The Lighthouse

Tom Landry told the story of a captain of a battleship who, in the middle of the night, saw the light of another ship coming directly at him. The captain radioed the oncoming ship and said, "Turn south immediately."

The response was, "You turn south immediately."

The captain was furious. He radioed back, "This is a battleship. I command you to turn south immediately."

The response was, "This is the lighthouse. You turn south immediately."

Often we have an attitude like that captain's. We are arrogant towards God and mankind. We expect others to get out of our way and we ignore God's guidance for living our life. Then, suddenly, we find ourselves shipwrecked and feeling like fools.

Jesus Christ is the lighthouse trying to warn us of danger, and lead us to safety. I encourage you to trust Christ and be willing to follow His leadership in your life. He will keep you out of a lot of trouble.

John 12:35 KJV

Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Elijah

Prayer Heroes: Elijah

When you read the Bible a lot, certain patterns emerge. One that has come to surprise me is the strategy that God keeps going back to over and over, especially when a major crisis looms. That strategy is to send one guy. In the 9th century B.C., at a time of terrible spiritual weakness and even worse spiritual leadership, God’s Plan A was to send Elijah to rebuke an evil king (sounds like a death sentence) and to encourage the few faithful believers.

Elijah was sent to oppose the spiritual ruination being brought about by Ahab and his miserably idolatrous wife Jezebel. They developed a reputation for simply having their opponents killed.

Elijah was God’s agent in bringing about a punitive drought and famine, but also in bringing about the merciful rainfall that ended them. “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain” (James 5:17,18).

When you are in tune with God’s agenda, your prayers have the power of dynamite. Don’t ever say, “I’m just one.” From God’s point of view, one is plenty.

James 5:17-18 KJV

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Church

Church

How do you feel about church? Do you think it's full of hypocrites? A place for weaklings? A self-righteous, religious club?

All those charges may be true. After all, churches are made up of people, and people are not perfect. Imperfect people make for imperfect churches. In fact, if you ever find a perfect church, please don't join it. You'll mess it up in a skinny second.

The church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints. It's a place where people go to improve their spiritual health. It's a place where people go for encouragement, and to get their spiritual batteries recharged.

For non-Christians, it's where they learn what it means to follow Christ and how to have a relationship with God. Why not give church a try? After all, what makes you think you're going to like heaven, if you don't want to be with God's people here on earth?

Psalm 65:4 KJV

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.