Category: Through The Looking Glass

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Fighting the Ghosts of Unforgiveness

Wallace SwordThe 2005 movie The Kingdom of Heaven illustrates an important lesson about forgiveness. As the inhabitants of the city prepare to defend Jerusalem from the onslaught of the Muslim army led by Salahadeen, the hero of the movie, Balian, makes this observation…

We fight over an offense we did not give, against those who were not alive to be offended.

How many times has this very scenario been repeated throughout history? How many wars have been started over an offense that can no longer be remembered? How many times have lives been destroyed because someone took up the offense of another person?

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:9 that…

He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

We as Christians are called — not to take up the offense of others — but to “deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus” (Matthew 16:24). We are called to be living sacrifices in a world in which sacrifice is rare. As I once heard someone say…

The problem with living sacrifices is they keep crawling off the altar.

Sometimes, it feels better to “pick up our sword”  than to lay down our pride. But it could be your “soft answer turning away wrath” that brings peace to a situation, and heals a transgression through an act of love.

How can you be that voice of forgiveness, love, and reconciliation today?

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Lessons From A Ragamuffin

With all of the chaos going on in the world right now, for today’s blog, I thought I would keep things on the lighter side, and share a blog from one of my staff members. Dana Harding is the Social Media Director for our ministry, and is also a talented musician, producer, and writer. Before joining us “officially” at Ron Phillips Ministries in 2013, Dana produced our CenterPoint radio broadcast for almost 14 years. I actually shared one of his blogs a while back (Angels on I-40), and today, I wanted to share another of his stories, and some truth that is a good reminder for all of us…

 

Lessons I Learned from a Ragamuffin

Dusk

In my life, I have had the opportunity to get to meet and/or hang out with some pretty notable people. Through no fault of my own, but rather because of my position on any given day, or the company I was keeping at the time, I’ve met, conversed with, dined with, and picked the brains of some fairly talented, wise, and well-known people.

That being said, for my part, all of that and $1.29 would get me a cup of coffee at Joe Muggs.

Of all of the folks I have rubbed shoulders with, a few really stood out, not necessarily because they were HUGE stars, but they were influential in some way in my life. A few names stick out… Kerry Livgren (Kansas), Steve Brown, Phil Keaggy, and…

Rich Mullins.

I was working at a music store just outside of Wichita in the late ’80’s, and Rich was a client of ours. We met and talked a handful of times. He would come in the store for whatever reason, and being the retail manager, I’d get to spend some time talking to him. I remember once when we were having a Roland clinic at the store. I had called Rich to invite him, but being that he was on the road so much, I just left a message on his answering machine. Well, the day of the clinic arrived, and just before the official kickoff time, Rich showed up. I greeted him, and then he proceeded to check out all of the new goodies that the Roland Corporation was developing at that time. A little while later, he came up to me to say goodbye, and said “Hey… think you can get me one of those shirts?” He was referring to the shirt that all of the employees were wearing that had been given to us by our Roland rep. I said, “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Man, if you can get me one, I’ll be your best friend!” came the (almost child-like) excited reply. He left, and a short while later I asked my rep if I could get one more shirt. He said sure, but he’d have to send it to me since he had actually run out.

About two weeks later, the shirt came in the mail as promised (just a simple, white t-shirt with the Roland logo and campaign branding message silk-screened onto it). I called Rich, but once again got his answering machine. “Hey Rich, it’s Dana. I’ve got your Roland shirt here. Come by sometime.” I folded up the shirt, and stuck it under the counter.

About three weeks later, I looked out the glass front of the store, and saw Rich coming across the parking lot. I walked over to the counter, and grabbed the shirt. As he walked in, and across the floor to where I was standing, I tossed the shirt to him — “We’re best friends now, right?” I said jokingly. “Yeah man, we’re best friends!” he said while looking gleefully at the cheap shirt that you would have thought was an Armani suit, based on his reaction.

I left Wichita and moved back to Chattanooga later that year. A few months later, Rich came to town on tour, playing at a tiny church in the area. I had the day off, so I went over and hung out with he and the band for a little while. Unannounced, I walked in and sat down during sound check. A couple of the guys in the band who I knew saw me and greeted me, then set about setting up their instruments, and getting ready to sound check. A few minutes later, Rich walked in. He walked up the aisle, and glanced over as he was passing me. He just stopped, looking somewhat dumbfounded.

