Finding Laughter In Difficult Times

We’ve heard that phrase before!  Sounds funny, but it can be true!  Just as some people think they can pull the wool over a blind man’s eyes, many are confident they can get over on God! They have their lines ready.  They’ve thought of just how to justify themselves before His presence.  They have every excuse lined up.  Well, someone in the Bible thought so too! Check it out. Backdrop:  Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, king of the northern Kingdom of Israel (10 tribes), was sick. King Jeroboam sent his wife to Shiloh to see the prophet Ahijah to see if their sick son would live. Here’s the plan:

 “Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go, disguise yourself, so you won’t be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam…Now Ahijah could not see; his sight was gone because of his age.  But the LORD had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and you are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else.”  So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam.  Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news…As for you, go back home.  When you set foot in your city, the boy will die” (1King 14:1-14NIV).

God revealed to the blind prophet all of Jeroboam’s plans. He knew what the king’s intentions were.  We see that whether we disguise ourselves or pretend to not know something, or claim we forgot, God knows our every thought! He’s known it since before any ideas even spring up inside us!  Picture it like this: It’s judgment day and you’re waiting in  heaven’s lobby surrounded by zillions of angelic beings and trillions of people all waiting their turn.

Your number is called to enter God’s throne room and as you strut your way in, you touch your nose thrice, rub your shoulder like, “He’s got nothin’ on me” and you begin rehearsing what you’re going to say about this case and that other one, etc. As you’re walking in, you see yourself on a huge screen committing what ever sins you did.  Your masks or disguises are removed and you see your thoughts or excuses being formulated in your brain right there.  So, before you even open your mouth, the irrefutable evidence is displayed on the screen.  There might even be a bunch of screens showing the different stages of your thoughts and actions as they occurred-all from different angles.  You realize there’s no use in denying your actions! He’s got you covered! 

“For the word of God is alive and active.  It is sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Now, God’s not blind, nor has lost His sight like the prophet; He’s not “The Blind Man” either- showing up to install your blinds!  Yet, He knows and sees everything all around us. He’s Omniscient (all-knowing), He’s Omnipresent (everywhere at all times), He’s Omnipotent (all-powerful), and Omni-benevolent (all-good/loving). He knows what’s on the horizon for 67 years from now and beyond, just as much as He knew all the events that would transpire from before Adam sinned until this moment.

Because He’s all-good, you can trust Him right now for whatever you’re going through!  Go ahead, invite Him into your living room for a Pepsi, or a Coke, or a Sprite, or 7-Up, or a grape soda, or water, and tell Him your woes (He won’t be surprised).  Clear your chest of what’s bothering you and then invite Him into your heart. He sees it. He’s Jehovah El Roi (Genesis 16:13), The God Who Sees.

God Bless!
Sam

There are people who forget everything. They forget to buy milk, forget to gas up, forget to dump the garbage…forget to set their alarm…forget it!  Forgetting things is not always a good thing.  If someone was supposed to show up but didn’t, it can be a bad thing.  However, forgetting can be a good thing too!

Consider Manasseh in the Bible.  His father, Joseph, said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household” (Genesis 41:51); thus, it was a good thing.

Do you know people who apologize but never forget?  They say they do, but bring up comments such as: “Remember the time…” and, “How come…?” or, “You always…”  God wants us to sincerely forgive others! Check it out! “So likewise, shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your heart forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses” (Matthew 18:35).  

What about God? He can remember the names of every star in the universe (Psalms 147:4).  He knows “when a sparrow falls to the ground” (Matthew 10:29). He’s not absent-minded.  He remembers us all as well as He remembers His promises.

However, God also forgets!  Check this out: “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12). He will cast our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). That’s great news!

