A Soft Tap at the Door

But be holy in all you do, just as God, the One who called you, is holy. 1 Peter 1:15

I have something against the lying voices that noise our world. You've heard them. They tell you to swap your integrity for a new sale. To barter your convictions for an easy deal. To exchange your devotion for a quick thrill.

They whisper. They woo. They taunt. They tantalize. They flirt. They flatter. "Go ahead, its OK." "Don't worry, no one will know."

The world rams at your door; Jesus taps at your door. The voices scream for your allegiance; Jesus softly and tenderly requests it. The world promises flashy pleasure; Jesus promises a quiet dinner...with God.

Which voice do you hear?

- From: In the Eye of the Storm Copyright (Word Publishing, 1991) Max Lucado

Hope for Hurting Hearts

Have you ever wanted a "do over"? Today's New York Times tells the story of the 14^th unassisted triple play in major league history. Monday night, the Cleveland Indians' second baseman caught a line drive as runners on first and second took off. He touched second base for the second out, and tagged the runner from first for the third out. It's the rarest feat in baseball. He was so excited, as he ran from the field he threw the ball into the stands. That's a baseball he'd like to have back. I'll bet you know the feeling.

We're learning to find the kind of happiness only God can give. Nine decisions position us to receive all that his grace offers. As we learned yesterday, the first is to be "poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3), admitting our desperate need for God's mercy and help. When last did you confess to your Father that you don't know how to live your life, and put him at the controls? What's the last important decision you gave to him first? The last problem you trusted to him in prayer? The last time you did what he said, even though you didn't understand? Would an objective observer say that God is your King or you are?

Now Jesus gives us our next step: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). According to Greek scholar Fritz Rienecker, the word translated "mourn" means "to grieve with a grief which so takes possession of the whole being that it cannot be hid." Jesus assumes that we will all face such suffering. He does not say that we are blessed "if" we mourn but when we do.

How can it be that our mourning will always be comforted? It seems to me that the first beatitude makes possible the second. If we admit our need of God, turning our problem and pain over to him, he can comfort us. If we will not, he cannot.

What is causing you grief or sadness this morning? If sins are burdening your soul, give them to your Father and claim his comfort: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

If you are grieving the loss of one you love, trust your pain to the One who wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35) and thank Jesus that those who believe in him never die (John 11:26). If you are suffering physical pain, put your struggle in the hands of the Great Physician and know that he will heal you physically, spiritually, or both. If you are facing economic challenges or family struggles or vocational difficulties, give them to your Father and claim his promise to supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). The ball is in your hands. Choose wisely.

Copyright © 2008. GodIssues.org. All rights reserved.

Meet WiMax

Don't you hate to wait on your computer? You wake it up and log on to the Internet, and the thing whirs and chatters and finally connects two seconds later. Then you open a browser and click on a file, and are forced to wait another second or so for the thing to load. That's three seconds of your day wasted. Now someone's going to do something about it, investing a mere $3.2 billion to give you the fastest Internet yet.

Today's Wall Street Journal introduces us to WiMax, the anticipated next generation of the Internet. Financial backers include Sprint Nextel, Clearwire, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Google and Intel. The entire venture will eventually cost more than $12 billion. The new network will theoretically deliver much faster Internet access for cell phones and laptops. It's about time--literally.

You and I live in a "real time" world. It wasn't always that way, of course. I'm old enough to remember when Jack In The Box invented the first drive-through restaurant, with a clown taking your order and someone magically preparing it by the time you pulled up at the window. When I wanted a new bike, we collected S&H Green Stamps for months until we had enough, then brought them to the store, chose the bike, and waited weeks for it to arrive. My sons would understand nothing I just wrote.

Imagine doing today's email essay just 25 years ago at my first pastorate, where I inherited a mimeograph machine. I would use a typewriter to type this essay onto a "master," then affix it to a drum which transferred ink onto sheets of paper fed through the machine. Then I would stack the paper until the ink was dry, put it through a folding machine, stuff the letters into envelopes, lick and seal them, affix stamps, and take them to the post office. Three days later they would arrive in your mailbox.

Now everything's changing, quickly. More text messages will be sent and received today than the planet's population. Google searches this month will total more than 2.7 billion. Three thousand books will be published today. The technological revolution is shrinking the world and creating a global economy and experience.

But the things that matter most won't change. A wise pastor once claimed that every person needs three things: help, home, and hope. WiMax cannot create any of them. The Person who offers them all to your heart today is closer than your computer, more available than email. He's ready to hear your next prayer and heal your next hurt. He's holding you in his hand this moment (John 10:28). Will you hold his today?

- copyright @ 2008. GodIssues.org

Thought

*At the start of any given day, it is not a bad idea to pray for a fresh touch of God's grace to keep you sane for what lies ahead. Pray not to live in the past, lick old wounds, or nurse grudges. Those things will drive you crazy! Pray instead for the ability to focus on what is positive, honorable, and upright. These things bring you peace! And ask God to let you be authentically and truly human. To be "authentically and truly human" is to be what God created you to be. Reflect the image of our God into the world. Think sane thoughts about your own worth and dignity. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Be true to your commitments. Give your best to every task. And spread some joy in your world. Here is the way Paul said it long ago: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:2 NLT). - Rubel Shelly