Paths and People

A simple picture of a narrow worn dirt path through some brush. Not exactly an award winning photo, or even a very exciting or incredibly interesting one. Every picture tells a story though and this one is no exception.

At the top of the hill where this path begins sits a small village where less than 180 people live. In fact it was the first established village in its country. The villagers are of Hispanic, African, and Kekchi descent. The inhabitants are very poor with most living in dwellings not much larger than the garden sheds many of us have in our suburban backyards.

Most of the villagers raise a few crops to exist, some work on the farms of others, but unless something extraordinary happens these people will have little chance of breaking from the poverty cycle  in which they currently live.

Almost every day at some point the villagers walk down the trail in this picture to the bank of the Belize River. Sometimes it’s to gather water for their gardens or to wash clothing. Sometimes it’s to bath or to just swim and cool off.  One day while visiting the village I walked down this familiar path to the river and there not far from the bank perched on a huge tree trunk stuck in the shallow part of the river and floating about twenty or so feet from the bank sat a father and two of his sons.  Just as I arrived at waters edge, both young boys stood up dove into the deep green tropical river water and began playing, a couple seconds later their father joined them.  Except for their splashing and laughing, it was quiet and peaceful; the end of another day in this small remote riverside village in Central America.

A path leading from a small village to a river is a scene repeated countless times around our planet. Small villages like the one I just described that most of us have never heard of with people we most likely will never meet or even see in our lifetime.  Each one though has a story and within each village are people who are important to God. There is more need around the world than we will be able to meet. In fact I have heard people say before, “Why get involved in other places in the world when we have so many problems in our own back yard?” I agree we should get involved in our own back yard. In fact for far too long most of us have ignored our own back yards, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be involved in other parts of our planet also.

The story of this picture communicates several things to us.  First,  no matter who we are, where we live, rich or poor, we all have one thing in common, our deepest need can only be met by Jesus Christ.  Second, we may not be able to address all the worlds need, but we can make a real difference for some like the people who live in the village at the top of the path in this picture if we only will.

I wish I could express all I felt the first time I visited this village over two years ago as well as several like it. I am trying to make a difference in the lives of people where I live as well as the precious folks like ones who live at the top of this path.

Please visit www.village2village.co and consider getting involved.

Thanks,

Craig Smith

Opportunities

Recently I was sitting outside a downtown hotel cafe in one of our larger cities.  It was very early, the morning commute had not begun, so it was still quiet as I was reading.  I glanced up when I turned to the next page in the book and I noticed across the street what appeared to be a homeless man.  He had long stringy brown hair, camo -shorts, a dirty lime green T-shirt, and some much worn tennis shoes.  He was walking slowly, looking down on to the sidewalk, then into the gutter, and occasionally kicking items in hope of finding something he deemed of value. Spotting something he reached down in the gutter picked up a used cigarette and lit it from one he was already smoking, and then tossed the shorter one to the ground.

Fifty feet away another man briskly exited the hotel’s main entrance catching my attention; he hardly slowed his pace as he tipped the uniformed doorman, jumped in the driver’s side of a new Jaguar and sped off. The next thing that popped into my mind was the stark difference in the lifestyles of these two men. I am not saying either one was right, wrong, good, or bad, just that there was a vast contrast in the two, at least at a glance. Then I looked up to see where the homeless man was, but he had disappeared around the corner and out of my sight.

I didn’t know these men or their stories, and the homeless man vanished before I could even think to walk across the street and give him some breakfast money. My next thought was, “Craig, you missed your chance, you should have gotten up and given the guy across the street something while you could.”

I could not count the number of occasions I have missed to minister to someone over the years by not acting soon enough, but I am trying to be much more sensitive to the opportunities that seem to have my name on them to act.

I may not have the Jag, but there is a lot I can do, and a lot God wants me to do. If we would all try to be more sensitive to the still small voice of God trying to speak and lead us, we could change some things, at least the things that have our names on them to act.
“…be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to.” Eph. 5:15-18

 

 

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Courage

My typical morning is to get out of bed before sunrise, make my way to the kitchen to make coffee, step outside for a moment to enjoy the peace and stillness, and then find some place to read my Bible, pray, and journal a bit. However I made the mistake this morning of glancing at the news on my computer while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.

