Discipleship Network Forum

Of all the novels I read in high school and college, perhaps the one that impacted me the most was Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel, The Scarlet Letter. Set in 17^th-century Puritan Boston, the book tells the story of Hester Prynne, who is required to forever wear the letter “A” on her dress after she is discovered to be an adulteress.

Think of what it would be like if this kind of punishment was enforced today. What if everyone who has engaged in sex outside of marriage was required to wear a scarlet “A” for Adultery or “S” for Shame?

But many of us deal with different kinds of scarlet letters. Perhaps it’s a scarlet “F” for Failure or Fat, “R” for Rejected, “I” for Inferior, “U” for Unemployed, or “D” for Depressed or Divorced.

You get the picture. Life’s scarlet letters can be customized to fit your personal situations. If we’re not careful, our negative experiences can become our identity.

Yes, many people—even many Christians—are carrying around internal guilt, inferiority, and shame that are not much different than Hester Prynne’s cruel punishment. Unable to believe God has truly forgiven them, they still are wallowing in their past mistakes.

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it’s a message of redemption and happy endings. No matter how you’ve messed up your life with poor decisions in the past, God can set you free and give you a glorious future.

If you don’t believe me, just take a look at the story of Rahab, a prostitute living in Jericho. This woman had a history far worse than Hester Prynne. She undoubtedly had engaged in sexual relations with hundreds of men, if not thousands. Rahab must have been seen as one of Jericho’s most notorious home-wreckers.

Yet this Canaanite harlot end up in the Hall of Fame of Faith (Hebrews 11:31) and even in the family line of both King David and Jesus (Matthew 1:5). What an amazing turnaround!

Despite growing up in a pagan environment, Rahab had heard of the God of Israel, and faith grew in her heart that He was the true God. So when Joshua sent two spies to scout out the fortified city of Jericho, she hid them on her roof and lied to the king’s soldiers about the spies’ whereabouts.

Quite the opposite of wearing a scarlet letter for her sordid past, Rahab ended up being saved by scarlet of a different kind. The spies agree to spare her life if she hung a scarlet cord from her window so the Israelites could find and protect her (Joshua 2:17-21).

Do you see what a beautiful picture this is? The scarlet cord represents the blood of Jesus that later would be shed on the cross for the sins of the world (John 1:29). Like Rahab, none of us can stand before God on the basis of our own good deeds or righteousness. As the old hymn by Robert Lowry says:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

So there’s no need for any of us to keep wearing a scarlet letter of guilt and shame for things we’ve done in the past. This is a new day. When the devil comes to condemn you, you can hang the scarlet cord from your window and tell him the blood of Jesus has cleansed you, just as if you had never sinned.

By taking a step of faith, Rahab changed the whole trajectory of her life. Not only was her own life transformed, but her legacy has now impacted countless generations.

I’m believing God for the same kind of transformation to happen in your life. But first you must ask Him to show you whether you’ve been carrying around some kind of scarlet letter because of past mistakes or traumas. If so, the good news is that you can claim the promise of Isaiah 1:18, cleansed of your sins and made “white as snow.”

And be clear on this: Your Heavenly Father doesn’t just tolerate you or begrudgingly accept you. He wholeheartedly LOVES you and offers you an incredible new identity:

The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
    a splendid crown in the hand of God.
Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”
    or “The Desolate Land.”
Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight”
    and “The Bride of God,”
for the Lord delights in you
    and will claim you as his bride (Isaiah 62:3-4).

Amazing love, isn’t it? You are “God’s Delight,” and He beckons you to live your life as His beloved bride. You can throw away your scarlet letters, once and for all.

“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.” (Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895)

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three neuroscientists whose work is answering the question why we know where we are and where we’re headed.

John O’Keefe (University College, London), May-Britt Moser (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), and Edward Moser (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) have discovered cells that form a positioning system in the human brain, kind of a hard-wired GPS. These cells tell us our physical location, help us navigate our direction, and help us remember it so we can make the same trips again. These neuroscientists have figured out that two types of cells – called place cells and grid cells -- work in harmony to make the brain know where it is and where it’s going.

Memory and orientation are critically important for both our physical and spiritual well-being. If we couldn’t remember pleasant places we’ve been, how could we repeat the journey? If we can’t remember mistakes we’ve made, how can we learn from history? If we aren’t aware of our coordinates, how can we find our way home?

In one sense, “we make the road by walking” (Spanish poet Antonio Machado, 1875-1939). In a higher sense, we find the right road by praying.

With our brain, we find our bearings. With our heart, we find our beliefs.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5,6 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

“I know that when things don’t go well they like to blame the Presidents, and that is one of the things which Presidents are paid for.” (John F. Kennedy)

According to the Gallup Poll, President Barack Obama’s job approval rating reached its high point (67%) in January 2009, and its low point (38%) September 2^nd 2014. His most recent weekly average (September 15-21) was 43%.

