of the earth for three days, only to be brought back to life by God’s almighty power, conquering death and in that act, He made available to us eternal life…instead of eternal death.
Lord Jesus, may we seek to save the lost. May we be all about showing the lost around us the sign of your salvation. There’s nothing stupid about that…
June 22nd, 2020, Mon, 8:47 pm
Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters
Father, sometimes it feels like I am a fireman and there are constantly little fires that need to be put out. I get one put out here and then there’s one over there. Before that one is out, there is another one or two somewhere else. I could get panicky, but I look to You and there is calm. There is a steadiness that I can see in You, but don’t necessarily feel in me. It helps so much to quiet my soul, but I have to look to You. The fires will come under control and You help to keep me under control. I love You, Father. Thanks for loving me like You do!
********
I have been writing for longer than I had ever expected. I posted my first More than Useless blog on June 17th, 2015 – so we just passed my 5th Blogiversary! Over that time, I have written 1,251 posts that have been viewed over 47,000 times by over 25,000 people in 137 countries and 14 territories!
There have been times when I have seriously considered not doing it anymore. Just a few months ago, it was time to renew my domain name registration – one of the things I pay for to blog. But occasionally I hear from people who read it and it is always encouraging to see how God uses what He gives me to touch people’s lives.
Looking at those stats, you can see that people see my posts. Some like the pictures I find and others I know look forward to reading it every day – and when I don’t post they go back into the archives and read old ones.
A verse that comes to mind is from Ecclesiastes 11:1. In the New King James Version, it reads,
Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.
Whatever we do for God does not come back empty. I choose to cast my bread upon the waters, and I trust God to do with it what He will. I also know that it will not come back to me void as it says in Isaiah 55:11,
So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will not return to Me void (useless, without result),
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (AMP)
I would encourage you to stay the course, pursue God’s calling for your life. Don’t give up. What we do for God is not for naught! It will be in His time – we just need to be obedient.
Bread Upon the Water is also a song released way back in 1978 by a group called the Imperials. Here is a link to listen to it, sung by the Gaither Vocal Band, and the lyrics, too. Hold on, God knows what He is doing!
Well, there are people who think they’re not receiving
Anything from God at all
Oh, they are shaken from their believin’
When they don’t see results they quickly fall
But don’t you waiver, keep on living
In the way God wants you to
Don’t get discouraged keep on giving
Soon it will come back to you
Keep on casting your bread upon the water
Soon it’s going to come back home on every wave
Keep on casting your bread upon the water
Soon it’s going to come back home on every wave
Good measure pressed down, shaking together, running over
Soon it’s going to come back home on every wave
Just keep on working, seeking the kingdom
Instead of working for your needs
Just keep on sharing the love of Jesus
You know growing comes from planting seeds
June 21st, 2020, Sun, 7:00 pm
The Most Important Family
In my younger years, Father, I knew people who loved studying through the psalms, but I have struggled with them. I think I should reconsider that!
God arms me with strength,
….and he makes my way perfect.
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
….enabling me to stand on mountain heights. Psalm 18:32-33 (NLT)
Luke 11:27-28 (<<click to read the passage)
We are just a little past Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is almost upon us. It is a great blessing that Karen and I both have our mom and dad still with us. We are in our mid-50s and they are all in their 80s now.
I have friends my age who have had to deal with losing a parent or in some cases both of their parents. I realize that many people throughout the world don’t have the benefit of both parents being a part of their lives. Many are fortunate to have had one faithful parent.
Whole family units are maybe a bit more rare in today’s world but they are just as important as they have ever been. That is another reason why those who choose to follow Jesus should be diligent in taking note of families around them who struggle as single parents, both moms, and dads. It is a challenge to parent alongside another parent…I can hardly imagine how single parents keep everything going. As followers of Jesus, we need to be active and on our knees in prayer concerning those flying solo with everything on their plate, and no one really able to help shoulder the responsibilities of life.
Families were equally important in Jesus’ day. Genealogies were cherished. The Jewish people could trace their family back for hundreds of years – actually, back to the very beginning! They were reminders – guarantees if you will – that they were part of God’s chosen people. A man’s value came from his ancestors, and a woman’s value came from the sons she bore. *
There are examples throughout the Bible. There were women, unable to have children, and their lives were miserable – Rachel (Jacob’s wife – Genesis 30), Hannah (Elkanah’s wife – 1 Samuel 1), and Elizabeth (Zechariah’s wife – Luke 1). The Apostle Paul shared his lineage in a couple of his letters (Philippians 3:5, Romans 11:1). The family was a big deal.
