Owning vs. Renting.

Benny is a miser of legendary exploits.  He buys NOTHING without a coupon.  He spends hours fighting with customer service representatives.  “Let me speak to your manager!”  He stops at twenty restaurants on Veteran’s Day to collect free meals—all of them to-go.  “Oh, I WILL get what’s coming to me.”  His stories progress from amusing to appalling as his battles for money take a sordid turn.

And Benny has money.  A retired state employee, he is well-fixed for retirement, but has taken another job because there is never enough.  The single man with no children craves money.

But he rents an apartment.  Wait, what?  That’s right: he is a RENTER!  Though renting goes against every financial principle, Benny has never purchased a home.  For over three decades he has “thrown away” money on rent that could have earned equity in a home.  Had he bought a house thirty years ago, he might now own a home worth $200,000 or more.  Instead, Benny lives in an apartment with nothing to show for thirty years of rent payments.

Owning is better than renting.  God promises ownership to His children.  Psalm 37 is best known for verse four: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  But four times in the psalm, David writes that God’s children will INHERIT THE LAND.

“The humble will inherit the land” Psalm 37:11.  

“Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land” v.22.

“The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it permanently” v.29.

“Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land” v.34.

There is something special about owning land.  Biblical ownership means provision and security: you can grow food and build a shelter.  In that culture, land ownership is LIFE. 

And God promises land to us if we are (1) humble, (2) blessed by God, (3) waiting on the Lord, and (4) keeping His way.

Don’t be a renter forever.  Become an owner by obeying God and being humble.

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He Was Despised, Rejected.

“All of the other reindeer” reject Rudolf because of his freakish nose—then he saves Christmas.  And the Ugly Duckling is ugly and awkward and the ducklings reject him. But he grows up to be a SWAN.  Abraham Lincoln is similar: critics mocked his appearance, calling the tall, skinny man “the unlikely cross between a windmill and a derrick.”  During his lifetime he was not highly regarded; today he is a hero. 

Masons in Israel constantly sorted rocks: which stones are keepers, which are rejects?  Some stones were large and symmetrical, easy to use as bricks in a building project, while others were unsuitable.  And the most critical stone was the cornerstone.  The cornerstone would be carefully placed first, then the entire structure slowly built one-stone-at-a-time from that beginning.  Everything begins with the cornerstone. 

Jesus compares Himself to one of those stones that is rejected.  He quotes Old Testament prophecy:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes!” Mark 12:10-11 (quoting Psalm 118:22-23).

If Jesus is the rejected stone, the builders are the leaders of Israel. They considered Jesus unworthy to be an ordinary stone in the wall. They judged Him an enemy worthy of the death penalty.  Yet God made Jesus not merely a stone, but the Chief Cornerstone—everything begins with One Who was rejected.

Imagine—”He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” John 1:12.  Israel rejected its Messiah, crucified its Savior.  Jesus is that Rejected Stone, but God made Him the Chief Cornerstone.  What an amazing turnaround—”and it is marvelous in our eyes.”  He was mocked, spat upon, beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross and left to die.  Can you imagine a more thorough rejection? 

Yet God raised Him up and builds His entire Kingdom on Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone. Everything is based on Jesus.

God, help us when we feel rejected.  Help us look to You for comfort. Help us love You more.  Redeem us and use us as stones to build Your kingdom.

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Reboot.

Does every computer problem—every unexpected glitch, no matter what it is—provoke the question, “Did you try turning it off and back on?”  A call to Microsoft customer service certainly begins that way.  Same with your printer, your cell phone, your smart TV, your iPad.  Why? It works.  There’s something about powering down and powering up—and the sequencing, the folders opening and closing, that resets the system.   

What if you could do a spiritual reboot?  If you were in a funk, or angry, or tempted, or just “in a bad place” and you could flip a switch and everything would reset?  Sounds too simple, huh?  Impossible? Too good to be true?

