Month: December 2020

Ever been singing a song forever only to learn you were mouthing the lyrics incorrectly? What about resting assure you know the meaning of a song only to learn it meant something else all along?  For sure, that was me! Some thirty years after having listened to, and sung a song, I learned what its true meaning was; and I was way off! Again, back in the 70s I would hear Bread’s song, Everything I Own. I thought it dealt with some kind of romance between a guy and his girlfriend. A few years ago, I learned that the song was from a son, David Gates, to his recently deceased father.  The line, “You taught me how to love, what it’s of, what it’s of” refers to his dad teaching him about love. Furthermore, the line, “I would give everything I own, give up my life, my heart, my home just to have you once again, just to touch you once again,” confirms the author’s heartfelt desire wishing to have been present more often in his dad’s life, or to have made it in time for his dad’s last days sooner.

If we look at the story of God and man in the Garden of Eden, we’ll see the same thing. in a nutshell, God gave man and woman the keys to everything on earth. The couple was placed in the garden to take care of it and to have fellowship (communion) with Him. He commanded them to take dominion over animals, nature, and all there was.  They were not to mess things up by disobeying Him.  But they did big time, and turned everything God had given them over to Satan. The communion was broken.  The fellowship was no more.  Sin now had dominion over mankind, the animal kingdom, and the entire earth and creation.  God was not taken by surprise. Nothing ever surprises Him.  He’s all-knowing, and He had a plan. Overall, He longed for the fellowship He had enjoyed with the highest of His creation, man.

Basically, His heart’s song for you was, “Everything I Own.” He wanted to give up everything just to have you back again, just to touch you once again.”

And so, he did! Scripture tells us (He) “Who didn’t consider it robbery to be equal with God, the Father, emptied himself (Philippians 2:7).” Meaning, He set aside His riches, the glory He had eternally shared with the Father, and sought that which was lost (humanity).  Everything He set aside was with the purpose of coming to earth as a child to restore fellowship between mankind and the Father.  After laying His life bare (actually, naked) for all to see, and dying, as well as rising from the dead for us, He once again restored mankind to God. Sin was dealt with. Jesus nailed it all to the cross (Colossians 2:14). That’s like taking all your outstanding debts and having someone pay them off.  He took the debts of all humanity to the cross. He cancelled them! Declared them, “Paid In Full.”

This very week, someone very close to us was finally able to pay off an outstanding student loan! The thrill to receive a cancellation notice showing ‘0’ where $20,000 once registered, was shared by us all.

As we await that glorious day when we’ll go home, Jesus is still singing to us, “Just to have you back again, just to touch you once again.”

Are you willing to give your heavenly Father anything and everything you own?  Can you sing it to Him?

Back in the early 90s I was working as a paraprofessional, a teacher helper in NYC. I was young, well-dressed, and looking good! There was another ‘para,’ an African-American girl who was always hitting on me.  “Hey Cruz…” she would say every time she saw me. “Nice shirt” or “nice pants,” she’d say. Once, after our Spring break she saw me and said, “I see you got married over the break.” I looked at her wondering what she was talking about. She said, “The ring.  I see you’re wearing one now.” I told her I had been married for 8 years. She had never noticed my ring but I assured her it never came off. 

One day, she says, “See, Cruz, you’re not the only well-dressed guy here now” as she pointed to a new worker.  He was a younger-than-me, good-looking, well-dressed African-American guy working as a para, who was also very friendly. I was glad for her! Got her off my back! One day, not too long after that, as we were leaving for the day, I saw him and said, “Good night, see you tomorrow.” He waved smiling and we were gone.

The next morning, I walked in the office and as I wished a good morning to the payroll secretary, I noticed a woman standing before her speaking in hush tones. I thought it strange but headed to my room. During the day, some news came about.