Gallup historical comparisons indicate the average for U.S. presidents between 1938-2014 was 53%. Other presidents in the second September after re-election had the following ratings: George W. Bush (42%), Bill Clinton (64%), Ronald Reagan (62%), Lyndon Johnson (46%), Dwight Eisenhower (56%), Harry Truman (35%).

We can only imagine the weight of the burdens our president carries on his shoulders, and the intensity of the decision-making responsibilities he experiences in his mind. Degrading and destroying ISIS in order to protect America has become one of his top priorities, and may bring him nightmares. Concerns about continuing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria occupy his days. Halting the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa, building a coalition to combat radical terrorist groups, addressing worrisome national economic issues, and a thousand other problems constantly demand his attention. Dwight Eisenhower remarked, “no easy problems ever come to the President of the United States; if they are easy to solve, somebody else has solved them.”

In an interview on last night’s CBS “60 Minutes”, President Obama acknowledged that he had underestimated the strength of ISIS and overestimated the fighting ability of Iraqi troops. He will take flak for that, just like he did for stating a couple of weeks ago that he did not have a strategy for fighting ISIS (which he obviously quickly remedied).

How can the President possibly please all the people of America? Obviously, he cannot. Human approval is as changeable as the weather. Approval ratings are a roller-coaster, volatile as the Stock Market.  Adlai Stevenson said, “You know how it is in an election year; they pick a president and then for four years they pick on him.”

We may not always approve of our president, but it is not appropriate to be disrespectful. Scripture reminds us that all governing authority comes from God, that those in positions of authority have been providentially placed, and to rebel against authority is tantamount to rebelling against God (Romans 13:1-2).

We may not always approve of our president, but we should not be dismissive because we didn’t vote for him. We may not like his policies, but he is still President.

We may not always approve of our president, but we should not make derogatory remarks about him.

However we rate our president, we should pray for him—that he would seek to please God, not be driven by political ambition (Colossians 3:23); that he would seek divine wisdom to govern properly, knowing and doing what is right (1 Kings 3:7-9); that he would govern with integrity whatever the approval ratings; that God would protect him and his family from all harm; that he would be strengthened by grace to persevere in his role as the leader of this nation where we are privileged to breathe deeply the sweet air of freedom.

“Pray this way (ask God to help him, intercede on his behalf, give thanks for him) for all who are in authority so we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

Do YOU Struggle to Delegate and Defer to Others?

In my younger days I used to be a rather good volleyball player, and it was always fun showing off my abilities at our church outings.

Many of those who played volleyball at our church picnics simply weren’t very good. On every team would be several uncoordinated players who frequently missed the ball or hit it in the wrong direction.

Not only did I like to show off my volleyball prowess, I also liked to win. If I was in the vicinity of weaker members of the team, I felt obligated to help them play their position. When the ball was hit their way, I was there to give assistance in case they missed it.

Inevitably, I ended up covering a lot of ground on the volleyball court, helping my less-competent friends in every way possible. Usually they didn’t seem to mind too much, since I was saving them the embarrassment of making a fool out of themselves.

Yet as I went up and back and from side to side, covering for the weaker team members, there often was a troubling result. The ball would drop—you guessed it—right in the position I myself was assigned to cover!

At the time, I really didn’t think much about the problem of volleyballs dropping where I was supposed to be. After all, I was making some pretty sensational shots while guarding everyone else’s position.

It wasn’t until years later that I realized my tendency to do exactly the same thing in my role as a church leader. I saw myself as strong, and I was desirous of helping my “weaker” brothers and sisters with their assigned tasks. If there were “holes to plug” in the church, I would generally take care of them myself instead of waiting for the people who were assigned to the jobs.

The result of this codependent tendency was often similar to my experience on the volleyball court. Although I covered a considerable amount of territory trying to plug the holes left by those who missed their assignments, I frequently found that the “ball” dropped right in the position I myself was supposed to be handling. Again, I was so busy filling everyone else’s job that I didn’t satisfactorily fill my own!

I began to understand the predicament of the maiden in the Song of Solomon, who complained that she had been so busy taking care of other people’s vineyards that she neglected her own responsibilities (Song 1:6). While I originally figured God would be impressed that I covered so many gaps in the church, I now am struck by the reality that He will primarily hold me accountable for whether I fulfill my own appointed role.

It’s interesting to note that a unified team of ordinary players will often be able to beat even an all-star team. The synergy created when players know how to work together harmoniously is sufficient to defeat a team of all-stars who each are more intent on their own success than on the success of the team.

