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What Do You Do When the World Is a Mess?

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The year is not over, but it is obvious that this has been a troubled year thus far.  We have watched inflation rates rise steadily along with the price of everything else.  We have witnessed war in Ukraine.  We have seen mobs in action.  We have been shocked as hatred spilled over in the Middle East.  And many of us have faced turmoil in our individual lives.

How can we face these things?  What can we do?

For those who have chosen to follow Jesus, we know that He told us in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”  We know that is what He said, yet I see troubled and fearful hearts all around.

The reason that our world is a mess is because the world is a mess.  None of us are pure and sinless.  Sin is found in all of us, and that sin can lead to bigger and bigger tragedies.  Our own sinfulness has gotten us to this point.

As I have discovered, the only source of true hope and peace is found in Jesus.  Without Him, we are without hope and peace.  With Him, we can face the mess of our world.  We can experience the promise found in Psalm 34:4: “I sought the LORD, and He answered me and rescued me from all my fears.”

God does not cause evil.  We do that.  However, He is here, and He desires to help us face life’s messes.  He does not promise to take the messes away, but He promises to help us and work good out of evil for those who accept His salvation.

And that leads to what we should do – here – now.  Though none of us have a voice at the negotiating table, we can make an impact.  We can pray for our leaders to have wisdom and to do what is right (not necessarily what politics suggest).  We can pray for those in struggles to find safety, hope, and peace.  We can financially support those reputable organizations that are “on the ground.”  We can begin to change things on a global level by changing things on a local level by sharing the hope and peace of Jesus.

Yes, the world is a mess.  But we can do something about it.

Consider the following resource for more insight. Just click the picture to learn more…

Yes-Yes-No-No

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We regularly hear promises made that are never kept.

“If elected, I will do this or that.”  “We stand by our merchandise.”  “I will help you do it.”  “I am going to get my life in order.”  “Till death do us part.”  “I will pay you back.”  “I am going to get my family back in church.”

Broken promises seem common place to the point that we often expect them.  Though we may be disappointed, we are not surprised when it happens.  But are you guilty of it?  Is it really a big deal?

Yes, it is.  God deals with the issue over and over in the Bible.

Leviticus 19:12 states: “Do not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God; I am the Lord.”

Numbers 30:2 states: “When a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to put himself under an obligation, he must not break his word; he must do whatever he has promised.”

Deuteronomy 23:23 states: “Be careful to do whatever comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed what you promised to the LORD your God.”

Matthew 5:37 states: “Let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’  Anything more than this is from the evil one.”

James 5:12 states: “Above all, my brothers ad sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath.  But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no,’ so that you won’t fall under judgment.”

Those are but a few of the examples found throughout the Bible.  God is trustworthy.  He keeps his word, and he expects us to do the same.

I do no believe that any of us want to have a promise broken towards us.  It causes us to not trust the offender.  It causes us to hold onto a bit of anger.  It causes us to doubt others.

Though we know the hurtful experience of having a promise broken to us, do we honestly think about it when we break promises?  Do we realize that others now see us like we see them?  Do we care that it affects our character?

My friends, let your “yes” be “yes.”  Let your “no” be “no.”  It may not be easy, but it is right.  It will strengthen relationships.  It will honor God.

And would it not be nice?

Consider the following resource for more insight…

I Didn’t Expect That!

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What do you do when you did not know what you would face?

I did not know that I would crash my bike. I did not know that my father would have Alzheimer’s. I did not know that Covid was coming. I did not know that the economy would be like a rollercoaster. I have not known a lot of things.

Many people tend to roll with the punches. Many people tend to withdraw and let fear control them. Many people tend to pretend that the unexpected never happened. But what do you do?

Whether we like it or not, we cannot anticipate the unexpected. We can prepare for what we know will happen, but we cannot prepare for something that we did not know was coming. It is like James stated (in James 4:13-14): “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

Living on the coast for several years, I learned that you must prepare if a storm was coming. You must anchor things down. You must ensure you have done all you can to keep safe.

Life in general is like that. We know that “storms” are coming, so we must be prepared as best we can. We cannot pretend that life will have no problems. We cannot stop living because of our fears. We must roll with the punches.

My friends, please remember that even though we do not know what tomorrow will bring, God knows. Psalm 139 reminds us that he knows you, what you do, and your future. He knows.

Because God knows, we must find out what he desires. We must accept his truth. We must trust him. We must remember (as Ephesians 3:20 states) that he is the one “who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.”

Also, remember that he not only knows you, he loves you. As his child (if you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior), you can face whatever tomorrow brings. So – let us face tomorrow with anticipation!

You may want to consider the following resource for added insight – click the picture to find out more…

Independence Day Celebrated

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Statue of Liberty

Another Independence Day has come and gone (just barely). How did you celebrate? What did you do? What went through your mind?

Fireworks, grills at full blast, red-white-&-blue decorations displayed – we know how to throw a party. But is that all there is?

As a child, I enjoyed the 4th of July parades that honored our veterans (my great-grandfather served during World War I). There was a sense of joy and gratitude for who we are and what we’ve accomplished as a nation. Unfortunately, that “spirit” has lessened in recent years.

