Preaching

The message of Christianity cannot be delivered with words only,  it requires action.  The giver of the sermon must come down from the pulpit and practice what he preaches.  Preaching with ones mouth is the easy part,  preaching with one’s life requires sacrifice.   “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”  Ro 12:1

Givers

“For God so loved the world that He GAVE……” To be like our Father we must become givers. Our world is made up of takers and we go against the grain when we become givers. One of the first responses in the lives of the first Church was they became generous. Christmas should be more about what we give than what we get. Sometimes it is easier to give money than your time, but money or gifts of material things are not what most people need. They need our hearts, our compassion our personal reach into the pain of their lives. Giving our lives to Christ must translate into action it must be more than pulling a few bucks from your pocket. God gave and it was a LIFE. He walked into our lives, dirtied his feet on the streets of our world and reached for us with a loving heart. It is with joy that Mary, my two friends Jeff Griffith and Jim Ellis, give a bit of our lives to our friends in Haiti. jfs

TRUTH

Truth and deception often live next door to each other. Two degrees off at the point of departure can be miles apart at the arrival. Jesus taught that one of the signs of the end would be great deception. The most dangerous deception is that which is close to truth.  jfs


Mr 13:22 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Anticipation

I sit on an airplane in Dallas, Texas anticipating the take-off. Take-off is about leaving. As a pilot, I know departure is one of the more anxious moments of a flight. It is about saying good- bye to friends and love ones. It is not always a happy time, but sooner or later we all must make a departure. Today the sting of the departure is taken away because I am also anticipating the arrival. Waiting for me is sweet Mary and her welcome home hug makes me anticipate the trip all the more. I pray there will be many more departures and arrivals in my life as I travel for our King. One day we will all make a final departure and a final arrival. The destination makes all the difference knowing Jesus and love ones will welcome us home. Where will your destination be on your final departure? It is worth thinking about. Jfs

But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 1Co 2:9

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Ro 8:18

(NKJV)

Hearing the Word

Oswald Chambers says,  "Do not pare down the Word of God to suit your understanding.  Never drag the Word of God down to anybody's understanding. Keep digging into the Word until it drives all laziness out of your life and you are willing to face what the Bible says about your condition.
God grant that we will learn to comprehend what the Word of God says about our need, rather than trying to make the Word accommodate our limited understanding."

 2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousnes

Church

Our Lord did not birth His Church so we would have a place to go but a place to belong.  jfs

"Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."  1 Cor 12:27

Take Away the Stone

“Take away the stone,” the words of Jesus recorded in John 11:39.  And what was behind the stone?-- DEATH, our great enemy.  Lazarus was beyond human help.  When we have done all we can do and given up hope we often roll a stone over the problem and walk away feeling hopeless.  My marriage is over, the relationship is broken the situation is impossible and so as far as we are concerned it is time to roll the stone over the issue, and then Jesus shows up and challenges us to “take away the stone.” Our human perspective ask, why?  It is too late, it is over, it is hopeless, there is nothing anyone can do.  But Jesus is not just anyone.  He created the universe.  “And he is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”  When He shows up you can take away the stone because what is impossible with man is possible with God.  I dare you, go ahead and do what He says and you will discover He is indeed LORD. jfs

Living Forward

I am thankful for many good memories of the past. God has been so good to me, but I am determined not to live my life looking in the rear view mirror. As a senior it would be easy to think it is all over. I can’t do the things I once did like water ski, fly my personal plane to the beach and land on it and picnic with my wife and children, flights for the American Red Cross on beautiful sunny days, seeing clouds from all sides and poking holes in them with the surprise of what is on the other side, trips to Canada fishing with my family, a flight to Colorado to see the Rockies, my son John and I riding our bicycles to the pink church and inventing our own game of bicycle tag, a trip to the mountains on a motorcycle with Mary. It has been quite a do list and much of it has been done. My prayer is: “Oh Lord, don’t let me focus on where I have been but where I am going.” Some people live with a “done” list but I choose to live with a “to do” list. I want to teach in Haiti at 80, I want to live the rest of my life with one lady, sweet Mary. I know the best is yet to come. I will see Jesus and all the heroes of the past. I want to learn to play a musical instrument. I want to explore the universe. I want to fly a jet. That might happen during the millennial reign. We still have family gatherings but not like the one we are going to have in the future. There is just no reason to live life looking in the rear view mirror. I will not back into my future. I will continue to be thankful for where I have been, but the joy comes when I focus on where I am going. jfs

