Press Your Luck

Ever watch the old game show called Press Your Luck?

As I sit here and watch it before I go and pick my daughter up from preschool, I realize it has a lot of similar characteristics that has been going on in our own personal lives. In the beginning of the game you try to earn spins by answering questions correctly, sounds like when we try to answer questions correctly so we can be accepted by so called friends. Then after we earn those spins we try to win things by pressing our luck, our so called friends hang around because we max out our credit cards and lines of credit trying to impress them with material possessions. Then comes the Whammies, oh yeah the little red guy we all hate to see pop up in our game of life. 

All of sudden its all just wiped out. We're not able to do the things we use to because we got our selves in debt in order to impress those so called friends. As we look around we wonder what to do now, we have bills to be paid, collectors are calling asking for payments for the things we accumulated while trying to impress, and the funniest thing is those friends we had are gone. Now as we stand and are dismayed by what just happened and thinking what to do next, we simply are reminded by the verse in Romans 12:2. Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect, once we do that we win the game. Don't press your luck, trust God!

Your Vow With God...

Make vows to the LORD your God, and perform them; let all who are around him bring gifts to the one who is awesome. (Psalm 76:11)

I read a story that was about the very bashful young man who was hesitant about demonstrating his affection for his sweetheart. "Oh, but that I were an octopus," he said one night, "that I might wrap all eight arms around you." His impatient sweetheart replied, "Don't worry about having eight arms. Just make better use of the two arms you already have." That is what we must do in doing the work of Jesus Christ. We shouldn't worry about whether or not we have the gifts to follow. We simply need to use what gifts we have to follow Christ and to do God's will.

Doing otherwise is simply a waste of time.

Dear God, may I realize more fully today the wonderful gifts you have given me. May I respond to your call in fulfilling your will for my life in touching your people with love and forgiveness. In Jesus name, Amen.

Called by God...

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9)

There are lights that flood a room and reveals that which is hidden. There are lights that shine as a fixed reminder of eternal truths. There is another kind of light, however. It is the search light of compassion and concern. It is the light that moves out into the darkness to seek the lost. This is the light of the shepherd who leaves the ninety and nine and goes out on the hillside to find the one sheep who is lost. It is the light a woman shines looking for a precious coin. It is the light of a loving God who will not let us go. Halford Luccock asked his two granddaughters what they wanted for their birthdays. "Give us a world," they responded. Soon he deduced that what they were asking for was a globe. So happily granddad went shopping for a nice large globe that would spin and would be an attractive addition to their room.

Expectantly, he waited their pleasure on their birthday as they opened their gift from him. Somehow when the present was opened, however, he sensed they were disappointed. "What is the matter?" he asked. "I thought this is what you wanted." "Well, yes," said one of them, "but we were kind of hoping for a lighted world." Immediately he understood that what they wanted was a globe with a light inside.

"I can fix that," he said. "Let me take it back and exchange it for a lighted one." Unfortunately the store where he bought the globe did not sell lighted ones. So he got his money back and set out to find a lighted world rather than a darkened one. Finally, he located a globe with a light in it, bought it and presented it to his granddaughters, who were delighted. Telling a colleague about this, he was asked if he had learned anything from this experience. He said, "Oh, yes. I learned one thing. I learned that a lighted world costs more."

A lighted world does cost more. It cost God His Son. If we are serious about letting our light shine in today's world, it will cost us something as well.

God of love, with Jesus as my inspiration, may my light shine brightly in this often dark world. In Jesus name, Amen.

Follow Him...

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
(Luke 9:23)

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz once said, "I've been on the top and I've been on the bottom. At Arkansas my first year, we won the Orange Bowl. Then everybody loved me. "They put me into the Arkansas Hall of Fame and issued a commemorative stamp in my honor. The next year we lost to Texas, and they had to take away the stamp, because people kept spitting on the wrong side of it. Life is full of highs and lows, and for many of us it is hard to be humble. But when we deny our own pleasures and desires, and put God first, then we begin to understand what is really important. Being filled with God's desires of love and hope.

Jesus tells us today, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." The cross here is a very important symbol. Carrying the cross means we carry a burden of helping others, it means God is important, it means we have hope, it means we have forgiveness, it means we use our financial resources to help others, and it means we want to share God's love, forgiveness, and hope with our family, our friends, and our co-workers.

When we deny ourselves, we put God first.

Dear Jesus, you gave up so much for me. Now, guide me as I deny my wishes for yours. Amen.

To Do His Work...

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. (Mark 8:32)

I read a story once of a Sunday School class that was talking about heaven. A little girl said, "If you are good, you'll go to heaven." A little boy asked, "Where do you go if you are bad?"
The little girl replied emphatically, "To the principal's office."

Choosing to go God's way is not so much about being good or bad, but it does have a lot to do with who guides our lives God or our own desires.

In our scripture reading today, Peter says to Jesus, "You're crazy." You are not going to suffer and die. You see Peter and the disciples had a different idea about what the Messiah would be like. He saw the messiah as an earthly king or president, who would restore Israel's freedom and power. The disciples were looking for their own desires to be met, not God's desire that Jesus would become the savior of the world.

We are being asked today to choose who we will follow. There are many surveys that say lots people in our society believe in God. But belief in God does not constitute living God's way. For when we live God's way, we will be willing to suffer with those who suffer, and we will make sacrifices so that God's work will get done in and through the church.

Loving God, help me say yes to serving you in every way possible. In Jesus name, Amen.