Author: Rev. Mark Davis

Today’s Word Is TRANSPARENCY

Thu-Feb-6-2020

I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” – King David (Psalm 42:9-10)

I had the great privilege during my seminary days at Emory University of attending a lecture by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of the classic book, On Death and Dying. The book was based on her many years of working with patients who had terminal illnesses and introduced the concept of the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.

During her lecture she told us about an incident when she was in the hospital room of an elderly lady who was dying of cancer, and who was angry at God, expressing it quite openly. Dr. Ross listened patiently through all the complaints and emotions. When she left the woman’s room, she encountered a pastor who had been outside the door listening to what was going on.

(At this point, you need to know that Dr. Ross was born in Switzerland, was very short and thin in appearance, and spoke with a delightful European accent. But as I observed her during her lecture, I surmised that despite her small stature, she was probably pretty feisty.)

The pastor was waiting outside the door with a reprimand. “Why did you let that woman say awful things about God like that? I heard it all the way out here. She was insulting God! You should have stopped her from saying such irreverent things!”

Dr. Ross put her hands on her hips in a scolding manner, and looking up at the much taller pastor, said with a shake of her head, “I think He’s big enough to take it!” And off she marched, leaving the pastor to reconsider his theology.

What this cancer patient was being allowed to do was to practice transparency with God. Her feelings were strong. She was unhappy with her condition and ready to “let God have it!” This openness obviously helps us more than it helps him. He knows our situation and how we feel about it.

If you’re waiting for things to get better in your life before you spend some time or improve your relationship with the Lord, or if you’re afraid to talk to God because you wouldn’t have anything nice to say at the moment … well … It would probably be better just to let it out. God wants to hear all those things. It’s all part of staying on track with God. If this transparent approach to your relationship with him is a new thing for you, I understand. But if you need to shout and complain to God, I feel confident in saying that it won’t knock him off his throne!

Honesty with God helped King David to vent his feelings, as in the Scripture above. But one thing David does in many Psalms is to teach us how to come back around to God’s point of view. The next verse after the above Scripture says, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:11)

I’ve heard my share of complaints from people who are suffering from trials and tribulations, including hospital patients. I want to imitate my heavenly Father and be “big enough to take it” and still care about the complainer.

Have a blessed day,

Chaplain Mark

BY THE WAY, the movie The Apostle, starring Robert Duvall as an evangelist, has some pretty good “transparency with God” scenes. (Warning, it’s a little rough in places.)

Today’s Word Is INVITE

Wed-Feb-5-2020

If your participation in a local fellowship of believers has been life-changing, why not invite someone along? There are more opportunities than you might think. One of my hospital co-workers once told me that a patient she was caring for invited her to church. This was not the first time she had received such an invitation, but for some reason, this time she felt God’s nudge and surprised herself by suddenly saying “OK!” So … she went. Why not?

What happened was a spiritual connection that she had not anticipated, and her faith began to emerge and grow. Life is now different and blessed.

So how do you know who to invite? I would say, “Listen. Let God speak to you.” As Jesus left this earth, one of his final statements to the disciples was, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

This is a clue to where we will encounter folks whom God wants to bless by being a part of his church. First, it is in Jerusalem, which was home base to the disciples, where they were around familiar faces. These are the people close to home, people that you know. When we are in our usual territory, seeing people that we frequently see, there is someone who needs to get an invitation to a new life of faith and to a church.

Then there is the area called Judea, which is people further out, people you don’t know. You are in places where you feel comfortable, but around people who are mostly strangers. Many of us find ways to talk with others that we don’t know. And there is an approach that we can each develop from our own personality, by which we can bring up faith matters without scaring people off. Don’t let your initial awkward attempts deter you from developing your style.

Further away from Jerusalem is the territory called Samaria. Jews only ventured into this territory by necessity. Samaritans were culturally different and mostly despised, because they were intermarried with various cultures. For our day and time, this regards the barriers of racial, cultural, and religious differences. I don’t know the accuracy of this statement, but I have heard it said that 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning is the most racially and culturally divided time in our society. We could change that.

Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well (John 4:7), and the disciples were surprised Jesus had been talking to her. In another story where Jesus healed ten lepers, only one came back to say thank you, and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17:16). And of course, we all know the parable of the Good Samaritan, where the hero is a foreigner of a different culture (Luke 10:30).

