On God’s shoulders

Bev and I have four children, all adults now. But, I remember their childhood like yesterday. When they were little and I was strong, I would swing them to my shoulders effortlessly, their little legs straddling my neck, their hands wrapped in my hair. They loved seeing the world from ‘up there.’ I carried them on my shoulders when we were walking through snow or mud, or when we were in a crowd. Perched there, they were safe, fully in the care of their loving Dad. Both of us were delighted!

Take a look at what our Heavenly Father says He will do for you and me! “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. “To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?” Isn’t that rich? Tears of joy pour down my face as I write these worlds… thinking of my Father reaching down to swing me to His shoulders, to carry me through the mud today! Oh, what a thought of Glory. Such love.

But, many people are like the fools which Isaiah describes in the next lines. “Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles. “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels." (Isaiah 46:3-8, NIV) The false gods, the idols of materialism, prestige, sensuality, empty religion – these oppress the worshipper. These idols weigh us down and, for what? They cannot save!

I can no longer hoist my kids to my shoulders! The thought makes me chuckle: Sean at 6 foot, 2 inches on my shoulders! Oh, yes, I still can pick them up emotionally, can pray with them, can listen to them, but gradually my ability to father them is eroding. Our Heavenly Father never loses His strength. He says that He was there when we were infants and He be there when our hair is gray, constantly carrying us on His shoulders.

What’s your burden today, disciple?
What fear weighs you down?
Is there a dreaded situation that makes you feel small, something that you cannot get through alone?

Let Him carry you. Kneel and ask, “Father, would you lift me up to Your shoulders?”
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There is no problem so big,
God cannot solve it.
There is no mountain so tall,
He cannot move it.
There is no storm so dark,
God cannot calm it.
There is no sorrow so deep,
God cannot soothe it.

If He carried the weight of the world
Upon His shoulders,
I know my brother, that He will carry you.
If He carried the weight of the world
Upon His shoulder,
I know my brother, that He will carry you.

He Will Carry You
Scott Wesley Brown© 1982 Birdwing Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing; Admin. by BMG Music Publishing) / BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing; Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
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This thought was inspired by little four line ‘A-ha’ email sent my way this morning by a good friend, Pastor Tim Hoff. Thanks, Tim.

CWTW will be back late next week. I’ll be taking a few days to unstring the bow, to let the Father carry me. If you would ask Him to renew my mind, refresh my heart, restore my soul – I would be deeply grateful!

The Bread King!

Sitting down to a well-prepared, savory meal is a joy, isn’t it? After a day when I’ve been active and not taken time to eat, I am ready for dinner! What must it be like to be desperately hungry, living on the edge day after day? If a person is that hungry, bread becomes awfully important! In John’s Gospel, we read of about dinner served at day’s end at Jesus’ direction. John tells us that several thousand people had gathered to hear Him speak and as the evening was settling, the Lord asked Philip where they could get bread to feed the crowd. His incredulous reply -“Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” (John 6:7, NLT) Jesus already had a plan. A boy’s lunch was found. He blessed it and miraculously feed 5000 men and others with it, then collected 12 baskets of leftovers!

The people were excited. No more struggle to find food, no more dealing with famines, no more wondering about bread! They were so enthused the Bible says, “they were ready to force him to be their king." (John 6:15, NLT) The Bread King! The first ever welfare state!

The next day when some of them found Jesus, He told them that He wasn’t around just to make them dinner. “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. … I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. … I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” (John 6:26,35,51, NLT)

Why are you a Christian?
Why do you follow Jesus?
Are you just looking for a Bread King?

Disciple, the ever-present temptation is to simply want a God who will make our life easier for us, here and now. What’s wrong with that? Well, His mission is is greater than filling our bellies and making us happy on this earth. Yes, of course, He cares about our needs, but He is really our Life! A careful meditation on the 6th chapter of John reveals that Jesus Christ will feed us in ways that have nothing to do with our stomachs and bread! He will satisfy our spirit hunger, feeding us with Himself. He, Himself, was fed in this way by the Presence of His Father. When His disciples brought Him lunch one day at Jacob’s well, He did not eat. He told them, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”… My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work." (John 4:32,34, NLT)

If we only love what Jesus does for us, but fail to love Jesus Christ Himself, we are just like those that He fed dinner. He wants us to love Him! Go deeper in spiritual things, friend. Go beyond having a religion that you hope will help life to work better for you. Seek a relationship with the Lord that is deep, intimate, and soul-satisfying; something that few who claim to be ‘Christian’ really understand.

