MUFFY’S MESS UPS

The godly are concerned for the welfare of their animals, Proverbs 12:10a (NLT)

     Time and time again, the kids in Pupperville were getting plowed over by one extra large dog named Muffy. Time and time again, the kids in Pupperville had wanted Harold to play with them but he was too busy chasing an extra large dog named Muffy, and now the time had come for somebody to do something about it.

     It was Barney that had secretly sent out notices of a meeting at his house to discuss plans on how to fix the problem of Muffy and soon the meeting would start. Stella, Harold’s sister, was the first to arrive and was she ever ready to do something about Muffy. “Does Harold suspect anything yet?” Barney asked her. “I don’t think so.” Stella answered.

     “What don’t you think?” asked Tracy as she arrived. “I don’t think Harold suspects anything,” Stella replied. “I don’t think he does either,” Tracy said with a big smile, “And I don’t think we should have to worry about him or Muffy the rest of the day.”

     “Perfect!” Barney said “Where is he?” “Well,” Tracy started to answer, “He went back on his promise to take me to a movie.” “That’s right!” Stella interrupted, “He chickened out because they wouldn’t let Muffy in the theatre.” “” Tracy continued, “And, because he broke his promise he’ll be cleaning my dad’s barn the rest of the day.”

     “Do you think we should wait for others to come or should we start the meeting?” Barney asked once he knew Harold wouldn’t be around. “Let’s get started!” Tracy and Stella answered back in unison. “Yeah,” Tracy continued, “We need to put a woof on all of Muffy’s mess ups.” “I think every one including Harold has trouble with Muffy.” Stella added “And we need to get rid of Muffy for our sakes and Harold’s.”

     “He’s been chewing and drooling on all my favorite toys.” Stella told the group. “He dug up all of the flowers I planted.” Tracy added. And not to be left out, Barney told them how Muffy always knocks him down and sits on him every time he goes to Harold’s to play and how Harold never has time to play with him because he has to go catch Muffy.

     “Let’s lose him in the forest.” Tracy said “Good idea,” Stella told her, “But first we need to do to him what he does to us.” “You mean bury him and jump on him?” Barney asked. “Yeah!” replied Stella, “And kick him a few times so he’ll never want to come back.” “Sounds great.” Tracy told them, “I’ve got the dog whistle, so let’s go do it before Harold gets done cleaning the barn.

     Proverbs 12:10 says The godly are concerned for the welfare of their animals, but even the kindness of the wicked is cruel (NLT) Maybe the kids should have read this verse before they decided to be mean to Muffy. How do you treat your animals?

      I don;'t know about you but I smell trouble brewing for Harold's dog Muffy. Of course, Muffy wouldn't be the first dog or animal to be treated mean. I'm sure many of us know we have or know of someone who has at one time or another been mean to an animal. As I think of this story I'm reminded of someone in the Bible who had an animal he was being mean to. Let's look at Numbers 22.

     As we start our story, the people of Israel were still wandering in the wilderness because they had refused to go into the promise land after they had been freed from slavery in Egypt. During this time God had been taking care of Israel and helping them win battles along the way. Knowledge of those victories were spreading and nations were becoming afraid.

     The Moabites were one of the nations whose fear of Israel was growing and their king Balak along with various other leaders decided to try and stop the Israelites buy means of a man named Balaam for they had learned that whoever Balaam blessed was blessed and whoever he cursed was cursed and they wanted him to curse Israel.

     Now the reason Balaam was able to bless and curse people and have the blessing or curses come true was because he was a prophet of God and God was making things happen. So when Ballam got the message he went and talked to God but God said NO and Balaam sent the people away. Needless to say, Balak didn't like the answer so he sent different people and made a great offer of wealth.

     While Balaam laid claimed that he couldn't curse the people for a house full of silver and gold unless God allowed him, That money must have got to him and it led to trouble. When he asked God about going this time God said yes but only say what I tell you but Balaam must have had other ideas for as he went on the way only to meet an angel with a sword drawn and ready to kill him.