1Co 2:9 But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

Take You Daddy

“Take you daddy” is not good English but the phrase warms my heart. It came from asking my children, “Do you want daddy to take you?” The memory of little arms reaching for me while saying, “Take you daddy take you daddy” still lingers in my mind and heart. We all need a place to run from this bullying world. Lately I have found myself saying, “Take you Daddy take you Daddy.” In Daddy’s arms things look different. The big bad political wolf turns into a teddy bear. The troubled world looks more like a fight in the sand box. I would like to remind you that Daddy is in charge and in your scary moments join me as we cry out, “take you Daddy.” Jfs


Isa 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.

Isa 40:11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

Gnats and Camels

It is 5:09 and I have been awake sense 3:00 praying for people I love and problems I can’t solve, a marriage I can’t fix, a grandson who is not attending church services, church members who want things done their way--people who have lost their focus on what is most important.  Why can’t people just love Jesus and do what is right?  Jesus spoke of people who, “strain at gnats and swallow camels,”--people who are focused on the wrong things overlooking the important issues and controlled by the little stuff.   Could this be why there are so many unhappy people?  Who wouldn’t be miserable with a belly full of camels?  Camel bellyache--a common spiritual sickness with a simple cure.  “This is my command that you love one another.”  Jesus

Decisions

Decisions!!!  they are unavoidable.  Some people are better at decision making than others.  I am not so good.  Decisions have consequences and that is what makes it a serious matter to me.  I have had to live with some bad decisions and that is not fun.  My son asked me  how we can know the will of God and I gave him my simple answer.  You must get your wanter fixed first.  To get the will of God we must first desire it.  I have come to believe that if you really "WANT" the will of God you will get it.  Some people want God to preview His will so they can see if they like it or not.  I have never found it with that method.  Most of the time His will is revealed through a process of surrender and obedience.  We must come to Him with a blank sheet of paper and let Him fill in the page.  The big question is,  in your heart of hearts, do you want the will of God for your life?  Live your life with your spiritual eyes and ears open and I believe you can know the will of God. jfs
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.  Pr 3:5-6

Wasting Time?

“Don’t waste your time“ is burned into our brains like a flashing neon sign, often flashing when we sit down to rest. The phrase suggests that we should be busy doing something worthwhile. At 72 I have pulled the plug on that annoying sign. Who has the right to say what wasting time is anyway? We have also heard this one, “Idleness is the Devils workshop.” Being busy can also be the Devils workshop. Too busy to pray or listen to your hurting child, too busy to spend time with our spouse. So if you waste time, where does it go? If you save time, what do you do with it when you have saved it? You know what a lot of this stuff is all about? It is about other people trying to control your life. I do as much sitting on my deck as I can and what do I do when I sit there—nothing. How is that for wasting time? Maybe you can do alright hurrying from one project to another and pride yourself in the fact that you don’t waste time. My take is that you may be a big time waster because what you are doing doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. No man is wasting time when you watch and pray and you can do that in a chair. Think I will waste a little time today. Jfs


Eph 5:16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Mirrors

Mirrors!!! who needs them?  I think sombody has played a trick on Mary and me.  They have slipped in our house and replaced our regular mirrors with those crazy ones you would find in a side show.  What I am seeing when I get out of the shower can't be true!  It looks more like an albino gorilla than a person.  Now loosing your eyesite as you get older makes more sense.  You don't need to see what is in the mirror, it will frighten you.  I am fighting back by talking back to those crazy reflections.  Saying things like,  there is a little boy in there somewhere if I can just get him out we can still have some fun.  The scripture says it is what is on the inside that counts and I am counting on that truth.  Oh,  I have learned one way of dealing with the crazy mirror is just don't wipe the fog off of it when you get out of the shower.  You don't need to see all those wrinkles and bumps and brown spots.  Better to go take a look at a picture made a couple of decades ago.
One more thing, there is one mirror that can bring more pain than the one in your bathroom.  It is the mirror the Lord holds before you when you have messed up.  Thank God, you can clear that one up with a repentant heart.
"You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."  Jesus

Freedom?

