YOU BET YOUR LIFE

  There was a television show called, “You Bet Your Life”   It ran for some ten years between 1950 – 1961.  A contestant would talk with Groucho Mark for several minutes.  Then, the contestant would chose quiz questions from a category they had selected.  If they answered them correctly, they won money.
This is exactly what we must do, we must “bet our lives” on a possibliltiy and take the calculated risk of faith.  Every human being must live by an assumption and the Christian assumes God.  Now this is more than mere guess-work. We have Christ.  In Christ, we know that ‘behind the dim unknown standeth God.’

  We acknowledge God’s strength and our weakness, His adequacy and our inadequacy, upon which we make a venture of faith. To do this, we must venture beyond the gates of certainty, beyond what we can touch with our hands and see with our eyes, and walk into the unknown with our hand in God’s.

  Jesus has revealed to us a personal God. God is not just an impersonal force, nor invisible spirit, but a God who can know and feel.  We call Him, “Father.”  Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen Me, has seen the Father.”  John 14:9  We must not merely believe that there is a Deity, a higher power, but we must feel sure that this supreme Being is like Jesus.  This compassionate, forgiving, loving Jesus is what our heart needs.  We must be loved and this is what God demonstrates in seeking us through His Son. Remember the golden text of the Bible, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  

  Jesus dared to confront His disciples with His approaching death, seeming defeat, by telling them, “Do not let not your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in Me.”   John 14:1  The disciples were confused by this talk of His leaving them and Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:5-6  

  We bet our life on Jesus.  He is our light in the midst of a darkened world.

 

 

DYING FOR JESUS

  Importance is given to a scriptural truth when all three gospel writers refer to it.  It is recorded in Matthew 10:38, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, and again in Luke 14:27.  In each of these references Jesus is talking about His followers bearing a cross.  The issue is not “if” Jesus disciples are to bear a cross but “what” is that cross?   Most of the time, when people speak of the cross that they are to bear, they are talking about their burdens, that which makes life more difficult.  Although this idea is very popular, I believe it is absolutely not what Jesus has reference to.   

  In the Bible the word “cross” is used as a noun and its only meaning is, death.  The Roman cross had only one use: the crucifixion of the worst criminal.  Am I saying that Jesus expects His followers to die?  Absolutely…Listen to what Paul states in Romans 6:3-8 “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,  just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.”  

  This is a beautiful teaching about baptism that a follower of Jesus joins Him in death.  The one who is immersed is saying, “I am dying to my old life of living my life my way and I am being raised to live life God’s way.”  One of the biggest problems with the church is that it baptizes too many live people.  A person must die “repent” before they are buried.  Christ does not allow for divided loyalties in his people. He calls us to die for him, every day. The death of self-will, the death of self worth, and the death of self-righteousness is a constant struggle in our lives.  The “old man” does not go down easily.  It would be simple if the “old man” would stay dead.  We each know from experience the ‘old man’ keeps raising its ugly head.  Jesus helps us by His Spirit and His Word to fight the battle. The Apostle Paul said, “I die daily” and so must we.

  This, I believe, is what Jesus had in mind when He said these words”  And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”  Luke 9:23

 

JESUS CALMS THE STORMS

  One of my most memorable experiences was riding in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.  This Sea is where most of Jesus’ public life was spent.  The Sea of Gailee is of an oval or pear-shape, about thirteen miles long, six wide and 150 feet deep.  It is a beautiful body of water.  However, it is exposed to frequent sudden and violent storms, due to the great number of hills surrounding it.  The times that I was there on the Sea of Galilee it was very calm.   We would stop in the middle of the Sea and read passages of Scripture such as Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:35-41 which tell of the storm which caught Jesus and the Disciples.      

  Remember the incident: Jesus wanted to go over to the other side of the Sea with His disciples.  That evening, they all got into the sailing vessel  and started for the other side of the Lake.  Unexpectedly, “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.”  Mark 4:34  The disciples were so afraid as they thought they were about to drown.  The disciples had not foolishly set out in a storm; it overtook them by surprise.  They needed help so they went to Jesus, who was asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat.  They rebuked Jesus saying, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Mark 4:38  How can a person sleep in the midst of a raging storm?  How about a clear conscience, a right relationship with the Father.  The disciples were right to go to Jesus asking for Him to save them.  Jesus challenges them by saying, “You of little faith, why are so afraid?”  Jesus turned to the winds and the waves and said, “Hush, Be still”  Then, the wind died down and it was completely calm.”  How amazing is that?  The disciples were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this?  Even the wind and the waves obey Him.”  

  I recall the story of a minister returning home by plane when they were caught in a terrible storm. The great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean.  The minister confessed that he was frightened, as well as those people around him. Passengers were upset and alarmed wondering whether they would make it through the storm. The minister’s eyes fell upon a little girl who didn’t seem to be bothered by the storm at all.  She had her feet tucked beneath her and she was reading a book.  It seemed as if worry and fear were not a part of her world.  When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm, the child was completely composed and unafraid.  The minister could hardly believe his eyes.    When the plane finally was able to land, the minister wanted to speak to that little girl.  He spoke to her about the storm and that she seemed unafraid so he asked her why?  She replied, “Cause my Daddy’s the pilot and he’s taking me home.”

  There are many kinds of storms that beat against us. We have all known such times and to be honest, they upset us, making us afraid. But, what a difference it makes when we know God, as our Father, and that He is leading us to our eternal Home.

  Someone has said that “The storms of our life prove the strength of our Anchor.”  

  My favorite Scripture is: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you.  I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am going.”  John 14:1-3  

 

UNFOLDING THE ROSE

You may have heard this poem before but it has such a beautiful message, I want to share it with you.

                 “Unfolding The Rose”
“It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands of mine.  

The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to such as I.
God opens this flower so sweetly, when in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold the rosebud, this flower of God’s design,
Then how can I have the wisdom to unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust in Him for leading each moment of my day.
I will look to Him for His guidance each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me, only my Heavenly Father knows.
I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments, just as He unfolds the rose.”

This made me think of that scripture verses in Proverbs 3:5-7 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”

Frank Sinatra sang. “My Way.”  It is the theme of too many lives. “I did it my way.”  Just listen to the first verse of that song.
“And now, the end is here and so I face the final curtain.  My friend, I’ll say it clear.  I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.
I’ve lived a life that’s full.  I traveled each and ev’ry highway.  And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”
How selfish can one be.  It sounds to me like the baby’s national anthem which is, “I want what I want when I want it.”
That is OK for a baby but it is tragic when an adult person is still in that selfish stage of life.

Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”  Mark 8:36-37
Earlier, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever want to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

All of life is a matter of seeking to untangle the basic selfishness in which we are born. As Christians, we are to live unselfish lives, DOING IT GOD’S WAY.