And this is His promise: "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6:57-58, NKJV)

____________________


Hungry, I come to You
For I know You satisfy.
I am empty,
But I know Your love
Does not run dry.
And so I wait for You,
So I wait for You.

I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me.
Jesus, You're all
This heart is living for.

Hungry
Kathrun Scott© 1999 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Mercy / Vineyard Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055

______________________

Jerry D. Scott - Sr. Pastor
WASHINGTON ASSEMBLY of GOD
33 Brass Castle Road - Washington, NJ 07882

908-689-7777
http://www.WashingtonAG.com

Alone, in the dark?

Our church is a huge building with a high ceiling, 40 feet at the peak. It’s a wooden structure, beautiful during the day when the light plays through the trusses but spooky at night when the lights are turned off. After spending hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours in that room, I know every corner in it, yet... walking through the building in the dark of night still makes my heart pound! The rafters creak, the wind moans around the sharp corners of the roof, shadows dance on the walls and - in the dark - I simply cannot help feeling at least a little bit of fear. In the bright light of morning, the same set of circumstances, in that very same sanctuary, I feel no fear whatever. Just for the record, I'm not a alone in this reaction. Many people report experiencing that same kind of fear in big, dark buildings!

Are you walking in the dark today?
Is the Light of life dimmed by situations that leave you feeling afraid? Perhaps this is the plan of God for you right now.

Jesus' disciples listened as He talked about going to Jerusalem to die. Peter objected that such awful things could not be God’s will. Jesus did not agree. He severely reprimanded his buddy: "Get behind me, Satan!" During the week prior to His death, Jesus told the disciples terrible things about the future of Jerusalem: "the Temple will be destroyed, terrible times will come when the residents of this city will run for their lives." Becoming much more personal, He warned His friends about their own failure of faith when He was betrayed and taken to die! Peter boldly barked: "Maybe those other guys, but NOT me!" Jesus told him that he would fail spectacularly, even openly denying Him- which he did! Judas deserted his brothers, joining with their enemies. Jesus was taken into custody for an illegal midnight trial of sorts. The disciples deserted Him scattering into the night in terror. That week ended with His crucifixion. John tells us that the disciples hid behind locked doors, deeply shaken and fearful. And you think you've had a bad week?

Sometimes God's people have to walk through dark times! The Psalmist reminds us, however, that (23:4 NLT) "Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid..." Why? "...for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me."

God’s promise is true. Even when we cannot see Him - He is with us. When we are walking through the dark rooms of death, disappointment, or even demonic attack He is with us. Why doesn’t He take us out of such situations? I don’t know! That’s the faith part of the equation. Peter urges us to stay steady, even when we're in the dark. "Don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world." 1 Peter 4:12-13 NLT

Are you in the dark today? I love a story that I find in the 16th chapter of Acts. After doing much good in the city of Philippi, God’s men, Paul and Silas, were accused of disturbing the peace, beaten by the authorities, and chained to a wall in a filthy jail! Sounds like a good time to complain, doesn’t it? “What’s up with this, Lord? Here we are trying to do what you want us to do. And, then you let us end up here in the dark, hurting and bleeding.” That’s not what they did. The Bible says, "Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears." (Acts 16:25, The Message) You know the rest of the story… an earthquake shook open the doors; the jailer’s heart was opened by the sincere faith he saw in these two evangelists; and the light broke through!

So, if you’re in the dark, find a song to sing. Make it one that takes hold of the faithfulness of God. Sing like Paul and Silas sang at midnight! (Acts 16) And wait for the deliverance of the Lord to restore the Light to your life.
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Great is Thy faithfulness,
O God my Father,
There is no shadow
Of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not,
Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been
Thou forever wilt be.

