As I drove to church this morning, I passed a young man who caused me to pause and consider. You see, he was standing there in his shorts and T-shirt, with a ball cap turned sideways on his head, and except for his position and activity, I wouldn't have given him a second glance.
But he was standing in the median of the street, with a plastic bag in his hand. As a vehicle would pass, he'd stand atop the median, but when there was a break in traffic, he'd step down and pick up garbage lying there in the street near the median. When another vehicle approached, he'd move back to his perch on the median, and repeat the process after that vehicle had passed.
At a few minutes after 7am on a Sunday morning, this man was standing in traffic and picking up trash that he obviously hadn't dropped. Was he doing more than "his fair share" in the community? Without a doubt. He was doing far more than anyone could ever expect, and he was doing it without being asked. He saw an opportunity to serve his community, and took action.
Mark 5:19-20 (Contemporary English Version)
But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how good he has been to you."
The man went away into the region near the ten cities known as Decapolis and began telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him. Everyone who heard what had happened was amazed.
The man here in the scriptures was delivered from an army of demons, and then wanted to accompany Jesus as he continued along in his ministry. But this newly-healed man was told by Jesus to go tell his family about his deliverance. Instead, this man did far more than he was asked, and told everyone in the space of TEN CITIES. As a result, the entire region was made aware of the salvation available from God through Jesus the Christ!
Lord, help me realize that when it comes to YOU, enough doesn't have to be enough. If I'm asked to do something in the name of the ministry, it's entirely acceptable to do that and more. Let me seek and find those opportunities to be that "man in traffic", giving the obvious extra effort for you, Lord. Not for the accolades or the attention, but just because I can do more for you. Because after all, I could never repay the acts you've done for me.
God Bless!
© 2008 Scotty Ward
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Running Short of 'Grain and Grapes'?
Good morning, everyone. This morning's message is somewhat shorter than many, because the message is simple and easy to comprehend.
The difficulty is patterning our lives to actually do what the scriptures tell us.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (Contemporary English Version) - Honor the LORD by giving him your money and the first part of all your crops. Then you will have more grain and grapes than you will ever need.
We've had financial difficulties recently (call it a "grain and grape shortage"). I'm sure nearly everyone these days has "felt the pinch" in one area or another of your lives. More than at any other time in our past together, my wife and I have begun to buy generics, "clip coupons", combine our trips when running errands, consciously turn the thermostat in an energy-reducing direction, let the lawn go a little longer before we water, make that marginal suit last one more season, and so on. But we have agreed that our giving (tithes, offerings, missions, pastoral offering, pastor's anniversary, and the other areas where we give to the church) will NOT be affected by our economic issues. God always gets the first of this family's "crops", and the world has to deal with what's left.
2 Corinthians 5:7 - "For we walk by faith, and not by sight."
I guess you could call it a "trust thing". I would MUCH prefer to lay my trust in God than in the wacky economy of this world, or even in my own "intelligence" (read 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 to see what the scriptures say about human intelligence).
Bottom line: God has proven himself to me too many times for me to ignore. So in all I do, I choose to trust him, giving him the "first part" of my livelihood. If you've read the Bible, you see that God is a bountiful provider for his people, over and over again (regardless whether they did anything to deserve it).
So I trust Him. God Bless you, every one.
© 2008 Scotty Ward
The difficulty is patterning our lives to actually do what the scriptures tell us.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (Contemporary English Version) - Honor the LORD by giving him your money and the first part of all your crops. Then you will have more grain and grapes than you will ever need.
We've had financial difficulties recently (call it a "grain and grape shortage"). I'm sure nearly everyone these days has "felt the pinch" in one area or another of your lives. More than at any other time in our past together, my wife and I have begun to buy generics, "clip coupons", combine our trips when running errands, consciously turn the thermostat in an energy-reducing direction, let the lawn go a little longer before we water, make that marginal suit last one more season, and so on. But we have agreed that our giving (tithes, offerings, missions, pastoral offering, pastor's anniversary, and the other areas where we give to the church) will NOT be affected by our economic issues. God always gets the first of this family's "crops", and the world has to deal with what's left.
