Just Fishin'

Spirit & Truth # 247

“Just Fishin’”

By Greg Smith

            I wouldn’t describe myself as a country music fan, but I love Trace Adkins’ song, Just Fishin’.[i]    It’s about a man and his young daughter fishing together.  She thinks they’re just fishing, but he realizes that they’re doing much more than that.  They’re creating a bond that will last a lifetime.  Adkins sings:

And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the river side,
Throwing back what we could fry,
Drowning worms an killing time,
Nothing too ambitious
She ain’t even thinking about what’s really going on right now
But I guarantee this memories a big one
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

            This past weekend I took my youngest son camping.  At nine years old, it was his first camping trip.  We hiked.  We fished.  We canoed.  We cooked over a campfire.  To me, It was no big deal.  To him, it was huge.  To me, it was a weekend away.  But he told me he’d had “one of the best days of my life.” 

Over the past thirty-nine years, I’ve had countless camping trips.  Daniel can count only one.  I’ve started innumerable campfires, but this weekend Daniel lit his first.  I have a whole collection of knives, but Daniel just received his first pocket knife.  I have four children with whom I’ve had countless “special” days.  But each of my children has only one dad to share a special day with them.  With the busyness of my schedule, it’s easy to let the events on my calendar crowd out the really important things.  Maybe you’re like me, and you need to reframe your life so that you schedule your activity around your family, rather than scheduling your family around your activities.

Trace Adkins talks about fishing being more than fishing, and I agree.  In fact, it has nothing to do with catching fish at all.  Daniel and I never got a bite, but the time we spent together was worth more than anything we could have put in a pan.  As the evening wound to a close and our fire died to embers, our conversation turned to spiritual things.  He had questions, and together we found where the Bible had answers.  That never would have happened if I hadn’t made time for him. 

In Deuteronomy 6:5-7 God says, “You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”  In other words, spend time with your kids and grandkids.  While you’re spending time with them, whatever you’re doing, tell them about God.

Popular parenting experts say that quantity time isn’t important, but what’s necessary is to spend “quality time” with our kids.  But quality time is what happens when you spend a quantity of time together.  Give yourself to them, and in years to come it will be easier for them to give themselves to Jesus. 

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[i] Trace Adkins.  Just Fishin'. (C) 2011 Show Dog -- Universal Music, LLC

"Remember Who You Are"

Spirit & Truth # 246

“Remember Who You Are”

By Greg Smith

Have you ever reached a standstill in life, where God has been using you for His kingdom, but then fear or disappointment or depression grips you and all your work seems to be for nothing?  God has great plans for His people.  The problem is that sometimes we forget who we are in Christ.  We forget the power of the Holy Spirit, and the mission He has given us.

In Ezra chapter four, God’s people who have been rebuilding the temple stop their work, because they fear man rather than God.  But in chapter five, they are inspired by the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, and they resume their work once again.  The Persian-appointed governor and other officials ask them, “’Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?’ They also asked, ‘What are the names of those who are constructing this building (Ezra 5:3-4 NIV)?’”

Satan, the enemy of our souls, likes to intimidate us into submission.  He likes to “kick butt and take names.”  Whenever he sees us building God’s temple in our hearts, he tries to put a stop to it.  If he sees spiritual growth within believers, he throws up roadblocks to oppose it.  Our problem is that we forget who we are.  We forget that our power and authority come from God.  When the accuser says, “Who do you think you are?” we tend to shrink in fear rather than speaking with faith.  But God wants us to remember who we are.

When I was young, my mother used to pray over us before we would catch the school bus.  Then she’d embarrass us in front of the neighbor kids by calling from the front porch, “Take God with you, and remember who you are!”  At the time, we didn’t want to hear it—but it was one of the greatest life lessons I’ve ever had.  Everywhere we go, we need to carry God’s authority with us.  We need to remember who we are as Christians—children of the King, bought by the blood of Jesus.  That carries with it immeasurable strength and authority.

