Whom Do You Serve, Really?

Our pastor preached on the reality of hell yesterday. It seems as if we don't hear much about hell these days as churches are so afraid of offending. To keep the people in their seats and to draw more in, preachers talk about God's love, His blessings and forgiveness. Our pastor had us envision someone we knew who most likely didn't have their eternal life nailed down. As he explained what all hell would encompass, you couldn't help but keep that person's picture in your mind. It was a powerful sermon in how each of us are called to share God's love with others, yes. But we are also to state the cold, hard facts about eternity, as there are only two choices.

So I've been reading more about Jonah lately and saw some things I've never noticed before. You probably know the story pretty well yourself.

Jonah was a prophet in Israel, so we know he was already telling others about God. God asked him to go to Nineveh (the capital of Assyria) with an important message: repent or God will destroy you. The Assyrians were a rowdy bunch. They worshipped idols and were old enemies of Israel. I'm sure Jonah thought the world would be a better place if God made good on His promise and destroyed them anyway! So when God asked Jonah, he said no and ran in the opposite direction.

Jonah climbs aboard a ship and a huge storm stirs on the water. After throwing cargo off the ship, the crew finally throws Jonah overboard. The seas calm and three days later, a big fish deposits Jonah onto dry land. Although Jonah didn't do what God asked him to do, God did a miracle for Jonah anyway. Think he got the message? Nope. So God tried again.

"The Word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.' So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord."--Jonah 3:1-3

Jonah obeys this time around and preaches to Nineveh. All 120,000 people in the city repent and God spared them from destruction. Everyone was happy, except Jonah. You would think Jonah would see the importance of doing God's will and telling others about Him. You would think Jonah would be motivated to continue serving whenever asked, but Jonah wasn't. It says in, Jonah 4:1, "It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry."

Right down the end of the chapter, Jonah argues with God about His plans and motives for Jonah. He's sure God has made a big mistake in his life. It boils down to this: Jonah cannot accept God's mission for him is to show God's compassion to people he doesn't like.

Do you see the horrible sadness in this story? I've never seen it before until now. Jonah knew he was born to serve God. He knew he had been sent by God, but he didn't let the reality of hell get to him. Jonah refused to love others the way God loved him. If you are running from the mission God has given you, God will patiently pursue, right up to your last self-absorbed complaint.

Is Your Past Haunting You?

Just before Halloween, my co-workers and I were talking about the pranks some people pull. Some of them admitted to their antics and one friend said, "I just hope the crazy things I did as a kid to people's yards don't come back to haunt me!"

When we are made righteous in the eyes of the Father, old things are passed away. God brings our old identity and old influences to an end. Isaiah 26:12-14 says it best, "Lord, You will ordain peace for us, for You have also wrought in us and for us all our works. O Lord, our God, other masters besides you have ruled over us, but we will acknowledge and mention Your name only. They are dead, they shall not live and reappear; they are powerless ghosts, they shall not rise and come back. Therefore, You have visited and made an end of them and caused every memory of them to perish."

Have you ever had your past come back to haunt you? Satan is a master of deception. When you think your old ways and habits are gone, he will make you think they're still there. But Isaiah said the tyrants of your past are "powerless ghosts; they shall not rise and come back." There is no vacancy in you for them to live.

God can bring those things to an end, even if they have been there for years. We need to challenge every attitude, every kind of thought that comes against our mind that contradicts who we are in Christ.

And even better the next verse, Isaiah 26:15 says, "Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified." Do you see what God did? He brought increase!

Sometimes before God can bring increase to you, you have to allow Him through the Word and the Holy Spirit to deal with things that keep coming in your soul and in your life.

Are You Ordinary?

Isn't it disappointing to order something you've seen in a magazine or on television, only to find it arrive at your house not looking the way you remembered? I do a fair amount of ordering clothes from magazines because it isn't always convenient for me to clothes shop for myself with three little ones underfoot. It is frustrating to see a beautiful suit in the magazine, order it, receive it, only for the material to look thin, cheap or haphazardly made. I wonder how many of us as Christians are the same way?