2 Corinthians 5:7 - "For we walk by faith, and not by sight."
I guess you could call it a "trust thing". I would MUCH prefer to lay my trust in God than in the wacky economy of this world, or even in my own "intelligence" (read 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 to see what the scriptures say about human intelligence).
Bottom line: God has proven himself to me too many times for me to ignore. So in all I do, I choose to trust him, giving him the "first part" of my livelihood. If you've read the Bible, you see that God is a bountiful provider for his people, over and over again (regardless whether they did anything to deserve it).
So I trust Him. God Bless you, every one.
© 2008 Scotty Ward
Saturday, August 16, 2008
My knees hurt. Thank you Jesus!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
My wife and I were attending a workshop downtown one Saturday, and because I didn't have change for parking, I parked the car in Virginia and took the Metro back to the event (having dropped her off at the workshop first, of course!).
On the return trip I was leaving the Pentagon City Metro, coming up the (stopped) escalator steps, and remarked to myself how my knees were hurting. I considered it a minor inconvenience, but definitely didn't have any sort of "God moment", thinking about my aching knees.
Until one minute later.
As I rounded the corner to leave the Metro station, I came across a cheerful gent, sitting in his wheelchair begging for change, because he only had one leg.
Thanks Lord for such an immediate and poignant reminder that your blessings come in all sizes and shapes, INCLUDING two (count 'em) knees that ache.
© 2010 Scotty Ward
Thursday, August 14, 2008
My Father and Finances
Partial Quote from Romans 13 (Amplified Bible) - "Render to all men their dues. Pay taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due. Keep out of debt and owe no man anything..."
"I haven't paid a dime in interest for years".
~ My Father, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, July 2008
Mom and Dad spent their entire life living toward the goal of financial independence. Unlike me and my two brothers, they are in debt to no one, and plan to stay that way until they depart this world. But they're not filthy rich, by any stretch of the imagination. They wear clothes that are always clean, but have long-ago lost their "new look". They eat simple meals, spend their days in simple yet fulfilling activities, turn the lights out in each room as they leave it, etc. Yet they owe no one anything. Here are a few more facts:
"I haven't paid a dime in interest for years".
~ My Father, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, July 2008
Mom and Dad spent their entire life living toward the goal of financial independence. Unlike me and my two brothers, they are in debt to no one, and plan to stay that way until they depart this world. But they're not filthy rich, by any stretch of the imagination. They wear clothes that are always clean, but have long-ago lost their "new look". They eat simple meals, spend their days in simple yet fulfilling activities, turn the lights out in each room as they leave it, etc. Yet they owe no one anything. Here are a few more facts:
- Their house? They paid for it with the money they'd saved from the sale of their previous home (Home Equity. This phrase doesn't have to be followed by the word "loan").
- Their massive RV? Cash as well.
- The Honda CR-V, their daily driver? They paid cash, and drove it off the lot.
- Credit cards? They have ONE, and it's setup to immediately pay any outstanding balance at the end of each month. They never even have to open the bill.
- Plane flights, vacation trips, gifts, doctor visits, surgeries, prescriptions? Everything, paid with CASH they've accumulated through the course of their lives.
THAT'S where I want to be. But their state wasn't achieved by some windfall or influx of cash. My dad was an engineer, my mother only worked when it was needed. No, their financial position was achieved through decades of careful living, choosing the less expensive cuts of meat, buying generics instead of name brands, planning less extravagant (and therefore less expensive) vacations, making their food, their vehicles, their clothes last a little longer than perhaps they would have liked (I ate a LOT of spaghetti and meatloaf as a kid). And along with their careful spending, they were also saving a little each and every paycheck throughout their employed years, and slowly building their 'nest egg' until - through the miracle of compound interest - their money began to make money by itself. And now that my parents are older, they've learned how to manage their lives, and even though they may be able to AFFORD anything they want, their 'wants' are few. They're living in the manner Paul specified in his letter to the Christians in Rome, and they are a tremendous positive example to me. Is it too late for me to change my life of wasteful living? In a recent phone conversation, my father encouraged me, and said "Just get started".
