Seeking the miracle

Luke 5:15 (New American Standard Bible)

15But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

Large crowds came because they had heard of His miracles. They sought Him for what He could do for them. They wanted the miracle that He offered but not the miracle of Himself. There is nothing more dishonorable than to seek the gifts but not the Giver.

I have been like those people but I have learned that the greatest miracle is the change of heart. The conditions may not change but God can change the heart to meet the conditions. I still seek the gifts but I find more value today in knowing the Giver.

Coat and a cup of soup

I was reminded this past week-end that my actions don’t always match my talk. Knowledge gained without application transforms no one. Lord, it is clear there is need for You but help us to also provide the coat and the cup of soup.

James 2:14-17

14-17Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? (The Message)

Gone but not Forgotten

I love music and I have an extensive collection of all types. The songs have an effect on me when played; they take me back. I don’t live in the past but my past is part of a collection that has made the man that I am today. I sometimes forget the songs but they all have a place in my heart. I do not collect every song I hear only the ones that speak to me.

People in my life are like the songs. They come and go but the ones that touch me hold their place in my collection. A friend recently passed away and for the past 30+ years I did not play their song but my friend was in my collection just the same. So, from time to time I will play the song until one day my friend and I will sing it together.

NOISE

I was waiting for a therapist that I was going to train. While in the lobby, there was an elderly man with a mental disorder between the ages of 75-80. He was constantly shaking a baby rattler while holding it very close to his ear and the noise was becoming irritating to everyone in the room. I was not able to hear myself think and I thought that is exactly why he shakes the rattler, to drown out the voices of thought. What were those voices that brought such pain?


A thought came to me that we are not so far removed from our own rattlers. We may not be using an instrument so obvious but escaping our pain just the same. The method he used seem to work for him but reality is that he will be tied to the rattler for the rest of his life unless he seeks help or someone seeks help for him. If nothing changes then he will continue to shake his rattler and annoy everyone around him. Sound familiar?

IN HONOR TO A FRIEND

Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)

there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

I recently reconnected with a friend that I spend less than 7 months with. Over 42 years ago, we were both young men from different states, with different backgrounds but many common bonds. We were away from home in a war we really did not understand missing those that loved us. During that brief time we bonded as brothers and today I still feel as close as that day many years ago when we first met. Although 42 years have passed and I have changed from that young 19 year old that brief encounter will remain important for the remainder of my life.