Currently Alabama - Greatest Hits III By Alabama "Song of the South" - Alabama see related

Concerning the South and Her Reasons for Fighting the U.S. Civil War

In response to Loonsounds@Xanga.com, and her article Liberal viewpoint on War - sometimes war IS indicated and appropriate, I'd like to point out a few things that most people forget -- or totally ignorant of -- concerning the facts surrounding slavery and the South prior to and during the War Between the States.

Currently The Dixie Melody Boys - With Feeling "Feelin' Just Fine!" - The Dixie Melody Boys see related

"Oh, just give it to (Insert Big Person's Name Here): They'll Eat It...

For all of the time that I have been a part of Xanga (and Facebook, too, since I'm a member and have a site there, as well), I have yet to see an article dealing with issues involving weight, and those of us who are heavier than normal, heavier than we wish to be, or are just large people for whatever reason.  That said, how many people out there have ever said the phrase/sentence that is the header to this weblog?  How many people have ever had their name in the parenthesis, the sentence being said by a friend, family member, acquaintance, or loved one?  I would personally like to address this issue -- one that I have found to be so rarely talked about -- that many big folks such as my self deal with on a daily basis.

First and foremost, I am a rather large person for my height.  Take a look at the photos below:

I am 5'7-3/4" (174cm), and my weight is a bit over 280lbs (130kg).  Since January 2008, I have been trying to lose weight, and have lost about 20lbs (almost 10kg) in that time.  All the men in my mother's family are built similarly as I am.  My Grandfather, from what I've been told, was 6'7" (201cm) and weighed anywhere between 275 and 300 lbs (130-140kg).  My Mom's oldest brother was also a large man (6'4" [195cm], 275lbs [130kg]), as was her second oldest (6'2" [190cm], 260lbs [118kg]).  Though her next older brother and her younger brother are both shorter men (ranging between 5'8" and 5'9"), at one time in their lives, they were quite stocky.  This is a trait that I have inherited form my mother's side of the family.  Sometimes I think that if I even see food, I gain a pound or two.  The problem with this body structure is that my Dad's family has a history of heart disease.  My Grandfather died at the age of 44 due to a heart attack, and was said to have been as wide as he was tall (about 5'8"or 5'9").  This is the reason for me, personally, to be losing weight.  Four medical professionals have also said that I need to lose weight (as well as having a somewhat unfavourable physical exam back in April), hence, the reason I am doing so at this time.

"Look, Mom!  Look at that Fat Foreigner!!!"

The problem with me has a lot to do with motivation.  It seems like whatever I do to try and lose weight, the weight either (1.) doesn't come off, or (2.) comes back when it does leave.  The motivation factor really kicks in and is a big deal with me personally because of where I live.  I live in Japan.  In Japanese culture, it is alright to tell someone that you have even only known for a short time and say, "Say, you are large/fat/big/heavy person, aren't you?" or "Wow, you should lose weight!"  As a teacher of English as a Foreign Language, I have had many, many older students say things like this, and even worse, then laugh as if they made a funny or big (no pun intended, really) joke.  All the while they are laughing away, in my mind, I want to pick them up and rip them in half.  In moments where my temper didn't flare up, my advice was that what they had just said was VERY impolite, and that the next American or Westerner they meet who happens to be a larger person they should not bring up the topic of weight, nor point out just how big/fat/heavy/overweight such a person is.  Unfortunately for myself, this is not just something that happens with older people.  All too often, as I walk outside, ride the train, ride a bicycle, or go to the store, some child, walking with his or her mother, will say the same or similar phrase to the one posted as the subheader to this point.  It sometimes happens, too, when a group of children are together, in which instance, the child will point, and make the obviously terribly rude comment, then laugh as -- again -- some incredibly funny thing had just been pointed out.  But it isn't just in the Japanese Culture that this takes place.  It happens in the Korean Culture is well.  My wife is Korean, and we have traveled to Korea numerous times.  Many Koreans that my wife knows, and that know my wife have -- for some odd (not to mention horribly infuriating) reason -- gone out of their way to point out just how big/fat/large/overweight/much your husband, Jihye, needs to lose/heavy looking I am.  My wife does a good job of sticking up for me (especially since my Korean isn't the best), and she is a great encourager to me, as well, but this phenomenon isn't just limited to the Japanese or Korean cultures.  Just about anywhere, even, in the USA that I've been to, I've heard people, children included, make cracks about my or some other large person's girth, size, weight, etc.

It's Not All Fat...

I am a weight lifter.  I've been a weight lifter for more than 22 years.  I started lifting weights in High School, as a Freshman, mostly because I understood that to get better as a football player, I also needed to get stronger.  I had two excellent high school weight lifting coaches, both of whom were large men.  I wanted to be large like them, and achieved this goal in University, later.  In my prime, I was able to lift more than 600lbs (around 300kg, which is about 660lbs).  Though not in my prime now, I am still able to squat more than 400lbs (200kg) and bench press about 300lbs (145kg).  My wife is a smaller lady, and I am able to lift her with relative ease, and even more-so with the kindergarten children that I teach once a week.  Though I do have a tire around my waist, and a few other areas, not all of what you see in n the photos above is fat.  Further, I ride a bicycle every day, lift weights three to four times per week, and, at the Private School I teach in, normally take the stairs to my fourth-floor classroom (not to mention all the stairs on train station platforms, the stairs to my office, and just to get up to the school itself).  While it may look like that I am no so active, truth be told, I am quite physically active in my daily life.  I am no couch potato, and do try to be as active as a fulltime teacher can be without literally killing myself in the process.

"Just Give It to Jason;  He'll Eat It..."

If I were to count how many times, and in how many languages I've heard this phrase, or one like it, I'd probably need about a hundred hands.  If I were to write down the names of the people I've heard it from, I could have a couple of volumes of books in a matter or a week or so.  As I stated before, and show in the posted photos of myself, I am a large person.  I am overweight by medical and fitness standards.  Further, I am doing a lot to try to lose weight and to get into some semblance of physical fitness.  The problem comes when my wife and I go out with others to eat, usually anywhere.  Somewhere along the way, whether I've just started, am in the middle, at the end, or have finished the meal, someone will invariably say something like the sentence that is the header to this point.  What is infuriating is that the people in question never bother to ask if Jason wants what they are offering or giving.  They never bother to wonder if Jason is full, satisfied, or is wishing for another helping of whatever food it is they are peddling and passing off.  What is most infuriating is that many of the people who bother to point out just how fat/large/overweight/much I need to lose/heavy I am are the very people saying those exact words above!  These people, in their hypocrisy, never bother to even wonder if Jason wants to eat the piece of cake they are saying I will eat, or if I want to shove it in their faces, breaking their noses and a few teeth along the way.  To those of you who have said this phrase to me within earshot?  Most of the time, I really DON'T nor DIDN'T want what you are or were offering.

