Carrie Cox recently reminded her 14-year-old son Caleb that he is in charge of the music for her funeral. He responded by asking, “Should I play Stairway to Heaven or Highway to Hell?”
This hilarious comeback is a humorous reminder that there are only two eternal destinations for the human soul. Jesus teaches us that he is the stairway to heaven—“…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Jesus also teaches that most people choose the highway to hell—“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14).
Let us live our lives in such a way that it makes it easy for those who will pick the music for our funeral!
Jackie, a character on The Conners television show, recently acknowledged, “The only common denominator in all my failed relationships is me!” Rarely does anyone accept full responsibility for such serious shortcomings in their interactions with others. But sometimes you have to take an honest look in the mirror and make a proper assessment of yourself!
The Bible continually urges us to do the best we can to get along with others, whether it be family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, church members and even our enemies. Relationships can be difficult to maintain, but in order to love God and love people, we need to do the best we can.
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”—Romans 12:18.
Tom Allen, the head coach of the Indiana University football team, has brought a whole new level of excitement to a program that has historically struggled. His Hoosiers are enjoying a remarkable season and are ranked among the top teams in the nation. The enthusiasm coach Allen displays on the sideline and the way he interacts with his players when they make a big play go a long way to inspire his team to play to the absolute best of their ability.
Allen’s winning approach includes a plan he calls LEO—Love Each Other. In team sports, the squad performs much better when the players really care for each other. While many coaches have tried to implement this principle in one way or another, Allen has had remarkable success in creating an atmosphere in which his players truly love each other.
Imagine how wonderful it would be if the local church was full of LEOs!
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”—1 Peter 4:8.
A few weeks ago, University of Kentucky head football coach Mark Stoops was a bit frustrated with the way his team was playing defense. Stoops said, “They want somebody else to make the play.” Like many coaches, Stoops would have liked for his players to be more pro-active rather than waiting for one of their teammates to make something happen.
This sounds like the church sometimes. It seems that everybody is waiting on somebody else to initiate the action. No one wants to be the first to make something happen. Christians are often much too tentative to step out and get things started.
Someone needs to lead the way. When just one person takes the initiative to make something happen, it often starts a chain reaction of positive events. Enthusiasm grows, and, before you know it, you have a congregation that is on the move!
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”—Romans 12:11.
In a recent sermon, Andy Stanley pointed out the difference between the real and the ideal. We all have our conceptions about how our lives should be, but the reality quite often falls far short of what we have pictured in our minds. Our families are messed up. The workplace is chaotic. There is unrest and lawlessness in many communities. Even the church is not spared from this disparity between what is real and what is ideal. Because we live in a fallen, sinful world, we will never escape the tension that comes from facing things as they are, knowing that they are not as they should be.
Jesus came to this world to show us the ideal. He never lowered the bar, but constantly raised the standard in his teachings. Jesus knows that we fall short of perfection, but he wants us to set our sights higher. He died for our sins, but he gives us his Holy Spirit to enable us to live our lives on a higher plane.
The temptation is to settle for less than what we can be because we can’t be perfect. This must not be an option! Let us face our reality with open eyes, but let us also strive for the ideals that Jesus sets forth in his Word.
“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”—John 17:15-19.
According to a report by the Associated Press, lawmakers in Taiwan got into a fist fight and threw pig guts at each other last Friday over a soon-to-be enacted policy that would allow imports of U.S. pork and beef. Now that’s what I would call a spirited disagreement! When you start throwing swine entrails at your opponent, you know that all efforts toward diplomacy have failed!
At least this story makes our own politicians here in the United States seem a bit more dignified!
This report reminds us that we human beings have within us a capacity for negative behavior that far exceeds the boundaries of civility. We must constantly work to keep our anger in check and strive to work toward peaceful negotiations of any differences we might have with one another.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”—Matthew 5:9.
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”—Psalm 133:1.
While chained up in a prison cell, the apostle Paul wrote these words—“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12).
