How do I love thee, Lord? Let me count the ways

 In a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the question was asked, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

That's a deep question, but it is easy for us to answer, especially when it comes to the ways that God has shown his love for us.

He provides for us. Protects us and encourages us.

God is our company keeper and friend through thick and thin. He doesn't take our side when we are wrong, but still stands with us when we are unfairly attacked for unwise actions that we made in our weakness.

The old folks say he's a doctor in our sickroom and lawyer in our courtroom and our bridge over troubled water. It was their way of saying, God shows his love in so many ways and situations that we can't count them.

Psalm 136 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."

We can't count the hundreds of ways God shows his love to us.

What happens if we ask that question to ourselves about how we show our love for God. How do I love thee, Lord? Let me count the ways....

You fill in the blank.

When the Bible is on your phone, is it real?

When the Bible is on your phone is a real Bible?

Today, you will have to look hard among the young and millennials for a paper-based Bible. They are still sold in stores, but it’s probably not the number seller it used to be. It doesn’t mean people are not reading the Bible, they are just not buying hard copies of the Bible as they once did.

Remember the old Bible? Genesis was in the front and Revelation was in the back, Psalms was close to the middle. We played Bible drills in the era of the paper Bible. That’s when someone called out a verse and you flipped through the pages to find the passage the fastest.

Speed in the Bible drill required a competitor to know whether a book of the Bible was in front or the back. In short, you had to know the order of the books.

Fast forward to today. Bibles are now electronic and stored on phones, notebooks, and I-pads. With the digital bible, you don’t need to know what’s in the front or in the back, you simply press a few buttons and your verse is on the screen. You can notate it, shade it and even type notes in the margins, all on the phone.

My times have really changed.

Even though the Bible is now on your phone, it still has to be read. The words won’t jump off the screen and sink into your heart. More than that, you must believe that the words you read are inspired by God and are good for guidance, correction, and inspiration.

2 Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

So, whether your bible is on some digital device or old-fashioned paper,  it is still God’s word and it still speaks to our life situation with words that come from the mouth of God.

The Bible, its truths are still God's word in every generation.

You can buy holy pants, but not a holy life

A teenager told me that she paid $75 for a pair of faded jeans with holes in them. That gave me a spin.

Wearing faded “ripped” jeans is a trend that began in the 1970s as rich kids shocked their parents by wearing clothes worn by the poor. When bands and popular stars started wearing them in the 90s it took off.

To those who lived in poverty jeans with holes were not stylish. We even bought patches to cover them. They were faded because they had been washed so many times that the color faded. 

The holes were an embarrassment back then. Today, youth pay big money for holy pants.

God wants us to have holy lives, but we can't buy a life with the holiness already built-in; already broken-in, mistakes already made; already faded by experience. 

We become holy when we submit ourselves to God’s will. We give him the holes, empty spaces, mistakes, and troubles that have bothered us, and he gives us a new life.

That new life is holy, but it doesn’t have any holes. They’ve been covered by the blood of the lamb.

1 Peter 1:16 says, Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Holy pants cost a lot of money.

Holy lives cost nothing. Why?

Jesus paid it all.

We make plans, but life gets in the way

Despite our best plans, life seems to get in the way.

A poet by the name of Robert Burns said, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.”

Burns wrote about a mouse that had built its nest only to watch it destroyed by a farmer who had plans to build his field in the place where the mouse built its nest.

Often we try to plan for everything only to watch our plans fall victim to things outside of our control. A house fire, a tornado, or a storm; we can’t control any of them, no matter how we plan.

Sometimes our plans suffer the fate of the anthill in our yards. We knock it down because we don’t want it there. We could care less about the hard work it took the ants to build It.

There are times when we watch our plans go up in smoke or get smashed or even worse, placed in file 13 and forgotten.

We all make plans, but it's really the plans that have been blessed by God that last.

Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."

God's got a plan for all who believe in him, they are solid.

Unlike the plans of mice and men, God's plan won't go astray.

How many things do we need to be happy?

 Somehow, many of us have equated possessions with happinesss. The more we have, the happier we think we will be.

Some men have a closet full of suits, shirts and ties.

Some women have a closet full of shoes of every style and color.