The governor sent a report to the king, saying, “We questioned the elders and asked them, ‘Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it? (verse 9)’”  The response they received surprised them, for the workers cited a work order from Cyrus, a previous and greater king than Darius.  They also said that they were commissioned to build the temple by the greatest King of all:  “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago (verse 11 NIV).”  They knew who they were, and whose authority they claimed.  Do you?

When fear threatens to shut you down, do you give in to it or do you claim your authority as a servant of the God of heaven and earth?  Don’t let the devil stall the building project that God has started in your heart.  Be confident that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6 NIV).”  Take God with you, and remember who you are!

Casting Out Fear

Spirit & Truth # 245

“Casting Out Fear”

By Greg Smith

            When I was a small child growing up in the Henrico suburbs, I played all over our neighborhood.  Times were different then, and my parents let me roam from one neighbor’s house to another in a safe pack of kids that looked out for one another.  We played in each other’s yards and club houses.  We swung on swing sets and used the entire neighborhood for our epic games of war games.  We played everywhere—except for the one place I refused to play.  I was afraid to go in my side yard.

            In my small side yard there was a dark area, shaded by our next door neighbor’s fence and an overhanging tree on one side, and by our house on the other side.  Ivy grew on the tree and ran up the side of the house, hanging in creepy tatters that sparked my young imagination.  Whenever a squirrel or other small animal would scurry through the undergrowth, I envisioned all sorts of frightening things making those noises.  I was convinced that a witch lived in that dark corner of my yard, and my fear kept me from playing anywhere near there.

            Now that I’ve grown up, I’m no longer afraid of witches and monsters.  But I have to admit that there are still some dark corners in my life that fill me with fear.  Perhaps you have some things that scare you, too.  Recent political unrest and trouble on Wall Street have got people fearing for the future.  With fear fueled on the one hand by corporate giants and on the other hand by activist groups like Anonymous (whose tag line, by the way, is the same as the demoniac, “We are legion, for we are many”)[i], many Americans dread the worst.   One of my neighbors is planning what to do when civilization as we know it crumbles within the next few weeks.  

            Perhaps your dark corners aren’t political or economic.  Maybe you fear the dissolution of that relationship that has been so strained in recent months.  Or it could be that the doctor’s report has left you despairing for the future.  Possibly, your children are about to make life decisions that you think would end in disaster.  Whatever the dark places in your yard, God wants to shine His light.

            2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  1 John 4:18 (NKJV) tells us, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.”

 

How do we combat the fear that threatens the peace that God wants to put in our hearts?  Seek the perfect love of God.  1 John 4:8b-10 says, “God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  Only through the perfect love of Jesus can your fear, like a demon, be cast into the outer darkness.  Receive His love today.  Let Him cast out your fear.  Let Him set you free.

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[i] See Mark 5:9

"Building God's Temple"

Spirit & Truth # 244

“Building God’s Temple”

By Greg Smith

Ezra lays the cornerstone of the temple.

            My church is almost at the end of a building project that began its planning stages five years ago.  Our people are cramped for space.  So we’re building an extension to the fellowship hall and some new Sunday school rooms.  The project is scheduled to be complete by the beginning of November, and we’re all getting pretty excited.  I’ve been teaching from the book of Ezra lately, and we’ve been talking about what it really means to build God’s temple.  

            Ezra led the Israelite exiles back to Israel, from their seventy-year captivity in Babylon.  There, they began to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed in their grandparents’ day.  They needed faith and dedication in order to get the project off the ground, and to see it through to completion.  My church is building a physical house for God’s work, but 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) says that “you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.”  Like the Israelites who rebuilt the temple, and like my church members who are building Sunday school rooms, you need faith and dedication as you build the temple of the Holy Spirit in your heart.

              What does it mean to build God’s temple inside you?  Many people think that means filling their lives with service activities like feeding the poor and clothing the naked and healing the sick and comforting the afflicted.  This might build God’s kingdom on the earth, but it doesn’t build God’s temple inside you.  While these things should overflow from a life dedicated to God, they are the result and not the source of God’s blessing.  Building God’s temple inside you means growing your spirit.  This can’t be done by hard work—it can only be done through prayer and immersing yourself in God’s word, the Bible.