     Before he saw the angel his donkey that he had been riding had and three times tried to protect Balaam's life and three times Balaam beat him for it. Finally God had, had enough and let two things happen, he allowed the donkey to talk to Balaam and than opened Balaam's eyes so he could see the angel and the sword. That got Balaam's attention. I wonder how much animals can see that we do not.

     If we go back to the beginning, to the first chapter of Genesis we read that God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female. God blessed them and said, “Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28 (NCV)

     In those verse we learn that while God created the animals, he left man in charge of them, to rule over them but he didn't give us permission to be cruel to them or to worship them. We have people today that go both directions, they're both bad.

     Proverbs 12:10 which was quoted earlier is good reminder of how the godly should be concerned for animals. And how those who are ungodly (wicked) have no concern. The godly are concerned because they see the animals as part of God's creation and if one doesn't believe in God one has no real reason to care for with out God what self wants is really all that matters.

      Here's Something To Ponder

• Do you believe God is the creator of the animals?
• How do you treat the animals you come in contact with?

IN JESUS' NAME

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, - Colossians 3:17a (ESV)

      Some people eat nuts. Some people are nuts. Some people drive people nuts. Harold Peterson is one of those people who fits all three descriptions. He eats nuts, he is nuts and he drives everybody nuts but lately he is being driven nuts along with his good friend Barney by a kid in school who thinks Jesus' name is some kind of magic word.

     It was during phy-ed class that Harold first noticed it. On that particular day he was playing catcher in a game of kick ball. Every time the kid would come up to kick the ball he would shout “I kick you in the name of Jesus.” Half the time he would miss the ball and once, Harold told Barney, “He fell flat on his back.”

     “In math class last week,” Barney said next, “The teacher called him to the front of the class to work a math problem on the board. The problem was kind of hard but no to hard. Anyway after five minutes he circled his answer and said 'The answer is 35 in Jesus' name.' 35 wasn't even close to being the right answer.”

     “He's been really annoying at lunch everyday for the last two weeks.” Harold continued. “Worse than you?” Barney questioned. “Way worse.” Harold responded, “He had just about everyone, including the cooks, ready to throw him in the compost pile. He must have said 'I eat this in the name of Jesus.' a hundred times at every meal.”

     As the boys continued to talk about the kid at school, Louie walked up. “Is he the same kid that got caught passing notes in Jesus' name in history and shooting rubber bands in Jesus' name in English class?” Louie asked. Barney and Harold looked at each other and than at Louie and said in unison “In Jesus' name.” and then cracked up laughing.

     “That kid must think Jesus' name is some kind of magic word” Barney said through his laughter. “Why would anyone want to use Jesus' name like that?” “Well,” Louie stammered, “ Randy uses Jesus' name after his prayers.” “Yeah,” Barney responded, But he knows how to use it properly.”

     “Anyway,” Louie told them, “I just saw him in the back of Sgt. Halfway's police car.” “What?” Harold asked “Did some one get tired of him saying 'In Jesus' name.' after everything he did?” “Sort of.” Louie continued, “He was caught shoplifting. He tried to walk out of the supermarket with a big bag of candy and said he didn't need to pay for it because he was taking it in Jesus' name.”

     “I hope the judge throw the book at him for being such a nuisance.” Barney said happily. “And I hope he does it in Jesus' name.” Harold added and than all three burst into laughter.

     Proverbs 22:1a A good name is more desirable than great riches; (NIV) - To many people fail to realize the importance of a good name and when I talk about a good name I’m not talking about a name like Frank or George being a better than a name like Buster or Nim Com Poop. I’m talking about a name that has behind it a good reputation.