Like Paul, most of us have experienced times of need as well as times of having plenty. Unlike Paul, some of us have not learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Paul’s secret is that he has learned to depend on God for everything. His contentment does not come from being self-sufficient. Good times or bad, Paul has learned to trust God to take care of him. The sooner we learn this secret, the sooner we can live the kind of contented life that God wants us to enjoy.
In a recent Dilbert cartoon, the character Dogbert explained that he was re-writing the dialogue of Shakespeare’s plays. This audacious endeavor prompted Dilbert to proclaim, “I admire your confidence.”
In their arrogance, some people are so confident that they, in effect, try to re-write the Bible. They feel that they can make some improvements on what the Lord has to say. They offer their “corrections” without hesitation. They show no humility whatsoever, but in their pride insist that they know better than God. Some of God’s commands are presented as mere suggestions. Others are said to be way too harsh and strict. Some Scripture is said to be outdated. People give all kinds of reasons for re-writing the Bible to make it more palatable to their preconceived notions.
Let us be very careful that we do not attempt to “improve” the Word of God in any way! We must accept it for what it says, without any changes whatsoever!
“Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”—2 Peter 3:15-16.
NBA guard Fred VanVleet recently agreed to a new contract that will keep him a member of the Toronto Raptors. VanVleet has played a huge role in the Raptors’ recent success, which includes a march to the 2019 NBA championship. He was rewarded for his efforts by the contract offer, which is worth $85 million over four years.
VanVleet wasn’t always that highly appreciated. After playing his college ball at Wichita State, VanVleet did not hear his name called at the NBA draft. Not to be deterred, he worked hard to hone his skills, took advantage of an opportunity that came his way, and in the end was offered the largest contract ever extended to an undrafted player. It just goes to show that hard work and perseverance eventually reaps its rewards. Remember that the next time you are feeling under-appreciated.
“Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”—Proverbs 22:29.
One of my favorite Scriptures about thanksgiving is found in Luke 17. There we read about the time Jesus healed ten men who were suffering from leprosy. These ten men came as close to Jesus as they dared. By Old Testament law, they had to remain distant from others so as not to infect anyone else. (Does this sound a bit like life in 2020?). These men shouted to Jesus, asking for pity. They did not specify exactly what they wanted him to do, but there is little doubt what they were asking from this teacher who had gained quite a reputation as a miraculous healer. They wanted their health back. They wanted to be able to go back to society, back to their family and friends, back to their jobs. They wanted their lives back.
Jesus gave them what they wanted, but in a roundabout way. He put their faith to the test by telling them to go and show themselves to the priests, who acted as health inspectors in those times. In other words, he told them to behave as if they had already been healed. They all passed this test of faith, and as they obeyed by starting off for the priests, they were healed.
One of these men, when he noticed that he was healed, ran back to Jesus. Praising God in a loud voice, he threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
At this point, Luke mentions that this man was a Samaritan. This is noteworthy, since Jews and Samaritans normally despised each other. The other nine were presumably Jewish, therefore the most unlikely person in the whole group is the only one who came back to thank his Jewish healer.
Jesus seems to be disappointed that no one else came back to give thanks. He recognizes the uncommon faith expressed by this lone man. Jesus then praises the man for his faith and sends him on his way.
From this text we can learn some important principles of thanksgiving.
First, let us recognize that it is important to give thanks immediately. If we don’t give thanks quickly, we sometimes end up not giving thanks at all.
Secondly, we need to see that true thanksgiving is rare. Many people focus their attention so much on the blessings they receive that they have little attention left to give to the One who gives the blessing!
Third, we must understand that Jesus expects us to be thankful. Our gratitude must be expressed in our prayers, our singing, our conversations and our general attitude about life. Even in the year 2020, when so many things went so terribly wrong, we have much to be thankful for!
Let’s try to be especially thankful this Thanksgiving. Like the old hymn says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done.”
