Saturday, May 8: Follow the Leader!

Almost 30 years after my freshman year at the United States Air Force Academy, I still can vividly remember the rigid requirements of each moment that we were away from the sanctuary of our rooms. We had to be dressed immaculately from the top of the head to the shine on the shoes. We had to walk at attention, saluting everyone who outranked us (that was everyone)! We had five responses to any question: “Yes, sir;” “No, sir;” “No excuse, sir;” “Sir, may I make a statement;” and “Sir, may I ask a question.” We were never to make eye contact with anyone, as we weren’t good enough to look at them. Well, that was until the end of the first year, when we earned that right to look, hear, interact and walk freely. Within a matter of months, the new freshmen would have to endure the same treatment.


I thought it was ridiculous then, and I still think it is ridiculous now. I followed the rules well during my first year, never receiving even a demerit. Yet in the second year, the choice became a more difficult one for me. What had changed in three months? I didn’t like being treated that way as a freshman, and I knew that the new freshmen wouldn’t, either. So rather than scream at them, simply because it had become my right, I treated them with the same respect I would have liked to have been treated. The freshmen loved me, but some of the sophomores didn’t understand why I wasn’t as strict in training as they would prefer.


To this day I still remember many of the quotes we had to memorize. One of them was by Erwin Rommel:


“Be an example to your men in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself and let the troops see that you don’t in your endurance of fatigue and privation. Always be tactful and well-mannered and teach your subordinates to be the same. Avoid excessive sharpness or harshness of voice, which usually indicates a man who has shortcomings of his own to hide.”


It always cracked me up when someone would scream at me to give him Rommel’s quote, about not screaming at people! Ironic!


When we are training others, it should be “do as I do,” rather than “do as I say!” Paul was a great example to others. It wasn’t with pride and arrogance that he said,


16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.                                                                                                               
1 Corinthians 4:16


and


Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1


Paul knew that because he was following Jesus, he was becoming a reflection of the Lord. If people followed Paul, they would also reflect Jesus.


11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.
3 John 11


12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6:12


When we read the Bible, we can see Jesus on every page. Consequently, we can imitate Him. As Christians, we all have people God has placed into our lives who have made great impacts on our walks with the Lord and we can imitate those Christians. But don’t forget, every single man, no matter how strongly he walks with the Lord, will let you down, and God never will let you down. When you are imitating a Christian man, don’t forget that the work in him has not been completed yet, either.

Friday, May 7: Where did you lose it?

We had one of those days filled with coincidences at Alta Laguna Park this afternoon. The recreation staff shares a small facility with the park staff, and one of the things we have disagreed on is the existence of a lost and found. When someone in the park finds a lost item and turns it in, we have a box where we keep the items for an undefined amount of time. In addition, we have some scavengers who stop by frequently, seeing if any of the lost items could fill a need in their lives. A month or so ago, a child’s scooter was left in the park, and it happened to be one of my tennis students who left it. Six days later, one of the staff gave it away to someone who wanted it. Unfortunately, it happened on the same day that the mother asked if we had found it. When I answered yes, and went in to get it, I found that it had somehow disappeared. I quizzed the staff member, who said that he had given it away, and I instructed him to get it back immediately. He wasn’t trying to do something wrong, and quickly made a phone call to get the child’s toy back. Consequently, I thought we had a new understanding that we should hold onto lost items longer.


“Finder's keepers, losers weepers” is certainly not a Biblical principle. To ensure that all of us learn this lesson, God brought a number of what many would term “coincidences” into our lives today. A woman who frequents the park was up there today with her grandson. He had left a toy in the tot lot, a toy we had picked up and moved to the lost and found. It had been there close to a month, but today was the day she asked if we had found it. A similar story occurred again. We acknowledged that we had found it and on the ensuing trip to the lost and found, discovered it gone. Once again, the same staff member had given it away earlier in the day! Three of us discussed the situation and didn’t agree about it entirely, but within moments, God brought us to an agreement.


With the grandmother still in the park, we asked the one who gave away the item to explain the situation to her. While he was doing that, the person he gave the toy to just happened to walk by! Amazingly, she had the item at home and the grandmother was following her there to obtain her grandson’s toy. At the same moment, another woman came to our little facility. Another item found had been a sketch book. The head of the recreation staff had searched through the sketch book, found a name, googled the name and found an owner. She had arrived to pick up the sketch book and bring him a box of cookies. Earlier in the day, I had returned a soccer ball to a tennis student, as I noticed his name on the ball.


All of us realized that God’s hand was in the middle of the situation, for all those people to be there at the exact same moment. The parks worker acknowledged that he will let us handle the lost and found, which includes getting rid of the items in a timely manner when they are piling up in the room. It made me think of Luke 15 and the three lost items…the lost coin, the lost sheep and the lost or prodigal son:


4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:4-7


We all rejoice over that was once lost but is now found, whether it be a coin, a wallet, a toy or even the soul of a sinner. We have a new answer to the scavengers, who checking by in anticipation of finding another deal, “You can’t always get what you want!" Another one of God’s lessons!

Thursday, May 6: What is your retirement plan?

As a self-employed tennis teacher, there are many pluses. One of those is the ability to work my own schedule. One example of that freedom is the fact that I can choose not to arrange lessons on Wednesday evening so that I can attend Pastor David Hocking’s Bible study at the Salvation Army Church in Tustin Ranch, California. It’s also wonderful to be outside in a beach community and to meet and teach a wide variety of students, in regards to age, experience and interests. Yet one of the negative aspects of the job is that I don’t have retirement benefits, group health insurance or a “Fountain of Youth” body to run around the courts.


Yet the truth is, my Boss has the greatest retirement plan! Let me tell you about it: In my future, I will have no pain, no sadness and no crying. My body will not wear out, break down or fall apart. My mind will not become unclear, insane or inane. I will not find myself lonely, longing or left out. I will never die, decline or drift away from the purpose I was created for. Why? Because God has promised me all these things in His word! Being that He never has broken His Word, you can take that promise to the bank, unless it is an American bank, for those banks will fail!


My future isn’t sitting on a cloud, playing a harp, as many people picture. Neither is it eternity that borderlines on boredom. Instead, God has promised that we will rule and reign with Him joyously, as kings and priests, and Jesus told us when He left the earth over 2,000 years ago that He went to prepare a place for us. His Father’s house has many mansions. If He created the world in six days, what will our heavenly homes look like with 2,000 years of preparation? We will be learning His Word for all of eternity and serving Him for the same duration. Can you even imagine what it will be like to be in His presence and feel His love forever?


On this earth, we talk of our 401 K’s, how much interest income we receive each year, and whether or not our homes are paid for. Yet God hasn’t just given us a future and a hope in His Son while in heaven. He has given us a Comforter to walk with us every moment! Even when the Jews were wandering in the wilderness, He made this promise:


7 “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” ’
Deuteronomy 2:7


If you ever find yourself in a wilderness in your life, the Lord will continue to provide your needs. Those needs might not match your desires, but know that God will take care of His own perfectly, just as He does everything! Part of that blessing is to be a part of His family, the body of Christ! His promises cover our time on this earth when we are working for Him, but those promises also include the greatest retirement plan ever! God will hire you if you apply! He won’t reject your application! Come to Him, all you who are labor and are heavy laden. Oh, and He will also give you rest!

Wednesday, May 5: Fruit inspectors?

Sometimes, Christians believe they have the right to be “fruit inspectors.” Based on a specific verse in Matthew, God tells us how we can tell if someone truly is walking with Him:


17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Matthew 7:17-20


It’s easy for God to judge the fruit, as He and only He, can see what lies within. That would be the heart, the motives and the changes that have occurred in each of our lives. Remember, when we come to the Lord, He does not immediately perfect us, but sends in the Holy Spirit cleaning service to start sweeping out the mess in our lives. I have heard sermons stating that we are not to judge non-believers, but based on the methodology that the Bible gives us how to confront someone who sins against us, we are to judge other believers. I don’t see that. Personally, I see a huge difference between someone sinning and someone who sins against me. If I address the person who sins directly against me in love and forgiveness, I bet the other steps don’t have to happen as often. Once again, there are always three points of view in any given situation, ours, theirs and God’s, and only His is accurate. In the verses above, we can see whether or not their fruit is good or bad, but that doesn’t mean we need to confront them or judge them! We need to love them anyway! I think there are other verses in Matthew that highlight this:


“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-4


This goes hand in hand with "Let he without sin cast the first stone."  I am not sinless, and consequently, have not earned the spot of "first stone thrower!"  Have you ever noticed that the characteristics of others that bother you the most are typically attributes of yourself? I certainly have! The 2 X 4 often has taken up residence in my eye, and it is not because I am bored. We are blinded by our own sins, and can’t see the forest through the trees because of that sin. And yes, there have been times when I think a whole forest was in my eye when I noticed the stumbles of another person. Let’s look at 1 John for another perspective:


5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 John 1:5-10


I know people who claim to be walking with the Lord who are still straddling the fence between God’s Law and man’s “right” to live as he pleases. Some live with their girlfriends, go out and get drunk, curse like sailors or sin in a variety of ways. Am I supposed to tell them all the ways they are failing? Certainly, there are times when God might open a door to share with them where I have walked in my life. Usually, that door opens with a question from the other person, not a caustic comment from me!


