Vincent Egoro gives us an important reminder. It’s the Thanksgiving season all year long. Thank you Vincent and thank you Lord God Almighty.

When thinking of how to relate to God, I believe he has shown us through his Son.  Jesus in teaching about prayer gave us what is known as the Lord’s Prayer (see Matthew 6:9-13).   The prayer begins with “Our Father in heaven”.  I believe that in this expression God makes it clear that he wants us to know him as Father.  Throughout the words of Jesus he refers to God as his father and our father.  There are many telling expressions that Jesus shared giving us insight into the nature of the relationship God offers us as our Father, but the one I like and personally understand the most is the parable of the lost son.

In the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32) Jesus tells the story of a son who takes his share of his father’s wealth,  leaves home, and goes to squander his money in wild living.  When the money is all gone, he finds himself destitute and working as a servant feeding pigs.  Obviously his predicament is the result of his own choices.  He chose this path against the wishes and wisdom of his father.  Not only did he go against his father’s wishes, but what he did, according to Hebrew society of the time, was to bring shame to his father.  Yet, when the son recognizes what he has done he decides to return and put himself at the mercy of his father.  I guess we can all imagine the reception he might receive from a human father.  But, the father in this story represents the heart of our Heavenly Father, and I believe it gives us an example of what to expect when relating to God as our father.

In Jesus’ parable the son is received with open arms, and the father puts on a big party to welcome him home.  This is forgiveness in its truest sense.  John reminds us in his first letter     (1 John 1:9) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  I love this parable because it describes the reception I received when I returned to God.  He didn’t condemn me, but he welcomed me back with complete forgiveness.  He is a loving and forgiving father.

What does the word surrender say to you?  Give up? Turn over control?  Quit?  This is not a word we humans like very much especially the turn over control part.  Quitter, coward, weakling these are a few of the words we use to label ones who surrenders.  When a criminal surrenders to the police it usually means going to jail.  A defeated army that surrenders is at the mercy of the conquering army.  History contains a number of examples of the results of surrendering.  Unfortunately, humans’ surrendering to humans doesn’t always work out very well for the ones who surrender.  Surrendering is at best a risky business when we talk of surrendering to each other.  Surrendering to God is a different business.

God invites us to surrender, but he never demands it.  He promises that if we do surrender to him he will improve our lives.  Jesus offers: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)  In this case surrendering might not be so bad.

I can personally attest that surrendering to Jesus is as he says.  I was in the pit of despair some time ago feeling useless and lost.  I finally sat down on a rock and said to God, “I can’t leave this rock without you.”  I surrendered.  From that moment my life changed.  I am now useful, happy, and at peace in my soul.  The longer I stay with him the more I realize these promises.  And, he also has promised me eternal life.  In my case surrendering has proven to be a good choice.

The invitation is there for you.  Meditate on the above scripture and hear Jesus calling to you.

As the principal of a Christian school I often had the opportunity to meet with parents.  One particular meeting I have never forgotten.  The meeting was with a mother who was distressed over her child, her financial situation, and other family difficulties.  In the course of sharing her trials she made the statement that she and her son had been discussing whether God still loved them.  I responded to that statement by saying that we could never doubt God’s love because of the cross.  It was apparent right away that my response had impacted her, yet I was equally impacted by these words.   It was as if a third party had intervened and spoken to us.  That is why this meeting among the many has remained prominent in memory.

Questioning God’s love for us during times of testing is a very human thing to do.  When times are hard and trials are many we feel alone and unloved.  However, the question of whether he loves us was indeed answered by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  Jesus himself said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”(John 15:13)  God has demonstrated in an undeniable way his love for us.  Even in our darkest hour this light of truth shines through.  “God loves you” is not just a tired cliché but an eternal truth.

Question of the week:             [This is an addition to my weekly post for the purpose of stimulating discussion.  I don’t have a fixed answer for the question.  I’d just like to know what you think.]

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) what is it that a person must do to be ready for Jesus’ return?

California is in the midst of a drought.  I discussed this with family members and friends this weekend; some of them are heavily affected.  The underground aquifers are receding, so those with wells are concerned that they will run out of water.  Some already have.  Farmers are receiving as little as 10% of their surface water needs.  Their only alternative is to pump groundwater compounding the problem.  Farmers and those living in outlining areas could lose everything.  As I contemplated this news, the idea of losing everything struck me.

If I lost everything, I’d have to start all over with nothing.   Or, would I?  Jacob in the book of Genesis faced losing everything.  There was a great famine in the land.  You can imagine his crops were dying, and his animals were dying.  He was losing everything. So he sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain.  Unknown to Jacob his sons had sold their brother Joseph into slavery. The brothers were not aware that Joseph was now in charge of all Egypt by Pharaoh’s order.  This was an interesting turn of events.  In the end things worked out with Jacob and his whole family living in Egypt.  Pharaoh gave them land.  They were safe and prosperous.  Jacob lived out the rest of his years in the comfort of Egypt. (You can read the whole story in Genesis Chapter 37, and 39-47.)

I found great comfort as I remembered this story.  God had a plan.  Jacob and his sons were living through the events of their lives unaware of how they fit into God’s plan.  Like them, I am unaware of how I fit into God’s plan.  I walk through the events of my life, which may include facing the loss of everything, just trusting God.  What else can I do?  In Proverbs 3:5 we are encouraged, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  This is a lot easier to understand in light of the story in Genesis.  I don’t know the big picture.  I just have to trust the one who does.

Over the years the word loser has reach prominence to the point of being a recognized device of modern expression. You hear the word tossed around as a means of reviling someone or simply banter among friends. But, what is a loser? The general definition is one who suffers loss, misplaces something or loses the game. Yet the modern expression mainly refers to someone who is a dud or who can’t get it together. It’s a put-down.

The popular TV show, “The Biggest Loser” has put a new spin on the word and made it a positive expression for the person who loses the most weight. This is a good thing if you are overweight. Although I could stand to lose twenty pounds, I don’t think I could compete in this category. But am I a loser? Have you ever explored this question?

I like what Jesus said about being a loser. He clarified the term loser from a different perspective. In Luke 9:25 He said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” I think he was talking about what I’d call an eternal loser. You know someone who seems to have it all together but loses out in the end. In this case a person that might be considered a loser by modern terms could turn out to be an eternal winner. Who wins and who loses in the eternal sense offers a very different approach to the term loser. Are you an eternal winner or loser?

I am hopelessly flawed. I want to be good and have good motives, but I find my heart to be full of selfish motives, unloving and unkind. I try not to act on these ugly inner thoughts, for I want to be good. I try to put on the good. People think of me as good. Alas, I am not. I am hopelessly flawed. I sometimes get depressed over this lack of good in me. I want to be nice to people. I want to treat them like a good Christian should. I want God to like me.

Do you identify with this inner conflict? The Apostle Paul did. In Romans chapter 7 he expresses this same inner conflict.

21. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23. But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25. Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Thank you Father for your word, and thank you Paul for expressing this inner conflict so I know that I’m not alone. Once again I am reminded that it is my FAITH that pleases God, not my puny attempts to make myself good. In Jesus he fixed the problem that I can’t fix. Yes, I am indeed flawed, but not hopelessly as I sometimes get lured into thinking. There is hope not in what I can do, but in what he has done. So, I take comfort in these words: “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Amen!

On a Friday evening several years ago one of our  then 9 week old puppies got his foot caught and managed to fracture it.  Needless to say this was a great trauma for one so young.  So I held him through the night.   As he lay on my chest he was calmed and comforted and able to sleep.  I didn’t get a lot of sleep, but he did fine.  That Sunday morning during worship time at our church I was suddenly taken by the thought, ‘how closely this relates to God and us’.

God is the great big guy and we are the little pups.  He knows everything that’s going on around us.  We have a very narrow view of the world.  Continuing the analogy, I knew that our five little puppies would be leaving that coming weekend to go to their new homes.  They didn’t have a clue that this was going to happen.  Leaving the comfort of our home and their mother was scary.  I knew their future homes would be loving places for them to grow, but initially the change would be traumatic for them.

When God sends us to a new place or we face a new trial we don’t have a clue what’s happening, but he knows and has a great plan for us.  It’s scary!  But he says, “Trust in me and lean not on your own understanding.”  He wants us to understand that he’s the big guy who loves and cares for us.  He has the big picture.  He’ll walk us through the new unknown stuff.

So, let’s go back to my night with the puppy.  I believe God wants to hold us on his chest through those hurting experiences.  When we’re injured, ill or whatever misery confronts us.  The big guy wants to comfort us through it.  We can lie on the chest of the creator of the universe and be calmed and comforted.  It still hurts, but it’s great to know someone much bigger is there for us.