“An enormous amount of damage is done in the name of Christian living by bad Bible reading. Caveate lector, let the reader beware.” Eugene Peterson

“You never step into the same river twice.”
Heraclitus (Greek philosopher)

This morning I fished the tail waters of Lake Taneycomo. I’ve been fishing here since Monday. I’ve been coming to Branson and fishing this lake for more than 15 years. I have fished it with live bait, Power Bait, rooster tails, Rappalas, salmon eggs, corn, cheese, and so much more. I’ve fished it from a boat, from the shore, and wading. I’ve read all the material I could get my hands on and talked to everyone who might have any knowledge that I thought might help me land more and bigger fish. I have done my homework.

But until this morning, there was something about this body of water and about wading and fishing in general that I had never realized. Early in the morning, while the fog still glides close to the surface of the water, (if the moon is close to “full”) the moonlight illuminates the fog and acts as a light source. Once your eyes adjust, casting and retrieving is relatively easy. But you can only acquire that knowledge if you get in the water long before sunrise and the moon is in the proper stage.

Something else I learned today; if you are wading, you must stay back away from the swiftest water or your legs and torso will make too much disturbance and the fish will shy away from your area.

I also learned that, if you fish after midnight on a full moon, the large brown trout will hit countdown plugs – hard!! It was incredible. You should experience it!

“In the Western world, we make a distinction between knowing and doing. But there is no such distinction in ancient Jewish thought. Knowing was doing and doing was knowing. If you didn’t do it, you didn’t really know it. Knowledge isn’t enough. Truth must be translated with your life.” Mark Batterson – Primal

In light of that truth, do I know the scripture? Do I know God? How drastically would my world change if I did?

“I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2Tim. 1.12b

“The truth is that most of us are already educated way beyond the level of our obedience. We learn more and do less, thinking all the while that we’re growing spiritually. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God.” Mark Batterson – Primal

I had to immerse myself in the river to truly begin to know it. The same is true with God. Wade in!

The descent went fine. It was a little scary riding my brakes down a hill when I realized that I’d never really checked those brakes out on ANY hills and this was the steepest hill I had ever gone down in my life. I kept switching from front to back brake until I finally built up enough speed that the brakes wouldn’t hold me any longer and I just let go. I’m not sure just how fast I was going but I can tell you that I wasn’t being passed by the cars that were driving on my side of the rode.

But the descent wasn’t the hard part; the ascent was. Down is always easier than up. I turned the bike around, after about a mile or so, and started up. I had to gear the bike down as low as I could. I’m not sure I was moving any faster than I could have walked. The point is, I was riding up the hill.

I wanted to prove that I could do it. It was a challenge. At 51, I’m all about some challenges. I want to be stretched. I want to attempt more and go farther than I’ve ever gone. I want to follow God with all that I have and all that I am. It’s terribly difficult. It’s so “minute by minute.” Just like the climb.

To climb the hill I had to keep pushing the pedals down. After about a third of the way, I had to stop and rest for about five minutes. I climbed back on and went another third and had to stop again. I repeated that process once more and I topped the summit.

I didn’t climb over it without stopping but I did climb over it. The hill will be there tomorrow and so will I. I can do it if I just keep trying. And I can follow Christ more closely for the same reason. I’m going to keep trying ever day. I may have to step back and rest occasionally, but I’m going to keep trying.

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” 2Tim. 4.7

I hope I can say that one day. Until then, I’ll keep climbing. See you on the hill.

“Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God: but only he who sees, takes off his shoes. The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“When babies make their grand entrance into the world, their visual resolution is one-fortieth of that of a normal adult. They lack depth perception. And their visual range is only about thirteen inches. The world is low-definition, two-dimensional, and only thirteen inches in diameter. Slowly yet sovereignly, the world begins to take on width and breadth and depth. By four months, a baby can perceive stereoscopic depth. By six months, visual acuity has improved fivefold, their black-and-white world has burst into a kaleidoscope of colors, and they have volitional control of their eye movements. And by his or her first birthday, the child sees the world almost as well as an adult. (Mark Batterson – Primal)

Is it any wonder that children begin to “come alive” around six months? By one year, my granddaughters were trying to touch and taste everything in the house. Why? Because they suddenly, wonderfully, became aware of the wonder that surrounded them.