I heard you, Dad. For real.
3 John 1:2 (New King James Version) - Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
The original Greek word translated into the Englist word "prosper" in this scripture, connotates a journey, a process, a movement along. I want to move in my prosperity. Thank you Lord for allowing me to hear this lesson from my parents, and heed it's value in my own life.
I love you all, and I'll leave you with a few words from a song I heard this morning from Destiny Praise. "Are you in bondage to the status of nice things? Addicted to the attention and the compliments they bring. Feeling the weight of growing debt with each bill. That's not His Will"
God Bless!
© 2008 Scotty Ward
Monday, August 11, 2008
Overheated Brakes
Deut 12:8-10 (MSG) - Don't continue doing things the way we're doing them at present, each of us doing as we wish. Until now you haven't arrived at the goal, the resting place, the inheritance that God, your God, is giving you. But the minute you cross the Jordan River and settle into the land God, your God, is enabling you to inherit, he'll give you rest from all your surrounding enemies. You'll be able to settle down and live in safety.
When I was about eight years old, we took a family vacation I will never forget. My parents and our aunt and uncle took us on a waterskiing trip to Shaver Lake, over 5,000 feet high, in the High Sierra Mountains above Fresno. Rt 168 snaked 50 miles up the steep Sierra mountains to the lake, then snaked back down to the Fresno valley. There was one way up, and one way down. This steep, thin road was full of twists and turns, and there were no side roads for dozens of miles. There were, however, a number of small turnoffs for vehicles who needed to pull over for any reason. Many of you may be too young to remember overheating brakes, but cars on Rt 168 frequently used the turnoffs for cooling their brakes.
But Rt 168 wasn't just for automobile traffic. This tiny road was also the single route into and out of the mountain forests, so it was also used by lumber trucks, carrying freshly-felled redwoods and cedars. These trucks were large, heavy, and frequently quite old.
We were on this family trip with our cousins, in two old station wagons, one towing the boat. On the way back down the mountain, we'd stop frequently to cool our brakes. We'd turn the vehicles off, get out and stetch our legs, and us young kids would begin playing around while the adults enjoyed the breathtaking views from our high perch down into the valley.
At one particular stop, the turnoff was on the left (mountain) side of the road, and the families had stopped, turned off the cars, and had then walked across the (then empty) highway to peer down the side of the steep mountain. Then, we heard a sound that momentarily froze everyone in their tracks. A logging truck coming down the tiny mountain road behind us had obviously overheated his heavy rig's brakes coming down the steep road, and was excitedly blasting his horn, warning anyone ahead that he MUST get into a turnoff, or risk losing control of his rig.
I don't know if anyone actually saw the truck, but the sound of his horn was enough to spur the adults into frantic action. My cousin Steve (probably around 19 at the time) grabbed me under one arm, my brother John under his other, and sprinted across the highway to the cars with the other adults, hurled us into the back of their car, and both families skedaddled out of the turnoff so the distressed trucker could stop and cool his truck's brakes.
For the next hour or more, we played "cat and mouse" with that rig. We would turn into a turnoff and take a couple minutes to let our cars' brakes cool a bit, only to be chased out of our resting place by the lumber truck behind us, who obviously needed the turnoff more than we did. But after that first episode caught us all unprepared, requiring us to sprint across the road to avoid a crash with the logging truck, our families kept close to the cars, and never turned the motors off. Our parents remained vigilant for the inevitable horn around the bend behind our vehicles, warning us that we must move, no matter how hot OUR brakes seemed.
Today, God brought this memory back to remind me that, just as he reminded the Israelites through Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, we haven't yet arrived at our destination, so we should be prepared to move where and when God tells us. We must not become complacent in our present state, so that, when God's call comes like that of the insistent honking of the lumber truck, we're prepared to move, and not scrambling to save ourselves.
Be prepared. Stay prepared. And listen for God. Move when God says to move. Because unlike any human, God knows what's around the bend.