Are there problems in our land? Yes. Are there divisions within the ranks? Yes. Are there disappointments and fears? Yes. Is there anything to truly celebrate? Yes!

We may not be perfect, but we can be grateful that our flawed founders knew that God must be the basis of our nation. We ARE “created equal” – even though many people have forgotten that. We HAVE been “endowed by their Creator” – even though many people have forgotten that. We CAN enjoy “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” – even though many people have forgotten that.

Freedom has become an idea seldom acknowledged. Many of our countrymen gave their “last full measure” to ensure the freedom we enjoy, but that freedom should never be used to excuse bad behavior and evil choices. We have an obligation to live as good citizens, and those of us who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior must remember that we have received even greater freedom that requires responsibility – Galatians 5:1 reminds us, “For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Perhaps we should remember that we are just “passing through.” We spend a few decades here, but eternity awaits us all. For Christians, we must remember that we have been given citizenship in God’s eternal Kingdom (Philippians 3:20 – “Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”). Recognizing that truth puts life in perspective.

The official day may have passed, but let’s pretend it is still in effect. Be grateful to be here; it isn’t perfect, but it is vastly greater than what the majority of our world endures. Do what you can to make things better (by the way, griping does not make things better). Help others however you can. Pray for our leaders and one another. Live for God, and we WILL see God bless America.

The Thankful Challenge

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My salvation.  My relationship with God.  My wife.  My children.  My family.  Ministering for God.  You.  I am thankful.  I am grateful.  I am overwhelmed at how good God is to me.

What about you?

For what and for whom are you thankful?

We live in a world that seems to forget how important gratitude is.  Though we’ve been blessed in more ways than we could ever list or recognize, people seem to focus FAR more on what isn’t right – on what isn’t up to expectations – on disappointments.

Could that be a large part of the discontent and anger we see?  Could that be feeding the division and anger we see?  Could that be eating us alive?

What would our world look like if we looked for the good more than we look for the bad?  What would our world look like if we pointed out the good more than the bad?  What would our world look like if Christians pointed others to our good God more than to what we don’t like?

What could Thanksgiving really do if it was more than a date on the calendar?

I’ll tell you what… Let’s make a pact.  Even though November 25 is the day we call Thanksgiving this year, let’s make a point to point out things for which we are thankful every day of November this year.  Tell someone what you are thankful for – post online what you are thankful for – write some notes to express what you are thankful for – find a way a day to be thankful and share your thankfulness.  I have a strong suspicion that it will help our own attitudes as well as those who hear or read about it.

Remember – the news about Jesus (what He did, what He does, what He will do, and who He is) is Good News.  Let’s spread more of that than the bad news we can scrape up.

Let’s be a Thanksgiving People.

“Hallelujah!  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1)

“I will thank the LORD with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works.  I will rejoice and boast about you; I will sing about your name, Most High.” (Psalm 9:1-2)

And always remember that you are loved!

I Don’t Want a Fake Thanksgiving

DrJayCook Uncategorized

You get to sleep in a little.  There are great parades on TV this morning (and we even know some people in them).  Some of the greatest football rivalries face off later.  The sales begin in a few hours.  Family is gathering.  And the food – oh, the food!

But is that really Thanksgiving?

What about those who don’t “feel” thankful?  Continue reading →

When Africa Pierced My Heart (Part 5)

DrJayCook Uncategorized

First, for those who followed the previous entries – my apologies.  This final post was supposed to be published months ago, but it was saved instead of published.  Oops.  Here is the post…

2017-05-02 12.43.18While I was in Uganda, I had the blessing and opportunity to spend one day ministering in several mountain villages Continue reading →

By the Creator

DrJayCook Uncategorized

monarchf          Summer is definitely upon us.  And that got me thinking about something I recently read about.

It isn’t uncommon to see butterflies migrating in late summer.  Some people get to see hundreds of them (at one time) clinging to tree limbs as they rest on their journey.

Some scientists reported finding 16 sites in central Mexico (ranging from 1-10 acres each) where millions and millions of monarch butterflies from North America spend the winter.  Continue reading →

Too Busy Fishing?

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Hudson-Taylor1            Hudson Taylor was a missionary to China for over 50 years.  Today he is seen as an incredibly effective soul-winner and church-planter.

One day he was traveling on a boat from Shanghai to Ningpo.  He had been witnessing to a man named Peter who rejected the Gospel but was under deep conviction.  In the course of events, Peter fell overboard, but no one made any effort to save him.  Taylor sprang to the mast, let down the sail, and jumped overboard in hopes of finding his friend.  But no one on board joined Taylor in his frantic search.

Taylor saw a fishing boat nearby and yelled to them to help, but they wouldn’t do it without money.  Finally, after bartering for every penny that Taylor had, the fishermen stopped their fishing and began to look for Peter.  Continue reading →

A Christmas Version of 1 Corinthians 13

DrJayCook Uncategorized

Author Sharon Jaynes may help us consider Christmas in a different light.  Consider her writing: “1 Corinthians 13: A Christmas Version”Sharon

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime Continue reading →