September 26 - Sharing...Dr. Seuss’ Style

Sharing…Dr. Seuss’ Style

"Make the most of your chances to tell others the Good News.  Be wise in all your contacts with them." (Colossians 4:5)

Our greatest mission in life is to change the lives of others.  We want to make a difference for eternity.   We can ask many questions.  Is anybody going to be in heaven because of you?  Are you going to take anybody with you?  When you get to heaven is anybody going to thank you for sharing the Good News, they're there because of you?  This is serious business.  This is your mission in life that God gives to you.  It's part of your life work to share the Good News. 

In Dr. Seuss’ famous Green Eggs and Ham, he retorted, “You can eat them in a house and you can eat them with a mouse.”  The same could said about sharing.  You can use almost any situation to share the Good News if you'll just be open.  Sometimes we get the wrong idea.  We’re not talking about pressuring people and we’re not talking about going door to door and knocking on the homes of people who don't want you to come in, in the first place.  We’re talking about just being where you are at work, at school, at home,  at play and when the opportunity arises which it inevitably will, you just say, "You matter to God.  He has a plan for your life.  He died for you."  You don't have to struggle with that.  "Make the most of your chances to tell others the Good News.  Be wise in all your contacts with them." (Colossians 4:5)  You never know the life you might change today.

Some time ago, Howard Hendricks was flying on American Airlines and he said the guy setting right in front of him on the plane was an absolute jerk.  Everything bothersome he could do, he did it.   He was rude, obnoxious, loud.  Then he got drunk.   Then he was more rude, more loud, more obnoxious.  He said there was a flight attendant that was so classy with the guy, absolutely unflappable.  When he was rude, she was polite.  When he was a jerk, she was classy.  When he was impatient, she was patient.   She would just not let this guy get to her.  He said, "I couldn't believe how classy she really was with this obnoxious man."  After everybody had been served their meals, about 20 minutes later, he said,  the man got up and walked to the back of the plane to commend the woman.  He said, “I noticed how you handled that man. I was amazed how patient you were with such a rude customer.  If you'll tell me your name I would like to write American Airlines, your employer, and commend you for your service."  She smiled at him and said, "Thank you, sir, I don't work for American Airlines.  I work for Jesus Christ."  He said "After I picked myself up off the floor this flight attendant started witnessing to me, a pastor!  She's telling me I matter to God and He has a plan for my life... I couldn't believe it and then I thought about the fact that she could have been nice to everybody on that plane but it wasn't until she told people why she was that way, that it made any difference.  I could have gotten off the plane just thinking she was a nice person and not knowing it was Jesus Christ giving her the strength, the power, the love and energy to be that way toward rude people."  You've got to show it, yes, but you also have to tell it.  If you're a great person at work and you don't tell them why, they may just think you're a boy scout or a girl scout.  You've got to share why.  You can do it anywhere.  You can do it at your work…you can do it with a jerk.

People do it in different ways.  I heard about a guy who is a tile worker  He does all these expensive homes and does great jobs of wallpapering.  When he's finished and writing up the bill and they're saying what a great job he did, he says, "Now you've seen my side job, let me take just five minutes and share with you my real job."  He pulls out a track and tells them the Good News before he leaves.  What a great idea.  Finally, I heard about another guy who is an eye doctor, an ophthalmologist, who put the Four Spiritual Laws on his eye chart.  He uses his work as a witness.  You can witness anywhere. 

You have an opportunity in that close one-on-one environment to talk about the most important things in life.  Do you realize what a mission that could be if you would use that?  When the opportunity arises talk about the Lord, talk about the Good News.  Do you realize how many people you could reach for Christ. It's a very important job.  Like the Blues Brothers, you are on a mission for God.  And as the good Dr. Seuss might say, “You can share and have some fun…you can share with anyone!”

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)    How do you feel about telling someone your personal story of salvation?

2)    Who is one person you can pray for a  door to open?

Consider reading the Word today:

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

September 25 - Christianity: Won and Done

Christianity: Won and Done

“I am the way, the truth and the life.”  (John 14:6)

We live in a society where truth is guessed at or approximate.   The idea of relativism means “no absolutes.”  Many have referred to it as a post-modern society.  Many decades ago, we lived in a world where generally everyone agreed on right and wrong and what was true and what was false.  It was based on Judeo-Christian values.  Even people without a relationship with God had a general sense of  a compass and the North Star. Some time ago, all of that seemed to change. Soon, that opposition turned to a belief that there are none called “The Age of Enlightenment” or “The Age of Progression.” It set the stage for the way that many people believe and think.  People have made a major miscalculation by believing that their opinion amounts to truth. 

