Lane Ends, Merge Soon

The other night, my wife and I were driving home, when we came up to a long backup, due to construction. I knew it was coming though, for several miles before the actual merging of the lanes, it was hard to miss the orange construction signs saying, "right lane closed ahead". So I merged over early.

Now, I'm the kind of guy who's always hated it when cars stay in the lane all the way up to the last minute, forcing their way into the front of the line. I also think they should be pulled over for doing so, treated like one who didn't see the change in the speed limit. I mean, it's not like they didn't see the warning signs ahead of time! And if they actually didn't, the bright yellow, flashing arrow pointing left, should've tipped them off. But yet, they still continue down the closing lane.

At the same time, though, I'm also the kind of person who's happy to let somebody in if they put on their turn signal (Ask and you shall receive). So I'll back off from the car in front of me to create enough space for somebody to merge in, should they choose to do so. But what amazes me is that, for instance, today, I gave enough room for 2 cars to merge in, but instead, everybody continued down the closing lane. Even as we approached the end, still nobody took me up on my offer to let them in, as if they were hoping to find a "better" place to enter. But the longer they prolonged merging over, the closer they got to not getting in at all, or smashing into the barrier at the end.

Well, as this is all going through my head, I realized the comparison with God's grace and salvation. See, Jesus revealed many times that He's the only way to Heaven, as well as the fact that the end is coming very soon. In other words, the lane we're traveling down is ending soon, and we need to merge over into His. He even gave (and continues to give) us signs along the way.

There's only One lane into which we need to merge, and the merging space is narrow. So Jesus opened up some space, so to say, and continues to wait for and invite people to accept His offer to merge in. But like with the traffic, many don't want to accept this simple offer. They want to continue on their way to the very end, maybe even trying to find a "better" place to enter.

So they ignored all the signs, rejected the simple invitation to safely merge, and continued until the end down the closing lane. Not very wise, or safe, is it?

So you're driving a car down this road...which "car" are you driving? Have you already accepted Jesus' invitation to merge into the space that He's opened up for you, or are you one of those who continues to reject it, hoping to find a way in on your own, or still searching for a "better" way? If you're the second, be careful that you don't wait too long, or you may instead end up not getting in at all, or smashing into the barrier.

The invitation remains open until the end, but do you really think it's wise to prolong it?

---Andy :}>+-

Secret to Success

Who doesn't want to be successful?

The world gives us different ways on how we can be successful. There are even tons of self-help books available to guide us. But everything is all about self-empowerment. Perhaps you have been told to "work hard", "focus on your dream" or "be passionate about what you're doing" and you will be "successful". But even with all these guides, our quest for real success ends up meaningless, and success seems to be something too far to obtain.

The truth is, God has already revealed to us the secret to become successful:

"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

(Joshua 1:7-8)

Joshua, Moses' successor, had the BIG task of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. But even with such a big task, God encouraged and gave Joshua a foolproof way to become successful: "meditate (on the Book of the Law) day and night so that (he) may be careful to do all that are written in it."

Have you been trying hard to be successful in life? What are some of the ways that you've been told to accomplish this goal? Though there are tons of self-help books available to guide us, they all talk of "self-empowerment". Perhaps it's time to make a paradigm shift, and view success not around yourself, but around God. For God says that then, and only then, will you truly come to know what it really means to be "successful".

- Andy & Lulette

Take You Back

After our wedding, my wife and I spent a 4-month honeymoon down in Florida among family. And since times down there were slow in the job search, we had ample time to spend at the assisted living facility with our Grandma, whom we rarely get see otherwise. We were hesitant at first, for it was an hour drive, but soon we were talking on the phone every week, and visiting every other.

After moving to Virginia, we agreed to call Grandma every Sunday. But as our weeks became busier, our calls soon became less frequent, sometimes only once a month. We’d keep saying, “We need to call Grandma,” and “let’s call Grandma tonight,” but plans don’t always come to pass as we’d like.