Freedom, what does that mean?  Our country is not free.  We are in bondage to our debt.  Debt is a prison of obligation.  Many Americans understand what our leadership does not.  When your credit card is maxed out and there is more outgo than income you are handcuffed to your debtor.  The proclamation of freedom alone is not freedom.  I once watched a video of a lion which was being released back into the wild.  The cage was opended and you would expect the lion to run to his new freedom, but to our suprise he hung around the cage.  He had become used to his bondage.  Evil is that way you know, it holds us captive until we think our captivity is normal.  We are not free as long as we stay with the cage.  The enemy is a specialist in cage building and he always tries to make it look like home.  Living in a cage is not freedom, no matter how good it looks.  There are emotional, spiritual and fininancial cages and all of them keep us from the joy of real freedom.  jfs
Joh 8:36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Daddy

His name was James Breland Spruill, many of his friends called him JB. As I write this, in my mind I see him sitting at the head of the table. I have many fond memories of family gatherings around the table at mealtime. He served during World War Two as a machinist but did many different things to feed and clothe us. He ran a saw mill, farmed, grew cotton and corn. He asked for no government help and did no complaining. He was a free spirit, he hated government red tape. He was a dreamer, he always expected things to get better and when he went home at seventy nine he was still planning for the future. One of his sayings was, nothing ventured nothing gained. He learned that no matter what life does to you, you can start over. His first house burned to the ground, no insurance and then a tornado took the farm house down. He built a new one without any electric tools. A hammer, hand saw, square and a plumb bob was just about the extent of his tools. He said, “I have been burned out and blown out,” but he was never down and out. He made syrup with sugar and coffee, ran a gasoline engine on kerosene when he could not buy gas. He cut trees with a cross-cut saw for days and used mules to get them to the mill. He said anything can be fixed and often he proved it. He paid less than fifty dollars for his first car and brought it home in buckets and boxes. In a few days he was driving it around the yard on rims because he didn’t have money for tires. He was indeed the kind of man that made America great. In the early fifties he had a life change. He had a personal experience with Jesus Christ. I remember it as though it was yesterday. He was a good man before, but the change in his life was a great witness to me. It was the beginning of a new journey for him and he never looked back. He set his face toward heaven and lived a life worth following. He went home on Sunday night and the last words we spoke were, “I love you dad,” to which he responded, “I love you too, son.” Today much of what I have is at his expense and the greatest way I can honor him is to greet him at the door of heaven. Whatever your earthly father was like, good or bad, we all have a heavenly Father who loves us very much. Jesus said, “He that has seen me has seen the Father.” I am glad I can know my Heavenly Father through knowing Jesus. Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father. Read the gospel of John and you will come face to face with the Father’s love. He wants you to come home. I love you daddy. jfs

A Lesson From The Garden

Plants need sunlight. Fruit does not grow in the dark. The night does not produce grapes. Little trees in the deep forest reach for the sunlight. The truth is, our lives depend upon sunlight and our spiritual lives depend upon SON light. John 8:12 ¶ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Darkness hides the truth and some choose to live in the darkness rather than face the truth. His light exposes us and reveals the ugly stuff which holds us captive. The scripture says, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32 Never forget this truth; the pain of facing the truth is better than the bondage of lies. jfs

Blindsided

I approached the little bird eating at one of my bird feeders and was amazed that he let me get so close. To my surprise he let me touch him. It was then that I saw the sad truth; he was blind in one eye. I have heard the expression all my life, “he was blindsided”, now I have a better understanding of the term. Realizing that there is more than one kind of blindness I look back on my life and know that I have at times been blindsided by the enemy. Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind and he included spiritual blindness. It is spiritual blindness which often gets us into trouble. The enemy sneaks up on us from our blind side. So, how can we be healed of spiritual blindness? It is His Word which opens blind eyes. “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Ps 107:20 If you have been blindsided by the enemy look to His Word for healing. jfs

Spiritual Education

There are those who think the greatest need in the world is a good education.  So what is the difference between classroom education and spiritual education?  Classroom education is about what you have in your head.  Spiritual education is about what you have in your heart, it is what you learn from your journey as a Christian. They are related but they are not the same. The classroom without God has made the world a more dangerous place. Spiritual education can make the most of intellectual education but intellectual education without a moral compass never reaches our deepest need. A full head on the top of an empty heart can result in an empty life. The Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher on earth today.  He is a personal tutor given to all Christians. One of His assignments is to make us like Christ.  He teaches us how to respond in life situations from a Kingdom perspective. Living out the Word of God in everyday life we become salt and light. Our call is not to reflect the world but to affect it.  jfs