The Bible is filled with stories of leaders who struggled with these issues. Moses had to be told by his father-in-law Jethro to delegate some of his responsibilities in problem-solving for the Israelites (Exodus 18:13-27). King Saul angered God by impatiently usurping the role of Samuel, the prophet (1 Samuel 13:7-14). And the apostles wisely recognized that their highest priority should be giving themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” rather than overseeing the distribution of food to needy widows (Acts 6:1-7).

What about you? Have you found and focused on your God-given role? Or are you trying to be a superstar, unable to work together with the rest of the team? Remember: If you try to do the job of others, you’re likely to find that your own job is soon neglected.

“The Bible holds up before us ideals that are within sight of the weakest and the lowliest, and yet so high that the best and the noblest are kept with their faces turned ever upward. It carries the call of the Saviour to the remotest corners of the earth; on its pages are written the assurances of the present and our hopes for the future.” (William Jennings Bryan)

God’s manuscript convicts our conscience. With an invisible hand, God wrote the terms of His covenant with Israel and high expectations of His testament with the church—sacred words infinitely superior to temporal abracadabras.

He penned the Book from Heaven to guide us on our earthly journey, educate us in timeless truth, help us see wrongs in our life, and get us back on track morally.

Divine light shines through the pages of Scripture, pointing out attitudes offending God and actions making both Him and us sad.

God does not chisel His law on granite—He inscribes it in minds receptive to Truth and hearts sensitive to Love.

God’s fingerprints are all over the Holy Bible, writing chapters of wisdom to guide us through life’s maze. If we are humble, we’ll pay attention; if we are wise, we’ll obey.

“’This is the finger of God!’ the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh.” (Exodus 8:19 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

[This devotion based on Day 43 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

“Though this world with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still; His kingdom is forever.” (Martin Luther)

This morning, before President Obama departed for a meeting at the United Nations, he spoke concerning the initial attacks on ISIS in Syria. A coalition of five Arab nations joined the United States in this attack. Airstrikes against fixed targets were made by warplanes dropping bombs, remotely piloted aircraft, and ships firing cruise missiles.

This was only the initial phase of the war against this terrorist group. Training and equipping the moderate Syrian rebels opposed to Assad will take a long time. Degrading and defeating ISIS will not happen overnight. Persuading them to abandon the fight will not be easy.

Sunni-majority countries joining the U.S. in fighting this radical Sunni militant group indicates they understand that ISIS is not really Islamic. ISIS recruits soldiers to join their ranks, claiming they are “the truthful.” In fact, their propaganda is a lie.

We may have become so comfortable with our prosperous lifestyles that we are unmoved by news of more than 200,000 Syrians killed by a brutal regime. We may feel so secure that we find it impossible to identify with millions of heartbroken homeless people seeking refuge in other countries.

We may have been so preoccupied with our personal agendas, that we missed hearing the President report that an Al Qaeda splinter group, the Khorasan Group, was also attacked because of intelligence indicating an imminent threat against the U.S. homeland. To say the least, the possibility of IEDs wreaking havoc on our familiar streets is upsetting. The thought of terrorism on American soil makes us tremble. Are we scared yet?  

To be sure, Christians should pray. We should ask God’s blessings on our president as he seeks heaven’s wisdom in this fight against evil forces intent on our destruction. We should also pray for military personnel serving in our armed forces, and for those serving from Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Emirates.  

Each year on September 21^st, the World Council of Churches sponsors the International Day of Prayer for Peace. This date is also the United Nations sponsored Day of Peace.Until “the war to end all wars” is fought, we should humbly entreat the Prince of Peace to bless our nation and world with the peace He alone can bring.   

Jesus provides the antidote to any tinge of terror we may ever feel— “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God.” (Matthew 10:31 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

I’ll never forget the day I knelt in prayer beside the bed in my college dorm room and popped the important question: “Lord, do you want me to serve You full-time?”

Almost immediately, the clear answer came, “Why, of course, Jim!”

I was thrilled. The following Sunday I went to church and proudly told my friend Bob Hahn about my call to ministry.

“Bob, while I was praying yesterday, I asked God if He wanted me to serve Him in full-time ministry. He said He did!”

My older and wiser friend paused, then looked me right in the eyes when he responded. “That’s good, Jim, but I’ve been seeing lately that full-time ministry doesn’t necessarily mean what I once thought.”

Quickly concluding that Bob was just jealous that he wasn’t called to full-time ministry, I didn’t hear much of the rest of his explanation. Looking back, though, I wish I had listened closer that day.