A Little Advice...

For those of you who really wonder what we big people are thinking, especially when you say the things you say about our size, weight, or heaviness, I have a few tips for you:

I.  No, I  WON'T  Eat What You're Offering - Friends, if you have leftover food, looking to pass it off to someone else so it "won't go to waste", and think that the big person will eat it, please look at our plates and our actions before passing it off, PLEASE.  If my silverware is on my clean plate, at the 4 O'clock position, and I happen to be drinking something, or chatting with another at the table, or something else besides eating, it means I'm Finished Eating.  Whether it is the main course, dessert, the appetizer -- whatever -- if my hands are folded, going in some other direction than my plate, and/or are empty of silverware, it probably means I'm done eating whatever has been served.  And also remember this little phrase:  NO MEANS "NO".  If you ask, assume, or say I'll eat something, and I say "No", that is exactly what that word means:  No.  Just as a woman or a man not wanting sex who says "No means 'No'", and any further sexual advance is a violation of the law, I surely wish that people who assume the big person at the table will eat whatever is being peddled and keep it up ad. nauseam or until the big person is embarrassed, would get jail time as well when someone of my girth and size says "No" the first time.  If we say "No", we mean, N-O, No.  If you took too much, or there's "too little to keep as leftovers", sorry:  we are not your garbage disposals.  We don't want it, and cajoling us into taking it will only make us think less of you later...a LOT less (especially if you are one of those who berate us for our size in the first place)....

II.  How About Gettin' Our Backs? - If you happen to be a friend of a large person, or a loved one, or an acquaintance, family member, significant other, and you overhear someone trying to pass off food to us, why not support US instead of cajoling us and saying "Oh, go ahead!  It's okay!"  Really, friend, loved one, significant other, acquaintance, or family member, when we say "No, Thank you." we mean it.  And if someone ever makes a crack about our weight, how about getting upset before we do, and/or defending us?  Instead of saying, "Well that's just Jason.  He's just a big guy, you know....", how about getting in that person's face, and letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that severe consequences will be dished out if further comments are made?  Trust me when I say this:  if anyone ever made an unkind crack about my wife in any way shape or form, that person better have his or her medical insurance up-to-date.  We'd appreciate the same if someone ever makes a crack about how large we are.  And if you are the wife or husband, boyfriend or girlfriend of a larger than normal person, and other family members decide to make mention to you how large we are, or how we need to lose weight, how about telling those family members just how much we are doing?  If someone -- such as myself -- is really trying, staying or getting active and wanting to lose weight, why not tell the "concerned" family member just how much we've done and been doing?  Saying anything else is just making an air castle in our minds:  easily blown away and soon forgotten.

III. No, It Isn't "Cute" - If you ever hear a child say how large we are, fat we are, heavy we look, or overweight we appear, please don't laugh and say, "Aw, that was soooooooo cute!"  Trust me when I say this:  We DON'T Think It's Cute!!!  In fact, my first reaction to a child of any age saying something so horribly impolite and offensive is to rip that little brat's head right off of his or her shoulders and laugh as loudly as they did after their little announcement (Praise the LORD for the sustaining power of the Holy Ghost).  We don't think its cute, and we think it less-so when someone we call "loved one" laughs and makes light of the knife that just went straight through our hearts.  It isn't cute (if they called you "old" we wouldn't think it cute).

IV. Walk Away:  Just Walk Away - If your child is the one who happens to say how large/fat/overweight/heavy/much we need to lose, then I have some further advice for you:  Just walk away.  That's it.  Just walk away.  don't apologize, because we know you don't mean it.  Don't scold the little Johnny or little Susie that said it, because we know your scolding isn't serious.  Children repeat what they hear their parents say, so if a child calls us heavy, overweight, fat, or in any other way, shape or form points out our size, we know that it didn't originate in his or her little brain.  We know it was you or your significant other who first said such in little Johnny's or little Susie's hearing.  If your children say it, don't bother.  Just walk away.  That's the best thing you can do.  In fact, we'd probably appreciate it, too, if we didn't see you for a good long while, in which time, we hope, that you will have changed your words about us, educated your children more properly when dealing with large people, and told your significant other that to say such things that they are saying are just totally out of line.  And if it is YOU who is saying the words, SHAME on you!  We call you "loved one" because we love you.  If you say such things about us in private that your children repeat in our hearing, the name Benedict Arnold doesn't begin to truly explain how we feel about you.  If the little ones say it, just walk away.

V.  Encourage, Don't Cajole - How does someone catch a fly, or a bee?  Does a person use saltwater, or honey?  In the same way, if you are a loved one of ours, and you are concerned about our weight, please don't cajole us into exercising, eating less, getting more active, or in any other way, shape, or form getting us to try and lose weight.  Instead of saying, "You need to get out and walk," why not say, instead, "Hey, do you want to go for a walk?"  Instead of saying, "You need to eat less," why not say, "Could we eat a little more simply this evening?"  Use words, use language, and carry and attitude of encouragement, not badgering, nagging, or verbal arm-twisting.  Like any other living thing on the face of the Earth, we, too, do better with enticement and kindness, rather than brutality and anger.

VI. If We Are Trying, Walk Beside Us - Many of us -- myself included -- are making some sort of effort to lose weight.  Loved Ones, would you please walk with us?  We aren't asking you to do as we are doing (though, that would be probably the greatest help of all), we are simply asking you to walk beside us, support us, defend us, and make our work a LOT less stressful.  If we look down, talk with us, and ask us what the problem is.  If we don't want to talk about our discouragement at not having lost an ounce n a week, despite two hours per day on the treadmill, please, just give us a hug, a pat on the back, or in some other way, a word of encouragement.  When we do well, cheer with us.  If we fail or fall, cry with us, but help us back up.  If the day comes that we just don't want to go to the weight room or the gym or the treadmill, please encourage us gently but firmly and lovingly.  If we are out with friends, and invariably the phrase "Oh, just give it to so-and-so; s/he'll eat it...", and we say know, let the person who said it know that our No means "No".  If we say "No" to your offering, it is the same:  we mean "No" when we say it.  If another family member speaks about their concern for our weight (especially in an unkind fashion), and we are actively trying to lose it, defend us.  Tell that loved one the efforts we are making, and ask them to look for the subtle changes in our form.  Finally, if someone makes an unkind crack about our weight, girth, size, heaviness, need to lose weight and get in shape, or anything else related to how large we are -- whether in our presence or not -- please, defend us.  We gladly will do the same for you, if anyone were to ever dare to speak unkindly about you in our hearing.  Please, do the same for us, and if it ends up getting you into some sort of brawl, in jail for assault, or fight of any kind to defend us, the next time we see you, we will make our appreciation well-known to you.

VII.  Prayer DOES Work - Finally, pray for us.  Yes, many out there do not normally pray, do not go to church, or are not religious, but if anyone whom we call loved one is, please pray for us.  Prayer does work.  If God helps us, anything is possible, even losing a few unwanted or extra pounds or kilos.

Please consider the points made in this treatise.  Please understand that, ultimately, big people are people with feelings and easily-broken hearts, just like everyone else.  We want to be treated with the same respect you want, and to be encuraged and lifted up, rather than cajoled and torn down.  Please be a help, not a hinderance...

Currently Free at Last By dc Talk "The Hard Way" - dc Talk see related

But… (The Most Tragic Word in History)

But… (The Most Tragic Word in History)

Key Scripture:

1^st Samuel 10.9-10 – And it was so, that when (Saul) had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.  And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

1^st Samuel 13.8-14 – And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.  And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.  And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.  And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.  And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.  But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

1^st Samuel 15.11-23 – It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.  And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?  And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.  Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.  And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?  And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

1^st Kings 11.1-6 – But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:  Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

1^st Kings 11.29-39 – And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:  And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:  And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:  (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)  Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.  Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:  But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.  And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.  And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.  And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.

1^st Kings 12.20, 25-33 – ²⁰And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.  ²⁵Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.  ²⁶And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:  ²⁷If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.  ²⁸Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  ²⁹And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.  ³⁰And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.  ³¹And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.  ³²And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.  ³³So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense. 

Matthew 26.14-16 – Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.  And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

What is the most tragic word in history?  When you think of all the languages that have ever been spoken, and all the words that have ever been created, which word is the most tragic, the saddest of all?  Do you know someone, too, who started out life very well, only to have his or her life end in tragedy?  In life, there are many words that are sad, tragic, and depressing, just as there are people who have started out life well, only to end their lives in terrible and horrible tragedy.  What do you think the most tragic word in history is?  What person started out life flying high, only to hit the rock-bottom and end tragically?

Starting Out Well...

Life is full of stories of people who began their lives, a career, a venture, or an enterprise very well, only to end things tragically.  Probably everyone who reads this can think of someone – a friend, a celebrity, a politician, a co-worker, a schoolmate, or a family member – who started out well in life, but ended up in a tragic situation, or their lives ending in tragedy.  Many of the great composers of days gone by, who had the sponsorship of many rich and powerful people, ended life in poverty or in obscurity.  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Stephen Foster, and Felix Mendelssohn.  Actors, such as John Belushi and Chris Farley, and athletes like NBA Draftee Len Bias and Pro-Wrestler Curt Hennig may also come to mind.  The tragedy of starting out well and ending tragically has touched just about every other area of life, as well.  This writer had a friend in high school who’s life, thus far, has echoed this sentiment, who’s name is Jimmy.  Jimmy was a stand-out athlete in high school.  Being 6’4” (almost 2 meters tall), he was literally built like a statue, muscular and strong, and was all-district, all conference, and all-state in two sports.  In Football, during his Junior and Senior years, Jimmy led his squad, as a starter on offense and defense, to two consecutive conference championships and two state play-off appearances.  In basketball, his abilities, as well, helped him, again, to lead his team in his last two years to Regional Championship games, and, in his senior year, to the Kentucky High School Basketball Tournament where, under his strong leadership, he led his team all the way to the State Championship Game, where they lost by one point (Jimmy scored 30 points in that game).  Following Graduation form high School, Jimmy received scholarship offers in football and basketball from several Division I universities, including the University of Kentucky, and Ohio State University.  Jimmy chose, instead, to accept a full scholarship in Basketball at a small Christian University in Tennessee, and, in his first season, was the leading scorer for his team, despite coming off of the bench, and not earning a starting position until the latter half of the season.  He was named Freshman of the Year for his College’s division and conference in Basketball, and was named Newcomer of the year by his Basketball Squad. Things were looking REALLY good for Jimmy, and he had a bright future ahead of him.

One Bad Decision and One Small Word

After all of this, however, things began to go badly for Jimmy.  During the off-season and second semester of his freshman year in college, Jimmy was found in possession of illegal drugs by the police, and by university officials.  He was kicked off of the basketball team, expelled form the university, lost his scholarship, and never returned to that particular school.  Later, Jimmy enrolled at another small, Christian University in Kentucky and was given a smaller scholarship for the Football Team which, that year, won the National Championship in Football, where Jimmy, though not starting, did receive a substantial amount of playing time.  However, again, in the second semester of his time at this Christian School in Kentucky, Jimmy was caught stealing from the College Bookstore and, as a result, was again expelled from school, kicked off of the football team, and lost his scholarship.  Since that time, things have only gone downhill for Jimmy.  He has become an alcoholic, a drug user, and basically wasted such great and awesome talents he had shown in High School and his first year of College.  Since this time in his life, Jimmy has had more trouble with the police as well, his last run-in with them involving his car being loaded with $58,000 worth of illegal drugs, and Jimmy going to jail to pay for his crimes.  For all his talents, all his potential, and the bright future he had before him, Jimmy has wasted his life, his opportunities, and has fallen tragically.  Do you know someone like Jimmy?

Coulda’, Woulda’, Shoulda’

Everyone probably knows or has a friend like Jimmy.  As stated above, in the USA many celebrities have started off well, only to end their lives tragically, or reach a point in which tragedy has come about.  The actor John Belushi is one such person.  Belushi gained enormous fame as a member of Saturday Night Live, and later, in Movies such as The Blues Brothers, 1941, and Animal House.  By 1980, John Belushi was a household name in the USA.  However, in March 1982, John Belushi was found dead in his apartment, his death later ruled as a result from a drug overdose.  Despite so much potential and such fame, Belushi fell tragically, and died very young (aged 33).  In 1986, the Boston“Celtics”drafted, with the 2^nd pick, a huge power forward named Len Bias.  Bias had been a standout player for the University of Maryland, and upon his draft, had signed a huge, multi-year, multi-million dollar contract.  Bias was expected to augment the “Big Three” of Robert Parrish, Larry Bird, and Kevin McHale.  However, only a scant 48 hours after his draft and contract deal, Bias was found dead in his dorm room.  His death was ruled an overdose of illegal drugs.  The stories of Belushi and Bias can be repeated dozens of times since their respective deaths, both in the lives of celebrities, and regular people.  Even celebrities who are still living, such as famous Baseball star Darryl Strawberry or NFL Hall-of-Famer O.J. Simpson, have had lives in which they started out well, but are living lives of what could have, should have, or would have been.  The Bible, too, is full of stories of people who started off very well, but then made a tragic mistake.  In this lesson for today, we will focus on three Kings of Israel:  King Saul, King Solomon, and King Jeroboam I.

