There was one specific day in my life when I came to the realization that my career of calling was going to be one that placed me in a front row seat in the lives of other people – both in the good times and the bad.

During the time of my several years on the staff of the church in Dallas, Texas that I frequently reference, there was a very bad accident at the church just after the morning service. A teenager was driving his parents’ car up to the door to pick up his mother, and for some reason the speed control kicked in unexpectedly and sent the car smashing through the doorway. Two teenage girls were exiting at that time and were hit by the vehicle and sent crashing back through the plate glass doorframe and into the foyer. One was severely injured.

I had spoken to that girl about one minute or so before the crash, having handed our first child Nathan – two months old at the time – to her. I walked down a hallway and soon heard the crash. She had handed Nathan to my wife and went to exit the church, greeted by the car coming the other way.

Both girls were from active church families, the most severely-injured teen being the daughter of parents who were both a prominent part of my music ministry. I recall talking to the father even as the ambulance pulled away. He said, “Randy, you never know what a day may bring. This reminds me of the Scriptures about how we make plans, but they might not be what God had in store for us on any given day.”  We quickly went to the hospital and found that the injuries, though severe to the legs with much blood loss, were not to be fatal. She did indeed recover well and in fact went on some years later to marry the boy who hit her with the car!

In the many years since that time, I have been at the scene of many grieving families in the early moments of an unexpected life crisis. Though some folks are more emotionally prepared to deal well with crises, a factor that is far, far bigger is the nature and depth of faith that people have at that moment in time.

When calamity strikes with unexpected furor, there is no time to prepare spiritually. Those with a deep and informed faith and relationship with God, based upon a strong working knowledge of the Scriptures, are remarkably able to draw upon those resources in the darkest hour. Those who have not had that as a life discipline tend to more readily disintegrate and struggle.

The rains are going to come into every life and family; the floods are going to rise. It is merely a matter of when. And that moment reveals the foundational faith and strength of individuals.

The picture Jesus gives in today’s passage needs little explanation. We all know and understand the necessity of a foundation for any structure to be one of quality. A house with little to no footing does not probably look a great deal different from the one with the deep foundation … that is, until the flood comes along and reveals the difference.

In a sense, the regular bolstering of one’s faith through a continuous growth in the Scripture, prayer and walk with God is the best insurance policy a person may build against inevitable times of crises. We don’t wait for a devastating illness to fall upon us before we secure health insurance. That actually doesn’t work, does it?  And it does not work well to wait until the day of trouble to turn to the Lord for divine enablement.

So … we meet regularly on Sundays at 9:30. There are additional learning center classes at 11:00. Beyond that are weekday men’s and women’s groups, home community groups and marriage clusters, etc.  But I’ll give you credit for reading this devotional page!  😊

Luke 6:46-49 – “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

There are few things in the world that I like more than cherries. I can sit and eat them by the hundreds!

This surely relates back to fond childhood memories. We had five sour cherry trees at the home where I grew up. They annually came into season almost exactly at the time school ended in June. So for a boy, it just didn’t get any better than summer break, summer weather, and summer cherries (and climbing trees to pick them) – all at the same time.

However, there was one other cherry tree in the yard. It was closer to the house and much taller than the other five trees. I don’t actually know what variety of cherry tree it was, and that is because I don’t actually remember ever eating anything from it!  The cherries seemed to always be either too green, rotten, or worm infested before you could ever harvest anything from what appeared to be a beautiful tree. My father eventually wearied of it and cut the dumb thing down to the ground.

In our brief three-verse passage today from Luke 6:43-45, Jesus teaches…“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

The basic teaching here is not complicated to understand: the nature of the product tends to reveal the nature of the source. In the context of speech, words have a strong connection toward revealing the nature of the heart within a person.

Here is a time where the old KJV Bible gets it better than some modern translations. Where it speaks here in this NIV translation about the good or evil that is “stored up,” the original Greek word literally means a “treasure.”  The definition of the word says that this is “the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up – like a casket, coffer, or other receptacle, in which valuables are kept.”  Wow, what a picture!

People make judgments about what someone says (or tweets!), and there is strong basis for tying words to speculating about the inner condition of a person. On the day that I write this, I was sad to see where a couple of folks who were formerly associated with TSF dropped the F-bomb in social media communication. I’m not sure how to see that other than to think the person is either very mentally dense about how that looks or that the condition of their heart and faith is darker than I ever imagined. You get the point.

But it is not just extreme or marginal conversation that we’re thinking about here. What is it that you find yourself talking about the most with other people? What topics do you find yourself bringing up and desirous of communicating? Man, that really does reveal the nature of the values systems of our hearts, doesn’t it?

Perhaps a valuable and functional question to ask ourselves is if what we want to talk about with others is endowed much by interest in that which has eternal value or merit. Or is it honestly just about stuff that is mundane and merely the fancies of a passing world? Or God forbid it is the nasty fruit of residual evil.

Words matter. They paint pictures.

Warning. I might judge you! Yep!  If you drive a large, black pick-up truck with over-sized tires, and chrome-colored, diesel exhaust pipes that rise out of the bed of the truck on both sides of the cab, with a noisy engine that makes all the children within a half-mile cry, I might judge you as a total jerk. This would be especially true if you rode up alongside me while I was cycling, gunning your engine in order to blow diesel smoke all over me while you drove off in great glee!

But maybe, just maybe, not everyone who owns such a truck would do such a thing. Maybe they should not all be judged. It’s not a moral evil to have such a device. I can’t see why you’d want such a thing, but then you might not understand why I drive old cars and cycle on country roads.

Judging others just plain feels good! It puts you (in your own mind at least) on the higher level. You just know that you see life in a way that is better than the other fool.

But judging violates one of the greatest of timeless truths. One tends to get back what one gives. Being gracious to others tends to lead to others being gracious to us.

I love the illustration that Jesus uses about the plank in one’s own eye, whereas there is merely a speck in the eye of another. Not dealing with our own specks means that, over time, they turn into a splinter, then a shaving, then a wedge, then a board, and finally a plank – that is unknown to the host eyeball. Critical people, unchecked, tend to grow larger in their judgments. And in the process, they become more oblivious to their own issues.

We need to be aware of this human proclivity toward self-righteousness. There is no more ineffective person than a hypocrite. We may need to ask others to tell us what they see in our eyes, and then be willing to undergo some ocular surgery.

Luke 6:37 – “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Today’s passage contains what is probably the most well-known proverbial type of quote from the Bible, yet likely also the most difficult to apply: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

You’ve got to be kidding! Really? Do that?  It goes against everything that is natural. One of the reasons I did not go further as a baseball pitcher beyond my college years is that I couldn’t apply something like this! If a guy went sliding into second base with his spikes up, I’d remember his number and then hit him in the head with a rising fastball the next time he came to the plate. He earned it! He deserved it!

Yet that is the way most folks live life … from injustices in the office, to rude drivers who need to be taught a lesson, to the crazy relative that shakes the family tree, to the annoying, fellow church member who wrongly irritated us in some way. They deserve to have whatever rebound in their face, and we can make it happen.

This is not the way God deals with us, however. We deserve his judgment as enemies of God and the result of his wrath upon our sin. But he has given us the payment of the blood of Christ with the open-ended offer to have our sin debt paid. And having received such grace, why should we not be conduits of that grace to others – even those who wrong us and are enemies by definition?

There is something tremendously disarming about applying this principle. I’ve done it far too few times in my life. But I can specifically recall several occasions where I became aware of some church person who was calling for head in similar fashion as Herodias and her daughter requested of Herod about John the Baptist; and rather than fight back, I have looked for ways to show extreme kindness – applauding them and their family for anything good I could genuinely affirm, inviting them to lunch as my guests, etc.  On these occasions, they simply don’t know what to say or how to respond. You can hear the bullets falling out of their weapons and hitting the floor. Again, I’d like to say this is what I’ve most often done; but honestly, I have more frequently dropped them with a two-seamer in the earhole of their batting helmet, figuratively speaking.

The reason we can confidently extend such grace and kindness that flies counter to every natural proclivity about justice is because we can trust God for ultimate justice and reward for ourselves. It may not happen in this life. The kindness extended may be seen as weakness and the opportunity for the enemy to double-down on their attack. But that’s OK. God knows, and that’s all we need to know.

It is all about kingdom-focused living. It is the bigger picture, the greater reality.

Luke 6:27 – “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

When I am confused or concerned about something that has happened, I often seek to understand it comparatively within a broader context. And this is not merely my competitiveness running amuck. I simply want to grasp whether the situation at hand is within the range of typical results or expectations.

For example, after my several knee surgeries, the second and third days were rather … ugh … unpleasant, brutal even. And I’m OK with that, if that is the way it is supposed to be. But if it not supposed to be that bad, then I’m going to be really concerned. I just need calibration.

Or another example: occasionally one of the boys would come home from taking a big test at school and give a rather concerned, negative report as to how well they thought they performed. Maybe they were surprised at the content and what was an unusual emphasis upon something they deemed to be of minor import. And I would invariable ask what other students were saying about the test. Did they have the same take on it? If so, maybe the result won’t be so bad. But if everyone else was raving about how easy was the exam, then I’m getting concerned. It’s about seeking calibration.

As followers of Christ, it is helpful to have some calibration on living this life in a fallen, sinful, imperfect world. And that is what we have in today’s passage from the basic content of Jesus’ teaching to his disciples (not just the 12, but the large crowd that followed him). This section is often called the “blessings and woes.”  It teaches that the bad things aren’t as bad as they seem, nor are the good things as good as they seem; and all of that is because there is a bigger picture than just this world.

