Hindsight is defined as the understanding of a situation or event only after it has developed or happened. For the past two years, a large cataract hindered my ability to see out of my right eye. While I experienced periods of improvement, last summer my eye doctor suggested it’s time to deal with this situation. As I struggled to read fine print, I came to the same conclusion, scheduling a surgery for late November. A series of unforeseen events forced this operation to be postponed until last Thursday.
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise, Jeremiah 17:14.
Like any procedure, I was afraid, not knowing the ultimate outcome. Before I was given drugs to numb the pain, I made my peace with God. When the nurse at the front desk asked me for my will and testament prior to being admitted, worst case scenarios raced through my mind. This request likely elevated my blood pressure so high that my first operation was cancelled. As a person of faith, I wrestle with relying on medicine to resolve health problems. However, when changes in diet, fasting and prayer does not improve your condition, my operation served as a last resort. While the healing process takes roughly two weeks, only time will tell if my sight will be fully restored.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand, Isaiah 41:10.
I feel like the prophet Isaiah is speaking to me in the passage above. I have no control over how well eye will recover. Sure, I can listen to my doctor’s directions by taking my daily prescriptions, but the degree of healing is in God’s hand. My dream of writing screen plays is dependent upon the final outcome of my cataract surgery. Thus, all I can do is place my trust in the Lord, believing that God will help improve my condition. Although I am not considering this trial a pure joy as James 1:2-4 suggests, I am relying on hindsight, remembering how God has provided for me in the past.
Depending upon the time of day, I like to listen to the radio while I write. During today’s news update, there were two murder suicide’s featured in the area. After watching an episode of Lost Season 1 last night, one scene came to my mind, a conversation between Locke (Terry O’Quinn) and Jack (Matthew Fox). Locke suggested that some people look like the Devil is chasing them. In the case of these four victims, they didn’t run fast enough to avoid death.
After [Judas had taken] the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly [without delay],” John 13:27.
In the passage above, Jesus makes the statement Satan entered Judas Iscariot during the last supper. Bible commentaries suggest this possession accelerated Judas’ desire to betray Jesus. Knowing what was about to come, Jesus exhorts Judas to finish his plan without delay. Unfortunately, the moment individuals think things through in their mind, the act of sin quickly follows. By this time, it’s often too late to turn back. Using the analogy above, the Devil has caught you from behind and won’t let go.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). 15 Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death, James 1:13-15.
Temptation is like a classic car chase scene from a movie. Initially, the good character is in the clear, far from harm. However, as this pursuit continues chaos, distractions and traffic place the bad guy within striking distance. Unless you flee from evil, minds will eventually embrace earthly desires. Thus, the more you stare at temptation, it’s only a matter of time before the Devil grabs ahold of your life. Therefore, be alert, on guard and keep watch so you stay well out of the Devil’s reach.
Depending upon the quality of your air conditioner and furnace unit, air filters need to be replaced as soon as thirty days or as long as six months. The U.S. Department of Energy claims that replacing a dirty filter with a clean one can lower your air conditioner’s energy consumption by 5 to 10 percent. Meanwhile, furnace filters should be changed every two to three months depending upon the size of your filter. Whether you live in an apartment, condo or home, basic upkeep is essential to prolonging your appliances.
We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5.
The Bible refers to a different kind of filter. According to the apostle Paul, the human mind is a spiritual filter. Whenever a thought enters your head, God has given individuals the ability to stop evil from corrupting your body. Before I became a Christian, I was oblivious to the concept of angels, demons and the powers of darkness. Yet, the more that I read the Bible, the more I understand the importance of replacing your filter by making every thought obedient to Christ. This is accomplished by memorizing and meditating upon verses of the Bible to prevent evil from persuading souls to give into temptation.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places, Ephesians 6:12.
While the media attempts to convince the world that certain individuals are the enemy, the apostle Paul corrects the record in the passage above. Sure, there will always be people that rub you the wrong way by getting under your skin. Yet, the Devil uses physical opponents to suppress any joy that you may have in your heart. This is why replacing your spiritual filter daily with biblical principles, God’s promises and truth is essential. The next time strange thoughts catch you off guard, replace the filter in your mind with the Word of God. May this practice renew and transform your mind, Romans 12:1-2.
