When I was just a young child, living at home, my brothers and I would go to the end of our street and play baseball all day long. At the end of the day we would hear a loud whistle which we immediately recognized as our Dad, calling us home for dinner. When we arrived home, we almost always complained to our Dad about someone else's new glove or bat, new tennis shoes or something. So our Dad would say, "You boys would probably complain if you were hung with a new rope." We never really understood what he meant but as a much older child now, I can see what he was saying.
In 2 Corinthians 11:21-33 the Apostle Paul defends him apostleship and doesn't mix words on what has happened to him, it was brutal (please read it). What about God's people who were rescued by Moses before he parted the Red Sea (Ex. 15:12..."For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."And what about the disciples when the 5,000 were fed in Matt. 14:15-21, "...but we have here only five loaves and two fish..." And how about Jesus as He hung on the cross, between heaven and hell, suspended by nails. I didn't read anywhere that He called on the blind man He healed to go get the SWAT Team and take Him down from the cross.
We have so much to complain about today. The economy is terrible and it will probably get darker before it gets light again. None of us seem to have enough toys or cell phones, computers or televisions. Our neighbors are "infringing" on our space at our home by allowing their water to sprinkle over our wall. I'm too short; He's too fat. It gives new meaning to the "New Rope" phrase, huh? Where does the complaining stop? I love the new song by the Eagles called "Get Over It". A great message.
I don't wish to live my life like that and I won't. We've talked a lot over the last three years about me having a "terminal disease" but guess what? You do too! We will all stand before Jesus Christ someday and give an account for our complaints and sins. Early on in my adult life I realized that I have taken over the position of the Apostle Paul as "Chief Sinner" because I believe I am very good at sinning. I'm also in very good company.
Here's what Paul said that makes all of this other stuff so trivial. It's in Phil 3:14 where he says..."I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
My final thoughts on this subject are not my own but are best said in this passage of scripture: "If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the SAME MIND, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Phil 2:1-8)
What's your complaint today?
Dave
Crazy Papa
I'll make 'um an offer
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
A Man's Man
I remember my father when I was a child. He was a large statue of a man, not tall like Lincoln but more "rounded" like a linebacker. He was well respected in the community and on the job site. His word was his bond. If he told you he would do something, consider it done.
He coached Little League Baseball and helped with the Boy Scouts. He mowed his lawn every other weekend and never let us kids see any weakness in him at all. He always went away in the morning and came home at the same time every night. He set at the head of the table and our table was always full of different courses of food. We as children never new that times were rough because our father would never let on that anything was ever wrong.
He was like the father of Psalm 103:13 that says "...a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." We feared our father but it was a healthy fear. A fear that knew that if we did wrong he was quick to correct and when we did right, he was right there to offer a warm hug of approval.
He was, indeed, a "Man's man" and today if we as father's were referred to as a "Man's man" I'm not really sure what that would mean. I have tried over the years to be a "giant" of a man to my children; hopefully I have fulfilled most of those traits.
I remember that day in June as I sat next to my father's bed. It was 4:08am when he finally opened his eyes, took a deep breath with his "frail little body" and breathed his last breath. All of 90 pounds from the disease that eat him up, he still looked to me like that giant of a man, that Man's man that everyone he knew had a great deal of respect and admiration for.
I think of the first of the Ten Commandments with a promise. It is the 5th commandment in Exodus 20:12. It says, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you." I have always tried to honor my parents and I have always tried to be a good father to my children.
There are a lot of father's in today's society that do not get the respect and love that a child needs to have for his father. And there are also a lot of father's like my dad, who raised their kids with dignity and honor and they get laughed at behind their backs because of the lack of respect of some of today's children. Someday I hope my children will be able to look into their past and remember their father; A Man's man.
Dave
He coached Little League Baseball and helped with the Boy Scouts. He mowed his lawn every other weekend and never let us kids see any weakness in him at all. He always went away in the morning and came home at the same time every night. He set at the head of the table and our table was always full of different courses of food. We as children never new that times were rough because our father would never let on that anything was ever wrong.
He was like the father of Psalm 103:13 that says "...a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." We feared our father but it was a healthy fear. A fear that knew that if we did wrong he was quick to correct and when we did right, he was right there to offer a warm hug of approval.
He was, indeed, a "Man's man" and today if we as father's were referred to as a "Man's man" I'm not really sure what that would mean. I have tried over the years to be a "giant" of a man to my children; hopefully I have fulfilled most of those traits.
I remember that day in June as I sat next to my father's bed. It was 4:08am when he finally opened his eyes, took a deep breath with his "frail little body" and breathed his last breath. All of 90 pounds from the disease that eat him up, he still looked to me like that giant of a man, that Man's man that everyone he knew had a great deal of respect and admiration for.
I think of the first of the Ten Commandments with a promise. It is the 5th commandment in Exodus 20:12. It says, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you." I have always tried to honor my parents and I have always tried to be a good father to my children.
There are a lot of father's in today's society that do not get the respect and love that a child needs to have for his father. And there are also a lot of father's like my dad, who raised their kids with dignity and honor and they get laughed at behind their backs because of the lack of respect of some of today's children. Someday I hope my children will be able to look into their past and remember their father; A Man's man.
Dave
Friday, November 14, 2008
Why believe in a god?
Why believe in a god? Just be good, for “Goodness” sake!”
INDEED! What’s all the “big deal” about believing in god? What are we, after all? Spiritual beings? Some kind of “goodie-to-shoes” kind of men and women who cannot think for ourselves or something! Why should we expose ourselves to the ridicule of the general public over a belief that we cannot put our hands on? Constantly made fun of, laughed at, criticized because of a god we cannot produce!
Maybe this atheist that created these advertisements on the side of a bus is right! You don’t have to believe in a god! Just be good. Yeah, that should do it. Just be as good as you can and the fruits of your goodness will fall down from heaven like sap down a tree trunk. Or is the “sap” YOU; for buying into that philosophy?
Okay, so we are just going to be good, for “goodness” sake! Well, after almost 30 years of studying God’s Word and trying very hard to understand all of the implications, I have come to understand “goodness” in a very different light.
In order to understand “just being good” we need to understand what “Salvation” as described in the Bible means. First of all, salvation presupposes the Fall. There is no need to restore perfection unless we no longer have it (no sin; no need to be saved from it). Therefore, salvation begins where the Fall ends; salvation is not a single event but an overarching process beginning in Genesis 3 (at paradise lost) and continues through Revelation 22 (with paradise regained). Salvation includes an Old Testament anticipation and a New Testament realization.
Salvation includes three spectacular events:
1. The official victory over sin by the Cross;
2. The practical victory over sin within believers;
3. The final victory over sin at the Second Coming.
The first benefit of salvation is “Justification” (which saves us from the penalty of sin). Then comes sanctification (being rescued from the power of sin) and finally glorification (by which we are delivered from the very presence of sin). According to scripture passages all over the Bible, salvation is a VERY big part of our earthly life. In fact, Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3 “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” So I guess that means that “salvation” is very much a part of being “good for goodness sake”.
Here’s the bottom line (for those who still want to appease the “world”). Jesus said, “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again?” (Mark 9:50a) So, if we are JUST good, and we lose our “goodness”, with what will we make ourselves good again? Does that make sense? Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I’m a sinner; you’re a sinner. And all the goodness in the world will not wash away the sin in or lives. God IS the goodness we need in our lives. You know what I think when I read that a notable “atheist” has made a statement like this? I think…”Well, he’s obviously been reading someone else’s mail”. You cannot be “good enough” to obtain the salvation talked about above.
Why believe in God? BECAUSE EVERY SECOND OF YOUR ETERNITY DEPENDS ON IT, THAT’S WHY! Don’t believe me? That’s fine. Just be good, for goodness sake and see where you end up in God’s plan. You know, someone once said to me, “You know, its alright to believe you came from a monkey but I choose to believe that I was created in the image of God. Anyway, if I believe I came from God and at the end of life, find out I was wrong, all I’ve done is tried to live an “upstanding” moral life, based on God’s Word whereas if you believe you came from a monkey and turn out to be wrong…
Dave
INDEED! What’s all the “big deal” about believing in god? What are we, after all? Spiritual beings? Some kind of “goodie-to-shoes” kind of men and women who cannot think for ourselves or something! Why should we expose ourselves to the ridicule of the general public over a belief that we cannot put our hands on? Constantly made fun of, laughed at, criticized because of a god we cannot produce!
Maybe this atheist that created these advertisements on the side of a bus is right! You don’t have to believe in a god! Just be good. Yeah, that should do it. Just be as good as you can and the fruits of your goodness will fall down from heaven like sap down a tree trunk. Or is the “sap” YOU; for buying into that philosophy?
