Daily Light - September 17, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"For even His brothers did not believe in Him."

John 7:5

"You just think that you're so good!" "Well, excuse me, Ms. Spiritual!" "You are so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good!" "Just because you are a Christian and go to church that doesn't make you better than me!"

Do any of those quotes sound familiar? It is often very difficult to be a believer in a world full of people that castigate you for your faith. Your trust in God is sincere, and you recognize better than any one else that it is only by God's grace that you have been accepted by Him. Your desire isn't to be an elitist. You want each and every person to know the joy of being a follower of Christ. It is so strange that we have to realize our sinfulness and imperfection to come to Christ, but once we do every one accuses us of thinking that we are perfect.

The toughest thing about those verbal barbs that are tossed our way is that they are usually said by people that we love and are very close to. If these comments came from complete strangers, we would probably ignore them entirely because they do not really know us. However, when it comes from people that do know us, it makes it so tough to hear and to live with. So how do you handle it? How do you reply to these hurtful and stinging remarks?

First, realize that Jesus knows exactly how you feel. Even His own brothers did not believe that He was the Messiah. I have to say here that it would be difficult for any of us to believe that one of our siblings was the Messiah. Can you imagine them hearing Mary say, "Why can't you be more like Jesus?" Hello! He's Jesus! Seriously, Jesus lived His own life being denied by every one that He was close to. One of His disciples would betray Him. The unspoken leader of the twelve would deny Him three times in His presence. The rest of them would abandon Him in His greatest hour of need. When you feel the pain of others' doubt and accusations of self-righteousness, realize that Jesus knows how you feel, and He is there to comfort you.

Second, keep living like Christ in front of those that would accuse. You may argue, "But that is exactly what they don't like about me!" Two verses after the above text Jesus acknowledges that the world hates Him. He later tells His disciples that the reason that the world hates them is because they hated Him first. You are really not the object of people's ridicule. They don't mind you so much. It is Jesus that they cannot stand. Your consistency of walk and example will allow the Holy Spirit's work to continue in that loved one's heart. They will learn as much by your walk as they will your word.

Here is the big question? Will this life of consistency work even with my closest loved ones? I cannot see the future, but I can give you encouragement from the Word. There are two small letters written toward the end of the Bible by James and Jude. Guess what? These men are commonly accepted as Jesus' brothers.

May you live like Jesus today!

Daily Light - September 16, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.

And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."

Genesis 4:7

Adam and Eve never imagined that their disobedience would bring them to this. There they stood over the dead body of their second son. Their oldest son Cain had now fled from their presence, and they were left in despair. It didn't have to be this way, but sin is a powerful force when man submits his heart to its lust. Cain had received a sinful nature by blood. This nature has been passed to all men since the fall in the Garden of Eden. It is a powerful force against the hearts of man, but we must understand that it is no match against the power and righteousness of God.

Cain and Abel had returned from offering their sacrifices to God. Both of them brought the best that they had, but only one of them brought what God required. Cain thought his fruits and vegetables should be pleasing to God, but God rejected his offering. This made Cain bitter, and as we all know bitterness kills. God knew Cain's heart and spoke to him about his condition. It was not a difficult thing that Cain needed to do in order to be right with God. He just simply needed to be obedient. How true that is for us as well! It is not difficult to do right, but it is against this nature that we battle each day. We must simply submit our will to the will of the Father. Like Cain we want to do things our way, but our way is not the path of obedience. Our way leads only to bitterness, hurt, anger, and even death.

God warned Cain that if he decided to go his own way that sin would surely lie at the door. If we do not submit to the will of God, sin is ready and willing to take hold of our lives. There are no games that should be played with evil. Satan does not fight fairly. He fights to win and to destroy. In our society and even in our churches we see the wreckage of those that chose their own path. There are ruined marriages, embittered hearts, wasted lives, and empty souls that are a direct result of sin. I can almost hear the Father pleading with His creation to simply look up and be obedient to His voice. To not obey is to choose our destruction by the hands of the enemy.

God told Cain that sin desires him. What a powerful thought that is! Sin desires your life. It desires to eat you alive from the inside out. It desires to take away every thing beautiful that God has in store for those who love Him and live for Him. When God created Adam and Eve, He told them that they should have dominion over all things. It was never meant for sin to dominate the lives of man, but man gave up his dominion when he submitted himself to evil. The words of James powerfully remind us, "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." If you are a child of God, you were given the power of the Holy Spirit to rule and reign. Do not become a servant of sin, but surrender your life to Christ so that you may live in the joy of spiritual dominion.

May you live today in the power of Christ!

Daily Light - September 15, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"These who have turned the world upside down have come here too."

Acts 17:6

In the early days of Jesus' ministry, He chose 12 men to follow Him as His inner circle. They were many that followed Jesus on a regular basis. We are told in John 6 that after some difficult teaching some of Jesus' disciples left Him and followed Him no more. None of those that left were part of the 12. Even after Christ's ascension there were about 120 in the upper room waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. The 12 were not alone, but they were hand picked to personally learn from Jesus so that they might carry out the ministry after His death, resurrection, and ascension.

It is obvious with just a small amount of study that none of these men were perfect. Each of them had their own flaws. Of course, we know that Judas was known by Christ as the betrayer from the beginning, and he was eventually replaced by Matthias. When we look at some of the others, we see their flaws front and center. We often refer to Thomas as doubting Thomas. Peter often spoke before he thought. James and John wanted to be the greatest in the kingdom at the expense of every one else. It is clear that each of them were normal men with their own personalities and their own set of issues. However, when we come to the book of Acts, something miraculous happens. This group of normal misfits is credited with turning the world upside down. They have turned over the apple cart of man's religion and are powerfully teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thousands are being saved and professing that the executed "criminal" Jesus is their Messiah. People who fearfully once filled the synagogues are now boldly preaching in the streets. In a society where people once questioned who their neighbor was, men and women are sharing of their resources with complete strangers. The 12 who once hid in an upper room for fear of their lives are now standing before magistrates boldly proclaiming Jesus at the risk of death.

There are two things that are pointed out in Scripture for this miraculous transformation. First, these believers are now indwelled by the Holy Spirit. They are doing none of these things apart from the power of the often forgotten member of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit has confirmed to them the teachings of Jesus, and He is empowering them to stand boldly as sheep in the midst of wolves. So many times we think that living this Christian life and proclaiming Jesus is all up to us. It is only when we put our lives in subjection to the Holy Spirit's power that we will be able to do great and mighty things for the kingdom of God. Second, these believers determined to daily walk with Jesus. On one particular occasion the disciples were arrested and brought before the council. The council determined that they were unlearned and ignorant men, but there assessment did not stop there. They also determined that these men had been with Jesus. How fabulous it would be if we walked so closely to Jesus that it would be noticeable even to the lost world! There is a great need for us today to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the fellowship of Christ.

May you determine to live according to the example of Jesus' disciples!

Daily Light - September 14, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?'

Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'"

Isaiah 6:8

While in Haiti I met so many people with such incredible stories of God's amazing grace. There were multiple people that had a testimony of being delivered from demon possession. Several could testify of how God had given them hope in the face of tragedy. It was truly inspiring and heart stirring. The most powerful testimony came from missionary Richard Turner.

If you met Pastor Turner, there would be nothing on the outside to impress you. He is a fairly normal looking individual, a mountain man from the south without any teeth. He doesn't impress you with his charisma or his oratory skills. He is for the lack of a better word fairly simple. It is when you get to know the faith of this man that your heart is incredibly moved. In 1992 God called Pastor Turner to the mission field of Haiti. He was in his 50's and was set up to be able to retire quite comfortably. As a business man he had been quite successful, and God had also used him in several areas of ministry. It was time now for him to spend his "golden years" with his precious wife Wilma and their grandchildren. However, as He often does, God had a different set of plans. He knew that the hearts of Richard and Wilma were exactly what He needed in the difficult field of Haiti.

I could not in this space begin to tell you the entire story of their service in Haiti, but a couple of things stand out that all of us need to consider. First, they most definitely had a call of God on their lives to go and minister to souls. I am convinced that to go to Haiti or any other mission field without a call on your life is one way to commit spiritual and physical suicide. The Turners did not make an emotional and irrational decision to go. They were convinced of the Lord that this is where He wanted to them. When we are convinced that God is calling us, we must choose wholeheartedly to follow that call. There have been difficult and life-threatening days for the Turners, but God has taken care of them according to His will. Second, the Turners heard the call of God on their lives, because they were listening for it. Before the call ever came, they had surrendered to God to do whatever He called them to. With their spiritual ears now open, they were able to heed to God's will and direction for their lives. Most of us miss God's call on our lives, because we are listening to other voices. We may be listening to the voices of loved ones or even the voice of our own will. Only when we are still and focused on the voice of God will we be able to hear Him and hear the direction that He would have us go.

One of the verses that Pastor Turner claims for his calling to Haiti is Isaiah 58:14 which says, "The mouth of the Lord has spoken." When God is speaking, it is imperative that we listen and obey. There will be many that stand before our Savior at His throne in Heaven, but I believe people like the Turners will be allowed to stand close to the Savior and rule in positions of power with Him. Pastor and Sister Turner were once people of great wealth and means as far as this earth is concerned, but today they would be considered paupers by the world's standards. They are the fulfillment of the Scriptures that say that those who become the least will be the greatest in the kingdom of God.

May you be humble enough to listen for the voice of God!

Daily Light - September 13, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man

the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

1 Corinthians 2:9

It is good to be home, and I want to thank each of you that prayed for me while I was in Haiti. It is such a unique place, and God worked so incredibly in the nightly crusades and the daily VBS classes. We were in the more mountainous plateau areas of the country, and it was a privilege to minister among these precious people. We had over 800 in classes each day and over 1,200 at night for the crusade type services. During the week there were a recorded 135 people that came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. We rejoice with the angels in heaven over these lives that have been transformed for the glory of God. Words cannot begin to describe all that God has done in my heart over the last week, but I am thankful that the Spirit of God still moves so strongly among His people.

The area in which we were would be classified as very rural. One church that we went to was about a two hour hike one way from the main road. These people lived in conditions that were beyond what we think of as poverty. They make the best with what they have, but what they have is not much. At the main mission where we held all the services, the people came there to stay and sleep in whatever shelter they could find for the whole week. They were given two meals a day which is more than most of them eat on a regular basis. My children wake up wondering what they are going to have for supper that night. These children and adults wake up wondering if they are going to eat that day.

I could go on and on in describing their poverty, but that would leave you with the sense that these are desperate and discouraged people. The truth is far from that. While they may have nothing of physical worth, they are truly the richest people that I have ever known. They are rich in faith, because they wholeheartedly serve Jesus Christ and claim Him as their own. Their worship and prayer is as genuine as one can fathom. They lay their hearts open before God with absolutely nothing held back. It is so refreshing to be in such an atmosphere.

I had the privilege of teaching different age groups each day through an interpreter. One particular day I had the 11-14 year olds. During my lesson I spoke of Heaven and what a thrill it is to know that God is preparing a place for us. During the question and answer time I asked them what they thought would be there. The first answer was that there would be no hell. I thought maybe they didn't understand the question so I asked it a different way. The answers then begin to come: Jesus, love, joy, peace, etc. Not one of those young people mentioned a tangible thing as we often do when describing heaven. We always speak of streets of gold, mansions, and other physical things. These people have no thought of the physical things to cloud their view of the spiritual. I discussed this with Pastor Turner who is the American missionary that heads up the mission. (I will tell you more about him later.) With tears in both of our eyes we spoke of looking forward to the day that we could watch some of these Haitian people enter into the presence of God in glory. To see the joy on their faces as they stand in awe of what God has prepared for them will truly be an amazing moment.

May you live with your only desire being Jesus!

Daily Light - September 2, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"Children are a heritage from the Lord...Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them."

Psalm 127:3,5

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing."

Proverbs 18:22

I have learned so much about life having been given the privilege and blessing to be a husband and a father. When I try to imagine what my life would be like if it were not for the five precious people that God has allowed into my life, there is a foreboding cloud of fear and depression that sweeps over me. I am so thankful that God has blessed me and entrusted me with these relationships.

In Proverbs Solomon spent a great amount of time warning his son to avoid the strange or contentious woman. He stressed to him the importance of that great relationship called marriage. God has not called all of us to marry, but for those of us that He has, we must see the blessing, privilege, and responsibility with this call. Over 16 years ago I entered into this covenant with my best friend. Even though I was in ministry at that time, I was as far from God in my heart as I could be. I had learned well the legalistic and hypocritical idea of holiness. Every area of my life was suffering, especially my marriage. There were honestly days that I thought for sure that my wife would eventually walk away, and I wouldn't have blamed her. However, one day I entered the room and noticed her reading a book. Later I found the book and saw it was entitled "The Power of a Praying Wife". In my damaged spiritual state I experienced two emotions: anger (that she thought I needed so much prayer) and conviction (because I knew how much I needed prayer). Today, I am a living testimony of the fact that prayer works and that a man who finds a Godly wife finds a good thing (that which is honorable - it sounds strange to call a spouse a thing). Could I please encourage every spouse to spend great amounts of time in prayer for your husband or wife? You cannot change them, but God in Heaven can.

A quiver is the tool that is used to hold the arrows of a hunter or soldier. The Bible tells us that a happy father is one that has his quiver full of children, and that they are his legacy. The arrows in this hunter's quiver are very precious to him. For many centuries each arrow was handcrafted by the hunter or soldier. He spent an incredible amount of time to make sure that they flew just right. The head had to be shaped to certain specifications. It was important to make sure that they were straight and did not warp. These arrows were so precious that after they were shot they would be sought out in order to be returned to the quiver. At some point however, when a shot had to be made at quite a distance, the hunter would have to make a conscious decision to let that arrow go and fly for the purpose for which it was created. I am personally thankful for the little arrows that God has put into my quiver. He is giving me the privilege of shaping four precious lives. Like arrows, each one of them is distinctly different. I realize the magnitude of my responsibility as a father to these impressionable souls, and I desire greatly for them to fly straight for the glory of God. There will come a day when I will lift my bow toward the unknown and let them fly into the purposes for which God created them. If you have children, I know that there can be great burdens in being a parent. However, see beyond the burden and recognize the blessing. God has entrusted you with a precious gift. Shape them for Christ's sake so that they may fly to Jesus!

To my dear family: Susan, Julianna, Dianna, Michael and Jordan, I love you with all of my heart!

May your family be God's family today!

Daily Light - September 1, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You."

Psalm 56:3

This verse has been used numerous times by loving parents trying to comfort their children. Being a father of four children, I know all about the fears of little ones. Our youngest, Jordan, is one of those little guys who has his own set of fears. For years he was very afraid of swimming. He didn't mind the water, but he did not like the helpless feeling of floating in it. He would hang on to the ladder of our pool for dear life. Today, that fear has been conquered, and he swims like a fish. Recently a large dog in our neighborhood chased him down the street, so you can now add that to his list of fears as well. He's afraid to go to the mailbox by himself now, because he just knows at any moment that dog is coming. The one fear that he shares with many other children is the dark. I have tried every thing possible to get him to see that there is nothing to be afraid of, but he's not buying it. He won't even walk into a dark room to turn on the light switch. You always know when Jordan went to the back of the house by himself, because the whole house is lit up like a Christmas tree. One day I took him into his room when it was completely dark and held his hand. I explained to him that although he couldn't see any thing that there was nothing in there that was going to hurt him. I am pretty sure that he didn't believe me. So, I told him to watch as I turned on the light. When the light came on, everything was as it should be and completely safe. I explained to him that even if we can't see what is around us there is no need to fear what does not exist.

That is a pretty good lesson for all of us "big kids" too. Let's be honest. Every one of us has fears that rival Jordan's. Perhaps it is not the dark, or water, or big dogs (okay, some of us have that one), but we all have some anxieties that shake us to our very core. Some of you fear that you will not be a successful parent. Others fear that they have made wrong career decisions and are wasting their lives. Many couples see the rampant rise of divorce in our society and worry about the stability of their own marriage. After thinking of all of that, most of us would trade being afraid of the dark any day over those things. Many of these fears have to be confronted face to face.

I remember going into that dark room with Jordan and holding onto him. I noticed that as long as he was with me that he could face the darkness. Somehow in his mind I was more powerful than any thing that the darkness had in store for him. Think about that for just a second. Isn't that what the psalmist was saying in this verse? We will all face fears, but we do not have to ever face them alone. Whenever we stand in the darkness of our fears, all that we need to do is reach out and take hold of the hand of God. When I have Him by my side, I know that He is more powerful than any thing that the darkness has in store for me. He did not put a spirit of fear in me. No, with Him as my confidence I am able to have a spirit of power that shines light on any amount of darkness. We are all going to be afraid at times, but these moments are the greatest opportunities for us to demonstrate complete trust in God.

May you stand face to face with darkness holding onto God today!