            Ezra 3:6 (HCSB) says that “they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, even though the foundation of the LORD's temple had not [yet] been laid.”  Dedicated Christians are often very good at finding helpful things to do, in order to serve others and build God’s kingdom.  This is good, but we need to follow the example of Ezra, who constructed the altar and began regular sacrifices even before he began his work on the temple.  We need to maintain the altar of our spiritual life before we busy ourselves with doing good.  God wants to use you to do great things—but make sure that you prepare your heart for prayer before you prepare your hands for work.  

Have you been weary lately from all the good things you’ve been doing for God?  Why not take some time away from the work of building God’s kingdom, and build an altar to God right where you are?  Let Him renew your heart, and then you’ll have energy to do the rest.

The Beat of a Different Drum: Developing Your Talents for God

Spirit & Truth # 243

“The Beat of a Different Drum:

Developing Your Talents for God”

By Rev. Greg Smith

An Irish Bodhran

            I am basically a lazy musician.  I play the piano, the harmonica, and an African hand drum called the djembe, all by ear.  It’s not that I can’t read music—I had five years of piano lessons.  I just don’t want to put in the work it takes to actually practice.  Now, I’ve added a different drum to my list of noise makers: the Irish bodhran (pronounced bow-ran).  I’ve been driving my family nuts over the past couple of weeks, learning this new instrument.  While I’ve been playing the djembe for a decade, the bodhran is entirely new to me.  The rhythms and technique are altogether different.  I’ve had to learn the beat of a different drum.

            The bodhran has taught me that I can’t be a lazy musician.  In contrast to my other instruments, I actually have to work at this!  My church family doesn’t have to worry—they won’t hear the sound of the bodhran just yet.  2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.”  Apparently, I need to study a little bit more as I learn the beat of a different drum.  

            God has given each of us a talent, or a handful of talents, to be used for His glory.  In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the parable of a wealthy man who went on a journey.  He entrusted his servants with the care of his money (a currency called talents).  When he returned, some of them had invested the money and returned his talents back to him along with the profit.  This greatly pleased the master.  But one servant had been afraid to risk anything, and buried the talent.  When the master returned, all he received from the lazy servant was his original coin—and of course the master did not respond favorably to that!

            What talents have you received from the Lord?  Perhaps God has gifted you as a teacher or as a musician.  Or maybe you love to serve in the church kitchen.  You could be a generous giver to the missions of the church, or you might enjoy caring for the sick.  Whatever you do for God, make sure you take the time to perfect your craft.  Giving God your best means dedicating yourself to improvement.  For you that could mean taking a CPR class so you’ll be a better nursery worker.  Or it might mean preparing your lesson a bit more before you preach or teach it.  If you’re on your church’s praise team or choir, make sure you attend practices before you sing with the group on Sunday morning.  Using your talents for God means improving them as you go.  This is how we give God our best.

            In Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”  I’m not sure I agree with Thoreau.  Maybe if he isn’t keeping step, it’s just because he needs to practice some more.  God has given His people many gifts and talents.  Rather than shrugging off your lack of preparation and calling it originality or “keeping in step with the Spirit,” why not take time to practice the talents the Lord has given you?  That’s how you glorify Him—by honoring His gift and studying to show yourself approved.

            

Check out this video of the Corrs.  Irish music is my favorite.  For a great bodhran solo, listen to this video at 1:40 (one minute, forty seconds).   If the video doesn't load, then click here.

Crossing the River

Spirit & Truth # 242

“Crossing the River”

By Rev. Greg Smith

            All of us have pivotal moments in life, where things have changed and nothing will ever be the same again.  You’ve crossed over from one stage to another, and there’s no going back.  These watershed events are often symbolized by water crossings.  In the book of Genesis, Eden was surrounded by rivers.  When Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden, they had to cross the river from a life of blessing to a life of toil and curse.  In Exodus, God miraculously parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could cross on solid ground.  They left behind their slavery, entering lives of freedom and new national identity—and life would be changed forever.

            Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years because of disobedience and faithlessness.  Finally Moses died, Joshua took the lead, and God was ready to send the people in to possess the Promised Land.  As they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, they realized that once they crossed, life would be different than they had ever known before.

            In pivotal moments like this, we need to take our cue from the ancient Israelites.  Joshua told the people to follow the Ark as it went before them, since they had never been this way before.[i]  When life presents you with situations that you have never before encountered, make sure that you put God first.  Rather than following your own plans, follow God’s word, and let Him lead you.  

            “Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’”[ii]  In Joshua’s day, consecrating yourself involved washing, making sacrifices, and anointing yourself.  Today believers should face pivotal moments in life by living in God’s holiness, receiving the sacrifice of Jesus, and letting the Holy Spirit anoint them with His presence.  Why did Israel consecrate themselves?  Not for the river crossing, but because there were enemies ahead.  Believers today also need to realize that there are spiritual enemies ahead.  God wants you to be “more than conquerors,”[iii] and a holy life is the only way you can win.  

            When the priests’ feet touched the water’s edge, “the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away...So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.”[iv]

            At the Red Sea a generation ago, God had first parted the waters and then Israel had crossed on dry ground.  Now at the Jordan, God expected them to have learned about God’s faithfulness.  He expected them to have grown in their own faith.  So God waited for them to take the first step into the water before He worked the miracle.  Too often we sit around waiting for God to act on our behalf without taking any kind of action ourselves.  But God delights in seeing believers step out in faith.  When all your waiting accomplishes nothing—why not step out?

            Life is going to bring troublesome times.  You may find yourself saying, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.”[v]  When you come to those difficult times and you know life is about to change forever, don’t fear.  Trust in God, and “Consecrate yourselves, for the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

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[i] Joshua 3:3-4

[ii] Joshua 3:5

[iii] Romans 8:37

[iv] Joshua 3:16-17

[v] Psalm 69:1

"Because of My Enemies"

 Spirit & Truth # 241

“Because of My Enemies”

By Rev. Greg Smith

            Ten years ago this past Sunday, our nation was attacked.  Thousands were killed in a brutal suicide mission.  Individual families had their lives changed, with loved ones ripped away in their prime and without warning.  America was changed on that day.  Suddenly, secure living was a myth.  People flocked to churches, at least for a while.  They cried out to God for healing, and struggled with their ability to forgive.

            Country singers responded with the heartcry of America.  Toby Keith sang:

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin' her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it's gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin' her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you'll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
'Cause we'll put a boot in you’re a--
It's the American way[i]

            It has been ten years now, and this past Sunday many of us attended prayer vigils and remembrance services to honor those who have fallen.  If they were well-done, they honored the victims, but they also honored the lives of civilian casualties that have taken place in wars since September 11.  If they were done very well, then they even remembered the human lives that were lost to the tragedy of religiously guided suicide on that day.  September 11 of this year has caused me to ask the question, “How do we respond to our enemies?”

You see, initial anger at an injustice in your life is understandable.  No matter who your enemy is, both personal and national, your immediate response is usually anger.  Then there’s the lengthy grief process of those who have experienced loss.  But ultimately, there must be healing.

King David was had a lot of deadly enemies—some of them were even in his own family.  His prayer in Psalm 5:8 was, “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies.”  If we’re honest with ourselves, we behave pretty well when things are going nicely.  But when our enemies come against us, they try our patience and cause us to explode in anger.  David’s psalm admits that it’s our enemies that tempt us toward an unrighteous response.  He prays that God will lead us in righteousness, specifically because these people make it so difficult to respond in the right way.

It’s reported the Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, never bore a grudge.  When a friend wanted to remind her of an offense someone had done to her, the friend said, “Don’t you remember?”  Clara could only respond, “No.  I distinctly remember forgetting that.”  That’s the kind of Christian that Jesus calls each of His followers to be.

How do you respond to your enemies?  Jesus taught us to forgive them, love them, and pray for them.  Maybe you’re not quite there yet, but Psalm 8:5 gives us the first step.  Walk in righteousness, because of your enemies.

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[i] Song:  “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American).”