Madea’s Family Reunion (b)
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." – Rev. 7:14
We’re still working on the baby blessing and man, this has become a “THING!” I am amazed daily at the love and well wishes showered upon our son, Micah and us. Family is very important. As we look forward to his baby blessing, I find myself reflecting on Madea and her family again this week. Our text is a very familiar one to those of my faith tradition and perhaps it is to you too. In Madea’s world it seems that she is always at the center. She is the one whom the family relies to be a steadying force, to show discipline, and in her own Madea way, to give guidance.
Isn’t that the way we ought to see God? I cannot count how many times he has been a steadying force for me, or how he has chastened me, or how he continues to give me guidance. The text reminds us of the 23rd Psalm: God is our Shepherd, leading us to living water. Jesus says this water will cause us to never thirst again. This same water will cleanse and keep you clean. This water gives life, supports life, and is life. Don’t you want this water in your life?
Madea can be looked at as a metaphor for God in our lives. She has a huge family and she seems to be larger than life. Her family relies on her strength to get them through tough times. They expect her to come through for them when they need her, and they are keenly aware that she is never afraid of a fight. God wants you to rely on Him today for your strength, rely on Him today to get through the tough times, and rely on Him to fight your battles. So that when we are reunited with our Heavenly Father, we will know that it was worth it all.
I’m out. Sorry I was late!
dab
Madea’s Family Reunion
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. John 10:16 KJV
We’ve been planning to have a baby dedication for Micah in the next couple of weeks. It’s starting to become a “thing”. You know, like when a small event starts to take on a life of it’s own and becomes a “thing”? It got me thinking about family and how we can never get our whole family anywhere. Then I thought: would I want my whole family anywhere? Because like any family, there are those whose behavior is always questionable, but they’re family, you just don’t dismiss them. You accept them, grudgingly, but accept nonetheless. You can stop being a lot of things, but you can never stop being family.
I think God looks at us the same way from time to time. Our behavior is not always such that would be pleasing to Him, but I think he says, “You can never stop being MY family.” He refers to us as sheep. I guess that works, cuz when someone is openly disobedient in the family, we call them the “black sheep”. With us being sheep, living in different places it seems like we will never get ourselves together. We as people differ on so many different levels. Then we differ on how we view God, how we worship, whether to sit or stand at Scripture, all kinds of stuff, but we have this hope that one day we all will hear the voice of our Redeemer, the Good Shepherd. And no matter what you have done in the family, whether you were a black sheep, white sheep, yellow sheep or plaid sheep we will hear HIS voice. Are you going to come back to the fold?
So if your reunions are at Madea’s or Big Momma’s, they can never compare to reunion that God wants to have with you. God desires to be reunited with you today. Come back home for the last time. No more running in other folds. Come back to the family. We miss you.
I'm out.
dab
Eight Below
. . . I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:2c, 3
The story is being told of this guy and his eight dogs separated from each other because of a major arctic storm. While he is taken to safety, he can never stop thinking about his dogs. He loves his dogs. They are his family. He continues to do whatever he can to marshal the resources to get them back together. In the meantime, these dogs must rely on their training, instinct, and providential happenings to keep themselves safe until the return of their master.
Sound familiar? Are you looking forward to the return of our Master? It is not an arctic storm that has separated us but the cold sting of sin. Our decisions to follow after the world keep us apart from Him. Our refusal to spend time in His word, pray, or share our faith keeps Him at a distance. Yet he is continuing to intercede on our behalf on the right hand of the Father. He is getting every thing in order to unite with us again. Even now he is working things out for us on our behalf! He loves you/me greatly and is eager to take us home. But in the meantime he expects us to rely on our training (Prov. 22:6, Deut.4:9), instinct (Phil. 3:9,10), and providence (Heb. 11:1). Jesus is preparing a place for a prepared people. Are you getting prepared?
I can assume that in the movie there had to be a climactic scene when the protagonist, Jerry Sheppard, goes back to Antarctica in search of his beloved pooches. After searching in various places, he sees his beloved dogs waiting for him knowing that he would return for them. I’m here to let you know that there is coming a day, not too far in the future, when our Lord will return to this cold rock called earth in search of his beloved people. His search will not be limited to Antarctica, but the entire world will witness his coming. You see, He has been separated from His people far too long and wants to take us home! And those of us who have been preparing to meet our Master will say, “Lo this is our God we have waited for Him.” – Isa. 25:9
Get ready get ready get ready!
I’m out.
The Pink Panther
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Cor. 1:26, 27 NIV
The irrepressible Inspector Clouseau is back! One has to wonder, even though he is fictional, how someone who is so daft, so opaque, and dense could ever make it to the rank of Inspector in anyone’s police force. Yet, Clouseau always gets his man. He always comes out on top, and smelling like a rose. This got me thinking about myself, and maybe a few of you can relate.
For those of you who know me personally know that I NEVER wanted to become a pastor. You are well aware of our testimony and all that. These last few weeks have further confounded me and have made me question what God is up to. Then this morning while trying to figure out how the Pink Panther could be devotional, I ran across this text and a quote, “He encourages all ugly ducklings and bumbling buffoons that competence isn’t number one. God loves to use the weak to achieve His purposes.” God doesn’t call the equipped, but he equips the called! I have no doubt in my mind that God has called me to ministry with all it’s benefits/curses therein, and I am just as confident that you have been called for a purpose.
If you’re anything like me, even though you are called, you keep finding all the things about yourself that are not right. You are not smart enough, don’t have the right this or the right that. Trust me I’ve been through the gamut. God is calling you and me today to trust that He does not make mistakes. He has placed us where we are for a reason. For some of us, your sole purpose is to encourage, others it’s to lead, and others to supply. It doesn’t always make sense, that’s we need to trust him. God has chosen you/me/us as “foolish things of the world” to confound the wise, those with pedigrees but no peace. What we have may not seem much, but when we yield to the touch of the Master’s hand then you’ll understand that your life will never be the same again!
Yield to the LORD today and let take you where he needs you to be.
I’m out.
When a Stranger Calls
. . . and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. John 10: 3b-5.
Another telemarketer called me today. You ever get a call from a number that looks familiar, but as soon as you hear the voice on the other end you know it’s the wrong number? And as soon as you realize it, you give them the ever-so-polite, “I’m sorry. You’ve got the wrong number” message? Now, what if that person was a telemarketer trying to sell you some useless gadget, or get you to sign up for a credit card, or give you free mushrooms for a year with a subscription of Vegetarian’s Digest your response more times than not is not so polite. We are very quick to dismiss strange voices who are trying to sell us something or have called the wrong house.
The Bible says that we are to know the voice of the Good Shepherd so we do not get led astray by the voice of a stranger. In fact, sheep run away from a voice that is unfamiliar. When was the last time that you ran away from a stranger’s voice? Many of us try to make friends with the stranger so that we can listen to him lead us down a path of destruction. We think that we can still recognize the Master’s voice so we will just talk with this stranger until the Master calls. We act like we will be able to “click over” when we get the interruption in the line and say, “ I gotta go, stranger, God’s on the other line”.
My son is learning to recognize the voices of his parents. We talk to him non-stop even though he doesn’t yet have a grasp of language. God is talking to us non-stop even though we don’t yet have a grasp of the language of heaven. He is waiting for us to follow Him because we know His voice. So when the stranger of our souls seeks to sell us destruction wrapped in velvet you can tell him he’s got the wrong number.
I’m out
dab
Big Momma’s House
My mom has been spending the last two weeks with us.
It was my mom that taught me to be willing to open my home to strangers in order that they might learn a little about this God we serve. My mom has, for as long as I can remember, been a faithful churchgoer. Even when we weren’t going all that often, she would spend time in front of her makeshift altar everyday. One time when I was a teen, I walked in and heard my mother agonizing in prayer. That was a very uncomfortable moment. She was praying for my sister, a whole host of other things that day, and me. Anytime I think of my mother’s house, among other things, I think of her praying for me.
God is calling us to remember to keep his house a place where prayer is paramount. Today it bothers me that prayer is no longer something that we believe, but just something that we do, a means to an end, but not the driving force of our lives. Ellen White says this; “Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.” (Steps to Christ, p.93) When was the last time you had a real long heart to heart with your Friend?
Now that I have a child, I guess my mom’s house could be called Momma’s house where I first learned to pray, but it was my Father’s house where my burdens were lifted. I learned to eat at my mother’s house, but it was my Father’s house where I was filled. This week, yea tonight when Prayer meetings are being held all over the globe, why don’t you come by your Father’s house? We’ll keep the Light on for you.
I’m out.