 When we approach God, He’s not yielding a 2×4 or a hockey stick waiting to score on our heads.  If we’ve yielded our lives into His hands and we’ve messed up, when we confess to Him our fault, He’ll forgive us and cast it out from His memory.  Meaning, if we return to apologize anew for the same offense, He won’t recall what we’re talking about.  He doesn’t say, “Oh, it’s you again; what’d you do this time, Sam?”

Isn’t that amazing?!  Repent and bring your sins to Him. He’ll say, “Forgetaboutit; It’s covered under the blood!
God Bless!

Sam

Sometimes in life we need to get back to the beginning, to the basics. As the above song says, “Do you remember that day, (That sunny day) When you first came my way I said no one could take your place.”

Do you remember that special day in your life?  The day you fell in love? The day you were loved?  The day you graduated? The day you wed?  The day you made it to the top?  Do you remember the day you hit rock-bottom? The day Jesus came into your life?  Do you remember falling in love with Jesus?  Remember telling Him those words: “I said no one could take your place?”

If you’re currently drifting or walking away from Him, He’s telling you to get right back to where you started from.  As verse two says, “A love like ours (A love like ours) Can never fade away. You know it’s only just begun.”

God’s love for you is like Him; eternal! Nothing or no one can snatch you away! Read His message to you:                                    

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword” (Romans 8:35)?

God wants you to make your way back to Him! Dance it if you have to!  Read what He’s done for you!

“I have blotted out your transgressions, and, as a thick cloud, your sins; return to me; for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22 KJV).

Decades ago, we used to sing this verse as a chorus (corito) in Spanish: “Yo deshice como nube tus rebeliones, como niebla tus pecados, vuélvete a mi (2x) porque yo te redimí,” (3x).

Meaning? God wants us all to return to Him.  He’s blotted out the penalties written against us.  He’s paid the price for our sins.  He wants us to remember the day we said YES to Him!  Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38, 39).

Eternity with Him has only just begun!

God Bless!
Sam

*Maxine Nightingale, 1975

Our pastor recently gave us small hourglasses.  Some were of 1 minute, 3-mins, 5-mins, etc.  We all know that an hourglass will measure segments of time, or time in increments.  Set one up, and time seems to slip away rapidly.

Mentally, set yourself up on a desert. There’s nothing but tons of sand.  Dunes are dispersed throughout. Reach the top of a dune and look back.  It’s possible your tracks will quickly vanish and get covered up in a short amount of time.  Wind moves sand and erases what you recently created, whether you planned it or not.  Like grains of sand slipping through our fingers, life passes by.

The grains of sands that comprise our lives are ever-moving and ever-shifting.  Time, is running out on us.  We began with a full glass, but now grains of sand are rapidly diminishing.  As Jaci Velazquez sang in the Thief of Always

“You’ve got to live every moment/As though it was your last/ Before the thief of always/Steals tomorrow from your grasp/ Before the chance to know His love/Has somehow passed you by/Let your heart reach out/Right here, right now/For the Lord to touch your life.”

Time waits for no one, whether your hourglass holds seven-decades, three decades, two mins. or 60 secs of sand. Only God is unaffected by time because He exists outside of His creation and its effects on life.

Your life can hold more meaning if it’s hid behind His. When your time to leave this earth comes, you’ll transitions flawlessly into His presence- alive. As that oldie Fly Like an Eagle (Steve Miller Band) said, “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin,’ slippin’ into the future.” Use it wisely.  God’s our timekeeper.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

God Bless,

Sam

Back in the mid-60s and 70s, there were songs like: Papa’s Got a Brand-New Bag (James Brown), You Make Me Feel Brand New (The Stylistics), and Brand-New Key (Melanie Safka.  While a lot of people like new stuff, some don’t like brand new things at all-or at least act like they don’t.  Ever seen in movies when a guy compliments a girl on her new dress and she says something like, “What, this old thing?” 

