What did the gasoline pouring out of my car cost me?

We cry over many types of liquid that have been spilled or poured out of containers accidentally: spilled milk (as the saying goes), grape juice on carpets (why do you think we have crimson carpet in the church building?) and other types of mishaps of the liquidy kind. Most of these at worst only cost us a stain with which we must deal.

Recently I was pumping my gas as I always do. I started the pump by inserting my debit card, locked the handle of the pump and went inside to get a SunDrop while my car was being fueled. After talking to a few people I knew, I was about to pay for my drink when somebody said "that car just overflowed with gas." Fear set in as I realized it was my car. Never in my life have I had that happen, nor had I seen it happen. In embarassment, I rushed to the car, but thankfully someone had already stopped it for me. I looked at how much gas had been pumped, and let's just say it pumped out about another eight plus gallons onto the concrete pad at the gas pumps. That little mishap with the gasoline pouring out of my gas tank cost me about $25 more than I would have spent otherwise. Let's just say I'll not be leaving my car unattended at the gas pumps anymore as the sign does say "do not leave car unattended while fueling." This was like throwing away money in the trash can, though the price could have been a heftier penalty if someone hadn't been gracious enough to shut off my pump.

It reminds me of another time when precious fluid was poured out at a much higher cost than my gasoline. Jesus, when instituting the Lord's Supper, said "this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many" (Mk. 14:24). Paul said to the Ephesian elders that Christ purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The Hebrews writer said "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22). The picture in the original language is a pouring out of blood. Christ paid for our sins with the ultimate outpouring - His blood!

Thanks be to God that we can't put a quantitative price on the sacrifice that His Son gave for us. The outpouring of gas at the gas station was cleaned up with the oil spill and the rest evaporated from the heat. However, the blood of Jesus still continues the cleanse the child of God who walks in the light (1 Jn. 1:7). Do you need to take advantage of the blood of Christ?

Potpourri

I haven't blogged in a while, but I wanted to catch everyone up to speed on what was going on with me. Are you ready? Okay, here it comes!

• Turkey season is finally over, so now it's time to go catch some fish.
• I have had two very busy weeks, but they have been productively busy. Last Thursday a group from West 7th went to the Brushy community in Hickman county and worked on a house that had been hit hard by the flood. I will write an article about this in the church bulletin sometime soon.
• Last Friday I played in the golf challenge for the Tennessee Children's Home in Spring Hill, and our team came in second place. There is a story about me kissing a frog, and I think the pictures will show up on Facebook, but I enjoyed posing for the camera.
• Saturday I worked from 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. I pulled weeds, sprayed Roundup, moved boxwood bushes, planted double knockout rose bushes, spread three truck loads of mulch, conducted a funeral, mowed the yard and field, applied Preen to our mulchbed and that about sums up my day. That afternoon at the funeral, I almost pulled the lectern over on top of me. I must have put too much pressure on it with my hands when I was going to sit down, and I could hear gasps from the audience. As I turned around it was coming right toward me, and everybody got a big smile as I returned it to its upright position. That's the first time I've ever had that happen at a funeral, and I've conducted many of them over the last eight and a half years.
• Today we hosted the 3rd Monday Workshop at West 7th, and we finished up by eating lunch together at Farmers Family Restaurant. Next month we will travel to Hendersonville.

What Will Happen to Me in Return?

Have you ever wondered what would happen to you if you didn't comply with the census bureau by sending in your completed 2010 census? I have recently discovered that they will come to your house to ask you questions. Later, if you are still found as non-compliant, they can flag you and eventually charge you with jail time! Just as there are things which can happen to us in return in life, the same is true from a spiritual perspective. Jesus addresses some of these things in Matthew 7:1-12.

Be constrained in judgment (1-6)
Have you ever seen a bird dog in action? When they find that covey of quail they stop in their tracks, pointing out to the hunters where the birds are. Unfortunately, there are people like this religiously. They are constantly pointing out the faults of other people.

Jesus tells us to be constrained in our judgment of others. In regard to faultfinding, there are some principles to remember. Judging is not wrong (James 5:19-20; Gal. 6:1-2), but hypocritical judgment is wrong. Jesus says we need to perform some corrective surgery before we attempt to help someone else. These people have obvious sins in their life that will hinder the correction of others. Their sins are as plain as the nose on their face. It reminds me of Pinnochio when he was telling lies, and the Blue Fairy said "a lie keeps growing and growing until it is plain as the nose on your face." We need to do a self-examination before we pronounce others' condemnation. The judgment we use on others will be given back to us in the same measure on judgment day.

In regard to judging people as worthy candidates of the gospel, we need not to waste our time. Their are certain people in the world who don't appreciate the holy message of God. It seems these are the kinds of people the Lord was describing when He talked about the dogs and the swine. Don't force the gospel on those who don't want to hear it. This is a kind of judgment we need to make.

