Faith, A Jewel Which Should Never be Hidden!

Posted on May 11, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Faith, A Jewel Which Should Never be Hidden!
Philemon 4-5

That precious heirloom from Grandma is protected from all kinds of harm. You never let the children play near it. It is enclosed in some type of protective case. If that heirloom is some type of glass object, it might be placed in a locked cabinet. If that heirloom is a quilt; it may be placed in a wooden chest and hidden away. There are so many things that need protected at any cost. Often times that protection necessitates hiding away that precious object. Sometimes we think the same thing about our faith. Our faith is so precious we sometimes feel the need to protect it as if it were a jewel.

A few years ago, there was a little girl I knew who had lost her puppy in a small town. I had so much wanted to tell her that my wife and I would pray that she’d find her puppy. Did I do it? No! The answer lies in my wanting to protect her faith. How weak would her faith be if I prayed for her puppy to show up and it didn’t?There I was in all my glory, “Brian, Protector of Faith.”

Later that night, we found out that an over zealous dog catcher had taken the puppy to the nearest pound thirty miles away. Her puppy was found! My thoughts quickly turned to the sadness of a lost opportunity. How strong might her faith have grown if I had only told her we were praying for her puppy to be found? As I now think of it, God gives us second chances. I may just go back to Crowell, TX one day soon and tell her about the big part God played in bringing her puppy back.

Please don’t ever forget that faith is something that needs to be exercised. It needs to be used and expressed, not hidden like a precious jewel that can only be taken out of its case once in a while.

Allow me to close with the following Bible passage: “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus…” –Philemon 4-5

Let your faith out of its box once in a while! Take it for a walk! Let it shine so bright that people everywhere hear about it.

Faith

A Cluttered Desk

Posted on May 4, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

A Cluttered Desk
Hebrews 9:28

I am proud to announce that I now sit at a clean desk. I find it amazing that my desk was clean just a few weeks ago. It WAS clean. It WAS spotless. But then I began my normal routine and the clutter began to pile high.
 
My desk reminds me of the Christian life. When we realize how dirty and cluttered our lives are, we seek God and bury ourselves underneath the baptismal waters with Christ. With that baptism, we receive forgiveness of sins (the clutter). What happens after baptism? We return to our normal routine and the clutter begins to pile high. We sometimes stumble into that clutter called sin, and then there are those times we jump into it and enjoy it for a while. However, we always need to be rid of the clutter. That’s where the sacrifice of Jesus comes in. 

As a Christian, we have Jesus who still works on our behalf. He didn’t just die for one sin on the cross. Jesus died for the sins of the world and each sin any of us will ever commit if we ask to be forgiven. “…Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people…” – Heb. 9:28

The normal routine of our lives brings us clutter and Jesus died so it could be taken away. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Sin

It is not just a boy scout motto!

Posted on April 27, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

It’s not just a boy scout motto!
Genesis 41:15-36

Sometimes things become so piled up that a person can’t find their way through life. Demands from the office, school, friends, church, and family sometimes look like mountains of commitments. There are times when we barely have enough energy to climb up a small hill, more less a mountain.

In our passage today, Pharaoh has had two dreams that no one can interpret. Then Joseph comes along and solves all the problems of Pharaoh. Joseph interprets the dreams (actually they are one dream says Joseph) correctly by telling Pharaoh that there are going to be some good times, then bad times, and that Pharaoh better be prepared. “Be Prepared” is not just a Boy Scout motto. It should be a theme that resounds throughout our entire life. Joseph told Pharaoh to be prepared and Pharaoh agreed with Joseph’s plan for preparedness.

I know it sounds un-American but we need to slow the pace of our lives. Either we can slow our lives down voluntarily or that slower pace will come upon us when we don’t want it to. I think this is where preparedness becomes important. Let us use our time more wisely. If there is something we know we’ll have to do tomorrow, do it today if possible. If there is work to do next week, get it done earlier. We won’t always have time to get ahead but when we do, take advantage of it. I think we all know the opposite of “getting ahead” and of course, that is “getting behind,” and that is not a pleasant feeling.

One day we will all be slowed down involuntarily. We will be slowed down by sickness to ourselves, our parents, our children. We’ll be slowed down by extra work projects, unforeseen emergencies, and other needs that come up from time to time. I say let us be proactive and “get ahead” so when we choose to slow down, we will be right on time.

Christian Graces, Leadership, Longevity

Feet Like a Deer

Posted on April 13, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Feet Like a Deer
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Here’s the scenario: The kids are screaming. Maybe it’s the boss who’s screaming. Maybe the screaming is being done by the cat, dog, your husband or wife, but someone is screaming. You love asparagus and there is no more asparagus in the house and its $5.00 a bunch at the grocery store. The car has a flat tire, but that doesn’t matter anymore since you can’t afford the gas. Your best friend wants to talk about some problems. But wait a minute, you’ve got a problem you think no one could ever understand, especially your best friend. Who will be able to listen to you and understand your problem? And what is most upsetting is that annoying rash that just appeared on your forehead last night.

What are you going to do? That’s the question of the hour. Crying would be the option some might choose. Giving up would be another option. Rejoicing in the Lord may be another option huh? You’re laughing at that option? Habakkuk didn’t laugh at that option. Although his scenario was a bit different, rejoicing in the Lord is exactly what the prophet Habakkuk did.

His scenario was this: his fig tree wasn’t budding and the root stimulator didn’t work, there weren’t any grapes on his grape vine, the olives just didn’t grow, actually, none of his crops were growing, his sheep and cattle were non-existent, but Habakkuk says, “yet, I will rejoice in the Lord.”

Wow!

“But he was a prophet of God!” you might say. “He can do that but I can’t.”

Genesis 1:26-27 says you were made in the image of God. You have that in common with Habakkuk already. What about rejoicing? Will you have the same faith that Habbakkuk had? We’re all made the same as Habakkuk and we can have the same faith in God that he had. Just look at Habakkuk 3:19: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights”. This verse means that God gives us the ability to go on to great heights of faith.

Let us all use our God given “feet like a deer” to reach those great heights of faith.

Faith