Lesson from a Pup
Even with a great amount of rain coming in and going through this morning, with had nothing more than inconveniences with localized flooding in our area. Thank You, Father, for watching over us and keeping us safe.
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On my elementary route, one of the families has a German Shepherd “pup”. It is probably close to as big as it is going to get but it is a pup through and through! It never fails, when I pull up the pup is bounding all over the place usually with a piece of wood in its mouth. It drops its “toy” near the mom and if she doesn’t respond in a timely manner, the pup barks several times in a row, making sure she hasn’t missed the invitation to take part in an exciting game of fetch.
It’s entertaining to watch but what I noted today, especially, was the fact that the pup has not been affected whatsoever by the weather. It has repeated the same routine in warm weather, in cool weather, in frigid weather, in the snow and ice, and today in the rain. There seems to be no less enthusiasm and joy than when I first saw it at the beginning of the school year when the heat of summer was winding down. The same passion and eagerness are continuously displayed.
Even its master’s less than enthusiastic response – or lack thereof altogether – does not daunt its efforts! Every day is the same – let’s play!
Dogs have been given the moniker, “Man’s Best Friend”. And it is true! They seem to always be eager for love and attention. And though they may not always receive their heart’s desire, they are not discouraged!
I’ve heard the joke about how to find out who loves you most, your spouse or your dog. Lock them in the trunk of your car and let them both out in an hour. Who is happy to see you?
I know our lives are way more complicated, but we could certainly learn something from this family’s pup – and at least a majority of younger children, respond to life in the same way. We let so many things in life rob us of our joy – disappointments, cruelty, hatred, neglect, pain, and loss, to name a few. I suppose it is inevitable but I would put the challenge out there that if we are followers of Jesus, we would strive to see the beauty and wonder that life extends to us and the outcome would be a joy for life – enthusiasm, passion, and eagerness!
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. Romans 15:13 AMP
Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMP
Mar 7th, 2022, Mon, 7:14 pm
Smart Enough to Get Moving
The Lord is king!
….Let the earth rejoice!
….Let the farthest coastlands be glad.
Dark clouds surround him.
….Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Psalm 97:1-2 NLT
Acts 8:1-4 (<<click here to read the passage)
We’ve all heard the illustration of the boiling frog. The short version is if you put a frog in boiling water, it will immediately jump out. But…as Wikipedia states, if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of sinister threats that arise gradually rather than suddenly.
Wikipedia goes on to say that according to modern biologists the premise is false: a frog that is gradually heated will jump out. Their brains may not be very big, but instincts easily push them towards survival. Even a frog is smart enough to get moving out of that kind of situation if it can!
With the death of Stephen, the fire was lit under those who considered themselves followers of Jesus. The last portion of verse 1 reads,
And on that day a great and relentless persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. AMP
Verse 4 follows up by declaring,
Now those [believers] who had been scattered went from place to place preaching the word [the good news of salvation through Christ].
Persecution for the early church was the real deal (unlike the flim-flammy stuff many modern-day Christians in our society boo-hoo about – those are just inconveniences! Talk to believers in China and many other truly oppressed areas of our world to understand what genuine persecution is!)
Verse 3 gives us a small glimpse of what they were dealing with.
…Saul began ravaging the church [and assaulting believers]; entering house after house and dragging off men and women, putting them in prison.
It was definitely awful for them, but it yielded great results!
Persecution forced the believers out of their homes in Jerusalem, and along with them went the Good News. Sometimes we have to become uncomfortable before we’ll move. We may not want to experience it, but discomfort may be best for us because God may be working through our hurts. When you are tempted to complain about uncomfortable or painful circumstances, stop and ask if God might be preparing you for a special task.*
The water around them was starting to heat up and so they got out of it and in the process spread the message of what Jesus had done, touching more and more lives as they continued to move further and further out from the comfort of home.
Lord Jesus, may we not ballyhoo all the difficulties in life we experience. We never know what doors might open – new horizons, new encounters, new opportunities! You might be giving us a little shove out of our cozy nests to impact new people for You! Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible
Mar 3rd, 2022, Thurs, 8:57 pm
Holding Out Hope
Father, as I come before You a little earlier than usual, I would ask that You guide my thoughts to words that You want to be heard. May it not just be the rattling of my tongue but words for that person who needs them. Amen.
Acts 7:58, 8:1-3 (<<click here to read the passage)
Is there anyone you can think of that you would consider, at least from a spiritual perspective, to be a hopeless cause? Maybe it’s someone who wants absolutely nothing to do with God or the church. They might get into anything with no guilt or remorse…the dirtier the better! Or they might be really good people who somewhere along the line totally caste aside anything to do with God. They would do anything to help out their fellow man but keep God out of it. Don’t even mention His name. I know people like that.
Or what about someone who is faithful to the Church? They are there when the doors are open. They support anything the church does. And they might even be pretty good at talking the talk. But truth be told, they may not even really know who God is. They might be able to regurgitate all kinds of religious “speak” but they have never really met the Author. Maybe they think they have but what it all boils down for them is merely a giant checklist of dos and don’ts. Keep that list current and well maintained and they feel they are good to go…but the sad thing is…they’re not. None of the above individuals are. Taking an honest look at their lives we might possibly hold out hope for some, but for many, we could easily say that they were beyond hope…
The man in today’s verses thought he knew who God was. He served Him with great gusto! He abided by all of the rules and regulations…and we know that list was huge! According to his own testimony, he said,
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did…” Acts 22:3 NLT
Saul was his name. Those who stoned Stephen, cast their coats at his feet. (Acts 7:58)
Chapter 8 begins by saying,
Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. v1 NLT
And continues with,
A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. vs1-3 NLT
I doubt those who followed Jesus in those early days held out any hope whatsoever for Saul. But they were in for the surprise of their life – but more about that later!
For now, don’t give up on those you might deem hopeless. Jesus hasn’t given up on them and we shouldn’t either. God can do the impossible while we just stand back in awe!
Mar 2nd, 2022, Tues, 12:54 pm
Just Do It!
Father, I call on You as I sit to write. Things are rattling through my mind that are distracting me from what I need to be doing. Help me to focus squarely on You! Amen.
Acts 7:54-60 (<<click here to read the passage)
A lot of us struggle with sharing our faith. I’ve heard some more modern vernacular that phrases it as sharing our “story”. What we call it is not nearly as important as doing it.
I remember years ago, my dad setting up an outreach program founded on a very popular book at the time entitled, Evangelism Explosion, by Dr. D. James Kennedy. It involved receiving hands-on training and the faithful in many churches found it to be a great asset in spreading the Good News of what Jesus did for us in His life, sacrificial death, and resurrection to the world around them.
I truly believe that our biggest hindrance in sharing our faith…is ourselves. We fear rejection. We fear persecution. We fear the possible repercussions of doing so. I realize that throughout history people have literally died because they felt sharing about Jesus was worth any risk they could take. And as we can see when we read today’s passage, that’s exactly what happened to Stephen. He is counted as the first Christian martyr. That wasn’t his goal. He didn’t wake up that day and think that he was going to share Jesus’ story and the end result would be his own death.
My Life Application Study Bible states, “People may not kill us for witnessing about Christ, but they may let us know they don’t want to hear the truth and try to silence us.”
It goes on to set forth the challenge, “Keep honoring God in your conduct and words; though many may turn against you and your message, some will follow Christ Remember, Stephen’s death had a profound impact on Paul who later became the world’s greatest missionary. Even those who oppose you now may later turn to Christ.”
I live my faith for all to see, and I feel that that alone has impacted many of those I have worked with side by side over the years. But – and I will be honest with you – beyond writing this blog five days a week for the past 7 years and preaching from behind a pulpit for the last 20 years, I don’t say a whole lot…and I really feel that I should be more active in the area. I don’t shy away when questions are asked of me. But I struggle to initiate that conversation.
Lord Jesus, I pray for myself and for so many others who are true believers in You and what You have done for them and continue to do for them every day. May we take note of the opportunities right before our eyes. May we hear the prodding of the Holy Spirit and then may we be given a boldness to step out on faith and speak what is on our hearts. Fill us…use us. People need to hear the life-giving words You have given us. Amen.
Mar 1st, 2022, Tues, 5:11 pm
Watch Like a Hawk
Father today has been a mixed day. Some portions have been comfortable and the norm. Other portions have been out of the ordinary and difficult, to say the least. Despite “me”, work through everything. May Your will and presence saturate it all. Amen.
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My last name is Fowler and to my understanding, the first Fowlers were kings of Germanic peoples during the medieval period, their name derived from the fact that they hunted with birds. A term of more modern use is falconry. Hawks and falcons are both used in this sport of old.
I don’t think everyone notices, but hawks are everywhere. We have a mating pair of Northern Harrier Hawks that reside on our lot, and I have the opportunity to see them perched or flying on a regular basis. Also, it seems no matter where I go, I see all manner of hawks and their cousins, falcons – perched on telephone wires, atop fence posts, or sitting patiently in trees. And they wait…watching for their next meal most likely. But regardless, as I said they are everywhere!
I imagine you’ve heard the phrase “watch like a hawk” and as I saw a hawk on my morning route it made me think of God. And that made me think of something that I spoke in prayer in our services this past Sunday.
As a part of our journey in Christ, we understand that God never leaves us or forsakes us. He is with us at all times. And if we really think about it, He watches us closer than even a hawk would. What comes to my mind in prayer is that we realize the fact of his presence but what we need to do much more regularly is to acknowledge His presence.
As I have come to see hawks on a pretty regular basis, I am sure I miss many of them. We must come to see God in all areas of our lives. It is easy to forget He is there. It’s easy to ignore that still small voice that warns of danger – a voice that says, “Don’t go there.” “Don’t watch that.” “Don’t dwell on that thought.” “Don’t say what you are thinking.” “Don’t act on what you’re thinking.” And on it goes…
God is always there, everywhere we turn, but far too often we don’t see Him or we don’t hear Him. And it is no fault of His, but the guilt lies with us and us alone.
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
A Warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with joy;
He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins],
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zephaniah 3:17 AMP (emphasis mine)
Lord Jesus, help us, and as the old hymn goes.
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me…
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear…
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my ears, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Words & Music: Clara H. Scott, 1895
Amen.
Feb 28th, 2022, Mon, 7:58 pm