I said, “Hi Rich.”

“What are you doing here?” he queried.

I explained that, before moving to Wichita, I had lived in Chattanooga, and when I left, I just came back to Tennessee. I spent the rest of the day hanging out with the band, running guys to music stores for drumsticks and such, and eating dinner with them that evening.

About 8 years later, I learned that Rich had been killed in an auto accident. I just sat and cried.

Recently, I was watching a video of Rich singing “Hold Me, Jesus”. I had loved the song for years, but had never heard his story about writing it. It was interesting to find out that he wrote it after a night of struggling with the desire to watch one of “those movies” in a hotel room while on the road. That is what I really remember and miss about Rich… his honesty. While as blunt and unforgiving as a 2×4 upside the head, Rich’s brand of honesty was straightforward, plain-spoken, sometimes shocking, and dripping around the edges with grace.

I think it is that kind of honesty that is missing in the church today.

We skirt issues that are uncomfortable. We quietly dismiss the unpleasant as insignificant. We cling to buzzwords that we hear in church pews, conferences, and Christian concerts, in the hopes of avoiding the tough questions, and even tougher answers. Along with being the King of the Kings, Jesus was the “King of the tough statement”. He made comments and conclusions that would get Him run out of most churches in America, or at least despised within the walls. His words flew in the face of the religious establishment… and still do.

The older I get, the more I come to the conclusion that where we are missing it as the church of Jesus Christ is in that kind of honesty. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life.” One of His self-proclaimed attributes is truth. It is a part of His very being — He is the author of it. We are the Body of Christ, and as such, truth should emanate from us. Not just THE truth of the love of God, but truth… period. Truth in how we see ourselves. Truth in how we see each other. Truth in how we deal with each other on a daily basis. Francis Schaeffer once said…

“Today not only in philosophy but in politics, government, and individual morality, our generation sees solutions in terms of synthesis and not absolutes. When this happens, truth, as people have always thought of truth, has died.”

Making concessions is a part of living. Sometimes we have to lay down our “rights” or our desires for a common good… I get that. But when we sacrifice truth for the sake of peace, quiet, unity, harmony, financial gain, or any other laudable motivation we can name, we risk alienating ourselves from who He is. Truth is not mutually exclusive. There is love in truth (Eph. 4:15). There is freedom in truth (John 8:32). However, we have to have the courage to speak the truth, make each other uncomfortable, and get beyond the awkwardness of being less than perfect in someone else’s eyes before we can find that freedom, or operate in that kind of love. We have a tendency to think that people are being unkind by being honest. I think if we are honest, we would find that it is within the context of truth that grace and mercy are in their respective wheelhouses. True grace and true mercy are dependent on an honest assessment of what wretches we really are.

I’ll close with this thought…

“We don’t need any more nice people who are content doing nice things. What we really need are solid, spirit controlled people who are willing to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. Nice people don’t want to get involved.” ~ Rich Mullins

Blessings.

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A Clear and Present Danger

As I have observed, there are many fear-generating circumstances in our world. North Korea continues to arm itself as the world quietly looks away. The Middle East is a boiling cauldron of war, terror, and hate that is now spilling over to places like Africa, Europe, and our own shores. Christians, in particular, are being slaughtered en-masse throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Our economy continues to slide and struggle due to bad decisions made by power brokers who are more interested in special interests than the interests of the people they were sent to Washington to serve. Our government seems to play catch-up rather than give the expected leadership to our troubled world.

And exactly where are our leaders during these crises? They are at the UN harassing business leaders about the dangers of carbon and climate change.

