Comebacks

Sunday night I watched one of the greatest sports comebacks ever. I am not a fan of the Patriots, or Tom Brady in particular, but the “come-from-behind” mentality that this team didn’t need in the past two games of their playoffs was something that took a while to get kicked into gear, but once it did…whoa! Baby!

I felt most sorry for the owner of the Falcons. There were a couple of shots of this guy when the Patriots were going in for that winning touchdown, and he looked stunned. He had come down from his luxury box to be with his team when they won. He saw it as a forgone conclusion when his team was up by 25 points with just over a quarter to go. He stood there shaking hands with his team and his wife was all smiles and laughing. But just before that final play? She was looking at him like he was a 25 megaton bomb about to go off. She didn’t look like she knew whether to run or hang on for dear life.

But life is like that sometimes, isn’t it? Sometimes we’re the Patriots. We’re down and out, no way to win and we feel like the end is inevitable. But somewhere deep down within us we decide we’re not going to let losing be our destiny…we’re going to win! We are going to out-do, out-shine and in all other ways out-perform our competition. And it happens, and we’re elated and we think, “Did that really just happen?”

Other times, we’re the Falcons. We’re sitting on top of the world, knowing that there is nothing that can beat us. And then, all of a sudden, there we are, standing on the sideline watching the end come like deer in the headlights. We can’t move, we can speak, and we can’t even breathe. It’s like we’ve been punched in the guts so hard that if we even tried to utter a word or even take a breath our bodies would protest so vehemently that it would just shut down, and we’d die.

For all of the people who have been on both sides of that coin, let me offer you some perspective. When you rise up to overcome the obstacles in front of you…remember Who it is that lifts you up. Remember that when you succeed, it isn’t you that does it, but God at work in you. Give credit where credit is due and remember that if it had not been for God giving you your ability, your talent, or even your strength (or even putting you in the opportunity to begin with), you wouldn’t be able to do what you do.

For all of the people who have had the rug of victory pulled out from beneath their feet only to begin the free-fall of doubt, second-guessing and worry, remember that there is One Who is ready to stand up with you, hold you and catch you! He will never leave you or forsake you. He is with you today as He was with you yesterday and as He will be with you tomorrow. Don’t look back, except to remember and not duplicate your mistakes. But look ahead, knowing that when you get to the destination, God will be there by your side…and every step in between!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Something Completely Different—Part 3

Earlier this week, I was thinking about C.S. Lewis and some of his works that have influenced my life in profound ways. Not the least of these works is his 7 volume children’s book series, entitled The Chronicles of Narnia in which children discover an alternate realm that mirrors Biblical truths. The first of these books (and my favorite, I might add) is called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

In this book, a young girl named Lucy stumbles upon Narnia from a magical wardrobe in the home of a professor they have gone to stay with during the Blitz in London in 1940. While there, she meets a fawn (half human, half goat) and befriends him. Going back to the professor’s house, she then tells her two brothers and one sister about the world she found. Not being able to find it themselves, they believe her to be lying.

Later on, however, youngest brother, Edmund stumbles into Narnia as well. While there he meets the White Witch who enchants him with sweets and gets him to promise her that he will bring his brother and two sisters to her when they get back. He then finds Lucy and they return to the professor’s house and Edmund plays as if he’s never been there, but only playing along with Lucy.

To figure this whole thing out, the oldest two children, Peter and Susan, decide to talk to the old professor, who asks them this question: “And your sister, she has a habit of lying?” to which they both reply, “No sir. In fact, quite the opposite. I would think that Ed would be the one to lie more that Lucy.”

The professor then replies, “If you believe your sister to be the more honest of the two, then why are you not believing her?”

“Because it can’t be true,” Susan answers. “I mean, magic, other worlds in the back of a wardrobe? It can’t be true!”

“If your sister is the one who is the most honest, that it must follow that she is the one telling the truth.” The professor’s reply here has much to say to us today. Allow me to reflect on two of them.

The first issue that I want to talk about is integrity. Integrity is the very thing that Edmund had lost and Lucy had gained. How? Simply by being honest in little things. The little things matter greatly in the minds of people when it comes to trust, integrity and believably. Even when the tale is, to our ears, “preposterous,” those with integrity will be believed.

The second is the issue trust. Those who are habitual liars are not to be trusted, but to be shunned. Those who cannot tell the truth are to be cast off, and not listened to. But those who are always faithful, honest, loyal and truthful ought to be followed, listened to and, yes, even obeyed.

There is one who speaks often to our hearts, souls and minds Who has never once lied to us. He is always telling the truth, because He is the Author of Truth. There is one who will never lead us in the wrong direction because He’s been there and knows the way we should be going. That Person is, of course, God Almighty.

So when God tells you something, or asks you to do something, don’t hem and haw…obey…now! He can be trusted, because He has never once lied to you or let you down…AND HE NEVER WILL!

We’ll see you on Sunday!

Trust

We are a nation that has very little in the way of trust of those who are in authority over us. We feel that most people are looking out for themselves and that whenever they react with us, it is always for their advantage and not ours.

But the sad part is that many times we wind up equating that same thought process to God. When He breaks through our defenses, we tend to think, “He’s after something.” I think that’s why so many people in our culture have a hard time coming to God and giving over their lives to Jesus…they simply do not trust Him (or anyone for that matter).

But Jesus came into this world for no other reason but to give His life as a ransom. PLEASE keep reading, because what I’m about to say here might very well change the course of your life.

You see, you and I and every other person who has ever lived had a huge problem. That problem is that we were born into sin. Because of what Adam did when disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, the nature of sin has been passed on to each and every one of Adam’s descendants…including you and me. And so, we are sinners because that is the inheritance that we receive.

It has nothing to do with whether we’re good enough or not, because we aren’t. We are born into sin, and we are plagued with it until the day we die. But Jesus came into the world as a ransom…a payment for our sin. That baby that we celebrate in the stable went on to grow up over the course of 33 years and become a man who would lay down His life on the cross. And on that cross, He took the punishment for your sin and mine.

Paul said that “the wages of sin is death.” That means that we deserve death because that’s what we have earned through our sinful nature. But he also went on to say that “the gift of God is eternal life.” That means that God wants to give us eternal life as a gift…not because we have earned it or because we are good enough (because we’re not), but simply because He wanted to.

But like all gifts, it had to be paid for. And the payment for our eternal life was eternal death. So Jesus, the God-Man, allowed Himself to be crucified so that the eternal death and separation of a man from God the Father could be born out in Him. God the Father turned His back on God the Son so that in that moment when Jesus cried out, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?!” He experienced a separation of Himself with the Father. It boggles the mind, actually, but that’s what was necessary for you and me to be able to have that gift.

Now, there is no other who could have purchased this gift, and because of that fact, there is no other who can offer it. Mohammad cannot offer you eternal life because he did not pay the price for it. Buddha cannot offer you eternal life because he did not pay the price for it. New Age cannot offer you eternal life because it did not pay the price for it. L. Ron Hubbard (the author and founder of Dianetics) cannot offer you eternal life because he did not pay for it. Satan cannot offer you eternal life because he did not pay for it. There is only One who paid that price, and that is Jesus Christ our Lord. That’s why Paul says at the end of that verse that the gift only comes “through Jesus Christ”.

So, my friend, as you read this, have you been moved to think about your life and your eternal soul? There is no better time than now to make that decision to give your life to Christ, to trust in Him, and to allow Him to have full rule and reign in your life. Do it today!

And we’ll see you on Sunday!