Early Friday morning I woke up, turned over and tried to go back to sleep. In that half awake state I had a vision. I saw myself lying there looking up at the ceiling. There I saw a bunch of tiny black caterpillars making a nest in one corner. Each was less than a half an inch long, but they were busily working away at their spider-web like nest, about a foot in diameter. As I lay there, I thought in my mind, should I clean those things out now, or try to get back to sleep and do it later.

Then, I had the awareness that if I did not do it now, the nest would get larger and larger, the caterpillars would multiply in number and size, and the task would become more and more difficult. I was suddenly awake and aware that God had just revealed Himself to me. The lesson was clear. If we Christians don’t act now to clean areas of our lives up, the task only increases and gets more difficult. Those caterpillars were making a home, not just visiting. It was a lesson on sin and holiness.

Tags: dreams, holiness, sin

Aaron Wilburn said that one of the main differences between men and women is that if you want to know if a shirt is dirty or clean, a woman will look it over, but a man will smell it. A boy was dressing to go out for the evening. He called to his mother who was in the adjoining room. “Mom, is this shirt dirty?” Without so much as looking she replied, “Yes, it’s dirty. Get a clean one.”

When he had dressed he entered his mother’s room and inquired how she knew the shirt was dirty when she had not even looked at it. “If it had been clean,” she replied, “you would have known it and would not have asked me. Remember, son, if it’s doubtful, it’s dirty.”

There a sermon in this little story. If it’s doubtful, it’s dirty.

Tags: holiness, sin

Once upon a time there was a prince and a peasant who fell in love. They were so different. He was the stately prince. She was the common peasant. He was peerless but she was plain. She was not ugly, but she could be and often was. She was solemn, moody, sour, cranky and selfish – not the kind of soul you’d want to live with, but to the prince she was the kind of soul he could not live without. He proposed to her and she said yes. And he promised, “I’ll return for you soon.”

The oddity was not in his departure, but in her behavior while he was gone. She continually forgot that she was engaged. Some who were closest to her never heard her talk about it. There were even times when she was seen on the arm of other men. She forgot that she was engaged.

This is the story of the church, the Bride of Christ who often forgets She is engaged while She flirts with the world. How’re you doing?

Tags: church, fables, holiness

For the next couple of days I want us to talk about Holiness. I observed a great object lesson on holiness a couple of years ago. I traveled to Manaus, Brazil, to participate in a dedication service for a new church building we had helped to finance. Manaus is a rapidly growing city in the heart of the Amazon rain forest. In Manaus two major river systems converge: the Negro River and the Amazon River.

The Negro River is named such because of its color. The Negro’s pure waters are tinted black from decaying leaves at the bottom. However, the Amazon’s churning waters are murky with light brown mud eroded from the Andes Mountains. When these two rivers converge, for miles one side of the river is black, while the other side is brown. But after a few miles, the waters merge. And guess which side wins. You’re right, the pure waters do not purify the muddy waters, but the muddy waters contaminate the pure waters and the entire Amazon River continues on its muddy brown path.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what does righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?“

Tags: holiness, river

A telemarketer called a home one day, and a small voice whispered, “Hello?”
“Hello! What’s your name?”
Still whispering, the voice said, “Jimmy.”
“How old are you, Jimmy?”
“I’m four.”
“Good, Is your mother home?”
“Yes, but she’s busy.”
“Okay, is your father home?
“He’s busy, too.”
“I see, who else is there?”
“The police.”
“The police? May I speak with one of them?”
“They’re busy.”
“Any other grown-ups there?”
“The firemen.”
“May I speak with a fireman, please?”
“They’re all busy.”
“Jimmy, all those people in your house, and I can’t talk with any of them? What are they doing?”
“Looking for me,” whispered Jimmy.

Too many of us are hiding behind something that isn’t real. We want others to think something of us, or we want to impress somebody, but none of it is real. And we are terrified people will discover who we really are. God is looking for real people who will allow Him to do real things in them.

Tags: hiding

Once, in what my dad considered to be a highlight of his life during World War 2, while stationed in Attu , Alaska, he was assigned to a guard detail when Joe Louis came to visit. Joe Louis was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 until he retired in 1949. In 1946 Louis prepared to defend his title against a skilled fighter named Billy Conn. Louis was warned to watch out for Conn’s great speed and his tactic of darting in to attack and then moving quickly out of his opponent’s range. In a famous display of confidence, Louis replied, “He can run, but he can’t hide!”

How’s your confidence? Do you see yourself on a mission for God that cannot be stopped? If so, no amount of intimidation should be able to deter you from your mission. The devil can cause a ruckus in our lives, but we will not be sidelined. He can run, but he can’t hide. Be encouraged today!

Tags: confidence, hiding, Joe Louis, World War II