Well, it’s not.  It is possible and it is simple (it’s not EASY, but it’s simple).  But the problem with a simple solution is no one tries it.  Look at the way people struggle to accept grace. 

But there really is a RESET BUTTON.  You really can do a SPIRITUAL REBOOT. 

PRAISE is the button.

  1. Praise God—name His amazing qualities—in the middle of bad circumstances.  That will reset your emotions completely and you will begin to have hope and faith and even joy in the hurt.
  2. Read the Psalms, especially Psalms 90-100.  Those chapters emphasize praise.  Read ALOUD.  If you are depressed, praise will cure it.  If you are tempted, praise will get your mind on something else. If you are prideful, praise will humble your perspective.

Before any appearance on stage, quoting a psalm cures me of pride.  I pray it over and over for an instant spiritual reboot:

“Not to us, oh Lord, not to us, but to Thy Name give glory, because of Thy lovingkindness and because of Thy truth” Psalm 115:1.

God, show us that PRAISE can cure our perspective and reboot our thoughts and emotions.  Thank you for this amazing tool for giving us a reset and putting us on the path of wisdom and godliness!  Teach us to PRAISE YOU every day.

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Rejection.

Ever felt rejected?  It is awful.  A terrible, universal experience. Everyone has been there—or will be.  Jesus knows the sting of rejection. He was rejected by powerful religious leaders, by government prosecutors, by the people of his hometown who tried to stone him the day He began His ministry (Luke 4:29), by the crowds shouting “Crucify him!” the day His ministry ended, and for thirty pieces of silver He was sold out by one of His own—Judas.  He was like a useless stone builders tossed aside that was later used for the most important stone: the cornerstone.

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes” Psalm 118:22-23.

When you feel rejected, remember that God is FOR YOU.  “The Lord is for me, I will not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” Psalm 118:6.

People can inflict pain on each other, but God heals our pain.  God comforts us when we feel rejected.  God understands how we feel because Jesus was rejected so often.  And on top of all that, God is a god of tremendous compassion.  He sees us when we are hurting and He comes to us, heals us, meets our needs, comforts us, blesses us, and restores us. 

God will RESTORE YOU.

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage in order to seat them with nobles.  He gives the childless woman a household, making her the joyful mother of children. Hallelujah!” Psalm 113:7-9.

All of us have suffered hurt and rejection, but Jesus knows how it feels and He is compassionate.  Give your hurts to Him and He will comfort you.  Pray for His compassion and He will lift you from where you are and “seat you with the nobles.”

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Famous Last Words.

In the spring of 1985, Willie Wales was dying. A child of another century, he was born in 1897.  Now he was 88 and nearly bedridden. He picked up emphysema during a 40-year career at ESSO Baton Rouge, the world’s largest oil refinery.  The lung disease wrecked his health.

We went to visit.  I was a junior and Dennis a freshman. We spent several days at Joyce’s house—where Paw Paw was in a hospital bed they had set up in the master bedroom.  On the day we left, we gathered around the bed.  Paw Paw was not in good spirits, not ready to die. (Remind me to tell you about that.)  Still, he was a grandfather and a patriarch.  All his life he carried WEIGHT.  He was the oldest of ten. He always put his siblings first. He worked and gave part of his pay to his parents for twenty years if not more. He was wise and a peacemaker, the man with solutions to difficult problems.  Mostly, he had INTEGRITY. He looked at me and Dennis, and was suddenly a man of few words:

“Well, y’all boys be good.”

Those were his last words to me.  I’ll never forget them.  David had more for Solomon:

“KNOW the God of your father and SERVE Him with a WHOLE HEART and a WILLING MIND. For the Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you SEEK HIM, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. Realize… the Lord has chosen you to build the temple. Be STRONG and complete it.” 1 Chronicles 28:9-10.

God has chosen you for something too.

  1. Know Him
  2. Serve Him
  3. With your WHOLE Heart
  4. With a WILLING Mind.
  5. Seek Him.
  6. Never forsake Him.
  7. Remember you were CHOSEN.
  8. Be STRONG and fulfill God’s plan for you.

