Old Long Since

Old Long Since

2 Thessalonians 2:15 NASB

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

   At New Year’s, we traditionally sing the old song, “Auld Lang Syne.”  Most people couldn’t tell you what those words mean and have no idea what they’re singing about.  “Auld Lang Syne” is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns and means “old long since,” or in our modern language, “days gone by.”  “Auld lang syne," as it appears in the first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as "for (the sake of) days gone by.”

   The song is telling us to remember and think about the days gone by.   I usually tell people not to dwell on the past because we, with our human nature, tend to remember past wrongs and failures and not so much the good times.  But I do want to encourage you to remember what the Lord has done for you and pass those stories on to the next generation.  Remember when you overcame temptation and remember when you were encouraged by a Bible verse and remember when you prayed and saw the answer come. 

   Doing a careful study of the people of Israel when they were wandering in the wilderness, you can see where those people did remember what the Lord had done for them.  And they must not have been passed onto the next generation what God had done.  Every crisis that confronted them we see someone speaking up and telling people how great it had been in Egypt.  To hear them tell the story you’d think living in Egypt had been a great time! Plenty of food and time to sit under a shade tree and enjoy life.  Forget about the whips and the starvation diet and the little boys taken off and killed.  Life was so much better back in Egypt!

Numbers 11: 4-6

4 Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? 

5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 

6 but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

   Notice that the people never dwelt on the upside to the story: the death of Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea or the water from the rock and the food lying around in the morning waiting to be picked up.  No one talked about the Law written by God’s own finger on top of the mountain, they missed their old way of life!

   Do we get this bad?  Yes, unfortunately we do.  I once heard a preacher say that the most ungrateful people in the world were Teens and Christians.  We have been delivered from our sins and given the gift of eternal life and we complain about everything!  Have you taken time recently to think about what you have been given rather that what you think you’re missing?  I think I want to be rich but am I thankful for a warm house and a loving family and a hot dinner every night?   Sadly, I am so used to things being as they are I forget to thank God for the blessings I receive every day.  And I forget to thank God for them. 

   At the end of this year, I encourage you to remember “auld lang syne" and next time you are asked, tell someone about what God has done for you.

Stephen Cram                            December 30, 2012                    Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Joy to the World

Joy to the World

Luke 2:10-11

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

   Ah, the anticipation!  In many homes around the world the anticipation is becoming so thick you can cut it with a knife.  The tree is set in a special place and trimmed.  The lights are on and the tinsel gently moves with the air currents.  Presents are wrapped and carols are being hummed by busy people rushing around doing last minute chores.  Christmas dinner has been planned and is ready for cooking.  Pies and cookies wait in the fridge.  All is ready for the joy of Christmas morning.

   Joy, even the Christmas kind, is only a passing thing.  By now you've probably discovered that even a room full of shiny new Christmas gifts won't bring lasting joy.  Once the newness of the gift wears off, the joy begins to fade.  Presents get lost and toys get broken.  Left-overs begin to get stale and the outside lights and displays are turned off.  The nights become long and dark and cold.  The truth is nothing in this earthly life offers unending joy.

So hear again the message the angels proclaimed.

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!  Let earth receive her King.

   These words were put into a song by Isaac Watts in 1719 and ever since carolers have sung them out every Christmas season.  They tell the secret to real joy; we sing the words but do we hear the message?  Watts attempted to describe the indescribable in writing the words of "Joy to the World."   I am told the song was based on Psalms 98, a psalm written to describe the coming of the Messiah. 

   “Joy to the World. The Lord is come."  That’s good news!  How should we respond to this news?

“Let every heart prepare him room."   I like to be on time; it’s practically a religion to me.  I'm usually early for any appointment.  Preparing your heart is not something that can be done too early: the earlier you begin the better.  And it's a lifelong task - pray, work, share, forgive, love, comfort, edify. 

And why should we "Let men their songs employ"?  

“He comes to make His blessings flow" and "no more let sins and sorrows grow."

   Music has a way of getting the message across.  It's a good way to attempt to describe the indescribable.  So sing out and let the world know about this good news of great joy!

Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

   The angel promised that this news was of great joy, and he was not promising many brightly wrapped presents under the tree, but one Present wrapped in swaddling clothes in a stable.    

Stephen Cram                            2012                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Have Yourself a Martha Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Martha Little Christmas

Luke 10: 41-42 NKJV

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 

42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let your heart be light.
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.”

Yeah, right! 

   I have heard stories about home decorating that became more work than was originally thought with light strings being hopelessly tangled and bulbs going out right after being hung.   

The plans for holiday dinners that would make Emeril Lagasse jealous. 

Shopping trips that lasted overnight and into the dawn.  Frantic searches for gifts that are “perfect.”

The mountains of gift wrap and ribbons and miles of tape. 

Trips to the post office - I was at the post office and helped a women bring in a stack of packages to mail.  (And thank you for letting me and my one package go first.) 

And for those traveling, the story only gets more complicated.  Packing the car and facing the heavy traffic or sitting in a crowded airport dreading the “Delay” sign that might pop up at the last minute.

Stop the madness!!!!

   Christmas can seem like a rat race at times.  It is easy to get lost in the busyness of Christmas and miss the things that are really important. 

   In the Gospel of Luke, we see someone getting frantic with preparations and finally snap and lash out from her anger and frustration.  Jesus went to visit the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha.  Martha spends her time running around cooking, serving dinner, and cleaning.  People reading this often blame Martha for complaining too much.  But the things she was doing were all good things that really needed to be done.  And while she was running ragged, her sister Mary sits in the company of Jesus.  When Martha asks Jesus to tell her pitch in and get to work too, He tells her that, “”Mary has chosen what is better.”

   I believe this story is not here to attach blame to Martha for being too busy or praise Mary for choosing Jesus over routine housework.  I believe this story is here because we have so many Martha-type personalities in the world.  There are so many who work and work and work and miss out on important moments in life.  Growing up in church I saw this so many times - the women who came early and dusted and cleaned and the men who checked the furnace and straitened the chairs.  Then if there was a dinner afterwards, the work was even more frantic and often a handful of women missed service to prepare the meal.

   When it comes to Jesus, I say live in the moment.  Things need to be done but if you end up missing church to get the church ready for church then what’s the point?  I am grateful for those who bustle about doing the gritty little things that need to be done but don’t miss out on what God has for you by being too busy to hear His still, small voice.  

   And this Christmas, don’t be a holiday Martha and miss out on what’s right in front of you.  Don’t miss the opportunities that will come your way.  A real conversation with a family member you don’t see often, or seeing the way your child’s face lights up because Santa did, indeed, get that letter and delivered exactly what they asked for.  It is not about all that we have to do and the list of things we have to check off, it’s all about the living in the moment and not missing Christmas preparing for Christmas.  It’s about remembering Christ’s birth and the reason He came to be born here. 

