Coffee With The Lord

[A repost from 2014]

Fireworks were going off all over the neighborhood last night… I was fun, it was colorful, and it was exciting! It will happen again tonight.

It occurred to me, however, that for those who risked (and in many cases) gave their lives to gain and defend our freedoms, “fireworks” likely had a different connotation. Some of our heroes this 4th of July are missing limbs, struggle with emotional challenges, or may lie beneath a headstone in a cemetery because of the “fireworks” they experienced. We celebrate what they paid for… painfully (but willingly)! I intend to pause today and offer thanksgiving for their sacrifice!

Reminds me of another symbol of victory (and sacrifice)… the cross! You see them everywhere… on buildings, as ornaments, and hanging around people’s necks as jewelry … we even have holidays that honor what the cross represents – “Good Friday and Easter.” I enjoy the benefits of the cross… forgiveness, salvation, moral and spiritual freedom, even life (because Christ conquered death!). But I need to remember – it cost Jesus EVERYTHING! He left heaven’s glory, came to earth as a baby, walked among us, lived a perfect sinless life, suffered incredible cruelty and injustice, and died on a cruel cross for your sin and mine! I would say it means something more to Him than it does to me! I want to remember! I want to express my gratitude! Freedom and forgiveness, courtesy of the cross!

Apostle Paul put it this way… “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to, and I to the world!” (Galatians 6:14).

So tonight when I hear and see the fireworks… I’m going to remember, reflect and be grateful. And the next time I see a cross I intend to do the same thing.

Just a suggestion… This would make A WONDERFUL “LIFE VERSE” for someone… “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage, now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death!” (Philippians 1:20)

Want to know what is a big challenge for our children (and grandchildren) today? …

Remaining morally pure in a corrupt culture! And, believe me, it’s not just a “youth” issue … it’s a challenge we all face. Things once thought unthinkable by “religious folk” are now approved in the name of tolerance. Media flaunts relaxed morals and things the Bible calls “perversions.” The ancient directives regarding sexual morality in Proverbs, and the teaching of Jesus, and the epistles are explained away as the relics of unenlightened, bigoted era. The burning question for committed Christians is, how can I remain “pure in heart” and “blameless in behavior” in a permissive culture?

Well, there are several Biblical answers to that question that I could address. I encountered an important one in my Bible reading this morning that we dare not forget…

“How can a young man (or woman) keep their way pure? By guarding it according to Your word! With my whole heart I seek You! Let me no wander from Your commandments! I have stored up (some versions say ‘treasured up’) Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You… In the way of Your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches! I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” (from Psalm 119:9-16 ESV)

Listen, anything that parents (and grandparents) can do to encourage Bible reading, Bible memorization, and/or Bible study by the youth in their family is a good idea! It’s as important as their kids taking their vitamins, eating healthy, getting the exercise they need, or getting an education! And for brand new, born again followers of Jesus (AND those of us who have been following the Lord for awhile)… we desperately need to follow the Psalmist advice as well! Time spent internalizing God’s word is a healthy hedge against evil! In fact, if I begin to neglect my time of “coffee with the Lord” I can begin to tell it. I’m really glad for the time I spent with God’s word today!