Joh 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”  Jesus

Slow Down

I am often annoyed by traffic lights that hold too long.  I watch with intensity for the green to light up so I can get going and then am aggravated because the person in front of me is not paying attention.  Sitting on my deck this morning I am reminded of how often we live in a hurry, always trying to move on to the next task.  Our world is in sharp contrast to the world of Jesus day--no phones, no cars, no computers, come to think about it, I don’t know that Jesus ever got in a hurry about anything.  Some of us live life just trying to get there, wherever there is.  When that happens we miss so many of life’s lessons and blessings.  When the people around you are living in the fast lane it is easy to get caught up in life’s traffic and go along with the crowd.  Let them go on, slow down, take time to listen to His Voice, take time to see His beautiful creation and know that the world doesn’t need another Savior, we already have one. jfs

Ex 5:13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, "Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw."

Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

To Christians in Iran

I woke up this morning thinking about my brothers and sisters in Iran.  Jesus Christ makes us family.  The world divides itself with politics and religion, but with Jesus there is a simple division, those who have put their faith in Him in a personal way and those who reject Him as the Savior of the world.  Sad to say, there are many cultural Christians in the world and cultural Christianity is no better than any other religion.  Christ’s Church is an organism which is alive with His presence.  I want you to know that you are loved and today I pray for you that our Lord will bless you and keep you from the Evil One.  Please know that you are not alone, we are family and we care about you.  The kingdoms of this earth will all pass away but “of His Kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:33 

Living Beyond Ourselves

I have a real concern that we have a new form of worldliness living among us.  It is not bad theology but simply living in our own strength and wisdom.  We are called to something bigger than ourselves.  We are called to a task we cannot possibly do on our own.  We cannot live simply by human wisdom.  From our point of view, God often asks of us things which seem impossible.  If we are not willing to step out of the boat we will never know what God wants to do through our obedience.  Obedience today is the seed of tomorrow’s blessings.  Without a doubt many dumb things have been done in the name of God.  It is easy to try to impose our will on Him and then live in disappointment because it did not work out.  This does not negate the fact that God often seeks to stretch our faith by asking more of us than we can accomplish in our own strength.  Living Beyond Ourselves takes us beyond our own resources.  When we only commit to the human part then we are not likely to ever see the God part.  Why should God do for us what we can do for ourselves?  Let’s not narrow our definition of worldliness to the way we dress or the places we go.  Worldliness masks itself in many ways.  It shows up in our decision making, it shows up in church politics and again and again when we try to run the Church as a business.  Our decisions can’t all be made at the end of a pencil but on our knees.  The first question is not, “can we afford it” but is it His will?  The truth is we can’t afford not to embrace His will.  Living out His will we live Beyond Ourselves.  jfs

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5 NKJV)

Help Lord!

Grace and Mercy go together. Over the years I have heard Grace and Mercy defined in many ways.  My simple definition is Mercy is Grace in action.  Mercy has shown up in my life over and over again.  Sometimes it took me around the storm and at times it took me through.  I like the around better but have learned that Grace can weather any storm.  It is important that Christians not be presumptuous about Grace and Mercy.  Our Father respects our right to choose our own path.  It is very important that we yield our will to the Lord’s will.  He always knows what is down the road and we don’t.  When we ask for Grace and Mercy to go before, we are asking for God to take charge of our journey.  Too many of us have understood Grace and Mercy as help out of trouble, and overlooked Grace and Mercy to keep us out of trouble.  “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is about embracing His plan, and “deliver us from the evil one” must not be automatic or we would not be told to pray for deliverance.

Now I must tell you that in the middle of writing this blog I had to take my wife to the hospital. It was a problem with her heart.  The difficult part was practicing what I teach.  Trusting when you don’t know what is happening is not always easy.  I can tell you that I prayed for Grace and Mercy and expected the Lord to give it.  Two long nights at home alone without the lady of my life was not easy for me.  I must say it served me well, it made me love her more and appreciate the fifty-two years we have had together.  Tonight we are together again.  Grace and Mercy showed up at the hospital and together we thank our Lord for His faithfulness.

Mt 7:7 ¶ "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  Mt 7:8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.   The Greek word for time can be defined as “well tim