A lady was escorted to a wedding by her twenty-four-year-old bachelor son. He appeared to be unaffected by the ceremony until the bride and groom lit a single candle with their candles and then blew out their own. With that he brightened up and whispered, “I’ve never seen that done before.” She whispered back, “You know what it means, don’t you?” His response: “No more old flames?”
I suppose the young man was partially right, but there is so much more to a successful marriage than renouncing old relationships. It takes more than that to ensure that love’s flame will continue to burn bright. Married couples must never take each other for granted, but they should try to fan the flames of their love every single day.
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”—Ephesians 5:33.
Two brothers who were known for being thrifty saved their money for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Holy Land. Arriving at the Sea of Galilee, they discovered that it would cost them fifty dollars each to cross the lake by boat. They protested the price, exclaiming that they could take a similar boat ride in their home town for just a few dollars. The guide replied, “Oh, but this is the sea that Jesus walked on!” The brothers quickly retorted, “No wonder he walked, seeing the prices you charge for a boat ride!”
“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”—Matthew 14:25-27.
One of the best-loved stories in Scripture is the one Jesus tells in Luke 15—the parable of the prodigal son. In fact, this is one of the best-known stories ever told in the history of mankind. It is a remarkable message of the love that God has for people.
While we tend to focus mainly on the son who had left home, Jesus informs us early in the story that the man had two sons. To ignore the emphasis on the second son is to perhaps miss the main point of the story altogether.
The younger son asked to receive his inheritance early. This was an extremely uncommon request. Even more uncommon was that the request was granted.
The son soon gathered up all that he had and departed. He left behind nothing that would tie him to his previous life on his father’s estate. He set off for a faraway country and squandered his wealth in wild living. Then a famine occurred, and he began to be in need. He was so desperate that he hired himself out to feed pigs, an especially detestable job for a Jewish person.
He finally came to his senses and decided to go back to his father, confess his sin and ask to be hired as a servant. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming and ran to meet him. He welcomed his wayward son home with a hug and a kiss. The father gave his son a royal welcome and decided to celebrate with a party.
We often conclude our study of the parable at this point, but remember, this is a tale of two sons. When the older son came in from the field, where he was faithfully carrying out his responsibilities, he heard music and dancing. So he questioned one of the servants, and learned that his younger brother had come home and that their father had ordered a celebration.
The older brother was in no mood to celebrate. Instead of experiencing joy at his younger sibling’s return, he became indignant. His angry response to his father betrayed an attitude of self-righteousness and a lack of appreciation for everything that his father had provided him over the years.
The father showed compassion to his older son, just as he had when the wayward son returned. He pointed out to his older son that he had always had access to wonderful blessings in their home. The father insisted, “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (v.32).
Jesus finishes the story here, leaving it open-ended. We don’t know if the wayward son who returned home lived a life that was a proper response to the grace that he had received from his father. We don’t know if the older son relented and joined in the celebration of the return of his lost brother. We are simply left to consider the application of the story to our lives.
Most of us can see similarities in our own lives to each of these two brothers. We have had times when we did not appreciate what God has provided for us. Instead, we went our own way and didn’t come to our senses until we found ourselves in our own particular self-made pigpen. When we did decide to come home to our Father, we experienced his abounding grace, love and forgiveness.
Most of us can also see some of the older brother’s sin in our own lives. We may not have ventured out into the world of wild living, but as we went through the motions of performing our duties for our Father, we allowed ourselves to become self-righteous, unappreciative of what we have and hard-hearted toward our brothers and sisters.
In this tale of two sons, we are challenged to live a life that is a proper response to the grace that God has shown us in Jesus. And let’s remember that we must also extend his grace to those who have repented and returned to him.
At the age of twelve, Robert Louis Stevenson was looking out into the dark from his upstairs window. He was watching a man lighting the street lamps. Stevenson’s governess came into the room and asked what he was doing. He replied, “I am watching a man cut holes in the darkness.”
This is a wonderful picture of the Christian’s task as we share God’s light. We are people who are busy cutting holes in the spiritual darkness of our world.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:14-16.
In 1996 Disney came out with the movie 101 Dalmatians, and it was a box office success. Many viewers fell in love with the cute spotted puppies on the big screen and decided to get one for themselves. When they brought those adorable little puppies home, however, they found that living with a Dalmatian is an entirely different experience from watching one on the movie screen. Soon, according to the Associated Press, all over the United States dog shelters saw a dramatic increase in the number of Dalmatians being abandoned by their owners. A Florida organization called Dalmatian Rescue took in 130 Dalmatians in the first nine months of 1997; usually they get that many dogs in two and a half years.
