Everyday I see more and more Islanders; they live on their own little isolated island surrounded by quite often, nothing. Islanders by definition are people who live on an island, however since no one is an island, I will use the term “Islander” to describe those that go through life alone. The human nature of man (man, used here to distinguish a member of the human race) has been created with a need for others. In Genesis 2:18 the Bible says, “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.” God created Adam and Eve to work and live together; in turn establishing the first family.

            Biological families grew and multiplied and extended into church families meeting a need in us for companionship. God had no plans in His creation that man should be alone. I remember hearing, “He ain’t heavy, he is my brother.” As brothers and sisters in Christ we are expected to help carry our brother. Often attempting to deal with all of our responsibilities and life’s burdens can exhaust and discourage man, creating an Islander. Only supernatural strength like that of Jesus, our Savior can carry burdens alone.

            Others cannot remove burdens, only God can do that however having someone to share and help can make a difference. They help by listening, praying, giving counsel, and just encouraging each other. The Bible tells us in I Thessalonians 5:11 “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” I like that word “edify”; it refers to cheering and strengthening of each other. Now how in the word could you be edified as an islander surrounded by a mote of nothing. Each day I pray that God allows me to bring encouragement to someone in need.

            God chooses the exact time to meet our needs. Hardships and difficulties come our way, no one is exempt. Will the problems that come your way leave you an islander surrounded by a mote of nothing or will you consider it an opportunity to grow in faith? Ina Duley Ogdon because of her father’s health missed an opportunity to speak to thousands of people, she surrendered her disappointment and God allowed her real purpose; she wrote the poem, “Brighten the corner where you are.” This poem, later written as song becoming the theme song for Evangelist Billy Sunday’s Evangelistic  Campaigns Ministry for 23 years. She didn’t become an Islander; her writing touched many more than her missed speaking engagement would have blessed.  

            Matthew 23:11 says, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Moses, Ester, and Daniel all helped others in need. Jesus walked a path of service and would expect no less of us. We were put on this earth to help each other. God will send help if you only ask.

            Today is considered to the 100^th anniversary of Father’s Day although it officially became a National Holiday by an act of congress in 1972. Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington came up with the idea at a Mother’s Day service. She actually convinced the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA to start a traditional father’s day service; June 19^th, 1910. President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 was the first president to celebrate Father’s Day. Sonora Dodd died 6 years after Father’s Day was declared a National Holiday at the age of 96.

            Biblical history tells a very appropriate Father’s Day story beginning in the 11^th chapter of Genesis with the genealogy of Abram. God tells Abram in Genesis 12:1 to leave his father and mother, to get out of the country and to go to another land. Verse 2 tells of the covenant that God makes with Abram; “…I will make of you a great Nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” Abram did as God had commanded; he packed his belongs which included his wife, his brother’s son Lot, 318 trained fighting men, his cattle and other possessions. Abram, at the age of 75 left for the land of Canaan with an entourage that could have easily totaled a thousand people.

            Often we don’t do what God has called us to do; in Abrams case, he began to drift south toward Egypt, a place God was not directing. A great famine came over the land so Abram moved everything into Egypt where life was plentiful. Abrams wife Sarai continued into her senior years to be a lovely woman. Here is where Abram becomes a coward: fearing that Pharaoh might kill him and take his wife, Abram devised a plan that would present him and his wife as brother and sister. The plan worked, at least for a little while. Pharaoh for the sake of Sarai showered Abram with gifts. God has to get Abram back on track so he causes a plague to come on the Egyptians. Pharaoh, furious to learn that Sarai was really Abrams wife had Abram escorted by armed guards back to Canaan.

            Sarai has become impatient with God; she is getting older and still has not had the promised child. Sarai gave her Egyptian servant to Abram as a wife that he might have a son by her. The servant, Hagar, bore Abram a son and he was named Ishmael.

           God now renews a covenant with Abram (Genesis 12:2) that he will become the father of many nations (Genesis 17). With the renewed covenant Abrams name has been changed to Abraham at the age of ninety. God also tells Abraham that he will bear a son to be named Isaac and there would be an everlasting covenant with him and his seed. Genesis 21:2 tells us that Sarah did conceive and did bear a son. Considering that Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90, this was something that only God could have had a hand in.

            Genesis 22 tells us that God tempted Abraham. God told Abraham to take Isaac to a mountain, build an altar, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Abraham journeyed to the mountain as directed by God with his son Isaac. An altar was constructed, the wood

in place and Isaac asked where the sacrifice is? Abraham answered, God will provide. Just as he took the knife to slay his son, an angel called out not to slay his son. When Abraham lifted his eyes he saw that God had sent a ram. It had been caught in a thicket by its horns.

