By Joe Widick
There is a diabolical side to me that most of you are not aware of. At Christmas time one of my task is to wrap the Christmas presents, while Elaine prepares the food for Christmas. I have been known by my family to put a little extra tape on a package from time to time, making it at times very difficult to unwrap. I have also been known to put a gift inside another gift, so that when someone opens the first package, they find another gift inside of it. The kids laugh about it and Elaine just rolls her eyes and says to herself; “What was he thinking.”
When God sent his one and only son, Jesus to be the savior of the world, mankind received a most remarkable gift. We talk of how thankful we are to receive this gift. What I want us to think about for a few moments as you read this article is the many gifts we have received in this one perfect gift. As we think about these gifts within the perfect gift, we need to realize there was no other way for us to receive these special gifts.
Forgiveness of sin. “In (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. (Ephesians 1:7).
Teaching of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised; “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.” (John 14:26).
Eternal life and a home in heaven. “He who has the Son has life (I John 5:12) and “In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).
A love like no other. “As the Father love me, I also have loved you…Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:9, 13).
When one stops to consider the gift that has been given and then the other gifts that come along with it, it truly becomes a marvelous blessing. One that without, we would have no hope of eternal life. Think about the words of Paul when he said by inspiration: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (II Corinthians 9:15).
It is interesting when you think about the gift of Christ, that Jesus becomes both the gift and the giver of every good gift. If you have not received this gift, would you be interested in this indescribable gift? Would you be willing to do what is necessary to receive this gift? If the answer is yes why not accept Christ as your savior? Why not be willing to repent of the wrong doings in your life? Why not be willing to confess that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God? Why not be buried with Christ in baptism, having your sins washed away?
Prayer Thought: Thank you Lord for the gift of your Son.
By Joe Widick
No, this is not an article about the plagues that beset Egypt in an effort to set the Israelites free. It is about God knowing all about us! Recently I came across a story of a woman named Mary who worked in a large office complex. On one of her birthdays a co-worker gave her a ceramic frog. She politely displayed it on her desk for everyone who walked by to see. As time passed other of her fellow employees began to think she must like frogs, after all that ceramic frog was on her desk. Her co-workers began to give her frog items for special occasions. Christmas time, birthdays, anniversaries, just any special celebration she would receive something with a frog on it. There were pens with a frog on the top, sticky notes with a frog on the corner, frog posters, coffee mugs with a frog for the handle. Her cubicle area was literally filling up with frogs. Time passes and Mary leaves the company. A friend asked her what she did with all the frogs. She replied, “Well, I don’t really like frogs, so I gave them all away.” All of her co-workers meant well, but the reality of the matter was they just didn’t know Mary very well.
Many times in life, I think we believe that we know someone very well, only to find out that we didn’t. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about being my being shy. I had several who came to me and said they didn’t know that about me. None of us will no one another as well as God does. We need to understand that we are an open book to Him—there is nothing about us that is hidden from Him. Consider for a moment some of the thoughts found in Psalm 139.
God knows everything we do—vs 2. He knows all the activities of our day and every detail of our schedule. .
God knows everything we think—vs 2. He knows the good and the bad, the wholesome and the impure.
God knows everywhere we go—vs. 3. “You comprehend my path…and are acquainted with my ways.”
God knows everything we say—vs 4. Whether we are building up or tearing down with our words.
As a matter of fact I think we can safely say that He knows us better than we know ourselves. Is it a comfort to you to be known so intimately by our Lord? He knows all about our flaws and still he loves us so completely. We all need to remember that we are not just a number computers can trace; Christ knows your need, your name and your face. The Psalmist started this beloved Psalm by saying; “O Lord, you have searched me and known me…”
Prayer Thought: Help me in evaluating my weaknesses and strengthen me to do better.
By Joe Widick
I am not into all the technical things that are available on the computer. However the other day my son sent a clip that could be played on You Tube. He made it simple for me, all I had to do was click where it said “click here.” It was an amazing video of the show called American Idol. This was the first time I had seen any of this show. The show was the English version of the hit show. The clip was about a man by the name of Paul Potts who made his living by selling cell phones. He appeared on stage for his tryout. He didn’t look as though singing was a talent. When he was asked what he would be doing, he said he wanted to sing opera. The host of the show rolled their eyes as to say this is going to be a real joke. They had no confidence that Paul could sing, much less sing an opera piece. Here on a stage in front of critics who would belittle every mistake made, and audience of thousands that were poised to laugh at his inabilities, stood Paul Potts. The music starts and he opens his mouth and begins to sing. I am not a fan of the opera, but I found his singing very inspiring. The critics of the show sat up a little straighter as he sang. Something very beautiful was happening. Members of the audience were seen wiping away tears from their eyes. As the song reached a crescendo, the audience began to applaud. When the song was over, he received a standing ovation.
I need to ask you as I ask myself, what am I hiding inside of me that I’ve never let anyone know I can do? Maybe even more importantly, what talent has God placed inside of me that I’ve never let anyone else see? I believe that inside each of us, as Christians, God has placed His Holy Spirit. Through God, we can do immeasurably more than we can think. God takes those who by human standards are failures and turns them into Peters and Pauls as well as other heroes from the Bible.
Paul Potts, the guy who sang, said he often lacked the confidence to get up and perform. He wanted to, but just lacked the confidence. Don’t let a lack of confidence ever keep you from doing something special for the Lord. Remember He was there with Moses, as he stood in front of the Egyptian Pharaoh. He was there with Esther as she made her way into the presence of King Artaxerxes asking for him to spare the life of the Jews. When Jesus our savior made that long walk to Golgotha, God was with Him. I do believe that He will be with us each step of the way, as we use the talents that the Lord has blessed each of us with
Prayer Thought: Help me Lord to use the talents you have blessed me with
By Joe Widick
It is always interesting to me how life has a way of changing things. Growing up, I was shy. No I was very shy. This prompted me to say I would never teach much less preach. I was so shy that I didn’t even talk to girls, which prompted me to say that I would never get married much less have a family. Life changes things. I now teach on a regular basis and have done so for over thirty-six years. From time to time I even preach to a wonderful and receptive congregation here at Maple Hill. I am married with three children and five grandchildren, with number six on its way. If you could go back to my neighborhood in west Nashville and all the families that knew me were still there, I think they would say they never thought any of what Joe has done would ever have been imagined. Never say never!
Maybe, just maybe, God has overturned my “nevers.” God’s plans may be very different from our own plans. On one occasion Jesus was teaching His twelve disciples about the importance of true service. To do this he was going to wash their feet. We remember the story of how Peter spoke up and said to our Savior, “You shall never wash my feet” (John 13:8). But when the Lord looked into his eyes and told him he cold have “no part” with Him without learning that lesson, Peter quickly reversed himself. The idea of not allowing the master to do some menial task on him was suddenly changed when Peter saw what it was that he would be missing.
A little later, Peter again had trouble with the word never. He found himself tripping over that word. “Peter replied, ‘even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”’ The “never” that Peter had so emphatically said; soon melted into bitter tears of shame and remorse as Peter denied his Savior three times before the rooster crowed. Of all the stories in the Bible, this ranks as one of the most touching stories. Peter wanted to do what was right, but he didn’t. Maybe we need to watch our “nevers.” It seems as though our “nevers” are “me” oriented and God is “He” oriented. If we can find within ourselves to keep our focus on God, which is where it belongs, we will be better able to please God rather than disappoint Him. We would all be better served to allow Proverbs 16:9 to be a focus in our life. Solomon said; “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Prayer Thought: Help me Lord to not lose focus of your will for me in my life.
By Joe Widick
Do you know that the US Navy makes house calls? Fourteen year old Laura was on a cruise with her parents when her appendix burst. The pain was terrible! The captain of the cruise ship sent out a distress call. Luckily the USS Ronald Reagan happened to be in the “nautical neighborhood” because of a training exercise. They were about 500 miles away. It took the aircraft carrier all night to get within 175 miles of the cruise ship. At that point they sent a helicopter which in 45 minutes was able to reach the cruise ship. As the helicopter hovered over the cruise ship, they realized there was not enough room to land, so they had to lower one of the sailors onto the deck in a basket. Laura was then loaded into the basket and lifted to the helicopter, where a medic began tending to her needs. She was flown back to the USS Ronald Reagan where emergency surgery was performed. Two hours later Laura was in recovery. The sailors treated her like a celebrity, showering her with souvenirs. The navy even shuttled Laura’s mom to the aircraft carrier.
I don’t know how many read this story? It was in the Tennessean on Christmas day on page 21. Not headline or front page stories, just one of those stories that make you feel good. It was a joy to find in the paper and read. It was a story about a positive acts not one that glorified some negative act.
I don’t know what 2008 has in store for us at Maple Hill. But I would guess that through the year there will be several of those feel good stories that will take place, that many if not most of us will never no about. There may be a group of ladies who volunteer to help feed a stranger in a local nursing home. It will be workers spending a Saturday helping to build a home for Habitat. It may be a group of men traveling hundreds of miles to build a home for needy children in Honduras. Maybe it will be a husband and wife visiting someone who is shut-in and lonely. It could be a teenager who invites someone to Bible class for the very first time. Maybe it will be a teen who says at a retreat “I want to be baptized!” It could be that one individual who is down on their luck and needs a helping hand on Monday night, who learns that there is someone who cares. Could there be someone who will be influenced to be a better husband or wife at one of our men’s or ladies classes?
When Jesus was anointed with the precious perfume at the home of Simon, he said concerning the woman “she did what she could.” I don’t know about you, but to hear our savior say that to us would make for a “feel good story.”
Prayer Thought: Help me each day to do what I can do to make a difference in the lives of others.
