Avoiding the Blahs

The message given in the Sunday night worship service in the Gettysburg United Methodist church on Sunday, September 26, 2021.  The Bible verses used are Matthew 19:19-26.

Do you ever feel like your life is just kind of--blah?  

I mean, you’re doing your best to live a good life.  You feel like you’re doing what you’re supposed to do.  You’re trying to be a good person.  You try to treat people right, to help them when you can.  You try to be there for your family and friends.  And yet, somehow--it just does not seem like it’s enough.  It’s not that anything’s going wrong, really.  You look at your life, and you feel like everything’s going okay.  It’s just that--it seems like there’s something missing.  You don’t know what it is, but--you feel it.  

And you don’t know what to do about it.  So, you pray.  And--nothing really seems to be happening.  You don’t really feel like God is hearing your prayers.  Again, it’s not that anything’s really going wrong.  But you know, deep down, that everything is not as it should be.  There’s something missing, and you don’t know what it is or how to find it.

I think that’s what was going on with the man in our reading from Matthew tonight.  A man comes up to Jesus and asks what he needs to do in order to inherit eternal life.  

Now, to the people around Jesus, that would’ve seemed like an odd question.  The Jewish teachers told everyone what they had to do to get eternal life.  Everyone, at least everyone who claimed to be a faithful Jew, knew what the requirements were.  You were supposed to follow the rules.  Follow all the Jewish law to the letter and you’d get to heaven.  Jesus knew that.  The people around Jesus knew that.  

And surely this man had to know it, too.  So Jesus knows there has to be something more behind his question, but he’s not going to say what it is.  Instead, he’s going to let the man tell him.  So, he gives the answer that any good and faithful Jew would give:  follow the commandments.

And the man gives another odd question.  He asks “Which ones?”         

That’s an odd question because the Jewish teachers would’ve said, “All of them, of course.”  And again, everyone who claimed to be a faithful Jew would’ve known that.  You were not allowed to pick and choose which parts of the law you were going to follow.  You were supposed to follow all of the law.           

And Jesus still knows there’s something more behind these questions, something this guy is hesitant to ask.  But Jesus is not going to say it for him.  Instead, Jesus simply responds with a list of some of the commandments.  Now, Jesus was not saying these were the only ones people were supposed to follow, or that the ones he did not list were not important.  He was using these as examples.  He was saying, in effect, “You know which ones.  Everyone knows them.”  Jesus was still trying to get the man to tell him what he really wants to know.           

Finally, the man tells him.  He says, in effect, I’ve kept all the commandments.  I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do.  But it just does not feel like it’s enough.  I feel like there’s something more, and I don’t have any idea what it is.  So please, Jesus tell me.  What more is there?  What am I missing here?           

Now we get to the heart of it.  The man has done what he’s been told to do all his life.  And yet, somehow, knows that it’s not enough.  He knows there has to be more to it than just keeping the rules.  He knows he’s missing something.  But what?

The man felt like you and I sometimes feel.  Like his life was just--blah.  He’d been following all the rules, doing all the things he was supposed to do, but it just did not feel like it was getting him anyplace.  He did not feel like he was any closer to God by doing that.  It’s not that he felt bad, really.  He just, well, did not really feel anything.

A lot of us have been there, at one time or another.  Not really feeling bad, but not really feeling good, either.  Sometimes, not really feeling anything.  It’s like we’re just kind of going through life on cruise control.  We’re living good lives, but we’re also living quiet lives.  We’re living safe lives.  We’re not sure that anything about our lives is really making an impact on anything or anyone.  We wonder if our good, safe, quiet life has any purpose, any meaning.  Sometimes we feel like we’re just kind of there, like we’re just going through the motions of life.

That’s what this man was telling Jesus he felt like.  He wanted Jesus to tell him something he could do to give his life some meaning, to give it some purpose, to help him feel closer to God.  

We have no idea what he expected Jesus to say.  Maybe he thought Jesus would tell him to go on some sort of a long fast.  Maybe he thought Jesus would tell him to make a major pilgrimage or something.  Maybe he did not have any particular expectation.  One thing I think we can be confident of is that he did not expect Jesus to say what he said.  Jesus told the man to go and sell all of his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then come back and follow him.           

That’s a really big thing Jesus was asking this man to do.  Could you do it?  I don’t know that I could.  I know I certainly have not.  Neither has anyone else I know.  Don’t get me wrong, there are people in our parish who give very generously.  But I don’t know anyone who has sold absolutely all of their possessions to follow Jesus.

And I don’t know that Jesus requires us to.  This is the only time the gospels record Jesus ever saying anything like this.  There were lots of other people Jesus met, including his own disciples, who did not sell off all their possessions, and Jesus does not seem to have told them they should.  This seems to have been something specifically required of this one man, rather than something that we’re all supposed to do.

But why would that be?  Why would Jesus require this one man to sell all his possessions, if he did not require that of anyone else?  Yes, we’re told the man had great wealth, and we assume Jesus knew that.  But Jesus had times when he talked to other people of great wealth, and he did not tell them to sell all their possessions.  So why did Jesus tell this man to do that?

I think what Jesus was telling this man, and what Jesus tells each of us, is that it’s not good enough to just follow the rules.  I mean, it’s not bad to follow the rules.  But it’s not enough.  It can lead us to just live a good, safe, quiet life, and the goal of a Christian is not and should not be to live a good, safe, quiet life.  Deep down, this man knew that.  And deep down, we know it, too.  That’s why our lives feel blah sometimes.  It’s not that we’re doing anything wrong, necessarily.  It’s that we’ve put our lives on cruise control, and that’s never a good thing for a Christian to do.  

The goal of a Christian should be to live a life that’s dedicated to Christ, and that kind of life can never be on cruise control.  A life that’s dedicated to Christ cannot help but have an impact on others..  A life that’s dedicated to Christ will have an impact on others even when we don’t specifically intend it to.  A life that’s dedicated to Christ will have an impact on others even when we don’t realize it.  There’s no way we can avoid having that impact when our lives are dedicated to Christ.           

That’s why Jesus said what he did to this man.  Jesus could’ve told him to tithe, but if he was following the rules as he says, then he was already tithing.  Jesus could’ve told him to just increase his giving, and he probably would’ve done so gladly.  The thing is that something like that would not have gotten this man’s life out of cruise control.  They’re good things to do, don’t get me wrong.  But they are not things that would’ve gotten this man out of his good, safe, quiet life.  There’s nothing about increasing his giving that would’ve changed this man’s life.  This man needed more than just another set of rules to follow.  He needed to feel God’s Holy Spirit in his heart and in his life.  He needed to put his full faith and trust in Jesus.

We need to feel God’s Holy Spirit in our hearts and in our lives.  We need to put our full faith and trust in Jesus.  That may not mean that we need to sell all our possessions.  But it does mean we need to change something.  If we really want to follow Christ, if we really want to make an impact on others for Christ, it’s not enough to just take small, safe, quiet steps.  We cannot just do a little more of the things we’re doing now.  If we really want to follow Christ, we need to take the cruise control off.  We need to somehow, in some way, do something that will open us up to feeling God’s Holy Spirit with us.           

What that means is different for each of us.  It does not necessarily mean that each of us has to sell all our possessions.  What it does mean is that something has to change.

And that’s scary.  It’s scary to change our lives, especially when, as I said, it feels like there’s nothing particularly wrong with our lives right now.  It was scary for the rich man to change.  He could not do it.  We’re told that he walked away sad.

And that’s the thing.  It is scary to change--but deep down, we know we need to.  We know that if we don’t, that feeling that something’s missing won’t go away.  We won’t have God’s Holy Spirit in our lives the way we should.  And we’ll be sad, too, knowing that something’s missing in our lives but not doing anything about it.  

            Let’s not be content with our good, safe, quiet lives.  Let’s not live on cruise control anymore.  Let’s ask Jesus what we need to do to inherit eternal life.  And then, let’s do it.  It could be scary.  But when we go the way Jesus leads us, we’re always going in the right direction.  And that blah feeling will go away, because we’ll have God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.

 

From Death to Life

 The message given in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish on Sunday, September 26, 2021.  The Bible verses used are Ephesians 2:1-10.

            Are you a good person?

            You probably are.  I don’t think there’s anyone here whom I would say was not a good person.  None of us is perfect, of course--I most certainly am not.  And we know we’re not perfect.  But still, as I look out at all of you, I don’t see one person here whom I would say was not a good person.

            But here’s the thing.  When we say that someone is a good person--or if I say that I’m a good person--what’s our standard?  How are we measuring goodness?  We’re measuring it by other people, right?  We’re comparing ourselves to other people.  We’re saying, well, I may not be perfect, but compared to a lot of people I know, I’m pretty darn good.  I’m doing the best I can, anyway.  I think I’m doing all right.

            I suspect that the people of Ephesus, whom the Apostle Paul was writing to in our reading from the book of Ephesians, would probably have said the same thing.  They’d have said, you know, we may not be perfect, but compared to a lot of people, we’re pretty darn good.  We’re certainly doing the best we can, anyway.  We’re doing all right.

            And then, here comes the Apostle Paul.  And Paul tells them they’re not doing all right at all.  They’re not pretty darn good.  He tells them, “you were dead in your transgressions and sins”.  That word “transgressions”, by the way, means breaking the law, in this case, God’s law.  So Paul is telling them, you are not good at all.  You’re breaking God’s laws.  You’re not doing what Jesus told you to do.  In fact, you’ve been doing that so much that, for all practical purposes, you were dead.

            How do you think the people of Ephesus reacted to that?  Or, look at it this way:  how would you react?  How would you have reacted if I had started this message by telling you, “You are not good people.  You are breaking God’s laws.  You are not living the way Jesus told you to live.  You are sinning so much that you are dead in your transgressions and sins.”

            How would you react to that?  Probably not very well.  And I suspect that the people of Ephesus did not react very well to it, either, when they heard those words of Paul.  No one would want to hear that.  I would not want to hear it, either.  So why would Paul say it?

            It gets back to what we’ve talked about in some of our recent messages--our need to recognize our sins.  If we allow ourselves to think, “Hey, I’m doing pretty good,” we’re also likely to think, “You know, I really don’t need to change much of anything.  I’m doing all right just the way I am.  Yes, I’m a sinner--I get that bit--but you know, the Bible says we’re all sinners.  So really, God cannot expect me to do any better than I am.”  And we just keep living the way we’ve been living.  

That’s not to say that the way we’ve been living is terrible, necessarily.  But if we just accept ourselves the way we are--if we say, “I’m doing fine just the way I am”--we’re not going to try to change.  And we won’t be the people God wants us to be.

So Paul says this to get their attention.  But then, Paul says this, “you followed the ways of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.”  Paul is saying, look, I’m not singling you out.  All of us are like this.  Every one of us has done this.  We followed the ways of the world.  We followed Satan--the ruler of the kingdom of the air.  We all lived selfish lives--gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.

Paul is not saying this to hammer the people of Ephesus and beat them down.  And Paul does not say it to hammer us or beat us down, either.  But he is saying that it’s important that we recognize this.  It’s important that we recognize the sinful lives we live.  Not excuse them, not pretend we’re doing okay, not sweep our sins under the rug.  Recognize them.  Admit them.  Acknowledge them.

And understand that God recognizes them, too.  God does not think we’re doing pretty good.  God does not think we’re doing fine just the way we are.  Because God is good.  God is perfectly good.  And compared to God we are not good at all.  In fact, compared to God, there is very little about us that’s good.  And, as Paul says, we are by nature deserving of God’s wrath.

But here’s the thing.  God’s view of us--God seeing that we’re not doing pretty good, that we’re not fine just the way we are--is not bad news for us.  It’s good news for us.  In fact, it’s the best news for us there could ever be.  

Why do I say that?  Well, Paul tells us why.  “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

You see, it’s because God sees who we are--it is because God knows we are not pretty good, we are not fine just the way we are--that God sent Jesus Christ to earth.  Yes we are deserving of God’s wrath.  But because God loves us so much, because of God’s incredible mercy and grace--God did not want to give us the punishment we deserve.  And so, God sent Jesus Christ to earth.  God sent Jesus to tell us how to live.  God sent Jesus to show us how to live.  And God sent Jesus to die for us.  God sent Jesus to die, to take the punishment that we should get for our sins.  It was only through that death that Jesus could conquer death itself, rising from the dead.  

And because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, you and I have the chance to avoid God’s wrath.  We have the chance to avoid the punishment we deserve.  God--again, out of God’s incredible love and mercy and grace--gave us a way out.  All we have to do is accept Jesus Christ as the Savior.  When we do, God puts us on an equal footing with Jesus himself--as Paul says, God “raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms.”

That is an incredible gift God has given us.  And Paul emphasizes that, too--this is a gift from God.  We have not earned it.  We don’t deserve it.  God does not owe it to us.  He says, “It is by grace that you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.”

It’s an incredible gift--but it’s one that you and I have to accept.  God does not force this gift onto us.  You and I have to accept it.

It seems so incredible to us that anyone would not accept it.  Why would anyone not want this gift?  Why would anyone not want to avoid the punishment we deserve?  Why would anyone not want to receive salvation and eternal life with the Lord in heaven?

But there are people who don’t.  There are people right here in our town who have not accepted Jesus Christ as the Savior.  There may even be people in our families who have not accepted Jesus Christ as the Savior.  They may or may not say they have, but our words are not God is interested in.  God is interested in our hearts.  And no matter what anyone may say, God always knows whether anyone has truly accepted Jesus as the Savior.  God always knows whether we have acknowledged our sins, repented of them, and desire to change.  God always knows whether we have accepted His gift, or if we still think we’re pretty good the way we are and don’t need to change.

And make no mistake--the Bible makes it clear that acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Savior is the only way to heaven.  Jesus himself said so.  Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  

Sometimes we might wish that was not the case.   It’s become popular now not to believe that, to say that there are lots of ways to heaven, that Jesus is only one of many ways to eternal life.  But that’s not what Jesus said.  And our opinion about it really does not matter.  God did not take a poll of human beings to determine the way to salvation.  God said there is one way and one way only, and that’s through faith in Jesus Christ.

And if that seems unfair to you, remember what Paul said here.  We were by nature deserving of God’s wrath.  God did not have to provide any way to salvation.  God could have required every one of us to accept the punishment we deserve for our sins.  It is only out of God’s incredible love and grace and mercy that God did provide a way to salvation.  And he was willing to allow His divine Son to be killed in order to give us that way to salvation.  That’s a pretty awesome love God has for us, that God was willing to do that.

Let’s accept that love.  Let’s accept Jesus as the Savior, so that we may have salvation and eternal life.  And let’s do what we can to convince others to accept Him, too, so that they may also have salvation and eternal life. 

 

Repeating Lessons

This is the message given in the Sunday night service in the Gettysburg United Methodist church on Sunday, September 19, 2021.  The Bible verses used are Mark 8:1-10/

            This is not the story we usually think of when we think of Jesus feeding people.  The one we usually think of is the story of Jesus feeding five thousand people.  We’re familiar with that story--the disciples go through the crowd, looking for food, and all they can find is one boy with five small loaves of bread and two fish.  Jesus blesses the food, tells the disciples to feed the people with it, they do, and there are twelve baskets full of leftovers.

            But that’s not the story we read tonight.  The gospel of Mark has that story--it’s in Mark Chapter Six.  But this is not that story.  This is the story of Jesus feeding four thousand people.

            So, what’s the difference?  Well, one thousand people, obviously.  But what else?  And the real question is, why does Mark include both stories?

            It’s an interesting thing to think about.  The gospel of Mark is the shortest of the gospels.  We usually think it’s the shortest because Mark really gets down to the basics.  Mark does not even include the birth story of Jesus.  Mark starts with a few perfunctory verses about John the Baptist, and the next thing you know Jesus gets baptized and starts gathering disciples.  Mark does not include anything that is not essential to the message of Jesus as the Savior.  

And yet, Mark includes these two stories that are almost identical.  There has to be a reason.  After all, we’re told that all scripture is useful to us.  In fact, we’re told that all scripture comes from God--is “God breathed”.  There is something we’re supposed to learn from this.  What is it?

            After all, it’s not enough to just say, well, Mark included two stories because Jesus fed people twice.  I mean, I don’t doubt that Jesus did feed people twice.  He may have fed people more times than that--for all we know, there may have been similar instances of Jesus feeding people that were not included in the gospels.  But that’s the point.  The gospels themselves tell us that Jesus did many things that are not included in them.  So again, why did Mark include these two nearly identical stories?  What are we supposed to learn from them?  And specifically, what are we supposed to learn from the second story that we could not learn from the first?

            Well, let’s look at them.  Both involve large crowds of people.  In both cases, we’re told that the people did not have anything to eat.  In both cases, we’re told that Jesus had compassion for the people.  In both cases, we’re told that they were in a remote place, so that it would not be easy to go and get food.  In both cases, they had just a few loaves of bread and a few fish.  In both cases, Jesus tells the people to sit down.  In both cases, Jesus gives thanks and tells the disciples to start distributing the food.  In both cases, everyone got enough to eat--we’re told that “they ate and were satisfied”.  In both cases, there was lots of food left over.  There’s a slight difference in how much--in Mark Six it’s twelve basketfuls of food, in Mark Eight it’s seven basketfuls.  Maybe they had different size baskets, I don’t know.  But that, and the number of people fed, are about the only differences we can see.

            It seems like our examination of these two stories does not get us any closer to understanding why these two stories are both in the gospel of Mark.  There seem to be almost no differences, and the differences there are don’t seem to be particularly important.

            So, could the reason these two stories are both in the gospel of Mark is not because they’re different, but because they are the same?  Is there something we can learn from the fact that Mark included two nearly identical stories.

            Well, let’s think about it.  One thing it shows is the desire people had to hear Jesus, to learn from Jesus, to receive healing from Jesus, and to just be near Jesus.  It’s not a desire that was limited to one group of people in one specific place.  It was a desire that many groups of people in many places had.  And it was a desire that was so strong that people would just take off, leave, drop what they were doing, on the spur of the moment, to go and be with Jesus.  They would do this with no preparations and no provisions.  They did not bring food--they probably did not bring a change of clothes or money or anything else, either.  And they followed him a long way--again, we’re told that they went to “a remote place”.  And when they started to get hungry, when it started to get dark, they did not think, hey, you know, maybe we’d better get home and get something to eat.  They stayed.  They stayed with Jesus.  That’s how strong their desire to be with Jesus was.

