What Love Can Do
Father as I come to sit before You this evening, my mind and body are weary. May I clearly hear You through the fog in my mind and may I plainly share the word that You have for me. Amen.
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This afternoon, through a majority of my routes, we had a beautiful snow! There were huge flakes, and it was quite heavy at times. We have snow on the ground from over the weekend and this round was a nice dusting over it all. What gets plowed off the highway in front of our home isn’t very attractive, but this prettied it up very nicely!
Driving through it brought to mind a story I shared a while back, but it’s such a simple – but special – memory, that I need to share it again.
Back in high school, my dad pastored a church that was nestled in the mountains of West Virginia – Parsons, WV to be specific. It was the norm to get quite a bit of snow there (this past weekend they were supposed to get around two feet of it!)
One winter evening, my sister Katrina and I decided to take our dog, Sugar, for a walk into the center of town. It had been snowing steadily and all around us was white. It was less than a mile and we were in no hurry. It was late enough that traffic was non-existent. No one was around and we just quietly walked through the falling snow, with nothing but the sound of crunching snow beneath our feet. I remember walking past the streetlights and looking up into the shining lights to see the snow continue to come in steady sheets blowing and swirling as it gently fell to the ground. It was breathtaking.
If enough snow falls it does an excellent job of smoothing things out. Jagged edges are rounded. Lumpy ground is covered in a carpet of snow and often we can’t even tell what lies below. A miracle of God’s creation accomplishes on a grand scale what man cannot. Mile upon mile is coated, many times bringing portions of our lives to a standstill, if only for a short time.
1 Peter 4:8 communicates a beautiful and impacting command. It reads,
Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]. AMP
Just as humanity cannot accomplish the immensity of a winter’s snow, we are incapable of loving as we should. In our humanity alone, we falter in our love, but when we share our love out of God’s limitless reserve, great things happen. In that setting, our love for one another can be fervent. It can be unfailing. And in the process, that kind of love can cover a multitude of sins!
In our world, it’s a challenge to overlook unkindness. Our instinct is constantly fed by our culture and instead of overlooking unkindness, we seek retaliation. Instead of unselfishly seeking the best for others, many are all about looking out only for themselves.
Lord Jesus, as we strive to love You with all that we are, may our love for others, which is a natural byproduct of that love, cover the parts of the earth that we individually touch. In so doing may our combined touches, thoroughly cover a multitude of sins so that we can begin to see past the jagged edges of pain and hurt and instead see the world as You do…and forgive. Amen.
Jan 27th, 2022, Thurs, 7:41 pm
Mouth Agape
We had safe bus runs to and from even in the bitter cold. Thank You, Father, for keeping us safe – bus drivers, parents, kids, teachers, and all.
Acts 4:13-22 (<<click here to read the passage)
I cannot say that it has ever happened to me, but I have seen movies where it has happened. And I am sure that there have been people through the ages that though they by everyone else’s assessment didn’t amount to a whole lot, had laid low the educated and mighty before them with simple yet profound statements.
The closing sentence in yesterday’s post was that Peter’s sermonette had left his audience speechless. There Peter and John stood – just the very minimal amount of education, plain and simple fishermen of all things – and they found themselves before this mighty group of men – leaders, educators, and well educated themselves. At least in their small corner of the world, they held great power and anyone in their right mind wouldn’t think of challenging them, much less calling them on the carpet for who they were and what they had done. But that’s exactly what Peter did!
Peter laid them out and left them with their mouths agape! These most learned men stood there astounded and befuddled! With the evidence of Peter and John’s miraculous act standing right there among them (literally!), there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves. vs14b-15 NLT
They were the power players in this scenario (at least they thought so), and they were the ones who had to step back and figure out what in the world they were going to do! They couldn’t deny what had happened – many faithful Jews had seen it take place and the word was spreading like wildfire through all of Jerusalem. All they could come up with was damage control and to put their best bullying foot forward, they commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. v18 NLT
But much to their chagrin, Peter nor John were bothered one iota at their empty threats and gestures. Their retort?
“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves]; for we, on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard.” vs20-21 AMP
Can’t you see them standing there all flustered? They were at a total loss! They couldn’t punish them. I mean really, for the healing of a man who had been lame for more than 40 years? v22 They would’ve had a riot on their hands for sure.
God was at work and whether the religious elite acknowledged it made it no less true. As we continue in the days ahead God’s elect surely felt God’s hand at work among them and rejoiced!
Jan 26th, 2022, Wed, 7:55 pm
Crystal Clear
We had another day off with the snow and icy road conditions. Though the sun has hopefully melted much of what was on the backroads, I would ask, Father, that You would keep us safe as we head out in the morning. Amen.
Acts 4:8-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
I’ll tell anyone right up front, that I’m not a good debater. If I’m called on the carpet to defend something, I might do a passing job, but probably not a good job.
If someone corresponds with me via email, unless it needs a very simple reply, for the most part I won’t give an off-the-cuff response. I may not reply until much later in the day or even the next day. I’ll type out what I want to say and read over it a few times to make sure it is thought through and given the attention it needs. I take important things seriously. I strive to make myself crystal clear and am determined to be honest and straightforward at all times.
Now the Apostle Peter was much better at on-the-spot retorts. Granted at this point, he was working fully under the direction of the Holy Spirit. God was using him in a mighty way!
It’s obvious as we read this passage that Peter was being crystal clear. He took this whole interaction with the Jewish High Court very seriously. No falsehood slipped over his tongue, and he minced no words but went directly to the core of the issue at hand.