   This year, don’t miss out on what is better.  Take the opportunity to enjoy the time you have with friends and family and remember to put the little Christ Child back into your Christmas.  Worry about the things you have to do, but let go of the rest.  Enjoy the people you spend the time with, because that is what is better, and have yourself a “Mary” little Christmas.

Stephen Cram                            December 16, 2012                        Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

The Wise Men Went Back Another Way

The Wise Men Went Back Another Way

Matthew 2:11-12 NKJV

11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

   The story is so familiar; a side-light to the whole Christmas story.  The wise men arrive in Jerusalem and go to King Herod and ask him where the King of the Jews was born.  (Not a question King Herod was expecting, I’ll bet.) The King consults his advisors and the name of Bethlehem comes up.  Off the wise men go and find Mary, Joseph and their Child.  They worship this Child and give gifts.  Gold, the traditional gift for royalty; frankincense, a gift appropriate for a priest: and myrrh, a gift not appropriate for anyone being a spice used mostly in burial preparations.  Then we learn that they prayed and were impressed that they should not return to Herod but go home “another way.” 

   Even though their visit with Jesus and His family is traditionally taught as a part of the Christmas Story and shown in the manger, Bible scholars believe that these men from the east may not have seen Jesus until as late as two years after His birth.  Their visit is associated with Christmas, but might not have been actually part of the events.  But there are so many lessons to glean from this story, and I’m glad they are permanently associated with the Christmas story.

   Where we mostly think of the wise men coming and bearing gifts, there is a part of this story I’ve never thought much about before.  First, they came looking for the Messiah.  Most people today, even Christians, rarely “go looking” for God.  Instead, many of us sit around and wait for God to find us.  If the house across the street put up a sign that the Messiah was in residence, most of us wouldn’t stir off our couch to go see Him.   These men were truly wise because they went looking and traveled far to find Christ. 

   And notice that the wise men were nameless in this account?  Tradition gives us names, Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, but the Bible does not name them.  Why not?  I think it’s because they are not the important ones in this story and want our attention on Christ, not on themselves.  I’m never comfortable with church groups that feature some man’s name in the ministries’ name.  (Make your checks payable to the John Q. Saint Ministries.)   Rather than seek credit for traveling from afar and honoring the child who would one day be revealed as the Son of God, these men remain anonymous.  Sounds like something Jesus would teach; Matthew 6:2 “Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”

     Then we read that they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod.  When they left Christ, they went home “another way.”  It’s easy to figure out why they were not to return to Herod.  He wanted to kill the Child.  We know that Joseph also had a dream that night and took his family and ran away to Egypt so Herod couldn’t find the Child. 

   But I’d like to think that their lives were changed after they met Christ.  Many people have gone home changed after meeting Christ for the first time.  Those of us who were changed by meeting Christ also went home “another way” than the way we came to Him.  Meeting Christ does that to anyone who is willing to look and see Christ and come near to Him.  Your life was changed and was never the same again.  You began to travel different roads and go different paths. 

   This Christmas season, don’t be afraid to share your experience with someone who hasn’t come to Christ yet.  They need to meet the One Who changes people’s lives and sets them on new roads to travel.

Stephen Cram                            December 9, 2012                       Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Constant and Earnest Prayer

Constant and Earnest Prayer

Acts 12:5 NKJV
Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

Acts 12:5 American Standard Version
 Peter therefore was kept in the prison: but prayer was made earnestly of the church unto God for him.


   It was a really bad time for the church.  The first of the apostles to be martyred – James - had just been killed.  James was one of the closest companions of Jesus; often he and Peter and John were alone with Jesus.  Herod, yearning to win the approval of people, seized James and had him killed.  His plan worked, he saw his approval ratings going up in the opinion polls.  So he figured they would go up even more if he killed another of these controversial rabble-rousers.  He sent his men to arrest Peter and they held him overnight in prison.  Herod ordered Peter guarded well and trusted in his prison and his guards.
   But Jesus had promised that Peter would grow old before he died.  We read this in the last chapter of John’s Gospel when Jesus told Peter that when he was old, he would be carried where he did not wish.
   While Herod rested in his bed and Peter slept on a hard floor between his guards, the church stayed up and prayed for him.  The Greek word used here is ektenēs.  According to Thayer's Greek Lexicon, the word ektenēs means:
1) stretched out, and 2) metaphorically intent, earnestly, assiduously.

Literally, the word pictures someone stretching out all they can to reach or take hold of something and keeping at it until you get it.  The other day I needed to get an item off a high storage shelf.  I’m 6 foot tall and can reach pretty high but this was just out of my reach.  I had to stretch and it was still out of reach.  I stood as straight as I could and then extended my feet until I was up on my tip-toes.  I angled my shoulder and extended my hand and fingers as far as possible and I was just able to grab the item and draw it to myself.  The word used here gives that kind of picture, stretching out earnestly to reach something.  This idea is what lies behind the English word used here, “constant.”
   A word from this root is used to describe the prayer Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane in
Luke 22:44.
And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

   Here, Jesus prayed so earnestly He shed sweat drops of blood.
   Frankly, most of my prayers are not exactly earnest.  And the truth is that prayers that are "earnestless" often are powerless.  I am not alone in this problem, there is little "stretching out" in our prayers.  Sometimes we pray with the attitude, "God can You do something about this?”  (Do we really ask God if He CAN do something?)  That kind of prayer doesn't have much power.  There is no earnestness in that kind of prayer.  Earnest prayer has power, not because it persuades a reluctant God to action, but because it demonstrates that our heart cares passionately about the things God cares about.  Remember and believe in the promise Jesus made in John 15:7.
"If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you."
   Back to Peter sleeping between his guards in a locked, high-security prison.  How earnest were the prayers prayed by the church that night?  We read in the rest of Acts 12 that they gathered together for prayer at a time when most everyone else was asleep.  When we are so serious about seeing God’s will done that we are willing to give up some of the normal comforts of life, it shows we are becoming more earnest.  Now we are putting our heart into line with His heart.  We learn God’s will and priorities from His Word, the Bible.  But it isn’t enough for us to just know them - we must have an "earnest" desire to see His will done, and that "earnest" desire will show itself in earnest prayer.
   In Acts 12:5 we see that the church trusted in the God who answers prayer.  It really wasn’t a fair fight.  Herod had his soldiers and his prisons and swords and shields.  Peter had the power of God's promise and a church that was in prayer.  Acts 12 goes on to tell us how God miraculously freed Peter from prison and how Peter was able to drop in on the prayer meeting held on his behalf.  We can learn much from such a glorious answer to prayer.  The church saw a great answer to prayer when they stretched themselves and prayed earnestly.

