Month: April 2024

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

A few days ago I walked in on a conversation in the hair salon among several women. I wasn’t privy to the beginning of the conversation, but suddenly one of the ladies exclaimed, “Lord have mercy!” Those three words took me immediately back to my young days working in my Grandmama’s “beauty shop” in my hometown. I helped out on Saturdays there by sweeping the floors, shampooing the ladies, and any other job my Grandmama needed.

I can distinctly remember the phrase “Lord have mercy” being used frequently, and I always wondered exactly what it meant! One lady came in one day, and when I asked how she was doing, she said, “Well, I am halfway between “Thank you, Jesus” and “Lord have mercy.“

I think many of us can identify with that sentiment. There are days when we are thankful, but there are just as many days when we need God’s mercy. Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone when it is within their power to punish or harm; A disposition to be kind and forgiving; God’s gratuitous compassion.

When I was growing up, our Sunday School class at our church in my hometown was regulary assigned a Bible verse to commit to memory. The 23rd Psalm was one of those verses, and everytime I recite it a visual image of the shepherd with his sheep comes to mind (maybe from the Picture Bible I used). I can always picture the green hills with the shepherd following his sheep and protecting them with his love and mercy.

Phillip Keller in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, says that the high summer land where the sheep grazed was called the “tablelands.” The shepherd would go ahead of the sheep to clear out the noxious weeds and other things that might harm the sheep, but no matter how carefully the shepherd prepares the way, the sheep still encounter thistles and thorns along the way. The shepherd must attend to each injured sheep and rub their wounds with oil. The shepherd never scolds the animal, he just tends to the wounds. This is a portrait of God’s merciful ways as no matter the hurts we incur in this life, He is always there to tend to them.

There are many times in this world where we need to extend mercy to others, and there are even more times when we need others to be merciful to us! A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice, and justice demands death. “I don’t ask for justice,” the mother replied, “I beg for mercy.” Napoleon responded, “But your son does not deserve mercy!” “Sir,” the mother replied, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask.” “Well then,” the Emperor said, “I will have mercy.“

I can identify. Years ago when I had my Learner’s Permit, my parents would allow me to drive by myself around the block of our small town. One day my aunt’s sister from England was visiting and asked to ride along. It wasn’t long befoe she asked to drive. She was eighteen, and I assumed that it would be an easy thing for her to do, so I let her. As we turned the corner, she hit the accelerator instead of the brake, and we crashed into a telephone pole. Nothing was hurt except my Mama’s new car. That evening as I waited anxiously for the punishment I knew was coming, my Daddy came in. “Sugar,” he said, “we all make mistakes, and you made one! I’m thankful you are both all right. Just remember to learn from this lesson, and by the way, this was an expensive one! ” I didn’t get justice. I got mercy!

Goodness is God giving us what we don’t deserve. Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. Just like the shepherd following the sheep, God follows us with mercy. That’s good news because if he followed us with justice, we would all be in trouble! God’s goodness and mercy are following us to bring us closer to the Good Shepherd.

God’s expression of mercy is the most profound expression of His love because it shows us that He remains faithful even when we are unfaithful. When the Lord is your shepherd, his love and mercy surround you now and forever.

He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from the deep mud. He stood me on a solid rock to make sure I would not slip. Psalm 40:2

A while ago, I was talking to a friend who had discovered that the foundation of his house was begining to show its age because cracks were developing there. The doors were getting hard to open and close, and there were places where the bricks were separating. The cracks were small , but the concern was that they would continue to grow.

This conversation took me back to the first place Randy and I lived after we got married. Randy was in school at Emory, and I had secured a teaching position in DeKalb County, so we were looking for a place in a location which was convenient for both of us. After a search, we found an older house on a quiet street near Agnes Scott College which seemed to fit our needs.

The two story home was built in the late eighteen hundreds, and the owner was renting the downstairs and the upstairs as apartments. Two students already had the downstairs, so Randy and I rented the upstairs for our first home. It was a large space with high ceilings and large rooms. We furnished it with old furniture from my parents, his parents, and an old couch an Emory student was selling on the street!

The kitchen had a little cubby for a small table, so we used an old one that belonged to Randy’s mom. The house had a few (many) problems, but when we sat down the first time at our table, we noticed that if you put food on one end, it would slide to the other. We joked that it was a good thing because we never had to pass our food.

The owner sent someone out to check out the problem and make sure the room was safe. They found a supporting beam which had cracked, and could no longer support the floor, so it had to be replaced. They did a “fix” but unforunately, the floor still sloped!

The owner knew this was a temporary fix, but he did just enough to satisfy us and put it out of his mind. Fortunately, we moved to Snellville at the end of the first year, so we were lucky that we weren’t there to experience the result.

Just like cracks in the foundation of a house, the foundation of our lives can experience cracks. It’s easy to ignore them. For example, most of us were brought up on a solid foundation of faith. We went to church, we believed in the sciprtures, and we prayed. Gradually, cracks begin to appear in our spiritual lives, but we don’t realize how bad they have become until we are faced with difficulties in life. We suddenly realize how large the cracks are and how much they have separted us from the foundation of our faith.

On January 19, 1919, a steel vat containing 2.3 million gallons of molten molases burst and created a 30 foot tall wave of the syrup which drowned people and horses, destroyed buildings, and crushed freight cars and automobiles. The enormous tank had cracks, and company officials had reacted to the constantly leaking cracks by repainting the tank to match the color of the molasses. Their philosophy was “out of sight, out of mind.” The officials knew it was dangerous, but they did nothing about it, and 21 people were killed.

There’s an important lesson for us in the above stories. They say that we must pay close attention to the cracks in our spiritual lives because what we ignore today, we may drown in tomorrow. As Christians, the further we get away from the Lord as the foundation of our life, the more we substitute other things as the foundation of our lives.

It happens to all of us, even the disciples were guilty of ignoring the cracks in their walk with Jesus. Before the Passover meal Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, but the disciples forgot to wash the feet of Jesus. After Jesus explained how the bread and wine symbolized His upcoming crucifixion, they started arguing about which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom. They were ignoring their cracks.

The good news for us all is that Jesus still loves us even though we have ignored the cracks in our foundation. This week we need to remember to check our spiritual foundation for cracks. Don’t ignore the cracks that separate us from Jesus as the Rock.

Make your motion and cast your votes, but in the end God has the final say. Proverbs 16:33

The other day someone posed the question, “Do you believe you are lucky?” That’s a tough question to answer for me because I have heard the superstitions about being lucky all my life. Things like “Find a penny, pick it up, and all day you’ll have good luck,” may not be true, but I don’t pass by a penny if I see one! I might also convince myself that that day could be my lucky day!

Recently a friend and I have engaged in a friendly competition of finding four leaf clovers. He is quite good at spotting them, and when I asked his secret he said, “You don’t find them, they find you!” Since he gave me that advice, I’ve become pretty good at finding them (or letting them find me), and I make it a point to take a picture and send it to him every time. I think I’m winning the competition!!

The leaves of a four leaf clover are said to symbolize faith, hope, love, and luck! It is said that Ireland has more four leaf clovers than any place else, hence the phrase, the luck of the Irish! It’s also said that if you are lucky enough to find a four leaf clover, look for more!!

Luck is defined as success or failure brought about by chance rather than one’s own actions or chance considered as a force that causes good or bad things to happen. However, if we pull out the Bible, a concordance, or all the resources available to us, there is not one mention of luck. We would never see Jesus picking up a coin and exclaiming, “Oh my this is my lucky day!” We never see Peter have an amazing catch of fish and say, “Boy, I must be lucky.”

The above scripture refers to casting of lots (similar to the rolling of dice or the tossing of a coin) to settle certain judicial cases. This scripture suggests that something so random as the tossing of a coin or the rolling of dice, even a lucky tee shot or putt, is not outside the sovereign control of God. Therefore, these results are not merely luck.

Consider this story. On March 1,1950 at Westside Baptist Church in Beatrice, Nebraska choir practice was scheduled to start, as it always did, at 7:20 on Wednesday night. Ususally everyone was there right on time. On this night at 7:25 an exposion demolished the church. The blast was so strong that it shattered windows in surrounding homes, yet everyone of the choir’s 15 members escaped injury. How? They were all late that evening. One had car trouble, one had to finish a letter, one was finishing ironing, one overslept from a nap. Some had no special reason why they were late, yet they were. Is that luck or divine intervention?

The question, “Do you believe you are lucky?” I believe that God sends things at certain times that help us to remember that He is in control and has the means to reassure us along the journey of life. For example, a penny reminds me that God is watching me that day, and I usually utter a prayer for something about which I am concerned.

A four leaf clover reminds me to be faithful, have hope, and love others. While I’m walking and holding it in my hand getting ready to take a picture and send it, gives me time to ponder those these things in my life. A rainbow reminds me of God’s faithfulness to us even in this day and age. A hummingbird reminds me that there are loved ones living in the Father’s House that are waiting for us.

Friday night, we lost a long time dear friend unexpectedly. It was devastating for us, but if she were here today, she would probably say, “Yabbadabbadoo, I am so lucky! I am hearing the words well done thy good and faithful servant; good work. You did your job well. Enter into the joy of the Lord.“ If we know that God is control, then we know that our choir singing The Majesty and Glory of His Name on Sunday was not luck, but the work of a sovereign God reminding us that He is in control. We can envision her already singing with the heavenly choir, and warming up to take over as the director.

It is not luck that God places us in a certain place at a certain time, but rather His plan to enhance our lives with those whom He sends for us to love. We love you, Debbie, and boy, will we ever miss you!

Do I think I am lucky? Yes, indeed. If this week you experience some lucky sign or occurence, ask yourself, “Did this happen so God could show His kindness and love to someone through me?” I bet it will be your lucky day!

Count the stars. Can you do it? Genesis 15:5

According to experts, today parts of our country will be able to view a total solar eclipse, a rare event for us. The event will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and pass through parts of the United States. A total eclipse happens when the moon passes between the earth and the sun completely blocking the face of the sun causing a period of darkness. The sky will darken as though it were dawn or dusk. The next solar eclipse is predicted to be in August of 2045, but according to experts, part of this eclipse will be visible in our area between two and three this afternoon, and it will last about three and a half minutes in each vicinity in which is passes. The rumor is that in this area, we might get a glimpse!

Darkness during day light hours is a rare occurrence, but it happened several times in the Bible. One of the most memorable one is called the crucifixion darkness in which the sky became dark for three hours during the crucifixion of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark tells us that from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness all over the land. That time would be from noon until three in the afternoon.

How big is a God who can command darkness to envelop the earth for a specific amount of time, and one who can create a solar system to do His will for the amazement of his creation!! It shows us that God is so big that He is the undisputed God of the universe. He knows what He is doing, and He is doing it!! Psalm 115:3 says, Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.

Growing up in a rural area with no tall buildings or city lights lent itself to nights in which we had the opportunity to sit and star gaze. If you begin to try and count the stars in God’s universe, you quickly realize the answer to the scripture above. There’s no way for humans to understand or comprehend the enormity of what God has created and controls.

It is much like the mysteries of life which we can never fully grasp. The things we all ponder, like: “Why does one family seem to suffer endless tragedies? Why do marriages fail? Why does one person get promoted and the other not? Why do friends betray you?” and the list goes on. John Piper says God is so big that “every day He is doing about 10,000 different things in your life, but you will only be aware of maybe three.” We are like a child looking through a keyhole in that we only get a glimpse of what lies on the other side.

