Beholden

  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14

Recently, I was back in my home town of Cincinnati and reminiscences of summer prime time past for our old school family reunions came up in our conversation. Most of them were a every four-year cycled affair in different parts of the country (LA, Cincinnati and Houston). Never held infrequently, with one or two dedicated matriarch/patriarch family members intent on ushering people together from all parts of the country with great laughter, song, food and interesting stories. Some of them were like something out of a bad traveling movie. Others were highly anticipated and left wonderful lasting memories for our family, “those were the days”.

“Do you remember when we stayed at that rest top in Arizona, to one of my cousins, as we made our way to California for our family reunion? And we had all that car trouble with that Ford Pinto? We were sleeping and had to cover ourselves with newspaper because we were so cold, we all broke out with laughter, man those were the days! And remember that park ranger came along and took care of everything? I was just thinking what a fantastic person he was!” 

My Pondering question, “would that park ranger ever know about our moment of remembrance. But if he can would he hear it as a big “shout-out of Beholden.” The incident was long over, but as cousins we still kept it in our hearts and reminded others of it also with smiles and treasured memories.

This brief verse, “Colossians 1:13-14”, concludes Paul’s prayer for the Colossians Christians. Verse 13 explained that God has rescued believers in Christ from sin. This phrase used the Greek word “didomi” 

 meaning “delivered”. God radically changes our status completely removing the eternal penalty of sin from those who have faith in Christ; concluding that thought, with a reminder of what Jesus has done, Redemption”. A theme of both the old and new testament, from the redemption of the Passover Lamb to the redemption of Christ on the cross. Through his sacrifice, Jesus provided a means for us to be forgiven for our sin.

So, too, is this passage a thanksgiving. The author is recalling, for the believers at Colossae, the initiative of God who, through Christ, had redeemed them. This was indeed worth recalling and showing thanks by retelling.

Oh, heavenly father, help us continually to give gratitude to you for your help in our lives. With the help of the Holy Spirit may we tell others what you have done for us. We are truly thankful for our salvation and for the knowledge that we have eternal life with you in Jesus name Amen.

God Bless You and This Ministry!

“Do Remember Me” Iowa State

Do Lord, oh, do Lord, oh, do remember me, Look away beyond the blue. Do Lord is such a fun song. Many thinks of it as a kid’s song, but the truth is, you’re never too old to enjoy it. Easy melody, simple lyrics, yes, it’s perfect for children to learn and sing along with. But I never outgrew it. Standing in the mist of the defensive huddle as a Cyclone player, clapping my hands, tapping my feet…having fun as I played the game of football. In a sense it was like Church for me a happy place with friends and teammates with my eyes focused on the glory of the coming of the Lord. Wait, what was that last lyric? Yes, Do You Remember Me? 

The camaraderie these football players of Iowa State University from all era’s and, most importantly, friends had from 40-plus years ago never left us, “as I observed entering Wallaby’s this past weekend, Our former QB acting host of the Football Reunion who originally suggested the idea of an annual football reunion because of the sudden death of some of our more popular players; with no fanfare moved around the room as he did years earlier as the  captain and with skill as the offensive leader and, ideally, overall leader.

“With the emotion present in the room, it was clear that we still felt the same way for each other as we did back when we were young men and teammates at Iowa State University.” Truth and Friendship!

Many former football players took to the rounds of the room to speak to different individuals with cheers, hugs and laughter about their funny experiences we each had with one another, stories that started with” freshman get into the car” were embellished and cosigned about the driver’s meanness; top plays and wins they had made during critical games and the dedicated coaches that led the teams to success both on and off the field. A cinematic image of thought using words played throughout the event that featured funny and undisciplined images of the players from their glory days as football players and prankster, everyone had a joking experience from the past. During this whole time, I was excited about God’s work in the room. If only we could stop for a moment and realize the same thing and bottle it.

The skills we learned playing football and as teammates carried us on into our careers, added “There’s no ‘I’ in team,” It’s not about Me”! The work ethic we learned by being team players allowed us to become successful in our professional lives for most. It didn’t matter if we were part of a winning or losing team. We all learned the same life lesson: to remain a united front in the face of any obstacle.” Being True as a Family! In the mist of our one heart beat encounter for one another, I could not help but think about our walk side by side with Christ, we were doing. My concern was purely relational but a thought about perception and a simple,” how they would respond if the topic was changed toward our missional life with our lord Jesus Christ? Could a person be misunderstood or rejected? What do you do?