Stephen Cram                            December 2, 2012                      Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Giving Thanks for the Thorns

Giving Thanks for the Thorns

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

   I read a story of a woman who had lost a child during pregnancy due to an accident.  Then her husband was laid off from his job.  It was nearly Thanksgiving and she was not feeling very thankful.  She was angry with God for losing the baby and for her husband losing his job.  “Why me,” was what she kept praying, over and over.  She went to a florist shop for a table arrangement and the clerk asked if she wanted a beautiful but ordinary floral arrangement or a “Thanksgiving Special.”  The clerk told the woman that flowers told a story and asked if the woman was looking for something to convey the idea of gratitude.
   The woman blurted out that she did not really have anything to be thankful for.  She told about losing her baby and her husband losing his job.  She regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
   Just then the bell over the door jangled and another customer walked in.  The clerk excused herself and went in the back to get the new lady’s arrangement.  She quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses except the roses had been snipped off leaving just the thorny stems.  The first woman watched in amazement as the thorn stems were put in a box and wrapped it for the customer who took them and walked out with a cheery greeting.
   The woman turned to the clerk wondering if this were a bad joke.  After all, who would want rose stems with no roses?   The clerk told her that was the “Thanksgiving Special Bouquet."  The clerk told her that the lady had lost her father to cancer three years before and she found out her son was taking drugs.  The clerk said that that year she had lost her husband and was facing the holidays alone – no husband and no children.  "That was when I learned to be thankful for thorns.  I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me.  But when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, "WHY? WHY Me?!"  It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith.  I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort.  You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
   The woman thought about that, and said, "I guess the truth is, I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and my husband lost his job and now I'm angry with God."  She wiped tears from her eyes and said, "I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life.  It's all too...fresh."  The clerk smiled through her own tears and said, "Well, my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious.  We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time."
   The woman felt her resentment slipping away and she asked for a dozen long-stem thorns.  When the clerk brought the arrangement to her, there was a card on it.
It read:
My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns.  Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns.  Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain.  Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

   This year has had its share of thorns for us.  We’ve had some intense moments and had some sad moments and shed many tears this year.  But those moments have made the happy moments seem brighter and God feel closer.  This year we’re giving thanks for the thorns in our lives.

Stephen Cram                            November 25, 2012                    Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Legalism Blinds

Legalism Blinds

John 5: 9&10

 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And that day was the Sabbath. 

10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

   What they said was not exactly true.  The Law did not forbid anyone from carrying a mat on the Sabbath.  What they should have said was that their interpretation of the Law forbids anyone from carrying their mat on the Sabbath. 

   They studied the Law but failed to understand that the Law was there to help the people, not bind them.  They could not see a difference between their interpretation of the Law and God’s revelation to man.  They had elevated their opinions to the same level as God’s revelations.

   The Law states that the Sabbath Day is to be kept holy, and that on it no work is to be done.  This is a good principle, even today.  Giving yourself one day to rest and, at the same time, one day to focus on God and His Word is a great way to live.  But the Scribes and Pharisees went way beyond what God said and what He intended for man to live by.  The Jewish religionists asked: What is work?  And they came up with all kinds of things that they defined as work.  For instance, to carry a burden on the Sabbath Day is work.  So next they had to define what a burden was.  Scribal Law is written that a burden is ‘food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, oil enough to anoint a small member, water enough to moisten an eye-salve, paper enough to write a customs house notice upon, ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet, reed enough to make a pen’ and on and on and on until it becomes a burden in itself.  I read that there was a debate among scholars about whether or not walking with an artificial limb or supports such as canes or crutches could be a burden and therefore forbidden!  Do you believe that this is what God intended with His commandment?  Of course not!  This is religion tied up in knots with petty rules and regulations.

   When I was a young boy, the church my parents went to established a rule that no woman was admitted to the church unless she had her head covered with a hat.  On the other hand, no man could as much as step inside the doors if he had his hat on.  Women were sent home to get a hat or had to sit in church with handkerchiefs on their heads.  Legalism was alive and well then and it alive and well in many Christian churches today.  And, sadly, many Christians are guilty of thinking of it as a virtue not as a hindrance to our growing in the Lord.

   Legalism is a trap that hinders your walk with God.  You find yourself trying to live up to standards and requirements that often are beyond what the Bible teaches.  Rather than encouraging people to grow, we begin “policing” them to be sure they are living up to the standards we adhere to.  A young man who began coming to our church was confronted by an elder about his truck being seen parked in the parking area of the Rod & Gun Club, a famous (or infamous) drinking club.  He was accused before he could explain that he worked for a painter who was contracted to paint the interior of the club.  He and his family left the church, and who could blame them?

   We need to live by the standards written in the Bible, but we also need to be careful not to exceed them and begin adding and expanding what the Bible says.  We need to keep from hitting people over the head with the Bible, too.  When a person becomes a Christian, they often still have bad habits that may take time to grow out of.  Shoving the Bible in their face and shouting in their ears is not the way to help them.  There is a loving way to teach people and we need to approach new Christians in a loving way.  I have seen both methods used over the years and the loving approach always works best. 

   Another danger is when a church becomes proud of their standards and an attitude begins to grow up in the church that “we’re so much better than that church is.”  A superior attitude is inappropriate and dangerous.  We all come out of sinful lives so we start in the same place.  We all struggle with growing in Christ and we all make mistakes.  Remember the warning Solomon made in Proverbs 16:18 –

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.   

   I find that just living by the Bible and minding to my growth in Christ is a full time job for me.  I don’t want to take on the burden of trying to re-write the commandments and statutes or second-guessing Jesus and the Apostles.  Just living by the Bible as its written is hard enough.   Why make life harder?  I’ve given up arguing theology with others and choose to live with them and show God’s love to them.  If they believe that Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and was crucified for my sins and resurrected in the flesh then we can have fellowship. 

Stephen Cram                            November 18, 2012                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Anchoring My Life

Anchoring My Life

Hebrews 6: 19-20

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 

20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

   The writer of Hebrews presents a detailed argument to show us how Jesus is our High Priest, but not after the Order of Aaron, but after the Order of Melchizedek.  He shows that Jesus, in His role as our High Priest, mediates with God on our behalf.  He proclaims that Jesus is the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.

   His argument is hard to follow, but you can make it through to its conclusion and see how Jesus is our High Priest.  But to me, this is all an intellectual exercise.  Truthfully, I don’t relate to High Priests.  I don’t have any High Priests living nearby so I struggle bringing this down to my level.  I can, however, relate to anchors.  I used to fish in the river and lakes near my home.  Anchors are necessary if you want to keep your boat in one place while you fish.  We used old metal paint cans filled with cement and with a length of rope tied to them.  It would hold the boat in place but we still drifted a little bit with the current and the winds because metal paint cans are neither sure nor steadfast anchors.  I once anchored the boat near a submerged pile of rocks someone had dumped off the shore.  I dropped the anchor next to a large rock and it held the boat right in place for hours even though the current was swift and a steady wind was blowing.  Dropping your anchor into a rock works best.

   Jesus spent his life on earth representing God as a God of love and compassion.  Jesus Himself was a physical incarnation of that love.  He made some promises to us to help us during our Christian walk.  For example:

Matthew 11:28 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

He promises to be our rest from the storms of life.  When a storm begins to rage in your life, rather than be pushed about by the winds and waves, we can anchor ourselves in the Rock that is Jesus.  We can drop anchor into His calm and His strength and draw peace form Him.  When we feel ourselves begin to drift, we can anchor in His Word and our soul will not be led away by the world.  

   Matthew 7:7

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. 

When we are confused, we can drop our anchor in His promise to guide us.  He has sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us when we need answers.  When we study the Bible, He will lead us to those answers we need to make it through the rough spots of life and find our way to the truth. 

Stephen Cram                            November 11, 2012                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

The Kingdom of God is Like a Mustard Seed

The Kingdom of God is Like a Mustard Seed

Mark 4:30-32 NKJV

30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 

31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 

32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

   I read of a man who was curious about the mustard plant mentioned here in this passage.  A truck driver friend of his had given him a big box of seeds that had been discarded at the depot where the driver worked.  Among the contents was a packet of mustard seed.  The man thought it might be fun to plant the mustard and see what it looked like, and so he planted some.  What a mistake!  He had to deal with mustard for several years until he was finally able to get rid of it all.  It turns out that mustard is really a weed.  It infiltrated his garden and began to choke out his other vegetables.

   When we read this little parable, we tend to think of the mustard plant as something good.  If you are planning to make some prepared mustard or possibly can some pickles, you might want to raise mustard for the seeds.  If you like greens, you might want to raise mustard. But you certainly don't want to raise it among other vegetables. It may be good for the birds, but pity the poor farmer.  He has to deal with those weeds, and with the birds that eat his crops and his good seed.  So why did Jesus compare the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed?  What was Jesus trying to say with this metaphor?
   Much of the land in Jesus’ time had been taken over by a political system based on the domination of others.  The Romans made slaves of landowners who could not pay their debts.  People become impoverished by the high taxes imposed by the Romans and their Jewish puppet kings.  The poor in Galilee were looking for a Messiah to overthrow the system that dominated them.  They were looking for a huge event.  What does Jesus do?  He compares the kingdom of God to one tiny mustard seed.  

   But, that tiny mustard seed becomes a large shrub.  It bears many seeds.  The birds eat the seeds and spread them throughout the fields where they grow and infiltrate the farmer’s other crops.  A tiny seed beginning can take over a whole farm.  And Jesus brings in his kingdom which began mustard seed sized with a handful of Disciples and a few hundred other followers; a tiny beginning that had the power to turn its world upside down.  Or, rather, right side up.  When the church works as it should, it has the potential to grow like weeds that will take over neighborhoods and change the lives of the people in them. 

   Jesus presents an alternative way of life.  If we share the Gospel and pray for the souls of our family and friends, we can see new plants spring up where none existed before.  Jesus said the Kingdom of God was like a weed taking over the garden.  So go out and plant seeds and water them and let God give a harvest of souls.

Stephen Cram                            November 4, 2012               Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Spicy and Hot

Spicy and Hot

Acts 3:19 American Standard Version

Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;

   A funny thing happened the other night.  I like General Tso’s chicken, which is labeled “spicy and hot,” but usually is neither spicy nor hot.  I picked up a package at the store in the frozen food section and brought it home.  After it heated up in the oven, I put it in a bowl and poured the sauce over it.  Sitting at the table, I stabbed the first piece with my fork and bit into it.  The box, which read “spicy and hot,” was not lying.  It was the spiciest and hottest General Tso’s chicken I have ever eaten.  After being promised “spicy and hot” so often and only getting bland, it was a shock to actually get “spicy and hot.”  And it tasted so good; I ate every bite of it in spite of the burning pain in my mouth. 

   OK, nice story, but so what?  Well, one thing I’ve heard dozens of times in church is people praying for revival and pastors preaching for revival.  And I’ve attended a few revival services over the years, too.  All of these are labeled, in church-y speak, “spicy and hot.”  And what I’ve experienced has been bland.  In fact, most of the church I’ve experienced in my life has been, frankly, bland.

   When I read Paul’s epistles, I don’t see bland.  He lived and preached and taught a “spicy and hot” Christian experience.  Romans 12:1  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.

Paul preaches a radical life that’s out-of-step with the world.  He pleads with us to draw closer to God, to focus on His Word, to forget all else and serve God with our whole being, and know that we can only live fulfilling lives when we live for Christ.  Nowhere in his many writings do I see him say it’s okay to live a bland Christian life.  Nowhere in his many writings do I see him call us to mediocrity.  He calls us to be different – to be radical. 

   If you’re happy with a boring Christian experience, don’t read Paul’s epistles.  If you’re happy with going nowhere and doing nothing, don’t read Paul’s epistles.  He’ll try to appeal to you to step out of boring and bland spiritual life and into a Christianity that’s more exciting and fulfilling. 

   I’ll warn you, though.  Revival will upset your life.  Revival will upset your church.  Revival will cause you to lose friends.  John Kilpatrick, formerly of the Brownsville, FL. church that saw revival in the 90’s, wrote that revival rocked his life and his world and his ministry, and also affected him some ways he never thought about.  His church lost parishioners, some big supporters in the church.  The church’s electric bill and water bill soared and they kept running out of soap, paper towels and toilet paper.  There were problems with the city police about streets being blocked and cars parked everywhere. 

   But also there were lives changed forever.  Souls came to Christ by the hundreds.  Christians visiting went back home re-energized.  Revival is “spicy and hot” and will change your life.

   Before you ask God to revive you, be sure you’re ready to experience revival.  Before you preach about revival in your church, be sure you want revival in your church.  When you pray about revival, God may just grant your prayer and give you what you ask.  You’re used to picking out bland food from His Word, are you ready for something “spicy and hot?”  It will burn you and shock you and yet you’ll find you like it and want more of it.  I find the more I read God’s Word, the more I want from it.  The more I pray and wait in His Presence, the more I want to just stay there.  Being in God’s Presence frightens me, and makes me feel every failure, but also calls to me and makes me want more. 

   Revive us, O Lord.

Stephen Cram                            October 21, 2012                      Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Location Location Location

Location Location Location

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

   The Golden Rule of real estate is location, location, location.  Property located in a good neighborhood is most desirable and has the greatest value and demands the highest price.  Even though residences in other areas may be more beautiful and have larger yards, they simply can't demand the same high prices as a residence located in a better neighborhood.

   Homes located near shopping and near schools are the best to find and bring the highest prices.  If you live outside the city, you have to fight traf­fic every morning on the way to the office; then you have to do it all over again every night on the way home.  Living near where everything is makes it much easier and more convenient.

   In this verse in Hebrews, the word translated "without" comes from the Greek word which means to be outside of some­thing, such as someone who lives outside the city.  The word brings me to make a comparison, for example, in the house or out of the house, in the city or out of the city.  The word tells that someone is in a spe­cific place.    

     Here the word is used to describe faith.  This is saying that someone can live a life outside of faith.   This means faith must be a real place that has boundaries.  Just as you can live in a good neighborhood or not, you can live in faith or outside of faith.  Needless to say God wants you to be located at the address of faith because this is the location He deems the most valuable and prof­itable for your life.

