sovereignty of God – Page 37

Family, fear, food, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, travel, Trials, wisdom

Steak and Shake

Posted on April 12, 2021April 8, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

We met when I was just a kid. A long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away (think Star Wars) one of my favorite things to do in the summer was to go and visit my sister and brother-in-law in Daytona Beach. I lived in Jacksonville and they were kind enough to invite me to spend a week with them. Trust me…it was like a different world. Our west Jacksonville neighborhood was half town and half country and the most exciting thing that ever happened was if and when there was a fire call, and we would chase the firetruck. I’ll write more on that one day.

Now compare that with Daytona Beach. Can someone say, “Night and day?” Daytona Beach was a happening place and there was always something to do. We would drive over to the beach, cruise the strip, and go out to eat. One of my favorite places to go was Steak and Shake. Back in the early and mid 60’s, it was not a new establishment, but it was still up and coming. They were famous for their steak burgers, skinny fries, and milkshakes. For a ten year old from the westside of Jacksonville, it was heaven.

Steak and Shake was different than most fast-food places. There, you could actually go inside, be seated and be served, and through the years that is how it has remained. When I grew up, it was only natural that Steak and Shake was one of my “go to” places to eat. Oh, it wasn’t an every-week event, but we did go about once a month. The routine was always the same. Park, go inside and be seated, order, eat, and leave. It worked well, but then something called COVID changed things up. First, and at most locations, you can now only go through the drive-thru. But in Cookeville, Tennessee we stumbled upon the future—the new Steak and Shake.

At this location, which I am sure will be true for all the rest too, when you walk in, there is not a hostess to seat you and no counter to order at. Instead, there are several kiosks (computer touch-screens) and from there you can order your food. Then…you just sit down…wherever you want. Feel free to go up and get your drinks from the drink station (remember, this wasn’t in Illinois) and finally someone would bellow out your order number and you would walk up and get your food. Boom—just like that burgers and fries were flying into hungry mouths washed down by delicious milkshakes. It was new, it was different and I loved it.

I am sure that the COVID mess that we all have disdained is at least partly responsible for their new system, but it also shows that not all the changes are going to be bad. At our church we are doing Wednesday nights totally different, and it is totally working. We have a men’s group called “Man Time” (how creative is that); a women’s Bible study (well, not creative but it works) and then something called “The Big A Club” for the kids. There are people everywhere. And get this—men are coming to church on a Wednesday night! What? And it all came about because of the pause that COVID caused.

Someone from ancient times (I’m not talking about 1950!) said the only thing constant is change and they were right. Some of the changes are not good. In fact, some of the cultural changes might be considered dangerous. But we need to work to accept the good and temper the others. It gives us a great opportunity to be the salt and light that Jesus talked to us about. People all around us have lots of questions which should lead to lots of opportunities to talk about faith…and Jesus.

Romans 8:28 remains one of the most popular verses in the Bibles. It says that for those who love God, He can bring good out of every situation. We sure like to quote that, but I wonder if we are willing to trust it? Hey, I’ve been writing three small words for a year and some of you have been here for that whole time—“He’s got this.” So, as things morph around us, let’s be courageous enough to address the dangerous, but flexible enough to embrace the other. It might not be easy but if He is in control and we trust Him…it’s gonna be fine. And, can I say it one more time? He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Amazing Grace

Posted on April 9, 2021April 8, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-30

It’s worth telling again. We all have told a good joke that we relish telling again and again. Or perhaps there a story that is just too good to tell only once. Well, this is one of those stories. Last year, in the early days of Grits, before the Grits Facebook page and before the website, I wrote a story about something that happened on a Friday. And trust me…it was pretty amazing. You see, I’m one of those people who believe that God is always working. And on that particular day, I think He looked down from heaven and decided I was going to need a little extra help. It goes like this.

So, it was Friday and Judy tricked me into some really laborious yard work. I kinda volunteered to rebuild a flower bed and ended up being drafted to build a sidewalk next to the flower bed. It involved moving and setting 28 of those 16 by 16 concrete paving things and 15 of those blocks that you use to build a wall. Well, several hours later we had a sidewalk and a small wall with a new flower bed. It looks awesome. She was tired…I was exhausted.

