God’s Promises for Every Situation

Here’s a collection of my favorite Bible promises.  You can click this link for a .pdf of these promises. Please tell your friends you got this at http://www.maxgrace.com.  Thanks!  Bible Promises.pdf

There’s a special reward if you make it to the end.

What do you do with a Bible promise?  Read, study, look up, memorize, meditate, pray, quote, share, stick on your mirror, claim, believe, trust, act as if true.

NEVER FAILING PROMISES

““Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.” Joshua 23:14

“For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.” Isaiah 54:10

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20

GOD’S POWERFUL WORD

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!” Psalms 119:11

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

““Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:17

THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS

“The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.” Psalms 34:7

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Psalms 91:11, 12

OUR STATUS AS PRIESTS AND KINGS

“and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:6

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1 Peter 2:9

HELP IN TROUBLES

“Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.” Psalms 36:6, 7

“No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;” Psalms 91:10

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” Psalms 30:5

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Psalms 34:19

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.” Psalms 42:11

“The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous.” Psalms 146:8

“Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalms 126:5, 6

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

“Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD– For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. “Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:12, 13

“Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.” Hosea 6:1

SUPPORT IN TROUBLE

“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.” Psalms 9:9

“Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” Psalms 27:14

“When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me.” Psalms 27:10

“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.” “But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble.” Psalms 37:24, 39

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalms 18:2

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah” Psalms 46:1-3

“Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalms 55:22

“Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.” Psalms 41:1

“My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalms 73:26

“For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.” Lamentations 3:31-33

“O LORD, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction…” Jeremiah 16:19

“We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed–” 2 Corinthians 4:8, 9

FOR GOD’S VENGEANCE & VICTORY

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.” Psalms 138:7

“‘for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’” Deuteronomy 20:4

“Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.” Psalms 60:12

“Now look, God Himself is with us as our head…” 2 Chronicles 13:12

““Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them– Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing.” Isaiah 41:11, 12

““But I will deliver you in that day,” says the LORD, “and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. “For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,” says the LORD.’”” Jeremiah 39:17, 18

“So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”” 2 Kings 6:16

“And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”” 2 Chronicles 14:11

“Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.” Psalms 17:7

“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.” Psalms 27:5, 6

“The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.” “And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.” Psalms 37:32, 33, 40

“His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.” Psalms 112:8

“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7

“Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.” “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.” Isaiah 54:15, 17

““And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”” Luke 18:7, 8

“So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”” Hebrews 13:6

“That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us,” “To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.” Luke 1:71, 74, 75

PROMISES FOR SICKNESS & OLD AGE

““So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.” Exodus 23:25

“and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”” Exodus 15:26

“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.” “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.” Psalms 91:3, 5, 6

“Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,” Psalms 103:3

“Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails.” Psalms 71:9

“Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.” Isaiah 46:4

“The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.” Proverbs 16:31

IN TIMES OF FINANCIAL STRESS

“Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.” Psalms 146:7

““I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. “And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.” Ezekiel 36:29, 30

“Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.” Zechariah 10:1

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls– Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:17, 18

“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”” Matthew 4:4

FROM WITCHCRAFT

““For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel’” Numbers 23:23

ABSENT/FAILED/IMPERFECT PARENTS

““He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:18

“But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” “To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.” Psalms 10:14, 18

TO THE CHILDLESS

“For thus says the LORD: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off.” Isaiah 56:4, 5

IN TIME  OF DEATH

“Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.” Psalms 68:20

“Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.” Psalms 116:15

“Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,” Psalms 9:13

““The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.” 1 Samuel 2:6

“‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.” Deuteronomy 32:39

GOD’S MERCY

“All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” “The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” Psalms 25:10, 14

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,” “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,” Ephesians 1:3, 4, 7, 8

“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:3, 4

“Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Romans 8:30

SALVATION

“In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.’”” Isaiah 45:25

“being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Romans 3:24

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Romans 8:1, 33, 34

“I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”” Isaiah 44:22

“He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:9-12

“Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18, 19

““Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

“‘I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.” Jeremiah 33:8

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

BACKSLIDING

““Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not remain angry forever.” ““Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings.” “Indeed we do come to You, For You are the LORD our God.” Jeremiah 3:12, 22

““I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him.” Hosea 14:4

JESUS CHRIST

““And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”” Matthew 1:21

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” Ephesians 1:7

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” “I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” 1 John 2:1, 2, 12

TEMPTATION

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

“then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,” 2 Peter 2:9

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

HOLY SPIRIT

“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”” ““but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”” John 4:10, 14

“That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14

““Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;” Deuteronomy 7:9

““God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19

© Copyright 2003-2010  Bill Giovannetti, okay to copy

“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson,
Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4, NKJV).
If you made it this far, here’s your reward, a classic book first published in 1962 and still going strong: All the Promises of the Bible, by Herbert Lockyer.