But then, the other day, Grandma called us! We put her on speaker phone so we could all talk together, almost as it was when we were sitting next to her playing Scrabble. And at the end of our conversation, she reminded us that we may call her any evening and/or weekend, and we agreed that we need to call her more often.

Frequent communication is needed for a strong relationship, whether it’s among friends, family, or God. When we let schedules and fatigue get in the way, we begin to long for that fellowship. But when to find the time?

The other night, I’d noticed that it had been a couple weeks since the Lord and I had had a good quiet time together. I mean, I’d pray and talk with Him several times a day, and He’d communicate to me ideas for devotions and lessons, but that’s “business”…we needed time to actually sit, talk, and listen. As I brushed my teeth that evening, I said, “Lord, I’m really tired…we can have a quiet time tomorrow.” But He didn’t want to wait until tomorrow, so He pulled me, much like a child who wants so badly to show you something, and I followed. It was really great talking with Him like that, and much needed. And when I got up to sleep, I was reminded that we need to do this more often. But our conversation wasn’t finished, for in the morning, He put the song “Take You Back” by Jeremy Camp, in my brain, and caused me to get stuck on a few verses. I’d like to share the lyrics of this song with you:

The reason why I stand, the answer lies in you.
You hung to make me strong, though my praise was few.
When I fall I bring your name down, but I have found in you, a heart that bleeds forgiveness, replacing all these thoughts of painful memories. But I know that your response will always be:

“I'll take you back always
Even when your fight is over now (x2)
I'll take you back always
Even when the pain is coming through (x2)
I'll take you back”

You satisfy this cry of what I'm looking for.
And I'll take all I can, and lay it down before, the throne of endless grace now, that radiates what's true.
I'm in the only place that, erases all these faults that have overtaken me…but I know that your response will always be:

“I'll take you back always
Even when your fight is over now(x2)
I'll take you back always
Even when the pain is coming through(x2)
I'll take you back”

I can only speak with a grateful heart as I'm pierced by this gift of your love.
I will always bring an offering. I can never thank you enough!

You take me back always
Even when my fight is over now (x2)
You take me back always
Even when my pain is coming through(x2)
You take me back (repeat these 5 lines twice)

It’s not hard to take for granted that Jesus will always take us back, nor is it difficult to take His grace for granted, but when we don’t spend that quality time with Him regularly, painful memories and dwellings will only continue to distance us from the One who can grant us the needed freedom…even as we’re fighting, and even as we hurt, we must allow Him to erase and replace that which is distancing us from Him…for regardless of anything, we need to know that Jesus will always take us back.

---Andy

Pray bigger

As I was going through our family Bible, I found an article. The page is tinted brown from old age, and the women's clothing ads on the backside look like it may be from the 1950s - 1960s. The article was written by Norman Vincent Peale, and I'd like to share it with you:

Years ago, I was pastor of a church which had a debt of $50,000, and I was supposed to raise that sum. I called a meeting of my board, and we debated until midnight, coming to the conclusion that we might raise $20,000. But the whole amount, we felt, was impossible to secure. (Remember, $50,000 back then was a lot more than it is today).

The next day, I went to see a prominent member of my church, a Mr. Wood. He was a business man with little formal education, but he could tell me more about Christianity in five minutes than I had learned all my life up to then. He had made two fortunes, lost them through a partner's carelessness, and then had gone out and made a third. But I went to see him because he had more than money; he had ideas and lots of faith. And this was the creative kind of faith, the type that moves mountains - or debts.

"Mr. Wood," I said, "as you know, we had a meeting of the board last night, and I thought I'd come out to see you today."

"I thought you would. How much do you plan to raise?"

"20,000," I replied, "and I thought you might make the first gift."

He looked at me with disgust. "I won't give a nickel, but I'll tell you what I will do. I'll pray with you."

