"Worth Waiting For"

 

“Worth Waiting For”

 

In 1933 Roland Lindemann founded the Catskill Game Farm as the first privately owned zoo in the United States. It was located about 125 miles north of New York City in rural Greene County. At its peak it featured about 2000 animals and welcomed as many as 500,000 visitors a year. Unfortunately it was closed in 2006 due to decreasing attendance, rising costs and legal restrictions. The 1000 acre property has been redeveloped to include a B&B, RV resort, campground and most recently an Inn from the remodeled giraffe house. The Farm is one of the many pieces of Americana which failed to survive cultural and economic changes.

I remember nothing about my only visit to this family-oriented attraction 70+ years ago but oddly enough I recall something about how we got there. My dad knew we had to turn west off Route 9W and saw an advertisement for the Farm which said, “Turn here then turn left at the traffic light.” He drove several miles then came to a billboard proclaiming, “Turn left at the light ten miles ahead.” Had the first sign said the destination was some twenty miles over winding back roads many would have given up and not enjoyed what the Park had to offer. But it was worth the trip and waiting to get there.

Sometimes our God-directed journey takes longer than we expect and the temptation is to give up before we arrive at His place of blessings for us. It’s uncertain when David wrote Psalm 27—I believe it was near the end of his life and he’s sharing some lessons he’d learned—but he concludes his song in this way: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Verse 14, emphasis added). The highlighted phrase (or a similar one) occurs over twenty times in the Scriptures. It comes from a Hebrew word meaning “expectation” and carries with it an assurance of a good outcome. On several occasions it’s coupled with the adverb “patiently” (Ouch!). God’s never in a hurry—keep in mind He’s eternal and not bound by time—but in His sovereignty His timing is always right. (See the earlier posting “Always on Time” for an example of this truth.) A 1938 chorus by Norman Clayton has a line, “The road may be long but my Savior is strong and He holds my hand.”

We can be sure that God will always walk with us on this path we call life (“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”—Hebrews 13:5, emphasis added). His ways are worth waiting for as is the Eternal Home He’s prepared for us. So let’s wait in expectation for His promise to be fulfilled.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Whatever"

 

“Whatever”

 

Here in Florida caps are commonly worn, especially during hot weather to protect from sunburn. Most have an emblem of some kind representing military units, sports teams, faith and many other things. I have nine “lids” with my two favorites being a blue Brooklyn Dodgers retro and one identifying me as a “Proud Grandfather of a U.S. Marine”. My brother Dave often wears his “Vietnam Veteran” hat and enjoys greeting fellow vets with “Welcome Home”.

Recently while eating a “fancy” lunch with Karen at a gourmet restaurant (aka Sam’s Club) I noticed a gentleman a couple of tables away wearing a cap saying “Whatever”. For several years I’d had a note in my blog piling system for an article on this topic and this observation gave me the incentive to write about it. My research found that it’s a “highly versatile word” (Wiktionary), commonly used to express options, dismiss an argument or show indifference. I remember Archie Bunker’s using the word derisively several times on “All in the Family” and others in the sense of “So what?”

Our contemporary world uses the word primarily in a negative fashion. But this is nothing new. About halfway through his forty-year reign over Israel King Solomon turned from God’s ways and tried to find purpose through pleasures and projects. Did it work? Read his “spiritual autobiography” (aka Ecclesiastes) to see how his “whatevers” didn’t cut it and his conclusion was, “Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, NLT). The Apostle Paul, however, uses it in a positive way. He states in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” And in Philippians 4:8 he writes, “…Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…think on these things.” (Emphasis added throughout). God’s “whatevers” are uplifting to Him and us while those of people often display an “I really don’t care!” attitude. Which honors Him and shows respect for others” Which doesn’t? Will we accept Paul’s counsel to “…think (and speak) …with sound judgment….” (Romans 12:3, AMP), whatever the situation may be?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Truths That Last"

 

“Truths That Last”

 

In a conversation with another pastor about twenty years ago I said that sometimes biblical principles are more important than specific facts. When he questioned my statement I assured him that many facts are crucial to our faith (e.g. Christ’s virgin birth, sinless life, death on the cross and resurrection) while some no longer are but give us lasting and timeless truths to guide us. Two illustrations come to mind. The Old Testament sacrifices of perfect animals are no longer necessary because “…(Christ) offered for all time one sacrifice for sins….” (Hebrews 10:12) but we learn that God rightly expects the best we can bring to Him (“…I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1, NLT, emphasis added). Another example has to do with whether or not Christians should eat meat which had been sold in ancient marketplaces after being offered to pagan gods (1 Corinthians 8). Obviously this isn’t an issue in our culture but it shows how we can determine what we should do about circumstances in our lives when Scripture doesn’t directly address them by applying the principles of love (v.1-3), liberty (4-6) and limitation (7-13).

In 2 Corinthians 4:18 Paul says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” The facts are seen but the principles are largely unseen and work in any time and culture. Since they come from God Who is eternal (“Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all generations.”—Psalm 135:13) so are His words and works (“Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”—Psalm 119:89).

In a world in which “truth” is in the mind of the beholder the end result is that each one becomes the determiner of what it is for him or her—in other words, there are no universal absolutes. But without a final authority chaos is the outcome. Twice in Judges (17:6; 21:25) it’s stated, “In those days Israel had no king; so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (NLT). The conclusion: the only truths that last come from God (“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”—Deuteronomy 32:4). Amen!

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Mountaintops"

 

“Mountaintops”

 

Many of God’s people have had a “mountaintop experience” (maybe more than one) at a camp, conference or even in a private time with God. (I’ve had them in each of these contexts.) It’s a term describing a significant event in one’s spiritual life in which God feels especially close. Often, however, this time is followed by a “valley” when we return to the “real world”. As preachers, including yours truly) have said, “You can’t reach the mountaintops without going through the valleys.”

Many key persons in the Bible have had important encounters with God on mountains but once they left the high points they sunk into valleys. Here are some examples:

*Noah left the ark, which had settled on Mount Ararat, with his family after the great flood and built an altar to honor God for His deliverance (Genesis 8:18-22) but soon thereafter fell into a drunken stupor (Genesis 9:20-23).

*Abraham passed God’s test by being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:1-18) but a few years later his wife Sarah died (Genesis 23:1-2),

*Moses spent forty days in God’s presence atop Mount Sinai where he received the two tablets on which God had written His Laws (Exodus 24:18; 31:18) but on his descent found the Israelites worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 32:15-20).

*God gave Elijah a great victory over Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18) but immediately thereafter fled for his life from Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 19:1-9).

*Three of Jesus’ disciples (Peter, James and John) witnessed His transfiguration on (probably) Mount Hermon (Matthew 17:1-9) but saw the weakness of their colleagues’ faith (and their own later) when they came down (Matthew 17:14-16).

But one was very different:

*Jesus’ eleven disciples saw His ascension into Heaven from the Mount of Olives forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:1-11), obeyed His instructions (Luke 24:45-49) and prayed with others for ten days until the Holy Spirit empowered them at Pentecost and gave birth to the church (Acts 2).

We may have a down time after a “mountaintop” encounter with God but He’s using it to shape us for His glory. So “…wait patiently for him….” (Psalm 37:7)—He’s faithful and will come through.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan