COMING THROUGH THE FIRE

        What do you do when you find yourself in a terrible situation? Stand and fight?  Deny there is a problem? Give up and run? When a terrible health report comes in, or you’re handed a frightening court summons, or the thief steals all you have, what’s your first reaction?
        Sometimes we have no options and must face what’s coming. There is no way out of our predicament.
        Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? They were Daniel’s three friends in the Old Testament who stood up to King Nebuchadnezzer and refused to worship him as god. For defying the king they were ordered burned to death in a furnace. There was no time for a court appeal or someone to rescue them. They were just tossed into the flames. But they believed God would rescue them, even if they died in the fire.
        And God did rescue them, but not by putting the fire out. He put Jesus inside the furnace with them. With Jesus at their side, they not only survived the burning fire, they didn’t even smell of smoke!
        When the flames of disaster threaten to engulf us, God doesn’t always rescue us the way we wish. He puts Jesus beside us to protect us, guide us and bring us through our fire. These three men have become for us a symbol of God’s protection and blessing when we obey God rather than mankind.
        Our Savior Jesus is with us every day, in good times or in bad. He will never leave us nor forsake us, no matter how hot the furnace of life becomes. He will bring us through it when we reach out to Him in faith.

Thank You, Jesus, for being with us, no matter how hot things get!

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.come

DO YOU HAVE TERMITES?

        A few months ago we heard that a house down our street in Arizona had termites, so I called for a termite inspection on our home. Fortunately the news was good. We had no termites because we didn’t have dampness or wood in piles next to the house. We were told not to worry, but to watch for certain signs.

        Termites are tiny and very destructive. They chew whatever wood they like and are able to weaken even large timbers. Their damage isn’t evident at first, but given time it will be evident. The deck on the neighbor’s house had started to sag, and when the repairman came, he said he needed to eradicate the insects before he could repair or replace parts of their deck.

        People can get bugs in their lives also, not actual insects, but little sins that eat away and damage a productive life. Constant worry, irrational fears, or little bad habits can damage a life, even permanently. This is also true of our spiritual life. Cheating, “little white lies” or theft can be destructive and small, where seemingly innocent wrong doings can cause big problems.

        When God let Israel conquer Jericho, He told people to destroy all living things there and not keep anything from that city. Achan thought no one would miss a few coins or jewels so he took and hid them. When his theft was discovered, God let the Israelites to lose a battle. Achan repented and said, “I truly have sinned against the Lord God of Israel.” A small sin caused a great disaster.

        Our “small sins” can do the same for us, our family or even a community. But the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” (1 John 1:9)

        No matter what we may have done, it is better to confess our sins to God, receive His forgiveness and get rid of our spiritual termites.

Lord, forgive our sins and help us follow You.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

WHAT'S WRONG WITH BREAD?

In our ever-changing world, we are often surprised when something once considered good is now considered bad. Take the loaf of bread, for example. For centuries it was a needed part of our diet, but now it is supposed to be bad for us, and not just due to refined flour. One popular diet tells us to avoid the “whites” – bread, rice, potatoes, sugar. If we want be thin and healthy, avoid those!

In Jesus’ day, a diet without bread would be strange. I think it is still good food, however. And if nutritious food is needed, the other “whites” are okay too, if taken in moderation.

Imagine if today Jesus would feed crowds a meal of only bread and fish. Critics would say it needed more variety, less starch and no salt. Someone might report Him to the FDA!

But what Jesus gave the crowd was life-giving. As God provided manna and quail in the desert, so Jesus fed His people true bread from heaven. They just wanted food, of course, but Jesus told them they needed the spiritual bread that only He could give them. He said if they took what He offered, they would feed more than just their bodies on earth.

He said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) A first century follower would not go without bread. May we never try to live without Jesus.

Lord Jesus, thank You for feeding us Your bread.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

GIVING UP WHAT WE CANNOT KEEP

       Maybe you remember the name, Eric Liddell. He was main character in the 1980s film, “Chariots of Fire.” The film mainly focused on his life as an Olympic athlete who gave up running in a medal race because he didn’t want to run on Sunday, his Sabbath. It’s still a great movie to watch.

        Few know, however, that Eric Liddell’s greatest work was as a missionary. Born to Scottish missionary parents in North China, Eric Liddell went back to China in 1925, where he worked as a teacher and a minister. In 1941, British nationals were urged to leave China because of the coming Japanese invasion. Liddell’s wife took their children to Canada, her home, but Liddell remained in China to work with his brother. In 1943, Eric Liddell was imprisoned by the Japanese, and he died in an internment camp in 1945. 

        In the 1990s a Christian journalist met an older woman who was a young girl in the same camp with Eric Liddell. She said they knew nothing of his fame as an athlete, only that Pastor Liddell was a kind man and a favorite teacher who brought hundreds, including herself, to faith in Jesus.

       Few people today will go to places of such danger to proclaim the Gospel. Jim Elliot, another Christian missionary, was killed by natives in South America in 1956, and he wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” 

        I Peter 3:15 tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” May we be ready to share the hope we have in Jesus, even if it means giving up our life. As Jim Elliot said, it is...

“Giving up what we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose.”

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com