The only true limitation is our faith

Mr. Smith entered the bathroom flustered and disappointed again. He was an excellent Science teacher who had developed a great relationship with his students. He often stood after school many hours tutoring and helping with extracurricular activities. However every now and then you could sense a bit of disappointment. I could only speculate, perhaps it was struggles with a particular student, disagreements with administration or perhaps another possibility. Mr. Smith once upon a time had hoped to be a police officer.  However when he applied at the age of 28 they told him he was too old. He tells me that at the time he was ripped and in the best shape of his entire life. He absolutely knew that with proper exercise and eating right he could stay in pretty good shape for the next 20 to 25 years. But they simply said no. One time he explained how the guy behind the desk telling him of his ineligibility was overweight and obviously in no condition to be an officer himself. Sometimes limitations are hard to live with, especially when artificially imposed on us by some authority. However the human experience is filled with such limitations. Too old, too young, too small, too sick, not enough education, not enough preparation, not enough experience and the list goes on and on. Even in the natural world around us we experience limitations.  It is too hot, too cold, too snowy or perhaps too dark outside. By the time we are adults we expect limitations and assume that we cannot escape them. We sometimes go as far as to place limitations on God.

Jesus understood this. He knew that this overwhelming acceptance of limitations was a real faith killer. He also knew that if a person could just believe, great things would be possible, God willing. It is why he said “I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) On many occasions Jesus would tell a person the miracle was due to faith. (Matthew 9:22, Luke 18:42, Luke 17:19) However at times there was still a lack of faith, even among the disciples.

Jesus stood before an attentive crowd of people, (4000 men, perhaps more woman and children as well), Hungry to hear God’s word, hungry to see miracles, hungry for hope and hungry for FOOD. Jesus explained to His disciples the compassion he felt for the people who had faithfully stayed with Him for three days and were now hungry. (Mark 8:1-10) The disciples complained, “But we are far away from any town. Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people?” (Mark 8:4) I can only imagine what Jesus was thinking, “What have I been doing all this time with these disciples? Have they not seen me raise the dead, walk on water, heal the sick and countless other miracles. Do they not understand that God is capable of anything and everything?” God has no limits!

Jesus did not address their lack of faith this time, He simply asked for what little bread they had, seven loaves of bread and a few pieces of fish, blessed them and told the disciple to begin distributing. Matthew explains that after everyone had eaten they were still able to collect 7 baskets full of food from the leftovers.

This is a God that can start with nothing and make everything. A God that breathes life into the dead, makes whole the sick, stops the Universe and holds still the sun in the sky. This is the God that can raise Kings from shepherd boys and bring them down just as easily. He has no limitations and He can do all that is needed and more in each and every one of our lives. Sometimes the only true limitation is our faith.

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A Slave to fear

Acting on fear is the downfall of so many of us. In the bible the Israelites are the perfect example. Several times in their history they acted on fear instead of having courage and faith in God.

First they were in Egypt for centuries getting stronger. Pharaoh himself claimed that the Israelites were stronger than the Egyptians. (Exodus 1:8-10) However when the decision was made to enslave Israel, according to biblical records, Israel did nothing. For centuries they were enslaved without a rebellion recorded. (Exodus 12:40-41). After God used Moses with a mighty hand to free them and bring them through the desert, they were confronted with the Canaanites who were living in the promise land.

Once again they lacked faith and react with fear. They declared that they could not defeat the Giants who live there. They did even worst. They wished they had died in the wilderness or had never left their masters in Egypt. (Numbers 14:1-4)Their fear was truly remarkable considering they had seen a multitude of miracles provided by an almighty God with the sole purpose of freeing them and delivering to them the promise land.

Many centuries later, after the Israelites had seen many more miracles, fear would show its ugly face again. The Israelites would once again act out of fear and demand a King that could protect them against their enemies. For centuries God had lifted up men who for the most part were good, wise, moral, who feared Him and were dedicated to Him and whose sole purpose was defending Israel, but Israel’s fear was so intense that they were willing to surrender their freedom. Instead of being slaves to Egypt they would now be slaves to a king.

The prophet Samuel explains that the king would take their land, their earnings, their sons and daughters and force them to serve him. But they still wanted to be slaves in exchange for protection. (1 Samuel 8)

Fear has turned many into slaves. Fear stops us and keeps us from doing all we can and from putting our abilities to use. Opportunities can be lost and in the worst case scenarios we can remain trapped in a place that God does not want for us.