            Faithful obedience is exactly what God expects from us. He tempted Abraham to see just how obedient he really was. Could you go to that extreme to prove your obedience to God? Abraham is given credit for being the father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Abraham was tempted with an incomprehensible test of obedience that allowed the covenant that he made with God to stand fast. I Peter 1:13-16 says that we are to be “as obedient children”. Abraham was spared sacrificing his son; God had no ram, He sacrificed His Son for us. Be faithfully obedient and listen to what God is saying to you.

            A lack of self-control is like unhooking the brakes from your car and then driving it around. This is a disaster in the making, sooner than later there is going to be a crash. Romans 6:12 says that we should not let sin control our body. While sin controls our body, restraint is taken away, our brakes are gone and we are headed for disaster. Self-control is pretty demanding. It is nearly impossible to have a lifestyle that is without fault. Sin causes us to blurt things out of our month without any thought as to how that it might sound.

            Romans 6:12-16 sums up self-control fairly well. If we allow our body to do it, it we throw you completely of track. The choice we make is whether to follow our body or to follow God. Our mind can take us to places that are only temporary but have lasting effects. How many unfinished projects, the ones you just can’t make yourself do that are around you? There are so many ways the lack of self-control can allow one moment of rage or pride or lust to taint a lifetime of walking with the Lord.

            Many times we just get so discouraged that we just want to give up. Self-control keeps us persevering. I found this story in a K-Love devotional: “On June 1, 1965, a 13-foot boat slipped quietly out of Falmouth, Massachusetts. Its destination? Falmouth, England. It would be the smallest craft ever to make the voyage. Its name? Tinkerbelle. Its pilot? Robert Manry, a copy editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper who felt that 10 years at a desk was enough boredom for anyone. Manry was afraid, not of the ocean but of all the people that would try to talk him out of the trip. So he shared it with some relatives and his wife, Virginia, his greatest source of support. The trip? He spent harrowing nights of sleeplessness trying to cross shipping lanes without getting run over. Weeks a sea caused his food to become tasteless. Loneliness led to hallucinations. His rudder broke three times. Storms swept him overboard. Had it not been for the rope around his waist he would have never been able to pull himself back on board. Finally, after 78 days alone at sea he sailed into Falmouth, England. During those nights at the tiller he had fantasized about what he would do once he arrived. He expected to simply check into a hotel, eat dinner alone, then next morning see if perhaps the Associated Press might be interested in his story. What a surprise! Word had spread far and wide. To his amazement, 300 vessels with horns blasting escorted Tinkerbelle into port, and 47,000 people stood screaming and cheering him into port.” Now there is a story of self-control.

            Perseverance and self-control are rated pretty high in the Bible.  James 1:12 says: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” Living for God is not a part-time way of life; don’t give up just because things get a little complicated. James wrote to the twelve tribes of Israel that had been scattered among the nations in James 1:13-18 about trials and temptations, their results, and how to avoid them.

            It would be equally unwise to remove the brakes from your car as to remove the brakes from your life; disaster is lurking and destruction is ahead. Self-control and perseverance needs to be practiced and implemented into your life everyday. Better check your brakes. Are they working properly?

            Most of us are very well aware of the origin of leftovers. They are remnants of something left behind. Usually leftovers are associated with food, something most of us are familiar with. Truly we could easily consider the leftovers to be picked over and not wanted on the first time around. Quite often we tend to see leftovers as having little to no value as the cost was applied to the origin of the leftover. Yes, sadly, it is what we have taken the best of, which we show our love with. Does God get your leftovers?

            Man once lived in a place called the Garden of Eden, a place of descriptive beauty and had abundant food. Adam and Eve were the first to use leftovers when they put Satan in front of God by eating of the forbidden fruit. It was that first sin that caused God to curse man that he would sweat to make a living. (Genesis 3:19) It takes sweat to transform any farmer's crop into cash; the bricklayer's sweat into a building or the soldier's sweat into freedom. We should value as God values the things that we work for; everything we do should be considered a masterpiece. God has given His best and would expect our best in return. David as King of Israel, when he had an opportunity to give to God said, " Nor will I offer...the Lord...that which cost me nothing." (2Samuel 24:24 NKJV) How many times has God been offered your leftover, something that you have discarded?

            Sweat...some don't. So whether using the term figuratively or literally, somehow you sweat to make a living. There is so much sweat spent on all the things that we do that there is no sweat left for worshipping our Lord and Savior. Now, I'm not talking about turning the air conditioning off, raising our hands, praising Him and having a regular meltdown.  I'm talking about real worship. Worship comes from the word "worth-ship" which is the act of assessing worth or value to a person or object. God should be worshipped with out best so that He is assessed of great value. Proverbs 3:9 tells us that we are to honor our Lord with our "first fruits". This verse does not just apply to wealth; it also includes our time and energy. If you were to inconvenience yourself for someone else you would offer God real worth. (1 John 3:17)

            Are you offering God your leftovers? People talk about being so busy and just don't have time for church..."I'll be there when I get time." God will be sending His Son back to this earth soon to collect the ones that have given their best. Leftovers just aren't for God.