I showered up, sat on the couch for a while and then decided I needed to pick up the garage. Our nightly vacation rental property is over our garage and due to a lack of storage space there were several containers of winter decorations from there that had taken up residence. Either the car or the containers had to go. I voted for the containers.

So, I pulled both cars out of the garages (yes garages…we have two…go figure.) In the smaller garage where my car is parked there is a storage shelf–an obvious new home for the stuff that Judy had put in the other garage. Well, to make a long story shorter I started rearranging the shelf to make room for the stuff. Finally, I began to move the heavy containers and I began to mutter. It went like this, “I’m too tired to be messing with this stuff. I didn’t create the mess so why am I having to fix it.” Honestly, I got just a little mad.

So, I finally got everything where it would now live but there were three winter doormats still on the floor. I picked them up and carried them to the basement in our house. I came out to finish and close up shop. As I looked in my garage–there it was. I had a tool rack mounted on the wall. It held rakes, shovels, brooms, clippers…you name it. It was seven feet long and heavy. I hadn’t touched it but there it was on the garage floor–all of it. It didn’t fall down–it fell out–right where my car would have been if it had been in the garage. Trust me it would have left more than a few small scratches. We are talking “lions and tigers and bears–oh my.”

So, my first thought was what in the world happened? Well obviously, the wall anchors holding the rack had failed. But my second thought–literally–was my car wasn’t in the garage for one reason–I had cleaned up Judy’s mess. If I hadn’t done that–it would have been, well, never mind. Now I drive a five-year-old vehicle by choice, but I have always tried to take care of our vehicles. I figured if I am going to drive an older car it might as well look good.

So, I am amazed–not that I got the garage picked up; not that the thing with the tools fell off the wall, but that my Father carefully orchestrated a series of events to make sure my car wasn’t in the way. “Dewayne, do you really think that God cares about such things?” No…I don’t think…I know. And that’s not all. I am certain that when I finally get to heaven, I am going to be amazed at the things He did that I didn’t even know about.

Now I know we continue to be frustrated and maybe even discouraged about the events that surround us. Just remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-30 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Fear not. Hey, crazy world…fear not. Hey, uncertain future…fear not. Watch out new normalcy…fear not. High gas prices…fear not. Remember, if you know Jesus then God knows you. You call Him Dearest Father and He calls you His child. Trust me, you are of more value to Him than many sparrows. So, rest in Him. He can move cars and mountains. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

fear, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Believing Again

Posted on April 8, 2021April 7, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

What do you know? There is light at the end of the tunnel. This morning it happened again. I got up about 5:15 am (I put the “am” there for those of you who might not be aware that it does happen twice a day) and it was dark. It was dark yesterday and it will be dark tomorrow but somewhere down the road, it will not be. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Though my day started in the dark today, it didn’t stay that way either. After a while, actually quite a while, the black turned to gray, and slowly the gray turned to light. Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The past 365 days or so may have caused us to doubt that the light at the end of the tunnel would ever come. When each day seems the same as the one before, we tend to think all days will be like that. We come to expect the same and even if the same is a good same—well, it gets old. Live in a place where every day is sunny and dry, and you soon start to long for rain. Live in a place where rain is abundant and clouds the norm, and you soon long for sun. It’s just the nature of the beast.

But, what if? What if we could learn to live in anticipation? What if we could learn to be content with today and anticipate the wonder, the unknown of tomorrow? That was the monster of this last year, wasn’t it? We just didn’t know what tomorrow would look like—what the future would look like. And, honestly, it scared most of us to death. For many, it was a deal breaker with our faith. Simply put, at minimum our faith took a hit and at worst there was a faith funeral. That was then, but this is now. Now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and there is hope.