When was the last time your spiritual eyes were opened to the reality of who God is and what He is doing and has done in the world around us. When was the last time you were in awe and wonder of creation and the creator? Have you ever “come alive” and wanted to experience all of God that you could possibly take in?

“‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’ – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”

Sometimes I wish that following Christ meant that I would never be poor. I wish that Jesus would promise me a life free from cancer, pain, death, separation, and debt if only I would keep myself from sin and chase after his heart. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of those who know God and follow God had families that didn’t divorce, and children who never got sick. But it isn’t so.

Eleven of the men who were closest to Jesus died violent martyr’s deaths and John died alone on an island. Marooned because of his faith. “Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.”

And they still do. India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Laos, all these and many more, still have laws that strictly prohibit the spread of the gospel. Every day our brothers and sisters in Christ are standing up under unbelievable pressure and danger. More believers have been martyred in this century than in any previous. We should be ashamed. We are blessed to have the freedom to share the gospel without the threat of imprisonment or punishment or death. That is the ‘prosperity gospel’. To know that God will welcome us into the gates of heaven by the blood of His Son, Jesus, is also the ‘prosperity gospel’.

When you worship today, sing loudly for those who must whisper choruses of praise. Enter the sanctuary joyfully for those who must hide. Share the gospel openly in remembrance of those who risk their freedom and their lives for the sake of the gospel.

“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13.3

I was holding her and talking to a friend of mine when I noticed that she was leaning her head toward me. I looked into her face and she locked her eyes on me. (Those of you who know my granddaughters understand how steady that gaze can be.) She puckered her lips, leaned into my face, and kissed me square on the lips. I was ecstatic!

Up until now, I have begged, bribed, and stolen kisses from the girls. Lots of times I’ll try to lean in and steal a kiss and they’ll put one or both of their hands on my face and push me away. Rejection is tough. But Lillah had given me affection without my asking. She didn’t kiss me because I wanted her to. She kissed me because she wanted to. She took the initiative and that’s what caused my heart to skip a beat.

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house fo the LORD.’” Psalm 122.1

When’s the last time you went to God, out of affection, and told Him how much you love Him and how thankful you are for all he’s done? He blesses us with health and peace and comfort. He listens to us. He watches over us. He calls to us. He gave His Son to die in our place because of His great glory and for our great good. Would you like to thrill God’s heart? Then, when He least expects it, lean into Him and pour yourself out on His behalf. Not because you need to or have to but because “nothing would make you happier.”

“I will lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121.1-4

Some of you think that I don’t sleep. You’re wrong. I sleep all the time. Haven’t you seen me drive? And, if I’m reading these verses correctly, it’s godly not to sleep. (Just kidding. I’m going back to bed once I get this finished).

Here’s the point. Jewish society begins their day at sunset, not sunrise. The sabbath begins on Friday evening, not Saturday morning. I’ve always wondered why. My dad told me about Genesis 1.3-5 yesterday and a little light came on. He told me something else, too. He said the verse makes him believe that God wanted us to know, from the very beginning, that He is at work while we sleep.

So, if this message popped up on your phone and caused you to rise and read I apologize. I just had to point out to you that God is in control and He is hard at work. While we slumber, He labors. It has been so since the very first day. Rest easy.

I am developing a fascination for butterflies. It started when I went to Costa Rica and saw the Blue Morpho; one of the world’s rarest butterflies. Just the other day I found one of his cousins in my yard. I’m looking at him now. Yes, he’s dead. But his colors are still brilliant. He’s amazing.

Butterflies go through four stages of life; egg, larva, pupa, and adult. It’s a process none as metamorphosis. When a butterfly is hatched it becomes a caterpillar; that’s the larva stage. A caterpillar cannot travel very far or very fast. It is totally land locked. Most are not attractive at all. Some are even poisonous.

Then the butterfly enters the pupa stage. They go into hibernation inside a coccoon for around 10 to 15 days. While inside the coccoon or chrysalis, the caterpillar goes through a complete change. When it emerges, in the case of the Monarch butterfly, it will have gone from a two to three inch worm to a beautiful butterfly with a three inch body and a six inch wide wing span that is capable of migration from Texas to the Rockies of Colorado.

The change is glorious. And the change that Christ brings to us is more glorious. When we ask Jesus to become our savior, he immediately sets us free from a life of sin and death. He releases us from the bonds of hell itself. He gives us the right to access the Father. He writes our names in the Lambs Book of Life. It is an instantaneous change. But it is also the beginning of a process.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” IICor. 3.18

We keep changing. We keep developing as we read the Bible and pray and allow God to chip away at what does not resemble Christ. As long as we live, we should be continually changing into a clearer image of the likeness of Jesus so that we might “reflect the Lord’s glory”. And the change is glorious.

“Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12.2a

It’s time to spread your wings. Transform.

I have a friend, Kyle, who just returned from a mission trip to a town in the south of China. He was spending each day sharing the gospel with whomever would listen. He and his team would hand out gospel tracs and then invite the people to come back the next day and eat lunch with them and discuss what they had read.

Kyle gave a trac to a college student. The young man took the trac and returned the next day for lunch. He told Kyle that he had read the “little book” and that he understood that if he accepted Jesus he would have to give up everything. Kyle told him that he understood correctly. The young man looked sincerely into Kyle’s eyes and in complete innocense he asked, “Can you tell me what you have given up to follow him?”

What have I ever given up to follow Jesus? How much of a sacrifice have I ever made to live as a Christian? How much has it cost me?

“Father, I’m sorry. Help me to understand the cost. Help me to appreciate it more. Help me to be willing to give up everything I have to gain all that you have in store for me. I would follow Jesus.”

“Yes, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” Phil.3.8

“I don’t know. Maybe a minute.” Craig secretly believed he could do a little more than that. The coach asked him to give it a try and so, seconds later, Craig was underwater.

His lungs tightened. Panic set in. “Could I drown from this”, was Craig’s only thought. He held it as long as he could and then popped up like a buoy. The coach smiled and said, “one minute and twelve seconds!” Then he said, “What if I told you that I could help you double your time?” Craig said he thought the coach was smokin’ weed but he was willing to try.

Coach said that if Craig paid attention, he would teach him something that would inspire him to do even more than he’d ever done before. Coach had Craig’s full attention.

Coach said,”You can do much more than you realize. Your body can survive underwater for several minutes. Your mind doesn’t believe that. Your greatest limitation is your mind. You must silence your mind. Take four deep breaths. Slide slowly into the water. Close your eyes. Remain perfectly still. When you think you can’t go on, open your eyes. Focus on something. Count slowly to twenty. When you get to twenty, count again.”

Craig followed the instructions. Four breaths and he slid beneath the surface. He tried to turn off his mind. When his lungs tightened, he relaxed. When he hit his limit he opened his eyes and counted. Then he counted again. Finally he had enough and came up.

The coach was beaming. “2:45 is your new record.” Craig was pumped. Then the coach looked in his eye and said, “You have more in you than you realize. God has put more in you than anyone knows.”

God has put more in you than you realize. God has put more in you than anyone knows. Attempt what others say cannot be done. You have more in you than you realize. God has put more in you than anyone else sees.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

We can do more.

We both agreed that she should begin by running for a set amount of time and not for a set distance. If you set the distance you might easily bite off more than you can chew. If you set the time you can adjust the distance by the pace you choose. We decided on 20 minutes and I let her set the pace. Five minutes into the run we had to stop and walk. We walked for a minute and then resumed the run. At eight minutes we were walking again. We had to stop and walk four times.

We had turned around at the 10 minute mark and by the 18 minute mark I was worried that Emily might be getting discouraged and she might just stop. Then she said something that thrilled me. She said, “Dad, maybe I’d feel better if we ran faster.” I told her it was her run and she took off. For the next two minutes she pushed the pace and I had to press to keep up with her. She finished well. Man, I’m proud of that girl. Tomorrow we’ll run again.

That’s the way I want to live my life. I think that’s the way Paul lived his life. The life of a believer is not always an ascending line, moving constantly and consistently toward success and heaven. Sometimes you have to stop and walk. Sometimes you have to stand dead still. Occasionally you might even run backwards. My point is just don’t stop running.

Some of you are just starting. Watch your pace. Don’t set it too fast. Some of you have been running for a long time. Keep running. Don’t let anything distract you. All of you, stay in the race. As you see the finish approaching, press the pace. Your Father will be proud of you.

“I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” IITim. 4.7,8