The story has been told of a man who asked a minister to conduct a memorial service for his pet dog. The minister was incensed. “We do not hold memorial services for dead dogs! You might try another church down the street.” As he turned to go, the man said, “I really loved that dog. I was going to offer a million dollar memorial gift for performing the service.” The minister spoke up, “Wait a minute, you never told me your dog was a Christian!”

Unfortunately, to one extent or another, we all do it. Whatever the defining factors are: race, denomination, political views, gender, economic class, or interests, too often we categorize people as “in” or “out.” These categorizations are demonstrated when we play favorites. I know that I have been guilty of avoiding someone who may need a friend desperately only to befriend another person because they seem to be “more like me.” And too often, like the minister in the story, we determine others’ involvement in our lives by whether or not they useful to us.

Perhaps we all need a good reminder that playing favorites is simply wrong. True, we can’t be “best friends” with everyone. That’s okay. Yet, Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The New Testament is full of instruction challenging us to avoid favoritism and to freely love others.

Another important reminder: Jesus said that the world will judge whether or not we are truly His followers by whether or not we display genuine love for one another (John 13). Today’s challenge is to move beyond our comfort zones and demonstrate that we are truly followers of Jesus by extending love, grace and friendship to others—regardless of our differences.

In His Hands,
John – HE>i

To make a difference in your world you have to be real. There is nothing worse than a holier-than-thou Christian who never shares his or her hurts and sorrows. I don’t know about you, but I can’t relate to perfection. Authentic people make a difference in the world.

I heard of a minister in the Midwest who was going for a walk with a soap salesman in the community who was a real skeptic toward Christianity. They were having quite an active debate while walking through the park. The businessman was getting in some good jabs at the inconsistency of Christians.

As they were walking through the park, the soap salesman questioned the minister, “How can you say that Christianity works when even within the inner-city park you see derelicts of every kind, drugs and prostitutes. Then you have the problems of the family, war and disease, not to mention the negative problems of the world. How can you say that Christianity works? Just look around; it’s not working.”

They walked in silence for a few moments and then the minister turned to him and said, “You’re a soap salesman, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Is it good soap?”
“It’s the best soap on the market!”

The minister turned and pointed to a small child playing in the park who was covered with dirt and grime, and said, “This boy is dirty and filthy from the mud in the park; doesn’t your soap help him?”

The salesman said, “Well, you’ve got to apply the soap.”

The minister’s response was, “So it is with the Christian faith. You must apply the Christian faith in order for it to work.”

If you want to be His disciple, you must deny yourself, pick up your cross daily and follow HIM!

In His Hands,
John – HE>i

In Luke 15:31-32 we read, “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”(Luke 15:31, 32 NLT)

This good obedient son was mad too. He had served his father faithfully his entire life and now his younger, rebellious brother was back. And they were throwing that brother a party. When had they ever thrown him, the faithful son, a party? When had they ever even acknowledged his dedication to the family? NEVER!

While his younger brother traveled the world, spending money and living without a care, he had stayed and behaved appropriately. And now that the money had run out his brother had returned home. What the older brother wasn’t expecting was to see his irresponsible sibling welcomed upon his return. He had expected his father to turn him away or, at the most, let him work as a servant in the fields. It was he, the older brother, whom this party should be for and there was no way he was going in to celebrate his baby brother.

So his father comes looking for him and asks him to come in. The older son explains his hurt and anger, but his father does not apologize. He simply reminds his son that he loves both sons and cannot help but to celebrate the one who has returned.

While his father forgave, the older brother held onto resentment. He resented his younger brother for leaving. He resented his younger brother for returning. And he resented his father for his willingness to forgive, so much so that he could not experience the joy that comes when we are willing to show mercy on others.

My brother returned home when we were 18. I was glad to see him, so was dad, but I was still mad at him. In fact I kept that anger bottled up into my mid twenties. Then, we had it out. We talked, cried, and then the healing came. In fact our relationship is stronger now then it ever was.

How is your forgiving heart? Is there someone out there whom you have trouble believing that God would love because it is so hard for you to love him or her? If so, you are missing out on the celebration and joy you can share with God each and every time one of His children turns from wrong ways and returns to Him.

In His Hands,
John – HE>i

If you want to read a great Bible story, take a moment to ponder Mark 5:1-20. It shows how Jesus and His disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee. They were headed in a southeasterly direction out of Capernaum. The disciples asked Jesus where they were heading and for what purpose. Jesus answer, “Oh, we’re heading toward the area of the ten Greek cities, the Decapolis.”

The disciples asked, “What for?”

He replied, “We’re going to get the message of the Kingdom out throughout that entire region.”

“My,” Peter said. “That’s quite a task. How many weeks will we be there? I didn’t really come prepared.”

Jesus responds, “You don’t understand, we’ll just be there a few hours, maybe the better part of the day.”

“Well, frankly, LORD, I’m totally confused. How in the world can we get the message out in such a short time?” asked another.

Jesus replies, “Oh, I’ve got it all figured out. I’ve got a man picked out over there. We’ll be meeting him a bit after we land. He’s going to spread the word.”

“Well,” said Peter, “now I understand. Is it anyone we know?”

“No, you’ve never met this fellow before.”

“He must be quite a guy if he’s going to take on this territory all by himself. He must have some charisma or training. I’ll bet he’s one of those sharp, well-educated young Pharisees who were converted down at the seminary in Jerusalem during our last visit there! Right?” another asked.

“No,” Jesus said. “Actually, he hasn’t had any training at all. And frankly, he hasn’t gone to school much either. As a matter of fact, mostly he has just been hanging around the cemetery lately.”

“The cemetery? What is he, a funeral director? Or a grave digger? What does he do at the cemetery?” a disciple demanded.

“Well, mainly he runs around breaking chains, cutting himself and banging his head on the stone markers. As a matter of fact, right now he’s full of the devil and running around half nuts.”

Do you get the idea? Only God knows the power and potential within each one of us. Isn’t it amazing that He uses ordinary people like you and me to accomplish His plans?

If God can use a demon-possessed man to spread the word (see Mark 5:20), then He can surely use you as well. What about you? Will you allow yourself to be an ordinary person whom God uses to do extraordinary things?

In His Hands,
John – HE>i

While sorting out their affairs, the elderly man took down the shoebox and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time for him to know the contents of the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $25,000.

Curious, the man asked her about the contents. “When we were to be married,” she began, “my grandmother told me the secret to a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.” The man was so moved he had to fight back tears.

Only two precious dolls were in the box. Apparently, she had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

“Honey,” he said, “that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?” “Oh,” she said, “That’s the money I made from selling all the dolls.”

I’m sure you laughed, but in reality it’s no way to handle conflict in relationships. Paul warns us not to end a day angry with another person. “In your anger do not sin! Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph 4:26-27) You see Paul knew the power of anger and how the devil waits to seize any opportunity to increase division among believers. Unresolved anger leads to bitterness, a lack of forgiveness and it causes immeasurable pain to those involved.

Today, choose to be a peacemaker and resolve any outstanding conflict.

In His Hands,

John – HE>i

The doctor wanted to offer comfort to his patient, but he didn’t know what to say.  Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?!  Then why do you want to go to heaven if you don’t know?  You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?”

The doctor was uneasy and was holding the handle of the door.  From the other side came a sound of scratching and loud whining.  As the doctor opened the door, a dog sprang into the room with his tail wagging and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog?  He’s never been in this room before.  He didn’t know what was inside.  He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened he sprang in without fear.  I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough.  And when the door opens, I shall pass through with no fear, but with gladness.”

It’s true that while we are given a glimpse of what lies ahead, there is a great deal that we don’t know and often wonder about.  Will there be a literal street of gold and a gate of pearl?  Highly unlikely. Those kinds of images may be helpful in understanding how precious heaven is, but they are not of much value in helping us to know exactly what it will look like.

And quite frankly, it doesn’t matter to me, for two reasons.  First of all, I trust my heavenly Father to provide nothing less than the very best for His children.  And secondly, as the doctor in the story above pointed out, the only thing that really matters is that we will be in the presence of God.  Living in a shack in His presence would be preferable to living in a mansion apart from Him.  Whatever else heaven may be, its essence is that we have the opportunity to have intimate fellowship with God.

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’ ” (Rev. 20:12)

Recently, I read a quote that has convicted me more than anything I’ve heard in a long time.  John Piper asked the question, “If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?”

It makes me wonder if we’re anxious to get to heaven to have the opportunity to be with God, or if we just want to go because it’s a place where we’ll enjoy ourselves and have all the comforts and pleasures that we’d like to have right now.  Think about it.

In His Hands,

John – HE>i

It’s so trendy to practice smorgasbord religion – a little dose of Jesus, a little pinch of Buddha, a little Mohammed here and a little New Age thought there. It makes you sound so “with it”…so spiritual. NOT!

But it’s fundamentally dishonest. It’s an insult to each religion, for it’s like spiritual looting. It’s a classic refashioning of God into your own chic image. And it’s a reminder of the many intellectual airheads today.

Make a decision for crying out loud! But don’t be a phony for every faith. They don’t say the same thing. They don’t believe the same things.

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” Either He lied or was terribly insane – or is who He said He is. This is in direct conflict with every other religion. With Him, it’s all or nothing. I believe He is the truth about God.

I would rather live my life believing in Jesus Christ as my Savior and die to find out He wasn’t than to live my life not believing and die to find out He wanted to be.

Make a decision about Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, or whomever. But don’t insult them all with this airhead pseudo-sophisticated practice of smorgasbord religion.

In His Hands,

John – HE>i 

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.

I love what Paul tells us in Philippians 4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

What wolf are you feeding today?

In his Hands,

John – HE>i

How do you react when someone suggests you have done something wrong? Do you move to correct the mistake or deny that you need to correct it? After Cain’s gift was rejected, God gave him the chance to right his wrong and try again. But Cain refused. The next time someone suggests you are wrong, take an honest look at yourself and choose God’s way instead of Cain’s.

I love what Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”

In His Hands,

John – HE>i

Rejected! We’ve all experienced it. It’s not fun and you shouldn’t be surprised when someone rejects you or hurts you in any way. There’s sin in the world. It does exist. People can be angry and evil. Hurt people will lash out at others. Rejected people will reject others. Rejection shouldn’t surprise anyone.

But what is the best way to handle rejection? One of the most helpful, practical things you can do is develop a plan ahead of time to help you deal with rejection.

I read about a pastor who was leaving the staff at Saddleback, and before he left he stopped and asked Rick Warren how he handled the anonymous letters of criticism from the congregation (he had received plenty of them from people in the church). The minister asked, “Rick, do you ever get these?” Rick started chuckling! “Of course, I get plenty.”

“So what do you do about it?” he asked.

“I don’t read them,” Rick replied.

That is one of the best pieces of rejection advice I’ve ever heard. Ignore it! Don’t read hateful and hurtful letters.

The question of how to handle rejection becomes even easier when you answer a more foundational question: Who am I going to live my life for—God or humans?

If the answer is humans—you’re just setting yourself up for rejection. Why? Because you can’t please everybody. Period. The secret of simplifying life is saying, “I’m going to do what pleases God. If I live to please God, it’s always the right thing to do. It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks.”

You and I have a choice. We can choose whether we’re going to live for the applause of God or the applause of people. The crowd or God? Today’s Scripture tells us we can’t seek the approval of both at the same time.

God sees you differently than people do. People look at the externals; God looks at the heart. God always sees our potential. He knows who we are and who we can be. While other people look at the externals of our lives and accept or reject us accordingly, God sees the heart. He also sees us as His own children, wholly and dearly loved. That’s the perspective we need: that we are God’s children—and He never rejects His own.

Fully comprehending God’s love for us gives us power over rejection. His love is unconditional. He knows everything about us—and still loves us. His love has the power to stop our heads from moving side to side to see what others think of us. This love focuses our eyes on the One whose opinion really matters—God. Ephesians 1:4 describes it this way: “Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (NLT).

Wow. Without fault. That’s how God sees you. Nobody else sees you that way! Because God loves you, there’s no need to prove your self-worth. That is so relaxing…and freeing!

Getting our perspective straight and resting in the knowledge that He loves us—gives us the impetus we need to recover from pain of rejection and to get busy living our lives for an audience of One.

In His Hands,

John – HE>i