Perception

Luke 4:16-30

My first boss in the Electrical Markets Division of 3M was Don Norris and one of his favorite lines was the bed you made is the one you have to lie in, or another of his lines was your past performance or mistakes will be the way others perceive you.  It was 25 years before I went to a High School reunion and many who came up to me addressed me as if we were still in High School, they called me Bobby they talked about many things that I was hoping no one would recall, and few ask about my family, my career, or even who or what I had become since High School.  To some it seemed as if High School was the pinnacle of their lives, but as I reflect back, I did not take advantage of the knowledge offered and preparing myself for the future.

What a contrast to the life of Jesus, in that Scripture tells us He found favor with both God and man and now He has publicly began His ministry and returns to his home.  The custom was to be in the synagogue on the Sabbath day and Jesus stood and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him and He began reading: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

In verse 20 we read that Jesus rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  Now who else is in the audience?  Jesus brothers and Mary and maybe Joseph, and the kids who he had played with and gone to school with, and their families, these folks knew Jesus and all was good.  In fact, the last part of verse 20 tells us all eyes were fixed on Jesus.  Returning to verse 21 and 22, “And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?”  It is all-good, but Jesus being God knows what is in the heart of man, He knew what was going on in their mind and hearts and now the rest of the story beginning in verse 23, and he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.”

Jesus just passed through this crowd of people that wanted to kill him, now is that not a great example of religion, it always wants to kill anyone with a different view.  But you will not find anywhere in Jesus’ teachings to do harm to your enemies, but to pray for them and do good things for them, because that is what followers of Christ do. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

I choose to believe God

Genesis 6:1-6

If you are anything like me, often you do not find the answer to questions that enter into your mind while reading the Bible; three of the six verses we are looking at today fall into that category.  This is what I do when that happens; by faith I choose to believe God and know that He will reveal what I need to understand. 

It is verse three that needs little illumination, “Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever; because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”  Man is going from having children at 500 years old, to the example that is recorded in verse 32 of chapter five, and now man’s days are being cut to 120 years of age.  What has happened with God’s creation to cause such a drastic change?  Verse one gives us a small clue, “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”  Are you saying more women and the place goes south, in no way would I imply such a thing, these “sons of God” that are being referred as taking wives for themselves, and the problem may be in the statement, “whomever they choose.”  I do not have any insight about who are the “sons of God,” and I’m sure that if you are interested someone has an opinion on the subject.

When we read verse five it gives clarity to why God has chosen to shorten the life of mankind; “Then the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of the heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”  It should not be hard for any of us to identify with the heart of God as we read this verse most of us have witnessed the destructive action of someone we love.  Those actions can be traced back to an independent spirit that rebels against authority and says in their heart, “I will do it my way” even though there are many warning them to not travel that path. 

The very wise king Solomon gave this advice in Ecclesiastes, that the wise, the fool, the righteous, the wicked, the rich and the poor all have one thing in common; they will die and return to dust.  In Ecclesiastes 12:7, we are given this insight; “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”  Do you recall that all of us were created in the image of God, and what is that image?   God is Spirit and all who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.  So the real us returns to God, and it is a wise person who gives heed to Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

I Joined another Army

1Peter 5:1-9

I’ve been told that a person shows his age by where his thoughts go to; mine keep going back to my time in the United States Army.  The army spent an enormous amount of time on training.  We were never taught to fear our enemy, but to understand his habits, his ability, his weapons, and his tactics. 

At the age of 27, I joined another army, a vast army, an army that did not send me to boot camp, that had no formal training, and does not wear a uniform that can be seen by those whom you live with and around, but can be seen by angels and demons.  Yes, I joined the Army of Jesus Christ; I joined it by faith and by the grace that God showed me. 

I did not understand all that took place in my life that night in Victoria, Texas, in my hotel room, but that night when Jesus came into my life by faith in what He had done for me, I became part of His vast Army.  Many years later I came across this song by Isaac Watts, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?”

1.  Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb?  And shall I fear to own His cause, or blush to speak His name?

2.  Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease, while others fought to win the prize, and sailed through bloody seas?

3.  Are there no foes for me to face?  Must I not stem the flood?  Is this vile world a friend to grace, to help me on to God?

4.  Sure I must fight, if I would reign; in crease my courage, Lord; I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy word.

At 27 years of age I had no clue about what I had joined, no clue and for many years my identity was in the old Bob, in the world, and in fear of both God and man.  Yes, I was afraid to own His cause and often blushed to speak His name outside of the church building.  This song nailed me, but God was kind and gracious to send many men to disciple me and put me under many great teachers and preachers of His holy word.

So today I began reading in 1Peter 5 where Paul exhorting the elders to, “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”  I began to reflect back on the Pastors and teachers, the faithful men like Carroll Ray, T W Hunt, Jack Archer, Ken Ryan, Greg Hood and John Davis.  Pastors who made the word come alive to me; Harlan Caton was the first and his life and teaching has shaped me and given me an understanding of my place in this vast Army of Jesus Christ.  I must also mention Larry York a great man of prayer and faith, a pastor whose life is an example of leadership and love for those entrusted to his care.  God is faithful, I need men who are leaders, men who live out the verse above, and my pastor Ray Still is that kind of man.

I believe all the above mentioned have one thing in common; they understand, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  My prayer is that you are not like me, that at a very early age you understood your role and assignment in the Christian Army, and that you are faithful to your Commander in Chief.

Peter went on to make this statement, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  We are living in such trying times, what is going to happen to our nation? “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  But Peter goes on with instructions to the Army of Christ; “Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

Isaac Watts asked the question each of us must ask, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com

Christians should be the wisest people on earth

James 1:5-8

Have you ever pondered the fact that Christians should be the wisest people on earth, and if they are not, and I believe we have evidence to support they are not, then we must contemplate on why not?  Shall we begin by asking questions; do Christians believe that the Bible is without fault, without error, and that God is speaking to each of us from His written word?  As a whole, most would tell you they believe that is a true statement and those who believe that it has errors may have the answer to why those who go by the name Christian are not any wiser than those who are non-Christian. 

It may be important to share that one out of ten people in the local church believe that the Bible is full of errors, and I am not in that camp; I’m foolish enough to believe in a God who can keep what He has entrusted to mankind as the manufacturers handbook.  From that perspective shall we look at James 1:5-8, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

After reading verse five only a foolish follower of Christ would not ask for wisdom, and we have this promise that our Father in heaven will give us wisdom in generous proportions.  So what is our problem?  Could it be that we have a faith problem?  That we who claim to believe that our Creator sent His only Son to buy us out of the penalty of sin, are trusting by faith to give us eternal life, cannot trust Him to supply a simple thing like wisdom to live life on planet earth?  My wise friend, Carroll Ray Jr. who is experiencing the fullness of that grace with the Father often said; “Faith is acting like Jesus tells the truth.”  So as I ponder this word from God, I ask more questions, are we just doubters and if so God has spoken clearly in James 1:6-8, that a doubter will not receive anything from the Lord; that they are double-minded and unstable in all their ways.

Not liking that conclusion, it requires more consideration if we are not doubters, then we should be the wisest of all who live on this earth?  Now before you say something stupid like Christians are wise, talk with your pastor about the people who claim the name of Christian who come to his office for council.  Ninety-nine percent of them have made choices that conflict with the basic teaching of the Bible.  They may do it out of ignorance, or they may just be so full of self that they believe that God helps those who help themselves, or they may just be like me, and have a problem submitting and abiding in the truth.  And that leads us back to doubting, and a doubter has a belief problem.  If you are not wise and ask God to give you wisdom, why do you not have wisdom?  And if you are not wise and are making wrong choices, why not act like Jesus tells the truth, and ask God today to draw a ring around you and change everything inside that circle that He desires to change to make you like His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A way of Escape

Luke 4:14

We have all been tempted and with me it began at a very young age, how about you?  I was a thumb sucker, not the public kind, my thumb and me only did it in the privacy of our home or where no one but family would see.  Mother and dad were not into thumb suckers and they began to try different things that would break the relationship my thumb and I had, some of them would have had Child Protective Services (CPS) doing a home visit today.  So one of my first temptations was when mother ask from another room, “Bobby, do you have that thumb in your mouth, was I to lie and say no?  I soon learned it was easy to lie and keep the relationship with my thumb, that is until mother would ask “Bobby are you telling me the truth?”  It seemed she was like super man with the ability to look through walls.  I never felt good about this habit or temptation and especially after it had to go underground, you know like behind a tree in the back yard or under the covers of the bed I shared with my brother Freddie.

 

I must confess my thumb and I parted friendship later than desired by my mom and dad, but not the temptation and later, much later, I learned they are common to all humans.  What I did not know, and even now forget, is what the Scripture tells us about temptation: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)

 

Now as stated above we all have and will be tempted in some way or manner, for the enemy of our soul has seen many a human and has some clues as to what works and what does not.  But none of us have had the frontal attack Satan put on Jesus in that 40 days of temptation.  Jesus was hungry and had the ability as God to do something about it, but not as a man, no He would have to rely on His power as God, and Satan knew if Jesus did that He would not be an example of someone just like you and me that needed to run to the Father for all our needs.

 

I bet you have never been offered all the kingdoms of this world as Satan did to Jesus. I for one have sold out to the devil’s deception for a very small slice of the pie, but not Jesus.  And that is what makes Luke 4:14-15 so exciting, Jesus was hungry and tired and Satan hit him with all the things that had worked with most all humans and Jesus not only passed all tests, He returned in power.  Luke 4:14-15, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Have you ever wandered from the truth?

James 5:19-20

My dad was a very curious person and that can be a good trait; the inquisitive person will look deeper into a matter to find what lies hidden from the many who will not make the effort to examine or explore.  But it also can be and in dad’s case was a problem going on trips or vacation, he never saw a road that he did not want to explore and often we got lost.  One of my childhood memories was going through Arkansas and dad took a short cut, the road went from a four lane road to a two lane and then from paved surface to stone, an even dad became concerned when it turned into a dirt lane.  My brother Fred was a tall skinny kid of thirteen and dad told him the next house we see I want you to ask for directions, the next house was a shack with car tires piled high all over the yard.  Fred got out to what looked like an empty front yard and he was almost to the shack that set back about twenty yards from the dirt lane, when it seemed as if kids of all ages started coming out of those tires.  They were yelling some kind of war cry and it was amazing how fast Fred’s tall skinny legs made it back to our car, it was also amazing how fast dad drove on that dirt lane getting out of the war zone.

My daughter, if given the opportunity would tell you that my dad’s inquisitive trait was not lost from the family, that her dad has also taken many short cuts and gone down many a road that ended up being a circle or a dead-end.  I know of few people who have not at some point in their life taken the wrong road, often the other road looks better, greener or just more inviting.  Those roads can lead to heartaches, broken relationships, loss of income, bad health, and even prison.  James is addressing the church about members of the body of Christ who have left the road of truth.  We should never forget what the church is not; it is not the pastor, nor is it a staff member, but the church is all of us who are in Christ.  And we would be wise to read and take to heart verses 19 and 20, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Have you ever wandered from the truth, and God in His great love and mercy sent a brother or sister in Christ to guide you back to truth?  If so, then you like me have experienced forgiveness and most often once we are back basking in fellowship with the Lord, we also become less condemning of the sins that have enticed a fellow Christian to leave the road of truth.  C.T. Studd was such a man, and was quoted as saying these words: “Some wish to live within the sound Of Church or Chapel Bell.  I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

"It is Written"

Luke 4:2-12

Have you ever been foolish enough to try to place yourself in the place of God, the Creator of all that is?  Have you ever played the mind game of if I was God, I would do such and such, I have and I’m willing to bet the farm you have also?  But there is a big problem with our thinking and it comes from no other source than God Himself when He states through the lips of Isaiah the prophet; “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

I have often heard people who go by the name Christian say foolish things about God, as if they had understanding of His thoughts, His ways, and it is not a new thing for God spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about His chosen people the house of Israel.  Beginning in Jeremiah 18:5-6, “The word of the LORD came to me: House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?” – this is the LORD’S declaration.  “Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel.”   Now go back and read verses 1-4, and you will see the jar the potter was working on was flawed, you and I should identify with that example, for each of us is flawed by sin and need a God who is compassionate.   A God who understands we are formed out of dust, but that He our Creator has breathed life into us, and sin is keeping us from a relationship with a holy loving forgiving God.  If you have any doubt go back to Isaiah 55:6-7, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

If you are wondering how does any of this tie into Luke 4:2-12, in this way it does, our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and our ways are not close to His ways.  You nor I would not have had any compassion on a world who has turned its back on you, and it would have never entered our thinking to send our only son to take the punishment for their sins, and redeem them by dying on a cross.  You or I would not have allowed our son to be exposed to that old serpent, the one God calls the devil and Satan, why because our thoughts are lower than His and our ways are lower than His.

But oh what a message we find in these verses, for our LORD who was totally man and totally God, never depended on being God, but looked to the Father for all His needs, had this to say to His tempter; “It is written” and in that Jesus was the author of Scripture He knew what was written, but you and I whose ways and thoughts are much lower than His, need to read and study what is written and apply it to our lives.  Now verse 12 in Luke is profound; “And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”

As a follower of Christ, we should be aware that the tempter is looking for an opportune time to attack, how often I forget that the one Jesus calls the thief who comes only to kill, steal, and destroy is setting me up to look to my rights, my best, and not to allow the Son to be glorified in me.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice