Lip Service

       Early in the week of Thanksgiving (2011) my attention became focused on Ephesians 5:20; “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” All things?… nothing excluded? I choked. How can I thank God for disease, mental illness, murder, rape, or any sinful act? I can be thankful in regards to Romans 8:28; knowing that God will cause all to work together for my good, but to be specifically grateful for ‘all things’ is a problem for me. If I say, “Thank You for all things.”, it would be nothing more than lip service to God and I don’t believe he would appreciate it. Later on in the week I heard thankfulness defined as an expression that comes from a spirit of gratitude within one‘s heart. “Ok, my Lord, no more lip service, I need knowledge and wisdom that will enable me to speak from my heart honestly to You and to others.”

       As I began to study, I found that Paul used ‘all things’ in 80 verses of his epistles. One of the verses I noted is Php 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” If I must thank Him for ‘all things’ then I can do ‘all things’ as well, right? Nonsense!

       In my opinion, the ‘all things’ Paul said we should give thanks for are the things that are consistently in harmony with all that he taught. Paul taught repentance, the pursuit of holiness, honesty, and faithfulness. He encouraged good works. As he proclaimed the message of mercy and grace, he demanded and expected Christians to demonstrate a Christlike discipline in their Christian walk. Moreover, I find from the Greek that; “… for all things unto God…” may be understood to mean “regarding all things Godly”. By no means am I a Greek scholar and God forbid that I should ever distort or twist the scripture to mean what I want it to mean. You be the judge.

Richard L. Grimes

copyright 2011　

How Many?

We are much like David if sometimes
we have done things we would like to hide.
But how many of us are like the David
who sought God’s heart far and wide?

And we may be like Job as sometimes
in pain and agony we have cried.
But how many are as determined as he
no matter how they are tried?

Like Elijah, we may sometimes sit alone
under depression’s heavy veil.
But how many are as bold as he when he
confronted the prophets of Baal?

Perhaps we are like Thomas as upon
our common sense we would rely.
But how many would follow the Lord
even if it meant they were to die?

And who has never failed like Peter
when overcome with cowardly fear?
But how many then repent and hold
the Lord even more precious and dear?

Like Mary Magdalene, we may be
forgiven of many a sinful thing.
But how many will worship and love
as she did; the Lord, our Savior and King?

Richard L. Grimes

(ã 2000 Of Faith Professed , RLG)

Going Home

       The Monarch begins its life as a caterpillar, deriving its sustenance from a diet of milkweed. The milkweed not only provides nourishment, but also protection. The ingested milkweed causes its body fluids to become noxious tasting and toxic to its natural enemy, the bird. Birds simply will not eat them. When the caterpillar goes through its metamorphosis, the taste and toxicity of the milkweed remains and the Monarch retains milkweed in its diet. Should an unwary bird attack a Monarch they will become educated very quickly and will immediately release it and become programmed to avoid the Monarch in the future.

       Another butterfly, the Viceroy, is also avoided by birds. Naturalist tell us the Viceroy is perfectly edible, but their striking similarity to the Monarch causes the birds to avoid them as well.

       This time of the year in early fall the Monarch senses a call. When you are out and about watch and you will notice occasional flecks of orange and black against the backdrop of the sky. As you first notice the Monarch he may seem to be aimless in his flight. But continued observation will reveal his direction of flight to be southwest toward home. No Viceroys are to be observed making this trip. Though their mimicking ways have given them a measure of security and protection they do not sense the call to come home. Soon the Monarchs will all be gone. The Viceroy will be left behind to face winter’s cold killing blast. You see, in the final analysis, it what’s on the inside that counts. Are you a Monarch? Will you sense the call… the call to come home?

　

Richard L. Grimes

(ã 2005 God Ain’t What He’s Cracked Up To Be… RLG)

If Clay Could Talk

            Early in my pursuit of salvation, I was given to understand that a Christian must not sin. At 11-13 years of age it seemed that anything I could think of could be sinful. Sunday night evangelistic services were times of repentant soul searching and preparation for Heaven. Then it seemed the next six days were spent preparing to go to Hell… dealing with authority, swearing, lying about homework, hormones, and on it goes. More than once I posed the impossibility of God’s expectations to His ever listening ears. “Why should I be branded a ‘sinner’ just because I came into existence? Why should I be expected to change or else burn in Hell? … forever? All I did was be born and at that moment somebody whacked me on the butt and it's been down hill ever since? Lord, I want no part of your celestial experiment. Can’t I just skip this eternity bit?”

          Have you ever had second thoughts about God’s authority, His integrity, or His rightness? Have you ever been angry or irritated at God? Have untimely deaths, lives of deformity and unending illness ever challenged your faith or trust in God Almighty? More than likely, we have all dealt with such uncomfortable questions.

       I have concluded; God has chosen to do as He has done and will continue to do as He chooses… today and tomorrow. God is the complete and total image of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. He is sovereign and in absolute control of all things. All things are proceeding according to His divine and sovereign plan. In all that He does, He does not answer to us or to any authority. He can and will do as He pleases! … and He understands me and loves me anyway.

　

Richard L. Grimes

(ã 2005 God Ain’t What He’s Cracked Up To Be… RLG

　

The Center Of His Will

       I remember testimonies of Christian brothers and sisters that often expressed a deep yearning to be in the ‘center’ of God’s will. I also remember sermons that pled and reasoned with them how this was a reasonable goal to be sought after.

       The center of an object is defined as a finite point equidistant from its boundaries. So then the center of a circle, square, or triangle would be a fixed and motionless point. Trying to relate this to God’s will makes no sense. My only conclusion is that God’s will for man is related to the journey of life on a Heaven bound roadway. Here ‘center’ makes sense. It would be equidistant from either boundary on each side. O.K., let’s take a closer look at this glorious spot. How finite is this ‘center’ line? Is it as wide as your foot? Does being at this ‘center’ require a constant focused measure of discipline and concentration to maintain your balance. Is it a tightrope? Is it a razor’s edge such that your body’s weight would cut you in half?… Pause just for a moment… Do you see how easy it is to become so focused on this ‘center’ line? Do you see how easy it is to loose sight of the other two lines… the boundaries? They do exist either side of us, remember? Who drew this ‘center’ line, anyway? We did, didn’t we? Would you not agree that God drew two lines… the boundaries? Within God’s boundaries there is safety and freedom. Outside the boundaries there’s hell to pay. Incidentally, this word ’center’ is not even in the Bible(KJV). So if you must have a ‘center’, it’s the area between God’s two lines… all of it.

　

　

Richard L. Grimes

(ã 2005 God Ain’t What He’s Cracked Up To Be… RLG)

　

　

　

Whose Will?

Lord, I must have thy abiding presence

every moment of every day.

Inspire my every thought, guide my every act

and censor every word I say.

I strive to shun evil, to be pure and holy,

and to live most righteously.

In the center of thy will, oh lord,

is where I will always seek to be.

　

My child, be still for a moment.

Just what do you have in mind?

This word ‘center’, you’ve used,

nowhere in my word can you find.

While the ‘center’ of My will

may be a most noble goal to reach,

To walk within My boundaries

is what My word intends to teach.

My boundaries are solid

and upon them you can faithfully depend.

No man of earth, no demon of Hell

has the power to pull them in.

My will is not to restrict you,

my child, to a life of fearful futility,

but to provide the truth that sets you free

and give you life more abundantly.

　

　

Richard L. Grimes

(ã 2000 Of Faith Professed , RLG)

　

　

　

　

The Body Of Christ

     Swollen, black and blue, feverish, infected, and throbbing with pain was a pretty accurate description of my big toe. With the skill of a butcher I had tried to trim the toenail and now it was severely ingrown and infected. I was acutely aware of how tender and sensitive this area was. My whole body took on a protective posture and attitude to protect the injured toe. When walking my body weight shifted to the other leg and foot as much as possible. The eyes were ever alert for objects that might hurt the toe. Ears listened for any indication of impending danger. Hands and arms constantly braced the body limiting pressure to the injury. The mouth would often voice caution and concern to those the brain deemed reckless. Then one day it happened. I kicked the toe squarely into a chair leg. Immediately, the entire body reacted. Sinking to the floor, my rear end took on the entire support of the body. The hands immediately reached for injured foot. The arms pulled the foot to the bosom area to offer comfort. The eyes offered salty tears for soaking the injury. The voice uttered something indiscernible that was intended to bring help and the stomach offered to throw up because the brain thought it might help.

     As I reflect upon this incident, I can’t help but recall how the rest of my body reacted to this injury. They all responded quite naturally and appropriately. All responded with sincere care and concern. Each part shared in the pain and compensated for the injury and invariably aided in the healing process of the body.

　

　

Richard L. Grimes

(ã 2005 God Ain’t What He’s Cracked Up To Be… RLG)

Age Is For Mortals

     “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17 KJV

     In my earlier years of Bible study this verse presented me my first issue with the Bible‘s credibility. As I sought to understand this verse, spiritual advisors told me that Adam did die ‘in the day’ and that his death was spiritual. Though I fully accept that spiritual death occurred, I just could not accept this as an acceptable explanation for the meaning of this verse. I even tolerated a notion of guilt for my disbelief for a short time. Thankfully, I realized that my ‘disbelief’ was really only a lack of understanding. Anyway, some time later as I was reading I came across a verse in 2Peter 3:8 where it states “…one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” For some reason at this particular moment, Adam’s ‘age’ at his death jolted my mind and I began to see an explanation that I could readily accept without reservation. The Bible says Adam was 930 years old when he died. For me this was it. This is the explanation I had been looking for. You see, Adam did die (physically) ‘in the day’ he ate thereof. Wow! Not only do I have an understanding of Genesis 2:17, I now have a lot more to explore and come to understand… Why so? Let me ask you; How many ‘days’ did Adam live before he ate from the ‘no-no’ tree? Who knows? Perhaps millions.

Richard L. Grimes

(ã 2005 God Ain’t What He’s Cracked Up To Be… RLG)

There Are But Two

 

 

I suppose all men of the earth

as they grow old and gray,

will in their twilight years pause

and in full agreement say,

That as they reflect upon their past regrets

they find they have but two;

things done, they should not have done

and things needing done, they did not do.

(thanks, Mama)

Richard L. Grimes

(©2000 Of Faith Professed , RLG)

The Seed We Sow

          The Dairyman’s Daughter, a book that has been translated into at least 40 languages has burned the love of Christ into the hearts of thousands. This book was written by a British clergyman named Leigh Richmond. Leigh Richmond became a Christian thru the ministry of another great British clergyman by the name of William Wilberforce. William Wilberforce, a great Christian statesman responsible for the freedom of thousands of British slaves, yielded his life to Christ during a song of invitation written by William Cowper, (There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood). William Cowper was one of the many thousands led to Christ by Thomas Scott. Thomas Scott, yet another of thousands, was led to Christ by the once hard drinking, gambling slave trader who had become the sailor-preacher, John Newton. John lost his mother when he was six years old and by the time he was eleven had gone to sea. At age 23 John Newton yielded his life to Christ during a raging storm at sea. Although John had only a short time with his mother, she had been persistently faithful to teach him about God and prayed fervently for God to use her son in ministry. It was the memory of her prayers and her devoted teaching of the scriptures that prompted John to yield his life to Christ during this storm… Later in his life he wrote the words to “Amazing Grace”.

…one mother… one son… one God




Richard L. Grimes
(ref: Springs in the Valley, Cowman; reformedreader.org)