            How strong is our desire to be with Jesus?  Obviously, we have some, because we’re here.  Or, we’re watching the livestream.  That’s a good sign.  Not that going to church is the ultimate measure of our desire to be with Jesus, but it is one measure.  How we pray and how often we pray is another measure.  How often we think about the Lord as we go through our day is another measure.  How much our lives show our Christian faith is another measure.  And there are others, too--I don’t pretend this is a complete list.  But think about it.  How strong is you desire to be with Jesus?  And how strong is my desire to be with Jesus?

            Another thing it shows is how much Jesus loves us.  In both of these stories, we’re told that Jesus “had compassion” for the people.  And that’s important, too.  Jesus’ love for us is not something that he feels once in a while.  It’s not a sometimes thing.  Jesus’ love for us is constant.  It’s twenty-four/seven.  It’s every hour, every minute, of every day.  No matter where we are.  No matter what we do.  Jesus will always be there for us.  No matter how many times we need him.  There will never be a time when Jesus says “I’m tired of having to do things for these people all the time.  I’ve had enough.  They should take care of themselves and leave me alone.”  Jesus will never say that.  Jesus will never say anything like that.  Jesus will always be there for us, and Jesus will always love us.  Always.  No matter what.

            Another thing it shows is how the people trusted Jesus completely.  When they got hungry, when it got dark, they did not leave.  They trusted that Jesus would take care of them.  Remember, the verses we read tonight said that the people had been with Jesus for three days.  We assume that’s three days with nothing to eat.  You know, Jesus called himself the bread of life, and said that whoever came to him would never be hungry.  That’s John Six, Verse Thirty-five.  

We usually assume that was a metaphor, that Jesus did not mean it literally, but maybe there’s a sense in which it was true.  Have you ever gotten so wrapped up in something, have you ever gotten so involved in something, that mealtime came and went and you did not even notice?  Take that feeling, multiply it several times, and that’s what the people felt when they were with Jesus.  They were so intent on listening to what he said, so eager to be with him, that they did not even notice that they were hungry.  But eventually, of course, the need for food makes itself known to us, no matter what.  But again, they did not leave.  The people trusted that Jesus, this man who was the bread of life, would somehow be able to feed them.  And, of course, he did.

There’s at least one more reason Mark might have included both of these stories, as similar as they are.  I’ve heard people try to explain away Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand, as if it was not really a miracle.  They say, well, you know, there probably were lots of people there who had some food.  They just were hiding it.  And then, when they saw that one kid come forward and offer what he had, they were ashamed, and so they brought out their food.  

That’s not an explanation that’s ever made much sense to me, but a person can always find a way to explain away Jesus’ miracles if that’s their goal.  But by including both stories, Mark is saying, in effect, look, this happened more than once.  Are you trying to tell me people were hiding food both times?  How does that make any sense?

This story--both these stories--has lessons for us.  We need to have a desire for Jesus.  We need to have a desire to be close to Jesus.  We need a desire to be with Jesus, and to have Jesus with us.  We need to be so intent on following Jesus, so focused on Jesus, that all the petty little things in life, the things in life that we think of as being oh, so important, go away.  We don’t even notice them.  All we notice is Jesus and following him.

And when those things do force themselves on our attention, trust Jesus to take care of them, and take care of us.  Because he will.  Jesus cares about us.  Jesus has compassion on us.  Jesus loves us.  Always.  And forever.

It’s not an accident that Mark included both of these stories.  It’s not an accident that God inspired Mark to include both of those stories.  They are there to help us.  They are there to guide us.  They are there to teach us.  May we learn their lessons, and have a complete and total desire for Jesus.

 

Resisting Temptation

This is the message given in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish on Sunday morning, September 19, 2021.  The Bible verses used are Luke 4:1-13.

            We talked last week about our need to confess our sins.  But there’s a larger question that we did not talk about.  Why do we sin in the first place?

            We acknowledge, of course, that we are fallen, sinful people.  We know that none of us is without sin.  But think of a specific sin.  For most of us, we’ve got a lot to choose from, but just think of one.  And ask yourself:  “Why did I do that?”

            I cannot give the specific answer for anyone but myself.  But I suspect there is at least one factor that is common for all of us.  In the short term, we thought that our sin would benefit us in some way.  I don’t necessarily mean that we were being selfish, although we certainly might have been.  But we thought that things would be better for us if we committed that sin.  We may have convinced ourselves that things would be better for someone else, too--maybe for lots of people.  But we also thought things would be better for ourselves.  The chances are, when we choose to commit a sin, there is some way we think we will be better off if we commit it.

            And sometimes we are--in the short term.  After all, that’s what makes sin so tempting--we think it will make us happy, and in the short-term it may.  But if it is sin, there will be long-term consequences, and those consequences will not be so happy.  But the way Satan attacks us with sin is by trying to keep us from thinking about those long-term consequences.  Satan tried to keep us focused on our short-term happiness, not what might happen in the long run.

            That’s one of the things we see in our reading for today from the gospel of Luke.  Jesus is out in the desert.  And Satan comes along and tempts him to sin.  

            One thing we need to realize, as we hear this, is how real those temptations were for Jesus.  When we read this, we tend to think, well, he’s Jesus.  He’s the divine Son of God.  Of course Jesus can resist temptation.  And of course he did, but it was not that easy.  Jesus was and is the divine Son of God, but he was also fully human while he was on earth.  And the temptations of Satan were not easy for him to resist, any more than they would be for you or me.

            The first temptation was for Jesus to turn a stone into bread.  Now, think about this.  Jesus was hungry.  He’d been fasting for forty days.  “Hungry” is probably not really a good-enough word to say what Jesus felt.  He was starving.  And the devil comes along and says, hey, you can do something about this.  Just turn that stone into bread.