I’m still pretty sure that the post COVID world and the new cultural landscape—well, things will be different. Some of them, most of them, we may not like. It may seem like a too long walk on a soft-sanded beach where each step is like quicksand or shifting sands. So what are we to do? Well, maybe, just maybe we should have a repairing—a faith repairing or perhaps a resurrection—a faith resurrection. You see, there is nothing like uncertain times or new times to cause us to return to faith. It’s a paradox really—often the thing that weakens or slays our faith is the very same thing that will cause it to be strong or come to life again.

After the children of Israel had left Egypt, they woke up one morning to find the whole Egyptian army hot in pursuit. It looked like game over—it looked like slavery all over again. But.Then.God. Let those three words soak in. But then God acted again on their behalf and split a sea wide-open and invited the people to trust Him and walk over on dry ground. They took Him up on the offer and they were saved—and the Egyptians, well, they should have paid closer attention at swim lessons.

It’s still true. God is good, God is faithful, and God can be trusted. It’s true in the brilliant sunlight and it is true in the dark of night. The One who we trusted in the beginning is the One who is worth our trust as dawn begins. Paul, the Jesus hater turned Jesus follower, said there was never the slightest doubt in his mind that the God who started this great work in you—in us—would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish. How great is that?

So, I know Easter is in the rearview mirror but maybe today would just be a great day to have a resurrection—a faith resurrection. Maybe today is the day you just start believing again or maybe, just start believing more. God hasn’t changed—He never does. The One who was faithful before is faithful now. No matter what—and you know it—He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Easter, fear, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Hard Day–Good Friday

Posted on April 2, 2021April 1, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Jesus knew that His mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture He said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to His lips. When Jesus had tasted it, He said, “It is finished!” Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” John 19:28-30

Good Friday. What an unusual name for such a hard, hard day. Imagine with me as slowly the light increased over Jerusalem. It was another early morning in spring and men were going to die. The Romans regularly crucified criminals–it was business as usual for them. But this day, well this day, would be different. Three men would die on crosses–two criminals and one perfect human being. His name was Jesus.

As the light increased so did the sounds. If you had been there you would have heard the sounds of a crowd–a mob really. Some were crying, some shouting, some angry, some broken. You would have heard the sounds of struggle–anguish as a man carried a cross too big for even the healthiest of men. At the top of a stark hill the sounds intensified.

You could hear without trying the sound of metal on metal as hammer meets nail. Cries of humanity suffering as three crosses are lifted skyward. The message was clear. You don’t mess with Rome. Scattered around are the sounds of women crying and men in anguish. Stares of disbelief filled the eyes of many. Listen now–there are words.

The Man in the middle–the perfect One–is speaking and what He says is almost beyond belief. “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” Forgive them? —Forgive the very ones who passed the judgement–who drove the nails–who lifted the cross? Wait, for there is more. One of the criminals is mocking Him but the other is begging Him. “Remember me,” he says. And Jesus responds “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.”

There are more words. Lean in–strain to hear. The Man in the middle–the perfect One–is asking His friend John to take care of His mother. And then there is the cry of brokenness as He cries, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” He knows why. The Man in the middle–the perfect One–has become sin and His Father can’t look on sin. There’s a price being paid, and it involves wrath and death. And He is willingly paying it.

As His end draws near a silence begins to fall over the hill. The women are cried out, the soldiers are bored, and the crowd confused. And then they all hear it. “Tetelestai.” It’s a common word really. It means finished. An artist would say it when the last stroke is applied to a masterpiece. A carpenter would say it when the last peg is driven in a newly built table. A farmer would say it when the last sheave of wheat is harvested. But when the Man in the middle–the perfect One–says those words, everything changes.

“It is finished.” The mission is accomplished. The price for sin has been paid and atoned for. The wrath of God for sin is satisfied. What justice demanded He has paid. And what He promised the criminal becomes a reality for any person. My sins, your sins, our sins, can be forgiven and you can be with me in heaven.

So, then He dies. Actually, He wills himself to die for no one could take the life of the Man in the middle–the perfect One. He could give it, but they could not take it. Rocks crack, thunder rolls and then in the distance a tearing, ripping sound is heard as the massive curtain separating man from Holy God is torn from top to bottom and God–God hangs out the welcome sign for the first time ever. And it’s all because of the Man in the middle–the perfect One.

In any other story that would be the end, but you see it’s only Friday. The final act is coming on Sunday. Friday ended with His followers discouraged, defeated, and afraid. Maybe like some of us. But if you lean in again…if you listen closely…you can hear the Father saying, “Rest in Me. Wait till Sunday. I’ve got this.” And…He does. Bro. Dewayne

Easter, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, Holidays, life, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Thursday To-Do List

Posted on April 1, 2021March 31, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

“As you go into the city,” He told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with My disciples at your house.’ ” Matthew 26:18

Well, it is Thursday. Several years ago, something happened that changed the way I do business—do life. I’ve done the pastor thing now for almost four decades. Even as I write that, it seems hard to believe. Anyway, there were a couple of things that pastors do that I never quite got the hang of. First, they always carried a little calendar. You would ask them a question and they would say, “Let me check my calendar.” You would tell them you were having open heart surgery a week from next Friday and they would say, “Let me put that on my calendar.” There was a problem. Try as I may I never could get into the calendar thing. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to remember important dates—I just couldn’t remember to grab the thing when I left the house in the morning. And honestly, I didn’t like having it stuffed into my pocket.

I hate to admit this, but it was the same deal with a pocket Bible. Every pastor seemed to always have a little Bible stuck in their pocket. Not me. It just didn’t work. I mean I loved the Bible, but it just didn’t work. Well, the solution for both of these lapses occurred kinda together. First, along came the smart phone. The smart phone is a little computer that you can easily carry. Nice and flat, it can be stuffed to the gills with information, but it never feels bulky. It wasn’t long after the advent of the smart phone that you could read the Bible on the thing. Boom! Just like that I had a Bible when I needed it. It got better.

A couple of years later a friend introduced me to my new best friend—gmail and their calendar. All of a sudden, I could pull out my trusty phone and not only check my calendar but quickly add things to my calendar. It was a big deal. It was a game changer deal. Now I am not one of those folks who are “married” to their phone—in other words there are times when I forget it. If I do, I kindly ask the person to shoot me a text and when I get to my phone there is a reminder to add what I needed to add.

So, being somewhat of an organized person, these tools were a great help. I like knowing where I am going and when I am supposed to be there. Somethings I don’t need to put on the calendar…I just know to do them. They become part of my “to-do” list. Thursdays are study days for the next week’s message, finalizing the worship event in the YouVersion Bible app, making some visits and a host of other small administrative details. It is a catchup day. As days of the week go…Thursday is usually a lighter day but of course as a pastor that can change quickly—very quickly.

I wonder if Jesus kept a “to-do” list. I know—probably not. But if He did, I wonder what it would look like. In one sense it would be short—love God—love people. But in another sense, it would be long as He was always doing something, and it was always what His Father wanted. Thursdays might have been one of His lighter days too. But not this Thursday—not the Thursday before He died on a Roman cross on Friday. That Thursday, the Thursday we celebrate today, was jam packed with incredible things.

His list would include celebrating Passover, His last Passover, with His closest friends in an upper room. That was a must. He also designed and planned an event that we call “The Last Supper,” “The Lord’s Supper,” or “Communion.” He needed to give His followers something to help them understand what was about to happen and then remember it—forever. Oh, and then He did something kinda unusual—He washed everyone’s feet. Boy, that was a big one. He did it to teach them, and us, about humility and service. He wasn’t done yet. In fact, there wasn’t an end to Thursday—it just bled over into Friday.

There was an important prayer meeting in a garden where only a few were invited. He needed to talk to His Father about Friday. He invited His friends along to help, but they were tired so He had to go it alone. That would happen a lot as Thursday became Friday. His “to-do” list also included healing someone’s whacked off ear and being arrested. It also included that awful feeling of desertion when all of His friends left Him. And then, somewhere in the darkness, Thursday became Friday.