Their “non-crisis” (the earth has been cooling for the last 18 years) has brought together our President, John Kerry, and every kook in the world to bemoan this non-danger. The earth has been through many crises and, without exception, they were catastrophic natural events — not controlled or contributed to by man:

Mt St HelensVolcanoes – A single volcano, Mount St. Helens put out more pollution in one day than all the smoke-stacks in America since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (1760-1850). With a force that was estimated to be 500 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II, the volcano erupted for 9 hours, had an initial blast that was heard 700 miles away, and killed everything for 230 square miles, including approximately 11 million animals and 4 billion feet of timber. 57 human lives were lost.
In 1883, the volcano at Krakatoa (Indonesia) erupted with 13,000 times the strength of the atomic bomb. Furthermore, when the volcano at Thera (Greece) erupted 3,500 years ago (nearly 3,300 years before the beginning of the Industrial Revolution), it is estimated to have been four to five times stronger than Krakatoa.

Earthquakes – Along with related natural events such as tsunamis, earthquakes are unpredictable, strike without warning, and leave mass devastation and casualties in their wake. The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake generated a tsunami that struck the coasts of 14 countries, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Over 230,000 people lost their lives.

Storms – Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Andrew are just a few of the hurricanes that have devastated areas of the United States. The Halloween Nor’easter of 1991, nicknamed The Perfect Storm, cost over $200 million in damages and killed 13 people. In comparison, Hurricane Katrina, considered the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, killed in excess of 1,800 people, and cost an estimated $108 billion in damages.

Asteroids – We hear more and more of asteroids passing close to Earth. In fact, a number of asteroids have hit the Earth in the past, causing major devastation. One instance in 1490 saw 10,000 people killed in the Chinese town of Ch’ing-yang when an asteroid broke apart overhead.

One has but to read the pages of Scripture to understand that God Almighty controls the times, seasons, weather, winds, oceans, and celestial bodies. While we are to be good stewards of the earth He has given us, we have no more control over the climate, weather, or natural catastrophes than we have over the earth spinning around the sun, and it is sheer arrogance to think we do. Climate change is the least of our world’s “man-made” issues.

ISIS flagWhat should be of grave concern to the people of the world is the growing threat of Islamic groups such as ISIS. As this plague moves across the Middle East, killing at will all who stand in their path, we have leadership that refuses to identify the root problem: Islamic ideology. When a known Islamic Army officer screams “Allahu Akbar!” while shooting and killing unarmed army personnel, our leaders call it “workplace violence.” When an Islamic worker posts a quote from the Quran on his Facebook page, stating, “I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers; smite ye about their necks“, then proceeds to behead a co-worker in Oklahoma, our leaders call it “workplace violence”.

However, when an unstable young man kills students at Sandy Hook Elementary, the commission investigating it calls for a crackdown on HOMESCHOOLERS???

Just since 2001, tens of thousands of people around the world (many of whom are Christians) have been killed in the name of Islam. Yet, our government is going to crack down on homeschoolers because one former homeschool student kills 27 people?

Folks… I’ve said it before: It’s time to WAKE UP! In ISIS, we face a growing threat to the whole world. Should Iraq and Syria fall, an already unstable region will spin out of control. Do you understand that, should Pakistan fall to ISIS, these terrorists will have nuclear weapons at their disposal?

Isn’t it time for our leaders to get out in front of this, and stop ignoring a “clear and present danger” simply because it does not fit into their talking points, their political correctness, or their social calendar?

But even more important: Isn’t it time for we, the Church, to stand up, speak up, and pray up?

Personally, I think it is.

Lady Liberty

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Taking Life’s Punches

Looking Glass

In the movie Rocky Balboa, the former boxing champion tells his son,

“It’s not about how hard you can hit;
it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.”

There was once a man named Job who got hit about as hard as anyone can get hit…

He lost his possessions.

He lost his children.

He lost his health.

He was a good man who seemingly didn’t deserve all the bad things that were happening to him. Yet regardless of what was happening in his life, his response was always the same… He kept moving forward, kept believing, and kept trusting in a God he knew was a good God. Even when falsely accused and encouraged to “curse God and die”, he refused to heed the voices of despair, but instead stated…

I know that my Redeemer lives. ~ Job 19:25a

Maybe you’ve been hit hard in your life, and you don’t think you can make it.

Don’t give up.

The same God Who got Job through his troubles is only a prayer away, and can see you through your hour of need.

