Sunrise Sunset   

Text: Joshua 10:13

 

The first day of summer occurred this past week.  Did you notice how long the daylight was with us Wednesday?  I always thought of this as being the longest day of the year, but I found out the longest ‘day’ of the year is actually a few days. Miami experiences sunrise at 6:30 a.m. on the 21st of June and sunset at 8:14 p.m., but its maximums are 6:28 a.m. from June 6-12 and 8:16 p.m. from June 30-July 5. Other location times vary, but the first day of summer is not always the longest, nor the only long day of the year. Extra daylight is always a welcome blessing.  As I watched the sunset about 8:15 Wednesday, I thought of all the beauty and miracles of God that surround us every single day of the year.  How can anyone question God being the Creator?  Nothing so majestic could have possibly just happened.  In the Book of Joshua, there was a time during a battle that Joshua asked for more time – more daylight to defeat his enemy.  God answered the prayer and caused the sun to stand still.  How can anyone question that God who created the sun, the God who created time, caused His creation to be still?  Sadly, it is possible.  Some say that this simply means the sun went behind a cloud.  I didn’t read anything about clouds. My God is the Creator of every single sunrise and sunset.  All-time is in His hands.  On days that pass by so quickly that we can’t imagine where they went, He is with us.  On days that are so long that we think they will never end, He is with us. In the midst of battle, He is in control. Never question God’s sovereign power to defeat the enemy in your life.

 

 

Making A Name For Yourself  

Text: Matthew 25:21

 

Many fathers go out and make names for themselves, but the most important name a father can ever make for himself is “Dad.” One famous TV father who was a true “dad” to his children is Jim Anderson of Father Knows Best.  The show that aired in the ’50s and ’60s told the story of a father who wasn’t perfect but did love his children.  In one episode Mr. Anderson had to choose between going to a Chamber of Commerce meeting to be inducted as president or going to a PTA meeting to hear his daughter read his biography she had written. At first, he chose the Chamber of Commerce.  However, his conscience wouldn’t let him stay.  He walked into the PTA meeting just as his daughter took the stage.  The biography told of all the great things he had done so far and predicted what would become of him.  Little Cathy believed her dad would one day be ushered into Heaven’s Gates by St. Peter himself.  As the little girl read, the father’s mind wandered to daydream of that time in Heaven.  He imagined he heard St. Peter tell him, “It’s the decisions you make that shape you into who you are.”  St. Peter then asked, “Did you make wise decisions?  What about the time you chose to go to a PTA meeting and threw away your chance of being President of the Chamber of Commerce?”  To that, Mr. Anderson replied, “One look at my daughter’s little face made throwing that chance away worthwhile.”  At that St. Peter said, “Come on in!” On this Father’s Day remember making a name for yourself isn’t as important as being a part of your children’s lives.  You don’t have to be perfect.  Just love them!  And make sure you have made the decision to make Jesus your Savior.  That one decision shapes you into not only who you are, but where you will be for all eternity. It will be nice to hear, “Come on in!”

 

Some Matters Matters, Some Don't  

Text: John 15:35

Life seems to get busier and busier and we seem to have less and less time to do what needs to be done.  Time is precious and we need to evaluate how we are spending our time.  As Christians we are called to go and do and be the hands and feet of Christ everywhere we go.  Any time given to the cause of Christ is not wasted time.  Not everyone is going to love us just because we are Christians.  Some will even hate us for it.  But it is necessary to be a true representative of Christ even when we are ridiculed.   One thing that is surprising to some new Christians is to find that other “Christians” may not like them.  It is a sad thing when we do not have a Christ-like attitude among ourselves. The busy world we live in is always watching from a distance to see who Christians really are.  It is imperative that we love one another before we go out and attempt to share Jesus’ love with the world.  Every person is important. Praying to God continually and asking Him to let us have the right attitude towards each other brings understanding and forgiveness. The little disagreements should not matter.   We must be careful to never be bitter and have this attitude: “It’s mind over matter, I don’t mind and you don’t matter.” Everyone does matter.  We should set our minds on doing the work of Christ, fulfilling His destiny for our lives instead of wasting precious time holding grudges against those who we are supposed to be getting Christ work done with.  Love one another. It matters.

 

 

Whom Shall I Send? 

Text: Isaiah 6:8

 

Last week some of our own answered the call to go to Nicaragua.  The thousands of miles traveled by each were probably worth every single inch for the blessings they received there.  What about the rest of us? We will be blessed by hearing of what they saw and of whom they met along the way on this incredible journey that changed many lives.  Where did we go last week?  When God asked, “Whom shall I send, who will go?” many like Isaiah boldly said, “Here I am, send me!” but didn’t get to go on the mission trip. Hold your head up, there will be another opportunity.   There might have been others a little fearful who quietly whispered, “me,” and are still thankful that God didn’t hold them to their word.   Remember God hears whispers.   There are still others who went as far as they could to avoid the call to go to Nicaragua.  Beware remember Jonah who took the famous journey inside the belly of the whale?  He could have gotten where the whale took him to so much easier if he had done it God’s way in the first place.  Today I researched to see exactly where it was Isaiah went when he boldly answered God’s call.  God told Isaiah to go and meet King Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field where he was inspecting the water supply.  Isaiah gave him a message of hope from God.  Even though the king didn’t accept the Word, Isaiah answered the call and did what God told him to do. I tried to find how far Isaiah had to journey, but couldn’t find the exact length of the trip, but did gather it wasn’t that far from where he was. Who can you bring the Good News of Jesus to who isn’t that far from you?  God wants to send all of us into all the world, but remember all the world does include wherever you are.  Allow God to send you this week.