Donuts for Push Ups

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the Western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor’s class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.

“How many push-ups can you do?”

Steve said, “I do about 200 every night.”

“200? That’s pretty good, Steve,” Dr. Christianson said. “Do you think you could do 300?”

Steve replied, “I don’t know… I’ve never done 300 at a time.”

“Do you think you could?” Dr. Christianson asked again.

“Well, I can try,” said Steve.

“Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,” said the professor.

Steve said, “Well… I think I can…yeah, I can do it.”

Dr. Christianson said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind.”

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren’t the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson’s class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?”

Cynthia said, “Yes.”

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?”

“Sure.”

Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia’s desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe, do you want a donut?”

Joe said, “Yes.”

Dr. Christianson asked, “Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?” Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, “Scott do you want a donut?”

Scott’s reply was, “Well, can I do my own pushups?”

Dr. Christianson said, “No, Steve has to do them.”

Then Scott said, “Well, I don’t want one then.”

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn’t want?” With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.

Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn’t want one!”

Dr. Christianson said, “Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.” And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a donut?”

Sternly, Jenny said, “No.”

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten more pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?” Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say “No” and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely. Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.

During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room.

He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?”

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, “Well, they’re your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want.” And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!” Jason didn’t know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, “No, let him come.” Professor Christianson said, “You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him?”

Steve said, “Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut”

Dr. Christianson said, “Okay, Steve, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?”

Jason, new to the room hardly knew what was going on. “Yes,” he said, “give me a donut.”

“Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?”

Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was profusely dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was no sound except his heavy breathing, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a doughnut?”

Linda said, very sadly, “No, thank you.”

Professor Christianson quietly asked, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?”

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a donut?”

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. “Dr. Christianson, why can’t I help him?”

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, “No, Steve has to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve, here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes. Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?”

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. “And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, said to the Father, ‘into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.”

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. “Well done, good and faithful servant” said the professor, adding “Not all sermons are preached in words.”

Turning to his class the professor said, “My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who spared not the only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid. Wouldn’t you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it laying on the desk?”

Worth Fixing

A little while ago I came across a news story that English actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson (a.k.a Mr. Bean) had been injured in a car accident. While I was releived to hear that while he had sustained some fairly serious injuries, he was going to be ok, I have to admit I was gutted by another piece of information in the story itself – at the time Rowan Atkinson was driving his purple McClaren F1 sports car.

You see the McClaren F1 is one of ‘those’ cars. Its one of those cars that filled the walls of the young, and not so young boys bedrooms and garages for over a decade – and probably still does. Its one of those cars a generation of boys dreamed of maybe one day ‘seeing’, and in their dreams driving. The car is to this day considered legendary, and during its 5 year production run, a mere 106 were produced. To this day, it remains one of the fastest naturally aspirated sports cars ever produced. The car is therefore extremely rare, extremely valuable, and for car enthusiasts like myself, a car we are sad to see destroyed in a crash.

Just when I thought the story was over, it recently took an interesting twist. Unknown to many people, Rowan Atkinson himself is an avid car enthusiast, and decided despite the extensive damage to the car, to undertake a repair project. Over the course of 18 months, and at an expense of 900,000 pounds (1.7 million NZD) the car was painstakingly, and meticulously put back together. Because of the special materials the car is made from, the car required specialist repair work – it couldn’t just be repaired by anyone. At the time of writing, the car is once again back on the road, being used again daily by Mr. Bean himself, and not holds a new record – for largest car insurance claim in history Why all the trouble for just a ‘car’? Because to the owner, despite the cost, the time, and the trouble, it was worth fixing.

In 1 Corinthians 6:20, the apostle Paul makes an interesting assertion along the same lines, only this assertion is about us. He says this;

“For you were bought at a price”

Paul wanted to make it clear to us – in order for us to be saved from the scrap heap of sin, a price had to be paid. In his letter to the church of Ephesus, he tells us what that price was;

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight” Ephesians 1:7,8

Much like this McClaren, we were all but written off because of the damage done to us through sin. Yet because the one who made us, loved us, and saw value in us, despite the cost, He considered were were worth the cost to redeem… to repair. This is despite the fact that the price of our repair is a record in all of human history – the spilled blood and broken body of Jesus Christ – God in the flesh.

This is good news, because despite how damaged we may believe ourselves to be, the message that comes through scripture is that to God, the damage is not greater than the riches of His grace to repair. No damage is too great, because no greater price could or can be paid.

So if your looking at your life today and wondering if you’ll ever be road worthy again, consider what Christ has done for you – it may take some time, but don’t worry – you’ll be back on the road again soon.

Diary of a Bible

Imagine for a second that your Bible kept a diary. Perhaps you find this a silly notion, but seriously… what if your bible actually could tell you about the years its had. As you read this little illustration see if there’s not some truth in this and how you treat your own bible. C’mon… we’ve all done a July!

January: A busy time for me. Most of the family decided to read me through this year. They kept me busy for the first two weeks. I’m now forgotten.

February: My owner used me for a few minutes last week. He had an argument and was checking references.

March: Grandpa visited us. He kept me on his lap for an hour, reading 1 Cor 13

April: I had a busy day. My owner was appointed a leader of something and used me. I got to go to church the first time this year…Easter service.

May: I have a few grass stains on my pages. Had some early spring flowers pressed in me.

June: I look like a scrap book. They have stuffed me full of clippings. One of the girls got married.

July: They put me in a suitcase today. I guess we’re off on a vacation. I wish I could stay at home, as I will have to stay in this thing for a month.

August: Still in the suitcase.

September: Back home again, and in my old place. I have lots of company. Two “True Stories” and four “Funny Books” are on top of me. I wish I could be read as much as they are.

October: They used me a little today. One of them is sick. Right now I’m all shined up and in the center of the table…I think the pastor is coming to visit.

November: Back in my old place.

December: They are getting ready for Christmas. I’ll be covered under wrapping papers and packages soon. At least January is almost here.

Reaping What You Sow

Have you ever discovered that you have unexpectedly and unintentionally developed a habit that you wish you had not!? Its easier than you think. According to many researchers, lasting habits (those that happen automatically) can be established often inside 60 days – less than two months. I recently discovered this to be true for myself. During the last few months I’ve had a number of transitional periods in my life – Christmas, work conferences, as well as moving house. While I thought I was still doing ok,  as I rolled out of bed today with a very sore back, I was reminded that my once well established habit of daily exercise has been lost – and all inside the 60 days researchers say it would take. It turns out that I’ve not only lost a habit (regular exercise), but also gained a habit too. (whatever the opposite of regularly exercising is)

Often when I find myself thinking about habits, I think mostly in the external sphere. The things I outwardly do, say, eat, etc. However a quote I recently came across got me thinking about the whole issue on a much deeper level. The American lecturer and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”

Our habits matter – they really matter. Not just the external things either. In fact, according to Emerson, probably the least. The things that matter are the things that take place where no one sees. In our heads, and in our hearts. Its in these hidden places that our habits are formed, and where they are lost. Maybe it doesn’t matter you say – a little habit lost or gained, a little here, a little there. Maybe not, but with every habit we allow ourselves to gain or lose, we place another building block into the people we are, and the people we will one day become. These little things form the very fabric of our characters. Every day we’re shaping in a tremendous way not just the outcome of who we will be in that day or week – but in our lifetime.

The apostle Paul had similar council to give in his letter to the church of Galatia. In Galatians 6:7 he wrote “Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” It doesn’t matter how you say it, the truth remains – you are only going to get out what you put in. You will only reap from your life, those things you have previously sown.

What are you currently reaping in your own life? Maybe your busy, like me with your bad back, reaping the consequences of previously sown habits. Maybe today is the time to start sowing better things in your life! I know I’m on my way to the gym right now.

Doing & Stewing

One of the things I love most about summer is the fruit, especially the stone variety. Preaches, plums, nectarines, apricots and and all the various varieties of each. They are a welcome change from the apples and oranges I eat all winter, and the vibrant color and pungent taste of the fruit just screams summer to my taste buds. I must admit though, unlike the hardy nature of apples and oranges that seem to keep ok in the fruit bowl for weeks, stone fruit is not nearly as robust. So many times I will place the fruit inside the bowl, only to find it rotting only hours later. However all is not lost, because if there is one thing I enjoy just as much, (if not more) than stone fruit, it is stewed stone fruit. Just a few minutes in the pot with a tablespoon of water and sugar, and the fruit is as good as new.

I have to admit though, that lately my summer fruits are the not the only thing I stew over – and sadly, unlike the fruit, the stewing improves nothing. I stew over my work for another year, and how I will find the time, talent, and inspiration to get it all done. I stew over my finances and how I will make them stretch to cover the costs of the life that I am trying to live. I stew over my rental property, and how much longer I will be allowed to stay. I stew over a thousand small little things, hoping that they will notice my attention to them, and somehow respond… but they don’t. While talking with His disciples one day Jesus remarked to them;

“Which of you by worrying (or stewing) can add one cubit to his stature?” Matthew 6:27

In other words, what does your stewing get you? Does it make you taller, smarter, or better? Does it make you feel better, or better able to figure out the situation? Does anything change, or improve because of it? Honestly, no. All I get are grey hairs, sleepless nights, and a propensity to be short with my wife, other motorists, and my cat.

Instead Jesus has another suggestion for us: do something about it.”But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness…” Matthew 6:33

While reading Max Lucado’s book recently ‘Fearless’, I came across a quip in regards to worry; “be a doer, not a stewer.” Interestingly, Jesus encourages us to do the very same thing by bringing the problems we face before Him. Tell Him about it, and then leave it there, and then do what you can about it. Don’t worry about it, instead  move forward, trusting Him and knowing that He has His eye on your situation. This year I’m determined to spend less time stewing over my life – it has done me no good in the past, and I see no reason why it will do me any good in the future. Instead I’m going to take Jesus advice – I’m going to do something with my worries, fears, and frustrations. I’m going to take them to Him, and ask Him to help me make sense of it all – and while I wait for Him to show me the way forward, I’m going to get those old apricots stewed for breakfast tomorrow.

Lighten your Load

One of the problems that I have continued to run into over the years when I travel is that I always seem to pack too much. Whether it be a weekend away, or a month overseas, I always find myself in mortal combat with the zip on my luggage, and dealing with the ensuring weight I am forced to now lug for the rest of my journey. Maybe its just because I want to be ready for ‘any’ situation, or because I can never quite decide what I’m going to want when I arrive, but my luggage always tends to be overweight.

Recently, I was invited to go on a week long hike in the wilderness, where everything I would require for the week would be strapped to my back. As I prepared to go, and aware of my propensity to overcompensate with my things, I did my best to pack as lightly as I could, culling in whatever area I felt I reasonably could. However as I walked out the door with everything I ‘thought’ I would need for the week bearing down on me, I realized that once again I had made the mistake, and packed far more than I was willing to carry through the bush for a week. What interested me however was that I wasn’t the only one.

On arrival at base camp, our leader announced that before any of us could head out into the wild, we would each have to weigh our bags. As I reluctantly put my bag on the scales, my fears were now confirmed by a rather large number. However as I watched bag after bag get placed on the scales, I discovered I was not alone. Our leader decided action needed to be taken, and instructed us all; lighten your load. Yet as we each looked through our possessions, the majority of us could not find anything we wanted to part with. After some time, and seeing no progress was being made, we were all allowed to wrestle our belongings back into our packs, and head off for the first day of the hike.

