Insights on Life Archives - Page 2 of 9

A New Heart … Changes Everything!

Rod Carew, former Hall of Fame baseball player with the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels, was golfing one September day in 2015 when he had a massive heart attack. He lived, but the doctors told him he would need a heart transplant and for the next year he survived with the help of a mechanical device serving as his heart. And then, in December 2016, a donor was finally found.

Rod Carew’s survival came with the death of Konrad Reuland, a former tight end for four different NFL football teams. On December 12, 2016, Konrad passed away from a brain aneurism. It was a disaster for his family, but for Rod Carew, it marked the gift of life. They were a match, and within days, Carew underwent a successful 13-hour heart and kidney transplant.

Coincidentally, Carew’s new heart came from a young man he had met twenty years earlier. Konrad met Rod Carew when he was eleven years old. An avid fan in the years to follow, he never knew the impact he would have on Rod Carew’s life. The death of the one man was, for another, many more years of life!

I am reminded of something the Prophet Ezekiel wrote when the people of Israel were in need of new life from God. Concerning a day yet to come, Ezekiel wrote, “I will gather you from the nations and bring you back. … I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”

God has his hands on the people of Israel. Their return to Palestine in 1948 was not coincidental; it was only the first step toward the fulfillment of that promised by the Prophet Ezekiel. Keep your eyes on the Middle East.

To understand something of what God has in mind, we need to note what He has already done in the life of every Christian. He has, indeed, taken our “heart of stone” and given us a “heart of flesh,” a new heart, responsive to His will. More than a change in point of view, Christianity is an experience. Becoming a Christian involves more than a new belief system. The Christian faith initiates a fundamental transformation, a change of heart, a miracle worthy of our God.

This transformation comes with new drives, new desires, and a new perspective on life. Nothing mysterious here, but the change is real. “If any man be in Christ,” writes the Apostle Paul, “he is a new creation.” This gift of life, equally critical to our eternal survival, is available to us all. And it’s only a prayer away!

The Third Option

Rioting in the streets, an approaching national election that may change the face of America, and an uncertain future have left many of us sleepless and concerned. Where we go from here is anyone’s guess; we’re a nation in deep trouble!

The first and greatest commandment, said Jesus, is that “You should love the Lord your God.” And a second, a take-off from the first, is that “You should love your neighbor as yourself.” These two commandments go together; as we have turned away from God, we have turned against our “neighbor.”

I need not prove the point. Watch the news. Observe men beating men they do not know, mobs entering a business to steal everything they can get their hands on, young people stoning their local police, there under assignment to protect the community.

What we have here is not a political or social problem, we have a spiritual problem. The hatred shown our police, the devastation of our cities, and the call for changes that defy common-sense, is evil. Race relations are not being served, social inequities are not being resolved, and no one is better off for all the mayhem.

I admit that, as a white man, I am unable to identify with the pain and suffering that has been festering in the black community. America needs help; things need to change. The death of those who like George Floyd have suffered at the hands of the white community must count for something. But we have not helped ourselves by turning away from God. We have loosened the restraints of moral responsibility, hoping a free society will be a happy society. It will not happen!

So what do we do?

Miles McPherson, onetime football player for the San Diego Chargers, and now pastor of Rock Church, San Diego, has addressed the problem plaguing America in his book, The Third Option. Moved by the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Rashard Brooks and George Floyd, McPherson says those of us who care have another alternative, a Third Option. We can back off from highlighting our differences and honor those things we have in common.

We can, he says, 1). Acknowledge our blind spots and admit we don’t always know what others have gone through; 2). Rename “others” as your brother or sister. Don’t label others in a way that destroys what we have in common; 3). Be the person who, in the name of Jesus Christ, makes others feel welcome in your group; 4). Acknowledge your brother or sister’s color. It is OK to validate the way God made us; and, 5). View every conversation as a race consultation. Before you make assumptions, get the facts.

I question whether Miles McPherson’s philosophy will change the face of America. I do not see fundamental change coming to America short of a spiritual revival. But his approach can surely change me, and that, I believe, is where we must each begin.

America needs God, and if they are going to find Him, they will do so through men and women who reflect the love and compassion our God has for all His children. Our role is not to convict others of sin; that is the role of the Holy Spirit. Our mission is to show love and compassion, to tell the angry, rioting mob we care, and that God has a solution to all their frustrations and hurt. His Name is Jesus!

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS

Moses, the man who led the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, once roamed the royal palace, the adopted son of the Pharaoh’s daughter. But Moses’ people, the people of Israel, had been enslaved by the Pharaoh and it was a condition the determined forty-year-old statesman would never accept.

But Moses’ dream of emancipating his people went off the rails. When one of his Hebrew brethren was being abused by an Egyptian, Moses went to his defense and killed the man. But no one cheered his ambition, and soon he had to flee for his life. He was to spend the next forty years dreaming of what might have been.

Moses, eighty years old and living in the arid and hot southern region of the Arabian Peninsula, had by this time become a humble shepherd. It was a mundane life for the once high and mighty. Never did he dream his last mission in life would be tending his father-in-law’s sheep!

But things were about to change. One morning, amid the stillness known only in the desert, a nearby shrub burst into flames. And suddenly, a voice. “Moses, take off your sandals. The ground on which you are standing is holy ground!” Come again? Holy ground? Yes, holy ground! God is present and that changes everything.

The hot-shot young Hebrew has become a seasoned shepherd, and he’s lost his bravado. When God tells Moses his lifelong dream is about to become a reality, Moses can hardly believe it. He is to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, God tells him, and all he can think to say is, “Who, me?” “Yes, you!”

And then comes this question, and it is the signature moment of Moses’ life. “When the Israelites ask who sent me,” Moses responds, “what shall I tell them? What is your name?” “I AM WHO I AM,” God replies. “You can tell them the I AM has sent you.”

And that is the turning point. Knowing God, up close and personal, and by name, changes everything. The brash young Hebrew is now an elderly, insecure shepherd, convinced life has passed him by. But his forty years in the wilderness have not been wasted. Finally, he is a man God can use.

Which brings me to this question. “Can God do for you what he did for Moses?”

The problem is that most of us have heard of God. We’ve been told of His existence; we acknowledge Him as Creator and recognize Him as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing about Him, however, is one thing; knowing Him is another matter entirely.

But as He did with Moses, God would like you to know Him, up close and personal. You, too, can have a “God moment,” a “burning bush” of your own; it’s never too late to launch a new beginning.

Jesus said, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” With our nation in turmoil, and the pandemic dominating our lives, it’s an offer that, taken seriously, could change the course of your life.

Like Moses, you may have spent the last forty years agonizing over what could have been. Perhaps sin, an error in judgment, or an unfortunate decision, altered your life and destroyed your hope of being the person you know you could be. But do not despair. God is more than able to take your past and use it to help you become the person who, without Him, you could never be. He can make it happen; never give up on your dreams!

Ravi Zacharias: One-of-a-Kind

Ravi Zacharias: Origin, Meaning, Morality and Destiny

When Ravi Zacharias passed away on May 19 of cancer, the world lost a one-of-a-kind man. Who could have guessed this evangelical conservative would speak in such places as Louisiana’s Angola Prison, the Salt Lake City Mormon Tabernacle, and Moscow’s Lenin Military Academy? His defense of the Christian faith was vigorous, unapologetic, and effective, but all who knew Ravi respected and admired him.

Considering his brilliant career, it is surprising to know Ravi was not a good student. He dreamed of playing tennis or cricket but lacked the talent to rise to the elite level. Disappointment and beatings from a disgruntled father led to depression and to an attempt at suicide by ingesting poison when he was seventeen.

In an interview with CBN News he explained, “I was on a bed of suicide in Delhi, searching for meaning, searching for the answers to life’s basic questions. They boil down to this — origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. How did I come into being? What brings life meaning? How do I know right from wrong? Where am I headed after I die?”

Ravi rededicated his life to Christ through a friend who pointed him to John 14:19: Because I live, you also will live. He found Christ, and in Christ, discovered the meaning of life.

From such an inauspicious beginning there emerged a ministry that made him to one of the most influential men for Christ in the twentieth century. Check it out: U-Tube has the evidence.

And to his dying day, Ravi Zacharias never got off mission. Even as he left the hospital, Ravi shared Jesus Christ with the three nurses who tucked him in for his last ride home.

You can understand much about Ravi’s approach by following a question-and-answer session he once had in Ramallah with a Sheik, a founder of Hamas. Ravi tells the story this way.

“The gentleman was loud and obnoxious, so I finally said, ‘I really don’t like your answer, Sir. Thousands are dying because of the answer you have just given. I want to tell you something, Sheik. Five thousand years ago, on a mountain not far from here, a man you respect by the name of Abraham took his son up that mountain to offer him as a sacrifice. And as the axe was about to come down from Abraham to his son, God stopped that arm.’ ‘That’s right,’ he said. And I said, ‘And what did God say?’ He remained silent. God said, ‘Stop! I myself will provide!’ He said, ‘that’s right.’ I said, ‘Very close to here from where you and I are sitting, two thousand years ago God kept that promise. He took His own Son up a hill, and this time, the axe did not stop.’

He just kept staring at me and then I said to him, ‘Sheik, until you and I receive the Son God has provided for us, we will be offering our sons in sacrifice for position, and power, and prestige.’

He kissed me on both cheeks, and said, ‘Mr. Zacharias, you’re a good man.’”

And, I believe, heaven agreed!

On May 9, I can imagine Ravi awakening as if from a dream. He looked up and there stood the One he had championed for the last fifty years. With tears in his eyes, I can hear Ravi saying, “My Lord! Is that You?” “Yes, Ravi, and you can’t believe how delighted I am to see you. Welcome home!”

You want to talk about it? Hit me up at [email protected]

On Unsung Heroes and Outstanding Men

Talk of unsung heroes, outstanding men who were largely ignored and soon forgotten, and Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather, goes to the top of my list.

The last we hear of Joseph is in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, where we read that Jesus’ “father” was present on a journey the family made to Jerusalem when Jesus was 12 years old. Even then, Joseph is not named. That’s it! We never hear of him again, not even as to his death.

Much has been made of Mary, and rightly so. She was a special woman, given a role second to no one else in history. We can only imagine what a moving experience it must have been the first time she realized the baby she was holding — was God!

But she was not alone. For Joseph, also, it was an awesome responsibility. As head of the family, it fell to Joseph to give Jesus the stability and the security He needed as a child. During his teen years, he watched as Joseph managed the affairs of their home. Jesus’ understanding of truth and honesty, self-discipline, morality, respect for authority, and godliness were influenced by what he observed in the man he called, “Dad.” He watched as Joseph responded to the frustrations and challenges of managing a business in first-century Israel. It was, undoubtedly, a critical factor in His education.

Keep in mind that Joseph was a normal man. He, like each of us, needed to discover the strength of character that can be developed only through the give and take of life. There were surely times when he blew it, and perhaps occasions when he didn’t respond well to the growing-up antics of his unique stepson. But he was a good man and God Himself chose him for the rearing of his beloved son.

Although history records little of Jesus’ childhood, one can surmise that Jesus also saw Joseph smile and relax as together they spent many a quiet afternoon fishing and enjoying each other’s company. What an impact the many conversations they had together must have made on Jesus’ outlook on life! Joseph, as no other man on earth, helped make Jesus the man He was to become.

As circumstances demand we act responsibly during the coronavirus pandemic, and we somehow resolve the emasculation of our police, we are reminded the stature of a man is determined by his character.

If we are typical, we develop our self-respect, indeed, our very attitude toward life, by the things we own and the success we have experienced. We admire wealth, power, and fame. God, however, seems to have a very different agenda. He is far more interested in who we are than in what we do. Character is primary!

Our accomplishments may be limited. We may be unknown and unheralded. No one may ever squabble over our estate. But much like Joseph, that does not determine our worth. The quality of our life will be seen in the lives of the family for whom we have been responsible. As they follow in our footsteps, as they honor the God they have met through our living … then will our influence and the impact of our lives become evident. Our living will not have been in vain!

You want to talk about it? Hit me up at [email protected]

When God is Involved, Things Happen!

I’ve just had a revelation. I asked God to give me a sense of direction, and He has done so — in the pages of a book.

God seldom speaks to me, or reveals Himself to me, in any way that would be considered out of the ordinary. If I get a directive that hints of God, it comes through, not in a voice or a dream, but in a series of events, a set of circumstances, that have all the earmarks of divine direction.

When we come to God and ask Him to direct our lives, to take control, it is an invitation heaven will never ignore. If we are being honest, if we are prepared to follow the directions we are given, things happen. I can’t explain it, and I will grant this makes little sense to most people. I can only tell you when I come to God and invite His direction, things happen.

And I am not alone.

For a blind man, living in a darkness only the blind can understand, it was a miraculous healing that changed the course of his life. Blind from birth, there is no record he was one of Jesus’ followers, and no indication he asked that his sight be restored. Indeed, after his healing, the blind man acknowledged he didn’t even know for sure who Jesus was. But Jesus healed him anyway. No matter how insignificant a man may think himself to be, God is available to change the course of his life.

For a woman from Samaria, as told in the Gospel of John, it was a conversation with Jesus that revealed the true condition of her life. Five times married, and now living with a man to whom she was not married, she was no paragon of virtue. But God cared about her and despite her personal problems, she was so important the Son of God took time out of his busy schedule to address the needs of her life. No person, she was to learn, is beyond the love and concern of our God.

And then there was the Apostle Peter. During the proceedings that ultimately led to Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter three times denied even knowing Him. When the chips were down, Peter chickened out! But Peter was penitent, Jesus was forgiving, and Peter would discover that none of us have erred so badly but that God cannot change the course of our life.

God has a place, a purpose, a destiny for you that is unique to your station in life. You are exceptional, a special creation of God, and He has given you a role in life that can be fulfilled by no other. Like the blind man, you may have been handicapped by circumstances you’ve been unable to change or, as the woman of Samaria, yours may have been a wasted life. Or, perhaps, like the Apostle Peter, you may have betrayed the spiritual trust you once knew.

But it’s never too late to be what you might have been. God would like to take you from where you are to where you ought to be, to forgive your sin, to revive your self-respect, and to make these the best years of your life. It all begins with Jesus Christ but He will intervene, as in my case, only by invitation. Your turn!