     There are people who have great reputations, people from whom you would love to be associated with, people for whom the mere mention of their name can make things happen, can get things done. Jesus has one of those names. Think of some of the things that were and are done in Jesus' name:

• In Jesus' name Peter made a lame man walk – Acts 3:6
• In Jesus' name demons became subject to the disciples – Luke 10:17
• In Jesus' name we are to be baptized for salvation – Acts 2:38
• In Jesus' name we are to give thanks – Ephesians 5:20
• In Jesus' name we are to do all things – Colossians 3:17

     And of course, staying true to the theme of this series, when we pray we are to ask for things in Jesus' name - John 16:23 At that time you won't need to ask me for anything. The truth is, you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will grant your request because you use my name. (NLT)

     So, what does it mean to ask for something in another’s name? Is it simply some magic word to be used? I suppose it could mean that the name of the person doing the asking is insufficient to get the request fulfilled, or it could also mean that we are asking so that another receives the credit or glory, or maybe both.

     If a man who has money in a bank authorizes us to draw it, we are said to do it in his name. If a son authorizes us to apply to his father for aid because we are his friends, we do it in the name of the son, and the favor will be bestowed on us from the regard which the parent has to his son, and through him to all his friends.

     If we are to ask for things or do things in Jesus' name we need to make sure we can. The Bible gives us examples of demons being cast out in Jesus' name but it also give example of those who tried and failed. In Acts 19 we read of the failures of the sons of Sceva.

      Some Jews who travelled around and drove out evil spirits also tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to do this. They said to the evil spirits, "I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches." Seven brothers, who were the sons of a Jewish High Priest named Sceva, were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them, "I know Jesus, and I know about Paul; but you—who are you?" The man who had the evil spirit in him attacked them with such violence that he overpowered them all. They ran away from his house, wounded and with their clothes torn off. - Acts 19:13-16 (TEV)

     They tried it in Jesus’ name and failed miserably. They failed miserably because the were not known, they weren't really followers of Jesus and it's likely they had no faith. Once in Matthew 17:14-20 the disciples tried to cast out a demon and failed and when they asked Jesus why He told them they failed because of their lack of faith.

     The name of Jesus is wonderful. Through the years some have tried to use it to accomplish their wrong doings and in so doing have given the world a bad view of the name of Jesus. Before we try to do something in Jesus’ name, let’s make sure we are doing it right, that we are doing what He would have us to do, Let’s make sure we are ready - even in prayer, to do it in Jesus' name.

     Here's Something To Ponder

• Do you show respect to Jesus' name?
• Do you pray in Jesus' name and mean it?

WHY? WHY? WHY?

Colossians 4:2a - Be persistent in prayer, (TEV)

      It was two weeks before Mother's Day and Cindy Miller was desperate to earn some money so she could get a certain gift for her Mom. As she scanned through the help wanted section in the local newspaper she found an ad for a baby sitter and the house was only two blocks away. “How hard could baby sitting be?” She thought to herself and picked up the phone and called the listed number. Now, she wishes she hadn't and so does Tracy McDonald.

     For the last two hours Tracy has been on the phone with Cindy listening to Cindy whine and complain about her babysitting job. “I never in my life thought a three year old girl could be such a pain.” Cindy told Tracy. “Three year old girls are suppose to sit quietly and play with baby dolls.” “Did you play with baby dolls when you were three?” Tracy asked but Cindy never quit talking long enough to hear her.

     “I thought I was going to be able to just sit and watch television and talk on the phone while the pest played dolls but no way. Before I could even get comfortable on the couch I had a ton of books dropped on my lap. I told her I didn't want to read and was that ever a mistake. Every time I answered her she just kept asking Why? Why? Why? and she wouldn't quit.

     “Did you...” Tracy started to ask but Cindy cut her off. “I tried to read to her but she kept interrupting me with questions. She asked more questions than the test we had in history last week. And every time I tried to answer one she started asking Why? Why? Why? I would have loved to have found a dirty old sock and shoved it in her mouth but than I probably wouldn't have gotten payed. As it was I don't think I got payed enough.”

     “How much did...” Tracy tried to ask but Cindy kept right on complaining. “I wonder if I could find a dirty old sock/” Tracy thought to herself “I sure hope my mom appreciates what I had to put up with .” Cindy kept on jabbering. “Kids are nothing but a nuisance. It took me nearly three hours to get the brat to be quiet.”

      Finally, Tracy had enough and decided the only way she was going to get Cindy to quit was to start asking why?. After asking why to everything Cindy said. Three minutes later Cindy fell very quiet and then Tracy heard a click and buzzzzzzzz.. “I should have thought of that sooner.” Tracy thought to herself and headed to the barn to do some chores. As for Cindy she called Stella and started complaining all over again until Stella started asking why.

     Little children can be very persistent when it comes to asking why or anything else. As children of God, how persistent are we when it comes to asking?

     We honestly and earnestly pray to God to give us blessings, and he withholds them. The sickness is not removed, the life not spared, the burden not lightened, the child not reclaimed, the friend not reconciled, the cause not blessed, the wrong not stayed, the faithful not delivered; and the hearts of the people of God are filled with sorrow and dismay; and the question that rises to their lips is, “How long, O Lord, how long will you not respond?” And we give up asking, we give up praying just like that.

     We have many exampled of people praying in the Bible, people who didn't just say a simple short prayer and then go on, They kept praying, and they kept coming back to pray. I can think of Hannah praying for a child, Daniel under threat of a lion's den continuing 3 times a day, the apostles and the early church that dedicated themselves to prayer and let's not forget Jesus who at times would pray all night.

     Jesus used two different parables to teach us to be persistent in our praying and to not give up. The first parable is in Luke 11:5-8 He also said to them: “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. (HCSB)

     The second parable is in Luke 18:1-7 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must keep praying until the answer comes. "There was a city judge," he said, "a very godless man who had great contempt for everyone. A widow of that city came to him frequently to appeal for justice against a man who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she got on his nerves. " `I fear neither God nor man,' he said to himself, `but this woman bothers me. I'm going to see that she gets justice, for she is wearing me out with her constant coming!' " Then the Lord said, "If even an evil judge can be worn down like that, don't you think that God will surely give justice to his people who plead with him day and night? (TLB)

     If these parables are not enough, try these verses.

• 1 Chronicles 16:11 - Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! (ESV) J. Vernon McGee's in his Thru The Bible commentary asks some questions in regards to this verse. He asks; Do you seek His face continually? What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning? When you go to bed at night, what is the last thing you think about? Do you think about God all during the day? Or do you just leave God behind when you go to work or go to school or go to a social gathering?
• Ephesians 6:18 - Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people. (NCV)
• Colossians 4:2 - Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God. (TEV)
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray all the time; (MSG)

     Phillips Brooks said that prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness. Persistence in prayer is not an attempt to change God's mind but to get ourselves to the place where He can trust us with the answer.

      Here's Something To Ponder

• What are your needs, wants or desires?
• Are you consistently bringing them to God in prayer?

I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!

"… I would not hear," says the LORD of hosts,- Zechariah 7:13b (ESV)

      One of Robert Grey's best kept secrets is his hearing aides. Those little devices that people hide in their ears so they can hear what people are saying to them. Robert has had one in both of his ears for years but he has hid them so well that no one has ever noticed and up until last weekend they had never been a problem.

     Last weekend, Robert decided to take a bunch of the boys from church on a fishing trip, a trip that turned into a nightmare for the boys. In deciding where to go, Robert decided the best place to take them was deep into the back waters on his favorite fishing lake. He was sure that all the boys would have a good chance to catch some big ones.

     Getting to the fishing spot with the boys was no problem in his fancy fishing boat and soon everyone was having a great time, or at least the boys were. Robert was not enjoying himself like he thought he would and it was probably due to the fact that the boys kept bonking him in the head with their fishing poles.

     Once, Louie hit him in his right ear and knocked his hearing aide out and it fell in the water. “At least I still have one in my other ear.” Robert thought to himself but the next thing he knew, it was in the water too. This time it was Barney's fishing pole that hit him. Not wanting to tell the boys about losing his hearing aids falling in the water, Robert just sat silent and hoped nobody was asking him anything.

     Late in the afternoon the weather started to change and before long it a light mist filled the air. Soon the boys were complaining about getting wet and wanting to go home. Of course Robert couldn't hear a word they were saying and kept giving them weird answers in hopes that one of them might make sense. When it started to poor, Robert finally decided to head for shore. He had the boys put their fishing poles away and pull up the anchor and away they went.

