Let It Be

                                                 Wednesday, September 9, 2026                                                

The apostle Paul cried out in his grieving anguish over his inescapable sins:

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  Romans 7:22-24

Certainly, grieving is a new normal when you’ve lost someone dear to you.  But, what use is grief, if all it does is make you aware your entire future is surrounded by depths certain to overwhelm and swallow you? 

I love pleasant new beginnings with (at least) a vague idea of what I will choose and perhaps encounter…a refreshing revelation or amusement.  But grief…this maw of a black hole bids me “come and be devoured”.  At times, it is almost preferred; after all, the pain I can see, and to which I might surrender in the blink of an eye, promises a blissful nothingness in an instant; is it not better, that we may escape a drowning, sorrowful, unending struggle and succumb nonetheless at the end? 

So, is it not a tempting call to my aching, spent soul, weary of paddling aimlessly against grief’s unknown?  Let it Be, Paul, let it BE!

Now, if you’re from the early 60’s you immediately heard the lyrics from Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr (better known as The Beattles).  The song, “Let It Be” was written by Paul McCartney after his mother (Mary) died.  He had a comforting dream that she (not Mary, mother of Jesus) came to him, and Paul McCartney was inspired to write these words:

When I find myself in times of trouble,

Mother Mary comes to me, Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. 

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree

There will be an answer, let it be.  Let it be.

For though they may be parted,

there is still a chance that they will see.

There will be an answer, let it be.  Let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.[1]

As Paul McCartney wrote those words to deal with his loss, and the accompanying pain of grief, I must also give voice to what is my hour of darkness.  (Unlike McCartney, I haven’t made a dime on my singing ability!)

“Words of wisdom” applied to a rock band of dubious character notwithstanding, I rather defer to older, more tested Godly wisdom, King David. Who grieved over the losses he suffered, his dearest friend, Jonathan, Absalom, his loved Son, killed in the uprising he started against his father, and an unnamed infant son dying as a result of David’s sin with Bathsheba.

Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking; my whole being is shaken with terror.  And you, Lord—how long?  Turn, Lord!  Rescue me; save me because of your faithful love.  For there is no remembrance of you in death; who can thank you in Sheol?     I am weary from my groaning; with my tears I dampen my bed and drench my couch every night.  Psalm 6:2-6

David’s whole life was coming unglued, and he knew it was his fault.  Yet, he counted on the Lord’s forgiveness in the worst grief one could imagine. When you have struggled in the rip tide of grief and look back to see what gain you have made, you discover the tide has carried you farther away from the safe shore which was your desired outcome.  All that was familiar and treasured lies back on the sandy shoreline, under the strong umbrella of the past, with its known pains and joys; this unknown agony is a beast to be avoided, no matter the cost!

And yet, we grieve.  Why do we do it?  Because we have loved.

And the deeper the love with which we have given ourselves, the more intense the pain we will go through.  It is like the sides of an equation; the sums must be equal.  As one plus one will always total two, the heights of love will always be a mirror for the depths of our loss.

To come back to Mr. McCartney, that “let it be” comes in here.  Most of us, going through this journey we call grieving, are looking for the exit door.  Some find it in distractions, drugs, or detaching altogether.  Distractions, however glitzy (and costly) don’t negate grief, only our attention.  Drugs merely anesthetize us to the pain, and the ultimate costs speak for themselves; we alienate ourselves from relationships, lose a job, and often self-respect, along with any semblance of health.  Detachment is probably the most common, a view of life as tasteless, and simply opting to let the fields grow wild. 

