What Is Your Motive? #260

John 12:1-8 Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.                7 Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

Jesus is back at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. He is again eating a meal in their home. This time instead of Martha complaining about Mary’s lack of service we find her serving supper without complaint. Mary is again at Jesus’ feet this time with a pound of very costly perfume. On another occasion Mary is at Jesus’ feet listening to Him. She now breaks open the perfume container and begins to anoint the feet of Jesus, wiping His feet with her hair.

She has possibly purchased the perfume or saved it for the purpose of anointing Jesus body for burial. Jesus tells Judas to “leave her alone” because she is using it for burial. The fragrance of the perfume filled the house. It likely brought back the memory of the stench of Lazarus’ body at his death. Such a contrast in smells.

But it was Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus who complained of misusing the  perfume. He complained that it could have been sold for 300 denarii, a year’s salary, and given to the poor. His motive was not pure. He was the treasurer of the disciples and the scripture says he pilfered the treasury box. In other words he was not only a betrayer but also a thief. What are you doing with what you have? Are you remembering Jesus? Are you giving to Him? Jesus reminded them that there would always be needy people around. Mary was doing the right thing.         

____________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Hope you have had a wonderful week. I have been especially blessed by spending time with my five grandsons. Burke and Bennett started school this week, and Collin starts on the sixth of August. We spent this past week fishing, hunting and playing at the local water park. Needless to say I was a bit tired afterward. 

Burke and I went hunting for rabbits (the only thing in season in AZ right now.)  He made his first kill. The other two boys decided hunting was not for them. Burke shot the rabbit with my Dad's old 22 rifle that was purchased in 1933 from Sears and Roebuck for a cost of $3.75. It was also the first rifle I ever shot. It brought back lots of memories. 

Johnny may be helping me with my sermons now.

Sunday I preached at Northpointe Baptist Church. They are currently looking for a Pastor. Pray for them. They are a wonderful church with great potential. 

Sandy's Bible study starts in a little over a month. She is excited about teaching the Book of Ruth. She is spending time preparing. Of course she still makes time to watch the two little grandsons, Johnny and Justin. 

We are still rejoicing over our time on vacation. Seeing so many of you while in MO and AR was a real boost. I personally was ENCOURAGED. 

God bless you all. Hope this week is filled with new adventures, new friends, and a renewed walk with God.  ~ DGW

           

Who Do You Trust? #259

Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: (NIV)

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good,
 a strong refuge when trouble comes.
He is close to those who trust in him. (NIV)

Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust ; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? (NAS)

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:  

Someone said, “I have great faith in God, but sometimes I have difficulty TRUSTING HIM.” How about you? Are you able to say that you have faith in God? You would agree that your faith is real, but sometimes it is hard to trust God for everyday things. Maybe you find it hard to TRUST God for your finances, your family, your job, your church, your personal well-being. It is not unusual. Although the two words: faith and trust are different in the original languages of the Bible they are very similar in meaning. Yet for you they may mean something a little different.

Trust as defined by Webster is: (1) : a charge or duty imposed in faith or confidence or as a condition of some relationship (2) : something committed or entrusted to one to be used or cared for in the interest of another.

Your relationship with God is based on trusting Him with your very life; your total being, and everything related to you.

You may have had a time in your life when trusting anyone or anything was really hard. Maybe you experienced someone close to you who let you down, turned on you, or betrayed you. That experience has caused you not only to distrust people, but also God.

The only alternative to trusting God is to trust in yourself. That means you can determine for yourself what you believe can be trustworthy and then place your trust in your predetermined set of criteria for trusting anyone or anything. It is not the best idea.

God is always worthy of your trust. Why not today make a commitment to trust Him?      

_______________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Sandy and I hit the ground running after our vacation. We have spent a lot of time with the grandsons (all five of them). This week I went fishing with the three oldest (Bennett, Burke, and Collin). We abandoned ship (small 14 foot boat) because of bad thunderstorms on the Mogollon Rim. It was 68 degrees when we left and 104 when we arrived in Tempe. 

The two little ones are growing so fast. Not bad for two boys who were born premature. They are doing just wonderful. 

Sandy has started preparation for her Fall Bible Study. She is teaching the Book of Ruth on Tuesday mornings at First Baptist Church of Tempe. Pray for her preparation and her presentation. The Women's Bible Studies are called, "Reflections." The study begins on September the 10th. She is also scheduled to speak at the First Christian Church in  Globe, AZ on August 18th during the morning worship services.

I will be preaching at the Northpointe Baptist Church in Chandler on July 28th. I was there this past Sunday and enjoyed so much being with that church. Please pray for them as they seek a Senior Pastor. 

The travel trailer that was damaged on our way home is currently in the shop. The first stage is getting an estimate for the insurance company. It will be interesting to see what happens next. 

Sandy and I are still talking about our fabulous vacation. The absolute enjoyment of seeing family and friends still is overwhelming. Again I want to thank everyone for their hospitality and love shown to us. (Catching a few fish didn't hurt anything either.)

I am praying for you. If you have specific prayer requests please send them to me. 

God bless you this week with an awareness of His intimacy.   ~ DGW

Thank You #258

Luke 17:11-17 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

Ray Boltz recorded a song a few years ago with these words. “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave.” The song reveals a person’s gratitude for the many influential people in their life that brought them to the Lord.

