ARE YOU IN A HURRY?

        Does life seem to you like it’s speeding by? Does it seem people are rushing around but accomplishing little? Some years ago the musical group “Alabama” recorded a song with the that chorus says: “I’m in a hurry to get things done, Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun. All I really got to do is live and die, But I'm in a hurry and don't know why.” 

        I thought about those words on the way home from church yesterday. Ironically, the road home was I-25 through Denver, and even on Sunday noon it was a speedway. No matter how fast I drove or what lane I was in, other cars simply had to get around me. I was moving along well, even over the limit, but it was never fast enough. Some drivers were in a hurry to get somewhere and I wondered if they knew why.

        It’s been said there are two kinds of drivers: Idiots who drive too fast, and Morons who drive too slow. Which do you think you are? Or might you be a third kind - a Watchful driver who doesn’t let the others drive you. 

        Life only comes around once, so why rush through it? Hebrews 9:27 tells us, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” That's a sobering thought! Perhaps we ought to slow down on the road of life and make sure we’re on the right path and try not to run over others on their path.

        Apostle Paul says, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:8). Jesus is the Lord. He is the One we need to follow. He gave His life for us that we might enjoy life with Him forever. Even if we crash on our journey, He is there to pick us up, dust us off and point us in the right direction.

Lord, help us slow down, and stay one the right road.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

THE BUMMER LAMB

(This story was written by Pamela Hiscocks, a young woman who lived courageously despite her disabilities.)

“The Bummer Lamb”

            “Every once in awhile, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons she may do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may push or even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind. These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Its spirit is broken. 
            These lambs are called “Bummer Lambs.” Unless the shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected all alone. So, do you know what the shepherd does? He takes that rejected little one into his home, hand-feeds it and keep it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to his chest so the Bummer can hear his heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock.

            But that sheep never forgets how the shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to him first? That’s right - the Bummer sheep. He knows his voice intimately. It is not that the Bummer Lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the one who loves it. It's not that it is loved more, it just believes it because it has experienced that love one on one. 
            So many of us are Bummer Lambs, rejected and broken. But He [Jesus] is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heart beat. We may be broken but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd.” 
            Pamela Hiscocks died at age 39 in January, 2017, and her obituary said she loved and cared for animals, as well as her friends and family, with a great heart, and she inspired people with her passionate spirit to celebrate the joys and adventures of life. Pamela was of First Nations descent, Canadians who often live just below the Arctic Circle. Some are known as Inuit, others as Metis. I first thought of re-writing her article, but decided to send it to you just as she wrote it.

            In God’s Holy Word, Jesus told us, “I am the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep… I know my own and my own know me.” (John 10:11,14) Let us give thanks that the Good Shepherd cares for us, loving us, holding us to His heart, feeding us and giving us life when others would not.

Thank You, Jesus, for not rejecting us, no matter how “able” we are.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

WHY AM I ALIVE?

        “The Lord saw fit for me to live,” says Stanley Praimnath, who was working in Tower 2 on 9/11/01. His story of survival is found in Plucked from the Fire (Rosedog Books) co-authored by Wm. Hennessey. Stan is the only known survivor from a direct hit by a plane at the World Trade Center that day.            In his native Guyana, Stan’s mother had insisted he attend church, but he drifted away when he came to America. In New York, a friend invited him to church. “The more I went there, the more I liked what I saw,” Praimnath says. After receiving Jesus as his Lord, Stan married a pastor’s daughter and helped his father-in-law plant a new church in Queens. He always kept a Bible on his work desk and read from it during lunch.

        On the morning of 9/11/01, Tower One was hit first, but Stan didn’t realize something was wrong until he saw fiery debris falling outside his window. Then came the phone call, “Stan, get out of the building!” He looked out of his office window and saw a huge gray plane flying straight at him at eye-level, so close he could read the plane’s letters. Momentarily frozen in his steps, he cried out, “Lord, I can’t do this – You take over!” and then jumped under his desk, leaving his Bible on top. The plane sliced his office in half, a wing missing him by a few feet, and the impact killed every other person around him. Stan was injured but alive.

        Stan firmly believes the Lord answered his prayer by sending him under his desk and bringing a helper from an office a floor above his. Together they were somehow able to walk down the stairwells 80 floors and out of the building. They ran through the falling debris outside, “And not one piece touched us,” he said. They just made it inside Trinity Church just as Tower 2 collapsed. The clouds of dust and ash separated them for the rest of the day, but they were reunited later, “We became blood brothers,” he said.

        “If you look at the video [of the plane hitting Tower 2],” he writes, “the plane is coming straight at me in the building, but at the last minute it makes a tilt.” He believes God made the plane do that, thereby saving his life.

        For weeks he struggled with survivor’s guilt, asking, “Why am I alive?” But then he heard a commentator speak of the significance of the numbers 9-1-1. He grabbed his Bible and found Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” It was God’s answer to the only known survivor of a direct plane hit at the World Trade Center.

        “My survival is all about God and His grace,” Praimnath says. “If you call on Him with all your heart and soul, He will intervene on your behalf and deliver you.” I can add nothing to Stan’s words except,

“Thank You, God, for Your grace for us in Jesus.”

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE

        In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “God makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45) 

        It is God’s choice to bless good people as well as evil people. Sometimes we may wonder why it seems He blesses the bad guys more than the good guys, but we must realize we only see a small part of all that’s happening around us. God sees everything, the Big Picture. He wants all people to trust and love Him, because He knows what works best for us all. We individuals only see a small part.

        A man once visited a cathedral with a tour group and was standing near the back wall when a blue light surrounded him. He realized the sun  had come out and was shining through a large stained glass window. When the crowd disbursed, he walked forward and turned to see the window from a distance. His blue light was glass that made up part of a foot. The stained glass in the window was designed so the colored pieces formed a very tall a disciple. But all he first saw first was blue light. He was too close, so close to the window that he couldn’t see the Big Picture.

        At any given time you and I only see a small part of life. We may be too close to the injustice or evil around us to see any purpose for it. We may see something that looks ugly, but not the part it has in the miracle of life. God has a purpose in all things, including even sad events or evil events. 

        When an accident happens, or someone does something nasty to us, or a loved one disappoints us, or the world seems to be going from bad to worse, we can’t see any good purpose in it. Only time and perspective will help us see the Big Picture more clearly.

        God sends blessings on all, as He chooses, especially through forgiveness in Jesus. He can also withhold blessings, and we may wonder why, but we may be too close to see His good purpose. Pray about it. Give yourself some time and distance. You will probably see things better at a distance.

        In what way would you like to have a different attitude today? How would you like to know more about what is happening to you? Ask Jesus to show you what He wants you to learn from your life. He will answer you.

Lord, I thank and praise You for today. Amen.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

TO LOVE OR NOT TO LOVE?

            In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45) It can be difficult to love our enemies, and Jesus’ command to forgive them may seem impossible.

            But the decision to love or not love is ours to make. Only God can require us to love others, and only we can decide whether or not we will do it. But why would God tell us to do love our persecutors, and how can we possibly do that?

Love has many elements, including the decision not to hate. Loving our enemies doesn’t mean we have to like them, but that we set aside our anger over what they have done to us. Loving our enemies means we decide not to vilify them. It means treating them as humans because we, too, are human. But it doesn’t mean we have to invite them to lunch.

Praying for our enemies helps us and them. One of the purposes of prayer is to release us from the prison of anger. Anger can a terrible jailer, but relaxing our hardened attitude towards someone can truly help us. When we do, Jesus says we are being children of God. If God can love even the worst sinner, with His grace, we can too.

We all have enemies, even if they personally have never hurt us. I don’t like certain groups which target my fellow Christians, blowing them up with bombs or condemning them publicly or making their lives more difficult with frivolous laws, regulations or lawsuits. But Christians have had to endure enemies throughout history. Christ tells us to love and forgive them. Following His Word makes life easier in the long run.

Who can you forgive today? How can you replace your hatred with love or caring? Jesus is our Savior. Thanks be to God He forgives us and doesn’t treat us like we treat each other.

Lord Jesus, help us forgive others wherever it is needed. Amen

Rev. Bob Tasler      (View all my published words at : www.bobtasler.com)