Luke 11:27 says,
As [Jesus] was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”
Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” Luke 11:27-28 (NLT)
Family is important, but absolutely nothing is more important than being a part of God’s family. And we all know that honoring our family by listening and respecting guidance that is given is important but, again, it is “even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
Pray for your family. Pray for my family. Pray for every family you can think of. But when all is said and done, pray that they all find themselves in the family of God!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
June 18th, 2020, Thurs, 7:46 pm
Mosquitos, the Scourge of the Earth!
God’s way is perfect.
….All the Lord’s promises prove true.
….He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
For who is God except the Lord?
….Who but our God is a solid rock? Psalm 18:30-31 (NLT)
Luke 11:24-26 (<<click to read the passage)
Mosquitos, the scourge of the earth! Do you know anyone who would argue with that statement! Now they are a beneficial source of nutrition for animals on the lower levels of the food chain, such as fish, bats, and birds but for human beings, they are an irritant at best and a carrier of death for some, at worst!
(A little side note: only a few hundred of the 3,500 species of mosquitoes, from various parts of the world, bite or bother humans. In fact, only female mosquitoes bite humans. Males lack the parts to penetrate human skin.)
Because we have had an excessively wet last few months, our mosquito population – at least around my house – has exploded! As soon as the sun starts to go down, we head indoors…either that or become unwilling blood donors! Part of our problem is that a good part of our lot is low lying with an underlying layer of clay. Water does not dissipate very quickly. It would take an exorbitant amount of landfill and drainage tile to dry us out.
We have a drainage ditch that cuts into our lot from the field across the road. That ditch is almost impossible to keep under control and is a battle all summer long.
A couple of years ago we paid a young man to clear all the vegetation out of it, hoping the water would flow through and or evaporate to eliminate it from collecting in stagnant pools – the perfect breeding ground for mosquitos!
If I had kept up with it, it might have worked but, alas, I did not and it is as bad as ever! The front portion of the ditch is cut down as of yesterday but there is nothing to keep the water from pooling…it is just a long breeding ground!
My study Bible* had this to say about these two verses from Luke 11,
Jesus was illustrating an unfortunate human tendency: Our desire to reform often does not last long. In Israel’s history, almost as soon as a good king would pull down idols, a bad king would set them up again. It is not enough to be emptied of evil; we must then be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s new purpose in our life
When we ask Jesus to forgive us, the sin in our souls is irradicated. The Holy Spirit comes to take up residence to help and guide us along our way. But part of our responsibility is to listen to His guidance and keep our souls clear of the debris that the things of this world leave behind. If we don’t take care, them “skeeters” will come back with a vengeance…and those “skeeters” all carry death!
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (AMP)
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
June 17th, 2020, Wed, 7:36 pm
The Good Guy Wins
You light a lamp for me.
….The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. Psalm 18:28
Luke 11:21-23(<<click to read the passage)
For some reason, I am drawn to action movies where the main character is greatly outnumbered but despite the cards being stacked against him, he comes out the victor – bloodied and beaten, mind you – but victorious.
At the core of the plot, there is usually someone powerful and strong, who no one can stand against. The “bad guy” rules with an iron fist and everyone does his bidding – there is no choice, for it is obedience or death.
Then unbeknownst to all enters the “good guy”. In the movies, he is not perfect and is not always a man with scruples, but he takes a stand against the “bad guy’s” henchmen and against all odds defeats them. Eventually, He defeats the “bad guy”, too.
Reading yesterday’s passage, where Jesus spoke of the ludicrous idea that He was driving out demons in Satan’s power, these two verses jumped out at me.
Satan is the “bad guy” supreme. He is a “strong man” who rules this earth with an iron fist. And, just about everyone does his bidding. He is in control. He is the one who runs things. And regardless of following him willingly or unwittingly, death is guaranteed in the end – there is no other choice.
But then the “Good Guy” supreme enters the scene. Against all odds, he takes His stand. And in this case, even after defeat, after defeat of the “bad guy’s” henchmen, the “bad guy” gets his way, and the “Good Guy” is taken out – He is executed for all to see. And the “bad guy” thinks, “The end! I won!”
But he did not win! He played right into the hands of the Eternal Father. What he thought was his greatest victory instead became his eternal defeat! Jesus alone is the uncontested champion of eternity!
Read this passage with those thoughts in mind.
When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his belongings are undisturbed and secure. But when someone stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he robs him of all his armor on which he had relied and divides his [goods as] spoil. Luke 11:21-23 (AMP)
The devil is defeated – he still rules but his fate is sealed. Revelation 20:2, 10 (NLT) speaks of his destiny.
2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years.
10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
As is the norm with me, a hymn came to mind. Martin Luther wrote A Mighty Fortress Is Our God in 1529 and the first three stanzas of its text set it all before us.
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
June 16th, 2020, Tues, 8:41 pm