One of the first questions that one is asked before being seated at a restaurant is: Smoking or non-smoking. Does the smoke really know that it is supposed to stay in the smoking section? So much time is spent on making things look good that we loose the usefulness of what we are trying to accomplish. The Church of Ephesus, Revelation 2:2&3 was so caught up in doing good things that they forgot what they were trying to accomplish. This church forgot their first love, God. This church had a smoking or non-smoking section because they were trying to please everyone while missing their first objective, God.

            I hear people say that this is my church when actually the church belongs to God. The moment God is left out of the church, playing church begins. Church is not the building, its God’s followers. The building is only the container, some that could be compared to “paper or plastic? The church of Ephesus did all the things they should do as far they thought they were supposed to be doing, they just left God out. It’s like they had a smoking or non-smoking section.

            The church members should be servants of the Lord, not of the pastor or of the building. New Christians as well as the more mature ones need to feed on the word of God. Christian fellowship aids new Christians in building strength to resist things of the world. The church should be helping new Christians in much the same way that a new born baby should be helped.  The church should be a place where spiritual babies can get nourishing milk and get dirty diapers changed. Many people find themselves feeling as though they have a church that can not be deserted. If you are not getting the spiritual food you need, you had better start looking for some place else. Matthew 21:18&19 tells about a fig tree with no fruit. Jesus, being hungry, approached the tree in search of food. Finding the tree absent of fruit, Jesus cursed the fig tree causing it to wither away. People are hungry; they chew on the bark since there is no fruit for nourishment.

            Is your relationship with the church hindering your relationship with God? Don’t find yourself in the smoking section when you really wanted the non-smoking section.

            Life is a mixture of many ingredients with love and laughter most longed for. Scars from disappointment, trials of illness, of being deceived, of false accusations, the things that went wrong when we had something to prove have left their mark. Some of the worst scars have been left by family and friends who have laughed at and belittled us. Unhealthy comparisons cause a lot of hurt too; why can’t I be like so and so, I’m just not as lucky as they are. Life is not so much what happens to us as is what we do with it.

            Mark 2:1-12 tells about a man who was paralyzed. This man having heard that Jesus was in town talked four others into carrying him to Jesus so that he might be healed. Jesus always attracted large crowds wherever he went and this time was no exception. This crippled man and his porters could not get in the door so they went to the top of the house, made a hole in the roof and lowered the man to Jesus. This man was going through the trials of illness and then faced disappointment yet refused to not be seen by Jesus. This paralyzed man had no doubt faced many scars and still talked four men into carrying himself to Jesus. Makes you wonder what his friends must have said when they were asked to carry him to Jesus to be healed. This man’s faith healed him; scars did not keep away his reward.

            God determines where we walk, it’s not always easy and we may get a little scared along the way. The closer we get to victory the more opposition that we face. Okay, so the house was full, the paralyzed man found another way in. Don’t let others discouraged you from your rewards. Don’t let life’s battle scars hold you back, keep pressing, you may be closer than you think to your victory.

There are so many people who fail to see the glory of God. They seem to be encased in some sort of drama or poor me. I think it should be called “Doom and Gloom”, always negative and never positive. Look around- they aren’t hard to find, they seem to have the big dark cloud hanging over themselves.

            There is record of Jesus calming a storm, Mark 4: 35-41, where the disciples had fallen into doom and gloom. Jesus, after a long day of teaching, sent the multitudes away, and got on a ship to cross over to the other side. As they were crossing the Sea of Galilee a great storm came up causing the water to become rough enough that the ship was in danger of sinking. We get caught up in the storm of life a lot like that little ship got caught up. The disciples, despite the fact that they were in the same boat as Jesus, had begun to fear, went to Jesus, who was sleeping near the back of the ship, woke Him panic that they were going to perish. Jesus rebuked the wind and told the sea to calm, and instantly they obeyed. Jesus asked why they were so fearful. We accept Jesus, yet we have a very inadequate trust with him. The disciples, like us are on the same boat with Jesus. There should be great respect for Him, who controls the wind, sea, and everything else.

            Doom and gloom requires no faith, allowing a self-defeating behavior. Life becomes surrounded in negativity, building a barrier between you and God. God’s favor surrounds you with a fort of protection.

            Here are some words of doom and gloom from an e-mail I received this week:

Without God, our week would be;

Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday, and Shatterday

Remember seven days without God makes one WEAK.

            Often the ones that are filled with doom and gloom are also consumed with anger. More often than we realize they take out their frustration on others with some form of abuse. Sometimes even Christians fall into doom and gloom. The fear that the disciples experienced during the storm was a judgment fear. 1 John 4:18 tells of a perfect love that casts out fear. God has a perfect love for us that casts out all fear if we have a perfect love for him. When we have a perfect love for God, He will look after us and there is nothing

to fear.

            A story is told about a boy who was always mean and saying nasty things. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him to drive a nail in the fence every time he said something nasty to someone. A week later the boy reported to his father that the bag of nails was empty. The father then told the boy to pull a nail out of the fence every time he said something nice. This task took nearly two weeks, but all of the nails were finally pulled and again the boy reported his achievement to his father. The father took the son to the fence, pointing out all of the nail holes. He told the sons that all of those holes represented scars from the nasty things he had said. Pulling the nails represented apologies, but nothing could take away the scars.

            God provides a perfect love that clears away the fear of doom and gloom, a love that leaves you knowing that God is and will always sustain you. Jesus slept on a pillow during a storm. There will be storms of life to face- Jesus, if you will allow Him, will carry you though them. 

            We seem to be living in a land of withdrawals, so much is taken and nothing is put back. Demand is placed on our government, families, and God with no regard to pay back. There is never enough being done for us, its line up for another handout. Christians are ever demanding more out of God. A friend of mine once said, “There ain’t no free lunch.” Sooner or later something is going to run out. That free lunch is coming to a close.

            There is a story in Luke 15:11-32 about the Prodigal Son, which should serve as a good illustration. This is a story about one of two sons who, not being satisfied with what he had, desired to have his inheritance now, rather than to wait for his fathers passing. Under Roman law at the time he would have been entitled to a set amount which he received. Not long after the son packed his things and traveled to a far land. Life, so the son thought, was going pretty well until Satan caused a great famine. With his money now gone, the son took up a job feeding pigs, a job well below his standard of living. The son had made so many withdrawals that he was reduced to begging and eating what the pigs ate. Well, after a spell living this way the Bible says that he came to himself- realizing that his father’s servants were better off than he. Swallowing his pride, the son returned to his father, offering himself to become a servant. The father interrupted the son with a great celebration of his return.

            The Prodigal Son fell because he wanted the father’s goods without the fathers company. He was willing to make withdrawals while failing to make deposits. The son in this case had allowed sin to take him further than he wanted to go. Satan uses and abuses, a trait of withdrawal. God on the other hand continues to bless and give. Individuals, to the expense of our country, have made withdrawals with no thoughts for deposits. This story shows how sin leads to take and not giving.

            Luke 17:11-19 tells us about ten lepers who were healed. Ten made withdrawals and were healed; only one returned to make a deposit and thanked Jesus for the healing. Nine were ungrateful, only willing to make withdrawals. Sin causes a need for the easy way out, wanting so many things with no regard for pay back. Make a deposit, volunteer somewhere, say thank-you, and most importantly praise God for what He has given.