One day as Jesus was with His disciples, He turned to the group and said “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28,29 As He looked around at these twelve men, Jesus saw men who were burdened down with more than they could reasonably carry. He saw ambitions, fears, guilt, and worry for their families and futures. He saw men who had the world on their shoulders, and who now, wishing to take the gospel to the world, would have to carry loads that they could not reasonably carry… and the truth is that nothing has changed. Like our group who decided to go bush, we know we’ve got a heavy load, we know we can’t really manage it, we know its more than we can reasonably bear, but not wanting to part with our loads, we continue to pick them up each day, even though its crushing the spiritual life out of us. Are you carrying more than your spirit can lift? Is the weight of your worries making life hard to bear? Then listen to the words of Jesus again:

“Take My yoke (by pack… my load) upon you… and you will find rest for your souls.” You might wonder why we would trade one pack for another. Isn’t it all the same… just more weight? Listen again to Jesus words: “For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:30 Apparently on this journey that is life, there will always be a pack to carry; a burden to bear. However the wonderful promise of Jesus is that this burden does not have to be heavy. It does not have to crush the life out of us. We don’t have to struggle if we’ll let Jesus lighten our load. He’s promised that He will; and the most wonderful thing of all… not only will it be light, but it will contain everything we need!

After our first day of hiking with our heavy packs, we all arrived at our camp site exhausted and completely worn out. Our leader walked up to us all, and looking down at us, asked with a smile, “who would like to lighten their load?” Amazingly we all found many things we suddenly didn’t need! Let me ask you; do you need to lighten your load?

Cut ‘That’ Out

I had never been so scared of the phrase “cut that out” until the day I heard my doctor say it to me in his office. Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase? When I was much younger I heard it every second day by either my mum, dad, or a teacher at school. However hearing it while sitting in the doctors office that day, made it suddenly take on a whole new meaning. According to the ultrasound scan I was ordered to take, I had a small lump growing in my stomach, and while it didn’t look dangerous, the doctor didn’t want to take any chances. His solution was to “cut that out”. If you’ve ever needed to have something cut out, you’ll know exactly what I mean. On the surface is looks so benign and not dangerous at all. Yet the news comes back, that that little lump, that little mole, that little thing there has roots deep in your body, and unless its taken out, it has the potential to kill you. Perhaps not today… but one day. Naturally I said to the doctor “go for it… cut that out… please!”

While talking to his disciples one day, Jesus had the very same advice. “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell…” He went on to say “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell…” Finally He said “Add if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire…” Mark 9:43,45,47. We might look at this statement and begin to think of how many parts of our bodies have, or are, causing us to sin. I suspect many of us would not have much left! In fact history tells us that the early church father Origen taking this statement literally, castrated himself, because of all his lustful thoughts. Any men out there want to admit to anything now!?!

I don’t believe Jesus was or is looking for us to cut ourselves to pieces. What I do believe Jesus was and is looking for are people who are so determined to see sin, and opportunity for sin, cut out of our lives. Perhaps a relationship, a bottle, a tablet, an internet connection… it could be a thousand different things, and it doesn’t matter how benign that thing may look. Sometimes its the most unsuspecting thing that leads us down a track we would never have seen ourselves taking… and we do it again and again. We tell ourselves we won’t make the same mistake again, and leave that ‘thing’ in our life. That innocent benign looking ‘thing’. Yet when the time is right, like a roaring lion, the devil in one of our weak moments, wakes up his sleeping instrument in our lives, to drag us back into sin. Can you relate? Its these ‘things’ Jesus is telling us to cut out… because slowly but surely, its killing us spiritually, and one day, potentially, eternally.

Jesus said “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” I ask you today, is there something in your life that keeps pulling you down into sin? If so, then why not cut it off? You may protest “because I like it”, “because it can be used for good as well”. I say to you today, ‘Why take the chance?’ Like that day in my doctors office, Jesus stands ready to help us cut out anything from our lives that will separate us from Him, and do us eternal harm. We don’t have to do it alone. But like my doctor, I had to be ready to let him take that ‘thing’ out of me.

So I ask you again; are you ready to cut ‘that’ out?

Change of Clothes

Have you ever been caught in the situation of badly needing a change of clothes? Perhaps you’ve been unlucky enough to experience the dreaded ‘wardrobe malfunction’, or maybe it was just because of a sudden change in the weather. Maybe you’ve been in the situation where you read ‘smart casual’ on the invite, but you arrive ‘smart’ and everyone else is ‘casual’? I’ve been in many of these situations, however its water that always gets me in trouble. As a pastor I’ve been involved in many baptisms, where I was sure I packed a second set of everything, only to discover I had left out an item or two from the set! Beach trips are the same story – I always think I won’t swim, but I know I want to get my feet wet. Everything is fine until a freak wave catches me unaware, and I really wish I had of bought a second set of shorts. Suddenly I’m there – wet and cold but stuck because I haven’t bought a change of clothes.

Recently I was visiting with my Nanna, and we started sharing stories from the past. She reminded me about an incident from when I was just a boy along these very lines. One fine summer’s day she had taken my sister and I down to the local beach to spend some time in the water and the sand. On this particular day she had bought changes of clothes for us – 2 in fact. The problem with me however was that I didn’t quite appreciate the limited nature of these changes. Apparently she still remembers the mean words and insults I hurled at her as I walked all the way home carrying two sets of wet clothes and shoes, while wearing the third. (also wet)

While I was reading my Bible today it occurred to me that all of us badly need a change of clothes. The problem however is we don’t have one. Listen to the way the prophet Isaiah describes the problem;

“But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” Isaiah 64:6

The clothes that we’re wearing, the lives that we’re living, need major changes. They are dirty, and it shows. We feel it, and on how many days do we wish we could change. Like a wet pair of shoes or a damp t-shirt, the guilt and shame of failures and sins drives us almost to despair. We try to find something better, but when we look into our own backpack, all we find are dirty filthy rags, no better than the ones we already have on.

In the book of Zechariah, Joshua the high priest is standing before God in the temple – but there is a problem – his robes are filthy. “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the Angel.” Zechariah 3:3. He’s right there before God, but there is nothing he can do, or say – He knows its wrong that his garments are dirty, but he has no excuse – all he can do is stand before God and see what He will do with him. I want to you watch what God does… watch.

“Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” Zechariah 3:4

Joshua has said nothing – not a word, but look what God does. He first asks that those filthy dirty robes be taken off him (off you and off me), but then God looks at him, and tells him that He will now clothe him with rich robes. Clean, fresh, and beautiful – fit for royalty. Joshua deserves none of it, just as you and I don’t. Like that day at the beach, we’ve messed up so many times. We have spoilt so many changes of clothes, and have then hurled insults at God for the way things are for us. Yet he looks at us again, filthy and dirty, and promises to clean us up and forgive us. To re-dress us, and give us pure hearts and minds. Today if your looking for a change of clothes, for a change of life, God promises He has that change for us, if we will let Him.

So I ask you today: need a change of clothes?

What God Forgets

I can be a very forgetful person – not always, but often! Perhaps its that my mind moves to quickly over details, or that I’m too focused on a specific aspect of what I’m doing, without considering the others. However as a Pastor I’ve been known to turn up to preach, without something as simple as my Bible! Are you a forgetful person? I think all of us forget. However as I was considering this today, it occurred to me that there is something that many of us rarely forget. Offences, injustices, and bad experiences. Stop and think about it. Its true huh! Why is it that we fail to remember the words spoken to us of kindness and appreciation, yet we recount every mean word and insult we’ve suffered at the hands of a particular person or people. Why is it that the one bad day in our week sticks in our mind above all others, and that we only seem to really recall well when people do what is wrong, but forget quickly what they have done right?