Sometimes we get a chance to be reminded of just how big God is and how some things that others might have meant for evil against us, God meant for good. Last week I got a random email from a lady who was, at one time, a friend. It brought to mind a rather painful time in my life where untruths were uttered, rumors spread, and because of it, many things changed. The email read, “I am not sure you will want to hear from me, but I need to ask your forgiveness. I know your memories of me are bad ones, so I understand if that isn’t possible.”

It was impossible for me to say that I don’t remember or think about that time, but because God is so big, I was able to return her email with a sense of forgivness in my heart for me and for her. It made me realize that I can’t change the past, and I don’t want to. I can simply say that God is good and God is big.

We all need a big God. We need a God big enough to cover our pain, our problems, our mistakes, our fears, and whatever we are facing. A God that is big enough to orchestrate a total solar eclipse is certainly big enough to care for each of us. Remember even when we don’t feel it, He is working.

Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light. Raymond Edman

I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins. Jeremiah 31:34

We have arrived at the day after Easter. The Easter lillies have adorned our homes and churches, the songs of Resurrection have been sung, and we have felt the joy when we utter the words, “Christ is Risen. He is risen indeed.” The question is, “How long will we remember all the feelings of forgiveness and love that Christ has shown us by his suffering and death on the cross?”

One of the best feelings a person can ever have is the day when we “pay off” that college tuition, that car, or the day the home mortgage is stamped, paid in full! We are relieved to know that we owe nothing else, and we are already thinking of ways to spend the excess money that we will enjoy every month!

How many times after we receive that document announcing that our debt is paid in full do we spend thinking about that bill that has been fulfilled? Most people celebrate the moment, and then forget it! It’s no longer on our list of worries or things to do. If we can forget these things, why do we beat ourselves up when we can’t forgive ourselves for some sin we might have committed?

One of most wonderful statements in the Bible is “God forgives.” When we admit our sin and ask God to forgive us, He cancels our past. He chooses to forget our wrong doings, our sins, and our failures. Even if we died tonight, stood before God in heaven, and asked Him about a sin we committed yesterday, He would say,”What sin?” It was paid in full on the cross.

It’s hard for most of us to conceive of the price that Jesus paid for us on the cross. On a much smaller scale, it’s like eating in a restaurant and when we get ready to pay the bill, the waiter says, “A friend of yours has taken care of your dinner for you. You owe nothing.” What if we tried to pay the bill anyway? In the first place, we couldn’t because it had already been paid. In the second place, it would be insulting to the friend who had already paid meaning that we wouldn’t accept the hospitality.

The same thing is true us. Either we accept the fact that Jesus paid it all in is entirety or we keep trying to pay it ourselves. First, we should remember that when Jesus died on the cross, the debt was paid, the work was accomplished, and the sacrifice was complete. The sacrifice of Jesus was sufficient to cover the sins of every person, past, present, and future.

Next, if Jesus paid for our sins and paid in full, that means we don’t have to. God offers His salvation for each of us without price.

Finally, since Jesus paid the price in full, the only thing we have to do is accept it. “Jesus died. God is satisfied.”

In his book, Written in Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a young boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained to the boy that she had the same disease from which he had recovered two years earlier. Her only chance was a transfusion from someone who had had the disease and who had the same blood type. The boy was the ideal donor.

“Will you give your blood to your sister,” the doctor asked? Johnny hesitated as his lower lip began to tremble, but he smiled and said, “Sure, I’ll do that for my sister.” Soon the children were wheeled into the hospital room. Mary was weak and pale. Johnny was robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny smiled.

When the nurse inserted the tube in Johnny’s arm, his smile faded. He silently watched the blood flow through the tube. When the ordeal was almost over, Johnny said, “Doctor, when do I die?” Only then did the doctor realize that Johnny thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his own life. Johnny had made the decision to give up his own life for that of his sister. Fortunately, his death was not required to save his sister.

Jesus was required not only to give His blood, but His life. He paid everything in full!

The chorus of the hymn, Jesus Paid It All. by Elvina Hall sums it up beautifully. The chorus says, Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.