There are probably many more paths that people choose, but I only write of the ones I’ve known and have chosen to reject the past 21 months.  I have instead turned to the advice of King David, trusting in the Lord’s forgiving, healing hand, and Apostle Paul, who, after screaming his “death wish” cry for deliverance…who will deliver me from the body of this death, responded this way:  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. ^{(Romans 7:25)}

For You Today

The truth is we all grieve if we have loved at all.  Imagine how God grieves with us considering the depth of His love for us.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images: Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay  Unless noted, Scripture from Christian Standard Bible^©

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[1] Paul McCartney & John Lennon (^©Sony/atv Tunes Llc)

The POINT of Learning

Monday, September 7, 2026

Teach me, Lord, the meaning of your statutes, and I will always keep them.  Help me understand your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart.  Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it.  Turn my heart to your decrees and not to dishonest profit.  Turn my eyes
from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways.  Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you.  Turn away the disgrace I dread; indeed, your judgments are good.  How I long for your precepts!  Give me life through your righteousness.  Psalm 119:33-40

But to Israel he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people.  Romans 10:21

We start early with learning, sending our 5-year-old children to kindergarten.  In North Carolina there are roughly one and a half million children in the public schools.  With a $19.4 billion-dollar budget, that works out to an investment of more than $12-thousand dollars per year in each student.  If the old maxim of follow the money holds true, we believe in learning.

That statistic makes me cringe when I think of my attitude towards learning when I was in elementary and high school.  I thought getting up every morning before the sun was fully up, getting cleaned-up, fully dressed, and riding in the yellow torture chamber to the brick building, and being forced on threat of having my “permanent record” sullied with red marks, was a form of imprisonment; I was warehoused for seven hours while my parents danced-off to whatever they cared to do in their free time.  It’s odd, isn’t it…how my attitude got a severe corrective when I became a parent, responsible to house, clothe, and find a good school for my little prisoners?

If you re-read that passage in Psalm 119, you might catch the shift in King David’s attitude.  I caught the complete flip when he said he asked to be a good student, obeying God’s ways and commandments; he went so far as to say he takes pleasure in it.  (I wonder if that included the year-end finals?)  This could only have been written by a man who had sinned long enough, and big enough to understand the pain he was heaping up on his life.  If you’ve never taken a trip through David’s sins, let me give you the cliff notes, he did qualify as an adulterer, and co-conspirer to murder his mistress’s husband, and a cover-up that invited Watergate in Jerusalem’s palace.  David was a king with all sorts of power, but he was also a sinner standing in need of forgiveness from Sovereign God, Who, by the way, holds people accountable for their sins and rebellious defiance.

Fast forward a thousand years from David to Apostle Paul who quotes the prophet Isaiah, pointing the long, bony finger at Israel and saying that God says:  All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people.  Again, the cliff notes on Paul and Isaiah…they’re pointing out that God is gracious, loving, and forgiving, but Israel was like a petulant school child pouting over having to ride the bus, sit through boring classes, and (gulp!) study for tests. 

Life’s not fair!  But “fair” isn’t the point of learning.  And neither is “learning” the point of learning.  It’s all about learning all about living…and living a life that is worthy of the gift of living.  It’s all about finding the center of God’s good will for our lives and camping out there as He gives us opportunities every day to serve Him, by serving others.  That’s the point!

For You Today

It’s no secret that life is tough, sometimes fiercely-so, and a lot tougher than a ride in the bus, or sitting through the class that never ends.  But there is a God Who loves you and has promised to never leave or forsake you.  He will even be with you when you take the finals!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Image by    Sabrina Eickhoff from Pixabay

Unless noted, Scripture quotes The Christian Standard Bible^© 

 

 

Culture Shock

Friday, September 4, 2026

After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.  For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.”  So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.  He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled:  Out of Egypt I called my Son.  Matthew 2:13-15

Tradition has it that Jesus’ family spent a decade in Egypt after they fled Herod’s massacre of the innocents.  The king’s way of dealing with the prophecy of a child king born in his territory was to kill all the male children under two years of age.  It’s interesting that Joseph and Mary took baby Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous plot.  Egypt and Jewish people didn’t get along back in Moses’ day, and that place became the safe haven for the carpenter’s family.

The journey from Bethlehem to Egypt (about 500 miles) is nearly the distance I’d travel in a day to go “back home” to where I was born and raised.  When you leave your place of origin, you must realize there will be odd or new things you’ll encounter… you’ll be in culture shock.  You can verify that with Abraham and Sarah who were migrants at retirement age and became first time parents when Abe was about 100.