We have to be careful judging others, as God is the only fruit inspector. We might be able to see the fruit, but only He can taste it! Some of the sweetest fruits I have eaten didn’t look so great on the outside. I think if we spend more time loving our neighbors as ourselves and loving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength that the Holy Spirit will open doors where we can share loving language with those struggling with sins. Just like driving a car, it is much easier for someone else to see your blind spot, just as it is easier for you to see their blind spot.

Tuesday, May 4: God waters the vineyard all the time!

When we are walking in sin, it is overwhelmingly sad and scary to know that God is watching us all the time. Yet on the other side, it sure is comforting that God watches us all the time when we are hurting, in need, or walking strongly with Him. He waters His vineyard all the time!


2 In that day sing to her,
“A vineyard of red wine!
3 I, the LORD, keep it,
I water it every moment;
Lest any hurt it,
I keep it night and day.
4 Fury is not in Me.
Who would set briers and thorns
Against Me in battle?
I would go through them,
I would burn them together.
 Isaiah 27:2-4


I like the picture that He washes us in His Word and that we once were scarlet, but now are white as snow! When a bachelor like me does a load of laundry, there are many stains that never come out. There is just too much dirt in the cloth for that launderer’s soap to completely win the battle! It doesn’t matter how badly stained we are when we come to Jesus. He is able to remove the stains made from our past, along with those of our present and our future! Sometimes, we continue to walk in that stained and soiled feeling of our broken past. But the Lord tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If it doesn’t seem easy, if we are heavily burdened, it is because we are not allowing Him to shoulder the burden for us!


While I am applying the verses in Isaiah 27 in a very personal way, let us not lose sight of the bigger picture here. This verse is specifically speaking of Israel, the nation of His chosen people. Why is Israel such a special place? I cannot answer that, but the Lord surely can. He loves that land so much that He cannot take His eyes off of it. He prepared it for the Jews before they ever entered, and made it a land flowing with milk and honey. Though the Jews through disobedience had been removed from the land, at no time did the Lord remove the land deed He had given them. Even in the 1,878 years when the Jews were spread to the four corners of the earth, the land was theirs. Though the Arabs surrounding the Jews on all sides desire that land, it is a gift given to the Jews by God. We know that when God called the Jews to remove the existing people from the land initially, the failure of the Jews to do so continues to have an impact to this very day with the descendants of those people still causing trouble to the Jews. But if you ever get confused which group to side with, rather than consulting the world newspapers, consult God!


I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,” Says the LORD your God. 
Amos 9:15


If anyone hurts the land of Israel, they will have to answer to God, for He keeps it night and day. Sounds like that land is pretty secure to me!

Monday, May 3: Which side are you on, the Muslims or Israelis?

In the corresponding charts are all the countries with a majority of Muslims, though there are another 500-700 million Muslims in the world. According to the CIA World Facts Book, one in every four persons on this earth practices Islam, and that number is growing at a rate of 2.9% each year. In the last 50 years, the population of Muslims on the earth has increased at an alarmingly high rate of 235%! Is this a surprise to any of you?


9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” 10 Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” 11 And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction. 12He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
Genesis 16:9-12


In Hebrew, verse 12 specifically says, “he will have a personality like a wild donkey.” Just as promised, God increased the Arab nation. Ishmael’s descendants became the Muslims of today. God’s promise was true as they have combative personalities. Take the Jews out of the mix and they fight each other, or do you not remember the Iran-Iraq war? They are not content with the oil-rich land that God gave them. On the other hand, when you look at a map of the Middle East, you will notice the tiniest little spit of land called Israel. The Muslims want that land, too, and though they make transparent pleas to the bleeding hearts of the world concerning the plight of the Palestinians, in truth, all the Muslims care about is the eradication of Israel and the Jews. Yet God made promises to the Jews, too. After making a covenant with Abraham, he re-stated that covenant to Isaac:


2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Genesis 26:2-5


There are around 14 million Jews on the earth. Compare that to the 1.8 billion Muslims! With 47 Muslim nations, there is one Jewish nation, the nation of Israel with 5,743,349 Jews. The United States has a similar number of Jews, but for the first time, Israel has more. After 6 million Jews died in the death camps of Nazi Germany, I sometimes wonder if the “fullness of the Gentiles” referred to in Romans 11 will take place when the number of Jews in Israel “replaces” the number lost in World War II. But what is the point of it all?


The Jews are God’s chosen people. Israel is the apple of His eye. (Deuteronomy 32:10) God’s plan prophetically told us of the reestablishment of Israel as a nation. Yet His plan didn’t end there. The time is coming when Israel and the Jews will once again get the opportunity to receive the Messiah. They passed on Jesus the first time, but one third of the Jews alive in the tribulation will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Zechariah 13:9) God will protect the Jews from their surrounding enemies. That is what He is doing right now, as the world gathers against this tiny nation. The United States has been an ally since 1948, but the current presidential administration has been the first to walk away from that alliance. Israel will find itself all alone.


And that’s how God works. Have you ever noticed how he used a small boy to slay a giant? When Jerusalem was surrounded by Sennacherib and his troops, an angel killed 185,000 soldiers in the middle of the night. Gideon pared down his army to 300 at the Lord’s request in Judges 7 before proving victorious against a much bigger enemy. Why? Because large armies, big men and powerful weapons point to man’s power. God’s power is much greater. What if Ahmadinejad and Iran finish the project of obtaining weapons-grade plutonium? God has Israel’s back! Even nuclear bombs pale in comparison to God and the power of God. Which side are you on? Before you answer that question, you might want to ponder on God’s promise:


Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3


If you curse Israel, you will be cursed! I can’t help but bless Israel, for having been there, my heart remains there! It is the land where my Savior walked and someday will be the most important place on the planet!

Sunday, May 2: Where do you lay your head?

This morning, I attended Shabbat services at a Messianic Jewish temple for the second time. It is so refreshing to have Jews and non-Jews fellowshipping together and worshipping Jesus together, especially knowing the history of the Church, where the Jews founded the Church, invited the Gentiles in, then found themselves banished from the Church they originally founded! I found out about the service from a man I met at a Wednesday night Bible study I have attended for the last six months. Today, after services, I offered that man a ride, as I have observed that he walks to both services.


He accepted my ride and I helped him carry one of his three, heavy bags and load them into my pickup. Before getting in the truck, he showed me a photo of himself in the German Bavarian Alps in Berchtesgaden, Germany, when he was in the Army. On Wednesday, I had shared with him some of my photos from the recent trip to Yosemite. After seeing the picture, I knew another piece of his life, as it was easy to see that he once had been in the Army. Seemingly in his fifties, he had the demeanor of a military man, and always was dressed in clean and pressed clothing.


The Lord put it on my heart to take him to lunch, and having received a paycheck in my post office box on the way to church, felt a little freedom to enjoy a nice meal. Yet the Lord already had supplied the money for the meal, as a tennis student gave me a gift card for the Cheesecake Factory sometime last year. Being single, I am hesitant to eat nice meals out alone, so had stuck the gift card in my glove compartment. Today was the day our Father had in mind! We had a nice lunch and lots of great conversation about Jesus. This man had given his life to the Lord at a Billy Graham crusade more than 25 years ago. After lunch, we returned to my truck and he told me where I could drop him off.


Then he opened up a bit more and told me that it was near a shopping center and was where he hid his comforter in the bushes, as he slept outside. As a good friend mentioned to me, I had “an AHA Moment.” I had no idea until then that he was homeless. It stunned me, as the military-like demeanor and cleanliness didn’t give me a clue into the difficulty of his life. Immediately, the Lord had me look back to the financial pressure I have been feeling in my own life, wondering how I possibly could make ends meet. Yet the Lord had provided, time and time again, keeping a roof over my head. I felt ashamed of myself for not trusting God to supply my needs, and all of a sudden realized how easy I really had it. He was in good company, being homeless:


20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
 Matthew 8:20


It’s easy to make judgments when we see the walks of others, based on preconceived ideas, previous experiences and prejudices. Yes, there are many homeless people due to substance abuse issues or mental illness. My nephew falls into that category, sadly.  There are others in that position due to some unforeseen difficulties in life. Regardless of the reason they are there, it is not an easy existence. God certainly opened my eyes for a reason today. I remember one of the greatest blessings in my Christian walk was being allowed to give the Saturday night sermon at the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. One night, I asked the group in attendance to raise their hands if they were rich. No one did. Then I asked for those who had received Jesus as Lord and Savior to raise their hands. Most did. Then I reminded them if they raised their hands after the second question, they also could raise their hands after the first question. Salvation is worth more than all of the gold and silver on the earth! We lose sight of the wealth Jesus truly has given us by calling us to serve Him!


72The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.
Psalm 119:72


6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Acts 3:6


There certainly are many reasons for the “AHA Moment” that occurred in my life today. I have a glimpse of part of what God is doing, but I’m sure He has more uses for the situation. Regardless, today made me so thankful to belong to Jesus! He designed a path for each of us to rise up and walk. That plan was tailor-made to suit us individually. Regardless of the obstacles along the way, as long as we find that relationship with Jesus, it is all worth it. This man kept his comforter for sleeping hidden in a bush, but the Comforter the Lord gave us lives inside of him, inside of me and inside of anyone who has Jesus as their Messiah.  The Comforter will guide us, protect us and teach us all things, even in the midst of extreme trial.  What do we do with all those difficulties? Count them all loss! On this 100th blog entry, I have been specially loved by the Lord and am most thankful for His provision and His grace! What a God! What a Gift!