Category Archives: Uncategorized

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When Roads End, Bridges Appear

I love the book of Ruth. It’s a story of devotion — Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law; Naomi’s devotion to Ruth; Boaz’s devotion to both; and God’s devotion to them all.

When Naomi and her two Moabite daughters-in-law were all widowed in the country of Moab, Naomi determined to return to her hometown in Bethlehem, Judah. Alone.

“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”  When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

If you know the story, you remember that once in Bethlehem, Naomi directed Ruth to the barley fields to glean behind the harvesters. As an unattached foreigner, Ruth was at risk for harm by the male field workers should she choose the wrong field. Fortunately (coincidentally?), she happened upon the fields of a noble landowner named Boaz. When Boaz saw Ruth gleaning in his fields, he commanded his overseer to watch over her, assure her protection, prevent her embarrassment, and send her home to Naomi each evening with ample grain.

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him.  The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 

That’s King David they’re talking about, THE King David. Had Naomi and Ruth not run into a dead-end in Moab, and had Ruth not chosen to accompany Naomi to Bethlehem, there would have been no Ruth and Boaz. No Obed. No Jesse. No David to lead Israel.

Back it up, and consider the choices made along the way. Were any of our main characters sure of their outcome when they made those choices? No. Were there guarantees of finding food, shelter, and safety when Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem? No again. In their culture at that time, Boaz’s choice to take Ruth as his wife saved not only Ruth’s life, but Naomi’s. Read more of Ruth, and you’ll see that Naomi nearly thrust Ruth upon Boaz. Was she certain of Boaz’s character when she did that? No, and what she did was improper then. Fortunately (coincidentally?), Boaz was as good as a man gets — he rightly understood he was being honored, not manipulated — and the rest is history.

None of their choices were made with guarantees for a good outcome. We see that Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz weren’t driven by certainly, but by devotion and the desire to do the right thing.

The choices they made — the roads they took — ended up being perfect. It’s easy to forget that they didn’t know it would all work out for the good. When they ran into dead-ends, they simply took the best roads they knew to take next. With no guarantees.

You, too, may run into dead-ends in life despite your best efforts to be in God’s will. You may assume you missed the right road, that you erred along the way. (And that might be true. If so, it’s never too late to get the roads right.) But when you’re certain you were following his direction (or at least WERE certain before the dead-end happened and doubt took over), it’s probable that you are exactly where God wants you.

Dead-ends can move you to bridges. Ruth’s devotion to Naomi put her on a bridge out of destitute Moab into Bethlehem. There they found themselves on a new road, a road of ongoing provision, protection, and joy, and a union out of which came a great king of Israel.

What you consider a past WRONG road, may have been the RIGHT road, the PERFECT road.

Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz likely didn’t know if their roads were right ones at the time they chose them. You won’t always know either. But you can be sure of this: When your life is given to God, he does not take your sacrifice lightly. He is fully devoted to you. Stay fully devoted to him, shrug off doubt that accompanies dead-ends, and watch for the bridge to carry you to the next road.

 

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In The Land Of The Living

In 2015, may you look to the Lord for His goodness; see it rise like the sun and wash over your life.

From the Amplified Bible, Psalm 27:

13 [What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!

14 Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.

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A Child Is Born

Written by Eugene May, 21 December 2014:

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the GOVERNMENT will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” We know that this prophetic word was fulfilled with the birth and life of our Savior, Jesus.

The phrase, “…the GOVERNMENT will be upon His shoulder,” is of particular interest to me. Why? It is because it speaks of His “CONTROL,” and the truth that God has “…put all things under His feet.” Jesus did not come into this world to simply be “The Baby of Bethlehem,” He came to take the “POSITION” and “AUTHORITY” as “KING.”

Isaiah not only wrote concerning His “POSITION” and “AUTHORITY,” he wrote about His “SACRIFICE” on our behalf: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus took upon Himself everything that could be used to destroy and condemn us so that we can reign with Him.

Child of God, Jesus, the “KING,” came into this world to experience life as a man in order to take everything that could bring destruction into your life upon Him. This he did for you so that you could reign with Him. You, who were plagued with human frailties, are now seated in the throne with Him.

“For God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…”

Shared with the permission of Eugene May. You may follow his daily public posts translated in English, Spanish, and French, on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/eltonemay?fref=nf

Messiah, HWV56: For unto Us a Child is Born” by Various

Video licensed on Youtube by Gil S.

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Adore Him

Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and for ever. Amen. (Jude 1:24,25)

BACC Christmas Eve Service Element / Performed live

“Adore Him” by Kari Jobe (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes)

Video by Carlybeee, licensed on Youtube

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We Wrote The History Book

A few years ago, a nearby high school girls’ track team had tee-shirts made, which said:

“History was good to us, because we wrote the history book.”

It interested me that their motto was in past tense: “WAS good to us”; “WROTE the history book”. They hadn’t even had their first meet yet.

I followed the team closely all season and knew the head coach, so I was privy to his mindset:

He was a stats guy, tallying the potential points from each athlete and her competition, and moving his runners, throwers, and jumpers around on paper until he found the winning combination for each meet.

He was realistic. He knew each athlete’s potential. There were a handful of exceptional athletes on the team, and an abundance of depth. He set high expectations, and believed his team had an outside chance to win the team title at the state meet.

Under his influence, the team agreed that the title would be won. Not MIGHT be won, but WOULD be won. Which explains those shirts, printed before the season even started:

“History was good to us, because we wrote the history book.”

