The Rest of the Story

Posted on March 20, 2007 by gophumek | Permalink 0

The Rest of the Story
2 Chronicles 24

A while back, I wrote about restoration. I wrote about how God wants all of our lives restored to his original plan. I specifically spoke of our relationships with friends, co-workers, and family. Did you ever identify any of those broken relationships? Have you prayed that God would restore those relationships? Do you understand that God won’t force those relationships to be restored on their own? You and I have to put in some of the leg work. Are you practicing selective memory, only remembering the wrongs done by the other party? Are you forgetting the rest of the story? Today, I want to tell you about a time when I forgot the rest of the story?

The first time our son ever dressed up at Halloween or for a fall festival celebration, we had him dress up as King Joash. I was in preaching school at the time and the story of Joash came up in one of my classes. I remember how the teacher stated King Joash was a good king; he wanted to restore God’s temple to its original beauty. He did so with the help of the high priest. No one questioned our son dressing up as King Joash, at least for a few years. Wondering why someone would question our son dressing up as a good king, I read more about King Joash yesterday. Wow! He wasn’t a good king after all. Read 2nd Chronicles chapter 24, especially the part labeled “The wickedness of Joash.” You’ll see the rest of the story. How did I ever miss it?

I sometimes try to focus on the positive? I guess I did that with King Joash. Maybe we too sometimes try to focus on the positive, our positives, and we totally ignore the wrong we do in the relationships that need restored. Today’s devo is really just a check up. I just wanted to know how your personal restoration projects are progressing. I was wondering if your restoration projects have even begun. If not, do so by laying down a foundation of prayer concerning those broken relationships. Let us never forget the rest of the story, sometimes things are our fault.

Yours in Christ,

Brian Humek



Belonging, Encouragment, Peace

Patience

Posted on March 14, 2007 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Patience
Psalms 40:1
 
I hate to admit it, but I waited for years to have a girl fall in love with me. I always had bad experiences with girls. In 5th grade Andrea really acted as if she liked me. We were going on a field trip to Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. She gave off all those 5th grade signals of affection. Of course, receiving those signals loud and clear, I offered Andrea some of my M&M’s.

Upon entering the zoo, we were separated by our teachers into different groups. After our exhausting day at the zoo, we climbed back on the bus for the trip home, but where was Andrea? She was not sitting with me like she had on the trip to the zoo. I confronted Andrea and you know what she told me? She said, “I was just using you for your M&M’s.” My love life didn’t improve for ages.

High school was an absolute disaster. There were a couple girls that liked me, but the like wasn’t mutual. It always hurts when the one you like doesn’t like you back. That was the case in high school. In my high school memory book, I wrote that I’d be alone forever. Poor me.

My love life didn’t improve after high school either, at least for a few years. I was impatient. I wanted everything on my own time schedule. I’m still that way sometimes. Eventually, I met someone. We began going out. She wrote me a note a few days after our first date. She wrote, “I wouldn’t mind marrying you.” That sounds a bit sappy, but she was in love, I guess. Something like that.

The point of this tale is that God has his own time schedule. I wasn’t happy about that. God’s time schedule was fine. That is not what caused so many tears to flow down my cheeks during high school and the few years afterward. It was my insistence that God do things according to my schedule. That can cause a lot of sadness. It still happens in my life today. I want things done my way and I want them done now. That’s not the way God works. I think I’m way too old to just be figuring that out now. I love our Bible verse for today. It’s a verse that I understand better with my mind but don’t often embrace with my heart.

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.”

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I’m just not so great at waiting, no matter how much I know that patience is a virtue.

Christian Graces

The Lord’s Supper Full of Love

Posted on February 26, 2007 by gophumek | Permalink 0

The Lord’s Supper Full of Love
Luke 22:14-23

Each week I visit an assisted living center and speak with some residents about God. I guess you’d call it a Bible class because I ask questions and I receive answers in return. It’s always a good thing to get some replies.

Before communion yesterday, I asked those gathered what they thought about Jesus, and what he had done for them. There were some great responses. Bea said Jesus is always with her, she just knows it. Nadine says she knows Jesus loves her because of so many answered prayers. Okay, we know every prayer is answered, but I think we all know she meant “yes” answers. John said he’s so happy Jesus always brought him through his difficult times under the doctor’s knife. He said he was always ready to go home to heaven if it was his time. John had tears in his eyes as he related this fact. I did too. Harrell said he knew Jesus was protecting him during World War II, especially after one flight when his plane had 175 bullet holes in it. “Not one of those bullets got me,” he said. Wow, that’s protection! I don’t know how that plane kept flying.

Yesterday was a very special time of communion for me, one of the most special I ever had. Usually when I take communion, it’s only a small prayer, maybe some Bible reading, and one person talking in a big room full of people.

The communion time yesterday was like being with family who really love Jesus. I could see that love in the eyes of those talking. I could hear that love in their voices. It was an amazing amount of love. I am so thankful to God for sharing his son, and for those residents at the assisted living center who shared their thoughts about Jesus. It was a memorable time. I hope you can have such a time of communion some time soon.

 

Belonging, Jesus

Restoration (back to God’s plan)

Posted on February 19, 2007 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Restoration (back to God’s plan)
John 21:15-17

In a column on art restoration, Robert Fulford writes, “A scholar came upon a striking fact: in the year 1516, the Brancacci Chapel in Florence burned half a barrel of oil every day, just to keep its votive lamps flickering. The oil of course produced soot, which floated upwards and coated the art on the walls. Multiply that half-barrel by the days of the year, multiply again by the number of years this practice was followed (say, 400), then factor in the wax from candles lit by individual worshippers.”

Art restoration, God is also in that business. He wants to restore his greatest creation. Think about it seriously, that’s you and me. We too have a lot of burning oil and candle smoke in our lives that have clouded up our original beauty. We have a lot of other trash and muck that muddies up our original beauty. The most important aspect of our beauty is that we were all masterpieces in God’s art gallery at birth. Then life happens, and the beauty of a sinless life slowly fades away. That’s when we need to be restored, back to our original relationship with God.

Relationships are key to God’s desire for restoration. Okay, stop. Close your eyes. Say a prayer to God right now. Pray to him to help you identify two relationships that need to be restored. Think of a broken relationship with a close friend. Think of a family relationship that has been severed. God is the father of restored relationships. He wants your broken ones healed. Is your pride stopping God’s will from being accomplished? Okay, now you can close your eyes and pray that prayer.

Eyes open? Think about Jesus and how he restored people. He did so by giving life or physical healing. He also did this with relationships. He predicted that Peter would deny him. Peter said he wouldn’t. Well, Peter did and Jesus stared at him when he did so. Oooh, that’s frightening. Jesus died. How did Peter feel about himself, about his doomed relationship with Christ? When Jesus appeared after his resurrection, he  restored his relationship with Peter. My Bible labels that section, “Jesus reinstates Peter.” That’s Jesus for you, the master of art restoration. Some would definitely say Peter was “a piece of art.”

Before reading further, STOP! Did you pray earlier? Have you identified a friend and a family member with whom a relationship needs restored. That’s not an easy thing to do. It’s not easy to admit that something in your life is disconnected from God’s plan. I am praying for you today. I will be praying that you will have your relationships restored soon. Don’t think about whose turn it is to talk, yours or theirs. Don’t think about how they did you wrong. Be the big person God wants you to be. Get that relationship restored. It cannot be done without you taking the first step. Remember, I’ll be down on my knees praying for your first step.

Attributes of God, Jesus, Ministry