 A Reflection, “Do what the apostle Paul did”. His focus was on prayer which was far from casual. 

Notice his key words– devote yourselves (be committed, intentional), keep alert (be aware, engaged), and thankful (be grateful for what God will do next). 

In Colossians 4, Paul was speaking about initiating a conversation with others about the gospel. He said it begins with prayer. Pray, because something happens in the locker room when we pray for teammates. God opens doors into people’s lives.

I consider a little prayer strategy, silently for lasting relationships. Who are your teammates in your 1000-foot circle?

Pray for your teammate in their locker room of life on your right throughout this week, then the teammate on your left the next week, then your former position coach or boss the next week, then the player/co-worker who rubbed you the wrong way in the past the next week, then the team leaders/owner the next week ... Just keep it rolling. 

Pray that God will draw them to Himself. Pray that they would sense an emptiness in their lives. Pray that God would give you rapport with them. 

Watch what happens (be alert). One of those teammates with the help of the holy spirit in your “prayer-sights” will sit next to you on a future reunion trip and phone you asking you, how has Jesus been messing with. A teammate will confide in you about a family death. Another will support you during that time of need.

Opportunities to talk about Christ will become more evident. You may notice a deepening concern for your teammates. The circumstances of their lives will become more obvious to you, opening the door to talk with them.

As we pray it makes us alert to what God is doing with the question., "What is true friendship according to the Bible?"
The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the definition of a true friend: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:13-15). Jesus is the pure example of a true friend, for He laid down His life for His "friends." What is more, anyone may become His friend by trusting in Him as his personal savior, being born again and receiving new life in Him.

Proverbs is another good source of wisdom regarding friends. "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17) "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). The issue here is that in order have a friend, one must be a friend. "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses"(Proverbs 27:6). "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17)

Finally, my tangible definition of a true friend comes from the Apostle Paul: "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:7-8). "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13). Now, that is true friendship!Oh Do You Remember Me!

Thank You O heavenly father for this song:

“So, we will fight, fight, fight for Iowa State”

Loyal sons forever true, and we will fight the battle through. 

And when we hit that line we’ll hit it hard every yard for You!

God Bless You and This Ministry!

“Foolishness for Christ”

So, here’s the crucial inquiries for your future and our being: Could you give up all one's worldly possessions? Will we be ashamed of believing what the Bible teaches when the world calls us fools or worse? Or will we out-rejoice the world, not only in spite of their insults, but because of them? Will we be like Paul who said in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “For the sake of Christ, I am” — take a deep breath — “content with insults”? Will we?

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” 1 Corinthian 3:19

Once you start to receive the knowledge and wisdom of God flowing into your life, you will find something very interesting that will start to happen. You will start to see the difference between the knowledge and wisdom of God versus the knowledge and wisdom of this world.

I use to love to openly discussed Politics, Sports as well as someone’s age or favorite desert. I even would get defensivewhen non-Christians mocked our beliefs or used Gods name in vain. These days, political opinions are blasted on social media with outrage, shout-a-thon talk shows, as well within families where they are tied, it seems, inextricably to one’s moral compass. Politics are stressing people out as much as work and money. The problem is a lack of listening and a cultural belief that relationships are kind of disposable. Rather than being civil and listen to their believes and then share you believes and find a common ground to have a discussion; it has become normal to call each other losers and cut people off completely. Just recently, it was suggested to me by a family member that I need to choose between Eternal Punishment or Eternal Life because of my Political views. I thought to myself this question, “What is a Godly decision “needed now? That is when I started carrying around the following scripture:

“The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating”. Proverbs 18:6

Jesus' strategy when He was arrested, stripped naked, scourged and interrogated and when Jesus was being reviled, 1 Peter 2:23 says, "He did not revile back; when He suffered, He did not threaten." He trusted the Father to vindicate Him. If you are mocked for your faith, keep your cool and bite your lip. Don't let angry people push your button or lash out in anger.God will give you wise words to say if you let His love control your tongue. Pray for your enemies. Jesus said it best in Matthew 5:43-44: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." How many of us actually obey that commandment?