Okay, so we are just going to be good, for “goodness” sake! Well, after almost 30 years of studying God’s Word and trying very hard to understand all of the implications, I have come to understand “goodness” in a very different light.
In order to understand “just being good” we need to understand what “Salvation” as described in the Bible means. First of all, salvation presupposes the Fall. There is no need to restore perfection unless we no longer have it (no sin; no need to be saved from it). Therefore, salvation begins where the Fall ends; salvation is not a single event but an overarching process beginning in Genesis 3 (at paradise lost) and continues through Revelation 22 (with paradise regained). Salvation includes an Old Testament anticipation and a New Testament realization.
Salvation includes three spectacular events:
1. The official victory over sin by the Cross;
2. The practical victory over sin within believers;
3. The final victory over sin at the Second Coming.
The first benefit of salvation is “Justification” (which saves us from the penalty of sin). Then comes sanctification (being rescued from the power of sin) and finally glorification (by which we are delivered from the very presence of sin). According to scripture passages all over the Bible, salvation is a VERY big part of our earthly life. In fact, Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3 “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” So I guess that means that “salvation” is very much a part of being “good for goodness sake”.
Here’s the bottom line (for those who still want to appease the “world”). Jesus said, “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again?” (Mark 9:50a) So, if we are JUST good, and we lose our “goodness”, with what will we make ourselves good again? Does that make sense? Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I’m a sinner; you’re a sinner. And all the goodness in the world will not wash away the sin in or lives. God IS the goodness we need in our lives. You know what I think when I read that a notable “atheist” has made a statement like this? I think…”Well, he’s obviously been reading someone else’s mail”. You cannot be “good enough” to obtain the salvation talked about above.
Why believe in God? BECAUSE EVERY SECOND OF YOUR ETERNITY DEPENDS ON IT, THAT’S WHY! Don’t believe me? That’s fine. Just be good, for goodness sake and see where you end up in God’s plan. You know, someone once said to me, “You know, its alright to believe you came from a monkey but I choose to believe that I was created in the image of God. Anyway, if I believe I came from God and at the end of life, find out I was wrong, all I’ve done is tried to live an “upstanding” moral life, based on God’s Word whereas if you believe you came from a monkey and turn out to be wrong…
Dave
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Do not be discouraged!
In Luke 9:62 Jesus says, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Tomorrow, November 1, 2008, my family and I will participate in our Fourth Annual “Light the Night Walk” for a cure for Lymphoma. We have come to consider this a part of our life and the “cause” is a part of my family. So, every October, we walk for the cure. We have raised a lot of money for the research for Lymphoma and become a more intimate family in the process. So I look forward to the walk tomorrow night and will enjoy seeing some of the familiar faces from previous years. Some won’t be there because their time has come to an end. But mine has not and we continue to “look forward” to what God has in store for us all.
Almost 4 years ago, when the oncologist told me that I had cancer, I said to her, “Dr., I just want you to know that there is nothing you can do for me that God doesn’t want done; and at the same time, you can work miracles in my life, if it is God’s will!” I didn’t realize that I was offending her when I said that. I just wanted her to know about my faith and trust in God and that her treatment of me was secondary to His perfect will for me. From that time forward, she seemed to have a certain level of animosity toward me, as if I had taken her job as “god” away from her. When we would have an appointment with her, I was always upbeat and joyful until she finally became very stern with me and my wife, telling us that we were NOT facing reality and that I was in denial about the cancer. All of the statistics indicated that my life expectancy was from 1.3 to 7.9 years and that was what I needed to focus on, according to her. Needless to say, we realized it was time to move on from her practice and search out a doctor who would treat us without discriminating against our faith.
We did so in year number 2 and have been with my current oncologist beyond our 3rd year now. I believe that the above scripture verse very adequately states my direction for life after finding out about this disease that had attached itself to my body. We, as Christian men and women, have an obligation to dedicate our lives to a “cause greater that ourselves” (Sen. John McCain). This is what, not only I but my wife, my children, my extended family and everyone who shares in this event with us has dedicated themselves to. We know that there is more to this life than just our “70 plus” years in these tents we call bodies. When I found out about the cancer, I didn’t go to God and ask him to give me time to see that my children had all graduated. I didn’t suggest to him that because I had grandchildren, I had certain rights that could not be treated in this manner. I didn’t ask Him to make sure I was able to bury my own parents before anything happened to me. I just said, I guess there is a ministry of some kind here that ONLY I can fulfill in God’s sight. So I put my hands on the plow. I have not looked back and do not expect to ever have to look back.
Shortly after the diagnosis, a close friend was also diagnosed with Lung Cancer in August of that same year. He was gone before the end of the year. But the night before he died, I got a chance to sit at his bedside and share a little bit about God with him. And the last thing that I said to him was “Mike, When you come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." I believe that my friend Mike is flying tonight.
Do you call yourself a Christian Man or Woman tonight? Are you truly a “Faithful Follower of Jesus Christ”? If you are, then simply place your hands “on the plow”, don’t look back, and follow God! He not only knows where He is going but also knows where He is taking you. He is taking you to your next “Mission Field”.
About the Author
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Dave Stallings lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife of 36 years, Barbara, who also suffers a serious chronic illness, and their dog, Captain Jack…along with their kids and grand kids ! Dave is a semi-retired pastor and loves to blog on his personal web page since being diagnosed with Stage IV incurable non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma over 3 years ago...his motto is “It is what it is and God is not surprised”….his website is www.nowwhut.org and his blog is www.nowwhataz.blogspot.com, and he can be reached by email at papadave2@cox.net.
There are some who are receiving this devotion who have concerns about reading other devotions and finding that they do not share the same core values so Barb and I have decided to try to dedicate ourselves to a continued devotional message. They will all be copied onto my website under the “Devotions” link at www.nowwhut.org. you can go there to view other devotions and keep track of my progress…Dave
Almost 4 years ago, when the oncologist told me that I had cancer, I said to her, “Dr., I just want you to know that there is nothing you can do for me that God doesn’t want done; and at the same time, you can work miracles in my life, if it is God’s will!” I didn’t realize that I was offending her when I said that. I just wanted her to know about my faith and trust in God and that her treatment of me was secondary to His perfect will for me. From that time forward, she seemed to have a certain level of animosity toward me, as if I had taken her job as “god” away from her. When we would have an appointment with her, I was always upbeat and joyful until she finally became very stern with me and my wife, telling us that we were NOT facing reality and that I was in denial about the cancer. All of the statistics indicated that my life expectancy was from 1.3 to 7.9 years and that was what I needed to focus on, according to her. Needless to say, we realized it was time to move on from her practice and search out a doctor who would treat us without discriminating against our faith.
We did so in year number 2 and have been with my current oncologist beyond our 3rd year now. I believe that the above scripture verse very adequately states my direction for life after finding out about this disease that had attached itself to my body. We, as Christian men and women, have an obligation to dedicate our lives to a “cause greater that ourselves” (Sen. John McCain). This is what, not only I but my wife, my children, my extended family and everyone who shares in this event with us has dedicated themselves to. We know that there is more to this life than just our “70 plus” years in these tents we call bodies. When I found out about the cancer, I didn’t go to God and ask him to give me time to see that my children had all graduated. I didn’t suggest to him that because I had grandchildren, I had certain rights that could not be treated in this manner. I didn’t ask Him to make sure I was able to bury my own parents before anything happened to me. I just said, I guess there is a ministry of some kind here that ONLY I can fulfill in God’s sight. So I put my hands on the plow. I have not looked back and do not expect to ever have to look back.
Shortly after the diagnosis, a close friend was also diagnosed with Lung Cancer in August of that same year. He was gone before the end of the year. But the night before he died, I got a chance to sit at his bedside and share a little bit about God with him. And the last thing that I said to him was “Mike, When you come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." I believe that my friend Mike is flying tonight.
Do you call yourself a Christian Man or Woman tonight? Are you truly a “Faithful Follower of Jesus Christ”? If you are, then simply place your hands “on the plow”, don’t look back, and follow God! He not only knows where He is going but also knows where He is taking you. He is taking you to your next “Mission Field”.
About the Author
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Dave Stallings lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife of 36 years, Barbara, who also suffers a serious chronic illness, and their dog, Captain Jack…along with their kids and grand kids ! Dave is a semi-retired pastor and loves to blog on his personal web page since being diagnosed with Stage IV incurable non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma over 3 years ago...his motto is “It is what it is and God is not surprised”….his website is www.nowwhut.org and his blog is www.nowwhataz.blogspot.com, and he can be reached by email at papadave2@cox.net.
There are some who are receiving this devotion who have concerns about reading other devotions and finding that they do not share the same core values so Barb and I have decided to try to dedicate ourselves to a continued devotional message. They will all be copied onto my website under the “Devotions” link at www.nowwhut.org. you can go there to view other devotions and keep track of my progress…Dave
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