Think of how tempting that had to be.  It’d just be a little bread.  No big deal.  Just a little something to eat.  Who would it hurt?  Besides, who’d know anyway?  Jesus was out in the wilderness.  There was no one else around.  Yeah, it might be a little selfish, but so what?  You deserve it.  It’s not like Jesus would be taking food away from anyone.  It’d make things better for Jesus, it would hurt no one, and nobody would even find out.  Why not do it?

Jesus did not do it.  At least a part of him had to want to.  But he did not.  He knew he was not supposed to use his powers to benefit himself.  And he knew that somebody would know.  Two somebodies, really.  One of them was God the Father, and I’m sure Jesus did not want to let his father down.  But the other one was the devil.  The devil would know.  And there would be long-term consequences.  Because, you see, that’s another thing about temptation.  If we give in to it once, it becomes that much easier to give in to it again.  And that’s where the long-term consequences would come in.

Jesus knew he had pretty much unlimited power, at least in human terms.  Yes, he could use his power in this case to benefit himself.  And maybe it would not hurt anyone.  But once he did that, it would be that much easier to use his power to benefit himself again.  And then again.  And then again and again.  Think of the times he was on the road, with little to eat and nowhere to sleep.  He could’ve just turned a stone into a comfortable bed for himself.  Think of the times he got frustrated with the disciples.  He could’ve used his power to make them smarter, give them more understanding.  Think of the times Jesus was arguing with the Pharisees.  He could’ve just given them a good zap to change their minds.  Think of when Jesus was on the cross.  He could’ve come down from there with no problem whatsoever.  It would’ve been easy.  And if he’d given into temptation this one time, he might have given in those other times, too.  And he would not have fulfilled his purpose as the divine Son of God.

The second temptation was to take power.  The devil says, here Jesus.  You can have authority over everyone and everything on earth.  All you have to do is worship me.

Think about how tempting that one had to be.  Satan says, think about this, Jesus.  Think about all the good you could do with that kind of power.  You could heal everyone.  You could end war.  You could make end poverty.  Just imagine it.  Imagine no possessions.  I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger.  A brotherhood of man.  Imagine all the people sharing all the world.  And all you have to do, Jesus, is worship me.  You don’t have to do it in public.  Nobody needs to know.  We could have heaven right here on earth.  It’d just be making the world like it was supposed to be in the first place.  Why not do it?

Short-term gain.  Not just for Jesus, but for lots of people.  But Jesus did not do it.  Again, at least a part of him had to want to.  But he did not.  He knew that, no matter how good his intentions might be, taking power in this way would not work out. It might have been good in the short-term.  But again, there would be long-term consequences.

What Jesus knew is that, in the long-term, if he obeyed God the Father, he was going to have authority over everyone and everything on earth anyway.  He did not need to worship Satan to get it.  Yes, in the short-term, some people might have been better off.  But in the long-term, humans would have lost salvation and eternal life.  And that was too big a price to pay.

The third temptation was for Jesus to demonstrate his greatness.  The devil takes him up to the highest point of the temple.  He says, jump.  Jump off here.  You won’t get hurt.  Go ahead.  Do it.

And that had to be tempting, too.  Think what would’ve happened.  There’s Jesus, on the top of the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem.  He jumps.  He lands, unharmed.  Instant fame, right?  He’d have been a celebrity.  Everyone would’ve listened to him.  And everyone would’ve believed him.  Everyone would’ve known Jesus was the Son of God.  An incredible short-term gain.  No having to travel around.  No having to gather a bunch of disciples.  He could take a short-cut.  All the disciples he needed would be right there.  And they’d worship him.  Simple.

Short-term gain.  But Jesus knew the power he had, and he knew how he was supposed to use it.  Yes, he was going to work miracles, but they would be miracles of healing.  They would be miracles of feeding people.  They would be miracles to benefit other people, not miracles to benefit himself.  Showing off in that way might have made things easier for Jesus in the short-term, but it would’ve made Jesus’ ministry all about himself.  It would’ve made his ministry a cult of celebrity.  That might’ve worked, for a while, but Jesus’ message—God’s message—the message of loving God and loving others--would’ve been lost.  There would’ve been a short-term gain, but there would’ve been terrible long-term consequences.  

And there’s one more thing about this.  Jesus resisted these temptations, but that was not the end of the story.  It was just the end of one episode.  And at the end, we’re told that the devil “left him until a more opportune time.”

That will happen with us, too.  Resisting temptation will not make temptation go away.  It may go away for a while, but it will come back.  Satan will come back at us, usually at a point when we’re weak.  It’s something we constantly need to be on guard against.  And the way to do that is to stay close to God, just like Jesus stayed close to God.

What’s tempting you right now?  Whatever it is, I suspect it’s something that looks like it would really help you, in the short-term.  It would make things easier.  It might even save you some trouble--in the short term.

But what are the long-term consequences?  Because there will be some.  Satan is trying to keep you from thinking about them.  Satan is trying to keep you from recognizing them.  But they’re there.  Pretending they’re not won’t make them go away.  Any time we sin for short-term gain, even if we convince ourselves we have good reasons for doing it, there are long-term consequences for that, and they’re never good.

Jesus was subject to temptation all his life on earth.  And so are we.  We always need to be aware of the temptations around us.  They look good at first.  They seem to be for the best in the short-term.  That’s why they’re so tempting.  But in the long term, they’ll come back to hurt us.  And they won’t be following the will of God.

Jesus resisted temptation, and so can we.  If we stay close to God and do our best, we can follow God’s will.  And God’s will is always the best, in the short-term and in the long-term.

The Important People

The message given in the Gettysburg United Methodist church on Sunday night, September 12, 2021.  The Bible verses used are Isaiah 61:1-9.

            I read an interesting quote the other day.  It said, “Logic merely enables one to be wrong with authority.”

            Now, I’m not going to stand here and be against logic.  But I think we need to remember that human logic, for all its value, is flawed.  It is not at all the same as God’s logic.  Jesus told us to do all kinds of things that seem illogical to humans.  Love your enemies.  Do good to those who hate you.  If someone takes your coat, give them your shirt.  None of that makes much sense in human logic.  But it all makes sense to God.