For me, the first word that came to mind was “Foolishness” but as always scripture comforted me to have a mindset to be meek and humble. I keep the following scripture in my pocket to remind me to put wisdom into action:

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established

” Proverbs 24:3

“Think of the Messiah, meek and gentle; then think of me, Paul – yes, Paul himself! – making his appeal to you. You know what I’m like: I’m humble when I’m face to face with you, but I’m bold when I’m away from you!  Please, please don’t put me in the position of having to be bold when I’m with you, of having to show how confident I dare to be when I’m standing up to people who think we are behaving in a merely human way”. 2 Corinthians 10:1-2

When I first heard the mention of the word fool it at once made me laugh. The first person I considered was the comedian Richard Pryor, followed by Eddie Murphy, Bernie Mac, Redd Foxx, Chris Rock, Moms Mabley, Robin Williams, George Carlin, followed by the Three Stooges, Larry, Curly, and Mo. It is interesting to me that none of these men fit the definition which Proverbs gives us of the fool. The “fools” I thought of are all funny, rather harmless and basically well-intentioned and innocent. All of them evoke a certain sense of pity, mixed with great amusement. Not so with the fool in the Book of Proverbs This is but one of the reasons why the study of “the fool” is important, “someone who disregards God’s Word”, The unbelievers or skeptics. They continue doing the same foolish things over and over again, to their own destruction Proverbs 18:7. To Graphically illustrate the behavior of fools: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” 

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practices like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

The story above speaks about two men and each needing to build a house.The first man was foolish and chose to build on sandy soil where it was easy to access and easy to dig the foundations. In a few short weeks he was almost finished.

The second man was wise and chose to build his house on a rocky hill, where it was very hard to access and to dig the foundation. He spent many months building his house.

As time passed a huge storm broke upon the houses of these men. After much rain, a flood swept through the valley and the man's house that was built on the sand was swept away. But the second man who had built on the rocky hill was safe. No matter how hard it rained or how fierce the floods were his house remained solid and immovable.

Let's ask ourselves the question. What's the foundation of our life? Are we like the foolish man, are our lives built on sand? What about our lives? When Satan brings temptations and trials to us it may feel like we are being battered by a flood!

The Bible has much to say about fools. The word fool today usually means “a senseless fellow, a dullard.” The biblical definition has the added dimension of “someone who disregards God’s Word.” The Bible lists many characteristics of such a person, often contrasting him with one who is wise. Ecclesiastes 10:2 says, “The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.”

When the Bible in general speaks of foolishness it describes a moral and spiritual condition. Not a low IQ.The following is a partial list of some characteristics of a fool from the book of Proverbs: a fool hates knowledge takes no pleasure in understanding (18:2), enjoys wicked schemes Proverbs 10:23 proclaims folly Proverbs 12:23 spurns a parent’s discipline (15:5), speaks perversity (19:1), is quick-tempered (12:16), gets himself in trouble with his proud speech (14:3), mocks at sin (14:9), is deceitful (14:8), and despises his mother (15:20). A foolish child brings grief to his or her parents (17:25; 19:13). A foolish woman tears down her own house (14:1).

I truly believe that a believer can live a life of wisdom that honors God, instead of a foolish life that dishonors him.

Believers live a life of wisdom by making the most of their time. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity”.Colossians 4:5

Believers live a life of wisdom by understanding God’s willfor all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”. Romans 8:14

Believers live a life of wisdom by staying sober.“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”.1 Peter 5:8

Believers live a life of wisdom by being filled with the Spirit. “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”Ephesians 5:18

To someone today, I challenge you to turn the hearts of those exhibiting foolishness toward wisdom and possibly save their lives and their eternal souls James 5:20. This is how I respond to their foolish behavior:

1.    I pray for them. God is able change anybody. Don’t ever give up. You can’t change them but you can pray for God to change them.

2.    Keep the right attitude and motivation toward these foolish people. It’s easy to become judgmental and arrogant toward them. Remember, God loves them as much as He loves you.

3.    Be prepared to set boundaries and protect yourself from being harmed by foolish people.

We do not have the power or the right to condemn anyone to hell. That position of judgment belongs only to God. A Christian cannot be “damned” because he or she has been purchased by the blood of Christ Colossians 1:14). We can and should, however, do all we can to turn the hearts of those exhibiting foolishness toward wisdom and possibly save their lives and their eternal souls (James 5:20).

God Bless You and This Ministry!