Two Verses

So, today, the Words of Jesus have been running through my mind. (That’s a good thing.)

Two words of Jesus in particular. Actually, one is the Words of John the Baptist, and the other one is actually Jesus Himself. 

I dont think I have enough brain power to tie the two words together in a nice bow, so if this post is a little bit of a ramble, then enjoy your weekend and I’ll catch you later…

But, if you bear with me, I’ll try to make a connection. 

First of all, I have been thinking of the words of John the Baptist. (Full disclosure: I am working my way through Louie Giglio’s book I am not but I know I AM) and so this is how the first thought came into my mind… 

the words that have been running through my mind, and have actually become a prayer of mine is— John 3:30: “ He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (NLT2)

There is so much context around this verse that  is too good to leave out, but for the sake of time, I will give you the Pastor Nick version:

Jesus was getting more and more popular, and John’s disciples had a hard time with this. After all, John was the number one man for a while; baptizing hundreds of people…. but now Jesus had arrived and He was taking people away from John…. but John realized that he was simply a forerunner of Jesus; He had one job to do: Point people to Jesus. So he said it quite distinctly: “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” 

This is the goal of every Jesus follower everywhere. We exist to make much of Jesus. We don’t exist to make our name great. Its the Name of Jesus that breaks down walls, the Name Jesus that sets people free. we are supposed to be living and breathing, walking and taking followers of Jesus. We are to point people to Jesus. 

The second verse that is running through my head comes from Matthew 5 “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (NTL2)

I don’t want to dive too deeply into all of it, but my family is in mourning. have been for quite a while. 

So, these words are running through my mind and I am even praying them as well. 

Its never a bad thing to think about Bible verses so that's what I am doing today and what I will be doing this weekend. Focusing on these two— and probably a few other— verses. 

I am doing my best to follow Jesus.

I am doing my best to pray the words of John the Baptist: He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” 

I am praying that the truth of Matthew 5:4- “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (NIV) will work. 

Actually, now I’m just praying.. which, I guess, is an even better thing to do.

Jesus is...

I once heard a pastor say: “Jesus is right for whatever is wrong with you.” 

Love me that line. I’ve used that line more than once. 

I believe its totally true. 

Jesus is right for whatever is wrong with you. 

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Leonard Sweet’s book Bad Habits of Jesus. Terrific book. Highly recommend it. 

One of the interesting parts of this book was what I call “wall worthy quotes.” He highlights basically the same thing as the old preacher used to say, only he (Leonard) kicks it up a few thousand degrees.  

To the artist … Jesus is the One altogether lovely.

To the architect … Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone.

To the astronomer … Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness.

To the baker … Jesus is the Living Bread.

To the banker … Jesus is the Hidden Treasure.

To the biologist … Jesus is the Life.

To the builder … Jesus is the Strong and Sure Foundation.

To the carpenter … Jesus is the Door.

To the doctor … Jesus is the Great Physician.

To the educator … Jesus is the Great Teacher.

To the engineer … Jesus is the New and Living Way.

To the farmer … Jesus is the Sower and the Lord of the Harvest.

To the florist … Jesus is the Rose of Sharon, Lily of the Valley.

To the geologist … Jesus is the Rock of Ages.

To the horticulturist … Jesus is the True Vine.

To the judge … Jesus is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All.

To the juror … Jesus is the Faithful and True Witness.

To the jeweller … Jesus is the Pearl of Great Price.

To the lawyer … Jesus is the Counsellor, Lawgiver, Advocate.

To the journalist … Jesus is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.

To the optometrist … Jesus is the Light of the Eyes.

To the philanthropist … Jesus is the Unspeakable Gift.

To the philosopher … Jesus is the Wisdom of God.

To the preacher … Jesus is the Word of God.

To the sculptor … Jesus is the Living Stone.

To the servant … Jesus is the Good Master.

To the statesman … Jesus is the Desire of All Nations.

To the student … Jesus is the Incarnate Truth.

To the theologian … Jesus is the Author and Finisher of Faith.

To the toiler … Jesus is the Giver of Rest.

To the sinner … Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

To the Christian … Jesus is the Son of the Living God, the Saviour, the Redeemer, and Lord.

Adapted from: The bad habits of Jesus, by Leonard Sweet. 2016, Tyndale house publishers

Maybe today, you can these words sink deep into your heart. 

Whoever you are, whatever place you find yourself in life; Jesus is.

Because Jesus is, He invites us to come to Him: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Whatever you are looking for, you can and will find in Jesus, because Jesus is!