     As they broke into the open a very strong wind gust hit them and blew Roberts glasses off and into the water. Not only could Robert not hear the boys yelling at him, now he couldn't see where he was going. Before he knew it, he was heading in the wrong direction. To make matters worse, He was heading right towards the dam.

     As the boys began too panic a miracle happened, or at least they thought it was. The boat ran out of gas and with a little bit of help from the wind they somehow managed to drift right to the landing. When they hit shore, Robert quickly jumped out of the boat and headed to where he thought he parked his truck. Luckily all the other trucks had left and he somehow found his. Once inside the truck he found his back up hearing aides and another pair of glasses.

     To keep the boys from knowing he hadn't been able to hear them he asked them if they wanted to go for another wild ride. Those boys replied by getting the boat out of the water and onto the trailer in record time. “I guess that means no!” Robert said and jumped in the truck and took off. The boys hollered at him to wait for them but Robert never heard them – he forgot to turn his hearing aides on. As the boys watched Robert pull away, Harold said “It will probably be safer for us to walk home anyway.” to which the rest of the boys said “Amen!”

     How often do we compare God to Robert Grey? You may say never but think again. Robert couldn't hear and if we admit it or not we may often think God doesn't hear either. That was the cry of Habakkuk’s prayer at the beginning of his book. - How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, "Violence!" Yet You do not save. Habakkuk 1:2(NAS)

     From Habakkuk’s standpoint things looked pretty bleak. God had abandoned Israel. All of Israel was in turmoil while the enemy was ruling over them and the enemy was getting by with their wickedness. Habakkuk couldn’t take it any longer and cries out “Why aren’t you listening God, Why aren’t you hearing our prayers.”

     For us, it may sound more like this - Nothing is going our way, work is a bother, money is scarce, friends and family are getting on our nerves, our dreams are becoming nightmares as sleepless nights are chasing us down. Not even God seems to care. We pray, but get no answer and in frustration holler toward the heavens with a clinched fist “Why aren’t you listening God, Why aren’t you hearing my prayers.”

     Like Robert, there are times that God does not hear, not because of a missing hearing aide but because of us. Think about these verses...

• Proverbs 21:13 - If you refuse to listen to the cry of the poor, your own cry for help will not be heard. (TEV)
• James 4:3 - You ask and don’t receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasure. (HCSB)
• Proverbs 28:9 - If you refuse to obey what you have been taught, your prayers will not be heard. (NCV)
• Isaiah 59:1-2 - Look! Listen! GOD's arm is not amputated—he can still save. GOD's ears are not stopped up—he can still hear. There's nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you. Your wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God. Your sins got between you so that he doesn't hear. (MSG)
• Zechariah 7:13 - "As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear," says the LORD of hosts, (ESV)
• Matthew 6:5,7 - “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray so people will see them. I tell you the truth, they already have their full reward....“And when you pray, don’t be like those people who don’t know God. They continue saying things that mean nothing, thinking that God will hear them because of their many words. (NCV)
• James 4:2b - You do not have, because you do not ask. (ESV)

     If we want to pray to be heard by God we need to examine ourselves for God needs no hearing aide.

      Here's something to Ponder

• Do you want to be heard when you pray?
• Are you keeping yourself from being heard?

LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:13b (NKJV)

      Some people think they always need to be the center of attention and some of those people go to great lengths to make sure they are getting everyone's attention. One girl I know of even hung upside down from a ferris wheel in a dress that flopped down over her head showing the world her yellow, and purple polka dot panties.

      It all started when a bunch of girls got together at the county fair to go on all of the amusement park rides and Stella Peterson started daring and double daring the other girls to do some stupid and dangerous things on some of the rides.

     First came the dare to ride in the roller coaster backwards. While it was not easy to get turned around once she was buckled into her seat, Mindy took the dare. She wished she hadn't for heading down the second hill she lost her orientation, got dizzy and threw up and of course it all landed in her face. Stella thought it was funny and till she saw that the worker who was helping her was cute.

