You Can't Get Me!

When I was little, I used to play a game called "You Can't Get Me!" I would tempt the adult, that I really wanted to get me, with these words. When they would try to catch me, I would run as fast as I could, hoping they would run a little faster and actually get me. As a greanparent, I have seem my grandkids do the same thing. I usually act like I am uninterested, and when they least expect me I grab them and give them a hug, a kiss or a tickle! They squeal and run off when I let them go. All is fun for everyone.

As a pastor, I see the same thing. People show up at the church for a couple of Sundays, and then they are gone. Maybe a few months, or even a few years, later, they show up again. This time they stay around for a two or more weeks and then all of a sudden they are gone again. One man that I know, has done this a half dozen times or more.

This morning on my way to the office, I was pondering the fact that once again he seems to have disappeared after being here three weeks in a row. God spoke to me through his Word. John 16:9-11 pretty well sums it up. In a very loose "Gary" paraphrase, it reads like this. When the Holy Spirit comes, he is going to get you! He is going to love on you, kiss you, and tickle you." Most of us might run, hoping to entice him to run a little faster for the sake of game. But this man, and others, don't get the idea that you have to slow down if you want the person chasing you to catch you. It is one thing to run, but it is another thing to run so fast that you can't be caught!

I had a dog once that liked to play the running game. His whole objective was to run, me chase him, and he never get caught. He would tire, and start sniffing around a bush. I would get within arms reach of him and as soon as he would see me about to catch him, off he would go. I finally became so grieved with that dog, that I took the attitude, "When you get ready to come home, you can do it on your own. If you get hit by a car, mangled by a bigger dog or even get hungry, you are on your own." Over the next two or three years, that dog became so hard to deal with that we finally gave him away to someone who thought they could help him. They eventually took him to the vet and had him put to sleep!

According to Bible prophesy, the results in the end for those who will never let themselves be caught by the Holy Spirit, is death! Maybe we should get serious about the running games we play with the Lord and let him catch us! Think about it...

Sawdust In Your Eye- Part 2

I'm still working on this fireplace surround at home. I have sanded it and clear coated it. I steel wooled the first finish and recoated it with clear coat again. It is beginning to look real nice. At the same time, I am still thinking about sawdust in my eye. What has really made me think about it is the fact that I am quite perfect! And since I am so perfect, it is real easy for me to see the faults of all the people around me. Boy, you guys have a lot of faults! You should really get busy and clean them up so you can be perfect like I am.

Jesus addressed something about this in Luke 6:41 & 42. It reads, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." Wow! This is really deflating! Afterall, I thought I was so perfect. Seriously, why is it easy to see all the wrong in other people and not realize the size of the board in our own eye? I can pick someone around me apart and all the time I am worse than they ever dared to be! Maybe it is my nature. Maybe it is something I learned from my parents. Maybe I'm not as perfect as I think I am. Hey, Brother, can you lend me a hand? I have a quite large board that I need to remove from my eye! Think about it!

Sawdust In Your Eye!

I've spent the last two days working on a new surround for our fireplace at home. This morning, I had to get back over to the office and get some things done! After cleaning up the mess in the living room, I decided to clean up the mess that I had become after two days. I showered, shaved and put on clean clothes. As I was sitting on the deck, drinking one more cup of coffee, I blinked and realized I had sawdust in my eye. I was kind of shocked after showering and shaving that sawdust could still be around to get into my eye!

Then I realized that my glasses were covered in sawdust. The sawdust did two things to me. It really altered my vision and it also hurt. I did what I could to get it out of my eye and was eventually successful. But, after the fact, I began to think of the spiritual ramifications of the moment. I realized that it wasn't the only moment that my vision had been altered in the process of building the surround for our fireplace.

We bought our house thirteen years ago. It was brand new and it had a fireplace in the living room. The fireplace was nice to have but I never really liked the oak box that was built around it. It wasn't something that I figured I could ever do anything about and so I live with it. I never really liked it, but lived with it anyway. We have been doing some updating in the house. We began to have some kitchen appliances go bad and decided to replace them. That meant that we had to put in new counter tops because the old just wasn't modern enough. You all know the routine. The carpet was beginning to show wear and tear after thirteen years of living and two dogs and twelve grandkids. We debated back and forth over hardwood or carpet. We spent months trying to make a decision. We finally decided to go with the carpet instead of hardwood floors. Now we were at the moment of decision. I had in my mind to redo the oak box around the fireplace. I had a man who said he could do it for me, but at the last minute he couldn't get the time before the carpet layers came. It was do or die!

My hesitation came over whether I could do it and it would look professional or shoddy. I didn't want it to look shoddy as the focal point of the living room. I could see the fireplace surround in my mind. I spent a lot of time looking at fireplace surrounds on the internet. I just couldn't convince myself that I could do it and it would look good. As I look back at the situation, you might say I had sawdust clouding my vision even before I cut the first board! I finally got out my knife, got on my knees and cut the old carpet around the old fireplace surround., With that broad cut of the carpet, I was committed to finish the project. I did!

My understanding "If you can see it you can have it!" has been reinforced in my mind. David wrote in the Bible, "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord!" Jesus talked about getting our eyes opened to true understanding. Most people don't understand what they can have in the spiritual realm, because they go through life with spiritaul sawdust in their eyes. They never understand what God has for them in the way of abundance and blessings because so many people around them hold them back and say it can't be done. Do some research and get into the Word of God and you will find that you can do it, too. Ask some friends who are followers of Jesus Christ what they know about spiritual things. There is a whole new life out their for those who will just get on their knees and get started by asking Jesus into their life! Think about it!