   The part of this verse that troubles me the most is that if you are living outside of faith, you will find it is impossible to please God.  Impossible – something you simply cannot do.

Are you living in obedience to His Word and to the understanding He has given you?  That is where He wants you to live and where you will be able to grow and be able to influence the world around you.  If you move out of that location in your life called faith, you are moving to cheaper territory that God doesn't value as highly.  You will find yourself in a place in your life where you will experience the hardships and inconveniences brought on by poor choices and unbelief.

   The entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews is about men and women who lived "in" faith. They each received a word from God and they worked towards fulfilling that goal.  Sometimes they strayed from that location of faith but the successful ones always went back home to God and picked up their lives and went on to victory.  Their lives impacted their world and they pleased God.

   The devil will try to tempt you from being faithful.  He'll throw situations at you to make you take your eyes off Jesus and to fill you with worry and fear.  If you fall for these temptations, it won't be long before your bags will be packed and you'll be moving to a less desirable address.  Be careful not to move out of your faith location to a new place in the world.  These are bad neighborhoods and you will not be happy living there.

   Refuse to allow the devil to persuade you to fix your eyes on circum­stances.   Don't take the enemy's path that leads away from faith.  Remember that God is a "rewarder." for those who continually live at the address of faith - those who refuse to be moved by cir­cumstances and reject any temptations around them.  Don’t surrender to doubt; just hang onto God and believe His Word.  This verse tells of those who diligently seek him.  It takes diligence to stay in faith.  Living "in" faith isn’t a side issue in life; it has to be a priority in life. 

Stephen Cram                            October 14, 2012                     Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Redeeming Gomer

Redeeming Gomer

Hosea 3:1-3
1 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”
2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.
3 And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”

   As if the strange story of Hosea wasn’t strange enough, now God tells Hosea to go and find Gomer and buy her back and take her back to his home and love her.  God wanted to illustrate how He loved an unfaithful Israel and would one day buy her back from her evil lifestyle for a price.
   Why did God command Hosea to go back to his still-unfaithful wife? Not only for the sake of Hosea and his wife Gomer, but also so that they would become a living lesson of the God’s relationship with us.  Even while we still are attracted to the world and spend time with the world God still loves us.
   Hosea goes and finds Gomer but she is enslaved and he has to buy her for a price.  He loved her so much he paid the price and bought her freedom - fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.
      Hosea is also told to love her, even though she had willingly committed adultery with other men.  Even though she had been unfaithful, Hosea brought her back into his home and loved her again.
   Some commentators believe Hosea was merely paying her going rate and hiring her to come home with him.  Some believe she had become a slave and was being purchased.  I lean towards this second scenario.  This is a well-known practice in prostitution rings.  When a woman becomes too sick to be valuable or are injured or just have a mental collapse, and they are no longer profitable they are disposed of.  Many today are merely thrown out in the street.  In days when slavery was common, they would be sold into slavery.  The price Hosea paid was high but not too high so might be the price for a former harlot who was no longer earning money but had been sold into slavery.
   This happens to people trapped in sins and living “eat, drink and merry” lives.  If they become overwhelmed by their sins, and their physical and mental condition deteriorates, they find themselves left alone.  I have met so many, too many, who have suffered this fate.  Drunks who never sober up and drug addicts who are sick all the time and never draw a breath without pain.  People who have had mental breakdowns and retreated into themselves and can’t react normally with others.  Sex addicts who have contracted some incurable disease.  The list of cast aside humanity makes me sick at heart to even think about.  They are cast aside because the enemy has no further use for them.  They cannot entice anyone else to sin so he is done with them and they find themselves enslaved by their lifestyle and then cast into the mud, unwanted even by the devil.  Who would even look at them, to say nothing of loving them?
   God loves them.  He has reached into countless mudholes and pigstys and drawn out broken vessels who seem too far gone to even be considered human anymore.  His hand is held out to the lost and to the broken and to the hopeless.  And the lost can find their way back and the broken can be mended and the hopeless can find a new spark of hope in their lives.  I’ve witnessed many who have been miraculously transformed by the love of God.
   I confess I don’t like the story of Hosea and Gomer much; it shines a light onto a strange and uncomfortable story.  But the message of Hosea taking his wife back to himself gives hope to a dying, lost world.  God will not stop calling you as long as you have the ability to hear His voice.  His hand will reach out to you until you draw your last breath and pass from this life.  God loves you in whatever condition you have put yourself into.  He paid a high price for your freedom and you need only respond to His call.  Jesus blood shed on the cross has an amazing capacity to clean even the dirtiest heart and make it clean and new.  The hand that reaches out to you has a scar on it from a nail.  The face is scarred from the beatings and the thrones.
   You have been redeemed at a price, and He wants you to come home to Him.

Stephen Cram                            October 7, 2012                      Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Married to a Harlot

Married to a Harlot

Hosea 1:2 NKJV
When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea:
“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the Lord.”

   I have read and heard many talk about Hosea and admit they do not understand why God commanded him to take a harlot as a wife.  (Also known as a prostitute or a lady of the evening.)    But the explanation is right here in the verse where God gave the command.  “For the land has committed great harlotry…”  The “land” mentioned here is the nation, and people, of Israel.  And the harlotry they committed was to leave the God Who loved them and provided for them and protected them and begin worshipping other gods.
   We often think people just one day wake up, throw away their Holy Scriptures, and buy a stone or wood idol and set it up in their home and bow down to it.  This is hardly ever the case.  What happens is that in one house a wife does not have a baby the first year and she buys a small, wooden fertility goddess.  She prays to Yahweh and then prays to Astarte, the Canaanite goddess of fertility.  And in a neighbor’s home a man has planted his fields and watched his crops wither and die.  He prays to Yahweh and then buys a small carved stone image of Dagon, the god of harvest and crops.  Idolatry did not fall on Israel overnight, it worked its way in one heart at a time, quietly, without calling attention to itself.
   Many commentators try to explain that Gomer was not a prostitute when Hosea first met and married her, but she only became that later and Hosea knew from God that she would become one.  What I see in the text is that she was a prostitute already and Hosea was commanded to take her as wife anyway knowing she would later betray his love.  It showed a lot of obedience for him to actually carry out this difficult command.  And it is clear from the text that when Hosea married Gomer, she did not give up her career as a prostitute.  It wasn't that Hosea found a fallen woman and through love and kindness restored her to virtue.  He married a prostitute and she stayed a prostitute.
   When Hosea and Gomer first married, she probably promised eternal love and devotion.  She probably showed every sign of being committed to Hosea, but after a while and after some hard times she fell back into prostitution.
   So why did the Lord God have Hosea go through all this?  He wanted us to have an example we could understand.  And if you read Hosea, (when we get to Heaven, I can tell Hosea I read his book, can you?) you will be able to see a sad story unfold right before your eyes.  And if you pray and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes, you’ll see the parallels to Israel’s idolatry and then you will be able to see our own idolatry today.
   Jesus uses the comparison of our relationship to God and His for us as being like the relationship between a husband and wife.  God loves us and loves us completely.  He showed us His love by the extraordinary lengths He went to to provide us with salvation.  But is our love for Him as strong?  Is our devotion to Him as fervent?  Maybe in Heaven it will be, but in this life we are Gomer and treat God the way she treated Hosea.
   In this book we are shown in graphic detail how our idolatry and rejection of the Lord God feels to Him.  We casually put things in front of God, choosing to do whatever we want rather than give Him a few minutes to pray or read the Bible or witness to an unsaved person.  When we put anything before our time with the God it hurts Him like unfaithfulness hurts the victim of an adulterous marriage.  By commanding Hosea to take a harlot as a wife Hosea is put in the place where he can experience what God feels, the rejection of the one he loves.  Sadly, we share the same sad story in our relationship with God.  We start out so fervent in our faith and we love God with all our heart.  We sing praises to him and share what happened to us with others without shame or fear.  We promise Him our eternal love and devotion.  And we really mean it.  So what happens?  Life happens.  We go through a hard time and find ourselves hurt and confused.  We expected life to be roses and sunshine but now the thorns have stuck in our fingers and clouds fill the skies.  We begin to look for answers to questions that don’t have answers.  Why did God let (fill in the name of a loved one) die?  Why did I lose my job?  Why did I get sick?  Why does (fill in the name of person) hate me?
   I would like to say I still felt that way, but life has pushed me off that path many times.  Staying faithful to God is hard work and this world makes it hard to stay faithful.  Life takes effort and determination and sheer guts.  We must work hard and keep diligent in our spiritual lives.  We cannot let ourselves be drawn away from God every time some distraction comes into our lives.  We need to examine our hearts and our motives and see where we stand.
Mark 12:29&30
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.



Stephen Cram                           September 30, 2012                    Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

V

Ending Your Famine

Ending Your Famine

Luke 15: 16-17 NKJV
 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Matthew 4:4 NKJV
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

   The Prodigal Son, as we know him as, was the son of a rich man.  We, as Christians, are the sons (and daughters) of a rich God.  The Prodigal’s father would never have knowingly allowed his son to physically starve.  God the Father will never willingly allow us to spiritually starve.  The Prodigal’s father would have felt mortified to know his son was hanging around a pig sty and envious of the pig’s food.  God the Father must feel shame that we, His children, hang around sin and look with envy at what we see.  The Prodigal’s father would gladly have given his son food that was so much better than the pods that the swine were feeding on.  God the Father wants to feed us on His Word and give us His Righteousness which is so much better than the sin and degradation we allow in our lives.
   The famine of God’s Word in our society is a self-inflicted condition.  We allow this famine to happen to ourselves and to our families and, much like the Prodigal Son, we would rather go our own way and do our own thing and turn our back on our Father who we see as “old-fashioned” and “restrictive.”  Reading the Bible makes most people feel uncomfortable.  We see what God wants of us and know we’re miles from where we should be.  Because of this, many people simply stop reading the Bible.
2 Kings 6:25 NKJV
And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.
By today’s monetary measurements, a shekel of silver would be between $8.00 and $16.00.  So the head of a donkey sold for at least $640. A half pint of dove droppings sold for at least $40.  Now THAT’S a famine.  People so hungry for food they’ll eat donkey’s heads and dove poop.  But it’s not surprising, because when one is hungry enough they’ll eat most anything.
   When people reject God’s Word, it is truly appalling what they’ll believe.  People in the midst of a self-inflicted famine will swallow whatever appeals to their ears.  They want to be told there are no consequences for their sins.  They want to be told they won’t suffer eternal separation from God for living sinful lives.  They want to hear that being good is OK and even if they’re not good it’s still OK.  And there are churches they can go to and hear that and Pastors who’ll preach that to them.  The answer to your worries is not smooth talking preachers and comfortable churches.  The answer is God’s Word.  The answer is Jesus’ blood and resurrection.  The answer is God’s grace.  If our churches would all teach God’s Word, it would make a huge and noticeable difference in our country.
   If you go to a church that preaches a watered-down Gospel, shame on you.  If you listen to a preacher who makes you feel good, you’re listening to the wrong one.  You want a Pastor who preaches the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  They will hurt your feelings at times and make you uncomfortable, but you’ll be growing and learning and becoming mature in God.
“But when he came to himself”
   One day, the starving Prodigal looked at what he wanted to eat and it disgusted him, and he came to himself.  This means he focused his mind on where he was and what he was doing and saw the condition of his life and how far he had fallen since leaving his father’s house.  He knew that the lowest servant of his father ate better food than swine food.  He wanted to go home, but felt unworthy because he had already cashed in on his son-ship.  So he decided to offer himself as a servant.  He just wanted to go home, and he was willing to go under any conditions necessary.  So he went back.  His father was still in the same place, it had been he, himself, who had wandered away.
   I used to say we needed more Christians to leave the milk of the Word and get into the meat of God’s Word.  Today, I’d like more Christians to get back to the Word, even if it’s only the milk of the Word.  Leave the slop of this world alone.  Why are the pods that are thrown to the swine so attractive to us?  Why do we long to eat garbage and fill our mental bellies with this world’s poison?   We’re so attracted to this slop we forget what real food tastes like.  I love to study God’s Word because it’s a challenge that makes me think and grow.  I’ve changed my view of Gospel truths over my lifetime as I’ve grown and learned more.  This is normal.  Healthy people grow.  If you stay the same year after year you’re not growing, you’re abnormal and your growth is stunted.  You will not grow; indeed you will not be able to grow while feeding on the slop the enemy throws to the world.  There is no nourishment there so turn away from it!
   Don’t starve to death in the midst of so much bounty!  Read the Word!  Snippets and devotionals are a good start, but read chapters and whole books and fill your mind with His Words.  When we all get to Heaven and meet up with Zephaniah and Obadiah, I can tell them I read their books.  Can you?  You will never know what they have to say to you until you dig in and study what they say.
I challenge everyone to make the commitment not to neglect the Word of God!  Feast daily on that Word which can save your souls!  End the famine in your life.

Stephen Cram                            September 23, 2012                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Famine Amidst Plenty

Famine Amidst Plenty

Amos 8: 11&12
11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the Lord.
12 “People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, But they will not find it.