It only took a minute of reading about national and international threats, financial instability, record breaking weather occurrences and destruction, political corruption, and mind boggling crimes to change a good morning into a spirit of hopelessness. Then I wisely turned to the Word of God, specifically Psalm 67:1-4.

May God be merciful and bless us.
May his face smile with favor on us.
May your ways be known throughout the earth,
your saving power among people everywhere.
May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
Let the whole world sing for joy,
because you govern the nations with justice
and guide the people of the whole world.

Indeed the final act in the global theater is drawing nearer, but those embracing Christ and His Kingdom are but visitors on this planet and according to the Bible our citizenship is in heaven. He has always comforted His people by telling us to not trust in the things of the world which will eventually all pass away, but to trust in Him.

He is a faithful, merciful, and gracious God to those who abide in His care, and we are still on His mission.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Isa.41:10)

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The Fruit and Wisdom of Simplicity

While enjoying the peace and simplicity of a quiet dawn, I came across these insightful words written by a man named Paul as he was offering some helpful life guidance to a young Christian leader. He told him, “…the goal of (their) instruction (was) love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion.” (1 Tim 1:5,6)

The heart of Christianity seems to be found within two primary sayings of Jesus, and they reveal the purpose and impetus for His church.

• The first is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, (and) love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said,” There is no commandment greater than these.”(Mk 12:30.31)”

 

• The second,”… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19,20)

 

In other words, connect with God, connect with people, and connect other people with God. Paul was telling his apprentice the goal of their instruction was to produce a Christian community living in genuine relationship who would love Jesus, their neighbors as themselves, and go and make disciples. And, to do so motivated by love from a pure heart, a good conscience, that is having righteous character and no hidden or selfish agendas or motives. And finally, with a sincere or genuine faith, keep it real.

How did we make Christianity so complicated in the western hemisphere and to a large extent ineffectual in regard to its influence upon the culture?  The western church is experiencing deficiencies between its intended divine design and what is now actualized. Maybe something similar was unfolding in Paul’s day which caused him to also write, “Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion.”

Perhaps if we returned to God’s simple plan with intentions of application, that is with the purpose to live it, we would see the results so many have yearned to see for decades.

Running to win!

How would you live today if you knew you could win?

You can!

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13,14)

Early in the morning

 

 

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

Rising early has not always been easy for me, but over time I have learned why Jesus encouraged it by setting the example for us. I realize some have jobs and schedules that make it difficult to do so, but those who have made room in there lives to seek the Lord in a quiet place will testify that the benefit far out weighs the inconvenience.

One of satans primary weapons against us is to occupy our minds with worldly noise and clutter. Many if not most who say we believe in Christ and want to follow Him in this life,  often succumb to the enemy’s plan of busyness spending more time on the temporal than on the things of eternal value. I read once that, “We will make time for the things we really love and are devoted to.”

Jesus invites us all to spend time with Him. To seek Him in the quiet places, listen to His wisdom, enjoy His friendship. In those times He will share guidance with us through the challenges of this life, and encourage us more than we can imagine.

All are invited, but sadly few discover the treasure found spending time in the quiet place of early morning with the Creator of all life.

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.”

Psalm 5:3

7 Daily Keys to Follow

Dear Friends,

Reading 1 Thessalonians this morning reminded me to remind us all as we walk through the remainder of this week to:

• Rejoice always
• Pray constantly
• Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
• Don’t stifle the Spirit.
• Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things.
• Hold on to what is good.
• Stay away from every kind of evil.

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-22)

God already has an adventure planned for you today, one better than you could ever design for yourself, and His is flawless, fruitful, and fulfilling. Listen, watch for His leading, and follow Him through it, determine in your heart to be His servant today. If you do, you will have made the right choice.