Ages ago, people didn’t like wearing brand new dungarees, because they were so stiff.  I remember practically walking like John Wayne in them; especially if I also donned new Converse sneakers (footwear also has to be broken in for a comfortable fit).  To avoid the stiffness in jeans, people would wash them immediately before wearing them. Thus, pre-wash jeans were introduced, which raised prices too. 

There’s one thing I’ve never liked about new stuff, actually, a new look.  And that’s when women go to the beauty parlor and get their hair done. It might be cultural, but where I grew up in Brooklyn, NY. You had all these (Hispanic) women return from the salon looking like their heads were wrapped in plastic. They’d return home with hairdos that had received about 3 cans of hairspray.  It’d be shiny and stiff; primarily, when they had beehive hairdos!

Thankfully, my wife has never done that.  Even when her hairdo has undergone “the works,” she’ll say, “I’ll fix it at home.” And she does!  She knows how to make “New” look normal.

But new is good! If we have a new car, we tend to shine it up endlessly. Have a new house?  Like to show it off?  I can understand it.  But for over the top, it’s helpful to think that Jesus is in heaven preparing new homes for us.  They won’t be used, repossessed, from a kit, or worse; come with drawn and unwritten instructions!  Everything will be brand new, including our bodies, our neighbors, and a new earth with new heavens.  Life will be completely different from what it is now.  We’ll have a brand-new start in life, and won’t look like we’re made from plastic either! More importantly, our focus will be on Him, not on us. 

If you’ve ever been in the presence of professionals, you know what it’s like when your best efforts fall short compared to theirs!  Imagine worshipping God with angels! Imagine being in the presence of the Cherubim as they cover their faces before God’s holiness!  We’ll get to see the Seraphim flying with six wings!  Can you imagine?  With 2 wings they cover their feet; with 2 wings they fly, and with 2, they cover their faces as they sing out “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:2,3).  We’ll join them and other beings in worshipping God!  It’ll all be brand new to us!  We’ll have glorious experiences! 

All in all, everything evil, harmful, hurtful and devastating, will be gone!  Sin will be no more, corruption will be gone, death will be gone…temptation, lust and scamming as well!  In this case, new is good!  That’s the Gospel: Good News!

God Bless!
Sam

There are people who love making a grand entrance wherever they go. They want all eyes on them, stares, and jaws dropping as they strut their stuff. To me, they’re like Mr. Big Stuff (Jean Knight) commanding attention and recognition.  More so, it’s like stepping on to the dance floor during the Disco age displaying your outfit and hairdo, as well as your moves (Oh yes, it’s Ladies’ Night and the feeling’s right (Kool & the Gang); Disco Lady (Johnny Taylor); Mondo Disco (El Coco), etc.

Back in the mid-80s we had a “Supervisor” at work like that. It was said he liked to sashay his way around.  After a few minutes of modeling and giving a few instructions, he’d leave and return another day.  No one ever saw him work; much less, work up a sweat.

In general, man, lives under pride.  He loves to gloat, loves attention, and loves to be recognized. Those are all traits inherited from Satan, the liar and father of all lies. They are not traits from Jesus who made His entrance into this world in a most obscure way-born in a manger.  His “home” wasn’t exactly smelling of roses.  He lived unknown until He began His ministry at age 30 (Luke 3:23).

Unlike Jesus, Satan wanted Him to be like himself: (extravagant and attention seeking). He told Jesus ,“Cast yourself from this mountaintop…” (Matthew 4:6) so all could see Him); but that wasn’t Jesus’ MO.  “The pride of life…” (1 John 2:16).

“Jesus came to undo the works of Satan” (1 John 3:8).  Do you “Own the floor?” Are you starving for attention? Must everyone listen to what you have to say? Must you out-perform or outrank everyone for the spotlight? 

NEWSFLASH!!  The dancefloor belongs to only ONE person: JESUS! Although, He’s not the flashy type, He is decked out in glory, light, and surrounded by all types of jewels and majesty (Revelation 4:1-6).  He has all the moves; not dance-wise, but salvation-wise.  He controls EVERYTHING in the entire galaxy.  He rules over the affairs of man.  “Nothing happens without his knowledge” (Matthew 10:29).