© 2008 Scotty Ward
When I was about eight years old, we took a family vacation I will never forget. My parents and our aunt and uncle took us on a waterskiing trip to Shaver Lake, over 5,000 feet high, in the High Sierra Mountains above Fresno. Rt 168 snaked 50 miles up the steep Sierra mountains to the lake, then snaked back down to the Fresno valley. There was one way up, and one way down. This steep, thin road was full of twists and turns, and there were no side roads for dozens of miles. There were, however, a number of small turnoffs for vehicles who needed to pull over for any reason. Many of you may be too young to remember overheating brakes, but cars on Rt 168 frequently used the turnoffs for cooling their brakes.
But Rt 168 wasn't just for automobile traffic. This tiny road was also the single route into and out of the mountain forests, so it was also used by lumber trucks, carrying freshly-felled redwoods and cedars. These trucks were large, heavy, and frequently quite old.
We were on this family trip with our cousins, in two old station wagons, one towing the boat. On the way back down the mountain, we'd stop frequently to cool our brakes. We'd turn the vehicles off, get out and stetch our legs, and us young kids would begin playing around while the adults enjoyed the breathtaking views from our high perch down into the valley.
At one particular stop, the turnoff was on the left (mountain) side of the road, and the families had stopped, turned off the cars, and had then walked across the (then empty) highway to peer down the side of the steep mountain. Then, we heard a sound that momentarily froze everyone in their tracks. A logging truck coming down the tiny mountain road behind us had obviously overheated his heavy rig's brakes coming down the steep road, and was excitedly blasting his horn, warning anyone ahead that he MUST get into a turnoff, or risk losing control of his rig.
I don't know if anyone actually saw the truck, but the sound of his horn was enough to spur the adults into frantic action. My cousin Steve (probably around 19 at the time) grabbed me under one arm, my brother John under his other, and sprinted across the highway to the cars with the other adults, hurled us into the back of their car, and both families skedaddled out of the turnoff so the distressed trucker could stop and cool his truck's brakes.
For the next hour or more, we played "cat and mouse" with that rig. We would turn into a turnoff and take a couple minutes to let our cars' brakes cool a bit, only to be chased out of our resting place by the lumber truck behind us, who obviously needed the turnoff more than we did. But after that first episode caught us all unprepared, requiring us to sprint across the road to avoid a crash with the logging truck, our families kept close to the cars, and never turned the motors off. Our parents remained vigilant for the inevitable horn around the bend behind our vehicles, warning us that we must move, no matter how hot OUR brakes seemed.
Today, God brought this memory back to remind me that, just as he reminded the Israelites through Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, we haven't yet arrived at our destination, so we should be prepared to move where and when God tells us. We must not become complacent in our present state, so that, when God's call comes like that of the insistent honking of the lumber truck, we're prepared to move, and not scrambling to save ourselves.
Be prepared. Stay prepared. And listen for God. Move when God says to move. Because unlike any human, God knows what's around the bend.
© 2008 Scotty Ward
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Is God NOT God?
Good morning Lord. Good morning, everybody.
Our church is going through a summertime revival, the messages being given us every Tuesday and Friday evening. The Holy Spirit is palpable each time Evangelist Wych brings a new Word, and souls are being healed, delivered, and set free. Praise God!
Me? Well, I've been in a slump. Right in the middle of the revival! You see, I've had issues that are distracting my focus from God and his Word, to the cares and concerns of my life. Then a few nights ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, with four small words:
"Is God NOT God?"
How simple and yet how powerful. With those four words, my entire attitude changed. Because I believe God is capable of anything. He's a miracle-working God, and I've seen his work among the saints.
So nowadays, when life throws me a curve, this small question comes to remembrance, and my "big problems" suddenly shrink in comparison to the power of God.
So the next time you have a problem, issue, concern, or need, ask yourself these four words:
In the midst of our problems, is God not God?
Despite how bad it seems, is God not God?
Work problems? Is God not God?
Finances? Is God not God?
Family friction? Is God not God?
Do we truly believe what the Bible is telling us? God is still working the miracles described in Biblical times. But in order for Him to work in US, we need to be willing vessels for His miraculous works.
So tell Him today: "Have your way, God. Work your work in me, Lord."
And wait for the inevitable change. After all, is God NOT God?
© 2008 Scotty Ward
Our church is going through a summertime revival, the messages being given us every Tuesday and Friday evening. The Holy Spirit is palpable each time Evangelist Wych brings a new Word, and souls are being healed, delivered, and set free. Praise God!
Me? Well, I've been in a slump. Right in the middle of the revival! You see, I've had issues that are distracting my focus from God and his Word, to the cares and concerns of my life. Then a few nights ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, with four small words:
"Is God NOT God?"
How simple and yet how powerful. With those four words, my entire attitude changed. Because I believe God is capable of anything. He's a miracle-working God, and I've seen his work among the saints.
So nowadays, when life throws me a curve, this small question comes to remembrance, and my "big problems" suddenly shrink in comparison to the power of God.
So the next time you have a problem, issue, concern, or need, ask yourself these four words:
In the midst of our problems, is God not God?
Despite how bad it seems, is God not God?
Work problems? Is God not God?
Finances? Is God not God?
Family friction? Is God not God?
Do we truly believe what the Bible is telling us? God is still working the miracles described in Biblical times. But in order for Him to work in US, we need to be willing vessels for His miraculous works.
So tell Him today: "Have your way, God. Work your work in me, Lord."
And wait for the inevitable change. After all, is God NOT God?
© 2008 Scotty Ward
Friday, August 1, 2008
"Good People" get to Heaven, Right?
(This topic was suggested through a conversation I had with our Media Dept president. I thank God for you, Brother S)
I attended my high school class 30th reunion, a couple years ago. Unlike some people at the reunion, I hadn't kept close touch with my classmates, so as the reunion date approached, I knew I'd be seeing people I hadn't heard from or spoken to in three decades.
During those early years of my life, I wasn't saved. In fact, God didn't save me until the age of 35. So practically everyone in that room knew the "old Scott" who had been acting the part of being Christian, but lived in darkness, not the "saved Scotty" (I picked up the nickname in the military). They knew the former me, and at the reunion met the reborn me.
The night of the event, I sat in a room with hundreds of former classmates. A part I remember most is that some of the men approached me and thanked me for being such a good example to them as they were growing up (though I suffered academically, I'd been a leader in nearly every group I joined during those early years). I had been THEIR examples, but I know I wasn't saved at the time. I now know that if I had died earlier in life, I'd been living a life bound by sin, and the Bible says the sinner won't get to heaven.
So the question arises: is it possible that people who are generous, kind, gentle, and just plain "good people" still don't have what it takes to make it into heaven?
Hebrews 12:14 (Amplified Bible, underline mine) - Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
In the Bible, the Hebrew words that have been translated into the word "consecration" describe a formal inauguration, a setting in or a setting up of someone or some thing (think of jewels "set" in a crown). Perhaps another way to say this is that we must "set ourselves toward God", and recognize our setting is supposed to be permanent, like those jewels.
Holiness is also defined as a state of "being apart", or separate-ness.
Pursue consecration and holiness? Isn't it enough to just "be good", give money to the deserving, not harm our neighbors; that sort of thing? The Bible says no: without living a life of consecration ("set" toward God) and holiness ("set apart" from the world), we won't end up where we think others - perhaps ourselves - are headed.
One of the quickest ways I know to "pursue holiness" is to set aside time each day to read the scriptures. There are literally dozens of "daily scriptures" or "read the whole Bible in one year" suggestions and schedules out there. Look on your cubicle wall; Christian calendars often have them. Christian websites such as Gospelcom, Our Daily Bread, Blue Letter Bible, and Crosswalk frequently have them as well.
Another way to pursue holiness is prayer. Another is corporate worship. And don't be misled: listening to gospel radio while driving or while you're at work (I do this every day) isn't what is meant by "consecration" or "holiness". Time literally set apart for God is what begins our journeys toward holiness.
It sounds so simple, but the concept is extremely powerful: take some of our oh-so-precious TIME, turn away from the world, and dedicate ourselves to God. Here's a suggestion: Start with 5 minutes a day, but ensure you spend those 5 minutes apart from the world, and get that 5 minutes EVERY day. Because it may amaze you how the phone will begin to ring, people will want to talk to you about a new sale, etc. "things" will come up and you'll find you can't give that 5 minutes without a bit of sacrifice. But press through. Remember, 'without holiness...' well, you know the rest.
PURSUE holiness. That's an action word. Not good thoughts, not good deeds, not "being nice". Dedicating some time to God, each day. And remember, if you need encouragement or direction, turn to any of the website links I've placed above. Or you can read these blogs.
God Bless each and every one of you. And I pray I see you in church Sunday!
© 2008 Scotty Ward
I attended my high school class 30th reunion, a couple years ago. Unlike some people at the reunion, I hadn't kept close touch with my classmates, so as the reunion date approached, I knew I'd be seeing people I hadn't heard from or spoken to in three decades.
During those early years of my life, I wasn't saved. In fact, God didn't save me until the age of 35. So practically everyone in that room knew the "old Scott" who had been acting the part of being Christian, but lived in darkness, not the "saved Scotty" (I picked up the nickname in the military). They knew the former me, and at the reunion met the reborn me.
The night of the event, I sat in a room with hundreds of former classmates. A part I remember most is that some of the men approached me and thanked me for being such a good example to them as they were growing up (though I suffered academically, I'd been a leader in nearly every group I joined during those early years). I had been THEIR examples, but I know I wasn't saved at the time. I now know that if I had died earlier in life, I'd been living a life bound by sin, and the Bible says the sinner won't get to heaven.
So the question arises: is it possible that people who are generous, kind, gentle, and just plain "good people" still don't have what it takes to make it into heaven?
Hebrews 12:14 (Amplified Bible, underline mine) - Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
In the Bible, the Hebrew words that have been translated into the word "consecration" describe a formal inauguration, a setting in or a setting up of someone or some thing (think of jewels "set" in a crown). Perhaps another way to say this is that we must "set ourselves toward God", and recognize our setting is supposed to be permanent, like those jewels.
Holiness is also defined as a state of "being apart", or separate-ness.
Pursue consecration and holiness? Isn't it enough to just "be good", give money to the deserving, not harm our neighbors; that sort of thing? The Bible says no: without living a life of consecration ("set" toward God) and holiness ("set apart" from the world), we won't end up where we think others - perhaps ourselves - are headed.
One of the quickest ways I know to "pursue holiness" is to set aside time each day to read the scriptures. There are literally dozens of "daily scriptures" or "read the whole Bible in one year" suggestions and schedules out there. Look on your cubicle wall; Christian calendars often have them. Christian websites such as Gospelcom, Our Daily Bread, Blue Letter Bible, and Crosswalk frequently have them as well.
Another way to pursue holiness is prayer. Another is corporate worship. And don't be misled: listening to gospel radio while driving or while you're at work (I do this every day) isn't what is meant by "consecration" or "holiness". Time literally set apart for God is what begins our journeys toward holiness.
It sounds so simple, but the concept is extremely powerful: take some of our oh-so-precious TIME, turn away from the world, and dedicate ourselves to God. Here's a suggestion: Start with 5 minutes a day, but ensure you spend those 5 minutes apart from the world, and get that 5 minutes EVERY day. Because it may amaze you how the phone will begin to ring, people will want to talk to you about a new sale, etc. "things" will come up and you'll find you can't give that 5 minutes without a bit of sacrifice. But press through. Remember, 'without holiness...' well, you know the rest.
PURSUE holiness. That's an action word. Not good thoughts, not good deeds, not "being nice". Dedicating some time to God, each day. And remember, if you need encouragement or direction, turn to any of the website links I've placed above. Or you can read these blogs.
God Bless each and every one of you. And I pray I see you in church Sunday!
© 2008 Scotty Ward
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