08 | September | 2013

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Eyes in The Night

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Dr. Steve Martin

Steve & Shirley

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything. 1 John 3:19-20

See if you can get this one right.

What type of accident causes one million collisions that are responsible for 27,000 human injuries and $3.5 billion in damages?

Did you guess “texting”? Wrong! The correct answer is automobile accidents that involve deer. My sister-in-law is a great dear hunter with a vehicle.

Of course, there are other kinds of vehicle-animal accidents. A friend once had a parishioner who experienced nightmares because while driving he had come around a corner and saw hundreds of eyes staring at him. That was all he remembered before his car plowed into a herd of Black Angus cattle, which had broken down a fence and wandered onto the road.

Anybody who has been involved in such an accident wishes there was a way he could know, he could see, animals that were on or approaching the road.

If that describes you, I’ve got good news. Mercedes-Benz and Autoliv will soon offer Night View Assist Plus on their S-class automobiles. The system will identify people, cows, moose, deer, camels and wild boar. To make this option available the companies journeyed to five continents, catalogued thousands of animals and spent many millions of dollars.

I guess those are the hoops humanity has to jump through if we want to see that which once was hidden.

In contrast to our extremely limited vision, we have the Lord who knows everything because He sees everything. He knows the location of all the animals I mentioned and, along with that, He knows the position of every ant, bacteria, virus and mold spore. Because He knows these things, we shouldn’t be surprised He also knows everything about us.

And that fact, could be discomforting because it also means He knows our dark thoughts, our evil desires, our sinful longings, and our disobedient actions. He knows on our own we wandering humans will soon be mowed down by that which is lurking on or near the roads of our lives.

To prevent that tragedy God made a great — an unbelievable investment — to make us safe. His was an investment which cannot be measured in time or paltry dollars and cents. That’s because God’s investment was the life of His own Son.

Now because of the love of God and the grace of Jesus Christ we need no longer be afraid of collisions. They will come, but because of Jesus we are safe.

Dear Lord, we give thanks you have invested the life of your Son to keep us safe by the mercy and grace of Jesus. Through him we know that we are held safely in your loving arms no matter what is standing in the road around the next curve. Amen.

Grace and Peace

Steve

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What is 2 + 2?

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Dr. Steve Martin

Steve & Shirley

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:8-9

A few years ago, I heard about an international company that was looking for a new director of marketing.

The position was a lucrative one and many applicants came forward to be interviewed. Eventually, the candidates were narrowed down to two finalists. Each of those men was brought in for a short and final visit. They were asked the same question: “What is two plus two?”

The first candidate thought a bit about his answer. He was wise enough to know that there had to be some kind of deeper purpose behind such a simple question. Eventually, he answered: “The answer to two plus two is four … or we could also say it is the number between 3 and 5.”

The man was thanked for his time and escorted out.

The second individual was invited in for his interview. The same question was asked of him: “What is two plus two?”

Without hesitation, the man replied with a question of his own. He asked, “Tell me what you want the answer to be, and I will make it so.”

That fellow, and not the first, was hired.

It occurs to me that in some respects that story is the story of our lives. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are all interviewing somebody whom we can spiritually follow: somebody into whose hands we can and will place our today and our futures.

There are two candidates. The Lord says, “Put yourself in My hands. I can tell you the difference between the low road and the high road. I can lead you to faith in Jess, who gave Himself so you might be forgiven and restored to my family. In Jesus your life can be blessed and your eternity will be assured.”

But there are many more candidates seeking our loyalty.

When we bring them in and ask why we should follow them, they say, “Tell me what you want the answer to be, and I will give it to you.”

Tragically, far too many people hire the easy road right then and there. That’s because these promises seem so good, so beneficial, so desirable. Only the passing of time shows they have been duped by the “father of lies” (see John 8:44).

This is why I encourage you to follow the Lord. Only He has shown the kind of love that can forgive your sins, redeem your soul, and grant you all you really need … not want … but need.

Dear Lord, the world’s seductions seem to promise satisfaction. May we be given eyes of faith that expose it falseness. Further, may we be granted the ability to trust in Jesus, who alone can give us what we need. Amen.

Grace and Peace

Steve