Ultimate Prison Break?

File this in the category: better late than never.

SPOILER ALERT: The following blog is about the final episode of the popular TV series Prison Break. Though the series ended some time ago, you might have it on DVD. Stop now or you’ll know how it ends.  That’s what we call LOVE…

I was a fan. I loved the show. My wife found it too intense. That’s like saying “that dessert is too rich for my tastes.” Quit talking nonsense!

The series followed the adventures of two good guys, brothers Michael and Lincoln, as they broke out of a series of prisons and tried to vindicate their good names. Along the way, they met an assortment of bad guys, crooked politicians, and a homicidal mother. Good times.

Here comes the spoiler…

As the series closed in on its fourth-season finale, we saw the key character, Michael, bleeding from the nose with increasing frequency. Something brain-related and ultimately fatal.

When I saw the final episode, I wanted to write a post, but completely forgot about it. A glimpse of the DVD’s at Target the other day jogged my sagging memory. So here I am.

If you want to see how it all ended, watch this:

The final scene reveals that the main character, Michael Scofield — the good guy we’ve come to admire and love — has died.  His tombstone is visited by his young son, his wife, his brother, and two friends. In the background, a song plays: “Lay it Down Slow.”

Okay, here’s where the spiritual thing comes in for me. THIS IS A GNOSTIC MESSAGE.

The series is called PRISON BREAK… It teaches this philosophy: this life is a prison, and death is the final break. Notice that, in the final scene, when the loved ones gather [presumably for the first time] at Michael’s grave, NO ONE CRIES. Neither the wife, nor the son, nor the brother, nor the friends. Also notice that they embrace, and celebrate their love for each other and Michael. All of this is well and good, but I think the producers were sending a deeper message. I found it tremendously sad and troubling.

Here is the message: Death is a liberation; the ultimate “prison break.” It is nothing to grieve. It is nothing to be sad over. Michael — and anyone who dies — is released from the shackles of this life.  This message is nearly Christian, but so far off as to be… uh… heretical.

The early gnostics taught that humans were pure spirits trapped in impure bodies. Our material (made of matter) essence was evil; our bodies were evil, and constituted a prison for our immaterial (non-matter, pure) souls. One day, we will die and our soul will be free to join “all that is.” Do not grieve death, for it is a liberation. That is the gnostic idea, and that is the idea glorified in the final episode of Prison Break.

[By the way, you will find modern gnostic philosophy in religious groups with the latinized form of gnostic in their name: scientia... hence, Scientology, Christian Science, and Religious Science -- this was rejected as unbiblical by the early church, and rightly so.]

Scripture has a different idea.

This life, while not perfect, is not a prison either.  Life is a beautiful gift. It is precious. It is sacred. It is something to be cherished and embraced. We choose life, even when it is difficult or inconvenient or painful. Life is good. In Christ, it is abundant.

Scripture celebrates life:

My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. (Proverbs 3:1-10, NKJV).

Long life is a gift from God. It is not a punishment. It is not something to be “escaped.” It is not a prison. That’s not to deny that life at times can be unbearably sad and difficult. But nothing diminishes the essential sacredness of every human life.

We sorrow over death, even though that sorrow is mitigated by hope.

Death does not have the final say. Yes, we grieve the death of a loved one.  But, for the child of God, death has lost its sting. It is simply our mode of transportation to our eternal home.  In that we rejoice.

But we do not rejoice in such a way as to minimize the value of life. Death is always a tragedy, the final kicking and screaming of our race’s Fall. It is a release, but not in a gnostic sense. Not in any dualistic sense. Because, even in our eternal state, we will still be clothed in a body; a finite body fit for heaven.  We will not merge into an infinity. We will not enlarge to cosmic proportions. We will not absorb into all that is.  We will not be released from the “confines” of a body; we will be outfitted with a glorious body like that of our resurrected Savior. And in that we will be supremely satisfied, and equipped to enjoy the bliss of heaven and pleasures evermore.