In Gracie's home school lessons, she's been learning about antonyms. Remember those? An antonym is a "word of opposite meaning". The Holy Spirit convicted me on the importance of not being an ordinary Christian. The world is full of 'em--people who go to church on Sundays and agree with what the Bible teaches. On Mondays, they blend in to the world around them. You would never know they were any different. When politicians say something contrary to their spiritual beliefs, they keep their mouth shut as not to offend; when a co-worker is gossiping on another, they quietly listen without pointing it out; when the weekend comes, they're partying with the rest. But on Sunday morning, you'll find them walking through the church doors. They are ordinary Christians.

The antonym for ordinary is extraordinary. Extraordinary is defined as "going beyond what is usual, regular or customary; sent on a special function or service". What would happen if ordinary Christians turned into extraordinary Christians? What would happen if we made a conscience choice to keep the same convictions, beliefs and attitudes all throughout the week instead of Sundays? I believe our marriages would be transformed, our relationships would be fulfilling, our children would grow in the Lord and our spiritual lives would be phenomenal!

Paul said to the Sanhedrin in Acts 23:1, "I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."

So, I am making the choice to be an extraordinary Christian--'to fulfil my duty to God with a clear conscience'. I want to be 'sent on a special function or service' for the Lord. Because when I cease to do so, I become ordinary.

Strong Storms Possible

Thursday was a long, but fulfilling day. It was the annual Halloween blood drive that Marshall Ramsey and myself do together. I met people who donated for the first time and were a bit nervous; I met those who give faithfully every few months; and I met people who actually knew someone who needed blood. When I walked around the room, signed t-shirts and visited with everyone, I was reminded why I do this. No, I'm not required to "head up" this day, nor am I forced to spend most of the day at Mississippi Blood Services. But giving voice to a cause to keep our Mississippi hospitals stocked with the 'gift of life' is utterly important.

I'm told it takes 200 units of blood..every day...to service the needs of the hospitals. All it takes is one bus crash, one train crash, or some other tragedy to wipe out the hospital supply. So our goal was to reach 200 units yesterday and we had 208 people donate! Thanks to you, our viewers, and to Marshall for making it such an important day for those who will need blood in the next few days!

It is expected to be wet today with the slight possibility of severe weather. Please take a look at this graphic from the National Weather Service and pick out your county.

I'll be at WLBT this afternoon and through the night, so keep us tuned. Plus, have your weather radio on throughout the duration as this cold front moves east.

Thursday Halloween Blood Drive

This Thursday, I'll be hosting the annual Halloween Blood Drive at Mississippi Blood Services on Lakeland Drive along with my good friend, Clarion Ledger editorial cartoonist Marshall Ramsey. We always make it a point to have a good time when we get together and this blood drive won't be any different. Each blood donor receives Marshall's signature design made especially for this blood drive.

This year, Mississippi Blood Services is celebrating its 30th anniversary. They've been keeping Mississippi hospitals supplied with blood, plasma and platelets since 1979. So, we decided to go back to the 70s for this commercial. Might I add...since the movie "Saturday Night Fever" was a bit before my time, I had to be coached by the production crew on how to do all of this jive stuff!

Here is the t-shirt design for this year's donors from Marshall. Leave it to him to be creative!

If you're in the Jackson area this Thursday, please drop by and "do the hustle" with me!

Winks From God

I was on the coast earlier this week speaking at a conference. I enjoyed getting away for a few days, but even more so, I had a chance to see God at work.

Before my speech Wednesday morning, I found my spot at the head table and spoke to people who stopped by on their way to sit down. One lady approached the table and introduced herself. I smiled, greeted her and asked how the conference had been for her. "It's been okay," she said with an unsure look on her face. "Okay?" I shot back. "You've been on the beautiful gulf coast for the last few days with fabulous weather and you said your time here has been just 'okay'?" She nodded yes. "What's going on?" I pressed her for more. She proceeded to tell me that her 16 year old daughter was killed in a car accident almost one year ago. "Knowing the one year anniversary is coming up has gotten me down," she told me. "To add to that, my son was killed two years ago, before my daughter. And now I'm raising his daughter." Boy, talk about someone who has been hit hard! My heart went out to her. I stood there and talked with her a few more minutes and listened as she told me more. She said she had a wonderful church and pastor who have supported her over these last few months, but it was still hard trying to explain to her granddaughter that not only was her father not coming back, but neither was her aunt. I promised to for pray for her, but the Holy Spirit nudged me that something else was going to happen for her. I hesitated before I opened my mouth and then told her, "I have a feeling God is going to wink at you today." She looked puzzled so I went further. "I just think God is going to show you today that He is thinking of you." She smiled and walked to her table to eat breakfast.

After I spoke to the group, a series of door prizes were given out. I was asked to draw for each winner, so I made sure I mixed the tickets up real good (nothing like a little pressure). The grand prize of the conference was a big screen, top-of-the-line television set. You could almost see every man in the ball room frothing at the mouth for that prize. I put my hand in the box to pull out a name and handed it to the lady at the microphone. "And the winner is....."

The lady I had just spoken to an hour earlier stood up with tears in her eyes and her hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe it! She had just won that big screen television. Out of all the conference attendees, I had somehow picked her name.

When the conference dismissed, I took pictures with those who asked and looked over to see her waiting in line. When she got to me, I simply said, "Honey, if that wasn't a sign that the Lord has not forgotten you, I don't know what is!"

Coincidence maybe? I don't think so. If you didn't know her story, you would probably pass her off as being lucky Wednesday.

Psalm 34:8 says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him." Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord makes me rich and He adds no sorrow with it."

A big, flat screen tv wouldn't bring back the pain and hurt of losing not just one child, but both of her children. But no matter what we are going through, we sometimes subscribe to the belief that God has somehow forgotten us. When in all reality, He hasn't forgotten us at all and He uses little "winks" along the way to make sure we know that. I bet if you and I opened up our eyes today, we would see some of those!

Faith Includes Some Fear!

I'll be away for the next few days in Biloxi speaking at a conference. I'm looking forward to seeing the Gulf from my hotel room. I love to scan the waters for dolphins playing close to shore and seeing the lights of the shrimp boats at night.

Every time I go to the coast, I think about Peter's walk on the water. You know that story pretty well, I'm sure and it's one of my favorites because it includes a weather event. But it's not just a picture of one of Jesus' miracles, but is a perfect example of belief in action and risky faith.

One blustery night the disciples were sailing the Sea of Galilee through a storm. Suddenly a strange figure appeared walking on the waves and the men were sure it was a ghost! But Jesus told them in Matthew 14:27, "It is I; do not be afraid." At that point, Peter gets an idea. He said to Jesus in verse 28-29, "Lord, it if is You, command me to come to You on the water. So Jesus said, 'Come'. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus."

What a risky step, literally! Interesting, isn't it, that everyone else in the boat stayed put? They had all spent months and years with Jesus, seen the same miracles and they even listened to the same teachings. But only Peter took a risk of faith, and only Peter experienced a miracle. In spite of Peter's heart-pounding fear, Peter stepped out in proactive dependence upon God alone, believing that his faith would bridge the gap between the boat and Jesus. And when Jesus bridged that gap with a miracle, everyone else in the boat "worshipped Jesus saying, 'Truly You are the Son of God".

I don't doubt that Peter was probably walking on water with a little bit of fear inside. Who in their right mind would try such a thing? Many times, our usage of faith does include a certain amount of fear. We are human and I suspect our fear doesn't catch God by surprise!

But if you and I want a life where God works through us in supernatural ways whenever He chooses, we must take action. We must exercise our faith. Why? Because there is a direct connection between what we initiate with faith and how God responds with His supernatural power.