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September 11 and Facing the Spirit of Fear

It was the evening of November 30, 1977…

For those of us old enough to remember (and before the days of VCR’s, DVR’s, and YouTube), it was the night that Americans gathered around our television sets and watched with mixed emotions the final Christmas special featuring the great Bing Crosby. Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas, originally taped toward the end of summer that year in London, England, featured Bing along with his family and a few guests. Just over a month after the taping, on October 14, Bing died suddenly from a massive heart attack following a round of golf with friends.

One of the highlights of the program was a duet by Bing and a young David Bowie. It was a beautiful rendition of the song Little Drummer Boy, arranged together as a medley with a song called Peace on Earth. As Bing’s low baritone voice sang out the familiar “ba-rum-bum-bum-bum”, David Bowie sang out the higher counter-melody…

Peace on Earth,
Can it be?
Years from now
Perhaps we’ll see;
See the day of glory,
See the day
When men of good will live in peace,
Live in peace again.*

* Tune and lyrics, written by Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan

Peace on Earth. Since that night on a Judean hillside when the hosts of Heaven filled the sky with the refrain of “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men“, men of good will throughout the centuries have long worked for peace. As Bing Crosby and David Bowie sang once again a plea for peace on Earth, no one knew the irony of what they were singing… and when. You see, the day that they taped that segment of the show was September 11, 1977.

September 11, 2001

9-11Fast forward exactly 34 years as Americans watched in horror the tragedy of that day unfold before our very eyes. A handful of Islamic terrorists brought the reality of their radical ideology to the shores of our country in an attack unlike anything since December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. When all was said and done, four planes had crashed, the World Trade Center was reduced to rubble, the Pentagon was in flames, a field in Pennsylvania was strewn with fiery wreckage, and nearly 3,000 American citizens had lost their lives. They were husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and grandparents. They were business people, students, athletes, blue-collar workers, housewives, politicians, and children. And in the days that followed, as we learned of the facts surrounding the events of that day, Americans spoke out with a cry of defiant resolve…

We will NEVER forget.

But as we spend this day in reflection on the events of September 11, 2001, I have to ask…

Have we?

Have we forgotten what it felt like that day? Have we forgotten the feelings of fear and uncertainty that gave way to anger for this violation against our nation? Have we forgotten the sorrow at the loss of our friends and loved ones, and the determination to never let it happen again on our watch?

Most importantly, have we forgotten our reliance upon God during those dark nights?

In 1 Peter 5:8, the apostle writes…

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

When quoting that verse, we have a tendency to focus on the second part; the descriptive about our enemy. But many times, we neglect our responsibility in the verse, that being the first four words…

Be sober, be vigilant…

I find it interesting that, as a nation founded upon our reliance on God, and having spent the better part of the past 4 decades trying to distance ourselves from God, we now find ourselves fighting an enemy that is waging a war based on a religious ideology, claiming to be fighting in the name of God. The fact is, we are fighting a demonically influenced political ideology that masks itself in the shroud of religion. As we see events unfolding in the Middle East, the persecution and murder of Christians by Muslims, the infiltration of Islam in our own culture, and unresolved events such as the Benghazi attack on our diplomatic team, it is all meant to incite one thing…

Fear.

But the real fear we face is more sinister than just the fear of a group or ideology. The absence of truth and absolutes in our culture has created a vacuum, and fear has been more than willing to fill the void. We have become afraid to speak the truth for fear of being called intolerant. We are afraid of standing up for Godliness and holiness for fear of being labeled a bigot. We are afraid to speak out against social injustice for fear of being called a racist. We are afraid to stand for traditional marriage and family values for fear of being called a homophobe. We are afraid to stand against the evils of Muslim ideology for fear of being called an Islamophobe. The list goes on…

However, cowering in fear from the onslaught of the enemy — whatever socio-political-religious mask he chooses to wear — should not be the response of any follower of Jesus Christ. After all, we have this declaration…

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Being the habitation of God Almighty, we have unlimited power. As recipients of the finished work of Jesus, we have received unrelenting love. As believers in His holiness and righteousness, we have taken on the mind of Christ. In light of these things, as the Psalmist said…

The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid? ~ Psalm 27:1

So while we are called to be sober and vigilant, and to walk in faith and truth instead of fear, we can walk in the belief that our Prince of Peace has come, and gives us peace — peace that no man can take away. We can move forward from this day — September 11, 2014 — as the day that we resolve to no longer allow the enemy to keep us in bondage to fear, but will live according to the promise of Romans 8:15…

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Peace be with you and yours,
Pastor Ron

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What Is The Measure of Your Success?