If you work for a large company, you will come across various characters, personalities and temperaments. Meanwhile, if you are a regular visitor of social media sites, you can usually decipher those seeking attention from people who simply enjoy connecting with friends. While there are numerous methods entrepreneurs can cash in on today, it’s okay to live a quiet life beyond the spot life. Such is the case of one first century man.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by [the power of] the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly, Matthew 1:18-19.
As a former junior high teacher, teenagers can be cruel. Teens going through puberty can be down right nasty. Imagine if your girl friend shows up to school pregnant and you didn’t have sex with her. These were the thoughts racing through Joseph’s mind when his fiancée returns home from his aunt’s house several months pregnant. Betrayed, confused and distraught, Joseph was on his way to break off his engagement quietly to avoid a messy divorce. When an angel intervened, this forgotten man of Christmas had to wait until Jesus was born to consecrate his marriage.
Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Feast. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the Feast; 43 and as they were returning [to Nazareth], after spending the required number of days [at the Feast], the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this, 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and traveled a day’s journey; and [then] they began searching [anxiously] for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him [everywhere], Luke 2:41-45.
Joseph is one of those characters who quickly fades from the forefront, written out of a drama, movie or show after completing his mission. There is only one mention of Joseph in the Bible following the events of Christmas, Jesus’ bar mitzvah, the event to celebrate a Jewish boy becoming a man. This symbolic act enabled Jesus to become a man in God’s house. Joseph likely died of natural causes, assumed to be dead and long gone, out of the picture, by the four gospel authors. Then again, Joseph could have completed God’s will for his life following Jesus’ bar mitzvah. Either way, Joseph is the forgotten man of Christmas, taking a back seat to Emmanuel, God with us in the form of baby Jesus..
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by [the power of] the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins,” Matthew 1:18-21.
You have probably heard of the 12 days of Christmas, a catechism song published in the 1780’s by oppressed Catholics. Yet, 4 dreams that made Christmas possible, the mass of Christ, are often overlooked. The first dream prevented Jesus from growing up in a single parent household, void of an earthly father. While dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep, the Lord sent an angel from heaven like a scene from a Christmas movie, to fulfill God’s plan for redemption on earth.
Dream #2
Now when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.” 14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Hosea]: “Out of Egypt I called My Son,” Matthew 2:13-15.
Whenever you have any dream, there are rationale explanations. This could be due to simply day dreaming, mental aspirations, nightmares or stress. However, from a spiritual perspective, there are times when God uses dreams as a form of divine intervention. The second dream of Christmas provoked an immediate response by awakening the soul of Joseph. Just as Old Testament families plotted the deaths of brothers who stood in their way of the throne, Herod attempted to slaughter the king of the Jews. However, babies are hard to identify from one another at an early age. Thus, King Herod devised a plan to kill all babies under the age of 2. This dream enabled Mary, Joseph and Jesus to escape this massacre in a nick of time.
Dream #3
But when Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20 “Get up! Take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then Joseph got up, and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel, Matthew 2:19-21.
Most people use an alarm clock to get up each morning. Others use their cell phone to make sure they are not late for work. However, this third dream introduces the concept of keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:25. After being on the run, living in a foreign land, another angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream. It’s unclear if God sent the same angel each time, but this dream served as a spiritual alarm clock to get up and go. This dream set the stage for the future king of the Jews to return home to Israel. Although this is only an assumption, after news of Herod’s slaughter of countless baby boys reached Egypt, Joseph likely developed a keen awareness of his dreams. Thus, each night as Joseph went to sleep, he was eager, hopeful and waiting for another encounter with God.
Dream #4
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod [the Great], he was afraid to go there. Then being warned by God in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee, 23 and went and settled in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene,” Matthew 1:22-23.
The final dream of Christmas varies from the first three. The Lord didn’t need to send an angel to get Joseph’s attention. Rather, by this time in his life, Joseph was in tune with God, like a faithful servant eagerly awaiting his next command. These dreams radically transformed the life of Jesus’ earthly father. Instead of doubting, questioning or becoming a skeptic, Joseph had become a believer in God’s plan. Mary and Joseph may not have understood the impact their son would make on earth, yet they began to walk by faith, not by sight. As Christmas carols take over the airwaves this December, don’t forget to remind people of how God used dreams to protect and ensure this sacred holiday. May these dreams open your mind to the possibility of God speaking to you and me in a similar manner today.
While sharing the parable of the shrewd manager, Jesus makes an interesting observation. Even in the first century, followers of Jesus did not treat one another as well as non-believers. Perhaps, competition, immaturity and judgmental spirits began to cause infighting within the body of Christ. Instead of demonstrating the love of God as salt and light, Matthew 5:13-15, religious leaders afraid to let go of Judaism stunted the spiritual growth of many new converts.
And his master commended the unjust manager [not for his misdeeds, but] because he had acted shrewdly [by preparing for his future unemployment]; for the sons of this age [the non-believers] are shrewder in relation to their own kind [that is, to the ways of the secular world] than are the sons of light [the believers], Luke 16:8.
In the passage above, Jesus refers to non-believers as the sons of this age. To certain extent, many of these individuals would be categorized as amoral, not knowing right from wrong. Yet, the parable of the shrewd manager illustrates that it’s never too late to change. Despite whatever misdeeds you have committed in the past, God uses conviction to elicit repentance. When the man in this story was fearful his position would be lost, a sense of desperation produced a series of business transactions to save his job.
And I tell you [learn from this], make friends for yourselves [for eternity] by means of the wealth of unrighteousness [that is, use material resources as a way to further the work of God], so that when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings, Luke 16:9.
The passage above urges readers to avoid legalism which stifles faith. Instead of analyzing this or that, don’t be afraid to use earthly income to make friends for eternity. While this context contradicts other passages above money, Jesus wants people to realize that material resources purchased by wealth furthers the work of God. Essentially, what Jesus is saying is the sons of this age are like a harvest waiting to be picked. However, the workers with the right mentality are few. Thus, if you want to become fishers of men, set your heart and mind on things above.
Immediately following the Exodus out of Egypt, the Israelites fled into the desert. When Pharaoh changed his mind, Moses led God’s people to the banks of the Red Sea. Against all odds, the Lord enabled Moses to part this body of water before collapsing upon and swallowing up the Egyptian army. After witnessing this miracle, any event that follows would be obscure. Thus, when God magically sent bread, manna from heaven, the Jews slowly began to overlook the obvious.
And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the Israelites no longer had manna, but they ate some of the produce of the land of Canaan during that year, Joshua 5:12.
Like any human being, time has a way of changing your perspective. Initial awe, excitement and joy can fade when everything that follows is small in comparison. Perhaps, this explains Jesus comment to one if his disciples, “blessed are those do not see me yet believe.” The testimony of followers of Jesus immediately following his resurrection should have been enough. Yet, doubt prevented Thomas from believing, needing to see with his own eyes. When you live with a miracle worker every day for three years, at some point you begin to over look the obvious, expecting greater things.
Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, do you now believe? Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me],” John 20:29.
As holiday shoppers rush through life to get their Christmas preparations in order, it’s hard to keep track of daily mundane responsibilities. Meanwhile, subtle miracles are glanced over as God provides this or that without any praise or thanks. Unfortunately, I tend to be the type of person who allows themselves to be pushed to the limit, on the verge of mental exhaustion weekly. Thus, instead of seeing subtle signs of God’s providence, I have ignored the obvious. I guess I need to follow the advice of the Psalmist by being still before God, Psalm 46:10. When you do, you will stop overlooking the obvious by observing the hand of God over your life.
Back in 2016, I had emergency eye surgery in my right eye to prevent glaucoma from escalating. After this operation, my surgeon informed me of a cataract that would need to be addressed in the future. The initial goal was to wait a year then have cataract surgery. However, this got pushed back until yesterday or least that’s what I thought. When my blood pressure went from 130 over 80 Tuesday morning to 177 over 130 Thursday morning, God had a change of plans. This procedure that involved six months of planning was abruptly cancelled.
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps, Proverbs 16:9.
The older I get, the more analytical I become, pondering the reason for this delay. Could I have died during this operation? Did God prevent an accident from occurring? Can God heal my eye supernaturally foregoing the need for this procedure? Or did God want me to become painfully aware of a more pressing health need in my life? As I ask these questions to God, I am still awaiting a clear response. Nonetheless, King Solomon prepared the nation of Israel by warning people of God’s ability to alter, change or redirect your path.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand, Proverbs 19:21.
Currently, I find myself perplexed, essentially placed on bed rest until my blood pressure returns to a more normal level. A few weeks before my senior year of college began, I broke my foot playing sand volleyball. Instead of enjoying the final weeks of summer, I laid in bed, elevating my foot to reduce the swelling. Five years ago a sledding accident resulted in 2 broken ribs and a collapsed lung, forced to take a medical leave of absence from work for five weeks. When God quickly changes your plans, it’s not fun. Yet, as I lie around in bed for a few days, I have time to reflect. As I do, this is God’s way of reintroducing me to his plans, not mine. Thus, I sit here quietly, listening intently and writing down for others in a blog what I am learning as I go through this tryin time in life.
If anyone had a reason to doubt and question God, it was Job, a character in one of the oldest books of the Bible. After his children died in a storm similar to a tornado, Job contracted boils all over his body. Old Testament rationale associated the bad things that happened to individuals as a sign of punishment from God. Thus, as bystanders stood by watching the trials that besieged Job, even three of Job’s best friends began to doubt his innocence.
“Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a ruler or a teacher like Him?” – Job 36:22
Feeling abandoned, one thought came to Job’s mind, God is watching over you. While Job’s wife wanted him to curse God and die, his years of spending time with God enabled common sense to prevail. Just as Jacob physically wrestled with God, Job struggled to comprehend what was happening to him. This spiritual tussle inspired Job to record these events within an Old Testament book. The worse things get in life, God has a way of humbling people to the point desperately trusting the Lord with your heart, soul and mind.
He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel. Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly].The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand, Psalm 121:3-5.
The Psalmist describes how God specifically watches over human beings. Shepherds gave thanks for not twisting their ankle despite walking along rocky terrain. Meanwhile, others sang about God’s never ending protection, watching over us like the old Bette Midler song From a Distance. Finally, God is like a keeper, a shepherd guiding sheep around danger, a shade of protection in times of trouble. Therefore, the next time you find yourself in the midst of adversity, remember the invisible guardian in the heavens above who is watching over you and me.
Shortly after I got married, I began to play disc golf regularly. During a round at Brandywine Creek State Park, my friend Dave and I threw a couple of discs into high grass. Prior to the rise in Lyme Disease cases, checking for ticks never entered my mind. Oddly enough, each of us contracted this debilitating condition. While on vacation in Montana, my skin revealed the classic bullet, an obvious sign of Lyme Disease. Unfortunately, Dave’s condition went undiagnosed for months. Although Dave eventually recovered, he permanently lost his sense of taste.
“Therefore, salt is good; but if salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? – Luke 14:34
A first century doctor refers to a spiritual condition in the passage above. Jesus uses the analogy of expired salt to illustrate this point. Tasteless salt is similar to a Christian who does not practice the principles of the Bible. According to Jesus, disciples should add spiritual flavor to the lives of outsiders, those unfamiliar with the concept of Christianity. When believers blend into the world like chameleons, Jesus refers to these individuals as tasteless.
It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words,” Luke 14:35.
Sometimes the truth hurts, especially when you are called out by a co-worker, friend or mentor. In this case, unsalted Christians are useless, like trash needing to be thrown away. When joking around with my sons, my video game skills are often described as trash. Since I know this to be true, rarely practicing, I can laugh along with my children. However, when Jesus calls lukewarm believers tasteless and trash, this is no laughing matter. If this blog finds you struggling and unproductive in your faith, may the Holy Spirit inspire you to refuel by studying the Bible daily, praying and seeking to worship God seven days a week.
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