Pardon for sin
And a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence
To cheer and to guide;
Strength for today
And bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine,
With ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning
New mercies I see;
All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Lord, unto me.

Great is Thy Faithfulness© 1923. Renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Company
CCLI License No. 810055

It’s a life – and other inconvenient facts

From the moment of conception to the last breath, human life is an unbroken continuum. Some lives are more vulnerable than others, including the unborn, the less abled, and the elderly. As Christians, God requires us to stand alongside of those who cannot defend themselves, who are without strength. No more compelling support can be found for this fact than that in James where we read: "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." (James 1:27, NLT) James’ reference to the plight of orphans and widows, is not simply an economic statement. Those without a father or husband in that era were at the mercy of many. The larger truth wrapped in his words is that disciples are given a mandate to stand with the weak!

Our President came down on the side of expedience yesterday, choosing to ignore the compelling facts about the sanctity of human life, with a stroke of his pen restoring government support and sanction for stem cell research from human embryos. I understand the collision of two ‘goods’ that complicate his choice. Watching the Michael J. Fox, the actor with Parkinson’s disease, twitch and jerk uncontrollably on camera moves my heart especially when I know that his illness will end his life prematurely. Seeing people with spinal cord injuries who hope that they could walk again, if only a cure were found, makes me feel compassion, too! Pointing to the ‘possibility’ of a cure for such afflictions that might arise from stem cell research, our President and his advisors say that any moral concerns about life of the unborn is trumped by need for scientific inquiry.

Ignoring a fundamental fact about humanity by adopting a utilitarian view of the value of life may lead to some gains in the short-term, but it will inevitably lead us to terrible choices not too far down the road. One only has to consider the shocking views of a man most Americans have never heard of, Dr. Peter Singer, a bioethicist from Princeton University. While his views are not currently mainstream, they are the logical outgrowth of the same line of thinking that justifies using human embryos for medical research. Singer advocates, among other things, allowing parents 28 days from birth to decide whether to let their baby live or die! He bases this claim on his assertion that newborn infants have limited consciousness and rationality, therefore they are not fully functioning human beings. Singer disavows the belief that all human life has equal dignity. He assigns value to individuals based on their contribution and usefulness to society at large.

If we become utilitarian in our ethical base, which is what Dr. Singer is in an extreme form, nobody’s life is safe! Watch out unborn children, people who are disabled, or those who are terminally ill, or even the aged! Singer’s radical views are rooted in his non-belief in God or Creation. In his view, human beings are simply an extension of evolved life, having no more right to exist than a pig or an ape! What we see in Dr. Singer is what we will see should we become a secular society.

Let’s be clear; I do not believe President Obama espouses Dr. Singer’s views! Very few Americans presently do. But, I firmly believe that taking a step towards taking a tiny life of a helpless human being to benefit another is immoral and ignores the biological facts concerning conception and life and leads us further along the way to a redefinition of our culture that will be ugly.

Disciple, our faith is not simple. The world in which we live it out, day by day, does not make it easy to hold to absolutes. Formation of those absolutes must be done with careful thought, prayer, and deep reverence for the discovery of Truth. However, Jesus says that “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NIV) One of the most basic Biblical concepts and a cornerstone of Christ’s teaching is that everyone matters, that all individual persons are precious and loved in the eyes of God, regardless of whether they are male, female, rich, poor, strong, or weak.

May God forgive us the choices made in our names in Washington, DC yesterday and help us to find our voices as well as the courage to stand with all those who are ignored, oppressed, or exploited. If we will not, then may the words of Ezekiel fall on us!

"Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, “This is what God, the Master, says …” when God hasn’t said so much as one word.
Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.’
“I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn’t have to destroy it. I couldn’t find anyone. Not one.
So I’ll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they’ve done. Decree of God, the Master.”

(Ezekiel 22:28-31, The Message)

The emotion the devil loves

It started as a quarrel. It quickly escalated into a war of words. How it might have ended is anybody's guess except that both of us reached out to a mutual friend who hit the reset button on our emotions, refocusing us on the love of Christ, our shared mission, and our esteem for each other! Quickly, the tense situation was defused.