Lacking the faith in prayer I have acquired since, I wasn't enthusiastic. But I got down on my knees with him. He prayed a whimsical, but powerfully effective prayer.

"Lord," he said, "I wish You would do something for my young friend here. He's been to college and has 2 or 3 degrees, but what he doesn't know would fill a book. He doesn't know anything about human psychology or about faith. He has a church with plenty of money in it, and yet, he come and tells me they can only raise $20,000. I've told him I won't give him anything. But, Lord, if he will have faith enough to believe the whole amount can be raised, I'll give him $5,000 toward that $50,000."

"Where do I get the other 45?" I asked, still on my knees.

"Where you got that first five."

"Where did I get it?"

"We prayed for it, you and I. And now, you have it. Always ask big, son. Always pray big prayers and believe while you pray."

I told him I didn't know anyone else who had $5,000, and he sent me to see a certain man. I went into that man's office with the defeatist idea of asking for $500, or perhaps $1000. But, remembering Mr. Wood, I forced myself to ask for $5000. No one could have been more stunned than I when he said, "All right, I'll give it to you."

In excitement, I ran almost all the way to Mr. Wood's home. "He did it!" I shouted. "He did it!"
Mr. Wood was calm. "Of course he did. I asked the Lord for it and believed He would answer that prayer, for it was a reasonable request and for a good purpose. God will give you big things if you ask for them," he concluded.

You must have faith if you want prayer to do things for you. And if you aren't getting the answers you want from your prayers, it may be because your prayers are not great enough. Don't pray little prayers--pray big prayers. Ask for right things and ask right-that is, ask with faith.

You want health? Pray for it. You want financial security? Pray for it. You want happiness in your home? Pray for it. You want a life filled with abundant joy? Pray for it. Pray big prayers and you will get big answers.

After showing this to my wife, we both got down on our knees, apologized to the Lord for all the little prayers and prayers for things that would just sustain us, and asked for big things, huge things, and things that would normally seem impossible. We have a big God! Is anything too big for the Lord? He urges us to ask so that our joy may be complete, and James tells us that when we pray, we should do so with faith that God will grant it.

Go ahead...pray big! And watch what awesome things God will do!

---Andy :}>+-

Come down from your Sycamore tree

The story of Zacchaeus always amuses me. Perhaps because I can relate to him. Being short myself, I would probably do the same - climb up a tree so I could get a glimpse of Jesus. In fact, I might also just be satisfied seeing Him from afar.

I was like Zacchaeus when the Lord called me from my Sycamore tree. I knew about Him, having studied in a private Catholic school from elementary to high school. I knew Jesus as the Son of God and savior of the world. I was content knowing him just as that. I was content seeing him from afar. But like Zacchaeus, God called me to come down from my tree so I could experience Him and have fellowship with Him - to know that He is not just the savior of the world, but MY personal savior, too.

What's your Sycamore tree? Perhaps you are just content with doing acts of kindness or with just going to church on Sundays, but have never experienced Jesus in a personal way? Listen closely, God might be calling you to come down from that tree to have fellowship with Him. As the Scriptures tell us in Luke 19: 5-6, "When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. 'Zacchaeus!' he said. 'Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.' Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house 'in great excitement and joy'."

Don't get stuck holding on to that tree. Climb down so that you too can experience that great excitement and joy of dining and fellowshipping with Jesus Christ. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

- Lulette

Parable of the Wineskins

One piece of scripture I never understood...until now. And WOW! Check this out: Luke 5:37-39: "No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would swell & burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put only into new wineskins. No one wants new wine after drinking old wine. They say, ‘The old is better’."

OK, now I'm not a wine drinker, and never learned much about wineskins and the fermenting of wine. But after meditating on this some, I came up w/ something...let's put this into modern-day understanding:

You wouldn't put a new racing engine onto a rusted frame...it'll rip the car apart. But if you put the new engine onto a new frame, you'd have one heck of a racecar, eh?

But now say you grew up with this old Junker...it's your baby. But the engine needs to be replaced, and it'll cost more than the car's worth. Yeah, it's rusted to the core, barely runs, holes in the roof and floorboards, a real Junker...but hey, you've got memories with this thing! And why get a new car when this will still get you from point A to point B, and occasionally C, right?But now, a new car is more solid, and better built. It's made for the engine, or at least more so than the old car. Plus, you can not only build new memories, but it'll also get you to points A,B,& C, plus every other letter in the alphabet, and even borrow some letters from other languages.

But see, the Pharisees were stubborn and preferred the old clunker. So they insisted on putting the engine into it.

Jesus was introducing a new covenant...a new "frame", and trying to point out that the old frame doesn't work anymore, and needs to be upgraded, or replaced, in a sense. But they preferred the old Junker...the Law of Moses. A new engine was needed though, and if they were to put it into the old frame, it wouldn't work...or as described in verse 36, it would never fit.

Understand? Cool, huh?

---Andy :}>+-

Death - how do we prepare for it?

I know the subject line sounds morbid. Many of us would rather talk about other things than death. But the truth is, all of us will experience it. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."

Last year, I attended the wake of my friend's mom, Tita Yolly, who was also a family friend. What was different about the wake was that it was a celebration of her life. People spoke highly of her because of her strong faith in the Lord. Eventhough her family mourned over their loss, they were also confident that she is now rejoicing in the Lord's house.

So how do you get that confidence of being with the Lord in heaven when you leave this world? I'm privileged to share with you the REAL TRUTH of it all:

First is the bad news. Do you know that there are two kinds of death? The first is physical death and the second is spiritual. This is found in Revelation 21:8: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Second death is real and it means eternal separation from God. The passage also gives us a glimpse of hell. Sin has separated us from God. You might not have been a murderer or idolater, but how about lying at one point in your life? You might also say, "But I'm generally a good person. I do a lot of good works or I keep the 10 commandments." James 2:10 mentions, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. " Another passage in Romans 3:23 is clear that all of us are sinners: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

So the equation is: Sin = death as Romans 6:23 says that the penalty for sin is death: "When you sin, the pay you get is death."

Because we are powerless over sin, God gives us the solution. Romans 3:28 tells us, "So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

What is this faith that the Bible is talking about? The good news is that, God gave us Jesus Christ to free us from sin and death. Romans 5:8, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." One of the famous verses in the Bible, John 3:16, also shows us this: God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. That's how God loves you and me.

Moreover, Romans 3:22. "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are."

JESUS CHRIST IS GOD'S WAY TO HEAVEN. Jesus himself said, as recorded in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus paid for the penalty of your and my sin by dying on the cross. Blameless as He was, He was made sin for us.

Jesus is THE ONLY WAY to heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, "God's grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn't come from anything you do. It is God's gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it."

Salvation is based not on our good merits but in trusting in Jesus alone. And in trusting in Him is not on religion but on relationship with Jesus. As Andy once wrote at the back of his car, "Christianity is not a religion."

How do we place our trust in Jesus? Confess to God that you're a sinner, repent from your sins and accept and acknowledge Jesus as your personal savior and Lord of your life.

Jesus Christ is God's gift of eternal life. 1 John 5: 11-12: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Are you willing to trust Jesus with your life? I pray that you would. God does not force us, we need to accept Him. As stated in Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me."

If you're willing to let Jesus into your life, here's a simple prayer to guide you:

Lord Jesus, I need you. I confess that I am a sinner. I believe that you died on the cross to pay for all my sins. With your help, I will turn away from sins. Please come into my life and be my Savior and my Master. I accept your gift of eternal life. Make me the kind of new person you want me to be. Thank you for coming into my life.

If you've prayed such prayer, welcome to God's family! We are willing to share with you and study God's word. :)

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. - John 1:12

Bible verses quoted from Today's New International Version, New Living Translation and New International Reader's Version.

- Lulette