Dear God, Fill us with love for you and a WILLING MIND. Help us to seek You and be STRONG no matter what we face.

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A Whole Heart.

Distracted attention: when you are looking at your phone and walk into a wall—that is distraction.

Just as your attention can be distracted, so also your HEART can be distracted.

Is your heart wholly loyal to God and His calling for your life?

When David’s life was coming to a close, he commissioned his son Solomon to become king and to build the temple:

“Solomon, my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. The Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.” 1 Chronicles 28:9-10.

If Solomon remains focused—if his heart remains wholly UNDISTRACTED, God will help him achieve this great goal. As you read David’s fatherly advice, think about God’s goals for your life:

“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished” v.20.

Finally, David leads the nation in prayer for his son and the accomplishment of his son’s great mission:

“Give my son Solomon a WHOLE HEART to keep and to carry out all Your commands and to build the temple for which I have made provision.” 1 Chronicles 29:19

Let’s pray about God’s mission for your life: Dear God, lead us. Place a calling on our lives. Help us to hear your calling and to be WHOLLY DEDICATED to achieving Your goals. May nothing distract us from Your great mission. May we be strong, courageous, and undistracted. May we have an undistracted focus on doing the work for which You put us on this earth. Accomplish Your work through each of us. We give our lives, our talent, and our energy to You.

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A Father’s Prayer.

When children are small, parents do everything for them.  It is difficult work.  It’s rewarding, of course—but parenting can be overwhelming.  It consumes your entire life for a few years.  In the beginning, parents have all the AGENCY, that is, parents have control over actions and consequences: everything important in a child’s life is decided and controlled by parents. 

Immediately, children take on agency.  They begin to make decisions, to do and EFFECT the details of their own lives. 

And what’s left for the parents?  What do you do when the lessons have ended, when children have graduated, married, moved on?  A parent’s role changes from mentor and guide to consultant.  You give advice now and then and hope to remain relevant. 

But parents will always have power and agency in one area: PRAYER. 

“Give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and to carry out all Your commands, Your decrees, and Your statutes, and to build the temple for which I have made provision” 1 Chronicles 29:19.

David drew up plans for the temple.  He set aside 585,000 pounds of gold for its construction.  David did all that he could do.  But God told him building the temple was a job not for David, but for his son, Solomon.  David prepared his son in every way possible.  But Solomon would have to live his own life.  Solomon would have to build the temple.  Solomon would either be faithful to God, or he would not.  It was out of David’s hands. 

The same is true for my kids—for EVERYONE’S kids: you do all you can to “give them a good sendoff.”  But after that, their decisions are out of your hands.  There is only one point of action left to a faithful parent: pray. 

May we pray faithfully for our children, even after they grow up and begin their own building projects.  Will they build for God or for themselves? 

Pray God will give them WHOLE HEARTS devoted wholly to Him.

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God Expects You to Teach Your Children.

God expects you to teach your children about Him. Will you be ready? Do you know enough? You will teach them to walk and talk and ride a bike and clean their rooms and cook a meal. What will you teach them about the Lord?

“Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them WHAT COUNTS is best.” –Bob Talbert.

“Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7.

God commands parents to teach their children and to talk about the things of God whether at home or away from home, both at night and in the morning. We are required to make the truths of God a part of our day, every day, and to always be busy sharing His truth with our families.

“Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.” Deuteronomy 4:9.

Even King David mentions what God expects from parents:

“One generation will declare Your works to the next and will proclaim Your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:4.

You need to know the Bible because God expects you to teach it to your children. How can you do that if you are not reading and studying the Bible and learning what the Bible says? Do you please God with your words? Check the Bible. Do you please God with your dreams? Check the Bible. Do you please God with your hobbies? Check the Bible. Do you please God with your friendships? Check the Bible. Everything you need to know is in there.

Pray. Dear God, prepare us for the awesome responsibility of being parents, of loving children and teaching them to love You. Prepare our hearts and guide us to know Your word better so we can teach it well to our children and grandchildren.

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He is Your Keeper.

Keeping animals, being a “keeper” as the old-timers called it, means providing food, shelter, and protection for animals.  And as if that were not enough, after dark cowboys on the trail would sing to calm the cattle with their voices.  Keepers love their animals.  Even cattle ranchers develop a fondness for these huge beasts they will one day sell for the table.  We love our horses, dogs, cats, chickens, goats, ducks, rabbits—we’d love lions and bears if they would love us back, right?

And David, the shepherd-king-poet-warrior-songwriter, figured out that the Lord was His Shepherd. And He is.  God feeds you, protects you, shelters you, leads you to clean water, and to pastures filled with green grass. He does everything for you—and on top of that, HE LOVES YOU.  I’ve been working on a list of God’s personal, shepherd-like traits:

He made me in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13

He saw every day of my life before I was ever born. Psalm 139:16.

He examines me every morning. Job 7:17

He does not take His eyes off me. Job 36:7

He numbers my days. Psalm 139:16.

He counts the hairs on my head. Luke 12:7

He counts my steps. Job 31:4.

He establishes my steps and TAKES PLEASURE in my journey, and

He HOLDS MY HAND so I will not be overwhelmed. Psalm 37:23-24.

He HOLDS MY RIGHT HAND. Psalm 73:23.

He knows my thoughts and my words. Psalm 139:2,4.

He SINGS OVER ME, cheers for me, and calms me. Zephaniah 3:17.

He TREASURES my tears in a bottle. Psalm 56:8.

He LONGS for the creature He has made. Job 14:15.

He FULFILLS HIS PURPOSE FOR ME. Psalm 57:2

Today I found another:

“The Lord thinks of me” Psalm 40:17.

He THINKS OF YOU.  Meditate on that.  Is it not enough?  Just to know God is thinking about you?  Wow.

God, thank you for your incredible love for us. Help us to remember every day HOW VERY MUCH WE ARE LOVED!

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Your Mind is a Garden.

YOU are the gardener. Pull up the weeds—the bad thoughts, and PLANT good, BIBLICAL thoughts.

You will reap what you sow, that is, you will harvest what you plant. So plant God’s truth in your mind, so that you will harvest a great future with God. Here are some thoughts to plant in your mind:

1. I am in God’s Story. It is not ABOUT me, but I am in His Story. We are invited to join Him in His adventure.

2. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139. He knows what He is doing in me. His work making me is awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping! His work inspires WONDER. I am a unique picture of God. I bear His image! 

3. My life has PURPOSE. The Maker had a reason for making me! I am not random, or expendable! God put me here for a noble, Godly purpose. I am here to show His glory.

4. The Cross has the Final Word. Jesus looks at the sin and destruction in your life, your need for salvation, and says “IT IS FINISHED.” God is GOOD, and God is TRUSTWORTHY. You are a person of GREAT WORTH to Him.

—We often struggle with thoughts of being UNWORTHY, UNLOVELY, and NOT GOOD ENOUGH. But God says look at the CROSS! God says you are beautiful, worthy, and good!

5. I serve at the pleasure of the KING. He chose ME! Plant that thought in your mind!! Let that seed grow to harvest!

6. Jesus IS LORD! He sits on THE throne, with NO rival. He is the one and only, ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN. And He welcomes us into His presence, where every soul that ever lived will say “He is Lord.”

7. My God turns evil into good. He will cause ALL THINGS to work together for good! Romans 8:28. Is there evil and suffering around you? God will bring GOOD out of that! 

Keep pulling weeds, eradicating bad thoughts and planting good thoughts, and you WILL HARVEST good fruit!

Your mind is a garden. Cultivate it! Fill it with the WORD!

—from Louie Giglio’s sermon “Seven Supernatural Thoughts.”

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