Time to Pray

This morning I started re-reading the book of Acts. 

It wasn't too long into the book of acts that I noticed the first prayer meeting taking place. 

just to give you the Pastor Nick version of the story: Jesus had ascended into Heaven, and His disciples went back into the Upper Room, and Peter, dear old Peter, stood up and started taking. 

He told how Judas had to do what he did, and now that he was gone, he needed to be replaced. 

So, what did these men and women do? They Prayed!

heres how Luke records the event:

“…now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus— 22 from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”

23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 25 as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.” (Acts 1:21-26, NLT)

One of the very first things the Disciples did, was gather together for prayer before making a big decision. 

This reminds me of…. Jesus. 

The Gospel writers made sure they included in their writings of the numerous times that Jesus slipped away from whatever He was doing to be alone and pray. 

Here is just one example, found in Matthew Chapter 14… (Jesus had just fed over 15000 people, and )

“…Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.” (NLT2)

This isn't the first time we encounter Jesus going off on His own to pray. 

Luke 5:16 tells us of another time. 

Jesus was alone in the garden of Gethsemane and He prayed. 

Jesus made it a part of His usual practice to get alone with God and Pray. 

If I am following the example of Jesus, I, too, will need to get alone and spend some time praying. 

If you are following the example of Jesus, you, too, will need to get alone and spend some time praying. 

Now, I can hear you just groan. “You have no idea how busy I am, and yet you want me to get away by myself and pray?”

Yes. No. Sort of. 

The awesome thing about prayer is, that we can pray anywhere. On the drive to work. (But, keep your eyes open please.) In the shower. As the Kids are yelling and screaming, you can yell and scream too, but only at God. 

The blessing of prayer is that we can pray anywhere, anytime and anyplace. 

But I think to be truly effective in prayer, we are going to have to follow the example of Jesus, and get alone and pray.  

It doesn't have to be for an entire night, like Jesus did, but it should be long enough for you to hear from the Lord. 

Can I encourage you to take 5 minutes out of your day, and find a quiet place, and just sit with your bible open, read a little bit of Matthew chapter 14, and then ask God to speak to you. 

You probably won’t change the world, but your world will be changed, because you've taken the time to get away and just be with Jesus. 

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, NLT2)

Some of the best decisions you will ever make, will be all the much better because you took time out to talk to the Master and Commander of the Universe. What are you waiting for?

To Trust or Not to Trust...

It seems for the last few days, The Lord has taken me on a journey with Him in my quiet time with Him. 

The journey revolves around one major theme. 

Check out this video and see if you can figure out that theme:

Trust/fall 

I love that video. I’ve seen it several times before, and have, as of late, been putting it into practice. 

I’ve been trying to Trust God. The easy part is when Jesus is standing behind me, like in the video. If I can “feel Him” behind me, then I’m all for falling back. 

However, when I move to the next level, and Jesus is in front of me, like as in the video, and when Jesus asks me to fall back, and it appears that no one is behind me, I still have a choice.. do I fall back; trusting Him to still be there, or do I walk away from trusting Him altogether? 

Trusting is a choice that I have to make. Trusting is a choice that we have to make. We do so one decision at a time. One moment at a time. 

My family and I are on this journey, and we have come to the conclusion, that we are going to #trustJesus no matter what. He has gotten us into this mess, and He is going to have to get us out of this mess. 

It’s our Job to trust Him. To fall back or fall forward, whatever the circumstances. 

Joshua was right on the money when He said the following:

“So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Josh. 24:14-15, NLT2)

Joshua told the Israelites to make a choice. To serve (trust) the gods of their ancestors, the ones they served in the wilderness, or would they serve (trust) in the One true God. As for Josh and family, they would serve (Trust) the one true God. 

Same for me and for my family. 

I am going to serve (Trust) the Lord. I want to follow after Him. Now, more than at any point in my life. I want to serve Him. Even when it scares me. Like right now. 

I have no idea when my call is going to come for a third liver transplant. I have no idea how long I will not be working. I have no idea how long I will be off on sick leave for. I have no idea if I will ever preach again. I have no idea as to a lot of things, but still, I will trust. 

I love these words of Isaiah, found in chapter 26: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!4 Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” (NLT2)

God is with us. This is a guaranteed promise. this does not, nor will not change. Ever. He is Emmanuel. And what Emmanuel wants us to do is to trust Him, in the good times, in the bad times, and in every time in between; when life makes sense and when life doesn't make sense. 

