Month: February 2023

Sticky Grenades

In World War II the allied forces invented a weapon known as the “sticky grenade.” It was designed so that it would stick to anything. The idea was that it would stick and then blow up. The problem was it tended to stick to the person trying to throw it!

The Bible story of Haman’s Noose” is like that. Haman was a high official in ancient Persia who hated Mordecai, a simple Jew who would not honor him. To get even with Mordecai, he had a 75′ high gallows made so he could have him hanged on it. (Esther 5:14)

Two chapters later the Bible tells us, “They hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.” (7:10)  Haman’s Noose turned into a “Sticky Grenade” that blew up on him.

The Bible warns us that what we do can come back to haunt us. Hosea 8:7 warns that people, “Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” In a similar vein, Ecclesiastes 10:8 says, “Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.”

You are not going to build a 75′ high gallows, but any lashing out at another person can lead you to your own gallows, your own “sticky grenade.” 

A few years back the Tokyo police reported the arrest of a man who was upset over being denied entrance to graduate school 14 years earlier. Since the day he was denied entrance he averaged making 10 phone calls a night, between the hours of 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Every call was to the professor whom he blamed for his lost opportunity. Those 14 years of annoying phone calls totaled up to over 50,000 calls! Who was hurt? Of course the professor was annoyed, but the man obsessed with a presumed wrong wasted 14 years of his life. What goes around comes around. 

How do I know? The Bible tells me so. “If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.” (Proverbs 26:27)

So, for your own good, be careful not to lash out at others.

~Lonnie Davis

Years ago, a prank tv show picked out three people as they were paying their bills at a grocery store in New York City. As the middle lady paid her bill, bells went off and balloons dropped from the ceiling. She was told she was the one-millionth customer. Of course, the other two were the numbers 999,999 and 1,000,001. Only the millionth customer was real, the others were plants. First, they announced the prize for customer 999,999 – a trip to Europe. The 1,000,001 customer got her prize next – a trip around the world. 

The millionth customer was overjoyed. If that is what the near winners got, she could only imagine her wonderful prize. Her prize? A walking tour of New York City! 

She was furious. She protested that since she was the millionth customer, she ought to have the biggest prize and did not want the walking tour.

Of course, we know that she had done nothing to earn her gift. The “walking tour” was still more than she earned, but instead of being happy with what she was given, she compared her gift to what the others had received.

Her problem is as old as mankind. 

Cain killed Able because Able was praised for his gift, while Cain was not (Gen 4:3-8). 

King Saul tried to kill young David because the people sang “Saul has slain his thousands.” And then sang David has slain his ten thousand (1 Samuel 18:7).

Do you know the secret of happiness? It is simple – learn to be content with what you have (Hebrews 13:5). Unhappy people focus on the things they do not have.

When we fail to look at all that God has given us and focus on all that we do not have, we will be miserable. We are all rich when compared to someone. We are all poor when compared to someone else.

If you want to be happy, then do not spend your life thinking about what others have that you do not. Do not spend your life feeling like the millionth customer that ought to be given something. 

There is no happiness in that.

Lonnie Davis

“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” – Hebrews 13:5

While visiting a house of grief,  I walked into the house and there was an elderly lady sitting next to the window. I sat beside her and she told me her story. She had eight children and the funeral that day was for one of her sons. She added, “I have 33 grandchildren.” She paused and then continued, “I also have 33 great-grandchildren.” Seventy-four children! That is a busy life.

 I teased her a bit and asked, “Do you know all their names?” She smiled and then answered, “Not only do I know their names, I know all of their birthdays.” She smiled again, “And I never forget a single one.”

 She remembered all of her children and her children’s children. She reminds me of Isaiah 49:

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”

(Verses, 1, 6, 15)

God never forgets you. He remembers you like a mother remembers the baby she is nursing right now! He remembers you like someone who has a name carved into the palm of their hand. The phrase, “God remembers you” is found 73 times in the Bible. You are never alone. 

When the days are hard and stress is beating you down, when you feel forgotten, God remembers you. God remembers you always!

 Lonnie Davis

When I used to preach in Virginia, the drive from my house to the church building was beautiful. It was about 5 miles through a state park. In the winter, the snow would hang onto the tree limbs that outlined the road. In the fall, the changing of colors was stunning.

However, for a while, something ruined it. Someone accidentally ran over a skunk. I know it was an accident because no one would ever do such a crazy thing on purpose.

For a few days, when I drove down that beautiful road there would be a section of the drive that stunk. In a couple of weeks, it got a little better, but it still smelled. I have seen policemen pull over and remove the bodies of dead animals from the highways, but no one removed the dead skunk. 