After His crucifixion, He descended to depths of the earth to make a grand entrance into hell.  He spoiled the principalities there.  He made a show of them (Colossians 2:15).  After resurrecting, He appeared to many on earth for 40 days.  He made another grand entrance into heaven to the cheers of angels and the glory of the Father.  He reigns in heaven and everything is subject to Him (1Corinthians 15:28).

Soon, Jesus will make an exceptional grand entrance upon earth again!  His entrance will not be as a helpless infant this time, but as mighty warrior coming to bring vengeance upon everyone (Psalm 149:7), and to establish His earthly millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:1-10).  Upon completion, His body, the church, will reign with Him for all eternity. His Grand Entrance will be permanent!

But you don’t have to wait a thousand years! Hey, you don’t have to wait decades or weeks for Him. “Call on him now” and He’ll make a grand entrance right into your life this instant!  He’ll rule and reign over your affairs.  He’ll break darkness and shadows hovering over you.  He’ll heal your aching heart and restore your health.  As an extra measure of His love for you, He’ll throw in eternal life (John 17:3)!

God Bless!
Sam

Ages ago, in the Garden of Eden, Satan, through the snake, tempted Eve, and she and Adam yielded and fell.  That caused a host of demonic beings, which hovered over the atmospheric heavens, to take the opportunity to also flood the earth with their presence.  From that time forth, earth and all of creation lies under a canopy of darkness.  We don’t see it all at once because Jesus, the Light of the World, came to shed His Light on us. 

Today, darkness looms everywhere.  Hordes of demons tread this earth while billions more remain in everlasting chains under darkness awaiting their judgment (Jude 1:8).  Millions of people worship this darkness, while many who don’t, still walk in darkness; alienated from His Light.

During what we know as Holy Week, Satan’s demonic hosts and principalities gathered for their victorious blow to God.  They made sure to be present at the events scheduled.  The religious leaders, bent on rejecting whom they viewed as a false Messiah, became game for the powers of darkness to reign in their affairs. Their zealousness for “righteousness” blinded them from seeing God in their midst as Jesus, the true Messiah.

Satan and his ruling demons were “kept in the dark” of God’s plans. While that darkness cheered for the torturing, disfiguring, and crucifixion of Christ, God knew what it would all mean.  God made sure Satan walked right into His trap. Satan probably danced gleefully, maybe the Cha-Cha-Cha, as each spike was driven into Jesus’ body.  He couldn’t believe it was finally happening! He had tried unsuccessfully many times before, but now it was finally being fulfilled.

As Satan’s hellish hosts celebrated that first and second day, waltzing and boogying, they probably noticed the shock, disbelief, and horror on the faces of everyone around; particularly, Jesus’ followers, friends, and family. However, the third day took an unexpected turn…No one EVER had been tortured, nailed, speared through, dead for three days, and then able to take their own life back conquering Death and returned to life as if nothing ever transpired! That is made clear right here:

“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:18NKJV).

Jesus has power over death!  Suddenly, the tomb was empty and Jesus had resurrected!  Jesus descended to the center of the earth and made a spectacle of Satan and his demons! That’s right, Jesus showed up at Satan’s doorsteps and probably said, “You were saying?”                                           

Unlike Lazarus who died naturally, was brought back to life, but eventually died again, Jesus CONTINUES to live forevermore! 

The world got a glimpse of what goodness over darkness looks like. Jesus set captivity free! He’s broken off every chain of darkness over us! If you’re bound by sin, give your life to God today! Walking in darkness? Clouds and shadows loom above you? The One who rides the clouds will deliver you! The shadow of the cross will help set you free.