How about you? What area(s) might God be asking you to trust Him more? 

Will you allow God to show you that He is behind you, even if He might be asking you to fall forward? 

Let me know your thoughts!

I doubt it...

I’m thinking this morning of Thomas. Not just any Thomas; as I know many of them. 

The Thomas I’m thinking of, if I was to give you his “nickname”, or the name we typically put before his name, you’d know exactly who it was I am talking about. 

Doubting Thomas. 

His Story comes from the Gospel of John. Jesus had Risen from the dead, and He had appeared to Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, and even the other disciples…. all of them, except Thomas. 

When the other disciples tell Thomas that they have seen the Risen Christ, Thomas lives up to his monicker, doubting. He doesn't believe they had seen Jesus in the flesh. 

 He is quoted as saying: “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”(NLT)

Now, I want to pause here and say something… We think that doubting is a bad thing. We think that doubting God is an even worser (yes, it’s a word) Thing. We think that because we doubt God, we’re terrible, rotten people. 

Well, we’re not. 

I’ve been on this journey with Jesus for a long time, and there have been times when I have been left scratching my head, thinking to myself, about God, out-loud: “What, wait?”

There is nothing wrong with doubting the God of the universe. He’s a Big God. He can take it. He can take all the questions that we will ask, and at the end of the day, He will still come out as being God. I promise you that. God is big enough to handle your doubts. 

Just look at the story of Thomas: 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

Notice, that when Jesus showed up again in the room His disciples had been in, He didn't lambaste Thomas for doubting His resurrection. He didn't yell at Him for not believing that Jesus had in fact risen from the dead. 

He just showed up and told Thomas invited Thomas to scratch and sniff. Literally. Touch Jesus. To Put his hands on the nail marks. To look at Jesus’ side. 

Jesus didn't talk bad about Thomas, or even to Thomas for his unbelief; He just showed up. 

I pray the same for you. I pray the same for me. 

When we have one of those days, and, lets face it, we all do. When we have one of those “God, are you sure you're really there?” “God, are you sure you know what you're asking to do?” 

In those times, when we are doubting if God is even in control, I pray that He would show up in our midst, and say “I AM here with you. Trust me. (see Psalm 62)

By the way, after Thomas touched Jesus and saw Him up-close and personal, He said: “28 “My Lord and my God!”” (NLT)

This has been my reaction as well, when I endure a season of doubt. Normally, I simply have to ask God to show up and remind me that He is with me, and when He does, I am left speechless and say, as Thomas did, My Lord and my God.”

It’s ok to doubt, God can take it. But when you find out that God has the answer to your doubt, more specifically, when you find out that God IS the answer to your doubt, may you be comforted by Him being both Lord and God. 

Record Keeping.

I was reading Psalm 130 this morning and noticed, again, verses 3 & 4. Lets take a look at it see what we might be able to learn today. 

Looking first of all at verse 3: “Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?” (NLT)

Let’s remember, first of all, that each one of us is a sinner. We have all broken God’s Law. Because of our sin, we are separated from God, who is sinless. However, because we are dearly loved, God, knowing our sinful state, took it upon Himself to deal with our separation… He sent Jesus to come to this earth, to die on the cross for payment for our sins, and Rose again to make eternal life with God possible. 

So, with that out of the way, Let’s look at the verse at hand. 

What if God did keep record of our sins? What if He took notice of everything we did, and held them against us? 

Well, the Psalmist, in the same verse, tells us that we’d be toast. We’d never make it out alive. “Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?”

Because our sin is, well sin, and because God can't stand sin, we’d have no hope of ever making it out alive.

Ever.

We’d be, and are doomed to a life without God. There would be nothing we could do to ever get right with God. 

I guess that's the point in sending Jesus. God knew- or knows— that all our trying would be all for not. We can't do enough anything. It’s already been done, through Jesus’ work on the Cross. 

So, while God is just, and fair, and sin has to be dealt with, God doesn't keep track of our sins; all He sees, if we have surrendered out lives to Him, is Jesus.

Now, look at verse 4: (and this is some good stuff coming up: “But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.” (NLT)

Instead of keeping track of our sins, instead of making a “hit list”, God is actually offering us forgiveness. let that sink in for just a moment. 

Instead of keeping track of our sins; instead of making a “hit list.” God is actually offering us forgiveness!

This is good news. Actually, it’s the Good News. Literally, its the Gospel. God is offering forgiveness. Today. Right now. To you, and to me. No matter what we may have done, no matter what we will do, God will always offer us forgiveness. 