     When they got to the go-carts, Cindy dared Stella to drive the hardest obstacle course at full speed. Trying to get out of the dare, Stella double dared Cindy to stand on the back of the cart while she did it. To her dismay, Cindy jumped on the back and triple dared her to make her fall off. Stella tried her best to make Cindy fall off and as she did a large crowd gathered. When her time ran out, the crowd started applauding and circled around Cindy giving her high fives.

     “Hey, what about me?” Stella called out, “I did all the driving.” but no one was paying attention to her. Not liking that Cindy was getting the attention and she was being ignored, Stella decided she could do even better than standing up on the back of a go-cart, she was going go on the ferris wheel and have the operator make it go really fast and than she would stand up and clap her hands above her head while spinning around yelling “Look at me! Look at me!”

     Well, it didn't take long and Stella became the center of attention. On her fourth time around the ferris wheel came to an abrupt stop and she went flying over the side. Luckily her foot had gotten wrapped up in the safety strap and it kept her from falling to the ground but it did leave her hanging upside down.

     As she hung from the top of the ferris wheel, she watched the crowds gather below her, she saw them pointing at her and heard them laughing. “This isn't funny!” she thought to herself and than she realized her dress and flopped down and she was showing everybody in the park her polka dot panties and there was nothing she could do to hide them.

     By the time the ladder truck made it the fair grounds to rescue her, everyone with in a mile had gathered to laugh at her. She wanted to be the center of attention and she was. She even got her picture in the national paper, at least her panties did.

     Depending on the translation of the Bible you read, the second half of Matthew 6:13 which says For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (NKJV) may or may not be present. There are many who believe these words, called a doxology, were not spoken by Christ and were not a part of the original Lord's Prayer because they do not appear in the oldest manuscripts. It is believed that these words were added because of a Jewish custom of ending all daily prayers with a brief doxology.

     While Jesus may not have used this doxology, there is nothing to say we can not, for the “Lord’s Prayer” is only an example. Furthermore, it seems to give a better ending than the words “evil one” to the prayer, or any prayer. For many of us though, we might as well leave this doxology out for just like Stella in the above story, we want to be the center of attention we want to say “It's all mine.”

     Like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:30, we want to say “My kingdom,” for it is there we read that The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" (NKJV) We often say MY Kingdom instead of Your Kingdom because we want our time, our money, our plans, our way period

     Let's not forget our power. Muhammed Ali said of himself before his 1971 fight with Joe Frazier: "There seems to be some confusion. We're gonna clear this confusion up on March 8. We're gonna decide once and for all who is king! There's not a man alive who can whip me. I'm too smart, I'm too pretty, I am the greatest. I am the king! I should be a postage stamp, that's the only way I could get licked!" - he was beaten - (Life magazine - Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations) To many of us think we have the power to do anything and we want the praise for what is done.

     As for the glory that should go to God we are often like Hezekiah who had been given extra years t live by God but instead of showing off God he showed off his riches. As to say Look at what I have. In Matthew 5 Jesus said we are to let our light shine – not so that we would receive glory but so that God would receive it.

     We need to be able to let God be king – king over our bodies. our behavior. our plans. in our families, etc. after all, He is creator and all belongs to Him.

     Instead of trying to do everything on our own by our own might or power, we need to back off and let God work through us.

     And let's avoid the lime light. We don't need to be the center of attention – all the attention should be focused on God.

 

     Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord! Give a joyous shout in honor of the Rock of our salvation! Come before him with thankful hearts. Let us sing him psalms of praise. For the Lord is a great God, the great King of all gods. He controls the formation of the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains; all are his. He made the sea and formed the land; they too are his. Come, kneel before the Lord our Maker, for he is our God. We are his sheep, and he is our Shepherd. Oh, that you would hear him calling you today and come to him! Psalm 95:1-7 (TLB)

     Are we ready to pray - Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory

      Here's Something To Ponder

• Do you consider your self more important than God?
• Do you steal glory from God?