After the resurrection, the new community of Christians realized that their message was not only for familiar folks, but also for those who are “not like me” … different color, different spirituality, different country, different level of income. So, they dared to approach and invite them, and many successes followed.

The final place that Jesus named as an area for sharing our witness is “the end of the earth.” He was saying that there are no limits on where you can find someone to invite. Anywhere you are there are people who need what you have found through faith in Jesus.

Most people go to church because someone invited them … and according to research, in the vast majority of cases, it wasn’t the pastor doing the inviting. It was just regular folks with changed lives. Don’t be afraid to invite someone to church.

One final note … attending church does not make us a Christian. Salvation comes by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. In other words, church never “saved” anybody! Jesus does that! But an invitation to church can be the first step!

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is BALANCE

Tue-Feb-4-2020

In the book Work, Play, and Worship in a Leisure-Oriented Society by Gordon Dahl, he proposes a theory that life is made up of these three aspects; and we are supposed to work at our work, play at our play, and worship at our worship. He then proposes that much of American life is out of balance … and we get into a pattern of … Worshipping our work … Working at our play, and … Playing at our worship.

Starting with work … It should be fulfilling in some degree, accomplish something useful, provide for our needs, and bless others. But the word “workaholic” was created by a Canadian newspaper writer in 1947 to describe the growing concern for people who value work inappropriately and thus hurt their families, destroy their own health, and define life by the wrong measures. In other words, they worship their work.

Then there is our play. Another name is recreation … it is supposed to “re-create” us, meaning relieve stress, evoke laughter, be filled with enjoyment, and refresh us. However, I have seen folks throw golf clubs, walk out of card games, throw a tantrum over losing, get livid at the Little League umpire for a bad call, and in general become miserable trying to “play.”

When my children were preschoolers, I bought them a “bolo paddle,” a wooden paddle attached to a long rubber band with a small rubber ball on the end. You hit the ball over and over as it stretches out on the rubber band and comes back. When I got home from work the next day, I got upset because they had taken it apart!

My son was using the paddle part as a hammer with some of his building blocks. He loved it! My daughter was out back with the ball and rubber band part, slinging it around the double stranded clothesline, which made it wrap round and round and round until it was tight. Then it would reverse and unwind around and around until it was back out straight. She loved it! They were having great fun with the toy I bought, but by my standards they were not doing it “correctly.” Thankfully, I resisted the urge to spoil their play and turn it into work. It struck me that they were truly playing and enjoying it.

Now for worship. This is a time, both private and corporate, to praise and thank our Creator. But very many Americans breeze through the worship time (which for some must be completed in a defined time period, such as one hour) and do not get impacted by the awesome idea and experience of communing with the Holy God of the universe.

Many people are too embarrassed to express openly their love for God, afraid others will think less of them if they laugh, cry, shout, kneel, hold their hands out or up to God, get lost in a moment of quietness and reflection, or get so consumed by the presence of God that they are unaware of their surroundings and unashamed to express openly their love for God. It is possible, you know, to worship without singing or to sing without worshipping!

There is much more that could be said, but you get the picture. Now you can reflect about whether you are in or out of balance. We can find a sense of greater peace when our work, play, and worship become what they are supposed to be … not idolizing our work, being refreshed by our play, and being fully engaged while focusing on God in our worship.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Verse:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. (1st Corinthians 10:31)

Today’s Word Is ATTENTION

Mon-Feb-3-2020

Several years ago, an anonymous donor in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida paid for a series of messages on billboards and buses, such as …

Let’s Meet At My House Sunday Before The Game. ­ God

I Love You … I Love You … I Love You. ­ God

Loved The Wedding, Invite Me To The Marriage. ­ God

These billboards were a gentle reminder that God is trying to communicate with each of us all day every day. How do you stay in tune with God each day?

Nature moments are one way God gets my attention during the day. My back yard is all woods … that does it … serene and thought provoking. Other nature moments include sunrises and sunsets, hummingbirds, flowers, rainbows, and more.

There are teaching moments where God gets my attention. Perhaps a new expression of God is presented to me, maybe during a conversation or while reading something. It makes me light up, and say, “Thank you, Lord.”

God gets my attention when I interact with people. Sometimes they let a clue pop out that tells me they might be hurting or might need some encouragement. I can’t help everyone I meet, but sometimes the nudge of God says, “Do something for this one.”

How does God get your attention? Surely, he would not have to resort to the two-by-four method, although for some of us it might be what is necessary, at least to get the flow going. God generally operates by the whisper or nudge methods, putting things around us to marvel and enjoy, to take faith strides, to increase in wisdom, or to touch a life and make a difference.

My son Josh once had a dog named Larry who was amazingly focused on his master. At one place where they lived in an apartment complex, there was an outdoor area where residents would take their dogs to run and play. The average dog was overly engrossed in what other dogs were doing. Some would run loose from their owners to check out the other dogs. But not Larry. He watched his master. He loved to catch a frisbee or run together with Josh. He sat, shook “hands,” stayed close, or ran far away and back … all at the direction of his master.

Once when I kept Larry for a several-week stay, I realized that Larry thought of me as his focus while Josh was not around. I could tell that he was always aware of what I was doing, but one particular action caught my attention. Every time we would go up or down the stairs together, he would stay at my side, not running ahead as one might expect. If I ran up the steps, so did Larry. If I went slowly, so did he, making sure to stay perfectly in sync, never getting ahead nor too far behind.

Inquiring with Josh, I learned that he taught Larry to do this because they lived in a third-floor apartment. The purpose was for Larry not to trip up other people using the stairway. This took Josh some time to teach. If they went up one flight and Larry got too far ahead, they would go back to the bottom and start over, as many times as necessary, patiently and mildly, until Larry knew what to do.

What a marvelous lesson I gleaned from this. Could I be that focused on my master? Larry was the happiest and most well-behaved dog around. Everyone loved Larry. And it was all because his master had his full attention. It is the same with God, showing us how to keep our full attention on him. I must admit I am not there yet, but I have noticeably improved over the years, learning how to be in step with the master. It molds us into the happiest people around.

“… and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith …” Hebrews 12:1b-2a

I hope God has your attention today,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is CHILD-LIKE

It’s Humor Day!
Fri-Jan-31-2020

The children’s Sunday School teacher was telling her youngsters about the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In particular she wanted to emphasize the difference in attitude of the older and younger brothers. As you know, the younger son had returned after squandering a lot of the family money on foolish living, and the father was delighted for him to humbly come home. He called for a robe to be put on his son, a ring on his finger; then we’ll kill the fatted calf and have a great feast! My son who was lost has been found!

The wide-eyed Sunday School children kept listening as the teacher explained how angry this made the older son, who felt unappreciated and cheated.

Then the teacher asked, “Now boys and girls, who do you think was unhappy about this big banquet getting ready to take place?”

Eight-year old Olivia raised her hand and said, “I know! The fatted calf!”

Good point, Olivia! Children have a unique and simple way of looking at things. Maybe that is why Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15)

There is of course a difference between child-like and child-ish. Jesus promoted child-like. Paul warned against child-ish by saying, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. (1st Corinthians 13:11) This was stated after he had expounded on the nature of love in this, the Love Chapter of the Bible. A lifestyle of self-giving, unconditional love takes a very mature person, who must decide to be persistently sacrificial and forgiving.

Child-like … good … Child-ish … not so good.

The child-like attitude that Jesus was describing, when he said that we must receive the kingdom like a child, is that of trust. Small children are instilled with the idea that their parents can do anything. (That would assume those parents haven’t harmed the child and destroyed their trust.) A child cared for with love and compassion typically thinks mom can see anything, as if she had “eyes in the back of her head,” and that dad is strong enough to perform the greatest feat.

That is how we receive the kingdom, by believing that God is capable of all things, and by desiring and receiving his love and protection. Furthermore, a child-like attitude is what allows us to enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of God, to laugh, to play, to sing and dance, and to celebrate without restraint. It is this child-like approach that enables us to worship without being inhibited.

It is my prayer that you keep your child-like spirit, or if it has died away to any degree, that you claim it back. Find occasions to enjoy the moment like a child, laughing, playing, singing and dancing, and letting go of the unhealthy adult habits that keep you stifled and steal your joy!

Have a blessed weekend,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is UNSHAKEN

Thu-Jan-30-2020

I hate putting my time or money into something that ends up not being worth it. A couple of years ago my wife and I were doing some painting inside the house. We ordered this great sounding device that was supposed to make trimming a cinch. Well … upon arrival of the product, we discovered that the quality of the gadget was significantly lower than the quality of the idea. In short, it was not worth using.

Suffice it to say that whatever we invest our time and money in does not always turn out to be worth it. Teaching the lesson of unreasonable expectations to the children in the family takes patience. When my sweet mother-in-law was raising my wife and her two siblings and one of them made a request for something that was “not gonna happen” … she would chuckle and say to them, “Yea, and people in jail want out!”

There is no guarantee you will get what you want. There is always a risk that some things you purchase are a waste of money. And sometimes the places you want to go or the things you want to do are not going to work out.

There is, however, something of a spiritual nature that has a trustworthy guarantee.

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; … (Hebrews 12:28)

This “kingdom that cannot be shaken” is worth trading everything we are and all we have in order to live in it. In a world in which many people get upset at the things that don’t work like they’re supposed to, the only thing I know of that comes through 100% of the time is the grace of God poured out on us in this “kingdom that cannot be shaken.”

In all my years of adulthood, I can’t think of a single person who ever came back to me and said they were disappointed in the life of faith offered to them through Jesus Christ. This is based on those who were “all in” for the kingdom.

For those who were just trying to “fit God into their schedule,” it seemed to me that they didn’t want to be “in” this kingdom, but just visit occasionally. In that case, God is not really your king. Those folks were frequently disappointed.

I am thankful that there is a “kingdom that cannot be shaken” offered by grace to all of us, in which the warranty never runs out. I’m all in for that! And good news … living in this unshaken kingdom also means that when the events of this life try to rock my world I can remain personally unshaken because of the unshakable foundation of this kingdom in which I dwell.

If you or someone you know is holding out looking for a sure thing to commit to, hold back no longer. And when you take the leap, you will discover that this is not just an idea, it is a Person, the Creator himself, drawing you into a deep, loving relationship that far exceeds expectations … it will produce a sense of “reverence and awe” within you.

King David was all in, saying, “I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved …” (Psalm 121:1-3a)

This seems strange to say, but I have been shaken up a few times in my life, and yet remained unshaken, because God absorbed the shaking.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is … UNLIKELY

Wed-Jan-29-2020

There are times you are going to be called on to accomplish something that you don’t think you’re suited for. God doesn’t use our normal criteria to pick someone for a job. You or I would choose someone with talent in the desired area and available time to commit to the project. We might also go for someone with high self-esteem who is well respected, someone who would answer “yes” with great confidence.

Not God … He has a flair for performing the impossible with the unlikely! In the Book of Judges, the land of Israel is being harassed by the Midianites. The Israelites could be overrun and destroyed if something didn’t turn around and soon. I’ve been there a few times, things are falling apart, and I feel hopeless. How about you?

But God had a plan and sent an angel to tell Gideon he had been chosen to pull off the necessary turnaround. Of course, to Gideon this didn’t seem like divine orders, it seemed like nonsense. He thought this angel was a strange traveler who didn’t know what he was talking about. So, his response was two-fold … “I don’t know what makes you think God cares about us; he has abandoned us!” … and then … “Even if this could happen, you’ve got the wrong guy! I am not a leader or a warrior.” Judges 6:15… “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

So here is the take-away for today. God uses willing people, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses, their high or low station, or their level of confidence to accomplish the following purposes:

First, he comes to resolve a serious need and accomplish a kingdom purpose, especially if it seems impossible to us. He wants to achieve the victory, and to create joy, thanks, and celebration.

Second, he wants to do it in a way that creates faith in you and others. Sometimes that means using the seemingly least qualified candidate, otherwise we would all praise that person for the success. God wants us to know that we can’t do it without his divine help. That way the praise goes to God, not any of us.

Finally, God wants to demonstrate that he can use you to do amazing things with his help. This requires humility plus faith plus courage.

If God is tapping you on the shoulder about something that he wants to accomplish, listen up. It might be simple … help one person in your world (at home, at work, wherever) to experience a turnaround that they desperately need. Or perhaps he sets your sights on something much bigger and intimidating. If you list all the “worldly” reasons you’re the wrong person for the job, you could miss a chance to bless one person or many.

If you think you’re the least qualified, the least likely candidate … well, there you go … it wouldn’t be the first time God took that approach! You could draw out the argument for days and days, like Gideon did, or you could go for it!

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is SELF-CARE

Tue-Jan-28-2020

Don’t let your efforts to avoid self-centeredness lead you into thinking that it’s not OK to be nice to yourself.

Sometimes dangers are found by living at the extremes of issues that are meant to be balanced. For instance, the solution to avoiding self-centeredness is not to become self-loathing! The middle ground is called … “self-care.”

Self-care is a way of focusing on ourselves for the purpose of becoming what God created us to be. Ironically, as we engage in inward-focused self-care it causes us to become outward-focused and generous to others, to heal rather than hurt them, to bless rather than use them.

So, how well do you rate on “self-care”? One of its benefits is that it helps us in difficult times. Some people wait until there is a crisis and then depend on help from the outside … a grandmother, a best friend, a pastor, a TV show, a self-help book, etc. (most of which are good). This is the panic method of getting through the crisis. The rest of the time, if things are going fairly well, they engage in little or no healthy self-care.

This approach leaves us equally unprepared for the next crisis, dry spell, conflict, or disappointment. Our failure to grow and mature in the good times, when we should be doing spiritual “strengthening” exercises, means that when trouble comes, we are not equipped to handle it, so we go “outside” again, looking for quick help, and sadly for some, God is not on the list of outside help.

Seeking help from others is necessary and beneficial, but that’s only one aspect of the plan. We are crippled if the only help we have is from emergency outside sources. We also have an inside source. Jesus said that the Kingdom is within you. Paul talked about the Spirit in us, bringing life and peace. Jesus told a woman that she could have streams of living water coming from within her. All to say that your help comes both from within and from outside.

A great transition that must take place in our lives (if it hasn’t already), is first to take responsibility for our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being and make a “self-care” plan. Then we must learn how this inward health source works. In the Old Testament, David the shepherd boy and eventual King, faced lots of difficulties. And when things got really tough, he would “park” himself, suspend the journey, and “refresh himself” or “encourage himself” in the Lord.

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” (1st Samuel 30:6) (KJV)

“The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan; and there he refreshed himself”. (2nd Samuel 16:14)

At those times when you have needed encouragement, did it ever occur to you that with God’s help you could be your own encourager? Or if in need of refreshing, you could “refresh yourself”? And that it would work! And that it would be enough! That’s because the Holy Spirit is actually the source of it. He’s the one filling your cup.

Self-care involves following the Lord’s plan for a healthy you. And if that doesn’t include spiritual health then it is not a holistic plan. The health food store and the gymnasium are not the two main keys to healthy living! If you are physically fit, but emotionally toxic or spiritually dry, then you are not truly healthy. You and the Lord can figure out this self-care plan. It involves physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. And please don’t leave out the Body of Christ portion. We grow best in fellowship.

Whatever your plan, if your efforts to take care of yourself do not result in blessing others, then you are likely practicing self-centeredness not self-care.

Be well, be blessed, be a blessing!

Chaplain Mark

References:

“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” – Jesus (Luke 17:21)

“But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.” – The Apostle Paul (Romans 8:9)

“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’” (John 4:13-14)

Today’s Word Is … BURDENS

Mon-Jan-27-2020

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Jesus (Matthew 11:28)

Another version says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…”

The heaviest burden many people carry is the load of expectations placed on them by others. Trying to live up to an image of who others think we should be can become a weight too great to sustain.

One of the reasons people flocked to hear Jesus was because he talked more about a God who cared, than one whose heavy hand wanted to control them and punish them for not being good enough or for breaking too many rules. I wonder if a single rabbi (teacher) had ever in their lives invited them to come follow so they could rest!

But Jesus was doing just that, which essentially was an invitation to live a life of trust in the goodness of God. Those who felt hopeless, oppressed, and tired of trying and failing were intrigued by these words … “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

Now, this was not an invitation to stop trying, nor to escape responsibility, but to receive an internal shift from dependence on the approval of others to dependence on the grace of God. Worldly living says, “I will love you if” … and then there comes the expectations.

Kingdom living (God’s Kingdom, that is), says that you are loved by your Creator and your Savior for who you are, not for what you accomplish. The first step of Kingdom living is to get rid of the baggage, the load of expectations, the fear that you might not prove to be worthy, … and in exchange receive the following reality … You are accepted because God made you and loved unconditionally because that’s who God is and what he does.