Now having the advantage of more than 35 years of hindsight, I think I have a better understanding of what Bob Hahn was trying to tell me about full-time ministry. At times I’ve indeed been a “full-time minister” as a senior pastor or staff pastor. But at other times I’ve been an attorney or done other “secular” jobs. Often this is described as “tent-making” or being a bi-vocational minister.

It often surprises people when I tell them my ministry while I was an attorney was just as fruitful as when I was a full-time pastor. Perhaps even more fruitful.

When I supported my ministry by means of a secular job, I was much freer from people’s expectations about what my “ministry” should be. In contrast, when my paycheck came from the church, I sometimes ended up serving church activities more than I was serving God!

When I was supported by my work as an attorney, it was far easier to tell people “No” when they wanted me to do something outside the sphere of ministry God had given me (see 2 Corinthians 10:13-16). When I was a full-time pastor, however, there was a great temptation to do whatever people expected, regardless of my calling or the Lord’s will.

I found that another pitfall in full-time pastoral ministry was that it tended to separate me from the “real world” where most people were living. It was especially difficult to have meaningful contact with those who didn’t yet follow Christ.

Too often, pastors who go directly from college, to seminary, to full-time ministry end up secluded in an ivory-tower world, with experiences quite different from those faced by the people we are endeavoring to disciple and lead. While we try to encourage those in our flock to reach out to their unsaved friends and co-workers, our friends and co-workers are all church folks!

By glamorizing the importance of full-time ministry, we perpetuate a myth that has seriously weakened the church for many centuries now. Bob Hahn was trying to tell me that, in a sense, every Christian is supposed to be serving the Lord “full-time.” Even if we gain our livelihood through work at a secular job, we are to see it as a ministry—for we are working as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:22-24).

Paul told the Corinthians that everything he did was “for the sake of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:23). But sometimes that included working with his hands to make tents in order to support himself. Think of it: The mighty apostle was willing to be a manual laborer and small businessman at times, rather than beg for offerings!

I also love how Paul said the fragrance of Christ was supposed to be manifested through us “in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14). He didn’t say believers should emit Christ’s fragrance just “in every church meeting,” or “every time we preach,” or “every time we lead worship.” No, his vision of “ministry” was much bigger than any of that.

Because of their detachment from everyday living, many “full-time” Christian leaders struggle to give their flock clear, practical instruction on how the gospel can be lived out in the marketplace. As a result, we give the faulty impression that ministry is something done mainly in church buildings.

It’s time to regain the perspective that every Christian is called to be a minister. Our ministry began the day were saved, because that’s when Jesus ordained us to serve Him and bear fruit for His kingdom (John 15:16). 

If you are being obedient the Lord full-time, you ARE in full-time ministry—no matter whether a church gives you a paycheck or not. You have the great privilege and opportunity to minister to people every day and in every place—whether in office buildings, banks, construction sites, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, neighborhoods, athletic fields, schools, and in every other place where people are found.

So what are you waiting for? If you are committed to full-time availability to God, your full-time ministry has already begun!

“We may not pay Satan reverence, for that would be indiscreet, but we can at least respect his talents.” (Mark Twain)

Our archenemy would love to make our life hell on earth. But when we hear the lion’s roar ringing in our ears, we can order him to get out of our face.

Struggling with sin will convince us that we need supernatural help if we’re ever going to vacate Satan’s death trap. We are a combination of opposites, a mixture of good and evil. Though we want to do right, our rotten nature distracts us from nobler pursuits. Relying on God, we can triumphantly march out of sin’s burdensome addiction with our head held high and a spring in our step.

Hell’s advertising blitz pressures us to invest in Nile stock. Fiendish voices try to convince us we need worldly resources. It’s all a terrible lie. We can find authentic satisfaction without compromise. With rivers of living water coursing through our heart, we discover the Lord is all we ever really need. In the desert’s inhospitable barrenness, we are not deserted. So we can worship God in the wilderness.

Exiting Egypt’s shadows, we bask in the sunlight of Truth. In contrast to earth’s dark depravity, we shine as sparkling diamonds. Tenaciously resisting the Devil, we walk as children of the Light.

“The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say, Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.” (Exodus 7:16 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

Lately I’ve been thinking of an old chorus we used to sing 30 years ago in our church in Columbus, Ohio:

“Here I am, wholly available. As for me, I will serve the Lord.”

That was pretty much the entire song. But we sang it over and over, with great gusto.

The song got so much traction back then because it accurately expressed our hearts toward God. Back then most of us really were “wholly available.” Many of us were single or recently married. Either we had no kids, or else our kids could be easily transported from meeting to meeting in a basinet or stroller.

Our time commitments and financial encumbrances were few back then.

I remember the time our church had a guest Bible teacher come for two nights of meetings—on a Monday and Tuesday night. Everyone was there. We were hungry for God, and no one wanted to miss out on what was happening.

If your church today had a guest preacher on a Monday and Tuesday night, what percentage of the congregation would come?

Things have changed, it seems.

Our church in Columbus changed too, especially as we all got older. Eventually nearly all of us were married, and the financial commitments had grown considerably. We had 30-year mortgage payments to make, not to mention car payments and credit card debt. Soon we all had multiple kids, complete with even more financial responsibilities and all the normal activities of childhood.

Life was a lot more complicated and cluttered by then. And we quit singing the “wholly available” song, because it no longer reflected our current situation.

A decade after the Bible teacher had preached to a packed house on Monday and Tuesday nights, we hosted an international preacher who had a highly acclaimed healing ministry. Overseas his crusades often drew crowds of 50,000 or more, and we were hopeful for a big crowd during this special midweek meeting.

However, people weren’t as available or as hungry as before. Only about 30 people showed up to hear this man of God who was used to preaching to thousands. The response was embarrassing, but it showed us that times had changes.

I’m now an empty-nest Baby Boomer, contemplating how to become wholly available to the Lord once again. Hope is rising in my heart, and I may even start singing that old chorus once again.

He walks by my house every Saturday morning on his way to worship - black slacks, white shirt, black yamaka on his head, black walking cane. His faith prevents him from driving on the Sabbath, so he walks, with a slight limp, for 22 blocks (3 miles round trip). Rain or shine, hot or cold, he walks. Lately, I’ve had bulging disks in my lower spine that create pain in the sciatic nerve of my right leg and I’ve thought of scaling back my activities, especially those that require excessive walking. But then I see him walking by my house again. If he can walk to worship the God of the Old Testament, surely, I can walk to serve the God of the entire Bible. We used to sing a children’s song, “Walking in the sunlight, walking in the shadow, walking everyday walking all the way, walking with Jesus alone.” Even while praying that the doctors can find something to ease my pain, I will continue to “walk by faith” (2 Corinthians 5:7). How about you?

“Every situation—nay, every moment—is of infinite worth; for it is the representative of a whole eternity.” (Goethe)

God will always be who He has always been. God is far more than a long ago, far away historical force that used to work in human lives. He is the God of the living, not the dead. When we are troubled, He is our present help. He does not showcase miracles in dusty museums—He is our Contemporary. Every day, we celebrate His presence.

                God Almighty traveled with Abraham, father of the faithful, in his moving experiences; and He is beside us in ours. So whatever happens on the journey, we are ready for it. Every heartbeat, we live by faith.

                The God who is Enough, El Shaddai, teaches us to smile when circumstances meanly frown at us. He is our Fountainhead of invulnerable joy. Every breath, we rejoice.  

                The God who alone is holy works in our lives to change us from the inside out. Tension between who we are and the Christlike person we yearn to be proves heaven has already begun in our heart. Every second, we single-mindedly struggle on.

                The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is our God. In our lives, He still works miracles of hope, joy, and perseverance—counteracting despair, melancholy, and discouragement. Earthly grace notes are the prelude to heaven’s Future Perfect Tense Symphony. In hope, we enjoy the stirring melody of eternity. In faith, we dance to the tune here and now.

                “God continued, ‘I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, though I did not reveal my name, the Lord, to them.’” (Exodus 6:2, 3 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

[This devotion based on Day 41 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

 “For rich people, the sky is just an extra, a gift of nature. The poor, on the other hand, can see it as it really is: an infinite grace.” (Albert Camus)

“The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to” (Carl Sandburg)

Tonight at 9:38 p.m. ET, the full moon will mark the third consecutive month with a Supermoon. When it is closest to Earth in its orbit, the moon will appear larger and brighter than usual.

In some regions clouds and showers may make it difficult to observe this stunning moon. But if you are privileged to get a glimpse of this harvest moon, take a moment to let your heart be filled with wonder at the majesty and mystery of God’s handiwork.

Pause to reflect on the handiwork of the Almighty.

“Then God said, ‘Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights shine down on the earth.’ God made the smaller light to govern the night.” (Genesis 1:14-16 NLT]

Pause to humbly thank your Maker for watching over you and caring for you in the orbit of your life.

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” [Psalm 8:3 NLT]

Pause to worship your Creator and offer a prayer of praise to the One who shepherds you every day and season of your life.

“Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him all you twinkling stars! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord.” [Psalm 148:3, 5 NLT) 

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

There is Someone who loves you more than any friend you have on Facebook.

“Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet.”  (Alfred, Lord Tennyson]

Born from above, we have a Friend in eternity—Elyon, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, supreme over all.