   About 750 B.C., an obscure farmer and shepherd was called by God to be a prophet.  His mission, when he chose to accept it, turned out to be a real Mission: Impossible.  He was sent to warn Israel of God's coming judgment if they did not repent.  The nation did not heed the call to repent and was eventually conquered by the Assyrian Empire and led away into captivity.
   The Prophet was Amos, and he went to the Northern Kingdom, which consisted of 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel, and preached to them about the dangers of not repenting of their many sins.  He also gave a strange prophesy, which we see in chapter 8, about an unusual famine – a famine of God’s Word.  This comes from willfully turning a “deaf ear” to God’s Word and choosing not to listen.  As your heart becomes harder and harder, you cannot hear His words anymore and you find yourself starving (spiritually) in a land filled with God’s Word.
   Today in our society, there is a severe famine of God’s Word, and this modern day famine is different in some ways and yet still similar in some ways.  The result of this famine will be the eternal damnation of millions and the destruction of our society.  The signs are all around us and each year that goes by we see them becoming more and more blatant.
   Today’s famine was not sent by God.  Indeed, He has done so much for us as a nation and has rained blessing after blessing down on us.  He has sent countless preachers who have preached the Word from the poorest neighborhoods up to the White House.  Drug addicted gang members have had a chance to hear the Gospel and the elite of Washington D.C. have had a chance to hear the Gospel.  No one who had ears could have failed to hear the Gospel somewhere and at least once in their lives.  Contrary to a famine of the Word, God has provided a feast for us.  Anyone in the country has access to a Bible in dozens of translations and in a handful of formats: printed on paper, delivered electronically, voice recordings, video acted out by live actors or by cartoon characters – pick a format!  TV, radio, Internet, just open your ears and listen.  It’s truly a feast waiting to be taken by anyone who hungers for God’s Word.  Never before in the history of mankind has the world enjoyed such free access to God's Word.  What does all this mean?  It means that today's famine of God’s Word is self-inflicted.
   This famine is similar to what happened in Israel in some ways.
   The present famine is one result of living in a society that enjoys excessive material luxury.  When you read through the Old Testament prophets, you see that the people and the leaders kept putting off dealing with the warnings they received.  There was no sense of impending doom because they lived in the lap of luxury.  When you have all the food you want to eat and live in nice homes with all the latest amenities of soft living, who would even notice the danger that is looming over their land?
Luke 8:14 NKJV
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
   The present famine is also a result of a corruption of the morals of the people and the leaders.  Immorality used to be what the Church stood against.  Now, it’s embraced in our churches and the standards have been lowered so low no one can trip over them.  Just step over those pesky standards and live your morally bankrupt lives with hardly a thought for God’s Holiness.  God asks us to take on His holiness, but in today’s churches we hardly ever THINK of His Holiness.  People who read God’s Word today get an uncomfortable feeling from its rigid ideals.  It is seen as out-of-date and too “stiff” for our modern times.  Pastors who dare to preach from the Bible are labeled and word gets around that they’re too reactionary and hardline and people should be wary of going to a church like that.
   People used to look forward to church services.  Now there is a stampede as soon as the Pastor says, “You’re dismissed.”  Most people only want to be entertained in church, and worship times have become weekly music concerts that are choreographed and use a multi-layered presentation to appeal to the senses.  
   Many churches today suffer from severe "spiritual malnutrition," and, I repeat, this condition is self-inflicted.  Is it any wonder so many Christians live lives of discouragement and defeat and depression?
   It must have been terrible for the Israelites when their time ran out.  The fierce Assyrians marched across their land and swept them away into captivity in strange lands.  Imagine being forced to walk from Ohio to Tennessee and being told to move into a house in a city where no one spoke English.  You have no job and no food and there isn’t a church within 200 miles and no one to talk to.  Welcome to your new home.
   Today, we are even more guilty than the people of Israel were.  We not only reject the words of Moses and the Prophets, as it existed in Amos' day, but we reject the writings of the Gospel writers, the apostles and Jesus Himself!  We have had so much more to ignore to get as bad as we have gotten.  Every day we turn aside from the feast He has laid out before us.  We starve in the midst of plenty.


Stephen Cram                            September 15, 2012                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Got Your Ears On?

Got Your ears On?

Matthew 11:15 NKJV
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Mark 4:9 NKJV
And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

   During the CB radio craze of the 70’s and 80’s you heard this a lot.  “Got your ears on?  Come back.”  The caller was asking if someone was on the air and listening.  Basically, Christ is asking in these verses if the people were listening to what He was saying and paying attention to Him.  This seems like a strange thing to say to people who were there listening to Him speak.  They obviously had ears because they were listening to Him, so what did He mean?
  This is not an occasion where He was referring to deaf people, who have ears but can’t hear.  No one doubts that physical deafness happens, so would you accept that there is also a spiritual deafness people get where some cannot hear spiritual truths at all, or only hear a little bit?  They have ears, but they do not hear.  I’m not talking about a willful deafness, but it does start with willfully not hearing truth.  When a person refuses to hear the truth, they do become more and more “hard of hearing” in a spiritual sense.  Remember what God told Isaiah in Isaiah 6: 9-10, (NKJV)?
And He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

God was not being mean to the people of Israel, He was pointing out that they had refused to hear His words for so long that they would not hear them again.
   Paul talks about this in Romans 1:28, (CJB)
“In other words, since they have not considered God worth knowing, God has given them up to worthless ways of thinking; so that they do improper things.”

   God will call to you with great patience and grace, but there is a time when you have turned away from His words so often you will not be able to hear them anymore.  Every time God’s Word is proclaimed it changes all of those within its hearing. No one ever remains unaffected by God’s Word.  To those who hear it and listen to what He says, they grow in grace and in knowledge of God.  To those who reject it or are indifferent to it, they hear less and less and their heart grows colder and colder.  Truly, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.
   Our greatest hindrance is that our minds are naturally carnal; our human reasoning is self-serving.   No matter how hard we may try, no matter how hard we may think that we want to try, we cannot understand the Spiritual Truth of God without the help of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to "hear" what God is actually saying.  Without His help, we may read the Bible, and even become great teachers and scholars of the Bible and still not really understand what it says or what is in the heart of God the Father.  This is not what God wants, but this is what He allows to happen to those who will not hear His words.
   God gives all of us "ears to hear."  He gives us His Holy Spirit to be our Helper and Teacher.  If we fail to heed His Words, whose fault is it?  So why did Christ speak in parables so often?  Matthew 13: 10-11 Amplified Bible
10 Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
11 And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

   I used to think that passage was so unfair.  I passed over this verse many times reading Matthew because I wasn’t sure why Jesus was being so hard on the people.  But as I’ve learned more about Him, I know His heart is love and He would never exclude anyone who did not want to be excluded.  If you do a search of verses that mention Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, you will see hard hearts and willful attempts to exclude the common person from God’s Presence.  Christ goes into the streets and interacts with the common person.  He walks the highways and brings His teachings to everyone.  So why did He say it was not for “them” to know the secrets of the Kingdom?
   After that big build up, you expect me to give you that answer, don’t you?  But I can’t, I can only give you my opinion.  I feel it comes down to who listens and who doesn’t.  Remember, we think “Disciples” and think “12 guys.”  But remember that in parts of the Gospels we read that there was a large following who heard His teachings.  The Disciples, who traveled with Him step by step, mile by mile and shared meals with Him had such a hard time understanding Him, how hard was it for those who did share that same intimacy with Him?  And then, in my opinion, there were those who may have followed and listened to Him, but never opened their hearts to His words.  I offer Judas, and the above mentioned Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes as proof of that.  It’s not hard to think that there must have been more, many more, which also listened but did not hear.
   So listen and pay attention when reading your Bible.  If you are fortunate to have a Pastor or Bible Teacher who preaches / teaches the Word with truth and boldness, then put your ears on and hear what they say.  The more you listen, the more truth you will hear.  The more you shut out God’s Word, the harder it gets to hear the truth.  “Got your ears on? “

Stephen Cram                           September 9, 2012                          Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

 
 
 

Stop the World and LET ME OFF!