As I was reading my Bible today, I came across one text, and then cross referenced this to another, and then another, and still another. I discovered something that my heart rejoices over today; God is not like us in this way. Not at all. In fact, if anything God is completely opposite.Let me share with you what I found.

“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12

“Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25

“…For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:34

The question can therefore be answered. What does God forget? Our sins! Our mistakes, our misgivings, our misdeeds, our misplaced words, actions, priorities, and plans. God will forget them all. How is this possible? There’s an old saying ‘Out of sight, Our of mind.’ When you and I allow Jesus into our heart and lives, and pray the prayer David prayed “Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” Psalms 51:9, that is exactly what He will do. By the blood of Christ, all those mistakes are covered. They are gone, and here’s the most amazing part; God not only forgives us, and allows us to be innocent of them, but He will even forget they ever happened. They are as if they never were. I am almost speechless as I write this. That is what God is like.

Perhaps this is why Micah once wrote “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18,19

It turns out that God forgets just what we would have Him forget… the bad stuff. When we consider this, it changes the way perhaps we remember and forget. Maybe we need to start seeing things like God… remembering the Good, and forgetting the bad. When I consider what God is prepared to ‘forgive and forget’ for me, perhaps its time I start to do the same for others.

It turns out that forgetfulness is not always a bad thing. Who knew! Well… God for one.

Its all in the hands

Have you ever watched someone use their hands to do or make something amazing? Its one of the things I most enjoy doing; watching someone with hands that look exactly like mine, do or make something I know my hands couldn’t do or make. Perhaps its a potter with a lump of clay, or an artist on the sidewalk with some colorful chalk, or a carpenter with saw and chisel. In my days at college, I remember a friend who could with a few colored pencils, draw a bird that looked as if it would fly from the page. Our hands are amazing, but not all hands are the same. I’ve watched my wife make food in our kitchen with her hands, that I know my hands can’t make. The truth is that while most hands look the same, when it comes to what goes into those hands, what comes out, all depends on who’s hands its in.

We do this everyday. We put our children into the hands of teachers, we put our cars in the hands of mechanics, we put our tax returns in the hands of accountants, we put our health in hands of doctors. Yet when it comes to our worries, futures, hopes, and dreams, we put them into our own hands. In every other aspect of life where we know little, we trust the hands of another, but when it comes to our personal unknowns, we trust ourselves and hope for the best!

In Isaiah 64:8, the Bible speaks of God as a skilled potter and us as clay. It says

But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

Maybe my concerns, my worries, my fears, my goals, my hopes, my dreams, all that I fear and all that I long for; perhaps my hands are not the best place for these things. Maybe, just maybe, the hands of the one who made me, fashioned me, shaped me, and designed me, are the hands that would best shape my today and my tomorrow. Perhaps the God who’s hands were pierced and nailed to cross so that we all could have eternal life, are the hands to trust all that we are and have into. After all… its all in the hands.

I came across this powerful poem in the last week, that makes this exact point. Read and be blessed.

A basketball in my hands is worth about $19. A basketball in Michael Jordan’s hands is worth about $33 million.
It depends whose hands it’s in.

A baseball in my hands is worth about $6. A baseball in Mark McGwire’s hands is worth about $19 million.
It depends whose hands it’s in.

A tennis racket is useless in my hands. A tennis racket in Roger Federer’s hands is a Championship won.
It depends whose hands it’s in.

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal. A rod in Moses’ hands will part the mighty sea.
It depends whose hands it’s in.

A sling shot in my hands is a kid’s toy. A sling shot in David’s hand is a mighty weapon.
It depends whose hands it’s in.

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a co! uple of fish sandwiches. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in  God’s hands will feed thousands.
It depends whose hands it’s in.

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse. Nails in Jesus Christ’s hands will produce salvation for the entire world.
It depends whose hands it’s in.

As you see now it depends whose hands it’s in. So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationship in God’s hands because…
It depends whose hands it’s in.