Some youth have vast collections of tennis shoes,and just about anything with the Nike brand or the name Jordan on the side of the box.

To get more possessions some work themselves to death to earn enough money to buy what they think will bring them happiness, only to learn that the more we make, the more things we buy.

Sometimetimes we go to the store and buy stupid stuff, and never open the box.

If we live long enough, we start to learn that real happiness doesn't come from possessions, but from the joy we get from from fellowship with family and friends, and the peace we get from favor of God.

Luke 12:15 says, Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

That's not to say that it's wrong to have a few things: A mechanic wants better tools, an artist wants finer brushes, a cook appreciates new utensils, a seamstress enjoys a better machine. They enjoy them, but they don't worship them, and they definitely don't spend their lives in pursuit of them.

We are not greedy, we just live one day at a time and thank God for every little thing he sends our way.

That's the key to happines.

It's a peace that comes from the Lord.

A pan of cornbread and bowl of greens!

One reason many are reluctant to move to another city is that they are forced to disconnect from people who love them and move where people don't know them.

A single mother and her daughter moved to a rural community and joined a little church. She didn't know anyone there, but the first thing she noticed was that folks came by her home and brought her pies, cakes, big pans of cornbread, and bowls of greens.

When the people learned that their new neighbor's daughter was celebrating her 6th birthday, they staged a birthday party for her with balloons, cake, and ice cream. It looked like everybody in the town hugged her and wished her a happy birthday.

At home, the daughter asked, "These people really seem to love us, what did we do?"

The mother, "I was thinking the same thing. They don't even know us."

The folks in the little church knew God and their new members knew God. That's all they needed to know to show them love with open arms. No one is a stranger in a community filled with Godly people

1 John 4:8 says,  “God is love”

The folks at the church said it with cakes, and pies, pans of cornbread, bowls of greens, and smiling faces.

What they said in a simple down-home way was...We love love, and God loves you.

That answers our questions about why we are blessed when we feel we don't deserve it...

Because God loves us.

God is love

Salvation, there is no app for that!

There are over 50 apps on my smartphone, but there is no app for salvation.

There is an app to help you lose weight, measure your blood pressure, and how many steps you walk in a day.

There is an app that tells you when to wash your hands and beeps if you don't wash them long enough.

There is an app for bible study, home study, and apps to help you find your way when you are lost.

There is an app to show you how to cook, wash clothes, or feed your dog.

There is even an app the doctor uses to check on you through a video chat. There's a school app, a work app, a police app, and an app to use on your vacation.

There are apps to play games, watch movies or even tell you when it's time to get up and walk around.

There are apps to turn the lights on your house, raise your garage door, or start the coffee.

However, when it comes to salvation, there is no app for that. You may join a church congregation on an app, may learn more about your faith on an app, but there is only one way to be saved. "You must be, you gotta be, born again."

John 3:5 The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit

There is no shortcut. No way around it. We must accept Christ as our savior and begin a new life with him. We get baptized in the water to symbolize that new life.

If you want to be saved, you must be born again

There is no app for that.

Does anybody read the owner's manual anymore?

 New cars have an owner's manual, but it holds many surprises on its pages.

The owner's manual is very seldom read from cover to cover by new car buyers. We glance through it, look at the pictures and tuck it away in the glove compartment.

I didn't know that my SUV could sync to Wifi because I never looked at the manual.

I rode around in it for almost a year before I learned that the side back windows would pop out for fresh air, and I didn't know that it had a sunroof. I would have known if I had read the manual.

I thought my SUV had spark plugs like my old car until I read a section in the owner's manual about fuel injectors.

I saw the words flex fuel on the fender, but I didn't know that it could get up to 500 miles a tank if I used E-85 Ethanol gas. It was in the manual, I just hadn't read it.

When I really started reading the manual, I discovered scores of features I never knew existed and appreciated my vehicle more.

The Bible is our spiritual manual. It is made for us and given to us by our creator to show us how to live the Christian life, survive tough times, and grow in faith and love. It's all in the manual..the road to salvation, we just never really read it.

Proverbs 4:20-22 "My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body."

What do you think about that, we have what we needed all along, but we never looked at it.

I guess we all should spend a little more time reading the manual.

When we talk to Jesus, he listens!