The previous day, the young man had told the payroll secretary and the teacher he worked with that he would be absent the next day to take care of some things. At about 1:30 a.m. as he was involved in a hobby of his, communicating through a ham-radio, he got electrocuted.  It was his wife in the office that morning sharing the terrible news.  It almost seemed as if he knew he wouldn’t be returning.

About two days later, I walked in to the teachers’ lounge and a teacher there said, “Oh my God, it’s you, you’re alive!” I looked around wondering who she was talking to. It then hit me. She said that it had been reported that the young, well-dressed ‘para’ who worked with Ms. Rivera had died leaving behind his wife and small kids. That would’ve been me. She was so glad to see me, that she hugged me. The difference was that the other guy worked for a Ms. Riviera.  Obviously, the name was mispronounced.  It was very sad that the guy died at such an early age.

Years ago, I read an interesting book, Mistaken Identity by Van Ryn, Cerak, Tabb about a similar situation where two almost-look-alike girls died.  Can you imagine burying a child thinking she was yours, only to learn yours is still alive? Or thinking the child before you, is actually yours, only to learn she isn’t, and you never had the chance to say your goodbyes? Some stories are definitely stranger than fiction.

As sad and heartbreaking as some stories go, there’s one thing you can be confident of: whether your name is spelled Schwartz, Schwarz, Schwartze, Swartz, (or other variants of the name), or Juan Rodriguez, or Jose Rivera (Most common names amongst Hispanics), God never mistakes you for someone else. That’s good and bad. On the plus side, if you serve Him, you’ll be getting your just rewards.  On the negative side, if you don’t serve Him, you’ll be getting your just reward too.  There’s no escaping Him.  You won’t be getting blamed for someone else’s deeds. And surely, no one will be able to say to The Great I AM, “Do you know who I am?” Or, “Do you know who you’re messing with?” Trying to cause Him to think He’s made a mistake, or trying to impress Him with their credentials. The Eternal God makes no mistakes.  “…For before I formed you in the belly, I knew you…”(Jeremiah 1:5a).

“I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14a NIV)

God Bless!
Sam

In a home, there may be some glamorous rooms, regular-looking rooms, as well as empty rooms.  In general, empty rooms aren’t difficult to fill; apply paint color, maybe some area rugs, furniture, and some artwork.  Sometimes, however, some empty rooms can’t be filled.

For four years we had our two grandsons living with us, ages 3 and 4.  Overall, we had great times together. I built them a mini workshop, got them mini tools, they’d spend hours in the pool, my wife would read them nighttime stories, and they’d bake cakes with her.  We laughed, cried, danced to music and crazy songs, and watched hours of Huckleberry Hound and Yogi-Bear. But they moved far away beyond our reach. Now there’s an empty room, both in the house and more importantly, in our hearts.  Some rooms are difficult to fill. Maybe you have one of your own, one you’re longing to fill.

Back in the 70’s, It Don’t Matter to Me was the title to a great song by David Gates and the group, Bread. All that mattered was the girl’s happiness because there would always be an empty room in his heart waiting for her.

On the other spectrum, there are people with empty rooms they don’t care to fill.  In fact, they don’t care about a lot of things.  Lots of people live under the words and concept that nothing matters to them. Whether it’s hurting others, getting their own feelings hurt, failing someone, or bailing out on others, it doesn’t matter. It’s a way to cop out; a way not to bare responsibility for actions or inactions. We can carry those sentiments into other aspects of our lives. Things like pride, indifference, intolerance, impatience, etc. can come as result of our uncaring feelings.  But, when does it matter?

When parents kick you out? When the boss lets you go? When the wifey kicks you to the curb? When your kids don’t want to know about you?  When you’ve got the ‘anti-Midas’ touch and all you touch goes downhill?  When the doctor brings you bad news?