“Cathead biscuits” was a description I’d not heard, and a shock to my mind in 1977.  That was the year we left New York for sunny Florida.  (Since then, we’ve been all over the map).  The first time I heard of catheads was during a men's breakfast held at First Baptist Church of Homosassa Springs, Florida.  When the cook mentioned he was serving some "cat heads" I nearly lost my stomach contents!  Pictures of roasted feline eyeballs will do that!

I heard it often in New Orleans; the cook at our church there was big-time fond of biscuits!  He would serve all the other men at the breakfast, then fry at least a half-dozen eggs for himself in some floating concoction (which I later learned was bacon grease).  When he sat down with his plate, there were four catheads surrounding six fried eggs, but you couldn’t tell there were eggs under all that pepper.  A Cajun culture shock, indeed!

The culture shock Jesus encountered when he traveled from Heaven’s glory to Bethlehem’s manger was much greater than discovering cathead biscuits or a king’s murderous anger; it was rejection by the very people for which he was willing to die.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him.  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  John 1:9-11

Although there are pockets of revival always going on somewhere on planet earth, the current day’s population is no different than any other time in history…Jesus will be loved or hated; the one thing he cannot be is ignored.

For You Today

There is enough “culture shock” to go around, and I’m not referring to cathead biscuits.  Hatred of one group for another, gender confusion, murder, and the list goes on ad nauseum. 

By comparison, if Jesus bore the rejection of the entire world, and the cross it cost him, so we could be saved, we who hope to be called His disciples must engage our (shocking) culture with the same love that brought the LORD of glory to Bethlehem.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Image by    Gidon Pico from Pixabay

Unless noted, Scripture quotes The Christian Standard Bible^© 

 

 

He Came With a Sword

Wednesday, September 3, 2026

“I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how it consumes me until it is finished! Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division.  From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three.  They will be divided, father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”  Luke 12:49-53

The “sword” that Jesus brought with him in the first century was not made of tempered steel or iron; rather it was the dividing line of an offer to stand with Him, or against Him.  And the dividing line is so sharp, just as a lethal blade can slice anything in its path, this dividing ideology of for Jesus, or against Jesus impacts eternity for whichever side an individual chooses.

To say that humanity is somewhat divided is to miss reality by light years.  Have you listened to a political debate or newscast lately?  Read the daily reports of crime and violence, or check the statistics on divorce, and even children seeking emancipation from their parents.  And the major reaction from any generation to a former generation’s ideas is the eyeroll that proclaims a definitive statement, did the asylum give you a day pass?

Now that division which Jesus came to bring is not simply generational arrogance.  Rather it is the starting point for any discussion of theology.  To be on board in Scriptural understanding, we must first settle who is in charge; is it the latest fad of cultural bias, old time religion that grandma said, a denominational booklet of do’s and don’ts, or is it the Creator, Lord of Heaven’s host, Son of God, the everlasting King of Kings and Lord of Lords? 

In this text recorded by Dr. Luke, Jesus said He came to bring that division; He claimed HE is in charge of the universe and everything (and person) in it.  That is the meaning of “LORD”!  Forget the earthly “lordship” of kings and land barons, this is THE LORD of time, space and eternity.  He created it all, and has the deed and title, signed, sealed and delivered, from in the beginning!

So, it was this LORD who decided there would be a dividing line.  Now remember, Jesus said He brought the division with Him; He did NOT say He wanted to divide people.  It’s just that when there is a yes and no, up or down, right or left, people will make their choices; that is where the division originates, in the minds and hearts of people.  Jesus was bringing light to the pathway of making the right choice, which is to open your heart and let Him shine that light on the sins anyone has still lodged in their hardened hearts.

For You Today

With His own blood, Jesus offered the free gift of redemption, the forgiveness of all our sins.  Have you made the choice to receive that forgiveness?  That’s important, because there is coming a day when the opportunity to make choices will come to an end.  On that day Christ will come with the sword of judgment for unforgiven sins – those for which you didn’t kneel and confess, and Jesus washed you clean. 