King Saul – The Seven Foot Failure

When King Saul became the first anointed King of Israel (though he was Israel’s second King [see Judges 9], it is said of him that “from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people” (1^st Samuel 9.2, 10.23).  Very likely, King Saul was probably at or around seven feet tall.  Along with this, he was also probably a very big, muscular man, as well, seeing that his father Kish owned mules and horses (1^st Samuel 3).  When he was presented to the people as king, and later, after defeating the Ammonites at the Battle of Jabesh-Gilead, King Saul had no equals.  He was, in the beginning of his reign, zealous for the Lord, following him and doing the Lord’s will wherever he went.  It is written of King Saul in the latter chapters of 1^st Samuel and in the Book of 2^nd Samuel, that king Saul made an attempt to eradicate all the witches and those who worked with familiar spirits from the land of Israel (1^st Samuel 28.9) and the Canaanite inhabitants of Gibeon and her environs (2^nd Samuel 21.1).  But as with others who started off well only to fail and fall later, King Saul fell away fm the Lord.  It was on two occasions that King Saul – after being given commands by the Lord through the Prophet Samuel – disobeyed, and when confronted with his failure, never repented (see 1^st Samuel 13.1-14 and 15.1-35).  The sad result is that not only did the Lord cease in speaking through or to King Saul (1^st Samuel 14.37, 28.6, 15-16), but also he was tormented horribly by an evil spirit (1^st Samuel 16.14-16), his kingdom was taken away and given to David, all of his sons died violent deaths, and all of his grandchildren perished except for Mephibosheth.  It is interesting to note that when the Army of Israel was threatened by Goliath, that, though Goliath was a huge, tall man, King Saul wasn’t terribly smaller, yet it was teen-ager David, in the garb and carrying the weapons of a shepherd, who ultimately gained the glory for God and for Israel.  The life and death of king saul is one of great tragedy, for had he remained close to God, it would have been his kingdom that would have endured (see 1^st Samuel 13.13-14).  Because he sinned and never repented, King saul died a tragic, violent death, and is remembered as a footnote to the reign of King David.  Yet, despite this glaring example, there is even a more tragic figure.

King Solomon – Riches to Rags, Wisdom to Folly

Of all of the kings written of or mentioned in the Bible – yea, even those mentioned throughout all of History – there was no king that ever lived on Earth who had the wealth, knowledge, power, fame, and prestige as did King Solomon.  No other king on the face of the Earth then, before, or since, could state that his father was “a man after God’s own heart” (1^st Samuel 13.14, 1^st Kings 11.4).  Further, on two occasions, God had appeared to King Solomon, and he was given amazing and wonderful promises in each of those appearances.  If this weren’t enough, because of the grace that God had on King David and King Solomon, Israel’s borders stretched from the River of Egypt in the Southwest, to the River Euphrates in the Northeast.  Secular historians like to point out that the reason Israel was so powerful during these days was because Egypt and Assyria-Babylon-Mesopotamia were all too weak to interfere, and to a degree, this is true.  What secular historians fail to realize though is that these two areas were weak because God’s blessings rested on Israel because of her two kings’ – David and Solomon – loyalty to Him (and these instances of blessing would repeat themselves later on with later kings of Israel and Judah).  The problem for Solomon comes at the beginning of 1^st Kings 11:

“But King Solomon loved many strange women…”

– 1^st Kings 11.1

King Solomon, as it is described in the rest of the first ten verses of 1^st Kings 11, had 700 wives and 300 concubines, all of these women being from foreign nations that were not only dangerous culturally and religiously to Israel, but of whom God had forbidden anyone else in Israel to marry or intermingle with.  Despite his God-given wisdom, of which the entire world came and sought him (1^st Kings 10.24-25), King Solomon did very foolishly:  it was King Solomon – just one generation removed from is Godly father’s reign – that introduced idol worship as a national practice (1^st Kings 11.4-8).  As a result of his folly, just as God did with David, the Prophet Ahijah came and prophesied against King Solomon, warning him and the rest of Israel of God’s impending judgment.  Despite Israel’s enormous wealth – during King Solomon’s reign, Israel was so rich, silver was treated like gravel (see 1^st Kings 10.27, 2^nd Chronicles 9.20) – because of King Solomon’s sin, God raised up enemies against him from without (Hadad the Edomite and Rezon the Syrian) and from within (Jeroboam the Ephrathite).  Though it is not written of directly in the bible, indirectly we can see a picture of the latter years of King Solomon’s regn in that to keep his wealth and a show of his fortune, the people of Israel – particularly the Northern Ten Tribes – were treated badly and were forced to work harder than normal in order to keep up the pretence of prosperity which had been lost when King Solomon’s foreign enemies rose up against him (see 1^st Kings 12.1-14 for a pretty good description of what the Israelites endured.  Further, such is the same today, is it not, with people who put themselves under massive debt, and try to “keep up with the Jonses”).  Though King Solomon died with Israel still united under his reign, his son, King Rehoboam, promised worse treatment to the Israelites and, as a result and according to the word of God through Ahijah’s prophecy (see 1^st Kings 11.26-40), the kingdom was irreparably divided between North (the Kingdom of Israel) and south (the Kingdom of Judah).  Despite the promises given to King Solomon, despite the legacy of his father, King David, and despite the great wisdom given to him by God, King Solomon’s life needed with folly.  Though many scholars think that King Solomon repented of his ways prior to his death (the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes seem to give heavy hint of this), the damage done by him in the form of idol worship would culminate in the Assyrian conquering of Israel in 722 BC, and the destruction and exile of Judah in 536 BC by the Babylonians.

King Jeroboam I – All the Promises of God, All the Tragedy One Could Never Want

As mentioned above in the treatise concerning King Solomon, Jeroboam was one of the enemies of King Solomon, and, by all Biblical Accounts, his lone domestic antagonist.  Jeroboam was a man of great talent.  He was industrious, a hard worker, and seemed to be a natural leader of men (1^st Kings 1128).  Though more modern versions paint Jeroboam as an Ephraimite, the King James Version of the Bible states he was an Ephrathite (see 1^st Kings 11.26).  As is made clear by Scripture, Ephratah is another name for Bethlehem, and as such, it is interesting to note that Jeroboam and Solomon were basically and culturally from the same hometown, Bethlehem.  In reading more deeply the 11^th Chapter of 1^st Kings, we can see that, just as with another famous Ephrathite (David), Jeroboam was given many mighty promises from God.  In this chapter, God promised Jeroboam:

è Reign over and a kingdom created from ten of the twelve tribes of Israel (1^st Kings 11.31-36)

è Reign over and with anything his heart desired (1^st Kings 11.37)

è A Sure and Enduring Legacy, Household, and Lineage as promised to King David (see 1^st Samuel 7; 1^st Kings 11.38)

è Eventual Reign over all Israel (1^st Kings 11.38)

è God’s Presence with him wherever he went (1^st Kings 11.38).

These promises show clearly that God had great, mighty, and wonderful things in mind.  In fact, if we take a close look at the life of David during the reign of King Saul, and the life of Jeroboam during the time of King Solomon, we can see a mirroring parallel.  Much of what David endured from King Saul Jeroboam endured form King Solomon, insomuch that – as David fled to the Philistines – Jeroboam was forced to flee to Egypt.  In every way, Jeroboam was poised to become a king just like David.  Just as when David returned from the land of the Philistines and was anointed king following King Saul’s death, Jeroboam, when he returned from Egypt after the passing of King Solomon was made a leader of the people of Israel, and later, after King Rehoboam’s folly and the ten Tribes’ Rebellion, Jeroboam was – again, according to the word of the Lord by Ahijah – anointed King of Israel.  Things were going very well for King Jeroboam I at the beginning of his reign, insomuch that God put down an attempt by King Rehoboam to recover the Northern Kingdom.  However, tragedy ensued once again.  Fearing that the people of Israel would resort to King Rehoboam when going to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, King Jeroboam established idol worship as a national policy for the first time.  Though King Solomon had introduced it to the nation as a practice, King Jeroboam’s sin was establishing idol worship as a national religion.  Not only thus, but King Jeroboam rejected the Levites as priests (something forbidden to any other tribe in the Bible) when setting up his idols in Bethel in Southern Ephraim and Dan in the Northernmost part of Israel, even going so far as banishing the Levites out of the country.  The result of this folly was that King Jeroboam and his household suffered horribly.  His eldest son died, and the son who succeeded him as king reigned only two years before he was murdered.  The rest of his household was killed off, and in war, he was defeated and humiliated by a smaller army from Judah, something from which he never fully recovered (see 2^nd Chronicles 13).  Moreover, Israel, which had once been so rich and so strong in the Lord would, as a result of this terrible decision by King Jeroboam, go through terrible upheaval, having several different houses and dynasties reign as kings (whereas David’s household was the lone ruling household for Judah, through which the Lord Jesus Christ would eventually be born), suffer through murderously evil and idolatrous kings and queens, eventually falling to the Assyrians less than 200 years after crowning Jeroboam as king. 

What If…?

Though it is always hard to do so, let us ask “What if…?”  What if King Saul had, despite his sin on two occasions, repented and been restored by God?  What if King Solomon had followed and emulated the righteous life of King David, his father, and followed the word of the Lord completely?  What if King Jeroboam, instead of giving in to fear, had left his problems of religion in God’s hands, and never erected the Golden Calves in Bethel and Dan?  Quite possibly, much of the Bible and much of history would look very, very different.  As with these three kings, we could ask ourselves the same questions:  what if I’d made a different choice in this or that area?  What if I’d done God’s will instead of my will?  What if I’d spoken to my friend about Jesus Christ before he died?  What if I’d mended that broken relationship before the person in question had moved away, never to be heard from again?  The questions are endless.  But the real tragedy of these three kings is the fact that their lives started out so very well and great, yet ended in such terrible tragedy.  King Saul could have had his house established over Israel as David’s was.  King Solomon’s wealth and riches and wisdom cold have endured in a far greater capacity and manner than they already have.  King Jeroboam I could have also had the exact same life and outcome that King David did and the same fulfilled promises that David and his house has had.  It is the “Coulda’, Woulda’, Shoulda’” that always makes for the worst of tragedies, especially with regards to rejecting or accepting Jesus Christ and his will and way.  The real tragedy, however, doesn’t just end here...

Sin Never Affects Just One

When we look at these three king’s lives, we see something that is glaringly and abundantly clear: sin never affects just one person.  The result of King Saul’s sin was not only that he died a violent death, but al of his sons were killed either in battle or murdered.  His grandchildren also suffered:  Mephibosheth was crippled as a direct result of being dropped as a toddler when the news of the death of his father, Jonathan, had come.  Several of his grandchildren were killed as a direct result of King Saul’s murdering of some of the inhabitants of Gibeon.  King Solomon’s son, Rehoboam – who later become king of Benjamin and Judah – was a spoiled brat who, by his harsh words and harsher attitude towards the Israelites, lost forever the ten northern tribes of Israel.  For a time, as well, King Rehoboam followed in his daddy’s footsteps and worshipped idols…until Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt invaded Judah, sacked Jerusalem, and plundered the Temple Treasures.  The good news for Rehoboam is that 2^nd Chronicles records that he came back to God and served him in his older age, a direct opposite result when compared to his father, King Solomon.  However, King Solomon’s sin of idolatry would take root from his time, as people began worshipping in high places rather than coming – as the Law of Moses commanded – to the temple in Jerusalem.  This false worship would carry on until the destruction of Jerusalem, and even for a time thereafter in Egypt (see the Book of Jeremiah).  Finally, the establishment of idol worship by King Jeroboam affected his entire life.  King Jeroboam never recovered from his crushing defeat tat the hands of King Abijah (Abijam), the son of King Rehoboam.  Further, all but his eldest son suffered and died violently, King Jeroboam’s house being totally wiped out less than a generation after he passed away.  Further, and even more tragically, when the Good kings of Judah are remembered, they are remembered as “following in the footsteps” of their “father David”, not turning to the right or to the left.  However, every evil king mentioned in 1^st kings, 2^nd Kings, and 2^nd Chronicles are remembered for “following in the sin of King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat”.  The legacy that could have been a righteous one for King Jeroboam, turned out to be an unholy one.  Finally, the sin of Jeroboam is mentioned for being the sole reason for the destruction of Israel by the Assyrians as mentioned in 2^nd Kings 17.  What Jeroboam instituted as King brought Israel its final, total destruction less than 200 years later.  Sin never affects just one.

Judas - A Final Example

Though it probably isn’t necessary to mention one more example, there is probably no greater tragedy than that of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles initially appointed and chosen by Jesus Christ.  There isn’t much known about the life of Judas before his being chosen as a disciple, but we do know that he was an active part of Jesus’ ministry.  He was one of the twelve appointed to preach in the cities, and later one of the seventy who carried out the same mission some time later.  He was with Jesus everywhere he went, ministering and helping and being part of the nascent leadership of the church.  He saw Jesus walk on water, calm the storm, raise the dead countless times, feed the 5,000 and later the 4,000, and bring Lazarus back from the dead after he’d been in the tomb for four days. Every miracle that Jesus did, Judas was a part of it.  He ate with Jesus, slept with him, worked beside him, traveled with him, and served the Lord in every way.  Judas was one of the disciples whom Jesus’ washed feet prior to the last supper.  In every way, Judas Iscariot was an essential part of Jesus’ ministry. However, Judas made a choice that would forever condemn him to an eternity without Jesus Christ.  Judas chose to betray Jesus to the Pharisees.  It is interesting to note the similarity of Judas and Peter during the last hours of Jesus’ life.  Both men rejected, betrayed, and denied Jesus Christ.  Both men felt remorse later.  Both men were overcome by guilt.  Both men took action following their respective betrayals and denials.  But whereas Peter wept with the tears of repentance, and was later restored, Judas went out and hanged himself.  Where Peter was able to see the risen Lord, to touch him, to see the empty tomb, and to be restored to his position, Judas lost it all, and his name is forever remembered as one for “traitor”.  Though he rose so high, Judas Iscariot fell further and deeper than any other person in history.  Only the devil himself was higher, and will fall lower.

King Manasseh - The Opposite Side of the Coin

Now many may ask, “Where are the Spiritual Rags-to-Riches stories?  Why are just the bad examples posted?”  But one answer to this is the story of King Manasseh.  King Manasseh was the son of King Hezekiah, perhaps the godliest king of Judah during the time of the divided kingdoms.  King Manasseh had very likely lived through the siege of Jerusalem that had taken place while his father was King, when Sennacherib, with the as-yet-undefeated Assyrian Army had taken all of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deported her people, killed her king, and demolished the Israelite Capital of Samaria, and had marched South to do the same to Judah.  As the Story is told in 2^nd Kings, 2^nd Chronicles, and Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, God miraculously rescued Israel, killing 185,000 of Sennacherib’s soldiers as they besieged Jerusalem.  King Manasseh, as a child, had very likely lived through this and seen it happen.  Yet, King Manasseh became literally the worst, most idolatrous and murderous king Judah -- yea, all of Israel -- had ever known.  He sacrificed his eldest son to Molech, reared idols and images for worship in the Temple, is recorded in some rabbinical writings to have been the king that ordered the death of the Prophet Isaiah (traditionally believed to have been sawn in half inside a hollow log), and encouraged the people to conduct themselves in horrible fashions of worship.  As 2^nd Kings and 2^nd Chronicles record, no other King of Judah aroused God’s Anger as Manasseh did.  Somewhere in his reign, however, Assyrian King Esarhaddon captured King Manasseh and threw him into prison.  It was during this harrowing time in his life that King Manasseh humbled himself before and turned his life back over to the Living God.  Being given back his throne, King Manasseh returned to Jerusalem, and encouraged the demolition of all the idols he’d reared, urged and taught the people to return to God, and he lived out the rest of his life and reign as a follower of the Lord.  It is said in both 2^nd Kings and 2^nd Chronicles that the people -- though they still burned incense in the high places -- did so to the Lord only.  No other King fell so far yet turned so beautifully.  Though King Manasseh’s evil is recorded to have been the reason for God’s destruction of Judah and Jerusalem several generations later, King Manasseh’s long reign (55 years) undoubtedly played a large role in the formation of the life and eventual reign of his grandson, King Josiah, the last godly king of Judah.  No other king fell so far into sin, yet turned and became one of the godliest kings in Israel or Judah.  This is the “Coulda’”, “Woulda’”, “Shoulda’” of the lives and reigns of Kings Saul, Solomon, and Jeroboam I.

Conclusion – What About Your Life?

The above is an important question.  How will you be remembered?  Will you be remembered as one of today’s lesson’s four men, one who could have, should have, and would have done something for Jesus?  Is your life now one of regret after regret after painful regret?  If you but turn your life to him, Christ will restore you, forgive you, and make you whole.  Your life can be one of the countless lives that, though having been full of sinful choices, was redeemed, saved, and restored.  Accept Jesus Christ today!

Prayer – Father, what a set of examples of failure! Help us, Lord, in times of difficulty, to stay close to you, and to make the right, righteous, Godly choice.   Help those out there who read this lesson today, who may have “Coulda’”, “Woulda’”, and/or “Shoulda’” as a label in their lives, to come to you and be restored, so that their lives may reflect the glory, forgiveness, and grace of Jesus Christ.  We bless thee, and we thank thee, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Verse of the Day:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”.

--Matthew 11.28

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Giants in the Land - Part III

 Giants in the Land Series

Part III:  Ride Those Waves!

Key Scripture:

Matthew 8.23-27 – And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.  And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves:  but he was asleep.  And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, “Lord, save us:  we perish.”  And he said unto them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”  Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was great calm.  Butt he men marveled, saying, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”

Matthew 14.24-33 – But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves:  for the wind was contrary.  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a spirit;” and they cried out for fear.  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”  And Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.”  And he said, “Come.”  And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, “Lord, save me.” And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”  And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.  Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, “Of a truth, thou art the Son of God.”

This lesson is part three of a series called “Giants In the Land.”  Last time, we dealt with how to defeat and overcome the difficulties that come into our lives.  This time, we will take a look at how to live above the “waves” and problems of life.  As we begin, here are a few questions:  When you see the Ocean, what comes into your mind?  What is your life like right now?  Is it calm, and placid, like a lake on a good day?  Is there trouble in your life, insomuch that your life resembles a boat in the midst of a terrible hurricane or typhoon?  Finally, is it possible to live in such a state that the winds, the stormy sea, the waves, and the problems of life seem far below?

Like a Boat in the Ocean

When we look at life here on Earth, it is easy to see that life clearly resembles a ship on the Ocean.  Sailing – even in these post modern days – is still a lengthy way to travel.  Even at it’s fastest, a boat sailing from San Francisco, California, USA going to Tokyo, Japan can take anywhere from one to two months.  It is pretty much the same for any ship, no matter how large or how fast, traveling the Pacific.  Though the Atlantic and Indian Oceans are smaller, as is the Mediterranean Sea, it still takes anywhere between several days and several weeks to travel by boat across the vast expanses of water and ocean that make up such a large part of the Earth.  In a similar fashion, life is a lengthy process, and it resembles traveling on the sea or ocean.  Some days – just as a boat on the sea – life moves at a great clip, with time being enjoyable and work being steady.  At other times, life can be like a ship in the midst of a squall or tempest, with waves crashing around and about.  Still other days, the winds are prevailing and good speed can be made.  In other days, the winds are contrary, and the boat must tack into the wind if progress is to be made…and some days, there is neither wind nor movement at all!  This is a picture of life for people, also. 

Life is a Series of Waves

In fact, if we are to take a serious look at life, we actually can see that life is more akin to living in, on, or above, a series of waves.  Sometimes the waves that hit our lives are gentle, easy, and helpful in directing us and empowering us to do what we are called to do.  At other times, the waves are huge, scary, and crashing into our lives akin to the kind of waves that cause such destruction and problems during a hurricane or typhoon.  At still other times, the waves look to engulf our little boat called life and figure to capsize us, sink us, or both.  Still, there are those unexpected, tsunami-like rogue waves that hit us by surprise and quite often in the clearest of weather, causing such havoc and despair as we have never known before.  At still other instances, the waves and waters are choppy, despite the day being beautiful, and it seems like one problem after another keeps coming up, threatening to make an easy day into the hardest of work.  Whatever the case, and whatever the kind of waves which come into life, we can rest assured that we will always encounter each of these kinds of waves, and life will always be a challenge.

Why the Storms Hit; Why the Waves Come

In Biblical times, a storm on the sea or ocean often meant trouble.  In fact, many times in the Bible, Father uses a storm to correct his people or to bring his followers back into a right relationship with him.  Jonah the prophet, when he ran from God, away from Nineveh and towards Tarshish, was kept from his escape by a terrible storm that arose (Jonah 1.5-10).  Only when the sailors on the boat tossed Jonah overboard at his command did the storm cease (causing the first recorded Maritime Revival in the history of man; see Jonah 1.12-16).  Waves and Storms come into the lives of believers in and for a similar fashion and reason.  God often uses these storms, waves, and winds of life to test us and teach us to lean more closely on him, and to trust him and his will more deeply.  It is similar with sailors, whether they be in the Navy, Maritime Sector, or even pleasure boaters.  A storm quite often tests a sailor to his or her limits, causing him or her to use every bit and piece of knowledge that they have to utmost of their ability.  If there were only calm seas and beautiful days, a sailor would never improve, a captain never rise higher, and a navigator never truly able to put his expertise to the test.  So it is with believers.  If have only the mountain top experience, and never the valley; if we have only placid, calm lives and never trial, we will never come to a true and complete sense of who God is.  It is through the storm that our faith is stretched.  It is in the dark nights where we can see nothing and the fog of life is as thick as pea soup that our trust and beliefs are strengthened.  It is when the winds are contrary and the waves as tall as mountains that our faith in our Captain and Leader is made rock-solid.  For unrepentant sinners, there is only one reason for the storms:  they are Father’s way of calling you to salvation.  You see?  Storms come to everyone…but not everyone has The Good Captain to lead the helm of life.  Because of this, those who do not know Christ as Lord and Saviour of their lives are in the gravest of dangers, both here on Earth now, and later in Eternity.  The Apostle Paul is speaking of this when he wrote the following:

“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience, which some have put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

-- 1^st Timothy 1.18-20

The two men Paul writes about here were living lives in terrible danger – danger of being physically and spiritually shipwrecked.  If anyone in the Bible knew abut being shipwrecked, it was Paul the Apostle.  Read this description that Paul gives of his own experience at sea:

“…thrice I suffered shipwreck, a day and a night I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters…”

-- 2^nd Corinthians 11.25-26

When Paul wrote and talked of shipwreck, he knew intimately what it was all about.  In the above scripture from Paul’s Second Corinthian Letter, he writes that three times he suffered ship wreck, and was a day and a night in the water.  We can read more closely of one of these shipwrecks in Acts 2713-28.2.  In this passage, Dr. Luke writes how Paul and the others aboard the ship he was traveling in were shipwrecked after passing through a terrible Mediterranean Storm.  Though it may be hard for some to understand, a great picture and description of the shipwreck is found here.  In the same way this physical shipwreck is described, Paul also warned of the dangers of spiritual shipwreck.  Just as a physical shipwreck can and often does result in great material loss, spiritual shipwreck can also result in great spiritual loss and destruction.  Reader, if you are not under the leadership of Jesus Christ; if you do not know the LORD Jesus as Saviour, then there is bad news for you:  you are in the gravest of dangers from spiritual shipwreck.  Life may be fine, good, dandy, and fun for you now, but it is promised – just as with the Prodigal Son as recorded in Luke 15 – that there will be a time when you have hit the bottom.  You will go through the storms of life, and your life may be shipwrecked.  Without the Lord Jesus as your friend, redeemer, and Saviour, what will you do?  Where will you turn?  In the darkest times, the devil is always the one that abandons those who follow him.  However, in the darkest times, Jesus Christ is closest to those who’ve placed their trust and hope in him.  The plea is for you today:  Come to Jesus Christ!

The Poseidon Adventure and Those Rogue Waves of Life

In the story “The Poseidon Adventure”, a luxury liner named the Poseidon is traveling through the Ocean on a New Year’s Day Cruise.  Late at night, just after the clock has struck midnight and the New Year has begun, a huge mountain of a rogue wave crashes into the Poseidon, causing the huge ship to capsize.  Many aboard the ship are killed almost instantly by way of falls, electrocution, or drowning.  Many others manage to survive the initial hit of the wave in the ship’s galley and grand ballroom, as it and other parts are filled with air pockets, keeping the Poseidon afloat.  According to one or two versions of the story, the Captain of the Poseidon orders everyone to stay in the ballroom and galley to facilitate an easier rescue.  According to the Captain, the Poseidon will stay afloat indefinitely thanks to the ship having numerous large rooms where air pockets should have formed.  Several of the people in the ballroom and galley, however, elect to make their way out and to the bottom of the ship (which is now the top) and await air rescue.  As a result of the pressure from the weight of the ship, the Poseidon begins to sink as each of the rooms with air pockets collapses, contrary to the belief of the Captain, and eventually, only those who were part of the small group of people who chose to escape are the ones who survive the disaster.  This story is a good illustration of what often happens in life.  Rogue waves – waves that form and move either contrary to the current of the sea or arise suddenly in placid water – often hit ships of all size, or even land, and can cause great damage, confusion, and loss.  Similarly, spiritual rogue waves can hit peoples’ lives with a force that causes life to seem like it has capsized.  Life for a man may be going wonderfully, until the day he goes for a routine check-up and finds out he has cancer.  A woman may be at the peak of her life and career, when suddenly a family tragedy brings everything crumbling to a screeching halt.  A family may have everything going for it, with a great financial base, a wonderful educational foundation, and a solid relationship between all members, until suddenly, there’s an unexpected pregnancy with a son or daughter, or a parent passes away.  These are spiritual or life rogue waves, and Whom we have at the controls of our lives makes all the difference in how we will handle these rogue waves.

Remember Who’s In the Boat

The disciples in today’s passage were crossing the Sea of Galilee with the Lord.  As often happens there even today, a storm arose and threatened to take the ship down.  Try as they might, hard as they worked, the situation looked hopeless and the disciples doomed.  In their despair, they finally called on Jesus.  After they had tried everything and failed, the disciples finally called on Jesus.  Isn’t that often how it is with us, too?  We get hit by a storm, with high waves and dangerous waters, and we try everything we know to do to keep our little boats-of-lives afloat.  Finally, when we’ve tried every idea, turned every trick, and exhausted our knowledge, we come to Jesus and ask for his help.  Jesus – after rebuking the winds and the waves – questioned his disciples’ faith, and this is a great lesson for us.  Why did Jesus upbraid his apostles for their lack of faith?  After all, they did finally call on him and ask for his help.  There are two points to look at here:  First, it wasn’t until the end that the disciples remembered that Jesus was with them.  Don’t we do the same thing?  We can remember how to change a tire if the car gets a flat.  We can probably remember how to bandage even a bad cut if an accident in the kitchen happens.  We can also remember with relative ease what we need to do if we experience heat exhaustion.  However, how many of us remember to call upon the LORD when a problem arises?  How many of us – as the disciples – finally call upon the Lord, remembering him as if we found a long-lost trinket in a storage chest?  This is how it was with the Apostles.  Jesus was with them, and even if the waves and the wind were looking very bad, it is important to remember that nothing can disturb, take away, nor threaten the LORD if we have him in our lives (isn’t it interesting to note that Jesus was sound asleep in the stern of the ship during the storm?  Should that kind of calm not have been with the disciples {and us, when storms come} as well)?  Secondly, the disciples should have asked Jesus for help before the storm became to terrible.  We need to understand that there are times when something seemingly mild and not-so-dangerous can turn and become life threatening.  When the disciples started out, it was a calm day.  However, sometime in the midst of their journey, the storm hit.  Very likely, that storm didn’t hit all at once: it probably – as most storms do – started off small and ended up great.  Peter, Andrew, James, and John were seasoned fishers and sailors, and hey very likely knew long beforehand that a storm was in the offing.  Why did they not ask Jesus for help then?  Don’t we, in this instance, too, do the same thing?  When life is going well, and when all is moving at a favourable clip, do we not shuck off calling out to Jesus for any kind of help, even when we can see the signs of a coming storm all around us?  In the storms of life, we need to remember that Jesus Christ is never further than a prayer away.  A reminder:  Jesus will not help us if we do not ask him!  This was the failing of the disciples!  Jesus was right there, waiting to be asked for help, yet, as time went on, nobody seemed to ask him a thing.  Later, when all looked lost, the disciples had to wake him up!  He’d fallen asleep, and part of it was because the disciples were too busy.  We need to keep ourselves in communication with the Lord, and call on him when we see danger even approaching.  The reason why Job persisted and persevered is because he knew the LORD, had determined in his heart to follow him no matter what (Job 13:15, 31.1), and chose to cling to him even when the hard times were the hardest for him.

Strollin’ On The Water

Many people tend to upbraid Peter for his failure to stay up after walking out on the water to meet Jesus.  Many people point to Peter’s brashness, point out how he was too bold, and make reference about how Peter often ended up with his foot in his mouth.  While much of this is true, in the instance where Peter walked out on the water to meet Jesus, many people fail to see something very important.  Very likely, the other disciples and apostles in the boat that night may have given Peter a piece of their minds as well. “Whoa, Peter, you sure made a fool of yourself, sinking like that in front of Jesus.”  “Man, you looked good, until you looked around and started to go under.”  “Dude, Peter, next time, just stay in the boat!”  Isn’t that how tit is with us, today, too?  How many of us tend to upbraid those closest to us for failing, falling, and/or sinking in some endeavour they wished to do for the LORD?  Yet, despite it all, we usually forget the obvious.  I wonder, if after suffering the rebukes from his fellow disciples, did Peter ask anyone else if they had soaked feet?  We need to understand that even though Peter went out onto the water and failed, that he was still the only one who took Jesus command to “Come out!” with any sincerity.  Peter – out of the 12 disciples in the boat that night – was the only one to walk out on the water with Jesus.  Yes, he saw the tempest, the wind, the waves, and began to sink…but it was Peter alone who bothered to even step over the side of the boat.  We need to remember this ourselves.  Perhaps the most dangerous thing to have happen during a storm on any very large body of water is for someone to go overboard.  Over the centuries, countless lives have been lost at sea simply because of this accident happening.  Yet, how often do we hear the Saviour calling to us, asking us to “step out of the boat” during the deepest and most troubling storms of our lives?  How many times have you heard a voice within your heart, or a whisper in your ear, calling to you to step out and try something different when the rogue waves are crashing in one after another?  We must remember that if Jesus calls us out of the boat, he will be right there walking with us on the water, and that if he calls us out, we cannot fail, and cannot sink so long as we keep our eyes on Jesus.  As a song by Audio Adrenaline goes:

“If I keep my eyes on Jesus, I can walk on water!  If I keep my eyes on Him, I can walk on water!”

--Audio Adrenaline, “Walk On Water”:  From the Album Bloom (1996, ForeFront Records)

Conclusion – What Storms Are You Facing?  What Waves Are Washing Over Your Life?

What storms of life are you traveling through?  How are those waves?  How are you dealing with the waves that come and hit life in so many, many waves?  Are you like a Submarine, traveling through the waves with little effort?  Are you like a surfer, riding the waves and having a good time despite the storm and wind and rain?  Are you hunkering down in your boat called life hoping the storm will pass over and you will be able to continue on your way?  Are you on the deck of your ship called life, doing everything in your power to get through the storm, failing to see that the Saviour has been there all this time, waiting for you to ask for his help?  The answers to these questions are of the highest of importance.  If you, friend, are going through a storm, and you do not have Jesus Christ as your LORD and Saviour, I am sorry to report tha this storm will only get worse.  And even if it does get better, what happens when a worse, more threatening storm comes, and plows your ship over as easily as the rogue wave did with the Poseidon in The Poseidon Adventure?  You may have done everything to ensure that you will not suffer again, but life is uncertain, and often we get hit in an area we never knew we’d get hit in.  Friend, if you do not know Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour, today is the perfect day for you to come to him.  If you wil lbut ask him to come into your life, clean out all lof your sins, ask him for forgiveness for your sins, and repent (turn away) from your old life, He will come, and he will enter your life.  Without him – without Jesus Christ – not only are you in physical danger, but you are also in Spiritual, Eternal danger as well.  Please, won’t you come to Jesus today?  Let’s pray…

Prayer – Heavenly Father, we need your help.  There is a storm coming!  We cannot see it!  We don’t know when it will hit.  We don’t know how severe or damaging it will be.  But You know!  You can see that storm and its outcome.  We pray, Father, that when the storm begins to show itself – yea, even before then – you will help us to call on you for help.  We need thee, Father.  We need thee to be the Captain and Lord of our lives!  Help us, Father, to keep you in the forefront of our lives so that when difficulties, waves of life, and storms of trial come, we can call upon you right away.  We bless thee, and we Praise thee, and we ask al of these things in the Precious Name of Jesus Christ out LORD and Saviour, Amen.

Verse of the Day

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

--Matthew 14.27

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