Stop the World and LET ME OFF!

Psalm 61:1-8 

1 Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

   A popular country song a while back was “Stop the world, and let me off.”  The writer said he was tired of going round and round and wanted to stop and get off.  I don’t know if it’s my age or just that the world seems more complex and getting worse by the minute, but I often feel that way.  Stress from family, work, aging body, etc etc etc makes it seem as if I’m on a carnival ride that’s speeding up faster and faster.  And when you think things are crazy and you feel overwhelmed, the enemy comes against you again.

   One of the enemy’s best strategies against us is the constant barrage of temptations and oppositions that we face every day.  He keeps us off balance by sending evil and placing it before our eyes as often as possible.  For example, I was dusting one rainy afternoon recently at the Library where I work.  I was at the magazine rack and was struck by how many magazines had women in provocative poses on the cover.  Not only men’s magazines, but women’s magazines and young women’s magazines and even teen girl’s magazines.  There were famous models, actresses and even cooks in poses that can only be considered “adult.” 

   We are surrounded by temptations constantly and unless you retire to a monastery you can’t escape it.  As you suffer the assaults of a simple trip to the supermarket, where the woman walking the aisle is dropping “F” bombs and the cashier is showing too much cleavage and and and Arrrgh!  Stop the world, I WANT TO GET OFF. 

   Is there an escape?  Can we stop the world and get off for a break?  Yes, God has given us a safety valve.  Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; 

He wants us to turn to Him when we need refuge.  He wants us to call on Him when we are being overwhelmed.  He provides stability and rest and strength for our weary souls.   

   The first step is one we overlook, and overlook for many reasons.  Its “old-fashioned,” its “Old Testament,” it’s inconvenient, it’s (fill in your own excuse.) 

Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”  You are given the instruction to relax one day a week, and it’s your own fault if you over-schedule yourself and don’t relax.  Try to give yourself a break.  Take a day off and relax.  It will refresh you in a way nothing else will.  And while you’re not working, it will be a good time to read your Bible and maybe listen to some inspirational worship music.  Focus on Christ and renew your mind.

   Secondly, stop chasing the dream of possessing things that are “better” than the neighbors.  Psalms 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!  When you get to the Judgment Seat and stand before Christ, He won’t ask you the size of your TV screen or the amount of RAM in your laptop.  He won’t ask you how much mileage your car got or where you took your vacations.  Only you care about these things, in the light of eternity they really don’t matter.  You can drive a fancy car and dress in fashion clothing and still be out of fellowship with God and doing nothing for the Kingdom.  He calls to you to come and just be in His Presence and relax in Him.

   Lastly, get away for a season and take a break.  Mark 6:31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”  When you get too weary, you won’t be able to work as effectively.  Studies done over the years have always shown that workers who never take vacations are less productive that ones who do.  Even God expects you to take a vacation once in a while. 

   OK, so maybe you can’t really get the world to stop and let you off, but you can slow yourself down and turn away from the cesspit the world is becoming.  You can step out of the muck and focus on Jesus and let His grace wash your soul clean again.

Stephen Cram                                September 2, 2012                     Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Just As You Are

Just As You Are

Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

   A lady named Miss Charlotte Elliott was vi¬sit¬ing some friends in the West End of Lon¬don to have dinner with them and other guests.  One of those guests was a famous minister named Cé¬sar Ma¬lan.  While seat¬ed around the table, the min¬is¬ter said he hoped that she was a Christ¬ian.  She took of¬fense at this, and re¬plied that she would ra¬ther not dis¬cuss that quest¬ion.  Dr. Ma¬lan said that he was sor¬ry if had of-fend¬ed her, that he al¬ways liked to speak a word for his Mas¬ter, and that he hoped that the young la¬dy would some day be¬come a Christian.  By chance, they met again three weeks later at the home of a mu¬tu¬al friend.  Miss Ell¬i¬ott told the min¬is¬ter that ev¬er since he had spok¬en to her she had been try¬ing to find her Sav¬ior.  Would he tell her how to come to Christ, now?  “Just come to him as you are,” Dr. Ma¬lan said.  She did this and went away re¬joic¬ing.  Shortly af¬ter¬ this, she wrote this hymn about what he told her.
   This hymn is nearly always used as an invitational to come to Christ for salvation.  This song was playing the day I answered an invitation to come forward, but sadly the church elder there to meet me was more concerned with “all my sins” and “giving them to Jesus” than with my coming to a saving knowledge of Christ.  It was more than a year before I actually came to Christ and asked Him into my heart.  The minister who talked to me had a vastly different approach.  We talked for a few hours and then he said he had to go home to get to bed.  He left me sitting in the church office at three in the morning.  I knew I was lost and knew I needed Christ to be in control of my life.  But coming to Him had always been my sticking point.  But the pastor had given me some crucial advice.  His advice was much like Miss Elliot received, “Just come to Christ as you are.”
   I was hurting, angry, willful, confused about life, and a whole lot more.  But when I bowed my head and came to Him humbly I experienced His grace.  All my excuses and all my emotional baggage and all my confusion just dropped off me.  The church elder who told me I needed to do so many things before I would be saved had it so wrong.  Yes, I was guilty in God’s sight but I was guilty of not believing in the saving work Christ had done at the cross.  When I finally figured out I was never going to figure it all out, I brought all my confusion to Him and discovered it wasn’t something I was supposed to understand.  How can an unsaved heart understand the love of God?  All I was sure of was that He was ready to take me flaws, confusion, hurts and all.
   But this song is not just an invitational song to give at an alter call for salvation.  This message is still one I need in my life.  I can make my life so complicated it’s hard to keep up.  I can get myself off on some doctrinal tangent and forget how to find my way back to worshipping Christ.  So many things I can do wrong, but this message is a simple answer I can use in my life.
   “Just as I am, without one plea, but that Thy was shed for me.”  When all is said and done, the really important thing in life is that His blood was shed for my sins.  I was not so far gone as to be lost beyond salvation.  His blood could and did wash me clean.  And His blood was never lost its power!  I can still depend on its cleansing power if I fail in life and sin.  And one day I will stand before Him and that blood will be my pass into eternal life with God.
   “and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”  This was all His idea right from the beginning.  He knew I would fail and have needs and be confused and hurt and angry.  He was not surprised that I needed to call on Him and still need to call on Him daily.  I am still prone to failure and confusion and all that, but now I know where to go when it happens.  I know that no matter what I do, He is still waiting for me with open arms.  His love and His grace are still there and will never run out.


Stephen Cram                            August 26, 2012                    Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8