Let us all keep in mind what Paul told one of his young leaders, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) God does not want us to fear, but trust in Him and believe or as Jesus said “with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

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4 lepers save the day

Starving and alone the four men suffering from leprosy stood, holding their empty bellies. These men were unwanted, rejected and of little worth to society due to their horrendous disease.  They were homeless and helpless.  To make matters worse they were literally in the middle of a war between Syria and Israel. (2 kings 7) Going to Samaria (city in Israel) meant certain death, since the siege by the Syrians had made food scarce. They were certainly not welcomed in the Syrian camp and if caught, they would most likely be killed. How many in the same situation would have thrown up their arms and just given up? However these men decided to take a chance.    They placed themselves at the mercy of the enemy. Their hearts must have been pounding, but the ache in their stomach was overwhelming.

They walked right into the enemy camp. However there was no one to surrender to. The Syrian camp had turned into a ghost town. Not one soldier could be found.  But there was plenty of treasure, weapons, and most important food left behind!

Moments before the four men walked into camp, God had caused the Syrians to hear the roar of a huge Calvary. Believing that the King of Israel had hired Hittite or Egyptian soldiers they decided to flee in haste leaving everything behind. God had cared for these men, when no one had given them a second thought.

What a feast it must have been. Literally an army worth of food for just four men to eat!  They entered the first tent, ate, gathered a wealth of items and then proceeded to the next tent, where they did similarly.

In this incredible moment of ecstasy, these men who had just been blessed by God with what could be a personal fortune to last generations, and had been rejected by society, decided to share. Even more than this they thought it a responsibility. They said to each other “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news.” (2 Kings 7:9) They immediately went to Samaria told them of this great blessing that all could share in their blessing.

What a multitude of lessons!

1. When there seems to be no answer to the problem God can still make a way.
2. We can be rejected by society, our families, our friends, but God will still care for us and use us as a mighty instrument in His hand!
3.  Those that reject us may someday have to thank us.
4. The blessings of God are meant to be shared, so that they might be a blessing for all!
5. Today, not tomorrow is the day of “Good News”. A truly spiritual message for all those that have been redeemed by the lamb, Jesus Christ. Today we must share this “Good News!”

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Just like predicting the weather

Here in NYC we are debating the coming snow storm wondering if public schools will be canceled. Turns out many private and charter schools have already given up and announced cancellations. However the Public schools remain open so far. Why? To put it simply they don’t want to take action until they know for sure the weather will make it impossible to keep schools open.

The weather is an act of God. We know He is in control. We accept that the weather services can be wrong, even though they base all of their prognostication on reliable data and sound scientific predictors. Even with the greatest minds in science testing and observing we know they can be wrong. We understand the limits of the human mind and all the instruments we can use. In the end we are limited and God is not.

Perhaps we ought to apply this thinking to the rest of our lives. Sometimes we look at the observable data in our lives and make decisions rather quickly without considering God. We determine we have studied the situation, we have gathered all the advice necessary and we can reasonable determine what will happen next depending on the actions we take. Now we are ready to make a decision. Yet everything we have determined and all of our predictions can be 100% wrong just like the weather. God is the only one who knows, with 100% certainty, what will happen and what the best decision is.

The Israelites, like weather men, gathered information when they were approaching the promise land. The data they discovered was scary. Twelve men were sent to do this job. (Numbers 13: 19-20)

Sure enough they came back with their report. They described the strength of the people, giants and mighty fortresses. (Number s 13:27-28) They also brought their own informed and educated analysis. “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”(Numbers 13:31)

The people had heard enough. They were prepared to make a well informed decision. They decided to choose a captain that could lead them back to Egypt and enslavement. (Numbers 14:1-4) They gave up the dream of the promise land. They gave no consideration to what God had been telling them all along, that regardless of how impossible the situation appeared, all they had to do was believe in Him, obey Him and take action with faith, instead of depending on the “weather report.” They did not see the promise land.

We need to remember that even when it looks like rain and everybody says it’s going to rain, God has the final word. The situation may seem impossible but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26) Instead of a storm it may just be a sunny day.

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When tragedy strikes

Noemi was a woman who had run out of faith and was not very happy with her God. Many years ago her husband had died.  However that was not enough grief. Now her only sons lay dead.  With no money, property or foreseeable source of income, she made the best decision she could. She turned to the only family she had left, her two daughters in law, Ruth and Orpha, and said “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” (Ruth 1:8) Noemi kissed her daughters-in–law and believed she would never see them again.

Then they both began to cry and nobody was leaving. They both declared that they weren’t going anywhere. Noemi was not too happy.  Her best plan to save her daughter-in-laws was not working. She explained that she had nothing to offer them and finally convinced Orpha to leave, Ruth would be more challenging. Ruth displayed great courage, stubbornness and faith in God as she declared “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17) Ruth was determined to be loyal to both Noemi and God.  Noemi must have thrown her hands up in defeat. Both women with nothing in this world to call their own would return to Bethlehem or as Noemi would say, ” the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.” (Ruth 1:20-21)

It’s easy to understand Noemi’s bitterness. We’re supposed to raise our children and then help them raise their children. Hard work and proper planning is also supposed to provide us with a healthy income deep into our old age. It’s the plan for a whole lot of folks, including me. Then tragedy strikes. God is so merciful He can see us through the most desperate situations.

Although Ruth was a foreigner she found favor in the eyes of one of the most powerful men in Bethlehem, Boaz. He had heard the most improbable story of the foreign girl who had given up her family and homeland to stay loyal to her penniless mother-in-law. (Ruth 2:11-12)He allowed her to work his land and everything Ruth could gather was hers to keep. What would happen next would be a true shocker. Boaz fell in love with this penniless, Moabite woman, and married her. (Ruth 4:13)Noemi became the adopted grandmother of their son Obed, King David’s grandfather, and they all lived happily ever after.

God can take the worst situation and turn it completely around. Although Noemi was bitter and perhaps angry with God, He had a plan and had never forsaken her. God incorporated Ruth, the foreigner into not only David’s blood lines, but Jesus himself, also a descendant of Ruth. In this manner both Jew and Gentile were already included in the plan of salvation. Before we grow bitter consider that God knows what is best, has us in his hands and will surely fulfill his purpose in our lives.

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Didn't get everything!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6 

Johnny, as his friends and family called him, was a playful kid who was active all day.  In school he worked hard and did well.  His teacher was impressed with his participation and intelligence.  However they wanted him to pay more attention to his homework.  His homework at times suffered because Johnny loved to play.  Sports, video games, board games, arts and crafts, the kid loved it all. He was also quite talented as both an artist and an athlete.  His parents were delighted with their son. Occasionally dad would say “remember to do your homework Johnny.” In truth dad enjoyed playtime as much as Johnny.

Christmas was nearing and playful Johnny had his eyes on all sorts of games and toys.  He made a rather impressive list and his dad was all too happy to receive it.  It’s as if the presents were more for daddy than for Johnny. Dad set out to get them all.  He checked on line first.  Placed the orders carefully and made sure the estimated date of arrival was before Christmas. There were a few that were better to pick out at the stores and away Daddy went.  It was certainly a fun day at the mall. The whole time daddy was thinking “Johnny is going to be so happy on Christmas and we are going to have so much fun”.

The gifts started to come in and everyday Daddy would unpack them and wrap them.  Under the Christmas tree they would go. The whole time Johnny would make comments hoping to gather information on dad’s success at obtaining everything he wanted.  But dad would not say a word.  It was the game of Christmas.  Johnny really had nothing to worry about; every year dad would get everything on the list.

Johnny had a hard time sleeping Christmas Eve, but was up early Christmas morning. He rushed into his parent’s room and woke them up.  “It’s Christmas, It’s Christmas, come let’s go!” Johnny didn’t even wait for his parents to get up and rushed down the stairs.  He grabbed one gift after the other, and, as he did every year, didn’t take out time to play with any of them until they were all unwrapped.

Johnny looked confused and began to check the presents again. He looked frustrated as if he had misplaced something.  Then Johnny exclaimed, “Dad you didn’t get me the PS3 Martian ray riffle with the instant magnification lenses and natural grip!” Now dad seemed confused, frustrated and angry. He had been hoping all along to play with that himself. Holding his head, making a fist and with a sound of doubt he muttered “how is that possible, I placed the order three weeks ago, I thought it came, what happened?” This was not looking like a Merry Christmas.

Mom had to intervene. “Boys look at all the cool stuff you have to play with. Be thankful for what you have and don’t focus on what you don’t have. ” The boys still looking angry and disappointed with their arms folded and their heads down, began to look around.  Finally Johnny picked up the glow football and hesitantly told his dad “You want to play with this Dad?” Dad answered “well alright” then dad lit up “Hey why don’t we call some of your friends and put together a real game?” “Sounds great dad”, Johnny shouted and they both ran out of the room in search of their coats.

Mom was left behind shaking her head and thinking “why is it that after everything we receive we are still not happy. Like Johnny we make our lists for God and when we don’t get something we are frustrated and focus on what we don’t have. We are easily disappointed when God says no or wait.  We should focus on all God has done and provided.  We should be thankful not angry.”

Paul in the epistle to Philippians encourages us to ask God for what we need and desire, but to always maintain an attitude of gratitude and not become anxious over all these things we request. (Philippians 4:6) God knows what we need and will provide.  Let us be happy for all we have, and as for what we don’t have, let us leave it in God’s capable hands.

When God says no!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Today we will be looking at the curious case of Peter Smith. Peter was a hard working fellow who always managed to do everything on schedule or ahead of schedule. He was also a God fearing man who prayed with regularity. He was married to a nice lady, had 3 kids who loved him and they all lived in a great big house. The only discomfort in life was an hour long train ride he took every day to work and back home.

It was a Friday, right before Labor Day weekend and he had an appointment to meet with his daughter’s teacher concerning her desire to participate in an after school program. Peter gave great importance to his daughter and did not want to be late or miss that appointment. However at the last minute his Supervisor came in and dropped one last report on his lap. He says to Peter, “We need this done before you leave, it can’t wait for Tuesday.” Peter was furious but understood the urgency. He thought to himself “I don’t like to rush but perhaps I can still make the appointment. He made a quick prayer “Lord help me to be quick and allow me to make that appointment.” Peter was so glad when he realized the ease in which he got it done. He printed it out and was half way down the hall way when he realized an error. “How is that possible?” he thought to himself. “No problem I’ll just bring up the file, make the quick change, print and I am out of here.” He ran back and started looking for the file. He couldn’t find it. After much frustration and too much time wasted, he found it. Soon after, he was out the door. However Mr. Smith was now just too late. He ran to the station in hopes of making his train, only to watch it leave. He thought to himself “I had it done. I could have made it and I even prayed about it. God let me down.” However his troubles were just beginning.

Ten minutes later the next train pulled into the station. Peter took his seat and began to hope again. Perhaps there was still a chance. But the train just sat there. Why wasn’t it moving? He got up and looked around. His frustration started to grow again. Then over the loud speaker he heard it. The train was being held due to trouble on the track. A few minutes later it got worst. The announcement was devastating to Peter. “We apologize to our passengers, however due to unforeseen events the train line has been temporarily put out of service. If any of our passengers need assistance in finding alternative travel arrangements please see our front desk. Our Front desk will also provide you with a full refund for your expenses.”

Peter just about had enough. He stormed out of the train car and went straight to the front desk. He demanded an explanation. That’s when he got the horrific news. The previous train had suffered a derailment and was still blocking the tracks. Several passengers were fatally wounded and many others were in critical condition.

He had been angry with God for missing the train. Now the anger was replaced with sadness for those passengers that were killed and so many that were hurt. He of course realized that was supposed to be his train. What would have happened to him? Sometimes when you don’t get what you want it’s better.

There is nothing wrong with asking God for what you want. Jesus taught that we should persist in prayer for all our needs and wants. We should not lose faith even when much time passes by. Sometimes God’s answer is wait and we think it’s no. However, when God does say no, we should still be thankful.

He knows all things. What we think is best for our lives may actually be the worst. Pray with faith, never give up hope, and trust God regardless of what His answer is.

Grateful for everything I have and everything I am

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

I was still a child when my father asked me, “Why did God make our young so much more helpless in comparison to the young of other animals?” He later explained that being helpless required us to receive much attention and love. What wonderful gifts from God! It takes much more nurturing to raise a human than any other species on the planet. Without proper care what would any of us become? At birth we are incapable of walking, standing or swimming. We come into this world incapable of cleaning, protecting, and feeding ourselves. We would literally die within days if left unattended. Many years after our birth we still need a great deal of attention just to make it through one day without harming ourselves. There are many important principles that my father taught me from this one important fact.

Without the love and nurture of others we are nothing. Without teaching and guidance we would know nothing. Everything we have, everything we can do and everything we know we owe. It should make us the most grateful and loving creatures in the world, no doubt it was God’s plan all along. Yet we often lack this grateful attitude.

Many have noticed an attitude of entitlement, the feeling that something is owed to us, or that everything we’ve gotten was supposed to have been given to us. Therefore, we don’t have to be grateful. But with this attitude we only cheat ourselves of the opportunity of recognizing what others have done for us.

We should be grateful for those loved ones that cared for us and provided throughout the years as well as those significant others who made a difference in our lives.

The biggest difference maker being God, He created us and has made a way for us to succeed. He blessed us with intelligence, talent and countless opportunities to develop them. However an even greater reason to be grateful is God’s love and mercy. While we deserved condemnation for our sins he sent his only begotten son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we might have eternal life.

He is more than worthy of our gratitude. When we are grateful to God we are able to worship him in spirit and in truth and we are able to see what he has done for us, therefore our faith is strengthened.

An ungrateful life is a sad life where we would be unable to realize the love and care that has so carefully been spent on us. All that we have are gifts and the greatest of these come from God, our lives and our eternal souls.

Let us be grateful this holiday to all who have made a difference and let us lift a mighty praise to our lord and God.

Wow, Jesus is powerful!

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Imagine a horde of demons 3000 to 6000 large. It would look like something out of the Lord of the rings movie. Ugly and ferocious any normal man would flee. We would definitely believe them difficult to defeat even with a force equal in size. How do you kill a demon any way? Well Jesus came face to face with such a horde of Demons. They had possessed two men.

They were so extremely violent that no one could go anywhere near them. These demons upon seeing Jesus immediately began to speak. They were fearful and asked Jesus not to torment them. This wasn’t one demon. It was a multitude of demons, powerless against Jesus. Jesus ordered them into a herd of swine, what a pitiful fate for these demons. However they had no choice but to listen. (Matthew 8:28-34)

Demons were not the only ones who submitted to the power of Jesus. The disciples were once on a boat and Jesus feeling a bit tired decided to take a little nap. Then a terrible storm ensued and the disciples became frantic. They quickly sought out Jesus. Jesus calmly got up and told the wind to stop. The change did not come gradually. Immediately everything was calm. Nature itself had to obey the voice of the master. (Matthew 8:23-27)

Now comes the best part. A close friend of Jesus, Lazarus, had died. He hadn’t just died. He had been dead for four days. Therefore, there was no doubt in anybody’s mind that Lazarus was completely dead. Matter of fact he was laying in his tomb. Not a problem for Jesus. He simply said “Lazarus come forth” and death itself had to submit to Jesus. Lazarus surely got up. (John 11:38-44)

Now there are a lot of problems we are dealing with in our lives, perhaps some of them seem greater than a life threatening horrific storm, a legion of demons or death, but I am sure Jesus is able to rescue us. However remember what Jesus told his disciples “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26) We should ask of Jesus, but we must ask with faith, for he is certainly able!

Faith during hardship

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good,…. Genesis 50:20

When you are the favored son and daddy buys you really cool stuff, life can be like living in a dream; especially if daddy makes you a top manager at the family business, and places you in charge of your older brothers. This was the life of Joseph. He even had dreams about how his brothers were going to bow to him. Life was pretty nice. However his older brothers didn’t think it was that great. They sold Joseph into slavery and told their father he had been eaten by wild animals. Now this was a family with problems!

Life can certainly be unfair. Perhaps Joseph’s bothers had reason to be jealous, but he did not deserve slavery. Joseph did not ask to be loved more than his brothers. He didn’t ask for special treatment. When it comes to being in charge, Joseph really was more competent than his brothers and most likely deserved the elevated position. Perhaps what they all needed was some counseling and a family meeting where everyone could air out their concerns. Joseph was actually a good, faithful, intelligent son who deserved the admiration of his older brothers. Instead he found himself on a caravan of slave traders headed to Egypt.

Joseph is sold to a top general and quickly proves he is capable. He is placed in charge of the entire estate. Unfortunately the general’s wife takes a liking to Joseph and when Joseph rejects her, she makes false accusations and Joseph is placed in jail. By now each and everyone one of us would be absolutely furious. We would be screaming “Where is God in all this?” We would be thinking “I am faithful, hardworking and honest. I am talented, intelligent and I do a great job, how can life be so unfair?” But Joseph never complained. He was one of the greatest examples of faith in history. He must have known “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

In jail Joseph once again proves himself and is placed in charge of the other prisoners. He also proves himself a great interpreter of dreams. This ability made possible by the revelation of God.

Once pharaoh heard of Joseph’s ability, he was removed from prison and made to serve pharaoh. Joseph was then elevated and made the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. From that position he was able to save the nation of Egypt and his family during a horrific time of famine and yes his brothers did bow down to him. (Genesis 37, 39-45)

For many years life was certainly unfair for Joseph. At times we may feel like we are walking in Joseph’s shoes. But like Joseph we cannot lose faith. Nor can we grow angry with God or life. We must approach every hardship we go through as if it is a new opportunity to grow and become even better, because that is exactly the reason why we go through them. Remember God is not done; He is doing something great in each of us.