I was sad when Michael Scofield died. I was even sadder that his loved ones saw no reason to grieve. Life is more valuable than that. Life is more sacred.

Even when it’s tough, life is good.

Feel My Pain

Rather than write a blog, I’ll simply post my latest experience on AT&T customer service, as I recorded it live, on Facebook.  This is my life today… a bleary Monday…

The Hand-Off (A Commencement Address)

It was my privilege to deliver this commencement address for the Graduating Class of Fall 2009 at Simpson University, January 23, 2010.

This Scripture Passage was read earlier in the program:

17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, 19 “serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; 20 “how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 “testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 “except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:17-24, NKJV). 32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32, NKJV).

Introduction

President McKinney, members of the faculty and board, distinguished guests, parents, friends, family and Simpson University Class of Fall 2009, I am humbled by this opportunity to speak you.  Thank you.
I want to honor all of today’s graduates, while giving a special tip of the cap to our ASPIRE graduates. My own undergraduate degree was from a similar program in Chicago.
I crammed a four year college education into seven years.
Maybe you can relate to that.
So I offer my personal testimony to you, that the diploma you will receive in a few moments is real. Your studies at Simpson have prepared you well for a host of career choices, graduate education, and ministry.
Today is a special day: congratulations.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a special day too. That’s because it’s the Championship round of the National Football League. Tomorrow’s games decide which teams go to the Superbowl.
I grew up in Chicago… I’m a lifetime fan of the Chicago Bears… who will NOT be playing tomorrow.
If you follow football at all, you’ve heard of the legendary running back, Walter Payton. The 1980’s were the Bears’ glory days. The memories are etched in my imagination: Jim McMahon takes the snap, hands off to Walter Payton, and the magic begins.
When Walter Payton had the football, something special happened. It isn’t always pretty. Sometimes he got tackled and picked himself up. Sometimes he fumbled, and ran off the field shaking his head. And sometimes he scored: 110 touchdowns in 13 seasons.
When Payton had the ball, it was special, and glorious.

The Arena

The Bible reveals a truth that you will find either incredibly wonderful or incredibly disturbing: it is the truth that all the world is an arena. And you, the Simpson University graduate… you are right now trotting onto the field of play.
Spring training is over. It’s game time.
The angels of heaven pack the arena. They look at you, says the Scripture, to see, through you “the manifold wisdom of God.” They watch you. The angels cheer and the forces of evil snarl.
It’s fourth and goal, and the play is to you.  The hand-off is to you. It’s your play to make or break. The pressure’s on.
Here’s the handoff, it’s your ball.
Throughout all your years at Simpson, your faculty and classmates have joined with parents, grandparents, pastors, and a great host of people who have loved you… in order to hand off to you the single most precious and indispensible commodity in the universe. What is that?
Today’s Scripture reading calls it the gospel of the grace of God.
St. Paul visited his dear friends. They were leaders of a thriving church.  Paul had coached them, equipped them, taught them, and prepared them.  They have toiled together, learned together, grown together, and bonded their hearts together.
But this is his farewell. He will not see them again. He is a prisoner and will soon be dead.
So he hands off the ball. He says, I kept back nothing that was useful. I proclaimed it to you night at day. My whole life has been a passionate testimony of the gospel of grace of God. Now it’s your turn. Today’s your commencement, he says.
Here’s the ball. Run with it. That is exactly what we are saying to you today.

I’ve brought this football with me… And I’m going to ask President McKinney to help me. He’ll be the Punky QB, and I’ll snap the ball to him. He’ll hand it off to our graduates. I’d like to ask our esteemed graduates to just pass it around among yourselves… whoever is last, would you kindly hold onto it, please.  Just as a symbol of today’s spiritual handoff.

Let that football represent your piece of God’s cosmic gospel project.

