The Gift That Keeps On Giving

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
(2 Corinthians 9:15)

A few years ago I was out delivering gifts, my first stop took me up into a very rough part of town, not a good place for me to get lost, but I did. I drove around for about 30 minutes, I was going to ask the cop that I saw, but he had his hands full as he slammed this upstanding young, wanna be “gangst” to the ground, so I just decided to call the homeowner who guided me to her home. She met me at the door; I had an arm full of Angel Tree presents for her two grandchildren. She was a small elderly black lady in her late 80’s (but looked like she was less than 60), with a heart for the Lord. I had a great visit with her & left there spiritually pumped. My next stop was to the county jail to make a request visit for a friend of mine.

When I arrived they set me in a small room at a table, then brought the friend of mine in that I was there to see & locked the door. He sat & talked about why he was there & how foolish it was that he did what he did to return back to jail. We also talked about life growing up in our hometown & how simple life was when we were young. We talked about growing up in church & even then both ending up living sinful lives, falling into some of the same sins. But there is where our lives started to differ, so we started talking about what at that time made us different. What was it, we went to the same school, lived in the same town, grew up in about the same type of family…so what made it to where he was sitting in orange & white stripped PJ’s & I was there as a minister? It was only one thing…Jesus. 

He said that he wanted the confidence that I had in where I would spend eternity. So I told him about 1 John 5:13, where we are told that we can know that we have eternal life & then we discussed the gospel & how he could be without a doubt of his salvation. Long story short, he accepted Christ…I also left there spiritually pumped.

That night God allowed me to deliver Christmas gifts again,  some that would last about as long as a toy could in the hands & care of a 9 & 1 year old. But He also allowed me to deliver a Christmas gift that would last forever, because of whose hands & care that it was left in…Jesus Christ. As cousin Eddy would say, “Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving”.

When you’re giving out gifts this Christmas, don’t forget the gift of all gifts, the King of kings & Lord of lords, the gift that no one will want to return & everyone deeply needs.

Vern

Bird or Rat?

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
(John 3:19)

It has been reported that Thomas Alvin Edison failed over 6,000 times before perfecting the way to make me cringe & scream in the morning. Nothing is more fingernails on the chalkboard irritating, than when you are dead asleep with your head on a drool drenched pillow & someone flips on one of  Tom's little inventions. 

My dad was the worlds worst about this. He would also throw in the “RISE & SHINE” as he maliciously brought me from the land of slumber to the mind numbing highly illuminated morning…but I do now find that to be fun as I do the same to my sons.

In John, whom I like to call the brightest of the four gospels…seeing how he utilizes the word “light” more than the others, he says that Jesus was the light that came into the world, but instead of men embracing the light, they embraced the darkness. Why? It says because their deeds were evil. They were up to no good. People love light, a sunny day, a well lit room, ect… but when we want to do something that we don’t want anyone to see, we often slither back into the dark. Darkness hides our evil ways to the public, but it doesn’t to God.

I got to thinking, the only time I’ve ever really hated the light was when I was doing wrong or…when I was asleep. I truly believe that the majority of the church is asleep. I believe that we need a “RISE & SHINE” great awakening. We need to quit cringing because of the light & embrace it. Let Him light our path & illuminate our hearts. What will help with this is if the pastors shine the light of the word of God evry time they preach. A pastor should always shine the light of God’s word onto the congregation when he stands in the pulpit. But what if people get mad? What if people don’t like what is said? If it’s from the word of God & God has told him to say it, then it should be said…no matter who doesn’t like it.

J. Vernon McGee tells the story of when he was young & would have to go out at night to the old barn to feed their horse or the cow, he would take along a lantern. When he opened up the barn door & walked in with that lantern the rats on the floor would run for cover as the lantern illuminated the barn, but the birds that roosted on the rafters would start singing. When your pastor speaks the word of God from your pulpit Sunday morning, will you be a rat that loves the darkness…or a bird that can’t help but sing when they see the glorious light of their Father? Think about it.

Vern

God Is Snow Good

“Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
(Psalm 51:7)

“Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” These were the words that we were singing when it really hit me hard, that Jesus made my sins white as snow, a sight that I was fortunate enough to see Saturday morning when I walked out of my cabin in Mentone while on a youth retreat prior to that nights worship service.

The snow had covered the roof tops, the cars, dusted the ground, but what I noticed most was the old treated lumber benches that were right in the middle of the camp around the campfire. They were covered in about a half inch of snow. They looked like they were brand new, beautifully white with not one blemish, like they had been refinished with a solid white covering. The night before they were dirty, weathered & obviously used, but that morning they look brand spanking new. I thought of that as I sang “Jesus Paid It All” & man it brought me to my knees, because so often I forget what God really did for me when He saved me.

There were two friends of mine on this trip as counselors who had attended youth trips with me when we were in the youth together at this same church we attend today; I really started to think about what & who I was as a youth. I wasn’t saved; I was a punk, with a bad attitude. I went on youth trips & could have cared less about God or the price He paid for my soul. But even then Jesus died for me, He changed my life completely, He made me new, He washed me white as snow…or as the scripture states…“Whiter than snow”…God is good. Hopefully this will remind you of how good He has been to you, the way He reminded me with a song & a little frozen precipitation.

Vern