One practice at a time … one race at a time … one field event at a time … one meet at a time, those girls worked to make their goal happen. By late May, it was theirs—they owned the state team title. That in a state rich in quality competition.

If you are a believer of God’s sovereignty on earth, as I am, you may assume that God was good to them. I would agree. But did he do their work for them? I’d say no, emphatically no. Those girls didn’t get their vision handed to them on a silver platter—they worked their tails off to get that gold.

They didn’t just BELIEVE it, they DID it. Their efforts combined with their beliefs to write their history.

In the same way, it’s not only God writing your history—it’s also YOU writing your history. When God gives you a vision, you must participate in it. You must DO it. It won’t happen unless you begin it, overcome setbacks that come your way, wipe the sweat off your brow, and continue in it. You must persevere.

Hebrews 12:1-2 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by a such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” 

May you persevere in each race assigned by our sovereign coach, and ultimately win gold. When you step to the medal stand to receive your prize, be sure to wear your motto proudly:

“History was good to us, because we wrote the history book.”

gold-medal crop

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River of Life

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Revelation 22:1

Imagine a dry riverbed. People stand in and near it, waiting. Hoping. Needing. Pleading.

Finally, one day the river fills with pure, clear water. The people are swept from their dry stasis and carried upon its currents.

water, clear blue, cropped stock photo

These are people who want change. They welcome the power in the river. Even if the force of the water is unfamiliar, and therefore uncomfortable, they still choose it.

The water cleanses, flushes, and fills those who have been powerless to make changes on their own. Some are permanently freed when unwanted traits and habits are flushed by the ethereal water; others’ positions or geographical locations change.

Many are filled where there had been voids within. They finally feel complete. Whole. Right. They are experiencing what they have always believed they should be, or could be. Inner deficiencies are overcome. They no longer lack qualities elusive since birth, or lost in their years of parched deserts.

For these people, life changes suddenly. Altered forever. Changed in the way that life changed for survivors of concentration and POW camps on liberation day — blurred days of lack, sameness, captivity, injustice, disrespect, torture, betrayal, and abuse, all having caused erosion of hope — suddenly ended.

With the arrival of the river comes deliverance, and the past is over. Hope leaps to life, justice yields joy, and lives of abundance and purpose replace lives of lack and insufficiency.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Ask, and don’t be surprised when you are suddenly affected in one of these ways. You will love the change and be forever grateful to God for what he did. Be assured that the water soon (or already) enveloping and filling you is God’s living water, intended for good for you, and never evil. Intended to complete and make whole, and make possible your abundant life. May you take great delight in it.

Young father and his little son swimming in river

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Magnanimous

Word of the day –

magnanimous

[mag-nan–uh-muh s]- adjective
1. generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: “to be magnanimous toward one’s enemies.”
2. high-minded; noble: “a just and magnanimous ruler.”
3. proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character,etc.: “a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be described by others as magnanimous? It only requires due diligence, and a commited effort to do the right thing in all circumstances. A life befitting the label brightens the hearts of the saddened, lifts the spirits of the downhearted, and softens the defenses of the wounded. May you be a light in our dark world, and be called … magnanimous.
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Parable of the Hamster

Several years ago at a grade school where I worked, there was an infestation of mice. Students were asked to clear their desks and backpacks of snacks, while custodial staff handled the eradication of the rodents. One afternoon after the students had been dismissed, a mouse happened near the path of a teacher. Being a pragmatic guy, a farmer on the side, and conveniently wearing sturdy hiking boots, the teacher promptly stomped on it.

Not wanting to burden the custodians, he took cleanup into his own hands. Just as he returned from disposing of it in an outdoor bin, he heard a frenzied colleague inquire of their peers, “Has anyone seen my hamster?”

I know. It’s horrible and hysterical all at once. To us. But not to either of those teachers. And not to the poor little classroom hamster, may he rest in peace.

Unfortunately, we can relate to that hamster. Too often, we have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, incorrectly assessed in an instant, and smashed before we knew what happened. Unlike the profusely apologetic and remorseful teacher in this true story, too many hamster smashers have no conscience about leaving us flattened in their wake.

We try objecting to the wrongful stomper: “But I … I didn’t say that. I didn’t even think that.” Our words are but tiny squeaks: “Hey! Why have I been tried and found guilty of a crime I didn’t do? I didn’t even get a chance to speak.” The people wearing the boots don’t hear. Or worse: they twist our objection into justification for the mistreatment. We get swift kicks for good measure.

There are no quick fixes for the damaging malady of humanity, no “Ten Steps To Eradicate Wrongdoing on Earth”. But we can find some solace in this: We are not alone. Others have suffered injustices too. We are not unworthy beings — it is the crushings that are wrong, not the victims.

Our accusers and abusers may never say they are sorry. The more we trusted them, the more that reality hurts. But we can move on. We can. It may not feel like it when we’re newly and thoroughly smooshed, but we can recover and regroup. As long as there is life in us, we can continue our journey to goodness.

Let’s agree to not become one of them. Let’s vow to never get even by becoming hamster stompers too. Some say vengeance is sweet, but that feeling is fleeting — the path of revenge leads to the ruin of our own lives. Let repayment be God’s business.

Let’s build the ranks of good, not evil. God will help us dodge the stompers of this world so that we can move forward. Onward we go, stronger and wiser and determined. Let’s do some good on this earth we share.

Romans 12:17-21 (NIV): “17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”