Thursday, July 29, 2004

Wanted - People Who Follow the Rules



Let me set the context for you.



There's a mailing list I'm on locally, that does a great service in letting people share their blessings and needs with one another. If you need an item, you post that need. If you have an item to give away, you post that.



Great idea. Very loving and caring.



But far too loose for some.



I got this email today and I had to share it immediately.



By the way, she wrote the subject in big capital letters, the internet equivalent of shouting at the top of your lungs.



Pay close attention to her email signature.



Please put either WANTED OFFER TAKEN etc. in the subject header.



It is frustrating for those of us on individual e-mails to have to read each one because the title is not written correctly! PLEASE!



Love,

xxxxx (name withheld)

Just another person on this list!



It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing.

It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.

~Mother Teresa~




Uh huh. Anyone else notice the irony creep in when we weren't looking?



Matthew 15:1-3 (Msg)

After that, Pharisees and religion scholars came to Jesus all the way from Jerusalem, criticizing, [2] "Why do your disciples play fast and loose with the rules?"

[3] But Jesus put it right back on them. "Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God's commands?




That's why the person with a living relationship with Christ won't be remembered as one who keeps the rules, but as one who cares.



Faith is love in action. Now go and practice. :)



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.
The Wait



Frank and his wife were cleaning out the attic one day when he came across a ticket from the local shoe repair shop. The date stamped on the ticket showed that it was over eleven years old. They both laughed and tried to remember which of them might have forgotten to pick up a pair of shoes over a decade ago.



"Do you think the shoes will still be in the shop?" Frank asked.



"Not very likely," his wife said.



"It's worth a try," Frank said, pocketing the ticket. He went downstairs,hopped into the car, and drove to the store.



With a straight face, he handed the ticket to the man behind the counter. With a face just as straight, the man said, "Just a minute. I'll have to look for these." He disappeared into a dark corner at the back of the shop.



Two minutes later, the man called out, "Here they are!"



"No kidding?" Frank called back. "That's terrific! Who would have thought they'd still be here after all this time."



The man came back to the counter, empty-handed.



"They'll be ready Thursday," he said calmly.



Do you think Frank was happy with that? I'm guessing not. I'm fairly sure he was expecting the shoes to be ready if they were there at all. The show repairman found a way to turn an amazing discovery into a doubled discouragement. Some people just have a knack for that. They've been known to turn up at church on occasion. :)



Once when I was teaching a group of 1st graders on Sunday nights, I was trying to explain about the people who didn't like what Jesus was doing. No sooner had the word Sadducee come out of my mouth when one little girl shouted (my class control skills weren't the best) "I know one!"



"You know one?"



"I sure do. Mr. Hank* is a Sadducee. He never smiles." *(not his real name)



I did.



Hank was a man who accepted Christ and was serious about his faith, and everything else. Though he was blessed, you'd never have known it. There were times I thought I saw a little black cloud following him around.



Friends, if you're alive when you read this, you've been blessed. If you are eating on a regular basis, you've been blessed. If you have family and friends, you've been blessed. I'd go on but you're saying "I know that."



Great. Now tell your face!



Proverbs 17:22 (Msg)

A cheerful disposition is good for your health;

gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.




If you are finding it hard to make it these days, maybe you are in need of an attitude adjustment. Paul wrote to the Corinthians (and Lord knows they were a mess) and said:



2 Cor. 13:11 (Msg)

And that's about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure.



There's a lot to be said for counting your blessings. It always makes me feel better to remember you as I write these devotionals. You are a blessing, now be one! Don't wait.



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

 

No, But I Saw His Tracks



Sunday was our big VBS celebration extravaganza here, and it was something else! Picture if you will bunches of grinning, hopping, spinning, singing kids, aided and abetted by lots of New Hope's adults. Watch as confetti is shot into the air. Be spellbound as the youth do a skit that was both funny and serious at the same time. And pay careful attention to that guy at the end in the Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes, after all, he's the pastor.



We had quite a few visitors here, and one pair took all the happenings in and replied in answer to a question of "How did you like New Hope?" with "It sure is different. I can see why our granddaughter loves to come here."