One can be blessed and have inner contentment and happiness even in the context of problems like poverty, hunger and sadness. This is because all of these things are temporary and the reward in the kingdom of God is so much greater and eternal. These issues will pass away, and God’s enabling strength is sufficient to endure them.

As well, when the people of this world persecute Christ’s followers in words and deeds, this too should not throw one off of the path of feeling blessed. If fact, it is rather normal behavior when calibrated in light of the big picture of things. Not only is this true in Christ’s day and in the ages to follow of those who name Jesus as Lord, this was the experience of godly people in the past – such as the prophets in Israel who were persecuted for their faithfulness in proclaiming truth. It has always been this way, but great is the reward in the kingdom for those who endure and persevere.

On the flipside, for those who trust in earthly measurements of success and thereby reject the message of Christ, they will find that their temporary riches, food abundance and merriment produced merely by the measurements of this world will not suffice in the long run. And being spoken of well is simply a repeat of the accolades given to the false prophets of the past.

How’s all of this for calibration? It is Jesus taking their minds and eyes away from the microscope to look rather at the majesty of the sky – the bigger picture that includes God’s kingdom.

There is timeless truth in this teaching. We daily read of the horrid persecution of Christians in other parts of the world. And as a class of people, we are not highly favored even here in America by the masses of the people in places of prominence. That’s OK; it is normal. Remember the bigger picture. You’re a child of the creator king!

Luke 6:17 – He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Serving here now in the latter innings of my ministry career, I can risk being very open about some things that have happened in my life, or not happened. At the beginning, in my Texas years, I had one experience of being overlooked for a position in a church when another, truly less capable person was surprisingly given the job. Soon after, I was granted a position that was so much better, and to this day I look back and marvel about why in the world that church would hire such a young novice like me.

I joke from time to time about my collection of “silver medals” … occasions when I finished in second place, also popularly termed by Dale Earnhart as “the first loser.”  It happened to me several times before I came to Tri-State in 1994. And I can now tell you also that on two occasions some years ago I finished second in lead pastor searches by rather large churches. But looking back now, both of those churches have thrived under the leadership of the men selected, and I can say that I am in every way tremendously thankful that God did not send me to those places but allowed me to be in Hagerstown for all of these years.

God opens and closes doors. He has a place in the vineyard for all who love and serve him. Sometimes it is prominent, other times it is supportive and far from the spotlights. But there is joy in both places. There are no losers.

Today’s passage simply lists the names of the 12 disciples that Jesus chose, after a full night of prayer, to especially be with him and to be further designated as apostles. This would mean that they were not only followers, but those who would be sent out on mission.

The choosing of the 12 apostles will be our theme this coming Sunday. Being brief today, let me make the major point that these were not necessarily the guys with the greatest resumes. There was a lot of clay in the feet of these men. You would expect the Messiah to choose religiously-trained individuals or those who had accomplished great things in life to especially round out his A-team. But actually, these are pretty average people … probably like you and me, and that is greatly encouraging.

When called by God and empowered by him, average people can be extraordinary servants in specific places in the Lord’s vineyard. There is a challenge for the New Year!

Luke 6:12-16 – One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

I grew up in a generally healthy church environment, as you often hear me talk about the positive influence it had upon me from an encouraging, multi-generation church that promoted our growth as children and teens. However, there were also some legalistic elements, such as appropriate clothing for church (suits and ties, etc.) and hair length (don’t begin to look like the hippies!). And I recall bringing some friends from school (who were non-churched) and being criticized by some adults that my friends were too sloppy looking with long hair, etc. … rather than being pleased that they were actually at church and being exposed to the gospel they needed. These folks missed the main point.

And that is what happens in today’s passage. The Pharisees, rather than seeing that the Lord of the Sabbath was with them, chose to criticize what they deemed inappropriate deeds on this day – eating grain, and healing.

The rubbing of grain (allowed by the Law for individuals to do in a neighbor’s field) constituted, in the legalistic thinking of the Pharisees, the work of threshing on the Sabbath. And the man with the withered hand would appear to have been possibly placed in front of Jesus to tempt him to heal on this day. This would give these religious leaders a reason to accuse him.

Jesus sees through all of this, relating himself and his disciples to a story about his ancestor King David and his men – a story in which there was no condemnation. And Jesus teaches that to not do good on the Sabbath when it was able to be done was tantamount to doing evil. He embarrasses them in front of everyone, and for this we see the ratcheting up of intensity to begin to devise some plan to get rid of this Jesus character.

We can’t just do anything we want to do, doing it the name of serving God, even though it is clearly a wrong thing to do. It is never right to do wrong in order to do right. But at the same time, many Christians have missed major ideas by nitpicking about morally indifferent ideas that are merely matters of taste or preference. Over my six decades in churches I have seen preferences about things like music styles, Bible translations, formal or casual clothing, sanctuary or multi-purpose room construction, exegetical or topical sermon series, etc., etc., etc., etc., cause otherwise good people to miss the big idea of the work God was doing. Don’t be like that.

Luke 6:1 – One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.

9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.