The Gospel

The Scripture summarizes that gospel in the simplest of terms.
It is the good news that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures. And that he was buried, and rose again, according to the Scriptures. (1Cor 15:3,4)
Christ died… that is historical fact.
For our sins… that is theological interpretation.
This is the gospel. The God-man whose sandals trod the dusty streets of Nazareth, that man who embraced lepers and welcomed sinners and reached out to us at our worst…
That man, Jesus, died, on an old, rugged Cross, on a hill called Mt Calvary.
And when he died, all your sin, and my sin, and the sin of the world was transfered to him.  He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Christ not only carried our sins, he paid for our sins too. The Supreme Court of Heaven found Jesus guilty, and condemned him as if he had done what we had done, making eternal reconciliation with God free for the taking, and free for the believing.
The historical fact is that Christ died.
The theological intepretation is that he died as a substitute for our sins.
And the beautiful term that sums it up is “the gospel of grace.”

Liberal Arts

Odds are stong, however, that you have not majored in Bible, ministry, or theology, though many have. Perhaps you majored in business, education, music, history, mathematics, nursing, chemisty, psychology, or the arts.
I hope your time at Simpson has given you an inkling… that when you peer beneath the surface of business, education, music, history, mathematics, nursing, chemistry, psychology — or any other field of study — when you look deeply enough, you will find, looking back at you the face of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because all truth is God’s truth.  All beauty is God’s beauty. If you contemplate it long enough, it will lead you to the foot of the Cross… and from there, to the Risen Savior, Jesus.
You don’t have to be a full-time pastor to be a lifelong minister of the gospel.
The Simpson University family is saying, “Here is truth; here is the fountain of all knowledge. Here is Jesus.  Here is the ground zero of all truth. Here is the gospel of grace. Here is the difference between hope and despair, life and death, heaven and hell. Here is the secret that the world around you desperately needs. You are passing through the gateway to world service.
Here is the gospel of grace. Here is the football.
We may not see you again, dear graduate, but if we do, we hope it to see you racing down the sidelines toward the goal, with the love of Jesus radiating in every direction… and the angels of heaven giving you a standing ovation.
Here is the gospel.
Run with it.

Payton

Walter Payton stood 5’10” and weighed 200 pounds. He could bench-press 390 pounds, leg-press 700 pounds, throw a football 60 yards, punt it 70 yards, kick 45-yard field goals, and walk the width of the field on his hands.
Everyday, he ran 20 laps up and down a steep hill.
He said, “I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field.”
When he retired Payton left behind 26 Chicago Bears team records and numerous NFL records.
Walter Payton died young, of a rare cancer, at age 45.
And you should also know he was a committed Christian. He was not shy about his faith. He told his biographer to make sure his faith shined through… and to spell all the words right…
Pretty much what our faculty wishes for you.

Our Prayer

By the way, that football you’re passing around was personally autographed by Walter Payton before he died.

What you have received is precious.

If he dedicated himself so ferociously to carrying a football down the field…
How much more should we, who have been handed something far more precious and wonderful, dedicate ourselves with equal ferocity to carry the gospel to the world.
Run with it into a world groping in darkness.
Run with it into hospitals and schools and families and businesses and construction sites and banks and mission fields and subdivisions and shopping malls and big box retailers.
Run with this gospel into dark places.
You are delivering the antidote to death. You are delivering the elixir of everlasting life.
This is what you’ve been preparing for. Your journey won’t always be pretty… you might get tackled; you might fumble.  It won’t always be pretty, but it will always be glorious.
And when trials come to drive you to the turf and stop you cold… echo the words of St Paul:
“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24, NKJV).
You’re not on your own. You have God’s own enablement. God’s own resources. God’s own storehouse of treasures.
WHATEVER GOD CALLS YOU TO DO, HE GIVES YOU THE POWER TO DO.
You have God’s own perfect Word – the Bible – written, living, and powerful.  And through that word of grace, God himself will build you up, bulk you up, suit you up, for your very own Superbowl celebration.
If you can endure the long haul of a university education, you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

Tomorrow

Today we celebrate your epic achievement: you have earned a degree. You should be proud of yourself. Congratulations. Thank you for your hard work. And, on behalf of the graduating class of Fall 2009, I want to thank you, moms, dads, husbands, wives, grandmothers and grandfathers, family, and friends, for standing with your graduate, and making his or her dreams come true.
Enjoy this day.
Beause tomorrow and all your tomorrows, it’s game day.

Can I have my football back?

And the Winner Is…

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the Caption Contest for this picture.  With 80 entries, it was tough. So many really good ones! After much agonizing, analyzing, analogizing, and other things that begin with ana-, our impartial panel of judges I has have reached a decision.

First, the runners up… These entries made the final cut. You should be proud of yourselves!!! For your labors, you are the proud winners of A FREE LINK! (CLICK IT, GO AHEAD, RUNNERS UP ONLY). Enter this super-secret password: winner

• Upon reflection, Diego decided that free range cattle branding wasn’t such a “hot” idea after all… (KENNY)
• PERSEVERANCE: The courage to keep putting one foot in front of the other in the face of certain doom. (JOSH)
• If you think this photographer’s interpretation of “the cow jumped over the moon” is original and bold, you should see what he does with Hot Cross Buns. (MATT)
• ‘Where bull movements and bowel movements meet.’ (JOSH)
• Expecting the world to be fair to you because you are a good person is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. (DONNY)

Are you ready for the big REVEAL?  The GRAND PRIZE, FREE, AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF HOW TO KEEP YOUR INNER MESS FROM TRASHING YOUR OUTER WORLD goes to…

Protected: Told you…

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

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Hammered What?

It’s called a Hammered Dulcimer, and the best player in the world lives right here in our own little town.  Dig it…

Congratulations, Garrett!  You can hear more and see more videos at www.GarrettViggers.com.

It Ain’t Compassion if It’s Someone Else’s Dime

“Give me your money, so I can show compassion with it.“

Absurd, right? Especially at the point of a gun.

By definition, governments and their agencies, cannot show compassion. That’s because they fund their activities — benevolent or not — through the threat of force. If you don’t pay your taxes, terrible things happen to you, such as having to wait on hold, stand in line, talk to IRS agents, and go to jail.

If I take YOUR money by force, and give it to the next guy, who’s showing compassion?  Answer: NO ONE. Sorry, Robin Hood.

Compassion cannot be coerced.

Compassion cannot be legislated.

Compassion cannot be charged to someone else’s credit card.

Please notice I have NOT said that our government should get out of the business of doing good for people. Of course not. Our federal government exists, in part, “to promote the general welfare…” So, please don’t leave a comment about how I want to throw impoverished children onto the streets. I am simply arguing that NOBODY gets “compassion points” for anything governments  do.

Nor am I suggesting that all individuals employed by our federal government are heartless bureaucrats. Some are. Most aren’t. When I processed the 501(c)3 application (tax-exempt recognition) for my Chicago church at the U.S. Post Office in downtown Chicago, I met with a most wonderful, kind-hearted, compassionate, federal government minion. Yes, they’re out there.

But, as personable and compassionate as she was individually, she still followed the letter of the government’s laws.

The “passion” part of the word refers to emotion, and governance mixes with emotion as well as Kanye West with Taylor Swift. The government does NOT feel your pain, presidential claims to the contrary notwithstanding. In “Men in Black” Tommy Lee Jones deadpans the camera and says, “We’re the federal government, ma’am. We have no sense of humor.” Right. And no compassion either.

Can the current health care debate be about compassion as long as it is about government, too?

Can we delegate compassion to a soulless bureaucracy?

You can’t shift the burden your compassion to the government. Nor can you pat yourself on the back for voting for a candidate because his/her policies are “more compassionate.” THEY’RE SPENDING SOMEONE ELSE’S MONEY ACQUIRED THROUGH TAXATION!  IT’S NOT COMPASSION! Never has been, never will be.

“Compassionate conservatism?” No such thing; not unless compassion is a marketable commodity. “Compassionate liberalism?” No such thing; not unless feelings of mercy can be coerced by government regulation. A “compassionate” government is inevitably dysfunctional; governments run by laws, not feelings, and no amount of legislation can codify compassion. Good governance is dispassionate.

Can institutions weave compassion into their core values?  Yes. They can and should. But that compassion ceases the instant the institution’s funding becomes coercive. Samaritan’s Purse, Bongolo Hospital, most churches, and other eleemosynary organizations… compassionate institutions all. Yes, compassion can be institutionalized, but NOT by government or any other coercive agency.

But mostly, it’s personal.

Compassion is one man taking off his shoes and handing them to a neighbor who has none. Compassion is a woman pounding nails for Habitat for Humanity. Compassion is kids pulling money out of their piggy-banks for medical missions or literacy or to give a Happy Meal to a family on the streets. It is putting your arm around a hurting friend and stumbling through a prayer. It is cooking meals for new moms, and stopping to put on a spare for a senior citizen. It is the tenderness of heart that results in joyful self-sacrifice to meet another’s needs. It is person to person and neighbor to neighbor.

It doesn’t kick the cost down the road to our neighbors or their children.

It isn’t funded by someone else’s dime.

Jesus volunteered for the Cross. He didn’t shift the burden. He didn’t agitate the Roman government to create a compassionate society. He accepted the full weight of God’s love for our needy race. He cared. He came. He gave. He paid.

That’s compassion.

Got Caption?

Blow me away with a great caption for this picture, and I might send you a free Inner Mess book. Yep, that’s right. Your very own copy, autographed, and shipped gratis.  So, what you got? (fine print below)

(Fine print: minimum of 12 captions from different people, or fuhgetabout it… so tell your friends to chime in with lousy captions so they make yours look better… winner chosen next Friday… I’ll try to contact you twice via this blog or whatever info you gave me when you posted your caption, and then I’ll give up! My whimsical and capricious decision is final, so no whining).

Bureaucracy is the Foundation of Tyranny

Bureaucracy is the foundation of tyranny. What made old style Soviet Communism so onerous was having to wait in line for everything. Even worse, once you crushed your way to the front (when I was in Yugoslavia, they really didn’t take turns–they pressed forward and waved their hands until they’re called on)… you weren’t assured “permission” to build, buy, or operate what you waited in line for. The “permission giver” — let’s call him or her the bureaucrat — operated by whim, old-boy networking, mood,  bribery, or lust.

You had no rights, except the right to persuade the bureaucrat to see things your way.

Tyrants do not work in a vacuum. They cannot sit a thousand miles away, issue a decree, and expect serfs in their fiefdom to fall in line. The dictates of tyranny require a vast, unseemly administrative architecture. Enter, the bureaucrat.

Lenin could not have enslaved millions without bureaucrats regulating every facet of Soviet life. Hitler could not have dominated the masses so completely without acquiescent clerks: “Your papers, please.”

The administrative architecture does not see itself as aiding and abetting a Tyrant. The bureaucrat rarely sees him- or herself as a cog in a dictatorial machine. No. “I’m just doing my job — my hands are tied… Permission denied.”

Bureaucrats see themselves as protectors of the public good (God save us from those who would protect us). They are “reasonable people” saddled with Herculean demands from nameless clouds of functionaries above them. Disembodied “aeons” who connect to higher ups who connect to higher ups who connect to higher ups… all they way to the Big Guy, whoever he or she may be.

They administer the beneficence of their protection through regulations so convoluted no two reasonable people could possibly agree on their interpretation.

Ask to see a a superior even once and you’re screwed forever. The scowl on the functionary’s face tells you so. Unelected. Serving for life. Gatekeepers of the blessings of power and permission. You will make this person your friend, or your trash will never be collected again.

Yes, bureaucracy is the foundation of tyranny.

Everyday life devolves from the happy exercise of liberty into the monotonous pursuit of permission. Permission from a person who knew somebody who knew somebody and got a job — the primary skill of which is knowing how to ink a stamp pad — and is thus qualified to have a say in your life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

It’s not the Tyrant per se that alienates your inalienable rights. It’s the bureaucrat that won’t let you (or will charge you prohibitive “fees” to): fell a tree, build a deck, pave a driveway, dig a well, light a fireplace, obtain a license, expand a business, add a drive-through, build a warehouse, sing a Christmas carol, or preach the gospel. In vast stretches of modern, so-called civilization you must obtain a “license” to preach Jesus. In China you must obtain a license to conceive a second child.

The Tyrant is so far removed from the scene, we may not notice his or her tyranny. We may deem the Tyrant a Very Nice Person. The Tyrant never stamped “Denied” across our papers. We do not yet feel the need to throw off his or her shackles. It’s that damn clerk down at the permit office that drives us nuts. Remember, Haiti called its dictators “Papa.”

It’s coming.

You will stand in line and you will learn to love it.

Welcome to the New World Order.