It was different.



You could look at the service and point out that we didn't sing a hymn until the very end, when an extended invitation that began with "Grace Flows Down" morphed into "Amazing Grace."



You could point out that the offering wasn't collected, but placed into a box.



You could say that the style was too exuberant, too casual, that you couldn't see Jesus doing that. Granted, I'd have a hard time picturing Jesus singing the "Na, na, na, na" song, but that doesn't mean He wasn't present.



I saw His tracks.



First, there was the chalk outlines of little hands and feet on the sidewalk, with a drawing of a rainbow. I knew someone had told little ones about God's grace.



Then as I was walking to the office this morning, I saw a scrap of paper. That's normal, with the amount of kids we have, I sometimes find scraps of paper out front. Unfolding it though, I saw scribbling words like a little boy or girl would write. It said "Jesus Loves Me!" and had a heart beside it.



Yes, He does, and yes, He was here - I saw His tracks.



Tonight as we cleaned up the glitter, and removed the last traces of VBS 2004, I had to pop in and remind you of how God furnishes His house.



Matthew 21:16 (Msg)      "Do you hear what these children are saying?"    Jesus said, "Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, 'From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?"

 

New Hope was a place of praise on Sunday, as Jesus saw His children celebrate His name. Did I see Him? No, but I saw His tracks.



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Playing Marbles With Diamonds



Luke 12:34 (Msg)      It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. 



High up among the mountains of western Brazil sits the city of Ouro Preto. When the Portuguese first came to Brazil, the town mushroomed because of the gold ore found nearby. Once that played out, it went back to its sleepy small town existence.



One day a man from Lisbon, a mining engineer, came into town.  Stepping off his horse in the town square, he allowed the animal to drink his fill of water from the central plaza's fountain, a remnant of the earlier glory days.



He happened to notice some children playing nearby, and wandered over to ask where to get a bite to eat. The kids were playing a spirited game of marbles and as he walked up, one flew out of the circle and rolled to a stop at his feet.



Picking it up, he thought he saw something in the smooth stone. He rubbed it against his clothing for a moment or two, and what he saw changed his life. The children, poor and ragged like the town they lived in, were playing marbles with diamonds.



We're in America, not Brazil. Our children for the most part aren't ragged, or poor, and neither are we. Our access to almost everything that we could want is unparalleled in the history of man.



Freedom? We have more of that precious commodity than anyone who has ever lived. But what's happened is we've taken all the precious gifts given us and used them for our own selfish pleasure. In our own way we're playing marbles with diamonds too.



Friend, look at the indicators of where your life's priorities are - your checkbook, your calendar, your relationships with people, your relationship with God.



I've spent some time in our VBS "town square" this week, and too many of the richest kids in the world are poor in the things of the Spirit. We're doing everything we can as a church to help them understand what a priceless gift God's love through Jesus Christ is, but nothing would make more of an impact than a mommy or daddy, aunt or uncle, grandmother or granddaddy, teacher, librarian, fireman or friend in love with Jesus Christ.



Make a decision. Live the life.



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Misplaced Boundaries

 

It was the last day of my summer job before I was off to college. Let's be kind and say I was in a frivolous mood. (we could turn hard and say I was a jerk)

 

Having spent the morning unloading bags of concrete, the early afternoon cutting concrete pipe with a pick, and now having finished digging a ditch with a shovel, I was tired too. Then my eyes saw them - stakes with brightly colored ribbons on them, where the surveyors had just finished laying out the confines of another building's foundation.

 

Something within me saw that as an opportunity to thumb my nose at my bosses, and have some fun too. So I went over and carefully moved each stake. Not a whole lot, maybe a foot here or there. And I was careful to not leave evidence of what had happened.

 

I went off to school, came back the next summer to the same construction area. But this time I didn't get a job with the construction crew. No, this time I was hired by Gostin Surveying.

 

Yep. Same folks.

 

As the summer went by, I learned a lot about the science of surveying. How precise it had to be, how trusted the surveyor was, and how everything depended on his ability to trust old, sometimes in the eyes of an 18 year old, ancient, boundary markers.

 

You could say my perspective changed.

 

The last day of the summer, I summoned up enough courage to tell Mr. Lester what I had done. To my great relief, he laughed for a good minute and finally told me "we spotted it the next day. Once you know what's right, where the boundaries are, you just know."

 

Folks, the next time you meet someone whose not a believer in Jesus, think about this story.

 

They've heard so many times, seen so many times - the "Christians" around them not living up to their Master's standards that they sometimes break those standards too, just because they want to prove no one will ever lay down a boundary around their life. 



Then love breaks through.



Acts 3:26 (Msg)   But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, \nfrom your evil ways."



As they become believers, meet Jesus and understand how His love and sacrifice didn't draw those lines until He first laid His life on the line for them, and everything changes.



They live to please God, to obey His Word, not because they are afraid of Him, but because they see life - their life, through His eyes. Friends, the best way you can help your neighbor home is by being true in your own walk with Jesus. Earn the right to be heard by your actions, and once the door opens, tell them about Jesus.



Grace!



David





Tuesday, July 20, 2004

The Church of Perpetual VBS

 

Okay, so everyone whose currently working in our VBS has just suffered a massive coronary... but those of you who have completed yours a while ago ought to be over it enough by now to at least smile. And those of you who haven't been in VBS for years need to hear this too.

 

Church should always be like VBS.

 

Philip. 4:4 (Msg)      Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!

 

VBS is when the church is more biblical than any other time of the year. Why?

 

Everybody's welcome.

Dress doesn't matter.

You're expected to have fun - if you don't, we failed.

You're expected to learn things about God you'll remember forever.

You'll have an opportunity to sing songs that make you move - in heart and body.

 

Psalm 32:11 (Msg)      Celebrate God.        Sing together—everyone!        All you honest hearts, raise the roof! 



And everyone you meet that's serving as a host, teacher, cook, or leader is there doing whatever they do for one reason - to help you find God, learn about God, and love God just like they do.

 

2 Cor. 13:9 (Msg)      We don't just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.



VBS is when people go the extra mile, do the silly dances, sing the new songs, give the hugs, laugh the loudest, enjoying being Jesus' arms around the children He so loves.

 

That's why kids love it, and why VBS is the single biggest way they begin their walk with Christ.

 

Church should always be like VBS. It can be - come and see!

 

 

Grace!

 

David

(BTW, our VBS continues Wed. night and finishes with an explosion Sunday morning!)

 

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Follow The Moose Tracks



I may be on a continuous effort to stay fairly slim and trim, but that doesn't mean I don't keep up with the latest advances in the food industry. It seems as if on almost a weekly basis, new products pop up that I never thought of. They're mostly convenience foods now, but desserts also have really expanded in recent years.



Moose tracks ice cream is one of those expanded offerings that will expand you too if you don't limit your intake of it. It's great, and the story of who invented them and what they've done with their success might lead you straight to God.



Wally and June Blume have been Christians most of their lives. They served their God in their local church, giving of their time, talents and money to help God's kingdom grow. But when Wally came up with the unique ice cream called Moose Tracks, everything accelerated. For some people, when success comes, their attention and dedication to God's business declines. Not for Wally and June - just the opposite, for they are convinced it is just their faithfulness that God rewarded with their successful business growth.



You might say they are living a dream, but what they are really living out is obedience.



Col. 3:17 (Msg)

Let every detail in your lives words, actions, whatever be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.



That's exactly what Wally and June have done, and what we each can do, regardless of what work we find ourselves doing, or what people we find ourselves with.



So live for God and pass the moose tracks folks. :)



Grace!



David



PS - Oh and look out for two new flavors in the freezer case - Tootsie Roll and Tootsie Pop ice cream. Wally's been busy. :)



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Thursday, July 08, 2004

And another thing...



A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counseling came up.



"Oh, we'll never need that. My husband and I have a great relationship," the wife explained.



"He was a communications major in college and I majored in theater arts."



"He communicates real well and I just act like I'm listening."



Go ahead and smile, it'll do you good.



Too many times people treat each other badly, in a misguided attempt to exercise control over the other. Perhaps the ultimate is the "last word syndrome." Counselors will tell of people who left their offices trying to get in the very last word. Reminds me of the "did not", "did too" of childhood.



That's supposed to die out as you mature. But now, it doesn't have to. You can have the last word, even if you are dead. Or can you?



A California man has come up with a new device that will allow people to record digital video messages which may be viewed by visitors to their gravesite. The playback would either be via remote control through infrared or sonic triggers, or with the use of a swipe card affixed to the device. That way a person could let people know what they wanted to say but couldn't, or they could add something else as in "and another thing I always wanted to tell you was..."



Uh huh.



Proverbs 16:1 (Msg)

Mortals make elaborate plans,

but God has the last word.




Whatever you've done here with the time God has given you is what will really be remembered as what mattered.



Have you loved God with everything you've got?

Have you loved your neighbor as much and as well as you've loved yourself?

Have you lived up to what Jesus has done for you by seeking to obey His principles for life?



Those acts, multiplied over a lifetime, far surpass any recording you could do. And those you minister to will pass that love along. Folks, that message will be heard in all the right places.



Start living for eternity today.



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Wednesday, July 07, 2004

The Worst Book



While I was at our local library yesterday, I picked up a book filled with the worst. The idea behind it was to prepare people for the worst thing that can happen to them. Now that I've read it, I no longer have to worry about what I'll do if:



- I have to jump from a bridge into a river.

- I have to deal with army ants

- I'm in a car dangling over a cliff and need to escape.

- I've decided to jump from a building into a dumpster

- I need to jump from a moving train.

- I'm attacked by leeches, or sharks, or killer bees, or alligators

- I fall into quicksand, or a cesspool, or frigid water

- I need to bribe a foreign official, deal with UFOs or charging bulls



These are just a few of the worst case scenarios the book tries to prepare you for. But even though they have given the reader an exhaustive list of what to do if your life may be in danger, they left out the biggest dangers and the best way out.



The biggest danger anyone can ever face is life without God, followed by death without God.



Job 27:1 (Msg) ".... What hope do people without God have when life is cut short?

when God puts an end to life?....




They don't have any hope. But God has provided for everything. The best way out?



1 John 4:9 (Msg)

This is how God showed His love for us: God sent His only Son into the world so we might live through Him.



All anyone needs to do is embrace God's love through Jesus Christ, His Son.



The writers of the "Worst Case Scenario" must have spent days thinking up the worst things that could happen to someone. You've got your own list I'm pretty sure. Just know this friends, in the words of the song, "Can't nobody love you like Jesus."



Open the book filled with the best love ever today. Let His love flow into your heart and through you to others.



Ephes. 5:2 (Msg)

Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.



Tuesday, July 06, 2004

"Know It All's"



Our friendly neighborhood UPS man just brought me a present from a book publisher. Looking at the cover, I can see that it has a foreword by Dr. Charles F. Stanley, an attempted depiction of Michaelangelo's Sistine chapel painting of God and man reaching for each other, and a blurb promising great things. "The 40 Day health experience that will change your life forever!"



I don't think I'll read it.



After all, I know diets. I've personally lost enough weight to equal that of a 3rd grader - at least a couple of times.



And I've seen Charles Stanley on TV. He doesn't need to lose any weight. So how would he know anything about it?



Then there's that picture. I think God's arm was bigger in the real one, and Adam's was much rougher looking.



If they had just come to me before they made all these errors. Nope. No need to read that book. Oh, but wait - didn't I just read something about people who think that way?



Proverbs 28:26 (Msg)

If you think you know it all, you're a fool for sure;

real survivors learn wisdom from others.




Oops....



Obviously, there is a danger in assuming that our own personal experience is the standard by which all truth should be measured. Just because we've had some exposure to what an author has written on, doesn't give us the ability or discernment to decide it is worthless and unworthy.



We all need to learn, to grow, to change. We all have varied experiences. Don't let your prideful tendency to value what you have experienced rob you of something that might literally change your life. I don't know whether this book will or not, until I read it.



And you won't know whether God's Word can change your life either, unless you read its Truth and apply it to your life. To place your experience over the Bible's Truth isn't only foolish, it's a sin. Don't make that mistake.



Make today one to remember. Learn more about God. Then apply that knowledge to your life.



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Friday, July 02, 2004

America and me



America and me go way back.



My first memory of real pride in being an American was our seventh grade graduation ceremony, at Union Elementary in Macon, Georgia. It was a small school on the then outskirts of a growing city, with two seventh grade classes totaling maybe 40 children.



We had practiced our parts for weeks. One girl was to lead everyone in the pledge of allegiance, another boy recited the declaration of independence from memory. My part was to recite the preamble to the Constitution. Once I got through that, I could breathe.



I remember vividly to this day singing with my fellow graduates,



"This is my country, land of my birth.

This is my country, greatest on earth.

I pledge thee my allegiance, America, the bold.

For this is my country, to have and to hold."


This is my country.



We sang a part of that song when I graduated that might not be sung today, as our nation struggles with what to do about God. It went like this:



With hand upon heart I thank the Lord For this my native land,

For all I love is here within her gates.

My soul is rooted deeply in the soil on which I stand,

For these are my own United States.




It was a different nation then. Some things were wrong, and needed to be changed. Others were right, and needed to be preserved. We've finally lived up to our "created equal" boast, but left our Creator behind. The Bible points us to truth when it says:



Proverbs 14:34 (Msg)

God-devotion makes a country strong;

God-avoidance leaves people weak.




This 4th of July, we are going to celebrate America. But if we fail to worship the One Who gave us our real freedom - everyday - we will have missed more than the point of this devotional.



May God bless the United States of America.



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Thursday, July 01, 2004

Where Would Jesus Eat?



My friend and fellow preacher-creature Arnold Hendrix was back in town for his home church's 50th anniversary celebration this weekend. We went to the local diner at lunch to enjoy each other's company and some good food.



As we left, Arnold (an actual native Floridian) asked the proprietor about someone. "Does ___ still come in every morning?" "Oh yes, she said, about 8."



"Well what about _____?"



"He's a little later, about nine. You know we have two waves - the early one, mostly retirees, and the late one."



Arnold thought of another person and asked, "What about old ___.? He's been coming here 20 years and still thinks he's one of the new kids."



She turned and looked over her shoulder, "he was right there today. We were teasing him about coming here so often. He gave it right back though, said he might stop coming here, since he could get that sort of aggravation at home."



Her smile wasn't that of a businessperson who's running a money-making enterprise. It was that of a friend. Her customers were her friends and family, and unfortunately if nothing changes, in about a month Doris' Diner will close to make way for a wider highway. They call that progress, but I'm not convinced.



Years from now, people will ask, wasn't that where Doris' place used to be? And they'll remember fondly for a while - not the food (though it's excellent), but the fellowship. People knew each other there. It's exactly the kind of place Jesus would have loved.



Friends, that's a lot like a place Jesus does love - and how that place, His church, should be.



Like the diner, people come from everywhere, all walks of life to be fed the Word of God. They receive nourishment for their souls, and are strengthened. But more than that, they become family, adopted by God, and embraced by His people - in a place where people matter - where everybody knows your name.



Some think a successful church has great programs.

Some think a successful church has great music.

Some think great preaching carries the day.

Some think a successful church has the right denominational banner on its masthead.



But Jesus said that the world would spot the church right away - it would the one that had followed His plan.



So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:34-35 (NLT)



It's a shame Doris' has to close. If we could get some good preaching and some praise and worship in there, they'd have a head start on a bunch of churches. It's for sure they'd win the covered dish Olympics hands down.



But their claim to fame as far as I'm concerned is relationships, and those last, even if the diner won't. We know the church will endure to the last, but it ought not take endurance to keep it together.



Make sure yours is working hard on loving each other. That's the Jesus way.



Grace!



David



This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.