The divine design: The Father to trust (Part 6)

“In calling Him ‘Father,’ we express a relationship we have all known and felt surrounding us even from our infancy; but, in calling Him our Father ‘who art in heaven’ we contrast Him with the fathers we all have here below, and so raise our souls to that ‘heaven’ where He dwells, and that Majesty and Glory which are there as in their proper home. The first words of the Lord’s Prayer-this Invocation with which it opens-what a brightness and warmth does it throw over the whole prayer, and into what a serene region does it introduce the praying believer, the child of God, as he thus approaches Him!”[i]

This is why I said earlier, this prayer given by Jesus to assist His disciples is a masterpiece of His divine brilliance. For it is both the outline for an easy access on ramp for the novice or beginning prayer student, while simultaneously providing steerage for the most seasoned prayer veteran into an intense vigil.

It is a spiritual road map for a successful prayer time, be it three minutes, three hours, or three days.

Our entry point in prayer is to recognize, honor, and worship the Father we have in heaven. He is the head of His family; He alone is worthy and deserving of our admiration and undivided attention before we venture into any other area of prayer proclamation or petition, regardless of its importance.

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[i] Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments (Originally published by S.S. SCRANTON, HARTFORD, 1877Reprinted Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993)

The divine design: The Father to trust (Part 5)

Where earthly failures have caused doubt and cynicism, there is life and hope waiting in the faithfulness of the Heavenly Father.  Displacement and the feeling of being orphaned need not continue unless one foolishly decides to remain in that condition. Where this condition exists, the Father in heaven can and will alter the flawed paled image and transition it to one of triumph for the human soul as the redemptive work of Jesus is applied to the repentant heart. When our intent is to allow His influence to rule our lives, we can rest in His unfailing love, unrivaled qualities, pure intentions, and unlimited abilities.

One of my favorite quotes attempting to define God’s character and qualities comes from writer Adam Clarke.

Our Father is:

“the eternal, independent, and self-existing Being: the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence; he who is absolute in dominion; the most simple, the spiritual of all essences; infinitely perfect; and eternally self-sufficient, needing nothing that he has made; illimitable in his immensity, inconceivable in his mode of existence, and indescribable in his essence; known fully only by himself, because an infinite mind can only be fully comprehended by itself. In a word, a Being who, from his infinite wisdom, cannot err or be deceived, and from his infinite goodness, can do nothing but what is eternally just, and right, and kind.”[i]

So, as with all things pertaining to God we discover ourselves facing the wonder of complexity and simultaneously the essence of simplicity, they emanate from a singular source, inseparable, and mysterious, but always delivering comfort and peace when we belong to Him. Since we know that God is perfect in every way, the mystery and expanse of His vastness should deliver great comfort to our hearts. This huge God who is love’s essence, who eludes adequate human definition, is our heavenly Father.

When we see and feel seemingly insurmountable inconsistencies, unfolding disappointments, and gross injustices growing in the world, and recognize the huge lack of mental and material resources needed from men and nations to construct bridges to remedy these complex situations, let us not be robbed of peace!  A resting place exists, a safe harbor from the storm, within the storm.  True sanctuary waits in the care, in the presence, and in trusting Our Father in heaven.

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[i] Adam Clark,John M’clintock and James Strong, eds., Clclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. 3 (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1894), pp. 903-904.

The divine design: The Father to trust (Part4 )

I attended a function once where a table was decorated with a center piece containing a large clear glass container filled with water, long stemmed flowers, and several Goldfish. The display was attractive and interesting to look at, but after a while the fish began to gather at the water’s surface for air because of the decline of oxygen in the water. Without attention the fish would have eventually suffocated.

Humanity has one spiritual oxygen source, and that is God the Father. Without His oversight, left to fend for ourselves, we are deprived of the necessary life-breath for which we were designed and face dismal prospects.  His fatherly influences bring unprejudiced justice, firm honesty, unshakable security, and love’s unconditional qualities. He is without fear and contains all power to stave-off any level of attack from those things lurking in the shadows attempting to tamper with our minds to generate fear and insecurity in us. With God as our Father we remain in an impenetrable field of refuge and sanctuary. His role of perfect fatherhood in the life of humanity, defines His intention toward humanity, which has always and will forever continue to be pure, honorable, and advantageous for those who place themselves under His care.