Dalmatians can be a challenge to own for several reasons. Dalmatians grow to be big dogs, weighing as much as seventy pounds. They are rambunctious and require a lot of exercise. They can be moody, becoming restless and even destructive if they don’t get enough activity. They shed year-round, and 10 percent of Dalmatians are born deaf.
Tracey Carson, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Humane Society, says, “Although Dalmatians are beautiful puppies, and can be wonderful dogs, you have to know what you’re getting into.”
Whether with pets or with people, infatuation with someone’s appearance is a poor foundation for a relationship.
Jesus says that we are to love our neighbor. It sounds like an easy thing to do until it comes time to put that plan into action. Like Dalmatians, people often have their flaws and can be extremely difficult to live with. Like someone once said, “To live above with those we love, oh that will be glory! But to live below with those we know, now that’s a different story!”
In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) we learn that loving our neighbor isn’t always easy. It requires time, effort and expense. The one who needs our help may be someone we don’t even know. They may not seem very lovable at all. Yet they are the ones who need us.
The next time you see someone beaten up by life and needing your help, don’t pass by on the other side of the road. Stop and help them. Who knows? Maybe the next time it will be you who needs the help!
On November 8, 1970, there was a hard-fought NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions. The game was close, and it came down to the final seconds to see who would win. The crowd gasped as they realized that the Saints were going to try a field goal of sixty-three yards! This feat had never been accomplished in the history of the league.
Who was the man who ran onto the field to attempt this record-setting kick? It was Tom Dempsey, a man who had no fingers on his right hand, no toes on his right foot, and only half of his kicking foot. When Tom Dempsey kicked that ball he not only made football history, he encouraged countless people who were facing various kinds of adversity. Dempsey saw an obstacle, but he refused to allow it to sideline him. He took advantage of this opportunity and emerged victorious.
“…If God is for us, who can be against us?”—Romans.8:31.
A preacher once received a rather unusual gift from a friend in the congregation. It was a white suit. The preacher was reluctant to wear such a flashy outfit, but he didn’t want to offend his friend. He tried the suit on, and found it to be a perfect fit. So he decided to wear it one Sunday. Before they left for church, he asked his wife what she thought of the new suit. After giving him the once-over, she replied, “It depends. Are you going to preach or sell chicken?”
I suppose the main thing is not how we are dressed for Sunday morning worship, but how we are clothed spiritually. Galatians 3:26-27 says, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
In 1991, major league baseball player Andre Dawson was called out looking by umpire Joe West. Dawson strongly disagreed with the call and was ejected from the game. The National League fined him $500 for this. Dawson paid the fine with a check and wrote in the memo line—“Donation for the blind.”
Jesus is the ultimate Umpire. And he is never wrong. His vision is perfect and his decision-making is flawless. Jesus never makes any mistakes. If he says that’s the way something is, he is right. Every. Single. Time.
Yet so many people question the calls that Jesus makes about: morality, worship, forgiveness, how we handle money and many other issues about how we should live our lives. How foolish it is to disagree with Jesus! How much better off we would be if we would always agree with him.
The editorial board of the Orlando (Fla) Sentinel recently ran an editorial piece lamenting the fact that the Florida legislature was proceeding with a pro-life bill. The headline of the article was—“Florida abortion bill hits hardest at most vulnerable”. The basic assertion of the article was that vulnerable women should not be forced to do something so decent as to give birth to their babies. The editorial board was incapable of seeing the irony in their headline. When it comes to abortion, the mothers are not the most vulnerable. It is the helpless babies who are the most vulnerable in these situations. The headline unwittingly reminds us that the most vulnerable human beings on the face of the earth are babies in the wombs of abortion-minded mothers.
“Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”—Psalm 82:4.
A man was climbing a mountain in the Swiss Alps with two guides that he had hired. It was an extremely windy day, and the trio had made their ascent on the sheltered side of the mountain. Upon reaching the top, the man was so excited to think about the view in front of him that he stood upright—and was almost blown off the mountain by a gust of wind. One of the guides caught hold of him and pulled him down saying, “On your knees, sir! You are safe here only on your knees!”
We live in a dangerous world. The safest way to proceed is on our knees in prayer.
“…Three times a day he (Daniel) got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God…”—Daniel 6:10.
Jesustrek 