He defeats our spiritual enemies (Genesis 14:20), teaches us timeless truth (Numbers 24:16), inspires a song in the night (Psalm 7:17), fills our heart with joy (Psalm 46:4), rules as Sovereign over all nations (Psalm 47:2), challenges us to keep our vows of devotion (Psalm 50:14), redeems us from sin (Psalm 78:35), hears our prayers (Psalm 86:6), provides rest under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:1), and is worthy of worship above all false gods (Psalm 97:9).

From His exalted throne, He scans earth for people who yearn to be released from bondage to the Pharaoh of hell and enjoy authentic friendship with their Creator.

From His elevated perspective, He sees through the thicket of our fight to survive. When we look up through dense bewilderment, we can detect a golden ray of hopeful light. Bending our knee in devotion to God, we sing His praises at all times and places.

Our Greatest Friend promises that ultimately He will make everything new—

replacing old earth’s egomania with new earth’s kindness,

transforming old chaos into new calm,

superimposing the New Jerusalem on old crime-ridden cities,

making old heartaches obsolete by new songs,

killing old death by new life,

wiping away old tears with new joy,

erasing old pain with new bodies.

From our limited point of view, all this may seem unlikely to come true. But God is trustworthy and will surely keep His promises. As a friend of mine once told me, if the Bible is not true, nothing is true.   

In the meantime, we should train our heart to listen prayerfully to gentle whispers from eternity, not merely our five dictatorial physical senses. If we use the sixth sense God has given us, we can imagine invisible realities. Now we believe—then we will see.

Bowing our head, we worship our Friend in the highest place.

“When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.”  (Exodus 4:30-31 NIV)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

Life is all about choices. Every choice has a consequence of one kind or another, either positive or negative. And sometimes the consequence is not apparent for a long time after the choice has been made.

There’s a stunning scene toward the end of the 1989 movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Both Indiana Jones and a Nazi named Walter Donovan had been in search of the Holy Grail, the legendary chalice Jesus and His disciples used in the Last Supper. Indy wants the Grail so he can save his dying father, but the Nazi selfishly wants the Grail as a fountain of youth to give himself eternal life and an advantage over his enemies.

After passing through an assortment of traps and tests, both men encounter an ancient knight who is guarding the Grail. To their amazement, there isn’t just one chalice on the table before them. The numerous choices include cups of gold, platinum, silver, clay, and wood.

Bewildered by all the choices, Donovan asks the knight which chalice is the Holy Grail. In one of the classic lines in movie history, the knight replies, “You must choose. But choose wisely, for as the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.”

The Nazis in these movies always make wrong choices, and Donovan was no exception. Attracted to the most glittery and expensive-looking chalice on the table, he smiles and says, “Truly the cup of a king.”

Donovan fills this cup with water and takes a drink, expecting instantaneous eternal life. But to his horror, he instead begins to rapidly age and decompose, leaving nothing but bones, dust, and his metal Nazi pin.

At this point, the wise old knight observes, “He chose…poorly.”

Our hero, Indy, fortunately has more sense than this. Surveying the options before him, he selects a simple wooden cup, concluding that it must be “the cup of a Galilean carpenter.” With much fear, based on the grim consequences to Donovan, Indy drinks from this humble chalice.

“You have chosen wisely,” the knight tells him, much to Indy’s relief.

There’s an old maxim that says, “Not everything that glitters is gold.” In fact, as the Nazi discovered in this movie, some things that glitter are actually fool’s gold.

Years ago, I heard a great Christian song based on Proverbs 8:1-2 (ESV): “Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand.”

Every day, we face a crossroads of whether we will choose wisely or choose poorly. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God challenged His people long ago: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV).

Today God is offering us rest for our souls, but we must choose wisely. Instead of opting for what seems right in our own eyes, we must “ask for the ancient paths.” The Holy Grail stands before us, but the table is increasingly cluttered with other options.

“When we lived under the U.S.S.R. we felt we were being controlled. We were told what to say. We were told what to wear. Independence was like a second life, the birth of something new. My wings spread and I started to remember poems I recited to my mother as a child.Now, I have poems of terror.”  (Ludmila Elagina; Mariupol, Ukraine; quoted in The Washington Post, August 31, 2014)

Remembering what life was like before Ukraine received its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union, Ludmila has volunteered to help dig trenches in her hometown because she is afraid of the return of a repressive regime.

She says people are panicking because they don’t know who to trust. If they hear an explosion, they don’t know if it is coming from the Ukrainians or the rebels.

Ukrainian military officials report that rebels who want to reunite with Russia are being supported by Russian soldiers, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

The Russian incursion has deepened anxieties about the future. The West is alarmed. The European Commission president said the crisis would soon “reach the point of no return.” Ukraine’s president Poroshenko warned the conflict could spread further into Europe. Some historians foresee a possible 21st century repetition of the warring 20^th century world.