            Our Bible reading for tonight gives us another example of how God’s logic is different from human logic.  Who, in human logic, are the most important people in the world?  I’m not asking you to tell me who should be the most important or who we pay lip service to as important.  I mean, you can find all kinds of people who’ll say teachers or first responders or servicemen or farmers or people like that are the most important.  And maybe they actually are, but society does not treat them that way, does it?  What I’m asking is not who should be the most important.  What I’m saying is, as you look at the way the world is, who actually gets treated as the most important people in the world?

            Well, we’d probably start with the politicians.  The president, the congress, the governors, people like that.  And the politicians in charge of other countries, too--I don’t mean this to just focus on the United States.  But these are the people who have power in human society.  These are the people who can tell the rest of us what to do or not do.  And they get treated with respect, for the most part, because of how “important” they are.

            And then we’d have the rich.  Some of the rich are politicians of course, but even if they’re not, these are also people society considers important.  These are people who can do pretty much anything they want to do, because of how much money they have.  And if they do get into trouble, they can usually use their money to get out of trouble.  Quite often, because of their money, they can tell the rest of us what to do or not do, too.  The rich also get treated with respect, for the most part, because of how “important” they are.

            And then, too, we have the celebrities.  Singers, actors, comedians, athletes, people like that.  Sometimes people who don’t seem to have any actual skill or talent, but seem to just be famous for being famous.  But they are famous, and they influence a lot of people, especially young people.  Because of that influence, they tell a lot of people what to do or not do, too.  And they get treated with respect, for the most part, because of how “important” they are.

            So that’s who our society considers important.  It’s probably not a complete list--I’m sure I missed some groups.  But politicians, the rich, and celebrities are the people our society considers important--maybe not by its words, but by its actions.

            Kind of makes the rest of us seem unimportant, right.  Insignificant, really.  You and I don’t have the power to tell anyone what to do or not do.  We don’t have any power or influence.  Society does not treat us with any particular respect.  You and I are just the scrubs, the pawns.  The peons, if you will.  That’s how we’re treated by society.

            But look at what our reading for tonight says about who God thinks is important.  Isaiah says the Lord “has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion.”

            That’s who God thinks is important.  The poor.  The brokenhearted.  The captives.  The prisoners.  Those who mourn.  Those who grieve.

            And it’s not just that God is going to take care of those people.  God says they are going to do great things.  Listen to this.  “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

            And that’s not all.  Those people--the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, those who mourn, those who grieve--are going to be given a high status by God.  “Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance.  And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.”

            Try to imagine you’re one of the people who heard Isaiah say these words of God.  Because those groups of people Isaiah referenced--again, the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, those who mourn, those who grieve--those were the people Isaiah was talking to.  The people who had no status in society.  The people who had no power, no influence, no money, no nothing.  The scrubs.  The pawns.  The peons.  

            And here’s Isaiah telling them that God is going bless them.  That God is going to free them and comfort them.  God is going to enable them to do great things.  And not only that, God is going to give them everlasting joy!

            Imagine how you’d have felt, if you were one of those people, hearing this.  You’d probably have a hard time believing it.  Could it be?  Could this really be true?  Is God really going to do this for us?  And then, when you did believe it, it’d be the most awesome feeling ever.  God is going to do this for me!  Plain old common me.  Plain old worthless me.  God is saying I’m not common, that I’m not worthless.  God is saying I’m important.  God is saying I’m special.  Important enough, and special enough, that God is going to do all this for me.  Who’d have thought it?  It’s incredible!

            Have you imagined it?  What it would’ve been like to be one of those people, hearing Isaiah say these words, hearing what God was going to do for you?  Have you imagined how you’d have felt, hearing those words?

            Now, imagine something else.  Imagine you are--well, who you are.  Because I suspect there is some sense in which each of us falls into at least one of those groups.  I suspect a lot of us know what it’s like to be poor.  I suspect most of us--maybe all of us--have been brokenhearted at some point.  Maybe you are now.  I suspect all of us have had reasons to mourn and to grieve--again, maybe some of you are now.  We may not have been captives or prisoners, but then again we may have been.  If not in a literal sense, you may have felt like you were a captive of your circumstances.  You may have felt like you were a prisoner of your situation.  Like you were stuck in a situation from which you could not escape.  But in any event, again, I suspect there is some sense in which we all fall into at least one of those groups, if not more.

            So, being who you are, imagine that God, speaking through Isaiah, is saying these words to you.  God is saying that He is proclaiming good news to you.  That He is binding up your broken heart.  That He is proclaiming freedom and release from darkness for you.  That He is going to comfort you--in fact, He already is.  You will be able to rejoice at what you will receive from God.  An everlasting joy will be yours.  And mine, too.

            Can you imagine that?  I hope you can.  Because God truly is saying those words to you.  God really is making all those promises to you.  

            And God is doing that because, in God’s eyes, you--and I--are that important.  You and I, as insignificant and unimportant as we are to society, are the most important people in the world to God.

            Can you believe that?  Can you trust it?  It can be hard to, I know.  Because this takes human logic and turns in upside down.  God, speaking through Isaiah in this passage, does not say anything about what He’s going to do for the powerful, for the rich, for the celebrities.  Those people, who are so important according to human logic, are not even mentioned.  Instead, God talks about what He’s going to do for the “unimportant” people.  Because in God’s logic, those “unimportant” people are the most important people in the world.

            So if you feel like you’re not important, know that you are.  You are incredibly important.  To God, each one of us is the most important person in the world.  No matter who we are.  No matter what we’ve done.  No matter how bad or insignificant we may feel.  You are the most important person in the world to God.  And so am I.  

So, whatever it is that’s bothering you tonight, whatever it is that’s on your mind, whatever it is that’s on your heart, know this:  God understands.  And God has good news for you.  God is going to bind up all of your hurts.  God is going to give comfort.  And God is going to set you free.

God was there for the “unimportant” people of Isaiah’s time.  And God is there for us “unimportant” people today, too.

 

A Confession to Make

The message given in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish on Sunday, September 12, 2021.  The Bible verses used are 1 John 1:1-10.

            When I was growing up and going to the Delmont United Methodist church, there was always a part of the service called the Prayer of Confession.  It was a joint prayer, read by the pastor and the congregation, in which we would confess our sins to God.

            Somewhere along the line, that got dropped out of the standard United Methodist worship service.  It was not part of the service when I came here, and we have not put it in since I’ve been here.  But maybe we should.  Because confessing our sins is an important part of what we’re supposed to do as Christians.  The Bible talks over and over and over about the importance of confessing our sins to God.

            Maybe you wonder why.  After all, God already knows about our sins, right?  God knows everything.  So if God knows about our sins already, why do we have to tell him about them?  I mean, it’s not a very fun thing to do, is it?  To sit there and think of all the sins we’ve committed?  And then list them in a prayer?  What a downer.  Why would we do that?

            Well, again, the Bible tells us to, and that should probably be a good enough reason right there.  But if we think about it, we can see why we need to do it.  We don’t confess our sins for God’s benefit.  We confess our sins for our benefit.

            The Apostle John, in our reading for today, says this:  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

            And we say, well, but I don’t claim to be without sin.  I know, as the Apostle Paul wrote, that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  

            And I’m sure that’s true of all of us.  I don’t think there’s a person here who would claim to be without sin.  But it’s still important for us to confess our sins to God.

            Now, when I say “confess our sins”, it’s not enough for us to do this in a generic way.  It’s not enough for us to just make a general statement that we have sinned.  If we’re going to take this seriously, we need to be specific.  We need to truly think about what our sins are and name them to God.

            Also, a sin is not the same as a mistake.  If Wanda tells me to stop at the store on my way home and I forget, I have not sinned.  I’ve made a mistake.  Now, I still need to apologize for that and do what I can to make it right.  But it’s not a sin.  A sin is when we violate God’s laws, either in the way we treat God himself or in the way we treat other people.

            And when I say “violate God’s laws”, I’m not talking in a technical legal sense.  Remember, Jesus said the most important commandments are that we love God and that we love others.  So, when we treat God or others with disrespect, when we fail to show love to God or love to others, we have sinned.

            But we get back to the question--why do we need to do this?  Why is it so important that we specifically name our sins and confess them to God?

            Well, I’m sure there are several reasons, but one of the biggest ones is so that we recognize them ourselves.  It’s one thing to say, in a general sense, that I’m a sinner.  We’d all probably be able to do that.  But it’s another thing to think back on our day, or on our week, and really think about all the sins we’ve committed.  To think about all the times we treated God with disrespect.  To think about all the times we failed to show love to God.  To think about all the times we treated others with disrespect, too.  To think about all the times we failed to show love to others.

            Because the thing about sin is that it’s not only the things we do.  It’s also the things we don’t do.  The Apostle James, in James Chapter Four Verse Seventeen, says “anyone who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.”

            If we only say, in a general sense, “I’m a sinner”, but we don’t actually think back on our actual sins, it becomes really easy for us to minimize them.  It becomes really easy for us to just kind of gloss over them and forget about them.  And if we do that, then we’ll never do anything about them.  We’ll just continue living the way we are.

            And if we continue living the way we are, we may not receive forgiveness for our sins.  John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”  Unsaid, but a logical conclusion, is that if we don’t confess our sins, God may not forgive them.  And you can understand why.  Would it make sense for God to forgive our sins if we have no intention of changing?  Would it make sense for God to forgive our sins, knowing that we fully intend to continue committing those sins?

            And to be clear, I’m not suggesting that the way we are now is horrible.  I’m not saying we’re all awful, terrible people.  The point is not for us to beat ourselves up for being sinners.  The point is not to dwell on our sins and convince ourselves that we’re miserable people with no hope of changing.  

            But the question is, do we want to change?  Do we want to get better?  Do we want to improve?  Do we want to stop sinning, or at least to sin less?  Do we want to stop committing at least some of the sins we commit?  Do we want to at least commit them less often?  Do we want to be closer to God?  Do we want to be closer to being the people God wants us to be?

            A sin that we gloss over, a sin that we just forget about and ignore, is a sin that we’re never going to do anything about.  We’re just going to keep sinning in the same way.  We’ll never get any closer to God.

            That’s why it’s important that we confess our sins.  That’s why it’s important that we examine our lives.  That’s why it’s important that we see all the sins we’ve committed, both by doing things we should not have done and by failing to do things we should have done.  And it’s not just things we’ve done.  It can also be things we said or failed to say.  It can even be our thoughts.  The only way we can change is by recognizing these things and confessing them to God.

            And if we do recognize these things, look at what happens.  God Himself acts on our behalf and helps us.  I said before that if we confess our sins, God will forgive them, but there’s more to it than that.  Listen to the rest of it.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

            Can you imagine what that would be like?  Can you imagine what your life would be like?  If you were purified from all unrighteousness?  Again, I’m not saying any of us are awful, horrible people now, but think how much better we would be.  Think how much better we would feel.  Think how much closer to God we would feel.  Think how much more peace we would have in our lives.  To have God not just forgive our sins, but purify us from all unrighteousness.  To actually be the people God wants us to be, the people God created us to be.  The people we are supposed to be.

            I don’t think there could be anything like it.  And maybe you’re thinking, well, but that seems impossible.  But it’s not.  God, speaking through the Apostle John, has promised it, and God always keeps God’s promises.  And if it seems impossible, well, remember, as Jesus said, that with God, all things are possible.  We really can be purified from all unrighteousness.  We really can be the people God created us to be.

            But it all starts with confessing our sins to God.  That’s the only way we can start down the road toward getting this awesome feeling.  We might wish we could take a shortcut, but we cannot.  We can only get that forgiveness and purification if we confess our sins to God.

            So I encourage you to do this.  And I’ll do it, too.  Let’s confess our sins to God.  Not just in a general way.  Not just in a perfunctory way.  Let’s really think about all the times we’ve sinned.  Let’s really confess those sins to God.  It may be hard.  But it will lead to something awesome.

 

Overcoming Fear

This is the message given in the Sunday night worship service in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish.  The Bible verses used are Joshua 1:1-11.

            This is one of the most popular Bible passages.  It’s easy to see why.  God tells Joshua to “be strong and courageous”.  That was a message Joshua needed to hear.  It’s a message we’d all like to hear, too.  I think most of us would be pretty happy if we could hear God tell us to “be strong and courageous.”

