Memories

I can't believe it. I just celebrated my 59th birthday! What I'm going to say isn't wisdom, just logic. The older you get the more memories you get. Another chapter was added to one of my memories last night. Donna and I went to our grandsons school musical. It was great. After the musical we all went to McDonalds. As I was sitting there someone said to me, "Dave, five of your former basketball players are here tonight."
In my late 30's (early 40's?) I coached varsity boys basketball at North County Christian School. He was right. Out of the seven or eight players that year, five of them were once again together. This was a night that may never be duplicated again this side of heaven. Let me explain why.
Two of these young men married two of the Highschool girls who kept my scorebooks. And not only were these seven friends together last night, but also the parents, who are now grandparents. I remember sitting in many restaurants with these grandparents after our games, enjoying our fellowship, talking about the game that night.
These 5 young men, now in "their" 30's, are blessed with 17 little ones, running all over the place. They are now beginning to form their own memories. You can imagine...we took over Big Mac last night.
In closing, let me say something else. These five men are all following Jesus. Two of them are Pastor/teachers. One is a missionary, serving Christ in Africa. Two are leaders/teachers in the local church. Isn't that something? Thanks Lord for the memories.

Their Last Day

Connie was standing in my office sharing with me that on Saturday, May 9th, she and her husband Bob would make their last trip to the Paso Robles Youth Authority. As she was talking, her eyes became tearful, and her voice began to break.

Bob and Connie Masten have been going to the Youth Authority (a prison and school for teenage young men who have been convicted of a crime), for over 29 years. Every month they would ask people from the church to bake cakes. Bob and Connie would travel to the institution, carrying their cakes through the gates. The invitation would go out to all those young men having a birthday that month. The Masten's, and the friends who would go with them, would spend time with these young men, playing board games, singing happy birthday, and eating cake. A short message of God's love and forgiveness was also shared. Some of the boys told Connie this was their first birthday cake and party ever. Can you imagine?

I asked Connie how many cakes do you think people baked during those three decades? She actually kept track...1,146 cakes!

On judgment day Jesus will speak to both the saved and lost. He will say to the saved that they ministered to Him, and came to Him. The conversation continues...

Matt 25:39-40
39 "When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 "The King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

Bob and Connie, you've been ministering to Jesus these 30 years. The Lord bless you both for your years of faithful service.

A Promise and a Warning

In Mark 4:23 Jesus tells His disciples to hear, to listen. In verse 24 He asks for more.
24 And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to."

Or consider carefully what you hear…Don’t just listen!!! The passage continues:

By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
25 "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

How will these disciples respond to the light of Jesus, and the Word of the Kingdom? Passively, or actively.

By your standard of measure it will be measured to you (24b)
What they pour out from their life will be poured out back to them.

The same is true for the believer today.

Here’s a timeless, kingdom principle: You will reap what you sow.

If you pour out your life for the kingdom of God, God will pour back to you, to that same measure.
and more will be given you besides (24b).


If you are faithful with what God has given to you…He gives you more.
If we are not…He takes the hidden talent away.
NO!!! I'm not talking health and wealth (the prosperity gospel).

MORE of WHAT? More Truth to apply to your life.
He gives us a greater desire and urgency to glorify God.
A greater compelling capacity to love Him.
A heart wrenching, yet wonderful capacity to love others…to expend our lives for them.

God has given to you and I the responsibility here to do…or not do.
Here’s that relationship between the sovereignty of God and our responsibility.
Here’s the tension where God's Word says,
he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6).
But we read shortly after this,

12...work out your salvation with fear and trembling; (live it out, pour it out)
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).

It’s His power. It’s our choice to measure out, to pour out ourselves to do the Word.

Jesus is not looking for passive listeners. He wants active listeners.
He’s drafted us to the team.
John 15:16
"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit,


And to those Christians who just will not give their lives away…will lose what they have.

They’ll lose everything they might have had in Jesus.
They become mired more deeply in indifference, biblical ignorance.
Becoming spiritually insensitive.
There's little worse than to see a Christian loving the world.

SO THIS PARABLE IS BOTH A PROMISE AND A WARNING.