In these troublesome times, believers in Christ proclaim our creed to the world—

we believe the Prince of Peace will accomplish what warriors could not;

we believe international chaos will be replaced by heavenly calm; 

we believe the future is as bright as the promises of God; 

we believe the Messiah will return to restore paradise; 

we believe terror will be conquered by Truth;

we believe heaven on earth will materialize;

we believe there will be peace at last.

We who live in a country rich in freedom should pray that Ludmila will again be able to remember peaceful poems.

“The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned, fuel for the fire.

His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:5, 7 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

Amos from Tekoa a day’s journey south of Jerusalem lived in the southern kingdom of Judah. The break into two kingdoms came about post Solomon (about 933-31 BC). Amos ministered so far as we know only in the northern kingdom of Israel. Bethel had become the northern kingdoms religious centre and Gilgal [Amos5:5b-6a] was important too; they had also become the focus of institutional life.

Their religious life had diverged from true religion as shown in 2Kings14:23-24 also 2Kings17:28–33 where we see a description of the society of the day.

Amos began his ministry in the eighth century BC, probably just before Hosea, and a few years before Isaiah. We cannot be precise as the systems of dating related to kings and events rather than any calendar we would recognise. They were prosperous days for Israel, with Jeroboam II (793-753) on the throne and their enemies defeated. The most important fact to take in is this: Amos was an ordinary man; a shepherd and dresser of Sycamore Fig trees. He was a skilled landsman rather than a professional cleric (as was Isaiah) or even a professional prophet. A professional prophet would be paid in coin or goods for his words; not so Amos.

God the Father sent Amos, how difficult would that have been it’s one thing to be sent to one’s own kith and kin even one’s near neighbours but we see Amos responding in obedience. It is the going that marks out the active disciple. Amos exposed the people's comfortable illusions. As they listened to him denouncing the sins of other nations, they would not have expected to hear ‘The people of Israel have sinned… And their hopes for a future ‘day of the Lord’ were confounded when the prophet foresaw a day of darkness rather than light. They would have nodded sagely as Amos listed the misdoings of the surrounding nations ‘For three sins even for four…’ a way of announcing excessive sinning. It is clear that monetary wealth and possessions had taken over as the focus of the peoples desires.  ‘Careful’ did I hear someone say, ‘Careful you’re getting close to where I am…’ They even enslaved their own people! There could be no security when wealth was for the few and the many were denied justice. This was not and is still not God's way.

Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, who was in the pay of the king of Israel, told Amos to pack up and take his message back to Judah. If a professional cleric dismisses the word of God through one of His prophets it will have given legitimacy to the people’s refusal to listen or follow the prophet’s declarations. All people in leadership need to heed the warning and not easily dismiss what any messenger of God may be saying for they will be held accountable. So too ordinary mortals should not listen uncritically to pulpit pronouncements but check them out against the scriptures to see if they be true.

The people [potential disciples] of Bethel and Gilgal (the religious centres) turned a deaf ear, as they did to his contemporary, Hosea. Who I wonder do we hear as prophets of God today and what attention do we pay to them? Thirty years after Jeroboam's death the Assyrians destroyed Samaria and took the people into exile. Israel ceased to exist. Do we [the disciples of today] have the patience to listen to God’s word through his prophets now and will we have the memory and the patience to recognise the fulfilment of God’s prophetic word 30 years hence in the 21^st century? But Amos the prophet has I believe a word for any nation in Israel's condition. Put his descriptions into 21^st century dress and those words still strike home.

God the Father is NOT absent. He is always on the watch, and will judge the nations for their lack of mercy. Christians must work to transform unjust social structures, to eliminate the need for military powers which consume millions of pounds/dollars and millions of lives, and as disciples of Jesus should seek to create a new social order. From Amos we see that the poor, the weak and the down-trodden are God's chosen agents in bringing about this dream. (John 10:10b I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.) Moved by faith in Jesus Christ, and not by human ideologies, they will work to make this world a better place to live in. This God, who became man among the poor, gave his own life for human-kind and He desires that all people should be fully human; willing and able to be His voice to the world today.

Jn.17:21b just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Is it OK to love myself?

I’m the rope in a tug of war on this issue. Here’s why:

My adulthood and new faith experience both developed at the same time as the find your inner self, please yourself, if it feels good do it, movements.  Christian culture reacted in many different ways- mostly with a mighty shove against self-aggrandizement.

1. To increase the scope of; extend.

2. To make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation.

3. To make appear greater; exaggerate: aggrandize one argument while belittling another.

I was raised, as many of you know, with an abusive verbal onslaught branding my mind to believe that I was not only unlovable but a bad seed.  I knew then, and now, more than ever, that I was no angel. Yet the slant I’d been taught had me battling for years with these scriptures that seemed to put grace on one end of the rope and what seemed to be only raw truth on the other:

Rom. 12:3  For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

2Tim. 3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy (all obviously very bad things)

Then I ran across James 2:8  “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.”

Well I didn’t love myself.

And I thought that was ok, even scriptural.

So how could I ever obey this commandment to love my neighbor?

In one sense the question was answered with Matt. 7:12  “Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them,”

But my early experience taught only self-protection, and I had little trust that I was worth being treated any way other than I’d known most of life.

I was one confused little chick.

Then I experienced both Grace and Truth together in the salvation experience of Rom. 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I finally more than got it – and knew with certainly that I was truly loved.  Now I had something to pass on to others.

Strong’s Concordance became dear as I searched the original meanings behind my questions.  That little word “love” had so many nuances, n this verse it derived from an obsolete, seldom used form of etheleo, eth-el-eh´-o, - to determine, to incline myself toward, to choose to prefer others (put them first), to intend to, to delight to, be disposed to please…

It confirmed what I’d known.  I could not previously shared what I did not have.

But wait!  I was not “just” to share this with my neighbor. I was to experience it, and revel in it myself (so that) I would be able to share it.

Am I making sense?  If I had just gone off and loved my neighbor as I loved myself at the time (even though I had recently begun a personal relationship with the Lord), it could not have been what God intended.  How could I love others in truth before I had an idea of what love was? I needed to accept God’s love, soak in it, experience it, and fill up with it, so it would overflow naturally.

I had my first answer.

YES! It not only was ok to love myself, God wanted me to love  who he loved (myself).  God commanded me to love myself (his creation).

Forgive the rambling—there is a point here, even if I’m still in the process of trying to nail it down fully myself….

In fact, a lot of the reason for this current post would be that I’m still processing and/or trying to live into what I’m dealing with. In fact, there’s a quote in my last book Lay It Down (buy it now, kids) that seems as prophetic now as it seemed just plain-old relevant then:

Each of our lives need to move from being of Christ to being in Christ—and finally to the point where our life “is Christ” (Philippians 1:21, et al.).

The fact, I’m still trying to live up to my own words. They've been my wrestling match for quite some time now, and especially in the last several months. Not to mention the repeated assertions/convictions throughout 1 John:

Whoever says ‘” know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected…. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love (1 John 2:4-5; 4:16-18).

And yet, Jesus also tells us, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). That’s harder than it sounds—especially the implication that we already truly “love ourselves.” Because here’s the thing: God’s best is also my best. When I live in that truth, I am truly loving myself, far more than I am when I’m indulging/enabling/abusing myself.

Only that which is pure can conquer death. Jesus proved that. And we are in Him. I don’t need patience, restraint, humility—I need Christ. He is my patience, restraint, humility. If I am dead in Christ, then He is the only life I have.  The same, therefore, is true for my neighbor.

We do not have to separate ourselves from the world—God has separated us from the world, and we need to live out of that—in the way that God has separated us. We’ve gotten it backwards.

And yet, I am becoming increasingly convinced that God is powerful enough to change even a Christian. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19b-20a). So where do we go from here, Lord?

“Cast all your cares on God; that anchor holds.” (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

The God who is the one and only God does not wish to remain anonymous.

The God who cared for His people in the Old Testament gives His saints today peace in pandemonium, calm in chaos, and courage in valleys.

The God who liberated His people from slavery sent Jesus to unshackle us from sin’s cruel bondage. 

The God who observed the misery of His chosen people in Egypt has His eyes constantly on us. He is perfectly aware of our headaches and heartaches, and He deeply cares about our well-being.

The God who led the Israelites through a dangerous wilderness by daily cloud and nightly blaze conducts us through life’s labyrinth by a built-in Guidance System.

The God who changed His people’s diet from unsatisfying fare to Promised Land milk and honey satisfies our appetite for excellent thoughts by His timeless wisdom.

The God who will always be who He has always been has always loved us and always will. So we do not address our prayers “to the God it may concern.”

The God who is love is our Firm Anchor on life’s high seas. He is all we ever really need in life.  

“I Am the One Who Always Is.” (Exodus 3:14 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

This devotion based on Day 39 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

Hi:

Was active with Navs at San Francisco State in '60's, & went to Siberia/Russia with them in 1994.  Was on staff 19 years with CBMC, led men thru "Operation Timothy."  Retired now;  active in missions, small group leadership and Celebrate Recovery in Chester, CA.  Praying that somehow we can take CR into prisons of Plumas and Lassen Counties - Larry