            Joshua needed to hear it because of the situation he was in.  The situation Israel was in, actually.  Moses had led the people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea.  But now, they were wandering in the wilderness.  They had been for a long time.  Moses had hoped to lead them into the promised land, but he was not able to do it.  And now Moses was dead.  And Joshua was taking his place.  And now, it was up to Joshua to do what Moses could not do.  It was up to Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the promised land.

            Joshua was scared.  And you can understand why.  Moses was one of the greatest leaders of all time, maybe the greatest leader of all time.  Moses had faced down the great and powerful Pharaoh.  Moses had received the Ten Commandments from God.  Moses talked directly to God--in fact, his face would be shining so much when he got done talking to God that people made him put something over his face, so they did not have to see that unnatural glow,  It scare them that much.  Plus, Moses had been the leader of Israel for forty years.  There were lots of people who could not remember a time when Moses had not been their leader.

Joshua had lots of reasons to be scared.  Yes, he had been Moses’ number two, but there’s a big difference between being the number two guy and the number one guy.  Number one is where the buck stops.  Number one is the one who makes the decisions and has to take responsibility for them.  It’s easy to have an opinion when you don’t have to deal with the consequences of being wrong.  When you’re the number one, though, you do have to deal with those consequences.  It’s a lot different.

            Plus, Joshua did not know if the people would be willing to follow him.  Again, all he’d been was the number two.  Moses himself had trouble getting the people to follow sometimes.  He had to deal with lots of complaints and criticism.  If it was that hard for Moses to get people to follow him, how was Joshua going to do it?

            And then, look at what Joshua was supposed to do.  Only lead the people into the promised land.  Only do what Moses himself had not been able to do.  And only do it against some of the mightiest armies there were.  Is it any wonder Joshua was scared?

            God knows Joshua is scared.  God understands it.  And God wants to help.  So God speaks to Joshua.  God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous.

            But notice, that’s not the first thing God says.  First, God tells Joshua what Joshua is supposed to do.  Joshua is supposed to get the people ready to go into the promised land.  And God shows, again, why it’s called the promised land--God promises Joshua that God will give them that land.

            But, it’s not going to just be automatic.  Joshua is supposed to do some things.  One of them, of course, is to be strong and courageous.  That’s the part we emphasize, and it’s understandable why.  After all, God says it three times.  It must be pretty important.

            But that’s not the only thing God tells Joshua to do.  If God had just left it there, if God had just said to Joshua, hey, don’t worry about it, just be strong and courageous, do you think that would’ve helped him?  I mean, Joshua already knew that was what he was supposed to do.  He knew he was supposed to be strong and courageous.  But he was not feeling very strong, and he was not feeling very courageous.  And telling someone to feel something they don’t feel is not likely to be very helpful.

            God knew that, of course, and so God did not just leave it there.  God told Joshua one other thing to do.  The other thing is this:  “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.”  And if Joshua does this, God promises that, “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

            You see, Joshua is supposed to be strong and courageous, but that’s not enough.  He’s also supposed to follow God.  He’s supposed to obey God and serve God.  He’s supposed to stay close to God.  Staying close to God will help him be strong and courageous.  Then, he’ll be able to overcome his fears and achieve what God has promised him he can achieve.

            What is it that has you scared?  Because I’m pretty sure there’s something.  Maybe more than one thing.  Maybe lots of things.  But I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who was not scared of something.  I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who did not have some sort of fear that was a part of their life.  I may not know what it is.  In fact, some people are really good at hiding it.  Some people, if you just observe them from the outside, appear not to have a care in the world.  But it’s not true.  Deep down, they have some fear.  There is something they are scared of.  We all have that.  It’s part of our lives.

            So think of what it is that you’re scared of.  Then, think about Joshua.  Think about what God said to Joshua.

            Be strong and courageous, of course.  But follow God.  Obey God.  Serve God.  Stay close to God.  Staying close to God will help you--and me--to be strong and courageous.  Staying close to God will help us overcome our fears and do whatever it is God wants us to do.

            Now, notice something else.  God did not promise Joshua it was going to be easy.  The people of Israel had to fight a lot of battles in order to take over the land God had promised.  And they did not win every battle--there were some they lost.  But even when they lost, God was with them.  And in the end, they did win, and they did enter and take the promised land.

            It may happen that way when God helps us overcome our fears, too.  Overcoming our fears is not always easy.  Doing whatever it is God wants us to do is not always easy.  Sometimes we have to fight some tough battles.  And sometimes, we may lose some of those battles.  But if we continue to follow God and obey God, if we continue to serve God, and if we continue to stay close to God, God will be with us.  And in the end, we will be able to overcome our fears.  We will be able to be strong and courageous.  And we will be able to do whatever it is God wants us to do.

            Notice one other thing about our Bible reading for tonight.  What did Joshua do when God had finished speaking to him?  He acted.  He did not say, well, gee, let me think about it for a while.  He did not say, you know, the time may not be right--I’d better wait.  As soon as God was done speaking, we’re told, “Joshua ordered the officers of the people:  ‘Go through the camp and tell the people, “Get your provisions ready.  Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.”’”

            There’s a reason for that.  If Joshua would’ve waited, what would’ve happened?  His fears would’ve come back, right?  He’d have started to have doubts.  He’d have started to wonder if God had really spoken to him.  He’d have started to wonder if he could really trust God.  He would not have been strong and courageous--he’d have become weak and fearful.  And Israel would probably never have gotten into the promised land.

            The way we can overcome our fears is to act.  Not act rashly or foolishly, but to act in accordance with God’s will.  To follow and obey God.  To serve God.  We may not hear a voice, the way Joshua did, but if we truly are close to God, the chances are we will know what God wants us to do.  God has a way of cutting through all the noise and confusion of the world.  God has a way of cutting through the noise and confusion of our own minds, too.  If we are doing all we can to stay close to God, to serve God and show love to God, God will let us know what to do.  Maybe not right away, but at the right time.  Then, we need to do what Joshua did.  We need to act.

            So, whatever your fear is, go to God with it.  Go to God determined to follow God, to obey God, and to serve God.  God will help you overcome your fear.  God will help you be strong and courageous.  And God will be with you, and help you do whatever it is God wants you to do.