 An old preacher in Mississippi had a peculiar rocking chair ministry. He never preached, he just listened.

It was a strange ministry that was conducted almost daily under the shade of a large oak tree in the summer months and around a warm fire in the winter. He had two rocking chairs. He sat in one and people who wanted someone to listen to them sat in the other.

Wives told of troubles in their marriages.

Newlyweds talked with him about adjusting to marriage.

Frustrated students talked about classroom anxieties.

The depressed told about their suicidal thoughts.

Sometimes addicts would talk to him about being helplessly hooked.

He always listened. He never judged them, and they always felt better after leaving him because he wrote them a Bible verse that seemed to address their problem and give them hope.

He never asked for a donation, although he did accept cakes, pies, and fruit. He had an effective "Listening" ministry that drew hundreds every month.

After he died, Many came and set in the old rocker and talked to his empty chair. In silence, they could feel his presence.

When we pray God listens to us. He knows our hearts, listens to our pleas and if we listen close enough, we will hear him speak to our souls.

1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

Speak to God, pour out your heart to him.

If you are sincere, he will hear you.

And he answers.

For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never worn

 They say Ernest Hemingway wrote the shortest story in the world. It had only six words: For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never worn.

These six words tell the story of someone who is selling a pair of unused baby shoes. When we think of the reasons, these six words unleash a multitude of situations.

Believe it or not, in literary circles, these six words are noted as the shortest story in the world because they say so much with so few words. Everyone who tells the story of baby shoes for sale will give it a different meaning.

The shoemaker sells the shoes because no one bought them.

The family facing bankruptcy sells the shoes because it needs the money.

The gambler won the shoes and sells the shoes to collect his winnings.

The auctioneer who sells the shoes highlights the fact that they have never been worn.

The story's genius is that everyone who reads the six words interprets them differently because each has a different life experience.

As Christians, we have a story to tell: Jesus loved, He died, he saved. These six words tell a story, too. It's our salvation story. Everyone who tells their salvation and thanks story will have a different story to tell.

Ephesians 2:4-5 says, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved."

Hemingway's six words was the shortest story ever told.

But the six words of Jesus' life: He loved, he died, he saved...is the greatest story ever told.

When phones ring at 3 a.m. it usually means trouble.

 It is not unusual for my doorbell to ring in the middle of the night; nearly always, someone wants to see the pastor.

The general rule is that whenever your phone wrong rings at 3 a.m. in the morning something is wrong. We wake and ask ourselves, what's wrong? Who died?

That is doubly true when someone knocks on your door or rings your door.

The phone may bring bad news, but when someone rings your doorbell, it's usually a plea for help.

At my house, sitting on my doorstep have been battered wives, runaway children, the homeless seeking shelter, and even drunks.

Once a man rang my doorbell and collapsed on my step. I managed to get his name and called 9-1-1. He lived, but since he was homeless the ambulance service sent me the bill.

We turn to the Lord when we are in real trouble, and he points in the right direction while giving us the strength to hold on. We have done this so many times that it gets routine. We call him in the morning evening and night. No matter when we call, he answers.

John 12:21 “Sir, we would see Jesus”

It's good to know that when we call him, he will answer.

As for the bill I got from the ambulance service...they finally wrote it off.

When you call on Jesus, there is never a bill.

He died for us on Calvary and any debt we owe for our weakness has been...

... Paid in full.

When you and God see eye to eye

When the old warriors said they had to pray on it, it was not a put-off or delay, they meant just what they said.

Sometimes their English wasn’t perfect, but we knew what the old folks meant when they said, “I gots to pray on it, me and the Lord. Me and the Lord got to see eye to eye on this matter.”

It meant they wanted to put a decision to the God Test before deciding.

Praying on it was a way of saying "Give me time to see if I take this action, will it be something that God would want me to do? Does it line up with what I know about the Goaly path? Is it the response, attitude or action that lines up with what God wants?

The answer usually comes when they pose the last question, “Will God be glorified by this decision?”

The old warriors believed that if they asked that series of questions to any decision, no matter how small, it will point them in the right direction.

The next step was to spiritually turn it over to Christ, then sleep on it. 

They felt confident that the spirit would guide them to make the right decision, even if those waiting on an answer didn’t like it. Because God approved, the old-timers were sure that God would make right in the end because they were following his will.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”

Now you know what to do. Pose the “God’s Will” questions to every decision. Then sleep on it.

God will reveal his decision.

Troubled with a decision? Ask God for guidance and…

Sleep on it.

Dimes on your ankles won't keep the devil away!

  In the south, it is common practice in the rural areas for women to wear anklets made with silver dimes.

  Many give such anklets to infants and young children who tend to keep the dimes all of their lives, attaching them to larger anklets as they get older.

  Wearing silver dimes on the anklets is part of a Southern Hoodoo suspicion that people who wear dimes around their ankles are protected from evil spirits. Somehow they believe demons, vampires, and devils are repelled by silver, so the old-timers gave silver dime anklets to the children.

  People still wear dime anklets, but Christians have found a better way to keep the devil away; they turn to God for protection. In fact, the Bible tells us that if we walk with the Lord the devil will keep his distance.

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Now you have it. If you walk with the Lord, the devil will stay away from you, even if you don’t wear a dime anklet.

The devil is really not afraid of silver dimes.

He is afraid of the spirit of God.

The Devil beats his wife, Christ loves his

  There is an old saying that whenever the sun is shining with no clouds in the sky and it rains, that devil is beating his wife.

 Where did that come from? Most of us have heard it so long that we repeat it even though we know it’s just a saying.

  It seems that every country has a devil and his wife story about this weather phenomenon. In some countries, they say the devil is kissing his wife, the devil is spitting on his wife, and many other variations.

  What’s really happening is called a sun shower. A hard rain happens many miles away and is blown by the wind into an area where it falls with the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. It’s a weather happening, but it’s hardly the devil beating his wife.

  That should be a good reason for Christians to love Jesus. We are the bride of Christ. We are his wife. What’s interesting is that there is no old saying that Christ is beating his wife. Why? Because Christ loves the church so much that he was willing to give his life to give her life.

  It’s the same way that good husbands relate to their wives: we love, protect, provide and honor them.

  Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”

  The wife who lets the devil beat her, must be from another generation.

  These days if you hear of the devil beating his wife, listen for a hard thunder roll...

   That will be his wife hitting him upside his head with a frying pan.

   Ouch!

Glad to receive hand-me-downs

Those who have had many sisters or brothers know what it means to wear hand-me-downs.

In a large family, hand-me-downs are a way of life. The oldest sibling gets the new stuff, but the rest is handed down from one to the other. The one who is the youngest gets all of the hand-me-downs.

A second brother who felt bad about himself always complained about receiving hand-me-downs. One day, he was all smiles and jumped up and down on the bed with joy.

He had received his older brother’s T-Shirts. Instead of sadness, each shirt made him happy because he found out that every shirt had messages, “You are the greatest”,”You are second to none” and “Ask me about the best brother in the world.”

His brother bought shirts with love messages to his younger brother, who he knew would get his shirts. It was a message of love that was passed down and received.

The love of God was passed down to us through 42 generations until Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The message wasn’t on a t-shirt but it was clear that God loves us.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That second brother’s mother was worried when he opened the drawer and found the last set of hand-me-downs from his brother. It was several pairs of jeans with holes in them.

The brother jumped up and down with joy.

Jeans with holes in all the right places! He had nothing but praise for his older brother!

What better gift could he receive with hand-me-down bleached white jeans with holes in them!

That’s really cool!

Juneteenth is official, and so is our salvation

 On June 19, 1865, the slaves in Texas received word that they were no longer slaves; they had been freed by President Abraham Lincoln.

They had been free for 2 1/2 years but didn’t know it because slave masters in Texas didn’t tell them about freedom which came to most slaves on January 1, 1863.

The Texas slaves celebrated their freedom every year since 1865. They called it Juneteenth. It caught on, and all over the country the descendants of former slaves marked their calendars and celebrated what became known as Black Independence Day.

Two years after Mr. Lincoln proclaimed the slaves free, Congress passed the 13th Amendment, but it wasn’t law yet until it was approved by most of the states.

While that was happening, Mr. Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865.

In June of that same year, the Texas slaves heard about Mr. Lincoln’s death and the 13th amendment.

In December of the same year, the states made the end of slavery official.