This is so consistent with who God is. Look at these words that David wrote, just a few chapters later: The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” (NLT)

This verse, is just as sweet. He does does not treat us as we deserve. He treats us better than we deserve! Instead of complete separation from Him forever, God offers everyone to calls out to Him, forgiveness. Complete and total forgiveness. 

So, today, know that God isn't out to get you. Know that He doesn’t have it out for you. He's not going to bring the roof down on you if you were to walk into a church building.

What He is prepared to offer you is forgiveness. And that is what we all need; each and every day. 

Please let the truth of Psalm 130:3&4 sink into your heart and life. God isn't keeping track of your sins, but He is offering you forgiveness. 

(Now, that doesn't mean we have a “free pass” and we can do what we want, when we want, with whomever we want. (1 Peter 2:16). But what it does mean, is that we have His forgiveness, and that is what we need the most.) 

Lean into His forgiveness today. You and I need it. 

Having a Bad day....

Have you ever had a bad day? Have you ever woken up on the wrong side of the bed? Reminds me of the joke— “sometimes I wake up grumpy, other times I let her sleep in.”

No doubt, you, like me, have had a bad day. 

whether your car breaks down, your kids are yelling incessantly, or you’ve lost your job, when you have a bad day, its not fun one bit. You just want the day to be over. 

I've had several bad days, and I am thankful when they are over. bad days make me appreciate the good days. 

Did you know that Jesus had a bad day? I’m sure he had more than one, but on one day, he had a read bad day. His crucifixion day. The wheels completely fell off the cart, and the Saviour of the world was being nailed to the cross, and being raised up for everyone to see—kinda makes my bad days seem pretty insignificant- 

There is one even that takes place on Jesus’ bad day that makes me remember that, Even on His worst day, Jesus was still concerned for other people. 

You can read the story in John 19 starting in verse 25 “Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.” (NLT2)

On His worst day, Jesus saw that His mother was having her worst day, and committed her into the care of His best friend, John. 

That Jesus would do that, makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I can turn around my bad day around. Sure, the kids may still irritate me, sure I may still get bad news from the Doctor, but the silver lining in all of the bad news, is that God is still with us. This is Who He is. 

In fact, It’s His Name. Matthew 1:23 reminds us that : “The virgin will conceive a child!  She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.” (NLT2)

Even on our worst days, God is still with us, and He still is in control, and He still loves us with the same tenderness and compassion that He showed His mother on their worst days.  

How do you feel on your worst day? How do you think Jesus might want to help you? have you asked for His help? You might be surprised at How he demonstrates His compassion. 

The Long Haul

This Post is the message I spoke on Father's Day at Beulah Camp on June 18th, 2017. I would love to hear your comments.

The Long Haul

Various Passages, 

Sunday, June 18th, 2017- Beulah Camp. 

Well, good morning everyone. It truly is a pleasure for me to me be here with you this morning.

I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but the one thing I am most proud to be called  Dad by Emma and Erica Graham.

So, with all of that said, maybe we could pause for just a moment and pray to the Lord.   

ILLUSTRATION—I love transport-trucks.

For most of my childhood, I wanted to drive an eighteen-wheeler. There was something about driving a huge truck that appealed to me.

Even today, I still admire a nice looking truck. Each time I pass by one, I will try and take a quick glance at the make, model, and colour of the truck.

I would love to drive a transport, but the problem is I tend to fall asleep when I’m in an automobile, so driving one might not be such a good idea. 

At least we can admire a nice truck, such as this one:   

This is a Peterbilt Optimus Prime.  

If the name Optimus Prime means nothing to you, I’ll forgive you (this time), but Optimus Prime was the lead character in the “Transformers” cartoon series and now the Blockbuster movie franchise.

He would lead his crew of transformers into battle to save the world from certain destruction at the hands of the Decepticons.

I think it’s awesome that someone took the time to “transform” their truck into Optimus Prime.

I love trucks.

I remember one time when I was a little younger than I am now, going into the Mack dealership in Fredericton and asking the sales associate if I could have some pictures of some of their trucks.

The sales-associate asked if I was interested in trucks, and I told him that I was, and he asked me “what my favourite truck was” to which I immediately replied “Peterbilt”.

I don’t think that went over too well with the sales-associate, but I was young, and he realized that I didn’t have a million dollars to purchase a truck anyway, so he gave me the photos and I took them home and covered the wall in my room, because I love trucks.

I have always wanted to go on a Long Haul. I have never had the opportunity; but have always wanted too. 

To sit in the truck and go for a long haul would be great; but to sleep in the berth while on the long Haul, well, that's the best of both worlds! 

     I think that life can be compared to a Long Haul. You’ve got pot-holes, you've got detours, you've even got Construction. There may be stops along the way; things may even get a little rough…

So, today being Father’s Day, I would like to talk to Men in general and Dad’s specifically, about The Long Haul called Life, but as for the rest of you: don’t tune out, for there’s a message here for you as well. 

If life can be compared to a long haul, and if God is with us— and He is—, then there are 3 ways that we can partner with Him as we do the Long Haul called Life. 

I believe that God is asking each of us to go on a Long Haul first of all:

1.     With our Children.

I want to be involved in my kids’ lives. I want my kids to know that I love them. 

I want my kids to know that their father stands behind-- and will support—them.

While they may do things that I might not always agree with, I will always love them.

My children are my responsibility, and because I am a Christ follower, I have a God given responsibility to teach my kids about God.

We read these words in Deuteronomy 6: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

7 Impress them on your children. Talk

 about them when you sit at home and when 

you walk along the road, when you lie down 

and when you get up.

8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut. 6:4-9, NIV)

God had given His people instructions to follow and those instructions were to be 

followed.

Part of what the people were to do, was to instruct their children in the ways of God.

God’s Word was to be the primary source of their education: before they slept, when they woke up, when they walked down a road…

Parents were to teach their children God’s truth—they were to talk about God at home and on the Long Haul. 

Every opportunity was a chance for parents to talk to their kids about God.

ILLUSTRATION- My wife and I, have, as of late, had plenty of discussions with our children. 

We have talked about everything— and I mean everything- from my going back to the hospital for a third transplant, to what would happen if I were to die… 

We've talked about why we needed to move, we’ve talked about how its not fair that we've needed to move. 

We as a family have talked about everything. Nothing has been left off the 

table. 

When we do have our talks, it is a chance for Beth and I to remind our girls that the 

God we serve is taking care of us. 

Even when our life seems to be out of control, our God is still in control. 

He still knows what He is doing, and we are doing out best to do whatever He is asking us to do. (Even if it doesn't make sense)

Paul wrote in Ephesians: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of 

the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4, NIV)

It’s my job as a father to teach my kids in 

the ways and things of God.

Dad’s/Parents, this is your job as well. Some of you still have children at home, but many of you don’t.

For those that have children at home, make sure you take the time to teach your kids about God… remind them about who He is and what He has done in your life. 

Use the Long Haul to teach your kids about God, and ask for His help. 

      For the parents who don’t have kids at home anymore, your responsibility to teach your kids about God may have changed slightly, but you can still remind your children that God loves them and that you are praying for them.

     While our parenting style can and will change as our children grow, we can still use the opportunities that we have to remind our children about God.

If we’re in this parent thing for the Long Haul, then we must be willing to teach our 

kids about God.

Of course, it’s hard to teach your kids about God if you haven’t personally 

experienced Him yourself….

If you have never invited Jesus into your heart, I want to encourage you to give it some serious consideration. It will be the best thing you will ever do for your family.

If you don’t have children, you can pray for those of us who do! Life with kids is a Long Haul! 

We get tired and worn out, and experience 

blow outs and blow up’s all the time, and we 

can use all the prayer support you can offer up! 

The second way we can partner with God on the Long Haul called Life is with our Spouses. 

ILLUSTRATION- 15 years ago this coming Wednesday, I made the second best decision I have ever made in my life. 

Fifteen years ago this coming week, I married Elizabeth Joy Brown. I know I got the better end of that deal! 

I love my wife with all my heart. On our wedding day, I made a commitment to be with her for the Long Haul.

      It hasn’t always been easy, it won’t always be easy, but because I made a commitment to her, because I love her, I want to stay with her.

      Paul wrote: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her….” (Eph. 5:25, NIV)

The kind of love that Christ has for the Church—agape—is the same kind of love that I 

am to have for my wife. I am to love her with an unconditional love.

The only way that we can love our wives, men; the only way you can love your husbands, ladies, is by allowing the Holy Spirit to produce in our lives the Fruit of the Spirit called Love.

We are unable to love our spouses the way Christ loves the church unless the Holy Spirit grows love in our lives.

ILLUSTRATION- Several years ago, the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, 

made public the 1,300 letters that the late President wrote to his wife, Bess, over the 

course of a half-century.

President Truman had a life-long rule of writing to his wife every day that they were apart. 

He followed this rule whenever he was away on official business or whenever Bess left Washington.

… Every day (that) he was away, the President of the United States took time out from dealing with the world’s most powerful 

leaders to sit down and write a letter to his 

wife. (unknown)

ILLUSTRATION-I still have the old letters that my girlfriend then, wife now, wrote to me one summer 17 years ago when we were apart.

I still have on file several hundred emails that she sent to me over that same period.

Up until recently, I had old movie ticket stubs, golf score cards, and photos of some of the events that Beth and I have done 

since we’ve been together... 

(I say that I recently had them, well, as we were preparing to move.. I had to clean up and clear out some junk…. but I kept the love letters!) 

Because I’m committed to my marriage for the Long Haul, I choose to love my wife and stay with her no matter what.

And after what we've been through… everything else just seems like a cake walk! To those men in this room who are married I ask you some questions: Do you love your wife?

Are you honouring your wife? Are you listening to your wife?

The writer of Proverbs reminds us of this truth: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the LORD.” 

(Pr. 18:22, NIV)

A while back I stumbled on a verse in 1 Peter that I found pretty interesting. 

The verse reads like this: “…you husbands must give honour to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will 

not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:17, NLT2) 

Ima going to let the Holy Spirit take the lead on applying that verse….

To be in our marriages for The Long Haul, we must love our spouses.

So make a commitment today, men, to love your wife as Christ loves the church. Ask Jesus to help you love her, especially when she is a little unloveable. 

Same goes for you ladies, although I suspect you’re way ahead of us on asking God for help to love the man in your life… 

There’s at least one more way that God wants us, married or not, if we have kids or not, to commit to the Long Haul and that’s with our lives.

    As followers of Jesus Christ, it’s our responsibility to listen to Him, to take direction from Him, to figure out what He wants us to do and do that to the best of our ability.

    As followers of Jesus, we have a responsibility to live our public lives in a way 

that brings honour and glory to God.

We even have a Biblical mandate to give 100% effort at whatever we find ourselves doing.

     As followers of Jesus, we have the responsibility to live our private lives in a way that brings honour and glory to God.

We have the responsibility to be pure, God-honouring people; to be “…above reproach…” (1 Tim. 3:2, NIV) and to ensure that what we allow to enter into our hearts and minds and homes is God honouring.

      If you are a follower of Jesus Christ who is in it for the Long Haul, then: “Whatever happens, (…if you’re in jail, as Paul was when he wrote this, or if you end up in hospital…)  conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ….” (Philippians 1:27a, NIV)

In the book of Colossians, Paul wrote these words; “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him 

in glory.” (Col.3:4, NIV) 

Is Jesus your life? He wants to be, and He can be! 

ILLUSTRATION- If you really want to go somewhere that you’ve never been before, generally, you do one of two things: you will consult a map, or you will ask for directions from someone who knows the way.

Included in many cars and trucks today, is what’s knows as GPS, Global positioning System. 

These little machines will tell you exactly where you are, they will show you where you need to go, and give you the route that you need to take to get you to where you 

want to go.

They are a wonderful device to have, especially if you don’t know where you are going.

       If we want to reach our final destination and have a successful Long Haul, then we are going to have to follow the Map:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith....” (Hebrews 12:1-2a,

NLT2)

Friends, the race has already been marked out for us, the only thing that we have to do is

follow directions.

We are to follow “…the race marked out for us.” (Heb.12:1c NIV)

We are to follow the One who said: “…I am the way and the truth and the life…” (John 14:6, NIV)

We must follow Jesus.

So, what do I want you to do with what you've just heard? 

Well, consider a few things:

Are you in this life for the Long Haul? Is it your desire to follow Jesus Christ?

If your answer is yes, then come along and enjoy the Long Haul that God has prepared for you. 

He will not leave you stranded on the side 

of the road somewhere. He is with you each 

step of the way:

“…God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Heb. 13:5b, NIV)

God is using this chapter in our lives, to remind me, to remind us, that He is with us, and He is with you, on your Long Haul as well. You simply need to ask for His help. 

If you are not on the Long Haul with Jesus, know that you can pull over and stop where you are, and you can ask Jesus to take control and help you teach your kids, love your spouse, and live your life in a way that 

brings honour to Him.

If you want to arrive at the Ultimate Destination—Heaven—after the Long Haul is over, you will have to follow the One who said: “Come, follow me…” (Matthew 4:19, NIV)

Life with God is a Long Haul; and He is with us each step of the way. Pot Holes included.