The question is, “who do your show your gratitude to with a big thank you when you remember what they have done in your life?” Maybe as the song says you had a Sunday school teacher, a missionary, a parent, a friend, a co-worker, or maybe even a stranger that gave to you. They likely were not famous. The experience you had as you received encouragement, growth, caring, and support from them may have seemed small to most, but to you it made all the difference in the world.

Have you said, “Thank You?” Jesus encountered ten extremely needy men. They all had the dreaded disease of leprosy. They were doomed to an extremely painful death. Jesus healed them all. Only one of them returned to say thank you.

It was at that point that Jesus asked the question. “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” What a tragedy to receive such an incredible blessing and not be grateful.

Who in your life today needs a word from you? Maybe a simple ‘thank you’ would mean a lot. Try it today. Maybe an email, letter, card, phone call or a one to one engagement would give encouragement to “the one who gave to the Lord.”

_________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Home at last. Sandy and I were gone 21 nights and 22 days on our vacation. We had a wonderful time visiting family and friends. God allowed me to preach at First Baptist Church of Eldon, MO; Second Baptist Church of Lebanon, MO; Calvary Church in Conway, AR and Sandy and I both shared with a Sunday school class at First Baptist Church of Conway, AR. What a blessing. 

Saturday morning I will be sharing a devotional with our Men's Ministry at First Baptist Church of Tempe. Sunday July 21 and 28 I will be preaching at Northpointe Baptist Church in Chandler AZ. I would appreciate your prayers for the preparation and preaching.

Our vacation included seeing so many old friends. It was not only good to see them, but in most cases their children and grandchildren. My own grandchildren were missed. Sandy and I both had a bit of withdrawal symptoms. Texting is a great thing. We received pictures and did some face-time. See Johnny and Justin's picture. Justin is wanting big brother to share his cotton candy. I finally caught a fish. In fact I caught 6 in AR on the Red River. So it was small!!  (see pics)

We had a mostly problem free trip except on our way home our travel trailer blew a tire. It caused major damage to the undercarriage. There is a gapping hole in the floor. The refrigerator and the furnace are both damaged. We are working with insurance adjusters this week to see what it will take to fix it. I carry a 1000.00 dollar deductible on it so that is the extent of our financial damage. We had planned a camping trip with the grandkids next week which we had to cancel. That was a disappointment. 

One of the highlights of my trip was to spend a lengthy period of time with Sandy. We were 5 days in the truck riding and talking. She is such a joy to me after almost 47 years of marriage. 

Thanks to all of you who made this such a great vacation. To all of you who are family; thanks for making us feel so at home back in MO. To all you friends; thanks for letting us come back into your life and feel so loved. 

This was a truly wonderful, blessed time. God bless you all. Love you dearly.  ~ DGW

Are Your A Survivor? #257

Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

Is God really good? Ever wonder if Jesus questioned the goodness of the Father. The scripture says that Jesus was tempted just as you are, yet did not sin. Suppose the conversation with the devil or Satan in this passage was increased by a few choice words from Satan that would make this temptation a little more real to you. What if Satan had added words like, “Jesus, you look awful. I thought God, the one you call Father, was good. If He is so good why are you so emaciated. You look downright gaunt. If your Father is so good why hasn’t He fed you these forty days? Most fathers would have provided their son with abundance. Yet look at you. If I were you I would question whether He was a good God or good Father.”

Maybe your temptation is not about eating or even being hungry. Do you ever question the goodness of God when things get tough? When you are in need of more money, a job, better health, a more loving family, a relief from the depression, or the struggles of just getting by are you tempted to think that God must have a warped sense of humor, or that even worse He is just plain mean.

The world you live in is shattered by war, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods. The children of the world are starving. You look at the situations you see even in your family and neighborhood and question God’s goodness. Let me assure you Jesus temptation was just as real as is yours. His answer was simply, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Jesus fought the temptation with the scripture. More than that He found the true answer. God really is good. His word declares Him so. He is there for you and loves you.

Don’t allow the devil to remove from you the peace that only He can give. GOD IS GOOD!! He is full of grace and mercy. He wants you to know that you will survive whatever you face because He is good. He is desirous that you only trust Him. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Jesus discovered in this temptation that God can provide and that He will. 

______________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Big Bass Lodge on Table Rock Lake in Cape Fair, MO.

Sandy and I are a little over half way through our trip. We head to Arkansas on Thursday for a few days with the Noble family. We have been with our friends the Dempsey's this week. The time with family and friends has been great. I have had the opportunity to go fishing a couple of times. ONLY ONE FISH. YUK!! 

We went by Halfway, MO elementary school. It was her first teaching job in 1967-1968. School had not changed much. I leave your imagination to what had changed. 

Some of our time in Springfield we spent with Sammy, Sandy's brother, his wife, Kathy and kids. So good to see all of them. I challenged them to a croquet game and of course won. Any challengers??

Sunday I preached at the Second Baptist Church of Lebanon. They have requested that I return in the Fall to preach a revival. We are working on dates. 

We hopefully will be home by the middle of next week. On Saturday the 20th I will be sharing a devotional at FBC of Tempe to a Men's Breakfast. On Sunday the 21st and 28th I will be preaching at the Northpointe Baptist Church in Chandler, AZ. 

We so appreciate your prayers while be have been traveling. So far the time has been good and safe. Looking forward to seeing everyone at home. 

May God bless you with lots of love.  ~  DGW