For the slaves, Juneteenth became their Independence Day.

Now the Congress of the United States has made Juneteenth a national holiday.

It all kind of makes us remember that Christ set us free through his word. But it really wasn’t locked until he shed his blood for us on Calvary. His death and resurrection set us all free.

John 8:36 says, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Juneteenth is official in law and in our hearts.

No matter what the enemy says, God has the last word

Sometimes things situations seem dark without any solutions until we remember that God has the last word.

Through man’s eyes, everything is dark until God shows us the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sometimes, defeat seems imminent until God shows us the victory.

Sometimes, our weakness only reveals the path to failure until God renews our strength

Sometimes, our frustrations overrun us till we forget our God can make a way.

No Matter what the enemy has in store for us God has the last word.

Look what Isaiah 59:19 says, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” 

So, if you are troubled by the devil’s work, remember God has the last word.

The benediction is for you, don't leave without it

We hear benedictions at the end of religious gatherings, and we wait for them because they are personal. 

There are a few benedictions that are general, but we are encouraged most by the ones that are personal. They pronounce blessings for us personally, and not just for the crowd.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, believers would often travel many miles to bring sacrifices and to worship. No matter how long they had to wait or regardless of the weather conditions, not a soul would leave until the priest raised his hands and gave the benediction or the blessing.

Even today we still wait for the benediction. Generally, the pastor raises his hands and issues the blessing on all who shared in the worship and gave offerings of time, talent, and resources. Those that leave before the benediction miss their special blessing. 

We need every blessing we can get, especially ones that are personal.

Look Numbers 6:24-26. Count how many times this benediction says "You."

It reads  “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you; be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

There are six "Yous" in that blessing. It's no doubt, it's meant to be personal

It has your name on it.

It's good to know that God blesses every one of faith, but it's even better to hear his word say ,"You" six times.

That's personal. 

Waiters get tips, God gives favor

 In my college years, I worked as a waiter at a seafood restaurant. The base pay was $56 a week ($1.40/hour), but a good waiter made much more than that in tips.

I turned waiting tables into a science. I learned the tastes of repeat customers, and read up on their hobbies. I asked about their golf game, fishing trips, grandchildren and read magazine clips about things that tickled the fancy of my customers

I always had a good joke, a quote, a compliment on their attire, or something interesting to say.

My goal was to get the “tip.”  To get the tip, great waiters do more than just ask, “Do want more water?” They aim to create an enjoyable experience that makes customers feel good about going out for a meal.

I was good at it and sometimes I earned $350 a week. The tips made the difference.

Through Christ, we are saved from our sins, but God grants favor to those who go above and beyond to minister to others. 

Favor is God’s way of leaving us a tip. Being saved is the base pay, but his favor which he gives through grace and mercy is the “tip."

Look what Psalm 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Daily we work to build God’s kingdom. We walk with the king in the beauty of holiness.

We get a heavenly tip when we go out of our way to help others experience the love and mercy of God as well.

The good news is, God is not cheap. 

He’s a big tipper!

God has a hall of fame, too

   It’s easy to get upset when it seems that others, less worthy, get the honors you deserve; unless you have a humble spirit.

   Nobody knows this better than Jerry Kramer, an all-time pro-football great with Green Bay Packers. Kramer, by any standard, was among football’s greatest players, but it took 45 years for the Hall of Fame to recognize his life work.

   He played 11 seasons, which included 130 games. He was a part of three Pro Bowl Teams and the 1960s All-Decade Team.

   Despite all of the records he broke, the Hall of fame skipped over him for others. He was nominated 10 ten times and let down ten times.

   Anyone else would have been bitter, but he was thankful for all of the other others he received over the years. 

   However, some didn’t forget his work and in 2018 he was nominated for the 11th time, and this time he was immortalized in the Hall of fame.

   Often what we do for God seems insignificant. It is often ignored. 

  We often watch others receive credit and praise for lesser contributions that we have made. 

 

  We may get passed over down here, but God sees what we do. He will reward us with a “well done” and our work will be immortalized in heaven’s hall of fame.

   Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

   Don’t envy others who may be taking credit for your work; It’ll make you sick. Be happy that God knows what you do, and that’s all that counts.

   Welcome to the Hall of Fame