Anger is dynamite! Explosives are a boon to humanity. A series of controlled explosions drives our engines. Dynamite allows us to build roads through mountains. A sustained explosion is what pushes rockets into space. Explosives are also a terrible blight, used in warfare to destroy cities and kill thousands. Terrorists have chosen bombs as the weapon of choice to destabilize societies and sow fear in the world.

Anger can move a man to change his world, to deal with injustice, to give his life to end a threat. A little too much anger can destroy a friendship, tear apart a marriage, turn a man into a murderer, or drive a nation to war! I love Bev (my wife of 34 years) more than any person on this planet, but when I am angry with her over some insignificant issue, I am capable of saying things to her that are very hurtful or allowing myself to think things about her that have no basis in fact. When the storm of anger passes, I wonder - "how did that happen?"

While I would never want to lose the capacity to become angry, I know it is critically important that I understand anger enough to keep it within safe channels. When anger builds in us a whole range of responses begin to occur. Blood pressure increases, heart rate goes up, and energy hormones like adrenaline pour into our body preparing us for a fight! If we are not accustomed to managing our emotions, anger will quickly cause us to move toward irrational thoughts that actually feed a rage. That is why I call anger the emotion the devil loves! The Scripture speaks of anger, not as sin, but with caution so that it does not cause us to sin. Jesus Christ, the Sinless Man, grew angry! Mark tells us that when some religious leaders resisted His work of healing because of the Sabbath traditions, "He looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts!" Then, too, there is that famed incident when an angry Jesus took up a whip and drove the money changers from the Temple grounds because their greed led them to exploit worshippers!

The Word cautions us to build strong walls around our anger, to limit how far we allow to reach into our lives and how long we allow ourselves to remain angry. "Don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil." (Ephesians 4:26-27, NLT) James adds this wisdom. "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:19-21, NKJV)

Disciple, learn to recognize the signs of anger. Be honest with yourself when you're starting to feel angry. If you are not, the emotion is so powerful it will find a way to seep into many others parts of your life like a corrosive acid that opens your mind to temptations around lust, rage, uncontrolled spending, or misuse of alcohol and/or drugs! It is true! Many people with life-controlling issues are really just angry children inside, looking for relief from the suppressed anger they feel over situations they think they cannot control.

So how can we keep anger holy?

1. Be quick to invite another to monitor your anger. Tell a trusted confidant, "I am feeling angry." As you talk about it, you will be much more likely to properly identify the source so you can find the right solution.

2. Pray about your anger! The last thing you may feel like doing when you're growing angry at someone is taking it to the Lord, but it is one of the first responses for those who are Christ's. Invite the Holy Spirit to calm you, to give you insight, to drain away the "Self" component in your anger.

3. Deal with it now! Don't stuff anger away under pious talk, or diversions that keep you from thinking about it. Instead, as the Bible teaches, "don't let the sun go down" while you're angry. In just a few hours, a minor irritation can turn into a major conflict if it is not promptly dealt with.

4. Learn to forgive. In God's lexicon, forgive doesn't mean 'just forget about it.' Forgiveness is a choice to turn some injustice over to Him, with the sure knowledge that He will, in His time and with His wisdom, bring about true justice - maybe not today or tomorrow, but He will. So you can take that person, that situation, that wound to Him and leave it with Him. "Lord, I have not been able to deal with this. I can't solve it, I can't control it, I can't work it out. I give it to You. I release it to You and ask You to let my heart leave it there." It is simply amazing the peace that can flow into our lives IF we will choose to forgive others in this manner!

5. Repent, if you have stepped over the line from anger to wrath! Own your emotions and responsibility for them. Nobody can cause us to sin. As much as we don't believe this it is true: nobody makes us angry. We choose that response! And where we choose to sin, the Bible calls us to confess and in confession to find the Lord's forgiveness and release from guilt.

America is full of ungodly anger today. May God, the Holy Spirit, so fill our hearts that we learn to be peacemakers who bring reconciliation. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, NIV)