PLAYING WITH FIRE

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?

Proverbs 6:27

For over 500 years, Mount Pinatubo sat silently on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Once a tremendous volcano, now residents of the tiny villages surrounding the great tower looked upon the mountain as just a dormant pile of ash and rock. It just wasn’t something they worried about.

That is until the afternoon of June 15, 1991 when Mount Pinatubo erupted in the second largest volcanic explosion of the 20^th century – twice the power of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.

The tremendous release of power blasted an entire cubic mile off the mountaintop. The earth shook for eight hours – that’s an eight hour earthquake! The newly awakened volcano produced an ash cloud rising 50,000 feet above the earth. If all that were not enough, Typhoon Yunga struck the island on the same day with fierce winds and torrential rains, mixing with the ash creating what the locals now call “Black Saturday.”

Consequences of the eruption were catastrophic. For instance, the United States was forced to abandon and eventually close Clark Air Force base, located just a few miles from Mount Pinatubo, because of the impenetrable blanket of fallen ash.

When an expert was asked about the widespread damage and destruction, he said something very important, “When a volcano is silent for many years, people forget it’s a volcano and begin to treat it like a mountain.”

Definitely words to live by!

We have to be aware of how sin has the potential to erupt in our lives, no matter how long it has been dormant. It’s a deadly mistake to ignore this possibility simply because we have lived without committing long-ago sins – even for decades.

We must remain steadfast until our dying day. That means we can never forget the danger that lives within us and around us at every moment. Like a volcano, sin has the potential to burn – and burn severely – at any moment. That is why the scripture above is so important. It reminds us that there is no way to play with fire without going up in flames!

That’s what sin does. And no matter how long it’s been since it erupted in your life, don’t ever forget that sin is never dormant. Fortunately, Jesus has you covered. He is always there to protect you in any storm, earthquake, explosion, or any other disaster that makes its way into your life. Our Lord is the only place to go when sin comes creeping in or just blows up in your face. That’s why the great Theologian D.L. Moody wrote, “When you’re thinking sin, think scripture!”

Remember, the enemy is never dormant . . . and neither is sin. The best thing to do is study God’s Word. Let it sink deep within your soul, your mind and your heart. And there the Lord Jesus will reside . . . and you will experience a new kind of fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit.

NEVER TOO YOUNG

Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants,

and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.

                                                Psalm 144:12

Young people need to know that God has placed enormous value in them and has incredibly powerful love for them.

No doubt, it matters how we raise our children and what we impart upon their lives, their minds, their hearts and their souls because young people matter to God. He depends on them to carry His Kingdom. And sometimes, no matter how much they can get on your nerves….they will surprise you.

Calvin Leon Graham is an excellent example. Mr. Graham was a gunner on the U.S.S. South Dakota while it was buffeted by the Japanese in the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. He was struck in the jaw and mouth by shrapnel while his battleship suffered 47 enemy hits. Though seriously wounded, he helped pull his friends to safety. Among other honors, he was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

At the time, he was 12 years old; the youngest person ever to enlist in the United States Navy, and the youngest U.S. serviceman during World War II.

Our children can do great things, miraculous things! We only need to provide them with a path to our Lord Jesus, allowing them to experience the awesome wonder of the Holy Spirit in their young lives.

This Week’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, give me patience as I raise with my children. Protect them as they make their way in the world. Touch them with your Holy Spirit. Open their eyes to You and Your love for them. Please do not allow them to waste their youth, but help them build a solid foundation of faith. I pray You will guide me in guiding my children, and all our youth, to Your Kingdom. Amen.

WANTED: EVERY DAY HEROES

He saved them from the hand of the foe;

from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.

Psalm 106:10

Irena Sendler

In 1939 the Nazis invaded Poland and began their war against the Jewish people there. They began by establishing ghettos into which all Jews were forced to relocate. Food was scarce. The housing was filthy and crowded. The guards were brutal....and the days to come would only get worse.

Yet, there were heroes.

One woman, a woman whose name you may have never known, took action. Irena Sendler, a Catholic woman in her thirties, decided to join an underground movement against the Germans. In the beginning she helped Jews by providing food, shelter and over 3,000 false documents which allowed some to flee the coming Holocaust. The punishment for these “crimes” was death, but Irena continued her heroic work. Later, God would call upon her in even greater ways.

Because she worked for the Social Welfare Department, Irena was given a special permit to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to check for signs of disease among the Jews trapped there. But that’s not all Irena was doing.

Irena realized she had a unique opportunity to help the Jewish children held captive by the extraordinary evil of the Nazis. With total access to the ghetto, she organized the smuggling of children out of the Ghetto, carrying them in boxes, suitcases and hand trolleys.  She even smuggled out babies and small children in by disguising them as packages.

The children were placed with non-Jewish Polish families, in convents, or in church rectories where they could be further hidden. In order to keep track of their original and new identities, Irena She hid lists of the children’s names in jars. She assured the children that when the war was over they would be returned to their families.

In 1943, Irena was arrested by the Gestapo, severely tortured, and sentenced to death.

In total, Irena Sendler saved at least 2500 children from of the ghettos and away from certain death. Her story is a reminder that there are always opportunities for you to become a hero for those in need. It only takes the mind of Christ, thinking as Christ would think in any given situation, to provide you with the wisdom and courage to do what He needs done.

No, you may not be called upon to smuggle children out of danger. But, you may be asked to help a friend at work, to assist a single mother, to change a tire, to serve a meal, or if it is God’s will, give your life to save others as Jesus did.

Fortunately, this was not Irena’s calling. You see, on the way to her execution in 1943, the German guards, having been bribed by Irena’s colleagues in the underground, left her for dead in the woods. She was rescued and lived out the rest of her life in Poland. After the war, she dug up the jars with the children's identities. For years, she tried to return the children to their families. However, almost all the parents died in the Holocaust.

Having been honored by several international organizations, she passed away in 2008.

The message of Irena Sendler’s life is that all of us have a job to do. Because the Lord needs each of us to help one another in times of danger, pain, suffering and grief. Right now, He needs you to rescue his children from whatever ghettos they face – large or small. Yes, He needs YOU to be his Hero today.

This Week's Prayer

Dear Lord, I am willing to go where You need me to go and do what You need me to do. I only need you to make me able. Give me the power of Your Holy Spirit and the courage to move ahead in helping others. You are my Hero for saving my soul and giving me eternal life. Now, I want to be Your hero by following Your will every day and in every way. Amen.

WHAT YOU'LL FIND ON THE JERICHO ROAD

…Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”

Luke 10:30-33

The Jericho Road

If you have ever been to Israel and traveled along the Jericho Road then you know how lonely, desolate, mountainous and dangerous it is. Even today, 2000 years after Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, it is not a place to be caught alone. Modern-day travelers are still beaten, robbed and left for dead.

And it was here, 20 centuries ago, that a man chose to do something out of the ordinary. That is how he became the symbol of compassion for all of humanity, the Good Samaritan.

We all like to think of ourselves as compassionate - and to a certain extent we all are. But of course, there is a limit to our compassion. It’s true. For each of us, there is a point beyond which our compassion will not go. So, the key question is: where is that stopping point for you?

The only way to find the answer is to walk along your Jericho Road, the journey that symbolizes your walk through life.

Keep in mind your daily journey is fraught with danger, loneliness, challenges … and opportunities. Like that old road through the dessert, your days are filled with people who have been left for dead in one way or another. That is why you need to be prepared, because you never know what you’re going to find.

No, you probably won’t find a man who has been beaten up, but you may have a friend who won’t explain her bruises, or a man whose child has run away, or an colleague who cannot face another day alone, or a single mother who is too exhausted to face her children . . . and on and on and on. Here is where the limits of your compassion will be tested.

But, there is good news.

Jesus has given you His compassion. That’s right. You have all the compassion you need for every situation that will be presented to you. In fact, Jesus is putting you in these situations specifically because He needs YOU there!

Indeed, it is always best to treat all people as though they are hurting, because more often than not, they are. Can you imagine if every person treated everyone they encounter with sensitivity, compassion and grace – the way Jesus did? That is, in fact, exactly what He commanded us to do. That is why He told the story of the Good Samaritan.

Remember, God needs you to do what He needs to do. You are His representative, His hands, His feet, and His servant here on earth. That is why He has given you His limitless compassion.

There are so many hurting people who need to know they are worthy of love. And just as God builds into each one of us the need for Him, I believe He also gives us the need to help one another – especially when times are tough. At this very moment, people in your home, your workplace, your community and your world are hurt, damaged and just plain tired.

It is up to you to pick them up off the dusty road where you find them and give them the care they need, no matter who they are or where they are from. Because Jesus needs you to do what He needs to do – save His children.

This Week’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, even now I know of so many people who are hurting. Like myself, they face pain, shame, fear and challenges no one should face alone. Bring us together, Father. Let us share the face of compassion with one another. Give us the strength and courage to lift each other up and encourage everyone we meet. The Jericho Road leads to every home and every heart on earth. Guide me as I travel its path today, and lead me to those who need to know Your loving grace. Amen.