Jesus also tells us to be confident in prayer (7-11). Remember the Sure deoderant commercials? The people who didn't use Sure couldn't hold their hands very high. We don't need to be like this when we pray. Jesus employs words of action (ask, seek, knock). If we are confident in prayer, we will approach God with our petitions. However, Jesus does not tell us we'll receive everything for which we ask. He emphasizes needs to be met, hence the part about food. James 4:3 tells us that we don't receive certain things from our prayers because we ask with the wrong motives, for our own pleasures. If we are confident in prayer, the Lord will reward us.

Jesus tells us to be considerate of others (12). Some people don't get the golden rule. In an old episode of the Honeymooners, Ralph and Norton were having a conversation about Norton grabbing the bigger of two baked potatoes. Norton didn't ask Ralph which one he wanted, and Ralph got upset about it. Norton asked Ralph which potato would he haven taken, and Ralph replied the smaller one. Norton asked Ralph why he was complaining because he got the one he wanted. Jesus wants us to treat others the way we want to be treated. Parallel passages addressing loving our neighbor as ourself confirm the necessity of this in Mk. 12:28-31 and Gal. 5:14. If we want to be treated a certain way, make sure we treat others that way.

Before we act a certain way, we need to remember what will happen in return!

Conner's First Turkey Hunt

I told Conner this morning that we would go turkey hunting when I returned from work this afternoon. I decided to swing by my spot before I came home to see if there were any birds out in view, and sure enough there were some gobblers out strutting. I backed my vehicle up and headed to the house. After returning home, I was trying to get everything together and get Conner in his camo.

We were back on the road about ten minutes after four headed for the turkey woods, knowing the turkeys should still be there. After pulling up in the car where I had seen them last, they were still in the same spot, some fifty minutes after I saw them before I came home. I pulled the car back down out of sight, and we proceeded to slip up to a big red oak tree and catch a glimpse of the action.

There were three toms strutting, so I assumed there were some hens nearby. I couldn't see them, so I tried some action on the box call, but I couldn't get a response. I don't know how long we sat there, but it seemed like forever. The hens finally came our way, but they wouldn't come close enough for the gobblers to follow. They got out to about fifty yards behind some brush, and they turned around to follow the hens down the hill. I don't know how many times I had to tell Conner not to move, but those are teachable moments.

It was then I knew we had to go to plan B. That consisted of sneaking through the woods to try and cut them off where I knew they might be roosting. I knew it would be a challenge, especially having Conner with me, but we made our way through the forest, making all kinds of noise. We worked our way up to the rise overlooking the field where I could get a good view and shoot if they came our way. We saw the birds, but I was afraid they had seen us. I just knew we were going to get busted, but we didn't.

The birds eventually worked their way toward us, and they needed to stick their heads through an opening for me to get the best shot at one of the three gobblers. Wouldn't you know the gobblers came up just about to where they needed to be then they turned around. I thought, great, this cannot be happening. Looking through some brush, I knew I might be able to get a shot off if I shifted my gun to the right. It was a shot in the dark, but it just might work. I shifted around, and the turkeys didn't even see me. Let's just say I didn't give Conner time enough to put his fingers in his ears as he was laying just behind me to my left on his stomach. He truly had a "bird's eye view!"

He told me after I shot that it was awesome and I made a great shot. Great encouragement from a four-year old. This is a memory I will never forget. We had our turkey after chasing those birds for two hours and fifteen minutes. 6:45 p.m. was the time to hammer down tonight, and we had our bird. Congratulations, Conner. Patience and careful stalking pays off again, as my Dad, Foster Butt, would say!

In the Wake of Worldliness

If you've ever been to a big lake, envision backing your boat down into the water on the boat ramp. Once the boat is in the water, there is a stretch of water that is considered a "no wake" zone, hence signaled by the bouys that say "no wake" on them. If someone pays no attention to the warning and heads full throttle out to their fishing spot, it creates a wake or disturbance to a peaceful set of waters. Likewise, worldliness can create a wake in our lives if left unchecked. As Jesus continues in the sermon on the mount from Matthew chapter six, let's see what happens in the wake of worldliness.

Matthew 6:19-34

Worldliness causes unwise investments (19-21)
Those who invest make sure they have a wise plan for their money. Remember the commercial that's airing right now with the guy pulling his retirement goal on a string, and he comes up to the neighbor trimming his shrubs with his retirement number sitting on top, which happened to be a gazillion. He states that he throws money at it blindly and hopes something good happens. Unfortunately, people can make unwise spiritual investments. Jesus contrasts two types of investments we can make regarding the things we treasure.

Earthly treasures are the things which don't last (hence what Jesus says about moths and rust destroying and thieves breaking in and stealing). This is why you never see a hurse behinSpiritual treasures will last forever as they are reserved in Heaven for us (1 Pet. 1:4; 2 Tim. 4:8). Jesus says the things we treasure show our heart condition. Either we have a heart for God, resulting in godliness, or we have a heart for the world, resulting in worldliness. We need to make sure we are making wise investments in the right kinds of treasures which God has in store for us.

Worldliness causes ungodly service (22-24)
Imagine trying to work for two different bosses at the same time. I'm not talking about a day job and night job either. It's impossible to satisfy the demands of both bosses because it creates a conflict of interest, resulting in divided service. So it is with trying to serve God while serving things of this world at the same time. Jesus makes it clear that we cannot do this.

He uses two examples. First he talks about the eye as the organ of the body letting in light or darkness, but He does this in a spiritual application of light and darkness. There are good eyes and bad eyes. Good eyes are focused on God, while bad eyes might have a tendency to have one eye on the world, while having an eye on God at the same time. If someone is cross-eyed or has a lazy eye, it can appear that they are looking different directions at the same time. This can happen spiritually (Mt. 19:16-30). He also uses the example of trying to serve two masters. However, He points out that we'll hate one and love the other, or we'll hold to one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and riches. Don't let worldliness cause you to serve something ungodly.

Worldliness causes unnecessary anxiety (25-34)
Nod your head if you've ever experienced any of the following symptoms: fatigue, headaches, gastritis, insomnia, high blood pressure. These are all common things which can be caused by worry or anxiety. Jesus shows how caring so much about things of the world can cause anxiety to consume our lives. Some things worth noting about how anxiety or worry is unnecessary: He shows how there is more to life than the things about which we worry (25); He shows how it doesn't accomplish anything (27); He shows how God takes care of the things of this world which are of less importance than us (26,28,30).

Jesus says unnecessary anxiety comes from a lack of faith (30). Paul gave us a remedy for worry in Phil. 4:6-7. Jesus even gave his own remedy in verse 33 of our text. Are you seeking first the kingdom and righteousness of God, or are you letting worldliness cause all of these tragic things in your life? Make sure you are making the right spiritual investments. Make sure you are serving the right Master. Make sure you are avoiding unnecessary anxiety. Don't let the wake of worldliness shift your foundation from the rock of Jesus Christ to the shaky sand of the world.

Some things we need to ponder when we pray to God up yonder!

I'm sure all of us have had our moments. You know, when we speak before we think. I call it foot-in-mouth disease. Those moments where we open mouth and insert foot! Though we do that all to often in life as we communicate with others, our communication with God should not be like that. Some things we need to ponder when we pray to God up yonder.

We need to ponder the caution of prayer.
Many things in life have caused us to approach with caution. Whether it's a deer crossing sign on the highway while we're driving down the road of it's a caution light at a dangerous intersection, some things we have to be cautious of before approaching too carelessly. One of the things Jesus points out from the Gentiles is their use of vain or meaningless repetitions. You can find examples of these in 1 Kings 18:26 and Acts 19:34. It doesn't take many words to get our Father's attention, so we need to be cautious of these meaningless repetitions.

We need to ponder the content of prayer.
Sometimes people can say a whole lot about a lot of nothing. They might have used a whole lot of words, but they have used the content equivalent of a twinkie: not much to it inside! Jesus teaches a sample prayer where He uses the following content:
Adoration - praising God (Hallowed be your name)
Direction - God's will is to be done over ours (use Jesus as our example in Mt. 26:39-44)
Supplication - giving us our daily bread (God is the supplier of these needs)
Confession - asking forgiveness of our sins (implying we are sinful creatures in need of this)
Protection - God will protect us from the Devil (1 Cor. 10:13)
Content is very important as we communicate with our heavenly Father.

We need to ponder the contingency of prayer.
Have you ever heard the phrase everything hinges on this? It means if this doesn't happen, then other things will not occur. Jesus says our forgiveness from God is contingent on our forgiving others. Consider Matthew 18:21ff and Ephesians 4:32. We need to make sure that we're showing this to others if we want the same from God.

Not too long ago, Tiger Woods claimed he had committed transgressions. We need to ponder these things with our prayer life in order to receive the ultimate transgression protection!

Secret Service

We all have our mental images we associate with the term secret service. Whether you think about the men in suits protecting the President or something else, they have a job to do. The job was instituted to protect the President and combat financial fraud in our country. While that is a great role in our government, there is an even greater type of secret service in which we need to be involved.

Our Lord wants us to be enlisted in His secret service. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus says "beware of practicing your righteosness before men to be seen by them, otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven." He then proceeds to contrast the ways hypocrites (Pharisees) do good things with the motive of being seen by others with the way His followers should do these things in a secret fashion.

He addresses three areas of service that should be done secretly: giving in secret, praying in secret and fasting in secret. For a better description of what Jesus means by this, please listen to the sermon link titled "Secret Service." Jesus is very clear when He points out that Christianity is not a spectator sport! Are you enlisted in the Secret Service?