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. - Matthew 6:13a (NAS)

      A couple of weeks ago there was a commotion at the supermarket that sent people running from the building screaming at the top of their lungs and the aisles looking like a tornado had struck the building. What or who could have caused such a commotion? I'll give you one guess and if you know my puppets you'll probably guess Harold Peterson.

     No one quite knows why but on that fateful day Harold happened to be at the supermarket looking for something, but it wasn't food. Now everybody that knows Harold, knows he loves food and would do just about anything for it, well anything but work, and he is often found gobbling up all the samples he can get his hands on but on that day he was passing them by.

     One of the first things that happened that day that let people know Harold was around was the toppling of the cereal display that sent boxes flying everywhere. Next he knocked over the pyramid of Spaghetti sauce cans which in turn knocked over a pyramid of soup cans. By the time he quit crawling around on the floor he had toppled over fifteen different types of displays.

     If that wasn't bad enough, he headed to the produce aisle next and started digging through the bins tossing apples, oranges, potatoes, and everything else he could get his hands on every which direction. Almost a dozen people slipped on the bananas he threw on the floor but no one was laughing. Finally the head manager was able to pin him down.

     “Let go of me!” Harold shouted, “I need to find Trouble!” “I think you've found plenty of that already.” The manager said as he started dragging Harold to the office at the back of the store. “But I have to find Trouble.” Harold protested. “Or my friend is going to kill me.” “He'll have to wait in line.” the manager said as a huge crowd gathered, “There's plenty here who want their turn.”

     Just as they were about to go through the door, Harold hollered “There he is!” There's who?” the manager asked. “Trouble, my friend's pet rattle snake.” Harold said pointing to the five foot long reptile. The next thing the manger knew, all pandemonium broke loose. The crowd panicked and started stampeding towards the front door knocking all the shelves over like dominoes.

     In all of the commotion, Harold wiggled free and quickly grabbed Trouble and escaped through the back door while the head manager sat down in the middle of the biggest mess he'd ever seen and cried.

     How many of us actively look for trouble? Unfortunately, we never have to go far to find it. Furthermore, no-one is immune to it not even the Christian. When Jesus was teaching us how to pray in Matthew 6:13 He addressed the issue of temptation when he taught us to pray “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

     The Bible makes it clear that temptation is a part of human existence so to better understand temptation we need to know more about the original word used in the Bible. The word used in the Bible can denote an enticement that has the goal of causing one to sin, or it can refer to a test or trial of the validity of one's faith. I believe it is the first of the two meanings implied in Jesus' teaching.

     Temptation to sin has a couple different sources the first being Satan or the Devil. Paul was afraid of this when he wrote to the Thessalonians - Because of this, when I could wait no longer, I sent Timothy to you so I could learn about your faith. I was afraid the devil had tempted you, and then our hard work would have been wasted. 1 Thessalonians 3:5 (NCV)

      The other source of temptation is self. James addresses this issue in James 1:14 But people are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them. (NCV) The reason why some Christians have a real problem with temptation is because THEY WANT TO! Sort of like the boy in this illustration I found.

      "Son," ordered a father, "don't swim in that canal." "O.K., Dad," he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening. "Where have you been?" demanded the father. "Swimming in the canal," answered the boy. "Why did you?" the father asked. "Well, Dad," the boy explained, "I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn't resist the temptation." "Why did, you take your bathing suit with you?" his father asked. "So I'd be prepared to swim, in case I was tempted," he replied. - (Pulpit Helps, November, 1991, p. 20)

     Before we can be ready to pray “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we need to be willing to keep away from temptation, and to avoid evil. We can pray “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” all we want and it won’t do us a bit of good if we keep playing with it. If we try to compromise ourselves thinking we can get away with it, we will lose.

     A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When about to pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft soothing voice, "Isn't it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let's negotiate the matter." Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, "I want a fur coat." "Good," said the bear, "that is a negotiable question. I only want a full stomach, so let us negotiate a compromise." They sat down to negotiate and after a time the bear walked away alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach, and the hunter had his fur coat! - (Bible Illustrations)

     When it comes to temptation we should remember God's promise to us found in 1 Corinthians 10:13 - No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. (MSG)

      Here's Something To Ponder

• How often do you tempt yourself?
• Do you rely on God to keep you from trouble?

