Luke 11:33 – “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (NIV) 

 What is a Christian?  Is it believing that Jesus is God’s son?  Is it believing that Jesus died for our sins?  It certainly is those things, but it’s more.  When I receive someone into church membership, I not only ask them if they trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, but I also ask them if they promise to serve Jesus as their Lord.  This is a part of Christianity that many overlook. 

Being a Christian is living the life that our Lord commands us to live.  In today’s reading we have some directions from Jesus as to how it is that we are live our life.  This short passage has three critical parts.

First, there is a practical lesson about lamps: “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.”  Lamps have a purpose, and that is to illumine the area around the lamp.  It would be foolish to light a lamp (or turn one on), and then cover it up.  It would be defeating the very purpose of the lamp. 

The second part of this passage is: “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.”  This reminds me of the line from the children’s song that goes, “O be careful little eyes what you see.”   What we see, and what we experience, will help to determine whether our spiritual life is healthy.  If we take in as much of God’s light as we can (through Scripture, worship, Christian fellowship, prayer), our whole body will be filled with light.  When we ignore these things, darkness soon fills our life.

Third, if we are careful with what we see and take in, then we will be like a lamp, shinning for others to see God’s light: “See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”  Other people, who may not have God’s light within them, will see God’s light illuminating through us.  Just as we are drawn to a light when all around us is dark, those who live in darkness are often drawn to those whose lives shine God’s light. 

Jesus, our Lord, wants those in darkness to be drawn to him through his disciples.  Remember, covering a lamp would be defeating the very purpose of the lamp.  Likewise, not doing what we can to have the light of God shining from within us is defeating the very purpose of the Church, the Body of Christ.  Let’s let our light shine! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 124:1 – If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
² if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
³ they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
⁴ the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
⁵ the raging waters
would have swept us away.

⁶ Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
⁷ We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. (NIV)

When I read Psalm 124, several images come to my mind.  Certainly, the psalm conjures up mental pictures of floods and raging waters, but the image that grabs my attention is a picture of a bird escaping a fowler’s snare.  This image is striking because when I read this psalm, I think in terms of my own life.  I think of times when I felt like a bird in a snare, trapped with no help of escape. However, I also think of the times when I knew that it was only by God’s grace and presence that I was able to move through those difficult times.

The psalm begins with an affirmation of faith – if it hadn’t been for the Lord, we never would have made it.  I think it’s good for us all to sit back for a moment and make this same affirmation of faith.

When I think in terms of God’s larger picture, there is another image that comes to my mind.  I know that the power of sin is the greatest evil I will ever face.  We are all sinners, and the power of sin separates us from God.  When I read this psalm, I see sin as the great snare that is written about in verse seven.  Left on our own, we are defenseless against this great snare.  Thanks be to God for Jesus our Christ!  Without Jesus, we would never make it.  The snare has been broken, and we have escaped!  This is Good News, and that’s Good Stuff!

Posted by Ramón Torres

Luke 15:1 – Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NIV)

Scandalous behavior!  That’s really what it was.  Jesus was intentionally hanging out with people who were deemed to be sinners in the eyes of the religious.  To those who sought to live by religious laws, this was unacceptable behavior.  For many Christians today, it is still unacceptable behavior.  

Jesus responds to their shock and outrage by telling parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin.  The application is clear – if we want what is lost to be found, we must seek out what is lost.  The lost among us will not find Jesus if we do not seek them out and show them Jesus.  While we can, and should, rejoice over crowds in religious services, we ought to be actively seeking those without a saving relationship with Jesus.  Through these parables, Jesus asks us: How can we seek the lost and show them Jesus if we choose not to associate with them?  How can we reach the lost if we judge them? 

Paul addressed this issue of judging nonbelievers in his first letter to the Corinthians.  He made it clear that we should do what we can to hold our Christian brothers and sisters accountable for their actions, but speaking of those without a relationship with Jesus he wrote: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people —  not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10).  Speaking of those without a relationship with Jesus, Paul added in verse twelve of that same passage: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?”

Jesus certainly preached repentance, but he had to establish relationships with the lost before he could get to repentance.  We should do the same.  If we approach the lost with judgment, we will push them away before we can establish a relationship with them and share the Gospel.

Let us not be quick to judge those without a saving relationship with Jesus.  Like Jesus taught us, let us seek the lost. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

John 12:37 – Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.  ⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved human praise more than praise from God. (NIV)

When we think of the term ‘peer pressure’, we usually think of teenagers and the things they do to ‘fit in’.  Peer pressure is not limited to the young! We all face peer pressure.  We face peer pressure because we want others to accept us.  No one wants to be disliked or rejected, and so we often choose our words carefully so as not to upset others.  Indeed, we should choose our words carefully, and we should try to get along with others, but there is a line we must not cross. When we cross that line, we have compromised our belief that Jesus as our Lord. 

In today’s reading, we are told that some of the Jewish leaders believed in Jesus, but were fearful of what others would say.  We are told in verse forty-three that they loved human praise. Are there times when we love human praise more than we love Jesus? Or, are there times we seek human approval?  Are there times when we go along with the off color jokes instead of speaking up because we fear what others may think of us?  Are there times when we join in the gossip so that we can be included in the conversation?  Are there times when we do not stand upon what we know is right because we ‘love human praise’?  When we act in these ways, we have given into peer pressure, and have compromised our belief that Jesus is our Lord. 

Jesus is our ‘Lord and Savior’.  It’s relatively easy to live with Jesus as our Savior.  A Savior saves us from the power of sin, but a Lord calls for us to live differently than the rest of the world.  It’s difficult, at times, to live as if Jesus is our Lord.  Today, let’s not give into peer pressure.  Let’s affirm by word and action that Jesus is our Lord! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Luke 12:13 – Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” ¹⁴ Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” ¹⁵ Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

¹⁶ Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. ¹⁷ He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. ¹⁹ And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ ²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ ²¹ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (NLT)   

During the past several decades, one particular industry has sustained rapid growth regardless of the economic conditions.  Even when the economy has sustained losses, this industry grew.  What is this industry?  Self Storage units.  In just that past four years, the amount spent on self storage construction grew from one billion to five billion!  When one considers that the annual revenue in the United States from self storage units is close to forty billion per year, not a bad investment. Today there are over 60,000 self storage units in the United States.  It seems as if we don’t necessarily need bigger barns, but we sure do need more space to store all of our stuff.

How much stuff is enough?  I wonder if there might be some sort of correlation between the rise of self storage units and rise of various social ills.  Perhaps not, for humanity has always suffered from their fallen nature, but I do believe that the rise in self storage units paints a picture of a society focused on having more. 

In today’s reading, Jesus tells us the cost of staying focused on having more – we lose focus on God and upon godly things.  Having stuff is not a sin, valuing our stuff more than we value a rich relationship with God is sin.  Jesus teaches us that nurturing our relationship with God should be our first priority.  In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us that when we seek God’s kingdom first, all the rest will be given to us.  Does this mean we will have an abundance of stuff if we seek God first?  No, it means we will be satisfied with what we have when we seek God first. 

Let’s strive for a rich relationship with God, and the rest will take care of itself.

Posted by Ramón Torres

Luke 6:1 – One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. ² Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” ³ Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” ⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁶ On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. ⁷ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. ⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

¹⁰ He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. ¹¹ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus. (NIV)

In today’s reading, Jesus has once again angered the Pharisee’s, who I like to call the ‘good church people’.  I don’t call them that as a slam on church people – hey, I like to think that I am one!  I call them good church people because they were dedicated to their religion. I have to wonder, however, just how dedicated they were to God. 

Religious rules often get observed for no other reason than, “we’ve always done it that way.”  Let me give an example found in our own Methodist history.  John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed in frequent communion.  The first Methodist’s observed communion at least once a week, and often more.  Wesley also believed in having ordained clergy officiate at communion.  During the early years of the American frontier, ordained clergy were few and far between.  As a result, some churches would only observe communion once a month, and most only once a quarter, depending upon when an ordained clergy (called a Circuit Rider) could get to their church.  Today, we have no shortage of ordained clergy, but many United Methodists actually protest when they have frequent communion.  Why? Because that’s not the way they have done it.  They have forgotten what communion is all about, and forgotten why their church observes it so infrequently.

In the reading above, Jesus seems to break the letter of the Sabbath law, but when we consider what the Sabbath is all about – reconnecting with God – we find that he has not broken the spirit of the law.  Religious rules and laws are given to strengthen our relationship with God.  When we forget the spirit of the law, we are only keeping rules, and nothing more.

Let’s remember the spirit of the religious rules our faith communities keep.  Let us observe the spirit of such rules in our ongoing effort to draw closer to God.

Posted by Ramón Torres

Today many in our nation are pausing to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. day.  Dr. King’s most often quoted scripture verse was from Amos 5:24, “let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”   I’d like to consider the passage from which this verse is found. 

Amos 5:21 – I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
    your assemblies are a stench to me.
²² Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.
²³ Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.
²⁴ But let justice roll on like a river,
    righteousness like a never-failing stream!

If we believe, and we should, that as a prophet Amos was speaking for God, consider the weight of these words. The people were being told that their worship was offensive to God. They were being told that their songs of praise were nothing but noise to God!  That is some powerful preaching!  It is no wonder that Amos was run out of the Northern Kingdom by King Jeroboam II. 

The message of Amos, however, is as timely today as it was centuries ago.  Through Amos, God is telling us that what God wants from us is a life that is changed.  God is not saying that our hymns and worship are bad, but they are offensive to God if our lives are not reflecting the God that we worship. 

The people to whom Amos originally preached lived in a desert world.  Waters flowed for only a brief time every year.  A river and a never-failing stream are bodies of water that would flow year-round.  When Amos said, let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream, God was telling the people that God doesn’t want a part time commitment to godliness.  God wants our lives changed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. 

As we pause this day to remember our country’s struggle with civil rights, let’s consider our own lives.  Do our lives reflect the God that we worship?  Let us strive this day and every day to let justice and righteousness never fail in our lives. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Isaiah 42:8 – “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
⁹ See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”

¹⁰ Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.
¹¹ Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.

¹² Let them give glory to the Lord
and proclaim his praise in the islands.
¹³ The Lord will march out like a champion,
like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies. (NIV)

Today’s reading comes from one of my favorite prophets, Isaiah.  I have many favorite verses that come from this ancient prophet, and today’s reading includes one: “Sing to the Lord a new song” (verse 10).  I find this verse to be a challenge and a promise.  First, it’s a challenge because let’s face it, sometimes we get stuck in a rut, and singing a new song – a song of hope, a song of promise – is not really what we fell like doing.  We should note, God doesn’t ask us if we feel like singing a new song, God commands that we sing a new song!  Due to some of the events of life that we all face, we must begin each day singing a new song. 

I find verse ten to be a promise, as well.  Where is the promise?  We look to verse nine: “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”  It is in response to those former things, and looking to the future, that God tells the people to sing a new song.  Isaiah was ministering to the Babylonian exiles.  Those folks didn’t really see much chance of anything changing, but God was already working.  Because God was already at work, changing things that they could not yet see, God tells them to ‘change their tune!’  What’s done is done, God seems to be saying, and now they were told to prepare for something new.  I’m fairly certain they did not have any idea what that might be, but they were told to sing a new song in preparation for what God was going to do. 

When we find ourselves in a place in our lives where we don’t see anything changing, let’s remember God’s promise – what is done is done, and God is already at work, even if we don’t see it at the present time. 

Today, let’s sing a new song!

Posted by Ramón Torres

It’s here!  A new year full of possibility and opportunity.  Twelve months.  Fifty-two weeks.  Three hundred and sixty five days.  Eight thousand, seven hundred and sixty hours.  Well, you get the picture.  We have a strange relationship with each new year.  We all feel compelled to make some changes in our lives, which is not a bad thing, yet we are often held back by our failures from the past.  Sometimes we make a resolution to change, but since we failed at making significant changes in the past, we figure there is no use in trying again.

If this depicts your struggle with resolutions, I would ask you to reflect upon the following Scripture verse: “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” (Philippians 3:13) It’s important to note that Paul does not simply say to look forward to achieving the goal, but to first forget the past.  To press forward, we must let go of the things from the past that hold us back from moving forward.  That does not mean that we cannot learn from the past, but we should not dwell on the past.  We cannot let the past paralyze us with fear or guilt.

Jesus said: “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)  When we focus on our past, we begin to believe that what we have been is what we will always be.  The Bible promises us that with God the opposite is true!  Indeed, consider 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

I would encourage you to make resolutions that would glorify God.  Sure, that could mean reading your Bible more, but it could mean many things: improving a relationship; furthering your education; taking control of health issues; and the list could go on and on.  My point is this, as Christians we should always seek to glorify God.  Indeed, we are told in 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

So, make plans to improve yourself, and look forward to it!

Happy New Year!

Posted by Ramón Torres

I love the Christmas season!  I love the music, the food, the fellowship.  I love it all!  I never feel as if Christmas celebrations start too early!  Why do I feel this way?  Well, what is the first part of Christmas?  Christ!  What I love celebrating is Christ.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we really could celebrate the presence of Jesus Christ all year long?  What if we could celebrate in July the presence of Jesus Christ as we do in December?  No doubt, some of you may be saying, “I’m not cooking pecan pies and pumpkin rolls in July!”  And, I suppose we would grow weary of the continual business of the celebration.  Or would we?

When we consider what we celebrate – the prescreens of God Almighty, who came to earth to pay for our sins and secure our place in heaven – perhaps we should strive to live out our lives in continual celebration for Jesus, our Christ!  I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul who said: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).  I find it interesting that Paul says, “I will say it again!”  He stresses the again because sometimes we need to hear it again, and again. 

My prayer for each and every one of you this Christmas season is that you will rejoice!  I pray that you will rejoice again and again throughout the year, and every day, for what God has offered to you at no price – grace, forgiveness, and eternal life. 

On a personal note, as we reflect upon all we are thankful for during this time of year, Lisa and I would like to thank all of you for the way you have cared for us in what has been a difficult year for us.  We are so thankful for your kindness, grace, and patience!  You have enriched our lives, and we feel blessed to be a part of this wonderful faith community!

Blessings!

Posted by Ramón Torres