Easter is new life.  It’s the celebration of light over darkness through Jesus over Satan.  He has rolled back the darkness in our lives. You can be religious about it; get goosebumps, wipe a tear or two, try to get close to Him and continue life as “normal.” Or you can cry out to Him, whether quietly, in desperation, or exasperation: “SAVE ME JESUS!” That’s all it takes! Angels are standing by!

 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8).

Welcome to the Light!

God Bless!
Sam

*By the way, disregard the ridiculous and unimportant debates on “Who really killed Jesus?” Historically, two groups of people were present, Jews and Romans.  But neither group killed Him. Why? Because we all did! His love for us drove Him to the cross for our sins.

Many people are in prisons. Some, behind real bars, and others trapped behind prisons of fear, hopelessness, abuse, drug addictions, anger, hatred, etc. Some prisons hold hardened criminals, while some hold innocent ones.

We know that in some countries people can be placed in dark, dingy cells or worse, in dungeons.  Think about this, “If you’re imprisoned and your government pays off all its debt, does that liberate you from your condition? Does it change your anger, hatred, lust, or other things hidden within your heart? Not at all.  If the leader of the country you’re in gets replaced, does it free you? Same answer, no.

Travel back two thousand years and we’ll find the same situation. Isreal wanted freedom from Roman bondage and control. They sought a messiah to form an army and fight for their freedom. Their liberator would “Show those Romans who’s boss,” they thought and hoped.  If such a liberator came on the scene, they were ready to crown him king and leader of their movement.  But would it have changed their inner battles? Would such a leader erase their anxieties and disdain for the Romans? No!

Even if your financial situation or housing dilemmas improve; if anger management works for you, sin will forever eat away at your life. See, none of the exterior improvements, or internal helps will deal with sin. Sin is ingrained in all humanity from inception and passed on to everyone brought into the world. Here’s a shocker: In God’s eyes, we’re all guilty of sin and deserve death. 

Jesus, in His wisdom, ignored becoming a world-leader and getting crowned as king of His people because His time for that hadn’t arrived. Instead, His plan was to take the blame and sting (death) of sin for every human ever, upon Himself and set humanity free.

If you’ve ever watched a SUPERMAN movie, invariably, he has to fly out to some remote area, namely, space or an ocean, and absorb the impact of a meteor or bomb to save humanity.  That’s what Jesus did for us. Allowing sin to be our companion, would always keep us imprisoned by it-forever.   Jesus absorbed the impact/explosion of sin upon humanity. Israel missed that all-important message. 

Instead, like those playing a game of checkers, waiting to be “Crowned king,” Israel awaited its king and deliverer.  So, are you ready to make anyone your ruler in exchange for freedom?

Every battle we face isn’t about our neighbors or the people living across the street, etc.  it’s not about the government and it isn’t about unfairness. It’s about Satan who works behind lies, unjust practices, and his number one goal: to keep us from being saved.  He doesn’t want us following Jesus; instead, he wants to give us eternal life, with him in the darkness of hell; in the dungeon you might now find yourself in.

Jesus didn’t die in vain! He died to set you free! Claim your salvation now, today! Be set free! Give Satan a swift kick in his buttooshki! Cast him out in the powerful Name of Jesus, King of kings and LORD of Lord! 

How do you know He really loves you?  He wore the crown of thorns you deserved.  He took the nails meant for you. He was pierced on the side for your sake.  He took the shame that was yours and hung naked on a cross for all to see. He died in YOUR place and took your unrighteousness that you might live with HIS righteousness!  Additionally, after rising from the grave, He kept His nail prints and wounds as an eternal reminder of His love for you!  Only Jesus can change us on the inside.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

God Bless!
Sam

A common reaction to impressive things or things that affect us is, “Lord, have mercy!”  Unfortunately, we live in an age where little mercy is displayed in our daily affairs.  One of Jesus’ complaints against the religious leaders of His day, was their lack of mercy towards the less-fortunate.  Instead of seeing all of Israel as God’s chosen, they viewed themselves as separate from the common folk cloaked with a veil of protection from Him. To them, others were to remain in their “state” or social class.  They saw themselves as being called of God to a higher standard…they were wrong.

When someone committed a sin, there was no compassion from the leaders.  It was literally an “Off with his head” attitude.  Last week they could have shared bread with you, as their neighbor, but today, you’d be blacklisted or stoned to death for transgressing the law or for blasphemy. There was only judgement and condemnation; no mercy extended to others.

Unfortunately, people and organizations still function under those principles.  They want God’s mercy and their sins forgiven, but they don’t extend it to others.  They become self-righteous; “holier-than-thou” people (Isaiah 65:5).

Do you extend mercy to others?  Do you feel that God will understand you if you don’t? If you’re thinking serving God is just like any other religion, you’re incorrect. God is actually calling us to a “lower standard”-in a “humbling of spirit” way.  Here’s what God will do to those who withhold mercy from others: “For judgement will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; but [to the one who has shown mercy] mercy triumphs [victoriously] over judgment” (James2:13).  Meaning…???

In Christ, we have received mercy from God instead of His fiery judgment full of indignation.  The people who don’t show mercy to others worthy of it or not, will experience God’s full-fledged judgement without any mercy whatsoever.

“Show mercy even when they don’t deserve it?” you ask. YES! Because we didn’t and don’t deserve any mercy either.  “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Consider Jesus’ illustration: “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not like other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14).

Which man are you?

God Bless!
Sam

You probably remember the elderly lady in the TV commercial asking the question above. Many fast-food chains lacked enough beef in their burgers, prompting the famous line. Our family of five didn’t have any beef, as long as founder, Dave Thomas, was alive.  We’d go out and get 4-5 Biggie Fries, 5-6 Biggie Burgers, a few Biggie Frosty shakes (could scoop and slurp up that chocolate all day), and some drinks-all at .99 each.  But unfortunately, as soon as Mr. Thomas died in 2002, we had beef issues. In a nutshell, the end of Mr. Biggie, became the beginning of Mr. Smalley. Fries jumped to $3 and a “bag” shrank to where one could only fit about two fingers in it!  Mr. Frosty shrank from 12 oz to about 4oz at .99. Yep, but while the meals were great and tasty, the tripling costs led us to never return to that chain.  “I want a Frosty, I want a Frosty!”

Today, people have “Beef” about a lot of non-food related things like housing, inflation, scammers, crime, rents, etc. It’s almost impossible to survive.  Food items have doubled and building materials, in some cases, have tripled. God tells us to bring our “Beef” to Him. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1Peter 5:7).

 No, He’s not going to up-size your meal, and He’s not going to cut you some slack when remodeling your home, but He does listen to our petitions and takes things into account. 

There are issues (concerns, beef, etc.) we have that only He can deal with and solve. Have anger issues? Trust issues? Racial issues? Self-control issues?  What about heart issues?  For sure, everyone has a sin issue, and only God deals with that.  Jesus can change our hearts.  Jesus puts His laws in our hearts and changes us from the inside.  He died to remove the sting of sin in us. Once saved, sin won’t rule over us anymore. He saves us from its power.  Afraid of death? Death was defeated at the cross!  Sure, we “die” but the Angel of Death doesn’t come for us, instead, we’re immediately escorted by angels to an eternity with God!

Want to up-size your order?  From regular life, get eternal life with Christ!  Go from a regular water fountain drink, to the fountain of life (Psalm 36:9)!  Settle all your “beef” issues now!  And don’t worry about the prices going up, Jesus already paid it all!  Don’t postpone asking Him into your life this very moment!  “Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Extra Mayo, pickles, and a variety of cheeses; TO GO, Please!

Sam

PS. Have always loved Wendy’s Burgers!

Recommended Songs: Cast Down Your Cares John Michael Talbot; If This World Jaci Velazquez