Semper Fidelis

Monday, November 27, 2023

Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead.  This is the Good News I preach.  And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal.  But the word of God cannot be chained.  So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.  This is a trustworthy saying:  If we die with him, we will also live with him.  If we endure hardship, we will reign with him.  If we deny him, he will deny us.  If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.  

2 Timothy 2:8-13

United States Marines greet each other with the motto, Semper Fi, a shortened version of semper fidelis.[1]  The phrase means always faithful, and is indicative of the character of those who serve a higher guiding principle than self-interest.[2] 

Long before the assembling of U.S. fighting forces, the Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy, an aspiring preacher of the Gospel, to encourage and admonish him to serve Christ’s Kingdom with an unswerving loyalty.  Paul described the resurrected Jesus as “faithful.”  Dying with Him, we are raised to newness of life by Him.  Enduring hardship, we will reign with him.  Denying Him, we will be judged by Him.  And, in His supreme compassion, when we are less than semper fi He is still faithful.  This could be summed-up in one short verse:

“I am the Lord, and I do not change.  Malachi 3:6a

By comparison, human beings can be remarkably un-loyal.  Our lives typically begin in one direction and, influenced by any of the seven deadly sins,[3] we change our employment, spouse, promises, gender, and a host of all other possibilities.  Despite the call to be faithful, human allegiance is usually sold to the highest bidder.  

I’m reminded of an elder statesman in the Southern Baptist tribe I met in 1981, Vance Havner, who said:  Faith that Fizzles at the Finish was Fickle from the First.  

It’s true!  Most mottos sound wonderful, even noble; most human attempts to live-up to those mottos have holes like Swiss cheese.

So what is the Rx for our Fickle Faith?

I’m glad you asked…and let me point us back to the Apostle’s opening line to Timothy: 

Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead.  This is the Good News I preach.  2 Timothy 2:8

If there is anything that can keep us close to Jesus it is the resurrection of God’s perfect lamb, crucified for our sins, raised to conquer death and the grave.  In staying faithful to proclaim that, we also preach Good News to our own souls.

For You Today 

Find a way to proclaim His resurrection every day, in every circumstance, and, as many have said…always preach the Gospel…even use words if necessary.  What that means for each of us is:  nothing will help keep you faithful like engaging in the work of He Who is Semper Fi.

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

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For another post on this text read here:  Gospel Unchained

There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com  

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] Wikipedia

[2] See Merriam-Webster Dictionary

[3]  pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger or wrath, and sloth – see The Seven Deadly Sins - LIst

Remembering My Friend - James Emmons

      Friday, October 13, 2023

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.  He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.  He renews my strength.  He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.  Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.  You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.  You honor me by anointing my head with oil.  My cup overflows with blessings.  Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalm 23:1-6

A “goad” is what a shepherd uses to direct his sheep towards the next good place for grazing and water.  A life’s path is determined by choices and the oversight of God; we choose to cooperate or kick against God’s leading goad.  For a preacher, or anyone, that pathway’s conversations between human and Creator can be a daily struggle between understanding God’s prodding, and our obstinance. 

The struggle to break from our bent to stubbornness is like Jacob’s wrestling match with the angel of God who displaced the patriarch’s hip, which caused him to limp for the rest of his life.  Some choices carry more weight than others…a reminder of a better path, not taken.

I met James Emmons in 1999.  I was on an unplanned sabbatical (that’s the “in-between churches” that pastors sometimes experience).  James’ church was searching for a pastor, and I was available.  God did the goading to lead me into friendship with a man who would be a Godly influence on my life.         The Brownworth and Emmons clans meshed with church life and friendship.     We shared a mini-vacation once.  We prayed together and shared meals at each other’s homes.  James and I very nearly shared a birthday, only a few weeks apart, his in May, mine in June.  About 15 years ago when we were both crossing the line from the 6^th decade of life to the 7^th, I called James on his birthday.  When he answered, I sang (quite off-key) Happy Birthday, dear James…you old coot,  Happy birthday to you!  From that moment, “old coot” became our greeting. 

James passed a few days ago, after a long struggle with cancer.  It wasn’t until a few days before that passing I shared with him the backstory on why I began the old coot business.  In 1983 I was serving a church in tiny McIntosh, Florida, population 257.  The four churches in McIntosh shared Sunday evening services, and Mr. Richardson, one of the life-long Methodist brothers, was in the hospital at the time.  Mr. Richardson had just passed his 80^th birthday when I walked into his hospital room (all the pastors in town visited all the members; denominations were unimportant in that burg).  We chatted, prayed, and when I was about to leave, another elderly man ambled through the door.  I didn’t recognize E. Colin Lindsey who, in 1935 partnered with Henry Belk to create Florida’s largest chain-department stores, Belk-Lindsey.[1]  Mr. Lindsey and Mr. Richardson were like James and I, born only a few weeks apart, with Mr. Richardson the elder.  They attended the McIntosh grade school together as children, and remained friends for life.  As Lindsey walked through that hospital room door to visit his old friend, Mr. Richardson brightened-up and howled, Colin, what on earth are you doing in a hospital?  Mr. Lindsey, limping on a cane, smiled an impish grin and said, I just wanted to see what an 85-year-old coot looked like!  Now, that 40-year-old story is about friendship that is faithful, and endures a lifetime.  The reason I began to call my friend, James, an old coot, is because, even though we started later than Richardson and Lindsey, the Brownworth and Emmons bond did the same.  For me, old coot symbolized the essence of a long and fruitful friendship.  And that is what I will miss most about my friend and co-laborer in Christ.  He had a playful, gentle spirit, but a fierce commitment and loyalty to Jesus.  I know this faithful friend and Christian brother will greet me one day…over yonder. 

For You Today 

I trust you have good, long-term friendships.  I pray you have eternal friendships!  I suspect James didn’t often kick against God’s goading towards His will.  I trusted his counsel, his friendship, and knew he had my back…always!

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

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image courtesy of Pixabay.com Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] See Ocala Star Banner article

Divided Mind

 

Monday, October 3, 2022

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.  He will not rebuke you for asking.  But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.  Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.  James 1:5-8

To have a divided mind means a person’s loyalty is being pulled between opposing choices.  Up or Down, Right or Left, Good or Evil – we must constantly choose.  Even taking the next step is only possible when we choose which foot goes first. 

The person who has a history of choosing that which ends badly, eventually comes to the state of a divided mind.  Still sensing what is right and good, that person finds it impossible to decide; it’s being stuck, paralyzed by a mountain of drama and decline.  This is the instability of mind that, left unchecked, can sadly wind-up behind locked doors of a hospital ward.  At the very least, it is a painful existance.

This is a common problem in spiritual matters.  Apostle James may have been a sufferer.  James grew up in the same house as his older brother, Jesus.  He may have had typical sibling issues early on, but eventually found faith in his brother as Lord.  But the struggle to arrive at that surrender point, letting go of doubt and fear, may have been what was behind the sentences he wrote about the problem of coming to God with a divided loyalty, that which gets blown-about like a feather in a hurricane…basket-case unstable, and unable to focus on a useful life. 

Another Apostle, Paul, admitted to that syndrome:

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I love God’s law with all my heart.  But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Romans 3:21-23

Paul understood what it was like to be unstable, unable to control his thoughts or actions.  He was powerless to consistently live out the life of self-control, or doing good, because the fight within was too strong.

Have you been there?   ---   Yeah, me too!

So, we don’t just want to identify the problem and leave it at that.  That would be like noticing that you have cancer, and saying:  Oh…I have cancer, I think I’ll go play golf. 

No…if your mind is divided by the cancer of sin’s pull, you DO something about it.  Let’s go back to both James and Paul for the answer to the dilemma.  The starting point, says James, is to ask God for wisdom:

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. James 1:5

And, recognizing his spiritual life-threatening condition, Paul takes us home to what to do with that wisdom:

Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 3:24

For You Today

The answer is Jesus Christ, the LORD over all.  He was there in the beginning when God put us together.[1]  He knows how to put you back together – stable!

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

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

Difficult Choices   and   Side Tracks & Sure Things   

[1] Images:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] See Colossians 1:15-18 here

Kindness and Loyalty

 

Monday, January 4, 2021

My child, never forget the things I have taught you.  Store my commands in your heart.  If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.  Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!  Tie them around your neck as a reminder.  Write them deep within your heart.  Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.   Proverbs 3:1-6

I first heard the last two verses of this text from my mother when I was quite young.  The words still roll off my lips like a gentle waterfall (in King James-ease, of course)!  But the words that precede – a father’s instruction to his son about some of the most profitable and praiseworthy life-skills, practicing kindness and loyalty – these are the keys to trusting in the Lord with all your heart, and honoring God with all you do.  To be kind and loyal is to be faithfully opening your life to having God show you the best paths.

I saw, and participated in, that this past week.  It was not a cataclysmic event covered by all the news channels.  It wasn’t life and death in the biological sense.  It was a simple interchange between two men at a gas station.  I had stopped to fill the gas tank and get a cup of that high octane coffee.  As I approached the double doors that lead to java heaven a man, perhaps thirty years or so younger than I, reached the entryway first and pulled open the door.  As he did, he stepped backward, and with the most perfect theatrical bow and sweep of his arm, he smiled (with his eyes, because the bottom half of his face was covered with a mask) and offered, after you, my friend.  I couldn’t help grinning under my mask.  I bowed a thank you and stepped-inside.  I then grabbed the inner door, opened it, stepped aside, and bowed as low as this old back can manage, and offered (in my best James Earl Jones voice) after you, my friend.  We both chuckled, and I said, we can’t be too kind these days, can we?  He responded, not at all, ever! 

Two men, more than just civil, and without even skipping a beat, lifting each other’s day with a kind, momentary gesture of which a hundred other people in the parking lot probably never took note; but, I, somehow felt lighter all the way home.  And, a day later, I still savor the kindness, and loyalty to brotherly neighborliness.

It occurred to me that kindness and loyalty are twins; they share the same DNA, and you cannot un-join them.  A commitment to loyalty is understanding of a lifetime of kindness expressed, whether reciprocated or not.  Loyalty passionately holds forth kindness.  And genuine kindness cannot be disloyal.  

When King Solomon, God’s preacher of wisdom, coached his prince-son in God’s way to a life filled with God-honored blessings, he put kindness and loyalty in the front seat of the wagon.  This is what drives us onto God’s best pathway.

For You Today

You, as I, have been the recipient of kindness and loyalty in your life.  I can say that with assurance, because there are too many people in our world who practice this for you to not have bumped into some of them.  Perhaps it was at a gas station, or somewhere in your life you just needed to experience a genuine whiff of Godly air.

When you got that whiff, it was God saying, Tag…you’re it!  Now, go spread it around!

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

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy  Pixabay.com

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For other posts on this text see God's Life Skills - Not for the Half-Hearted and Sometimes It's Better for the Ship to Sink   

 

Chariot of Fire

 

Friday, May 22, 2020

2 Kings 2:1-12

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.  And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel.”  But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!”  So they went down together to Bethel.  The group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”  “Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.”  Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Jericho.”  But Elisha replied again, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.”  So they went on together to Jericho.  Then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”  “Of course I know,” Elisha answered.  “But be quiet about it.”  Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River.”  But again Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.”  So they went on together.  Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River.  Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it.  The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!  When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.”  And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”  “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request.  But if not, then you won’t.”  As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire.  It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.  Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!”  And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress. 

Every leader who cares about the flock they’re charged with leading looks down the road to the next leader of that flock.  There are many moving parts to transition.  In Elijah’s case, his “assistant” Elisha made it an easy choice.  Elisha was, as this account shows, fiercely loyal and unselfish; he would not leave Elijah’s side.  It is an encouragement every leader needs to have an Elisha. 

As the story unfolds it becomes obvious the successor decision isn’t Elijah’s, it is God’s.  Elijah’s last words…if you see me taken your request is granted…has nothing to do with Elijah’s will or Elisha’s, it is the prophet pointing to the sovereignty of God’s will.  His final sentence assures that, But if not, then you won’t.  Elijah was not presumptuous where God’s will was concerned.  When Elijah’s propheting days came to a close, whether or not he wanted his protégé, Elisha to fill his shoes as prophet in Israel, was of little importance; it was always going to be God’s choice.

As it turned out, it was God’s will for Elisha to serve, and do many more miracles than his mentor.  That may refer to Elisha’s request to inherit “a double share of spirit” of Elijah’s kind.  When God honors something you can count on meticulous attention to detail.

The tribe in which I serve (Methodists) has a longstanding tradition of clergy serving at the discretionary choice of bishops.  A bishop, in consultation with his cabinet (of District Superintendents) sends me a notice once a year as to where I will serve in the coming year.  My current charge as local pastor to two churches, is about to enter its ninth year.  I have in served in pastoral roles to ten different churches over the last 39 years.  In each circumstance, upon leaving, I always had that chariot of fire image moment, wondering if I’d left too soon, not left soon enough, or if I’d been obedient as God’s servant in that spot.  From this perspective I now see that as a largely non-productive exercise.  It is enough to know that in each place I served, and the people with whom I served, my heart’s desire was to be obedient.  It is God who chose successors to follow me, just as God put me in those places, following someone else.

It is always interesting, though, the way God does all that; it is a magnificent thing to watch the unfolding of thoughts and ways that are much higher than mine[1].

Let’s Pray

Father, help us to NOT kick at the changes in our lives.  Help us to be loyal, like Elisha, ready for however your Spirit will work in us.

For You Today

Changes cause us to evaluate, adjust the sails, and get busy with the journey.  When God sends a chariot of fire to your group, family, or ministry, it could be a sign a double-share  of His Spirit and power are also on the way.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

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Title Image:  By Giuseppe Angeli (Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For another post on Elijah’s leadership see When Kings Must Bow

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[1] Isaiah 55:9

Leaders and Loyalty

[1]

Thursday, July 19, 2018

I have found my servant David.  I have anointed him with my holy oil.  I will steady him with my hand; with my powerful arm I will make him strong.  His enemies will not defeat him, nor will the wicked overpower him.  I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him.  My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and by my authority he will grow in power.  I will extend his rule over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.  And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’  I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth.  I will love him and be kind to him forever; my covenant with him will never end.  Psalm 89:20-28^(NLT)

Once when David was at the rock near the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim.  The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there.  David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.  David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.”  So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David.  But David refused to drink it.  Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord.  “God forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed.  “This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.”  So David did not drink it.  These are examples of the exploits of the Three.  1 Chronicles 11:15-19^(NLT)

David was hand-picked by God to be Israel’s leader.  From the slingshot/stone-throwing days of his battle with Goliath, to the daily decisions of battle and governing, David was a man of loyalty; he lived in it, and he depended upon it.  He also earned it.

There are those who never get it about leadership.  A leader is seen at the head table, standing in front of a group, issuing orders or at the head of whatever the group is doing.  And sometimes the thought is that a leader has all this fun, and everybody else has to do what he/she says.  I must admit it’s easy to see things that way; I’ve been guilty of those thoughts also. 

However, over the last 40 years or so, as I have attempted to fulfill leadership roles in a variety of settings, the whole issue of being a leader has proved much different than what leadership looked-like from the outside.

Just a couple of things I’ve learned:

First – loyalty goes both ways.  If you are a leader, you must be loyal to those you lead.  If you follow, you cannot do so honorably without loyalty.  God had promised David the might of heaven’s favor on his kingdom throughout the generations.  David’s men; those special soldiers called the Three, understood their king’s loyalty to God was something they could count on.  Those who follow with honor will die for a leader like that.

Second – you cannot buy loyalty.  As much as the Three were loyal, it was not a matter of money, golden parachute retirement plans, or perks fit for royalty; the privilege of serving a fiercely-loyal king who was committed to truth and fidelity was everything a person of honor needs to know he/she is making a difference in the world.

For You Today

The Three risked life and limb to bring a drink of well water to their king; can we do less in loyalty for Jesus, the eternal King of Heaven?

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

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

When You Need a Friend

[1]

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David.  But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, told him what his father was planning.  “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields.  I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”  The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him.  “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said.  “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could.  Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result?  You were certainly happy about it then.  Why should you murder an innocent man like David?  There is no reason for it at all!”  So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”  Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened.  Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.  1 Samuel 19:1-7^(NLT)

The proof of Jonathan’s friendship with David is found primarily in the fact that he had everything to lose by helping David, and virtually nothing to gain.  Jonathan was the king’s son, and therefore heir-apparent to the throne of Israel.  It was a dangerous game to play, helping David, when the king wanted him dead.  But Jonathan not only loved his friend David, he was bound by integrity to do the right thing.  Many years later David’s son, Solomon (perhaps remembering his father’s friend, Jonathan) would write:

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. 

Proverbs 17:17^(NLT)

“Always loyal” is the key to friendship.  Now, that doesn’t mean always patting you on the back or being ready to follow you down an ethically-questionable pathway.  Loyalty does always mean being truthful, and to be depended upon to stand with you in the hard times and rejoice with you in the triumphs of life. 

I believe if David had in mind a coup d'état to overthrow King Saul, this story would have had a very different ending; Jonathan might have let David sink!  David may have been Jonathan’s dearest friend, but Saul was his father and the king.  When loyalties collide, friendship must take second place to truth and doing the right thing. 

Solomon also wrote:  It is wrong to punish the godly for being good…. Proverbs 17:26^(NLT)

For You Today

It’s an easy thing to imagine what you’d like a friend to be in your life…loyal, courageous, funny, helpful, strong, supportive.  All this and more roll quickly off our brain’s must have list for friends.  But we should also consider our friendship effort we give to others.  If you’ve got a Jonathan in your life, treasure the gift, and thank God.  And while you’re at it, ask God for the wisdom, generosity and faithfulness to BE a Jonathan to your friends.

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

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com