An accountant answered an advertisement for a top job with a large firm. At the end of the interview, the chairman asked, “One last question—what is three times seven?” The accountant thought for a moment and replied, “Twenty-two.” Outside he checked himself on his calculator and concluded he had lost the job. But two weeks later he was offered the post. He asked the chairman why he had been appointed when he had given the wrong answer. “You were the closest,” the chairman replied.

Some people have the mistaken idea that God is like the man who conducted the interview. They think it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re close to the truth.  But Jesus was clear when He claimed to be “THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life.” (John 14:6)

When it comes down to it, Christianity offers answers that other faiths do not hold.  Not long ago, I read 10 statements by Timothy Hattem, that reveals why God’s offer of salvation through Christ brings the greatest truth and hope to mankind.  He writes:

1)  Christianity is the only religion in which God reaches out to man. All other

      religions are attempts by man to reach up to God.

2)  Christianity is the only religion that fully deals with sin because of Christ’s

      atoning work on the Cross.

3)  Christianity is the only religion that allows followers into the presence of the

      Father.

4)  Christianity is the only religion that offers its followers true assurance of

      salvation because our salvation is based upon Christ’s works, not our own.

5)  Christianity is the only religion in which the Holy Spirit is promised to us, and

      dwells in us.

6)  Christianity is the only religion in the world where its leader is the judge of all

      mankind.

7)  Christianity is the only religion in which our leader was raised from the dead.

8)  Christianity is the only religion in which death is truly conquered.

9)  Christianity is the only religion in which it’s leader was born of a virgin, lived a

       perfect life according to God’s Law, and fulfilled countless Old Testament

       prophecies.

10)  All the leaders of every other religion, need Christ as their Savior as well as

       their followers.

People for centuries have tried to delineate between faiths of all kinds.  However, every religion can be summarized in one of two words…Do or Done.  While all religions basically say, “This is what I need to do to get to God.”  Different lists you have to follow.  One will say these things.  Another will say these things. Another will say it’s a little bit of this and that.   If we do all these things, then God will smile and say, “You’re good and I will accept you.  Jesus Christ came to say, “That’s all wrong. That’s not it.  I’m not into religion.  I want you to have a relationship with Me.  And I’ve already done it for you.  You don’t have to.  You just have to accept what I’ve already done on the cross.”  When it comes down to it…it’s Do or Done.  Much better to turn to the Savior who won salvation and the work is done.  It’s a much more freeing way to live.

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)   Why do people struggle to receive Christ’s truth over others?

2)    How do we pursue God our way rather than His way?

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

Consider reading the Word today:

September 24 - The Wonderful Cross

 The Wonderful Cross

“God made Him [that is, Christ] God made Him who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

The Cross is the most important subject in all of the Bible. All of the Old Testament points the readers ahead to the Cross. When we speak of the Cross we do not make reference to the wooden instrument, rather the symbol. Reference to the Cross is speaking about the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. When Paul wrote of the Cross in this verse he was referring to the death and shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no saving ability in the wooden instrument on which Jesus died on. The Cross, itself, was not preserved.

All of the New Testament reminds the believers what happened on the Cross. The Cross is our life line. It is the reason for all of our preaching. It will keep us focused on the true message of this church. Paul said in 1Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (KJV)  Accept it and it vindicate us.  Reject it and it indicts us.

Paul Culbertson wrote how Christ comes to our neighbors as He did to Jerusalem and our response speaks so much about our hearts:

When Jesus came to Golgotha,
They hanged Him on a tree;
They drove great nails through hands and feet
And made a Calvary;
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns,
Red were His wounds and deep;
For those were crude and cruel days,
And human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham.
They simply passed Him by;
They never hurt a hair of Him,
They only let Him die;
For men had grown more tender,
And they would not give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street,
and left Him in the rain.

What did happen on the Cross? Why was the Cross necessary? And what difference does the Cross make to you? The answers to all of those questions can be found in three “V’s. The three “V’s” of Calvary.

1)   The Cross Was Voluntary

Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross voluntarily. No one compelled Him. No one pushed Him. He was not constrained or compelled to go and die on the Cross of Calvary by anyone but Himself. He went and died there voluntarily—of His own accord.

2)  The Cross was Vicarious

Webster’s defines the word vicarious as: serving instead of someone or something else, or performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another.

So Christ died on the Cross both instead of us, and on our behalf, or for our benefit. Jesus Himself said, “The Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus Christ was my substitute on the Cross. And He was your substitute on the Cross. His work of redemption there was a work for us.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him [that is, Christ] God made Him who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.”

3)  The Cross Was Victorious

It is our victory. Victory over what?  Sin, death and hell. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul writes in I Cor. 15:57. He has made us alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.

Someone once said, “An artist can paint the physical hands and feet of our Lord, but he cannot paint the healing power of those hands and the godly walk of those feet. He can paint the outward suffering, but not the inward cause; the cursed tree, but not the curse of the law; the bearing of the Cross, but not the bearing of the sins of His people; the cup of vinegar, but not the cup of wrath--the derision of His enemies and the forsaking of the Father.”

God took the most horrible execution of death and turned it into the most beautiful example of love.  It is wonderful.  It is wondrous.  It is God’s greatest gift of love.

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1) How was the Cross viewed before Jesus was hung on it?  How was it viewed         after He arose?

2) Find a way to thank Him for it today.

Consider reading the Word today:

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

September 23 - A Case of Non-Mistaken Identity

A Case of Non-Mistaken Identity

“Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Hubert Humphrey, former Vice-President under Richard Nixon, loved meeting people. That made him a much-loved politician. On a fishing trip in northern Minnesota, Hubert and federal judge Miles Lord were in a sporting-goods store. Lord noticed that a tour bus from California had broken down outside. Lord sneaked out to the bus and introduced himself as the mayor.

"Folks, I'm sorry to see you're having trouble," he said. "If there's anything we can do for you, just stop by my office. And by the way, there's something you can do for us. We have a fellow here in town who looks like Hubert Humphrey. He sounds like Hubert Humphrey. He even thinks he is Hubert Humphrey. Now, if you should run into him, don't give him any money, but please be nice to him, because we kind of like him and he doesn't do any harm."

Lord then went back into the store and said, "Hubert, there's a bus load of California tourists out there just dying to meet you." Hubert roared out and proceeded to shake hands with every person on the bus. Afterward he had a puzzled look on his face. "I just don't understand those California people," he said. "Every time I shook hands with one of them, somebody else started to giggle." I'm sure that no one loved that gag more than Hubert Humphrey.

Comedian Billy Crystal tells about being in an airport coffee shop. He was nearly exhausted from a demanding road trip. He reached for his coffee, and a voice said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like Billy Crystal?" He looked up. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "People tell me that all the time."
"You're not Billy Crystal, are you?" the lady asked.
"No ma'am," he replied
"Too bad," she said. "You should only have his money."

Mistaken identities always bring a laugh. But when Jesus arose from the dead, there was no mistaking who He was though many have claimed otherwise. It is the identity of the risen Christ.

It was difficult even for those in the select company of the twelve to deal with Christ's resurrection. Such things just don't happen in this world. Thomas, particularly, found it hard to accept. He was not with the other disciples when Jesus made his first appearances. When the other disciples told Thomas, "We have seen the Lord!" he was skeptical. "Unless I see the nail marks in His hands," he said, "and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it."


A week later Christ's disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them this time. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. " Thomas said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus did not reveal Himself to the world at large, only to those who believed. But He did appear to them in ways which left no doubt that He had conquered the grave. And they went out to tell the story. Against all kinds of opposition they told the story. Nothing could stop them. No power on earth could defeat them.

Jesus' disciples had a persistence to their witness that would not be defeated. In the arena with lions, burned as human torches in Nero's gardens, suffering the vilest kinds of humiliations and bodily pain, they stayed faithful to what they had experienced. They had met the risen Lord and they wanted the whole world to know it.

Just as Jesus spoke in John 20:29, ““Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” While we didn’t have the privilege of seeing Jesus in His earthly existence, our faith is just as real as that of the disciples when we put our faith in Him.  There is no mistaking it!

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)   Why do many people struggle to identify who Christ is?

2)   What helps you finally see Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings?

Consider reading the Word today:

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

September 22 - The Church Makes A Difference

The Church Makes A Difference

“If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (1 Corinthians 12:26)

A church is distinguished from every other team, organization, or social club in that it is bound together by a spirit of unity and community. All members are necessary, all members have something to contribute to the health of the church. God created the church because we need one another. I read a sign recently that said, “The church is not where you go…it’s who you are.”  Amen to that!

Our need for community is not a weakness; it is a strength. In fact, it is the basis of the church. Paul describes the perfect church as a body, something that is only strong and healthy if all the parts are closely connected and moving in the same direction. The strongest muscle or toughest bone, when separated from the rest of the body, becomes weak and useless. This is one reason God created the church: we draw strength from one another.