It reminded me of several undeniable truths.

1. A mess is a mess, even when it is an accident.

Many people excuse every terrible thing they have done with “I didn’t mean to.” Children think that an apology is all it takes to make everything okay. I appreciate a real apology, but a stink is still a stink. 

2. Sometimes things happen in life that you can’t fix.

No one wanted to clean up the mess, so we just have to wait till it goes away on its own. David asked for forgiveness for his sin. God forgave him, but the sword never departed from his house. Jacob wrestled with an angel till the angel touched him on the hip and for the rest of his life, he limped. Even with forgiveness, there are often consequences.

3. The smell will eventually go away.

Right now it may seem like you will never get past your problem. Don’t be impatient, this too will pass. I love the fellow who was asked what his favorite Bible verse was and he quoted “it came to pass.” Whatever your hard spot is, it will pass. It always does. The phrase “it came to pass” is found 453 times in the KJV. This skunk too will pass.

Lonnie Davis

We all love happy endings.

Poets know this and so end their fairy tales with “and they lived happily ever after.” The great old cowboy movies often ended with the cowboy victoriously riding off into the purple sunset. Feel-good movies all have happy endings. We hear those happy endings, see those purple sunsets, and long for that in our life. The real secret of happiness is not in those purple sunsets, but in the chance to start over – to begin again.

• The prodigal son far from home, broke, and hungry, did the one thing he could. He went home. He started over. He began again.

• Hezekiah on his deathbed repents of his failures and starts over. God lets him begin again.

• Joseph sold into slavery, cast into prison, and forgotten by his friends, began again. It took two years, but instead of losing faith, he waited with patience. When his door to home was closed, he knew that some greater door would open (Gen 50:20).

In “The Land of Beginning Again,” L.F. Tarkington wrote,

I wish that there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again
Where all of our mistakes, and all of our heartaches,
And all of our poor, selfish grief
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door
And never be put on again.

At some time or another in our life, we all long for that land of beginning again “where all our mistakes” can “be dropped like a shabby old coat.”

In the end of this life, what we are promised is a new start. John, gazing into heaven, wrote, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1). Even eternity will be a chance to start over.

I love happy endings but a chance to start over is even better. Even death itself is just another start over.

Lonnie Davis

I got on the plane.
It was a Terrible seat! Sandwich seat! and No legroom!
 
The lady next to me was already opening her smelly food. “Sorry about the food,” she said. “It’s okay,” I responded. In a few minutes a man came up and said, “You are sitting in my seat.”
 
I checked my ticket. No, I was sitting in the right seat. I looked at his ticket. Sure enough, it was his seat too. I gave him the seat and told him I would find a different one. The flight attendant sprang into action. He walked me to the back of the plane.
 
I saw an empty seat on the exit row (I call them “economy first class”) “I can just sit here,” I told him. He would not let me. He took me off the plane, telling me I would have to wait to see what was available. I went all the way to the gate and watched them assign seats to others. Outside the snow was falling hard (eventually 12 inches). I was afraid I might be trapped at the airport. Finally, they gave me a ticket. I walked to my new seat. It was the exit row and the aisle seat. Wonderful! We pushed away from the gate at 1:30 and took off at 3:45 (de-icing). 
 
Sometimes life does not go as you planned. When you have little hiccups along the way it is easy to be frustrated and angry. It is better to decide that God’s hand is in the details. When Israel left Egypt and headed to the Promised Land, the Bible tells us: 
 
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.” – Exodus 13: 17 – 18, 
 
There was a quicker route, but God knew they needed to take the long way.  He gave them what was best and not what they might have wanted. God still works that way, even when the snow is falling and you are getting on a plane.
 
As we were sitting on the tarmac, the captain walked back and talked to our row and apologized for the long delay. I spoke up and said, “We’re okay. We are sitting here reading books and relaxing. We do not have to fret with small children. We’ll be okay.” He smiled and went to talk with others. As long as we keep God in our plans, God will work things out for the good. (Romans 8:28).
 
Lonnie Davis
 

Haircuts and Life

Haircuts are no big deal to me. I prefer to get them wherever I happen to be. I have two rules that keep me okay with this: (1) Don’t cut it too short. If I follow this rule a bad cut grows out quickly. (2) Blow the cut hairs out of my hair. If this rule is done then I do not have to go wash my hair immediately.

At haircut time I went to the closest place. The lady cutting my hair followed rule one okay. As she was winding up, I had to remind her about rule two. She picked up her hair dryer and started using it on my hair. Half through she got distracted and left the scalding wind blowing in one spot against the grain. It got hotter and hotter. Just before I could yelp, she moved it away.