This is what Jesus said that next moment in eternal history will look like:

 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty.  Revelation 19:15

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Image by    Roger Casco from Pixabay

Unless noted, Scripture quotes The Christian Standard Bible^© 

 

 

 

What is God Up To?

Tuesday, September 2, 2026

Typology in the Bible is the study of people, events, institutions, and patterns in the Old Testament that foreshadow and are fulfilled in the New Testament.[1]  In a sermon given at Canaan Global Methodist Church^[2] a few weeks ago, Rev. Danny Hossler referred to the typology of Abraham sending his trusted servant on a mission to secure a bride (Rebekah) for his son, Isaac, to that of God’s sending his trusted Servant (the Holy Spirit), to Earth to secure a bride for His Son, Jesus.

The analogy of Abraham as God the Father certainly plays true in the sense of Abraham as the “sender”.  In that culture a father was the overseer of the selection of a bride for his son.  Abraham took authority over the matter by sending his most trusted servant on this holy mission.  The servant, Eliezer^[3], (as type of the Holy Spirit) seeks a suitable bride, depending on God’s direction.  That bride turns out to be a distant niece of Abraham, Rebekah, who is the type (in this sermon) of Christ’s bride, the New Testament Church….us).  To follow Rev. Hossler’s analogy to completion, there is one other character, the groom.  That groom is undoubtedly Jesus, the Son of Father God. 

The entire cast of four persons in Genesis 24 is Father (Abraham), Spirit (the trusted servant, Eliezer), Son (Isaac), Daughter-in-law/bride (Rebekah), representing in order, Father God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, and Us (humanity) which God seeks to redeem and save.

God, like Abraham, caring for the future of his Son, Jesus, sent his Spirit to fetch a bride.  Now, Abraham was exceedingly rich and influential, and so you’d think there would be some bejeweled princesses on the shortlist of candidates to be Isaac’s wife.  But it turned out to be Rebekah, not anyone of special notoriety.  That’s just like the people God sent his Spirit to fetch from earth, sinners-all, unworthy to be in God’s presence, let alone married as the bride of God’s Son. 

As analogies go, this isn’t a bad explanation of how the Old Testament Scriptures are an accurate foreshadowing of God’s plan for His creation.  The characters and their roles fit well when held against all of what the Bible teaches. 

All analogies break down at some point, especially if you hunt long into the wee hours, and nitpick enough to break them apart.  But here, the basic analogy serves the point, that God always shows us something in the accounts of His people in the past that will tell us what His people are headed-for in the future.  After all, isn’t that the most salient motive God would have to give us His Word?  If Scripture is designed to draw us into a relationship with God for our redemption, what better way than to tell us what went wrong, so we can figure out how to do right?

Another lesson from the past that casts a little light on what God may be up to in the present with His people is what Jesus said about another Old Testament family that had to contend with the first global catastrophe, Noah and the flood.

Here’s the backstory on why the ark project was begun:

When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved.  Then the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.”  Noah, however, found favor with the Lord.  Genesis 6:5-8

Fast forward about four millennia, and we find Jesus’ disciples questioning him about when all the troubles will be over.  It’s recorded in the Gospels that when Jesus gave His answer, he picked Noah’s time for how it would be when He returned for God’s final judgment on humankind, the devil, and all who follow evil, rather than God’s way:

As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.  For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.  They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away.  Matthew 24:37-39

Jesus pointed to evil covering the earth in Noah’s day, the same earth which God had created in goodness.  Jesus said it would be the same at the end.  He described the final outbreak of man’s arrogant stand against God when all the world’s forces of evil would gather as an army in the valley of Megiddo to fight against God’s chosen people, Israel.  The main armies would come from Gog and Magog, apocalyptic references to God’s enemies in Ezekiel’s prophecy.^[4]  Jesus gave Apostle John the sequence for the final judgment and defeat of Satan and all who reject Jesus:

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle.  Revelation 20:7-8

As Abraham, Isaac, Eliezer, and Rebekah’s days were a typical foreshadow of Jesus’ first coming for His bride, Noah’s time shows our world in complete chaos.  Noah, representing the remnant of God’s design for His creation is considered by his neighbors a madman, building a humongous boat without a drop of water in sight.  He preached about a coming judgment, and stood for righteous living, that annoying reminder to the world of how their flagrant sinfulness had turned God’s world into a sewer of lust, hatred, and cruelty.  Noah was mocked, much like the church today.  And very much like the nation of Israel, hatred for being God’s people.  In that final battle it will be the world forces of evil against one tiny slice of land atop the Mount of Olives.

Beloved, that scenario is building as we live and breathe. 

·       Consider what we are seeing constantly in the news, the seeds of hatred spewed out towards the nation of Israel. 

·       Recent reports reveal Russia and China have supported terrorist efforts against Israel. 

·       Consider the inroads of terrorist Muslim extremists’ building strongholds in American cities and even Congress, a nation with a history of strong support for Israel. 

It would not surprise me if, in my lifetime, we see a bill introduced in a congressional session to make preaching or practicing Christianity against the law!

For You Today

At this point let me recap the scenario I would like to leave in your mind today…of humankind’s condition, and what God is up to in response:

1.    God is always up to good, as the father fetching a bride for His son.

2.    God always warns us to be aware that human rebellion is no small matter to be ignored…as Noah building an ark before the flood.

3.    God is always up to restoring what has been marred by evil (sin) such as sending his only Son, to take our punishment on a cross.

4.    God always has a mic-drop ending…such as in resurrection!

Everything you see on the newscasts, streaming and screaming about how bleak things are in this world today, are largely designed to keep you coming back to the broadcast for the next jaw-dropping catastrophic episode.  You are kept on edge, because the ratings are everything to those who get paid to push this agenda, or sell that soap.

Is it ever going to be better?  What shall we do?  How shall we live? 

I would dearly love to be able to say that it will all be better soon, and we will get back to normal any time now.  However, beloved, all of my wishes and $3.00 more will buy you a loaf of bread.  Our naïve hope for better times is based upon the settled Biblical fact that God really does want His people to have a peaceful, joyful, even prosperous life!  However, the Enemy, and this world’s system prefer evil and selfishness, and all the chaos and pain it brings.  This is why we have drug problems, relationships blowing apart, wars, terrorist attacks, and news broadcasts.  But our hope is not in the Enemy, or this world’s system of get what you can, keep all you get, and God help anyone who stands in your way.  Our hope is in Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. 

Satan is powerful and not to be confused with a guy in a red suit with horns, tail, and pitchfork, sporting a cheesy waxed mustache and sizzling red eyes.  Satan is a spiritually-fallen angel, who was right next to God, and in charge of way more than even Donald Trump or Elon Musk.  He is very powerful, crafty, and evil; his chief tool is deception and outright lies.  If you don’t believe me, just ask Eve.

What will happen to Satan…eventually?  In the final words of Scripture, we read that Satan (the Enemy) is defeated and thrown into the Lake of Fire[5], an eternal punishment.

So, how shall we live in the meantime?  Is there any good word that comes out of all this.  Yes…live, love, be kind, stand fast in the faith; Jesus has got this. 

Hear what He said to His disciples about the coming days…then and now:

“Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the waves.  People will faint from fear and expectation of the things that are coming on the world, because the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is near.”  Luke 21:25-28

So, God’s word gives us our daily marching orders, back then, and now…this day!  Know the times and why the heathen rage[6] but don’t be depressed or enraged. Rather, understand and keep doing what God gifted you to do in serving others, all the while keeping your heart and head lifted up…your redemption draws near.

That’s what God is up to!  And that’s what we should be doing!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Image byPete Linforth from Pixabay   Unless noted, Scripture quotes The Christian Standard Bible^© 

 

[1] EncouragingBibleVerses.org

[2] Sermon “Love is In the Air” Homecoming sermon on Genesis 24, August 2, 2026, Denton, NC

[3] Tradition often names him Eliezer

[4] See Ezekiel chapter 38  (some scholars believe these to be modern day Russia and China)

[5] Revelation 19:20

[6] Psalm 2:1