Category: Christian Living

Immediately

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Evangelism

As a parent, you find yourself using the adverb “immediately” on many occasions while speaking to your children.  “Please take out the trash, and do it immediately.”  “You need to come inside immediately.  Supper’s ready.”  “I expect you to clean up your room immediately.”  Immediately means “at once; instantly; without any intervening time or space.”  Some synonyms are instantly, now, promptly, this very minute, on the spot, here and now, and without delay.   Those words clearly describe the desire of a parent’s heart and the timely action that is follow in the lives of their children.

This word is used often in the book of Mark in connection with the Lord’s actions and commands.  One instance in particular is found in Mark 1:16-20, And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  When Jesus called, they responded immediately, instantly, promptly, on the spot.

Is my response immediate to Christ’s commands and calls?  Or, do I sanctimoniously say, “I need to pray about that.”  I do not see anywhere in Scripture that I need to pray about obedience to the Lord. Since His way is perfect (Psalm 18:30), and He is God in all His attributes, character, and glory, I must obey immediately; I must act immediately.  As a father, I expected immediate response from my girls.  Perhaps our children would learn to respond in a more immediate fashion to us their parents if they saw us responding immediately to our Heavenly Father.  Can you hear your Father say, “Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)?

On the Back Porch

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Renewal

One of the blessings of living in the country is the quiet. I realize that I risk sounding like an old man, but I have always liked quiet.  And now you are laughing if you know me because I am a talker, a preacher, and have a strong voice.  I want my music turned up in my car so I can sing along, and I love the sound of 35 or more cars chasing each other around the track at Bristol Motor Speedway on a hot August night. Nevertheless, I really like quiet.  The reason I hike and run is to enjoy the quiet.  Most of the places my wife and I “get away” are places of quiet. That’s one of the reasons I love my back porch, which is where I am seated right now. Many times when my wife and I are eating out here, I will look at her and say, “Listen.”  A sound can barely be heard.

This world is full of noise.  People generally are uncomfortable with quiet.  They can’t sit still for more than 10 minutes.  The TV has to be on, the children screaming at the top of their lungs, and the dogs carrying on like it’s a full-moon.  So, when you consider being quiet, it makes most folks uncomfortable.

Caleb’s legacy is mostly one of being a genuine man of faith (Numbers 13-14).   There is a time mentioned in chapter thirteen that causes me to want to stand up and salute Caleb.  The ten spies have returned with their evil report of the land and created a disquieted heart in the people of Israel.  We read in Numbers 13:30, Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”  Way to go, Caleb!  You did the best thing for those folks.  They needed to just be still and listen.

Does someone need to quiet you?  Have you been still enough today to hear the voice of God speaking?  Have you been tethered to your cell phone doing most of the talking? Has someone come to you with gossip, and you’ve had enough courage and desire for quiet in your own soul to say, “Shhh.  I don’t want to hear it.”  Much of what disquiets our heart is what we hear from the lips of others and from our own sinful heart.  This morning or sometime today, will you find your “back porch” and be still.  Enjoy the quiet and meditate on these four scripture passages:

Psalm 107:30 – Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven.

Psalm 131:2 – Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Proverbs 17:1 – Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife.

Ecclesiastes 4:6 – Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

Our God is Victorious

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Praise & Worship

cross victory

Psalm 40:3 says, He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.  That is exactly what the Lord has done for me since returning from the Spiritual Leadership Conference in Lancaster, CA.  Each night of the meetings, the choir would sing, Nothing Ever Can; Nothing Ever Will.  I have played it over and over again at my computer, sang it while walking along, humming it, and meditating on the richness of its text.  What a special blessing to sing it this past Sunday morning in ourmorning service.  Added to that joy was a college student on the second row signing the lyrics.  Below you will find the link to the song and the words.  No matter what you may be facing today or in the future, this song will challenge, calm, and charge your heart.  Because our God is always victorious, we can say as 2 Corinthians 2:14, Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place.

Link: Nothing Ever Can, Nothing Ever Will

(The song begins after the brief prelude piano music)

Lyrics:

1) Every power on earth and in heaven

Is a shadow in His light,

No authority, law or government

Challenges His sovereign might.

 

His reign and rule have no boundary,

All that is, His hands have wrought.

Nothing ever can, nothing ever will

Overcome the Lord our God.

 

2) We are well aware we were orphans once,

Bent and broken in our shame,

Then He sought us out and adopted us,

Now we bear His royal name.

 

Every sin or crime we have ever done

Is no match for Jesus’ blood.

Nothing ever can, nothing ever will

Overcome the Lord, our God.

 

3) We are rescued out of darkest night,

Freed from Satan’s evil hold

And the kingdom of our Savior’s light

Is our soul’s eternal home.

 

Though the enemy tries to steal and kill

What the death of Christ has bought

Nothing ever can, nothing ever will

Overcome the Lord, our God.

 

Bridge

Our God is victorious,

He always wins! He always wins!

In love He reigns over us,

He always wins! He always wins!

 

4)  We, the Church, declare: Jesus Christ is King,

For He conquered death once for all.

We will live in light of His victory

Following His gospel call.

 

And when the story ends we know Jesus wins,

For His power cannot be stopped.

Nothing ever can, nothing ever will

Overcome the Lord, our God.

Nothing ever can, nothing ever will

Overcome the Lord, our God.

(Ross King)

A Drive Through the Country

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Heaven

Last evening after church, Denise and I drove home through the country.  That is our favorite route . . . through the country.  As we drove out of Jonesborough with our windows down and the sunroof opened, we were captured by the gorgeous sunset.  The view was spectacular!  The quiet drive and surrounding rolling hills were calming.  How appropriate for the evening.

You see, Denise and I were on our way home after the evening service and a visit in the hospital with a man very dear to us and the ministry of our church.  How it hurts my heart to see him currently unable to get out of bed and walk.  How difficult this is for a man in the twilight of his years. How difficult for us as well.  He has walked many-a-mile in his lifetime.  He has walked his farmland, over the roads through Johnson City and Boones Creek, through the country, many times from his car to Neyland Stadium and back, into the foyer at church and down the aisle looking for that visitor or church member that he could share a smile and a warm welcome, and through the door of his home with many, many guests following him to eat at his dinner table.  He has walked through many storms of life, heartaches, church trials, and political disappointments.  He has always been by my side as a mentor, supporter, and encourager in the ministry whether he agreed with me or not.  Over the years, I have never wondered if he would forsake me or turn on me.  He has been a faithful friend through it all.

How often my wife and I have driven through the country with Rod and Hope. He is an open history book of the lands around us.  I have learned much from him.  As the years begin to wind down and the sun begins to set, his future is as bright as the sunset last night because he, like us, is headed to a city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews11:10). This will be a ride, not through, but to a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16).  Until that day, we will keep taking those drives through the country knowing “I will rise when He calls my name, no more sorrow, no more pain.”

The Verbs of Your Life

by Dale, posted in Christian Living

In 2 Kings 17 we read about Israel’s demise under King Hoshea and its deportation to Mesopotamia under the direction of Assyrian king, Shalamaneser. The king of Assyria then sends Babylonians and Arameans to repopulate Israel to make the areas more manageable and loyal to his leadership.  What interested me as I read were all the action verbs in 2 Kings 17:6-18 that describe the sins of Israel which led to their captivity.  Just look at some of them for a moment:

  • Sinned against the LORD (7)
  • Secretly did against God what was not right (9)
  • Burned incense in all the high places (11)
  • Refused to hear (14)
  • Hardened their necks (14)
  • Refused to believe (14)
  • Rejected God’s statutes (15)
  • Became vain (15)
  • Went after the heathen (15)
  • Left all the commandments of the LORD their God (16)
  • Sold themselves to do evil (17)
  • Provoked God to anger (17)

Wow!  These are just some of the verbs in this passage.  When I completed my reading, the thought came to my mind, “What verbs would describe my relationship with God at the end of my life and, even more so, today?”  Looking back over that list, the following comes to mind from Hebrews 11:

  • Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice (11:4)
  • Enoch pleased God (11:5)
  • Noah prepared an ark (11:7)
  • Abraham obeyed (11:8)
  • Abraham looked for a city (11:10)
  • Sarah received strength (11:11)
  • Sarah counted Him faithful (11:11)
  • These all embraced the promises (11:13)
  • Abraham offered up Isaac (11:17)
  • Moses chose suffering for righteousness sake (11:25)
  • Moses forsook Egypt (11:27)

Do some inventory today.  Ask the Lord in prayer to reveal the verbs that describe you.  Be honest.  Write them down.  What needs to change?  “Repent” and “confess” would be some good verbs to begin with so you could please, obey, embrace, etc.  Then as you dwell in this land, you will be loyal to your King  (2 Chronicles 16:9).