On July 24, 2002, nine miners in western Pennsylvania became trapped 240 feet below ground in a flooded mine shaft. Rescue efforts began immediately, but the rescue crews knew the odds were against them saving all the men. Amazingly, however, all nine miners survived the ordeal. These men claim that it was their decision to bond together that saved their lives. From the outset of the danger, the men watched out for one another. They tied themselves together, so that no one could float away or slip under the water. If one man got tired, his bond to the other men kept him afloat. The miners vowed that whether they lived or died, they would do so together.

The members of the church keep each other "afloat" by using their gifts to help one another. God gave each of us unique and multifaceted gifts so that together we could create a dynamic, interdependent, effective community. Where one member is weak, another member is strong. We all have something to offer, and this keeps us humble. We need each other. All of us have our individual gifts, and each of us has his or her place. None of us is any more important than anyone else.

In the body of Christ, everyone is important. Even the seemingly insignificant participants are urgently needed. As the Apostle Paul reminds us:

"The head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable . . . If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (I Cor. 12:21-22, 26).

But there is another reason God created the church. It is so we can work together for God's glory. Do you ever get a sinking feeling when you watch the evening news? Another suicide bombing in Israel. Civil war in parts of Africa. Death squads in Brazil. The growing drug trade in the U.S. What a conflict there is between the Eden God created and the world as we know it! We don't have to look farther than our own neighborhood to see the results of sin, self-centeredness and destruction. Where do you start if you want to make a difference? There are so many needs, so much brokenness, and you are just one person. It's enough to overwhelm even the most gung-ho among us.

But God made the church to answer that need. The body of Christ was created and set apart to do the work that Christ did in the world. To go where

His feet went, to the lost and poor and hurting of the world. To teach as Christ's mouth taught, about love for God and love for our fellow human. To see as Jesus' eyes saw, finding beauty and redemption and grace in a prostitute, a leper, a tax collector. To touch as Jesus touched, with gentleness and love and healing power. God didn't call on a smattering of Lone Rangers, Supermen, or Rambos to save the world. Rather, He chose ordinary, humble, average folks to preach and teach and heal and restore and tear down and build up and redeem a broken creation. Each of us plays an important role.  But then again, that’s what the church is all about.

Terry Risser

Reflections

1)  Why do we sometimes minimize our role in God’s Kingdom?

2)  Have you ever compared yourself with someone else’s gift?  What talent has God given you to use?

Consider reading the Word today:

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

September 21 - On The Verge Of Victory

On The Verge Of Victory

“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” Psalm 57:7

John Greenleaf  Whittier famously wrote, “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”  The inability to persist when a person is right on the verge of victory has halted everyone at one time or another.  History is replete with stories of those that followed through and those that did not.  The sports world is, as well.

Mario Lemieux, because of his tremendous courage to fight Hodgkin’s Disease and his incredible skill in the sport of ice hockey. He is a model of persistence in the face of adversity. Born in Canada, Lemieux led the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup Championship title in 1991 and 1992. The Montreal native dropped out of school at the age of 16, a year after joining Montreal’s, Laval Voisin,  junior hockey team. In 1984, the Pittsburgh Penguins, then in last place, made Lemieux  the first selection in the NHL draft.

In his first year with the Penguins, Lemieux won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year and his first Most Valuable Player award in the NHL All Star Game. He played an important part in the team’s gradual improvement in league standings and his performances drew increased attendance at games. In the 1987- 1988 Season, Lemieux overtook Canadian hockey star, Wayne Gretzky’s NHL High Scorer Title (for one season) by scoring or assisting in more than half of his team’s 319 goals. Lemieux won the Hart Trophy for that season’s Most Valuable Player, and was the "Sporting News" Player of the Year. He repeated as Scoring Champion in 1989.

In 1991 and again in 1992, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, and Lemieux was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy two years in a row as The Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs. In the 1991-1992 Season, Lemieux also led the league in scoring, with 44 goals and 87 assists. In February of 1993, well on his way to another scoring title, Lemieux began to experience a numbing pain in his back. Upon having a MRI, it was discovered that he had cancer. He left the team to undergo treatment for Hodgkin’s Disease. A little over a month later, he rejoined the Penguins in March and, despite missing 24 of the season’s 84 games, he won the Art Ross Trophy as Leading Scorer for the season. His illness caused him to miss the entire 1994-1995 Season. He would come back for the 1995-1996 Season and retire a year later. Yet it took unbelievable courage to return to the NHL, even after cancer.