I know it isn’t possible for us to fully understand what those days were like for Jesus. We do need to remember, though, that He experienced them as God but also as a man—a man who knew spiritually, emotionally, and physically where it was going. And, amazingly, He did it willingly and He did it knowing the cost. So today, as we walk our Thursday, let’s remember His Thursday and be grateful. He was a Man of details—of destiny. He told them, “As you go into the city, you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with My disciples at your house.’ ” Yes, a Man of destiny—a Man of details. A God-Man who had that—and who’s got this—no matter what that may be. Bro. Dewayne

Easter, fear, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, Holidays, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials, wisdom

It’s Wednesday

Posted on March 31, 2021March 30, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

For the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

It’s Wednesday…not just Wednesday but Wednesday as in two days before you die. Not just die, but die what the Romans called the death of deaths. Not just die, but die a death so horrible it was outlawed for Roman citizens. So, if you knew Friday was coming, what would your Wednesday be like? What would your attitude be like?

The scriptures don’t actually say, “On Wednesday before Jesus died on Friday Jesus got up and did this or that.” We do know this. His actions were not dominated or determined by dread or fear. His actions were governed by His desire to please His Father and driven by His love for us. He wanted to please the Father and He wanted to save us. Let that soak in. He wanted to save us.

Jesus knew the full awfulness of the cross. He understood the awfulness of experiencing the wrath of His Father for our sins. In John 12:27-28, He says, “Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save Me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” He understood that if He was rescued there could not be a rescue or redemption for us and without redemption, you and I are burnt toast.

So, what did He do? The author of Hebrews gives us a glimpse. He says, “For the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Do you see it? “For the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross…” Jesus handled the awfulness of the cross by looking beyond the awfulness to a time when He would be returned to His rightful place in heaven right beside His Father. He handled the present by looking to eternity.

That is really good advice for these days—actually, for any day. We can be shortsighted and only see the craziness around us or we can look toward better days. Now I want you to track with me. Many of those better days we dreamed about last year are already here. Last year we mourned that we couldn’t worship together on Palm Sunday and Easter. Last Sunday we did and this Sunday, Lord willing, we will. Yay. Last year we were longing to minister and serve others as a church family. This year we are or at least we can. And just like these things came to pass, so will the others. We will have jobs again. We will have family parties again. The Cubs will win the series again. Well, let’s not stretch it. But you get the idea.

And by the way, one day, if we place our faith in Christ, we will have a reserved seat in the longest, greatest celebration of all–heaven. None of the earth junk will be there. In fact, according to Revelation 21:4 “He [God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.” Wow–no grief, crying, pain, or death. No funeral homes, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, fear or any number of things that give us gray hair or no hair.

So, some of the better days are here and many more are coming–some sooner–some later. And the same thing that got Jesus through can help us get through–the joy set before us. We learned in a message recently that Biblical joy can be defined as “a deep sense of well-being based on our faith in God and trust in His sovereign will.”

As we trust Him the fear fades, the sun rises, and we can face today, and tomorrow. In fact, we not only can face it–we can embrace it with the confident assurance He is in control. Knowing that–rest in Him. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Easter, Family, fear, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Rubicon

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” Luke 22:42

It was a Saturday morning, and it was my rubicon. I was reading an email this morning and it used this word—rubicon. I had seen the word many times plastered on the side of a special edition Jeep and that is why the email and this word grabbed my attention. I wondered, “What does it mean?” Well, as it turns out there are two definitions but the one that mattered to me was this: a point of no return.” I guess for the Jeep owners it means that their Jeep is designed to go to and past that point. In the email it meant more. It meant that Jesus was willing to go past His rubicon—His point of no return—even though He knew what that meant.

Back in 2018, I had a rubicon of another sort. Back in those days, I was walking 5.25 miles a day at a pretty brisk clip. It really was quite an accomplishment as I had been doing it for many months. But something was happening. In October of that year, it was just getting harder. I had put on a few pounds and I was sure that was the reason. Each day I would arrive back to the house exhausted, my heart rate a bit higher than it had been running and worse—it wasn’t coming down. I would walk five days a week and each day was the same—hard. Then came Saturday.