After that, there are lots of things we do to accomplish Kingdom purposes, but they are not done to prove we are acceptable, they are done out of thanks that we were “declared” to be acceptable as God’s primary gift. (We call this salvation or conversion.) We are no longer laboring and heavy laden under a load of disapproval, but rather there is rest from it.

Welcome to the Jesus life. Now, I need to complete the picture. In the beginning, I only gave you one of three verses to describe the Jesus invitation. Here’s the “rest of the story”:

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

You may notice that after Jesus offered rest, he told us to take his yoke upon us, which is the equipment placed on the shoulders of oxen and other work animals, for the purpose of carrying or pulling loads. How about that! … Invited to rest and put to work! But that’s it! Rest, work, rest, work. Not work, work, work, work.

In the Pharisees’ world, the “working” at proving ourselves to be religious and obedient was primary. In Jesus’ world, the “resting” is primary. The Sabbath is the holy day when God rested. For God, six days was “enough” to complete creation. Get it? This faith we practice has works of righteousness involved, but not to the extent that they become a burden we can’t carry. The most important day of the week is Sabbath, meaning the most important aspect of the Kingdom life is rest.

Is this making sense? Jesus invited us to turn around, to stop thinking of religious performance as the basis of life, but rather to let rest and assurance be the focus of life, with an attitude towards works of faith that sees it as necessary, but not a burden, and certainly not the way to prove anything to God.

The result is rest for our souls, because the yoke (workload) is easy, and it burdens us only lightly, because it was given to us by a Savior who is both gentle and humble.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

BY THE WAY … this has been my favorite passage of Scripture for 40+ years. When I was a young pastor, I had read this passage many times, but the first time I used it as a sermon text, I began preparing and spontaneously became overwhelmed with tears at Jesus’ invitation to come to him and get rid of my burdens in exchange for his rest and a yoke that was much easier than the burdens I had been carrying for such a long time. I say this because when we are first saved, we understand our salvation as we experienced it at that point. But later on, more revelations of the nature and glory of this new life in Christ will touch us in deeper and richer ways. This passage became my best symbolism for the illustration of salvation … to give him what I have, and in return get what he has. That’s the best bargain anyone in the world will ever get!

Today’s Word Is SMUGGLING

With Humor for the Week
Fri-Jan-24-2020

A fellow tries to cross the Mexican border on a bicycle with two big bags balanced on his shoulders. The guard asks, “What’s in the bags?” … The fellow says, “Sand!”

The guard wants to examine them. The fellow gets off the bike, places the bags on the ground, opens them up, and the guard inspects the contents … only to find sand. The fellow re-packs the sand, places the bags on his shoulders, and pedals the bike across the border.

A week later, the same situation is repeated… “What have you there?” … “Sand.” … “We want to examine it.” … Same results… nothing but sand, and the fellow is on his way again.

Every week this happens, nothing but sand in the bags. Eventually the border guard retires, and lo and behold, one day he sees this same fellow riding a bike down the street with the same two bags on his shoulders. So, he waves him down, and says, “Do you remember me? I’m the border guard at the crossing you always use. I finally reached retirement age.”

“Sure, I remember you.” … “So, let me confess that I always thought you were up to something, but I never could find anything in those bags except sand. What do you hide in there? You’ve been smuggling something all this time, haven’t you!? I can’t arrest you anymore, so tell me, what is it?” … “Bicycles, man, bicycles.”

That story made me think that we have an enemy that smuggles harmful things into our lives by methods that may seem innocent to us, or don’t make sense. We must be on the lookout that our character is not changing for the worse through television, the internet, advertising, depressing newscasts, public opinion polls, politics, and many other seemingly innocent carriers.

What can all this exposure do to us? It can cause our integrity to falter. We can become cynical and unforgiving toward others. It can also cheat us out of God’s surprises and gifts. I get my share of exposure, but I try to stay aware and stay away more. Better diets can be found in the Scriptures, quiet time with the Lord, listening to good teaching, enjoying fellowship with friends, and gathering at places of worship. I hope you partake.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

SCRIPTURES FOR THE DAY:

“ … so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2nd Corinthians 2:11)

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Gracious God, Thank you for another day of blessing and adventure. Keep my eyes open and my mind on alert for any ways I may be allowing the enemy access into my life. Lead me to green pastures of Kingdom nourishment. May I use the wisdom I have gained to make a difference in someone’s life today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.