Heat

Church signs have always been a great source of joy and laughter in my life. The clever sayings and funny quips that often adorn the lighted boards have sometimes cause me to turn my truck around just to get a second look. A recent sign I came across, though, was not from the comfort of my truck, it was a picture that one of my friends posted on Facebook. The church sign read, “Satan called. He wants his weather back.”

If you hadn’t stepped out of the front door in a while, let me let you in on something - it’s hot!!! It is weeks like these past few that have often reminded me of summer football workouts and how I am so glad not to be doing them. If there was one feeling that the heat brought on it was thirst. It always seemed like once my thirst was quenched it was not very long before I wanted to head back to the water bottles. The funny thing is that water was never as appealing to me than as it was on the football field.

It is this time of year, especially the present one, that Scriptures like John 4:14 take on a whole new meaning. “But whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life.”

Unclean

In Biblical times, contracting leprosy meant you practically experienced a living death. Not only would you feel the physical burden of the disease, but your social life was drastically effected. Because of the the diseases nature, the Law of Moses required a leper to live in isolation from the general population. Away from family and friends, a leper would suffer through many the diseases side effects - ulcers, scabs, deformities, decay.

On one occasion, a man with leprosy approached Jesus and said, “If you are willing, You can make me clean.” This simple statement shows the commendable belief of the leper. Notice he does not doubt Jesus’ ability. Instead, he petitions Christ’s willingness.

Touching a leper brought on it’s own difficulties (e.g. uncleanliness and defilement), but that is exactly what Jesus did and yet remained unclean. In His compassion Jesus reached out and touched the man and as a result he was healed. We too, must allow ourselves to be touched by Christ. In our sin and disobedience, we become unclean and infected by a disease that separates us from God. Do not doubt the Lord’s ability, He can forgive. Do not question His willingness, He is ready. Simply ask.

Scars

As many of you know, I recently discovered I had developed Melanoma on the side of my face, right on my right jaw line. The discovery of the cancer preceded a surgery to extract it and await a lab report to confirm that the cancer was totally removed. The report came back confirming that spot is Melanoma free. Praise God!!! Now comes a life full of diligent sunscreening with a constant reminder staring back at me every time I look in the mirror.

Whether visible or invisible, many of us have scars that remind us of tough times in our lives. They might be the visible scars from our football or cheerleading days or of the time we slipped while hiking. They might also be the invisible scars of a broken family, of a damaging habit,
of betrayal, of unfaithfulness. We all have our scars. We all have our reminders.

There is one set of scars I am thankful for. They are the scars of extreme love and devotion, the scars of obedience and of salvation. These are the scars Thomas asked to see and feel - the scars in the hands, side, and feet of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Whenever you reflect on the scars of you life, remember His and why He chose them. It is because He loves you. “Greater love has no one than this,that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.

Wonder

I wonder what it’s going to be like? The Apostle Paul, in a letter to the church in Thessalonica, spoke of this very issue - the return of our Lord. Paul writes that when Jesus comes back, he will “come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God” (1 Thes. 4:16). Again, I do not know exactly what that one instance will be like, but I think I can deduce something - it’s going to be LOUD!!!

To many people that loud noise will bring great joy because their Savior awaits them in the clouds to escort them to a land of complete perfection. Yet, to an even greater number of people, that noise will symbolize time running out on their decision to accept that Savior as the Lord of their life.

The people there in Thessalonica made the mistake of dropping everything, including what God wanted them to do, and, instead, did nothing but await that final day. Though that might also be our initial urge, what God wants us to do is to actively wait and continue His work here on earth. That is so when Christ does come back, those we love and, more importantly, those He loves will be able to rejoice with other believers when those trumpets sound and Jesus descends from the clouds. Whatever that day will be like, I pray we will spend our time now living expectantly upon its arrival.

Mike

There is a simple passage in Scripture that gives us a little insight into the man we call Christ. John 4:6 says, “Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.” At first glance you might overlook the implications of this verse, but believe me, a great truth is there. In this verse we get a glimpse into who Jesus was. Just like me and you, Christ became tired. Tired from a long journey, Jesus had to take some time and rest. He had to prop His feet up and relax for a while. The fact is that Jesus, although fully God, was also fully human. He experienced life without special privileges and even struggled with temptations. Jesus Christ was just like us.

Jesus felt pain. Jesus felt joy. Jesus felt happiness. Jesus felt heart ache. This week we lost a great brother in Christ - Mike Ledbetter. Mike has meant a great deal to a lot of people. He has meant a lot to me. In the past, as you might know, Mike has had a key role in the youth ministry of the Center Street church of Christ. He was a great man who cared a lot about the Spiritual upbringing of our youth. Mike was a key player in my coming to Center Street as an intern and I can partly attribute to him where I am today. My life has been blessed by knowing Mike and I know if you knew him well you can say the same.

One thing we must keep in mind as we face the harsh reality of Mike's passing is the fact that Jesus is right beside us every step of the way. He is right there with us in our ups and downs. He experienced the love and pain of this life and He knows everything we are going through. He knows it because He has felt it before. He feels our pain right now as we mourn over Mike. He knows our heart ache and He shares in it. Lean on Him and He will hold you up.

Finished?

One of the things the I find fascinating about the Bible story and about God’s work is the idea that death and what seems like utter defeat brings about life and great change in the lives of people. Imagine if you were standing in the crowd watching Jesus Christ die a horrible death ending on a cross, and then hear this man say, “it is finished” (John 19:30). You might just think it, in fact, was finished. You might just think that Jesus was dead and life would go on without Him. He was just another guy, right? Wrong.
We know that Christ’s death on the cross was not the end of the story. Yes, it was were He accomplished His mission. Yes, it was were victory was achieved over Satan, but Christ still lives and one day we will get to thank Him in person for what He did for us that day on the cross.
Behind the words, “it is finished,” lies something extremely powerful. Behind the words lies the moment in time that accomplished all that would ever need to be done in our fight against death and sin. There is nothing we can do to earn what He did for us. It was all Christ, and Christ is all we need. We must put our faith in Him and His work for us. Rejoice this week (and forever) in Christ’s work on the cross. He paid the price so you do not have to. Be Glad.

Difference

Shouldn’t there be a difference? Surely, a decision that important would merit some kind of change. Imagine committing yourself to something so amazing, so life-changing that you change absolutely nothing about the way you act or think. Now you might be thinking to yourself that this is not making any sense. Well, you are absolutely right.
It makes absolutely no sense that we commit ourselves to Christ and no one can tell the difference. Sadly, this is what so many people, especially young people, do today. When faced with the decision between hanging out with friends or going to a baseball game or going to a Bible study on a Wednesday night, the decision should be easy. Shouldn’t it? To be blunt, who cares if going out with friends is more exciting to you than going to church or helping with a service project. If you are truly committed to Christ, the decision is simple.
Another ugly truth is that teens do what their parents do. It is the ultimate (and eternal) game of follow the leader. If Mom and Dad are not actively participating in the Kingdom of God, then the kids, most likely, will follow suit. Parents, if you have not been officially welcomed to ministry, I would like to extend that to you now. Welcome. YOU are the primary youth minister in the life of your child. What impression are you leaving in their life?
This week I have recommitted myself to setting my priorities straight. Join me in putting first things first. Join me in making sure there is a visible change in our lives that lets people know we belong to God.
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts and minds on things above[...]not on earthly things.” Col. 3:1-2