The Bible is full of people who hesitated at the edge of greatness and succumbed to failure:

Lot’s Wife -- A look back changed her into a pillar of salt.
Demas -- He hesitated too long with a lasting look at this present world.
Agrippa -- Almost persuaded and allowed his soul to slip out of that conviction.
The Rich Young Ruler -- He stopped short of the greatest commandment.
Absalom -- The man who died gambling with the final decision.
Balaam -- The man who grew confident in his backslidden state.

But the embodiment of persistence does not come originally to us from the sports world. The sports world can only be a small mirror of what happens in the spiritual challenges that men will face. Caleb and Joshua were two men out of twelve who said that God would empower the children of Israel to take the land of Jericho. The other ten, were losers, men who said that the walls were too large and the giants were too big.

Israel had left the land of Egyptian captivity. After being captured for a little over 400 years, they came to a place called Kadesh Barnea.  Kadesh Barnea should have been a place of conquest, but instead it became a place of hesitation. They hesitated at the edge of greatness.

The twelve spies went to the land of Canaan. They admired the fruit that grew in great abundance. They admired the land and how comfortable that a home there would be. Yet, the fenced cities and the giants who inhabited them, terrorized their hearts.

But God would bring them full circle.  In Joshua 14:7, we read Caleb’s confidence in their second go-round.  “Forty years old was I when Moses, the servant of the LORD, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.”

Caleb’s words were not meant to please the crowd. They were received from his devotion to God and an understanding of the promises of God.

His persistence allowed him to experience the land God had promised so many years ago.  What about you?  Are you persistent?  Or have you allowed life to cause you to give in.  The path is littered with people who allowed obstacles and opponents to overwhelm them.  However, history records those who continued to press on.  Whatever is in your path, God will take you through it. 

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)  What are your biggest obstacles right now?

2)  Ask God to help you see it as an opportunity to find victory.

Consider reading the Word today:

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

September 20 - A Dad For All Seasons

A Dad For All Seasons

“And now a word to all fathers.  Don’t keep scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful.  Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and advice.” Ephesians 6:14

Most people have heard of the “bell curve.”  It’s that strangely shaped graph, ironically shaped like a “bell,” that for years has been used by teachers to assess the average grading level of a class.  For instance, a small number of students will get “F’s”, a slightly higher number get “D’s”, and a rising and proportionately greater amount receive “C’s”, and a lesser number receive “B’s”, and a few get “A’s”.  (Like a bell, it rises and falls.)

While most have heard of the bell curve, the majority are unaware of the “dad curve.”  (Actually, it’s an inverted bell shape.)  It starts high, descends to a valley, and then rises again.  Much like students, dads are constantly being graded by their children.  Not that the grading determines a dad’s success or failure, for only the Lord can assess that, but rather the child’s opinion of a dad over a lifetime will continue to change, whether you’ve failed, are average or have been perfect.

Ann Landers said it best in her article, “My Father When I Was…”

My Father When I Was…

4 years old:  My daddy can do anything.

5 years old:  My daddy knows a whole lot.

6 years old: My dad is smarter than your dad.

8 years old:  My dad doesn’t exactly know everything.

10 years old:  In the olden days when my dad grew up, things sure were                                         different.

12 years old:  Oh, well, naturally, Father doesn’t know anything about that.  He is

                       too old to remember his childhood.

14 years old:  Don’t pay any attention to my father.  He is so out of touch!

21 years old:  Him?  My goodness he is hopelessly out-of-date!

25 years old:  Dad knows a little about it, but then he should because he has

                       been around so long.

30 years old:  May we should ask Dad what he thinks.  After all, he had a lot of

                       experience.

35 years old:  I’m not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.

40 years old:  I wonder how Dad would have handled it.  He was so wise and had

                       a world of experience.

50 years old:  I’d give anything if Dad were here so I could talk this over with

                      him.  Too bad I didn’t appreciate how smart he was.  I could have

                      learned a lot from him.

Though seasons undoubtedly will change, effective fathering requires constant dependence upon the Lord so that you can faithfully fulfill your calling in this vital area.   In Ephesians 6:14, Paul says, “And now a word to all fathers.  Don’t keep scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful.  Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and advice.” (TLB)  They’ll thank you for it later.  Might even give you an “A.”

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)   What was your experience with your  father?  Do you have good or difficult memories?

2)   Ask God to have you pray for someone (a dad) in your life today.

Consider reading the Word today:

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser