There is a safe place in life’s storms
by Barrett Vanlandingham
September 28, 2010

You may remember the old hymn that says, “Where could I go but to the Lord?” I know it may seem strange, but those words popped into my head the other day after coming out of a School Safety and Health Committee meeting. There I sat with three students, two teachers, and the vice-principal of Fort Gibson Middle School. Our job was to identify potential problems and come up with solutions.
Christians must do the same thing. We must make efforts to identify our spiritual weaknesses, and then look to God’s word for solutions. We often overlook obvious answers to life’s problems, mainly because we get caught up in the very world that created the problems in the first place. It is crazy to think that when the storms of life hit, that we can find comfort in earthly things. Our true safe-haven lies in the One who stilled the storm two-thousand years ago.
In Matthew 8:23-27, we’re told that Jesus and his disciples got into a boat when all of the sudden a storm swept waves over them! It is obvious by the fact that the disciples woke Jesus from his sleep and asked him to save them that they knew where to turn in this moment of trouble. Then, just as they had hoped, Jesus “rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” The thing that strikes me as odd in that passage is that afterwards the disciples were pretty much blown away by what Jesus was able to do for them. So they asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
I’m thinking, “How can they say that after watching Jesus heal throughout Galilee those who were demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, not to mention the fact they had just witnessed his amazing Sermon on the Mount which included the Beattitudes?”
But are we any different today when it comes to our lack of faith? We see the handiwork of God. We experience the love of Jesus through his Holy Spirit and through Christian brothers and sisters. We even have amazing amounts of historical and archeological evidence that prove the Bible can be trusted. It is the same today as it was thousands of years ago.
And even though we know where to turn for help in the storms of life, our faith often grows dim until the next major life crisis, just like the disciples in the first century.
May God grant each of us the desire, strength and confidence to trust in the Lord always, especially when we feel like we have everything under control.

You can’t judge spiritual cleanliness by what’s on the outside
by Barrett Vanlandingham
September 21, 2010

One thing I do not enjoy is taking my car to the carwash. But occasionally I do it anyway so it won’t be too much of an eyesore. And if it rains, well, that’s all the better since that means I may be able to stretch a little farther between car washings.
Anyway, the other day I got into my car while thinking to myself, “It’s looking pretty clean today.” But when I drove into the sun I realized my windshield was dirty, not the kind of dirty you can clean-off with wipers, but the kind that builds up on the inside. I actually had to take Windex, a rag, and some major elbow grease to scrub-off the fog-like film that had been slowly building up for quite some time.
My mind immediately turned to what Jesus said in Matthew 23:25-28. He spoke strong words towards the teachers of the law and the Pharisees who were more concerned with their outward appearances than their true inner character. He even called them hypocrites!
Then he said, “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” He said, “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
He also compared them to “…whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything is unclean.” Jesus told them that even though they appear to be righteous people, they are really full of hypocrisy and wickedness on the inside.
This passage is a great reminder to all Christians. Simply put, it is much more important to apply lasting Christ-like qualities to our inner self than to dwell on outward appearances or on being part of the social elite which are both very temporary.
Just like the inside of my windshield, worldly influences can clutter our spiritual life, even when no one else knows. It is only when God’s Son shines in our heart that we can truly see if we are walking in His light.
There is certainly nothing wrong with making a good outward impression. We should always put our best foot forward. But God knows our heart. He is not fooled by any façade or mask or anything else that may be covering up what is really going on inside the very being He created.

Commitment to marriage starts with God
by Barrett Vanlandingham
September 14, 2010

We all know of places throughout this country where long marriages are considered a novelty. My parents, Charles and Judy Vanlandingham of Tahlequah, are celebrating their 54th anniversary this month. Funny thing is, even though 54 years together is a great accomplishment, long marriages are not that unique in our area.
Fort Gibson is blessed with many marriages that continue to stand the test of time. Seems just about every week or so, another local couple celebrates a major milestone.
So what is the key to a successful marriage? It’s pretty common to get answers such as “I have just learned to keep my opinion to myself.” Or, “I have just learned to have a lot of patience.”
Those answers may be humorous and often true. But most of the successful marriages I have witnessed give credit to their commitment to God. You see, when we place God at the top of our priority list, everything else falls right into place. This is true for business relationships, social relationships, and is certainly true for marriages.
There is nothing worse than a Christian trying to work for a boss who has no morals. Young Christians often have a hard time fitting in at school if the majority of kids around them are immoral. And a marriage will find out not long after the “I do’s” if the vows were based on God or romance and fun.
That’s why 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” The fact is, light and darkness cannot happen at the same time, just as Jesus who is described as light (John 1:4-9) cannot be darkness, nor can darkness exist in his presence.
A good marriage will flourish in the light, where Jesus is. Good marriages include God as the first and most important partner. This makes sense in light of the fact that God created us and knows us better than anyone.
You may have heard someone ask, “Have you performed your vows today that you took when you got married?” In other words, are you putting more or less effort into your marriage now than when you said, “I do?” But just as important is this question, “Were your wedding vows based on your relationship with God to begin with?” If not, it’s not too late to give your marriage completely over to Him. The first and greatest commandment is a good place to start: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30).”
May God bless your marriage as you put your relationship in His hands.

Christ-like teens can make a big difference
September 7, 2010
by Barrett Vanlandingham

I was checking Facebook this week when I noticed a thought-provoking conversation among three local teenagers. One boy wrote, “I don’t feel like going to church tonight.” Another boy responded, “When you don’t feel like going, that’s exactly when you really need to go.” Next, a young lady chimed in with, “Hey, what if God said, ‘Hmm, I don’t feel like letting you walk today?’”
I was greatly encouraged by such mature thoughts from teenagers I have no doubt that the God’s Holy Spirit was guiding both of them to say the right thing.
Have you read the words of David in Psalms 30:11? “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,” (NASB) It has been my experience that when I don’t feel like participating in worship or Bible class, God always blesses me when I choose differently. When we go to God in prayer, He is faithful and will always replace those feelings of discouragement, worry, and even selfishness with feelings of peace, joy, and selflessness. Encouragement from Godly friends always helps.
As for the young lady’s comment? All I have to say to that is “How true!” God really doesn’t owe us anything. But He continues to bless us. Heaven forbid that God should ever have a bad day, and not feel like producing air for us to breathe. Or imagine if God decided to take the weekend off and not tell the sun to rise.
We know from scripture that God is patient. But we also know that on a several occasions, God had all He wanted to take from a rebellious people. Remember the flood? Remember the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Remember all those times God allowed his chosen people (Israel) to be defeated? In each instance, it was because their hearts had turned away from God’s commands which were designed to help them succeed.
Yes, we all have days that we just don’t feel like being around people. But that fact should cause us to praise our God even more! We have a God who knows exactly what it feels like to be in our shoes, especially shoes that don’t fit.
God is good! Have a praise-filled week!