Most people don’t realize that when this life is over, they’ll be heading straight into another one; an eternal life.  Back in Genesis 2:7, when God formed man of the dust and breathed into his nostrils, he became a living soul. As far as I know, the soul never dies. It’s eternal.  As the late singer, Keith Green, once wrote: “Some people won’t find out ‘til it’s too late, that they have another life to live.” That other life, the eternal one, the one that’ll outlast your current one, can be with or without God. That’s up to you, and it’s up to us; not circumstance.  As Erwin W. Lutzer writes in his book, One Minute After You Die: “One minute after you slip behind the parted curtain, you will either be enjoying a personal welcome from Christ or catching your first glimpse of gloom as you have never known it.  Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable” (page 9, Introduction).

I’m guaranteeing that that’s when it’ll matter to everyone.  Regardless of who you are or what you do, or don’t do, when we can understand that we won’t be in control of anything anymore and everything that surrounds us will occur as a result of our past doings. The wretchedness and wickedness of an unchangeable and unknown future away from God, is a ‘deadly’ responsibility that all who don’t serve God have while living. That reality is ever-looming over us as long as we walk apart from God.  Sadly, not everyone gets a last-minute chance to repent, change their ways, confess their sins, and call upon God when death knocks at the door.

The time to make it matter, is now. Just as singer/writer David Gates wrote, “Cause they’ll always be an empty room waiting for you.” Jesus wrote in John 14:2, “In my Fathers’ house there are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Jesus made room (space) for you some 2000 years ago when He went to the cross. That means He was thinking of you as He was dying.  Scripture says He blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of his commandments which you had not obeyed.  He took this list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to (Christ’s) cross (Colossians 2:14 LB).             

 Additionally, He is making a room just for you with your name on it and just the way you like it.  Now it’s time to make things in your life matter.  Are you preparing room in your heart for Him?  Give Him all your empty rooms.  In fact, trade them for the room He’s prepared for you.  No, He’s not David Gates, and no, He didn’t sing for Bread, but He is The Bread of Life (John 6:48-51), the One who can sustain you.

God Bless!

Sam

Back in the late 60s my little brother, who was very good at board games, received the game, Pull the Rug Out. We had fun using the provided spinner to learn what weird items we were commanded to pile on top of others and then attempt to pull out the rug without any items toppling over! While most of us playing would fail, he was often very successful!
Later, in the early 90s a few times a year, my wife and I would head to BJs Wholesale Club for groceries. As things were cheaper back then, money would go a lot further than it does today. We usually took one child to help keep an eye on the cart while we zipped-by filling it with much-needed goodies. I’m great at organizing and packing things. I’ll look at a space, then at the items, and I’ll know how to pack and make everything fit. My wife, on the other hand, will look into the fridge & say, “There’s no more room.” I’ll have her pass me bags of items and it’ll all go in usually with room to spare.
This one time, we took our oldest daughter shopping with us. I packed our Dodge station wagon like a can of sardines with close to $600 worth of food. Our daughter was by the back, fold- down door. When that door was shut, she became part of the sardines! Her face was stuck to the glass with nowhere to move! She didn’t mind and actually, enjoyed being part of something bigger! As we drove down the highway, some drivers pointed at her and laughed at her appearance! I wanted to shout out the window, “We got her on sale!”
Like a can of sardines, or better yet, the hilarious Crowded Cabin ship scene in the Marx Brothers movie, A Night at the Opera, when everyone flies out the room when the door gets opened at the end, that’s how our daughter rolled out when that hatch was opened at home!
We all know life can be like that: We can be loved by everyone. We can get hugs and high-fives any day, anytime. We can be thrilled running into our friends and acquaintances, for they ‘make our day.’ Sometimes though, without explanation, life will pull the rug out from underneath our feet knocking us over. We’ll scratch our heads wondering what happened, and how. Friends may no longer greet us, and the hugs and high-fives might be gone. That’s when it’s time to rise to our feet, dust ourselves, recompose, find new perspective, and start anew. Be comforted and strengthened in the words of Jesus: “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b). Besides, He knows how to pull the rug out and leave us standing.
God Bless,
Sam