Verse 7 tells us that Peter and John were repeatedly asked by the High Court, “By what sort of power, or in what name [that is, by what kind of authority], did you do this [healing]?”
Peter clearly broke his answer down, spelling it out for them.
…if we are being put on trial today [to interrogate us] for a good deed done to [benefit] a disabled man, as to how this man has been restored to health, let it be known and clearly understood by all of you, and by all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene… vs9-10a
Did he leave any base uncovered? He missed nothing! But he wasn’t quite done! He wanted to make sure they understood who he was referring to when he said Jesus Christ the Nazarene – though you’d think that that was pretty obvious.
…whom you [demanded be] crucified [by the Romans and], whom God raised from the dead—in this name [that is, by the authority and power of Jesus] this man stands here before you in good health. v10b
He then quotes Psalm 118:22,
This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief Cornerstone. v11
They may have held themselves to be the pillars of Judaism, but Jesus was the Chief Cornerstone and the building stood on Him and Him alone!
And he drove home that point by proclaiming at the end,
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].” v12 AMP
Needless to say, his audience was speechless! And that in itself was quite an accomplishment!
Jan 25th, 2022, Tues, 6:16 pm
Cards Stacked Against Them
I’m not totally surprised that we had another snow day – we slid around quite a bit just getting home from church yesterday morning! Thank You, Father, for Your protection and for the opportunity to get a little further ahead on some things.
Acts 4:1-7 (<<click here to read the passage)
I believe I’ve mentioned before that my family’s background is pretty conservative, specifically from a religious perspective. One thing in particular that we didn’t even have in the house when I was growing up, was playing cards – you know the ones with diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs. In the denomination I grew up in, they were strongly associated with gambling and that was a major taboo!
It was funny when I started dating Karen, her family had no such taboos, and she was a pretty good euchre player (her dad was very good). I came to find out that euchre was pretty much the same as a card game we did play, called Rook. Over time, that mindset has changed.
The reason I bring it up is when reading through today’s passage, and the accompanying notes in my Life Application Study Bible, I got to thinking of how Peter and John found themselves in a situation where the deck was stacked against them.
According to Merriam-Webster, the idiom “cards are stacked against (someone)” is used to describe a situation in which one person or group is disadvantaged or faces difficult circumstances as compared to others often in a way that is unfair.
Peter and John found themselves standing against the same stacked deck that had condemned Jesus to death, leading to his crucifixion! The rulers, elders, and teachers of the law made up the high council… It had 70 members plus the current high priest, who presided over the group. The Sadducees held a majority in this ruling group. These were the wealthy, intellectual, and powerful men of Jerusalem.
The deck being stacked, in reality, is nothing more than a human notion. Factor God into the equation and the deck is simply a house of cards waiting to be blown down!
The Holy Spirit was a part of who Peter and John were and because of that, the “power” the high council thought that had over them equaled absolutely zilch! You would think that Peter and John would have been fearful…that they would have gone into defensive mode when brought before them. But, nope, it set the stage for another powerful sermon from Peter. God was on the move, and nothing was going to stop Him! The house of cards would soon fall!
Jan 24th, 2022, Mon, 3:25 pm
A Frigid Steering Wheel
O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
….recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Psalm 96:7-8a NLT
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One thing that I notice on my bus every day this time of year is how cold my steering wheel is first thing in the morning! There have already been several mornings this winter, where our “feel like” temperature has been in the single digits. Though we can throttle up our buses and let them run for several minutes, diesel buses especially, do not warm up well.
I can’t speak for other drivers, but I wear a glove on cold days on my right hand which is closest to the door that opens and closes multiple times. I don’t like wearing one on my left hand because it’s too hard to scratch my nose or get something out of my eye with a glove on. So, when I grab the steering wheel, my right hand is fine, but it is absolutely frigid in my left hand!
It starts out that way but after a while the heat from my hand, a balmy 97 point something usually, warms up that portion of the steering wheel. And as long as I don’t move it too much – we’re supposed to keep our hands at 9:00 and 3:00 for the greatest control – it is no longer frigid but instead is warm to the touch.
My body temperature is the overriding power in this situation. If I had no heat on the bus and all the windows were open, the outside temperature would eventually affect my body temperature but since that is not the case, my body temperature impacts the steering wheel and not the other way around.
You may be wondering. “Where is he going with this?” Well, let me tell you!
As followers of Jesus, when we live our lives out amongst the world, we have His warmth running through us all the time. As long as we are in a relationship with Him, the cold world in which we live cannot impact us…we instead impact the world.
Most of you know that before I began driving a school bus, I worked at the same Kohl’s Department Store for 18 years. As with all things new, when I started there, it took a little while for people to warm up to me. Over time I developed several cherished relationships with my fellow workers. Many of those who allowed me to “touch” them in caring interaction, became dear friends.
Over the years I have been privileged to be a pastor to some. I have officiated marriages as well as funerals. When we began online services with COVID, a few, from what I lovingly referred to as my third church, began attending our virtual services. They call me with prayer requests and we all, as the body of Christ, gather around them and pray for one another.
What was once cold, by no choice of our own – it’s just the way things were – has now become warm. Indifference for many has become relationships of compassion, they care for me, and I care for them. And all because of Jesus! His love for me readily transferred through me to them. And truly we are all the better for it!
Lord Jesus, may we diligently maintain our relationship with You as we reach out and touch the world. Use us to love others. When we strive to love You with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we can surely love others as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27). Amen.
Jan 23rd, 2022, Sun, 7:37 pm