Finally, she tried to comb my hair. I had one patch of hair that stuck straight up no matter what she did. You can guess that the unruly spot was exactly where she kept the hot wind blowing. Finally, she said, “Your hair has a mind of its own.” I did not respond.

I thanked her, paid the bill, and left a tip. I knew that eventually, my hair would be okay. Later I thought about that patch of unruly hair. The stress of the heat and force of the wind left it abnormal. I thought about how the heat and the winds of life do the same thing to us.

A storm of life beats on us and we get bent out of shape. The storm passes, but we stay damaged. Why not follow the rule of haircuts and apply them to life?

Lonnie Davis

It is not the years of your life, but the life in your years that matters. 

The story of Carrie C. White illustrates this. Carrie was a Florida resident who died in 1991 at the ripe old age of 116. Just think of all you could do with a life span of 116 years. Looking further into her story reveals that she was a resident of a Palatka, Florida nursing home at the time of her death. At 116 it is not surprising that she lived in a nursing home. The sad thing is that she entered the nursing home 82 years before she died! I don’t think I will mind living in a nursing home from ages 110 to 116, but I do not want to live in a nursing home for the last 82 years of my life.

Once a group of young people was discussing old age when the age of 95 came up. One of them asked, “Who in the world would want to live to 95?” Someone else answered, “Well, I guess anyone who is 94.” After thinking about Carrie White, we can’t help but add, “Yes, but only if it really is living.” Just breathing is not living. Living means doing something with life.

A first-grade teacher was going through the grief of losing her mother. Children pick up on things and one of the students noticed that the teacher was not doing well. She came up to the teacher and asked what was wrong. When the teacher shared the loss with the child, the little girl answered, “Well, I hope you live until you die.” Maybe the little girl did not fully understand it, but she said something profound. Too many people do not live until they die.

10,000 years from now, we will all be living somewhere. 100,000 years from now all of this will be a distant memory for us, but we will not be just a memory. A million years from now. We will all be alive. Nothing should happen here to make us lose the will to live the plan that God has for us.

It is not the number of years you live while here that matter. It is the kind of life you live. A million years from now the life you live then will be a reflection of the life you live now. Life here is just a preparation for the life that is to come.

Lonnie Davis

Mia Stole my Grapes

More than 70 years ago, Mia stole my grapes. 

It happened this way. When I was six and my brother was four, our mother gave us some grapes. He ate his, but I saved mine for later. While I was busy with something else Mia, the little girl next door, slipped into our house and stole and ate my grapes. It crushed me. As a child I was upset.

You know what? I’m over it. You are thinking that since it was a lifetime ago I ought to be over it and you are right. One would think that all such old sins and grievances are over, but sometimes they are not. The world is filled with people who nurse old wounds.

How long should it take to get over old offenses? How long does it take to forgive? A day? A week? A year? A lifetime?

Jesus answered the question for us when he said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25). 

When do we forgive? Jesus said to forgive when you pray. Most people think to ask for forgiveness when they pray, but Jesus said to give forgiveness when you pay. Your willingness to forgive when you pray impacts the forgiveness you will receive when you pray.

Jesus said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

When wronged you must not let it define you. To burden yourself with old hurts is to let old hurts define you. It is a handicap in your life. It is a limp when you walk. 

So let’s leave with this question, “Who stole your grapes?”

Lonnie Davis

In Abraham’s day, a woman with no child had no standing and a man without a son had no legacy. Year after year, Abraham’s wife, Sarah prayed for a child. Year after year her heart was broken. She knew her husband wanted a son and wanted to give him a son, but God had not yet blessed her. Finally, she reached the age when having a child was no longer humanly possible. In such times it is easy for dreams to die.

In the midst of such broken dreams, God reached out to Abraham and Sarah. The Scriptures tell us, “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age — and Sarah herself was barren — was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.” (Hebrews 11:11).

“Even though he was past age,” is an understatement. When their child was born, Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90. If nothing else, one can read that story and realize that nothing is impossible for God. Your dreams are never too big for God.

I do not want to wander as Abraham did with no place to call my own. I do not want to live in tents and ride on camels, but like Abraham, I do want to be God’s friend and receive blessings that are seemingly beyond human possibility. To do this, I must have Abraham’s secret.

What was Abraham’s secret? Read the passage again and you will see. “He considered him faithful who made the promise.” Abraham believed in God and that God was faithful and would keep His promise.

Only when we believe that God is faithful and will keep his promises will we look past the blessings of the earth and see the blessings of heaven.

All the promises that God has made to you in His Word, He will keep. God is faithful. Believe it!

Lonnie Davis