WILL YOU FORGIVE ME?

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. - Matthew 6:12 (ESV)

      A silent room is suddenly filled with a Bump! Crash! Bang! Followed by a young lady's scared voice calling out “Who's There?” After what seems like eons of time a faint sound of a meow echoes back. “”Is that you, Misty?” the young lady's voice asks to which comes a loud meow and a cat brushing up against her leg.

     “Oh, Misty, you need to stop scaring me like that. You know I can't see.” the young lady said as she bent over and picked up her cat. Soon the cat was snuggling up to her neck and purring loudly. “Oh, alright,” the young lady said as she petted the cat, “I forgive you.. Now lets see if we can figure out what kind of mess you made.”

     Grabbing her walking cane the young lady started making her way around the room swinging her cane back in forth trying to find what ever her cat had knocked over. As she did so the door bell rang and since her parents at work and she was expecting her Sunday school teacher to come over she decided she had better answer the door.

     As she headed to the door she suddenly found what her cat had knocked over and the room was filled with another bump, crash, bang as she tripped and fell to the floor. Hearing the commotion, Daisy Smith – who happened to be her Sunday School teacher – burst through the door to see if her student was okay and if she needed medical attention.

     “I'll be alright.” the young lady told Daisy, “But I could use a hand getting up.” What happened? Daisy asked. “Oh, that cat made a mess on the floor and as I was coming to answer the door I found the mess the cat made.” Looking around at the mess Daisy said she would help clean it up and soon the room was back in order.

     “Thank you, Daisy” the young lady said, “By the way,” she continued, “I never full introduced myself the other day. I'm April Zaspella” “I already know that.” Daisy giggled, “Even though we never got to talk the other day, you did have a name sticker on and you wrote your name on the poem you left behind in the classroom.”

     “Is that why you're here?” April asked “Yes.” Daisy told her, “I've read it through and I must say, the poem is well written but the content seemed disturbing.” “I love poetry.” April told Daisy “But ever since the accident that left me blind, I've been struggling with forgiveness and I guess it just showed up in my poem.”

     “That's why I came to talk to you today.” Daisy said as she put her arm around her. “I've already had to help Louie with the same problem after his parents were killed on the mission field and I think I may be able to help you.” “I hope so.” April responded, “It's awful not knowing if I can forgive or if God can forgive me.” “Let's start by praying.” Daisy said and than they prayed and talked the afternoon away.

     How many of us have ever needed forgiveness? How many of us have ever struggled with forgiving someone else? Unless we are perfect 100%, and the Bible reminds us that we are not, we are going to need forgiveness, from those around us and from God but there's more. As part of the model prayer Jesus included these words “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” - Matthew 6:12 (ESV)

     Seeking forgiveness is something we are prompted to do in both the Old and New testament.

• Isaiah 55:7 - Let the wicked one abandon his way, and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive. (HCSB)
• 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (HCSB)

     While forgiveness is something we all need and God is willing to give, we also need to forgive. In teaching us the model prayer, Jesus has us praying to be forgiven in the same way we forgive others. St. Augustine called this request "the terrible petition" because he realized that if we pray "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" with an unforgiving heart, we are actually asking God not to forgive us." When you get to this part in the Model prayer you are in effect saying, "Lord if there is someone whom I haven’t forgiven then don’t forgive me." Charles Spurgeon stated, "Unless you have forgiven others, you read your own death-warrant when you repeat the Lord's Prayer."

     Jesus summed up this idea of forgiving to be forgiven in the following story from Matthew 18:21-35 - Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." (ESV)

     While Jesus was hanging on the cross, after being unjustly tried convicted and flogged He said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34a (ESV) How many of us could do such a thing? How many of us can follow Jesus example as well as His teaching. How many of us are truly ready to pray “Forgive me as I forgive.”?

      Here's Something To Ponder

• Are there those whom you need to forgive so God can forgive you?
• Of what do you need to be forgiven?