Saturday, October 6th, I reached my rubicon…my point of no return. After my walk I literally collapsed in a chair in my backyard. A guest staying in our Airbnb, who happened to be a resident medical student, asked what I was doing. I told him I was trying to breath and then humorously added that he might want to stick around as I might need him. Turned out I was a prophet. That day, I ended up in the hospital and it turned out the following Tuesday, I had a heart cath where they discovered a 90% blockage in one of the arteries of my heart. All of a sudden, things began to make sense.

You see, the high heart rate and the shortness of breath were symptoms that something was wrong. Each morning, my body was sending me a message—something is wrong—something is coming—-do something. I am sure the Tuesday before my rubicon was like this Tuesday morning, a normal day. I am sure that day I got the warning message and that day I excused it away. But what if I had known? What if I had known that Saturday, I would reach a point where going was not an option. Would it have changed things? Honesty, it probably would have…but I ignored the warnings.

This week, as we look forward to Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, think about the fact that all the signs were there. Jesus, as the Son of God, knew His rubicon had come. It was time to fulfill the mission for which He was sent. It was time for Him to suffer and to die. Unlike me, He knew what was coming and pressed on. The reason was simple. It wasn’t that He loved the thought of enduring the abuse and suffering of the cross and the events leading up to it—no not at all. But He was in love with something else—us.

Jesus knew full well all of the details of His rubicon and went on because He loved us. It was love that led Him to cross—it was love that caused Him to place one foot in front of the other—each one leading to a Roman execution. It was love that caused Him to go all the way. Growing up, when I did something that had difficult consequences, my mama would tell me that I should have known better. Jesus knew better—and went anyway.

This week, ponder and think about the days leading to the day when Jesus died—His rubicon. Remember that He did it for me and He did it for you. When He prayed in the garden Thursday night that if there was any way this thing might pass—He knew full well it couldn’t. That is the reason He kept on praying, “nevertheless, not My will Your will be done.” In other words, He would say, “bring on the rubicon because that is why I came.”

If your week, this week has any unpleasantness or difficulties, just remember the week when He marched forward knowing full well what lay ahead—and remember He did it just so you and I could call God, Abba Father or Dearest Daddy. How amazing is that? He was able to do it because He trusted and loved His Father. And we can do it for the same reason. No matter what, we have the confident assurance that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

fear, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, loving others, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials, wisdom

The Last Part-The Best Part

Posted on March 29, 2021March 28, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

“Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” John 31:1

Some of you might remember Paul Harvey. He was a radio commentator for many years and was particularly famous for his “rest of the story” stories. He would tell a somewhat familiar tale and then add a surprise ending to it and conclude with, “And now you know the rest of the story.”

Well, you might remember a story I wrote several days ago. Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the bad guys and from the servant’s perspective, it wasn’t going to end well. Elisha asked God to open the servant’s eyes so he could see what was going on. God did and the servant saw that the hills were surrounded with heavenly warriors and chariots of fire. Things got better…quick.

So, the bad guys came down upon the city and Elisha prayed that God would smite them with blindness and boom–He did. It sounds almost comical, but Elisha basically tells them, “You guys are lost…let me lead you to where you need to be.” He leads them smack dab into the middle of Samaria…the Israelites’ stronghold. And that’s where the rest of the story gets amazing.

Elisha then prays for the bad guys’ eyes to be opened and just like that—they were. They took one look around and realized they were in very deep weeds. The Israelite king saw an opportunity and said to Elisha, “Can I kill them, can I kill them?” I love this. Elisha said, “No, you can’t kill them…that’s not what you do to people who surrender. What you can do is give them something to eat and drink and let them go.” I’m sure the king’s jaw hit the ground. The “let’s kill them” plan sure sounded better.

Well, he fed them and let them go. Guess what? We’ll let the Bible tell the end of the story. In 2 Kings 6:23 we read, “So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. Then the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.” Did you get that? The bad guys weren’t the bad guys anymore. A little kindness changed the whole story. How about that?

If the king had killed them, there would have been revenge. They would have attacked and then the king would have attacked and on and on it would have gone. But instead, a simple act of kindness broke the domino effect. Instead of war there was relief–and peace. In days when sides are still being chosen and tempers still flare—when hate and division are the new headlines and bylines—when no one trusts anyone—we Christ followers can and should be different. We should be givers more than takers. We should be lovers and not haters. We should be like Jesus.

The Bible says in John 13:1 “Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” Those “ones” He loved–included the guy who would betray Him to the crucifiers. It included the one who would deny that he even knew Him. How amazing is that? We can’t really do much about how people act, but we can do a lot about how we respond to them. If the dominos are going to be interrupted, it will have to be us. The chain reaction is broken when we act like the One who chose not to retaliate but rather to redeem—to restore.

Some days it seems that a too short fuse has been lit and there is not time or hope to stop the future devastation. Let me challenge us today—during these crazy days that are getting crazier by the minute—to do the crazy thing and love, serve and care for others. Let me challenge us to be like Jesus.

How can we do that? Well, first, as Jesus followers we are God’s kids and that is what He expects us to do. Jesus said we should be peacemakers—whether it is on the street, in the church, or at home. Second—we can trust Him. We can rest in Him because we know the end of the story—and it ends well—and no circumstance, no ploy of Hell can change that. Third—remember, He’s got this—He really does. Whether it is a resurgence of the virus or another revolting piece of news. God is good, God is faithful, and God can be trusted. Sounds like a no brainer to me. Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, gratitude, life, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, travel, Trials, wisdom

GPS and Me

Posted on March 25, 2021March 24, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

About 13 years ago, something happened that literally changed the way that I navigate and travel. Before this day, I would get out my trusty atlas and Judy would do her best to read and translate what it said. It was, uh, challenging. But then came the night I discovered—GPS.

You see, Judy, a friend, and I were heading to First Baptist Church of Metropolis to report on a mission trip we had taken. When we left my house, she said she had a new something in her new car that could tell us where we were and how to get to where we were going. “Say what?” I said. Well, she was right. She punched in the address and that thing in her dash started talking. Turn here, go straight, turn again and eventually we found ourselves in the parking lot of First Baptist. Amazing.

Well, if you know me you know I am a tech guy. I love gadgets. I remember what I said that night–“I’ve got to have one of these.” So off to Best Buy I went and before long I had one of those “talky” things in my car (I mean besides Judy—smile). Well, my talky thing had a glitch. It would say things like a trip that should take three hours would take eighteen. That was not helpful or encouraging. But hey, a quick trip back to Best Buy and the rest is history.

Now we all know now that the “talky” thing is called a GPS receiver. It is common now but back then it was cutting edge. It is simplistic yet amazing. First, far above the earth out in space there is a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS). It’s job is to watch out for the little “talky” things. The “talky” things both send a signal and receive a signal from the GPS. It’s really quite simple. The talky thing says this is me and the GPS says, “This is where you are.” What makes it even more powerful is that the map built into the talky thing, shows the lay of the land–the roads, the places to eat, the places to do life and on and on. These three, the GPS, the talky thing, and the map, all work together to get you where you need to go. But it is the thing in the sky, the GPS, that makes it all work. It knows all. It.Knows.All.

Of course, God had this GPS thing down long before the government and Best Buy came up with theirs. First, He made the “talky” things–that would be us and gave us the privilege of talking with Him and listening to Him (don’t miss that part). Second, He is up there with an advantage point that we can only imagine. He sees even the craziest of days in a way we cannot. Ever wonder why His directions seem so “odd?” Ever wonder why we sometimes are forced to admit, “God works in mysterious ways?” Well, there you go–He can see further, clearer, and better than we can–by a long shot.

All this is nice, but the clarity all comes from the map–the Word of God. It is God’s revelation of Himself to us and where we learn about Him, about us, where we are, and where He thinks we should go. It’s pretty incredible. So, we pray, and we listen–He listens and speaks (through His Word, through others, and through circumstances) and life goes better–even when it is crazy like 2020, or 2021 or like tomorrow.

I think it was Dave Ramsey who said we should turn off the news and read our Bibles. Wow, that is a great idea and it really works. Of course, as you read, get ready to act. I’m learning when the GPS says “turn” I should turn. I’m also learning to listen to the other “talky” thing in my life–Judy–smile.

The map says in Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” This whole new normal has us in uncharted waters and on untraveled roads. Let’s be honest—the unknown can be a little frightening. My wife and I just returned from a pastor’s conference and the guy was speaking on “ministering in a land that you have never been before.” So right and so true. Trust me (and a whole boat load of experts) if we try and do church (or life) like we did in 2019, well, it will either fail or worse. So, let’s trust the GPS (God’s Powerful Son), the map (His powerful Word) and let Him navigate this trip for us. Hey, rest in Him. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

fear, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Annie

Posted on March 22, 2021March 21, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

It seemed like it would never get better. I have to admit, there were times last year and even early this year when I wondered would this mess ever get better. I mean, what if this really was the new normal? What if all the restrictions and changes were things we were going to have to get used to? What if when someone said, “Just get over it” that was the reality. Well, at this juncture it seems that is not the case. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and the good news? The good news is that it is not a freight train about to run over us.

I’ve been reading a lot (well, at least a lot for me) about rethinking the way we think. Both scripture and science proves that our brain, (not to mention our lives) respond to our thought process. It is true. Our lives just move in the direction of our strongest thoughts. Or, as another person said, “where you stare you steer.” It is possible and probably probable that we can and should take some advice from Annie. Remember her?

Annie. Her life was pretty hard…pretty dark. A perky young redhead with an optimistic attitude in a pessimistic world. Others mocked her and those charged to care for her emotionally abused her. So, what was Annie’s response? Well, it goes something like this.

“The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun! Just thinking about tomorrow clears away the cobwebs, and the sorrow, till there’s none!

When I’m stuck in a day that’s gray, and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin, and say, “Oh the sun will come out tomorrow. So ya gotta hang on till tomorrow…come what may. Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya tomorrow! You’re always a day away.”

Guess what? The sun does come out. She is rescued by Daddy Warbucks and her life is changed forever. Are there still problems? Yup. Are there still bad guys lurking to hurt her–steal her away? Yup. Does the story have a great ending? Yup and three big lessons emerge. One, the sun will come out. Two. Don’t mess with Daddy Warbucks. Three, don’t underestimate a nine-year-old redhead.

Sometimes it seems we are stuck in a day that’s gray, and lonely. Doesn’t it seem this whole corona virus thing is one perpetual, cloudy day? Doesn’t it seem like this is the new forever normal? Well, it is not. The sun is going to come out.

I try and walk every morning–usually on the treadmill. I climb on and at 4 mph work hard to go nowhere. Well, sometimes, the temps are warm and the sun is out and I walk outside and it is like a cool drink of water in a hot dry desert. I mean I just explode in gratitude for a God who loved me enough to let the sun come out.

I read on the internet that the phrase, “And it came to pass…” appears 396 times in the Bible. Each time it is saying that the current situation didn’t come to stay…it came to pass. No matter what, this isn’t the new normal…it is a temporary circumstance. When it is all said and done, it may not look like 2019, but that may not be such a bad thing.

In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Paul writes, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Right on Paul. Right on.

So, remember this. One, the sun will come out–guaranteed. It may be here, or it may be there but the future for a child of God is filled with “Son-shine.” Second, remember who our Father is. He isn’t just rich like Daddy Warbucks–He owns it all and is in total control. And no one…and I mean no one…messes with our Father. Last, you may not be a perky young redhead like Annie but don’t underestimate yourself. You dear friend, if you have trusted Christ, are a prince or princess of the King. Your home is heaven, and your Father calls you His.

Can someone say, “Son-shine?” The forecast says clouds but I’m feeling pretty “Son-ny.” After all, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne