Ecclesiastes 12:10

  One of the all-time classic Far Side cartoons involves a young man unable to enter the Midvale School for the Gifted. He is desperately pushing on the door right below the sign marked PULL.   It’s funny cause it’s true. It is not the entrance that keeps us out but how we use it  In Matthew 7:21-23 we read,” " Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness .'”  Many folks think they can push their way into heaven if they do all the things they think are what get them there. But that’s not how you enter. The door opens when we step back and let the Lord open the way. Doing his will, not ours. Submitting ...

  It was the day Abraham Lincoln succumbed to the wounds inflicted by his assassin in 1865. It was also the day the Titanic sank. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the most destructive river flood in US history happened on the date as well. So did the Boston Marathon Bombing. Maybe worst of all every year you have to pony up and pay your taxes on it as well.   April 15 th .   Ok maybe paying your taxes isn’t as bad as all of those things. Still, I don’t like to do it. Yet it isn’t just a legal obligation or my duty as a citizen of the United States, it’s also commanded by God. “ Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.   For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.   Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor .” Romans 13:5-7   Go...

  Reggie Miller is one of my all-time favorite basketball players. All my buddies loved Michael Jordan but I was a Reggie man. I think it was his ability to shoot the three. He had the high arching shot that seemed to rain down into the basket. The reason for his shot was his sister, it was the only way he could get over her.   Reggie was the younger sibling to his big-time basketball star sister, Cheryl Miller. She was an All-America for four straight years at Riverside Polytechnic High School. Reggie was just known as Cheryl’s little brother.   Finally, in high school, he had his chance to shine.  Midway through his sophomore year, he became a starter on the varsity team. On that first night he got the start, he had a big game. His family had gone to Cheryl’s game, so when they picked him up it was time to brag.   Reggie recapped the victory. “I got to start, even went for forty”. Cheryl was happy for him. “That’s great” she exclaimed! The...

     Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred ninety two.  Every good boy does fine.  My very excellent mother just served us nine planets. The Great Lakes are HOMES.    You may recognize these mnemonic devices from your school days [i] , the little memory trick you employed to keep those random facts in your head.  The repetition does something to your brain, making those easily quickly forgotten facts somehow stick.    It however can seem a little childish. I know as a preacher, I blush a little when I still sing my books of the Bible when looking up a passage. While the simple technique may be effective, we might dismiss it as somewhat immature.    That is exactly what Isaiah’s critics are doing in Isaiah 28:9-13; " To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?  "For He says, 'Order on order, ord...

  Ok I know it is dirty word to some.  Some folks might to get upset that I am talking about it but I think it something that must be taught in the Lord’s church.  It’s a Biblical concept that is you have to work to avoid in the New Testament. It is the idea of submission.   The Bible has a lot to say about submission.  It tells us we need to submit to God (James 4:7), human institutions like governments and police (1 Peter 2:13), our church leaders (Hebrews 13:17), our masters, like bosses and teachers (1st Peter 2:18, Titus 2:9).  It even commands submission on a personal level, wives to their husband (1 st Peter 3:1), young men to their elders (1 st Peter 5:5), and even to each other (Ephesians 5:21).   Now I know we live in a world that demands our “rights” and refuses to take a back seat to anyone, but for a true Christian submission isn't just a suggestion, it is a command.   I know what you’re thinking submission is need...