Above the Sun: Never assume little problems won’t get out of hand

September 9, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          Lessons in faith can come from the strangest places. As I was setting up games and activities last week for a 5^th Quarter my church was hosting after the football game, my helper, Thomas Holton, informed me one of the brand new dry-erase markers was hard, dry, and unusable.  He said the lid had a tiny crack in it that allowed air in. The felt tip was ruined.

          This scenario was unfortunate for the marker, but it totally illustrates what can happen to people when something that may seem like a tiny problem goes unchecked for too long.

          We all have those days that are just hard to get through. Most times, we just push through the best we can.  But over time, small amounts of doubt, resentment, fear, anger can do a lot of damage if we don’t do something about it. We may put on a happy face and convince everyone that life is grand, just like it seemed for that dry-erase marker. But that little crack in our life that came from an emotional injury has continued to do damage, and over time our heart has become hardened to having healthy relationships.

          Other attitude problems such as arrogance, conceit, and boastfulness can start out small.  But if allowed to grow, they can take over a person’s life and even affect others. In 1 Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul was trying to help new Christians in Corinth see the error of their ways. One case in particular dealt with sexual immorality, but his advice to avoid the “I will do what I want” attitude applies to many things. Paul listed “greed, idol worship, slander, drunkenness, and stealing.”

          Paul said, “Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).

          Paul was saying that the Christian lifestyle should be pure, and turn away from old sinful ways that can silently spread through an entire body of believers if not stopped, just like yeast spreads through dough.

          Take some time to ask God to bless us all with the awareness and wisdom to take seriously any threat to our faith journey, and the courage and strength to face it head-on, and overcome with God’s power. Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Jesus Christ can give you the best rest

September 2, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          Even though Labor Day has been a federal holiday since 1894, and many strides have been made to improve working conditions in the USA, Americans appear to be more stressed, tired, and distracted than ever. I hear a lot of people these days talking about just how exhausted they are, emotionally and spiritually.  The phrase “I just can’t get my head above water” comes to mind. Sometimes, I am one of those people. Maybe you can relate.

          There is an answer.  His name is Jesus. We may never be able to actually walk on water like He did, but we can put our faith in the One who did walk on water and a whole lot more (John 20:30-31 and 21:25). We can also live a joy-filled life in spite of circumstances, all because of Jesus (John 10:10).

          In Matthew 11:2-3, Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, was probably experiencing a lot of stress while he was in jail before his execution. He was having doubts about whether Jesus was in fact the Savior who had been prophesied about in scripture. This would be important to know since John was moments away from being put to death, in essence, because of his commitment to Jesus. So, John sent his friends to ask Jesus one more time if He was indeed the Messiah. Jesus performed several miracles in their presence and told them to go report back to John what they had seen (Matthew 11:4-6).

          Later in this chapter, Jesus tells the people something that no doubt carried more weight after hearing the story about His cousin, John the Baptist, and seeing the miracles for themselves.

          Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

          His statement paints a picture that is just as relevant today. People who are weary and burdened in this life have something to smile about!  We all face challenges in our daily grind, but when we re-define these trials as part of our “faith journey” instead of just a bad day or a bad year, things just make more sense, and remind us of the glory to come!

          A few years later, the apostle Paul told Christians in Galatia something we need to remember as the devil throws roadblocks in our way:  “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

          Have a great day!

Above the Sun: You are not the first to question God

August 26, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          The topic of “weather” is undoubtedly one of the most talked about on earth. And when the weather doesn’t blow the right way according to our wisdom, we may wonder if God is really watching over us.

          People have questioned God’s decision-making for thousands of years. The prophet Habakkuk complained to God about the bad behavior of his people in Judah.  And then he really complained when he found out God’s plan to punish them by allowing the evil Babylonians to overtake them. 

          “Lord, are you not from everlasting? ... Your eyes are too pure to look on evil… Why do you then tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” (Habakkuk 1:12-13)  In the next chapter, God assures Habakkuk that He will punish all the wicked at the right time, while the righteous must continue to live by faith.

          I think most people have a hard time living by faith when money is running low. Have you ever worried about whether you can afford to cheerfully put a generous amount into the collection plate on Sunday morning?

          The prophet Malachi writes about the nation of Israel and how they were robbing God by not giving Him their full tithe.  But God challenges them to “put me to the test,” and then watch to see if God would be faithful to His promise to meet their needs.

          “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10).

          God was making the point that those who claim to be committed to God should learn to trust Him with everything.

          Remember how the story of Jonah ends?  He was angry at God for not punishing the people of Nineveh who repented. Jonah would have rather seen God’s wrath on them since they had acted cruelly towards Jonah’s people, the Hebrews. However, God questioned Jonah when he seemed to be more concerned with the livelihood of a leafy vine that God provided on the spot to give Jonah some shade on a scorching hot day, than Jonah’s concern for the 120,000 people in Nineveh who would have been struck dead if they had not repented. God was teaching Jonah a lesson in priorities and the value of souls over pride, grudges, and material things.

          Things don’t always make sense to us in this life. But God knows what He is doing, and because Jesus lived and suffered here, we can trust that God has our best interest at heart.

          Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Bring Jesus into your school

August 19, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          It is not as difficult as you might think to experience God’s presence in our schools, in spite of statements in recent years such as “God has been kicked out of our schools.”

          Think about it with me. Is anyone really so naïve as to think God could be kicked out of anywhere He wants to be? I guess one question is: “Does God want to be in our schools?” Of course He does. Jesus places high importance on the well-being of children.

          “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42).

          Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14).

          Even though public school teachers are often restricted on leading public prayer, and restricted on what they can tell students about the Bible, this does not mean the Bible cannot be taught by every teacher, staff, and student who want to do so simply by their actions and choice of words.

          One local school administrator told me he encourages other staff, faculty, and volunteers to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) even if they are not allowed to teach directly from the Bible. When this happens, students and adults can plainly see that Christ is active and living through those who follow Jesus.

          We already know that every baptized believer has the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). So, if Christians are teaching and attending public schools, Jesus is already there because His Holy Spirit is there. The apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian church multiple times that the Christian’s body belongs to Christ and that His Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19, 2 Cor. 6:16).

          The question is just how much work are we willing to let the Holy Spirit do through us, or in our schools?  Paul reminded the early Christians to not quench the Spirit’s fire (1 Thes. 5:19).
          In another instance, Jesus was in his hometown of Nazareth teaching with great wisdom and even healing some who were sick (Matthew 13:58 and Mark 6:5). But because of the people’s lack of faith in Him and His mission, Jesus did only a small portion of what He was capable of doing.  In fact, “He was amazed at their lack of faith.”

          So yes, Jesus will forever be in our schools. But it is up to each of us to be his hands, his feet, mouth, and even His mind (Philippians 2:5-8).

          Have a great week!

Your past does not define you

August 12, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          It is more than painful to imagine a world where all of the people in it were defined by or only known by the things they had done in the past. This statement would be true whether you’re talking about the bad things you’ve done or even the good things you’ve done.

          If you’re like most people, you can have an almost perfect day. But if you fail at even one thing, that tends to be what you agonize over at the end of the day instead of your successes. Likewise, if you have a completely successful day, it is sometimes easy to slack off the next day simply because you did so well the day before.

          The apostle Paul was aware of both the bad and the good that he was responsible for in his past. But he chose to not dwell on either past as he worked towards daily obedience of what God wanted him to do in the present.

          “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

          In today’s times, the winner of a race might receive a medal. But in Paul’s day, the victor most likely received a crown of laurel leaves similar to the crown depicted on paintings and sculptures of Julius Caesar. And even though a crown of laurel leaves symbolized the supremacy or power of an athlete, it still would be a temporary moment of glory since it wilted not long after the award was given. Paul was determined to invest his time and energy striving for a prize that would never fade away. He referred to the prize as the “upward call of God.”

          One thing we as Christians need to remember is that the devil never takes a day off. He has a plan for you every single hour of every day. To dwell on our past mistakes or our past successes gives Satan more time to set traps for our future. That is why Paul reminded first century Christians to keep moving forward in their faith.

          “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

Have a great day!