When my kids were in high school one of their friends was being treated terribly by his single mother, and one day she decided to make him pay rent or leave and live on the street. He had an afterschool job stocking the shelves at a grocery store at night that paid a small amount of money, (all of which he was saving in order that he might go to college). His father abandoned their family and was nowhere to be found, and if he were to pay the exorbitant amount of rent money that she was demanding, it would have taken most every penny that he was earning and he would not have been able to attend college.
He was a good kid and smart as a whip. He was also a practical joker extraordinaire and kept me laughing all of the time. In fact he was named the funniest person in his high school yearbook.
When I found out about his situation, I asked him to move in with us where he wouldn’t have to pay rent. He did so in his junior year and stayed with us through his senior year and then went off to college. When he graduated from high school I was the only one who attended on his behalf and even stood up when they asked his parents to stand, because they weren’t even there, and I didn’t want him to be embarrassed by that fact.
When he left for college he decided that I should not forget him, and he left photos of himself all over my house. He would take scissors and cut out everything but his face and leave them everywhere! I’d find them in my sock drawer, refrigerator, vehicle, dish cabinets, gun room, desk, taped underneath the TV remote, taped to mirrors, under the lid of the toilet, in the living room, dining room, game room, bedrooms, garage, closet; EVERYWHERE! I was literally finding these little photos of him a year or so after he went off to college.
Whenever I found one I would always smile, (if not laugh out loud), as I envisioned him sneaking in there and planting a reminder of himself. I’m happy to say that he did obtain his college degree, has a good job and a great family and most importantly in spite of his dysfunctional upbringing loves the Lord with all of his heart and is an active member in his church.
I’m teaching a new Bible study class this Sunday at Honey Lake; (it will be conducted upstairs in the Gathering Hall and begins at 9:30 prior to the regular Honey Lake Church service at 11 a.m.) I’m beginning it with a discussion of how we can be assured that God exists and was not just made up by a bunch of folks desperate to believe in something.
Once someone is convinced that God exists and we understand the magnitude of His presence, power, and persona, the question of how God communicates with us quite naturally needs to be answered. I want those who attend to be assured that the Holy Bible is indeed God’s main form of communique with mankind and show that it is entirely accurate in every way and can be trusted to be the absolute word of God and can and should be used to guide every facet of our lives. (I never make an important or even a semi-important decision without first going to my Bible and seeing what it has to say about the situation and then to God in prayer.)
After I’ve gone through all of that with the class I will get into how to read and study it in order to understand what it says, and what that means to us. I’ve been studying the Bible for over 40 years now and while I make no boast of being a world acclaimed scholar, I can say that it was instrumental in my turning from a life as a hardened violent sociopathic criminal, alcoholic, and drug addict, to following God instead of the world.
Today God has miraculously transformed me and I’ve been able to remove most of the sin from my life, raise a God fearing family, develop a career, make and nurture friendships all over the world, endure trials to include tragic tribulations, and face any situation without fear and remain full of hope. I did not get formal education via colleges and universities, but I have been educated by God through His Holy Bible and have done very well with it.
So as I was thinking this morning about my class and beginning it with a discourse on how we can know that God exists, I was reminded of my sons’ high school buddy and his photo reminders of himself. I could not help but think about all of the reminders that God has left us of His existence. He’s left them literally EVERYWHERE we look.
My good friend T.K. Wetherell and I have sat in turkey, deer, and duck blinds together and marveled at the sun coming up. We both agree that anyone who is blessed enough to see the sun come up in the forest or on the ocean would have a hard time denying the existence of God.
God has blessed me enormously in life and I could have lived virtually anywhere that I chose. I don’t want to live in Manhattan in the heart of NYC because for one thing it is a reminder of things mankind has built. Give me the great outdoors and Honey Lake in particular whereby I can revel in the things God has created and think about things such as those of which Jesus spoke: “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these . . . Nowhere have I found the presence of God to be more compelling than in the great outdoors.
Look for God’s reminders today as you go about your business. You’ll see Him in the gentle face of that little baby, comforting that weeping widow, and even in your workplace. God is everywhere; we just need to recognize Him when we see Him . . .
Matthew Henry explained today’s verse as follows:
The heavens so declare the glory of God, and proclaim his wisdom, power, and goodness, that all ungodly men are left without excuse. They speak themselves to be works of God’s hands; for they must have a Creator who is eternal, infinitely wise, powerful, and good . . .
Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them . . .
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
January 2, 2014 – Click here to listen