Through The Looking Glass2

Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and an avid inventor. He actually held 161 patents for a variety of inventions and products. He had this to say about the acquisition of money…

“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business”.

Although a successful and wealthy businessman, Mr. Ford understood that money was a means to an end, but was not the end itself. He knew that money was the reward of success, not necessarily the measure of success.

In first Timothy, Paul states that…

… the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ~ I Timothy 6:10

In our 21st century desire for gain, let us not forget the One from Whom all blessings flow, and in the words of John Wesley…

“Make all you can… save all you can… give all you can”.

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Experience and the Light of Contentment

Through the Looking Glass

As a general rule, how we see and respond to things in life depends on our own experience.

DickensUpon the death of Charles Dickens, Dean Arthur Penrhyn Stanley delivered a memorial eulogy, praising Dickens for showing by his own example that…

“…Even in dealing with the darkest scenes and the most degraded characters, genius could still be clean, and mirth could be innocent”.

Dickens, who had been through a great deal of adversity in his own life, managed to find the bright side of human nature in some of his most famous characters — people who made the best out of bad situations.

The Apostle Paul discussed this mindset in Philippians 4:11 when he said that “I have learned to be content… whatever the circumstances”. Paul understood that, while the circumstances of life may not ideal, contentment is a vertical choice… not a horizontal one.

Circumstances can be an “undeserved” condition, but contentment is always a choice — a choice to follow Jesus… regardless.

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Agreement at Work: #ALSIceBucketChallenge

For a couple of months now, I have been mentioning my new book (co-written with my son Ronnie), The Power of Agreement. We have appeared on numerous TV shows, radio programs, and magazine articles discussing how agreement with God and agreement with each other is the key to Kingdom living, and opens the doors of blessing in our lives. God Himself understood the power, positive or negative, that was contained in agreement when He stated (in reference to the building of Tower of Babel)…

If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ~ Genesis 11:6

Well, unless you have been living on a secluded desert island for the past couple of weeks, you are seeing these principles play out right before your eyes.

Exhibit A: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

imageYou cannot venture onto social media for 2 minutes without seeing a video of someone getting a bucket of icewater dumped on their head. The ALS Icebucket Challenge has become one of the most successful fundraising campaigns in recent memory, raising awareness about the horrors of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease). From July 29 to August 22, the ALS Association has raised more than $50 million through the Challenge. As a point of reference, during the same period last year, they raised approximately $2.2 million. Actors, musicians, prominent business people, and politicians (including former president George W. Bush) have joined the ranks of “the rest of us” and can be seen taking a bucket of icewater over the head, all for the sake of standing in unity for a cure for those afflicted with this awful disease. People from all walks of life, religious persuasions, ethnicities, and social statuses have come into agreement and said this is something we can all get behind.

So what are some other things the church can get behind?

What are those things that, in spite of our differences in theology, we can come together on and make a difference in the world? We may never totally agree on dispensationalism, worship styles, or methods of baptism. But can we set aside our differences about such things to come together on issues that are going to make an eternal difference in the destinies of the people in our communities, countries, and world? What are some things we can choose to agree on, and find agreement with God about, that will affect those around us?

imageAn intriguing question? I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.

Here’s some thoughts from Jesus to help you start the process…

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;  I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ~ Matthew 25:31-46

 

 

 

 

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For Whom The Bell Tolls: Chico, Mork, and an Expendable Life

Looking Glass

One can hardly watch television, surf the internet, or drive down the street without seeing some form of advertising for the new movie The Expendables 3. A popular movie franchise that began in 2010, The Expendables movies feature casts of popular action stars (I hesitate to say, of “yesteryear”) including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and many others. The premise is that this group of mercenaries are hired to do the dangerous jobs others can’t, for government agencies that “can’t be involved”, and should they fail in their quest, it’s an acceptable risk — after all — these guys are all “expendable”. Who’s going to miss them? They have no families, few friends, and no real “roots” to speak of.

While these movies may not delve deeply into the psychology of “expendability”, it poses and interesting question:

Who among us is expendable?

Is our value as an individual measured in awards, accolades, the number of Facebook “friends” we have, or the size of the contact list in our iPhones? Is our worth to society determined by our popularity, our job status, or the number of people who will or won’t miss us when we are gone?

A week ago today, we learned of the tragic suicide of actor Robin Williams, who had incredible success in his career. Yet, the success, the awards, and the love of so many people could not still the struggles within him.

In 1977, the young star of the popular television show Chico and the Man died from a self-inflicted, single gunshot wound to the head. While struggling with depression, drugs, and personal problems, Freddie Prinze (22) was at the height of his fame when he took his own life.

Ernest Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. Considered by some to be one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, Hemingway committed suicide in 1961 after battling alcoholism and health problems for years.

So if these men (and many other celebrities like them) could not find peace and contentment in their vast successes — making the decision to end their own lives — what about the rest of us?

What makes us not expendable?

It’s simple… the words of Jesus. In Matthew 25, Jesus is talking to His disciples when He tells them a parable, and says to them…

… ‘I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ ~ verses 35-40

“The least of these, My brethren.” Societal stature didn’t mean a hill of beans to Jesus. He placed GREAT value on the individual, and considered the way we treated those society considers “the least” as a personal statement of how we treat Him. He views each individual — each member of His creation — as a personal extension of Himself…

“… Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these, My brethren, you did it to Me.”

Jesus sees the person inside. He sees the potential. He sees the diamond-in-the-rough. He sees the Kingdom-heir, just waiting to step into the promise and future available to all of us who put our trust in Him.

Maybe you have low self-esteem… Jesus says you are highly-esteemed.

Maybe you feel expendable at your job, an insignificant part of the corporate machine… Jesus sees you as an individual of great worth and value.

Maybe your family, friends, or church have made you feel insignificant and unimportant… If you had been the only one, Jesus still would have come to this earth to save you — He thinks you are THAT important.

So if you are looking for acceptance and significance, look no further than the open arms of Jesus. He is waiting for YOU.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ~ Matthew 11:28

You are NOT expendable… You are loved.

Pastor Ron

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Recognizing the Fragrance of God

Through the Looking Glass

While serving in Korea during the Korean War, Pvt. James S. Bumgarner found himself being saved by, of all things, his nose.

Pvt. Bumgarner had a violent reaction when it came to the taste or smell of garlic. Even the slightest taste of garlic had the potential to send him into a state of nausea and vomiting. As it turned out, the North Koreans subsisted on a diet of fish heads, rice, and…

Garlic.

One night while standing guard, Pvt. Bumgarner got a faint whiff garlic coming from the direction of the enemy positions. Although it was dark, and he could not see the enemy, once he smelled them, his ears tuned into the surroundings, and he began to hear them as well. He alerted his men that there was an enemy on the other side of the rise in front of them. As it turned out, it was, in fact, an enemy patrol headed straight toward their position. Bumgarner and his men were prepared when the enemy showed up, and stopped them in their tracks.

As Christians, we should be so in-tune with the “fragrance of God” that we can instantly recognize the repulsive scent of anything that tries to pass itself off as “Godly”. We should have His word so ingrained in us that anything but the truth is instantly recognized and rejected as the deceitful counterfeit that it is. The Psalmist said…

I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. ~ Psalm 119:11

They say when people who handle money are trained to recognize phony money, they do not spend their time examining counterfeits… the study the real thing. They learn what real currency looks like, and study it to the point that, when faced with a counterfeit, they instantly recognize it. As followers of Christ, we should be able to instantly recognize anything that is not of Him.

Pvt. Bumgarner’s hyper-sensitive nose saved the lives of he and his men that night. His ability to smell trouble coming helped keep him alive through the war, and brought him home to a successful civilian career, living to the ripe old age of 86.

While his fellow soldiers knew him as Pvt. Bumgarner, for the rest of us, he had several aliases… Brett Maverick, Jason McCullough, and Jim Rockford.

James Scott Bumgarner — aka — James Garner.