Sitting on a screened porch in Missouri this evening I listen to the wind in the thick line of trees bordering the half-acre property my parents own. As dusk overtakes us the fireflies (lightning bugs, to us Midwesterners) begin their nightly dance. As the sun recedes and darkness overtakes us, the fireflies soon become the only visible creatures I can discern, seemingly winking in and out of existence in rhythmic patterns across the landscape.

Fireflies work by a chemical reaction in which they control the admittance of oxygen into their “light organs” through small tubes called tracheae. The oxygen reacts with other chemicals including calcium and ATP to produce “cold light” called bioluminescence. The light produced enables them to locate one another, distinguish between species and determine sexes.

The simple, humble firefly is a miracle of nature. But as I observe them I consider that, without the twinkling of their light organs, the fireflies cannot hope to find one another. There is a sense of peace and security knowing that, as a lone firefly traverses the property unaccompanied, he need only to see the light of his fellow fireflies in the night to know he is not really alone. The yard and air are literally filled with them, though the space between them may be relatively great.

The same is true for us as followers of Christ. Though we go out into the world, many of us traveling alone in God’s mission, we take comfort in seeing the light of others in their walk, realizing we are never really alone. God gave us one another to build us up, comfort one another, strengthen one another and encourage us to keep walking.

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

The fireflies, though dark to avoid danger and predators, light up frequently to show the rest of the group that they are not alone. Likewise, our light must shine as a beacon to other Christians that they are not alone and that they must continue and persevere. The light of a Christian also enables non-believers to be drawn to their salvation.

Like the simple chemical reactions produced in the light organs of the lightning bugs, we as Christians create our light through a simple reaction of loving: loving Christ enough to follow His commandments and loving one another enough to accept one another, with all our faults and failures, knowing we are adopted into God through Him!

In this world filled with danger and increasing Godless behavior, it is comforting to see the light of fellow Christians along our path, helping to light our way and bring us together for the Glory of God. And even if we are at a place where we can’t see the light of others all the time, there is comfort in knowing, through the welcoming flashes of fellow light-bearers piercing the stillness of night, that we are never truly alone. We have the strength and security of Christ’s Body, of which we are each a necessary and important part!

Be a firefly so that other fireflies can be drawn to you, so you can recognize those who are not fireflies, and so that you can draw others to the all-encompassing love and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.               

~Pastor Brian Wattenbarger

In Revelation 4:10-11 we read: “the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

When I was a boy I loved basketball! I played point guard and wing but was a bit too short for forward. I was fast, agile and pretty accurate with my shots. My principal was my coach and he was a great one! He taught me the ins and outs of running plays, minimizing the “tells” of what I was going to do, how best to make shots that would count, and, most importantly, sportsmanship.

Another player, a friend of mine named Chris, was a year older and had played longer. He also played guard and wing and we traded off a lot, though he was a better shot than me.

At the end of the season we always had an award banquet and Chris always had the most point scored in the season so he always won the MVP award. When he moved up to high school I knew it was my chance for my time in the sun!

As coach went through all the talks and recognitions I waited eagerly for my MVP award. When he announced the upcoming award, there was an audible screech in the silence of the audience as I moved my chair back to get ready to walk up when he called my name. Just as I was ready to stand, he called the MVP: Tommy Turner.

Oh what a gut punch! My friend Tommy got the award. He was a great player and had made a lot of improvements over the season but it was no less painful to witness this breach of traditional award recipient selection! I, of course, did my best not to let anyone know how hurt I was. Of course my parents knew but they were kind enough not to say anything.

It was only at the end of the school year when I received my salutatorian award at promotion that I learned coach, also our principal, was trying to find a way to spread the recognition and honor Tommy for his improvement. That is why he was given what would normally have been awarded to the person with the most points scored. He deserved the award for being such a great and improved player and I was already slated for the end of year award.

It was a strong lesson, because coach had it all figured out beforehand! And looking back, I can honestly say I didn’t deserve credit for that award. In fact, Tommy didn’t deserve credit for his and Chris never deserved credit for his. Who deserved credit then? COACH! He had the big picture. He had the plan. He taught the skills. Coach gave us the awards but HE deserved the credit for our skill and abilities, what we did with what he gave us!

When we read the verse in Revelation the 24 elders cast their crowns at the foot of the throne of God. The Greek term used for crown is “stephanos.” This means a crown of accomplishment. This is in contrast to the ruling or authoritative crown spoken of in the Bible, the diadem.

These elders knew that all of their life’s accomplishments were because of Almighty God. They earned their crowns but God deserves the credit! When they cast their crowns before God and supplicate themselves, they are showing that they honor God with their achievements. They are showing that God rewarded them, but that HE made their accomplishments possible!

Colossians 3:17 says “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father..”

1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.”

Are you glorifying God with your accomplishments and actions? So you honor Him in your speech? Do you honor him in your shopping? Your cooking? When you drive your car? When you work your job? Get accustomed to casting your crown before the throne of God. He deserves ALL CREDIT.

Live your best life, take care of one another, do for the least of us, and when you get to Heaven and earn your crown, cast it before the throne of God!

~Pastor Brian Wattenbarger

“I’m not a smart man, but I do know what love is...”

Forrest Gump says to Jenny Curran when she rebuffs his wedding proposal. Why wouldn’t she marry him? Was she worried about what people would think, her being married to such a literal, slow-thinking mentally challenged person? Rather, it seems more likely that she was more concerned about hurting him, due to her low self-image of herself, having lived a reckless and irresponsible life to that point!

This is, of course, Hollywood. But it does point to some real-life issues that man has. How many have seen the meme, usually showing a pretty lady or a pretty couple, with a phrase similar to:

“I love him for who I am when I am with him...” or “...for how he makes me feel...” or some derivation. Sounds deep and romantic, doesn’t it? But in reality, it is NOT the way God intended for us to express love...

1 Corinthians 13 talks in depth about love. It is depicted as more meaningful and important even than the gifts of the spirit:

(13:1-3): If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.

Love is how we are to treat one another in all things, romantic relationships or otherwise. Of course, we love our spouses differently than everyone else, but regardless, love is not ever to be used or reciprocated just for what WE get out of the relationship. “It does not seek its own benefit.” Alas, that is how most treat it.

We read in 13:4-7: Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

How many arguments do we have in which we bring up past issues as ammo? Even though we KNOW it is not supposed to “keep an account of a wrong suffered...”

How often does a scorned person or a hurt person wish ill will on another? People like to see those who are perceived as offensive or haughty to fall. “Pride comes before the fall!” as the proverb says. But hoping for misfortune for another, regardless of past wrongs, is arrogance and is the same as rejoicing in unrighteousness!

This chapter of 1 Corinthians is used extensively in weddings because it is seen as a romantic portrayal of love. But the love spoken of is actually agape, which should apply to ALL relationships because it is God-like love! We are to love everyone to the point of wanting the best for them, even if they are our enemies! This is one we all struggle with, but have no excuse in turning a blind eye to. We have Moses and the prophets (scripture) to tell us how God sees it and how He expects us to be.

Consequences for actions or inactions should never be in retaliation, but in love. And we should not view a relationship based on what WE get out of it, but in how we can better the other person through it. Imagine what the world would look like if everyone were able to do this.

Jenny was actually loving Forrest (albeit with wrong perceptions) for what she thought would be best for HIM in their relationship. Forrest, however, goes on to show that he actually has the correct interpretation and eventually wins the girl!

Take a moment to evaluate your motivations in your relationships. Are you really loving? Or are you seeking your own gain through them. God models how we should love one another. Who are we to question it? 

~Pastor Brian Wattenbarger

“For GOD has not given us a spirit of fear...”

I did not create this post but it truly is a powerful one. It is raw in its depiction of a soldier with PTSD reliving her terror from the battlefront. Her faithful service dog is such an awesome supporter of her! But what speaks to me also in the image (barring the photographer for the image, of course) is the fact that, aside from her service dog, she suffers alone.

How many truly suffer alone in their hurts and pain, in their fears and terror, which need us? Proverbs 19:17 (NASB) says “One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his good deed.” Christ reaffirms this in Matthew 25:40, “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’”

Yet we withhold so much from those who need. Many of us are very charitable when we do it collaboratively or collectively, and yet turn into misers suspicious of everyone’s motives when we have the opportunity to be so privately. God does not tell us to do things part-time.

There are so many who need help. Not just veterans, but other homeless, mentally ill, poor, hurt, etc. What happens when we allow ourselves to start empathizing with them? Can you feel the utter despair of not knowing how to feed and clothe your child? What about imagining the experience of a war zone? How about imagining losing the battle of addiction? Reliving an assault or a rape? Experiencing derision and hatred from those who should love you?

Christ gave us one another to be the light to each other, believers and non-believers alike, in hopes of lifting each other out of pain and hurt and bringing others to the love of the Cross. Galatians 6:2 is clear in our instruction to BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS, THEREBY FULFILLING THE LAE OF CHRIST.

Not everyone has public pain. This image implies suffering alone. This is why it is critical to be charitable (loving) to EVERYONE we encounter, even those who lash out at us and fail to reciprocate. Do you know the true reason for their consternation? Do you know what brought them to this point? God does and He loves them just the same. If He loves us despite all our faults and rebellion, who are we to withhold it from one another?

You may not be able to help everyone. You may not be able to change the entire world by yourself. But you are not directed to. You are only directed to do so in YOUR world, the world around you. Remember the boy (childlike faith) on the beach throwing starfish back in the water? When a man (representing a knowledgeable and supposedly more worldly and wizened person) attempts to show the boy the futility of his efforts by pointing out the futility of his efforts, “you can’t possibly make a difference for all these starfish), the boy, with the wisdom of Solomon and the simple, uncomplicated view only a child can have, wisely replies as he tosses another starfish in the water, “I made a difference for that one.”

We need to care for each other and build one another up. We do it without fanfare or “blowing trumpets” with our alms. We become more Christlike with each starfish we rescue from annihilation.

Be that boy on the beach. Look for the starfish and rescue as many as you can. Be good to those who are in need. Let God decide whether or not your efforts were in vain for this person or that person. He knows the heart. Be sure YOUR heart is Christlike! 

~Pastor Brian Wattenbarger

While visiting my family in the Midwest, on one of our outings we had to drive through some of my old “stomping grounds” where I grew up. I grew up in a small town on the Missouri River that, at the time, had a population of 300+ people.

I’m relatively sure that population is even less now. When I grew up, though it was a small town with no amenities, we would not have realized it! We were young, the world was bright, the future was wide open for us, and we lived every day in our self-contained bubble in joy and happiness!

There were at least 80 children from kindergarten to eighth grade in the town and we had the run of the town. I could ride my bike for miles without fear, swimming in ponds and eating from gardens and apple trees along the way.

Driving through it now, my mind is awash with fun and pleasant memories. But I noticed something. As my memories overlaid with the current landscape, I noticed a certain pallor over what is there today. Houses and buildings that were once models of upkeep, from young parents with great future plans for the town, now are rundown, with many abandoned. Paint, probably the same coatings I watched be applied at 13 years old, are now chipped, faded and peeling. Porches are rotting in places and lots and fields are overgrown.

The town is still populated with caring and attentive people, but many have grown old, many have left, and, sadly to my memories, many are no more.

In considering all of this I am reminded of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. It opens with the verse: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” The Hebrew word used is hebel.

: הֶבֶל hebel, heh'bel; or (rarely in the abs.) הֲבֵל hăbêl; from H1891; emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb:—× altogether, vain, vanity

Many read this line and confuse it with meaning arrogance or vanity in that sense. What the author (believed to be wise King Solomon) actually means is “transitory.”

The overarching theme of this book is the futility of man’s efforts. All the work we do ends in eventual destruction. And while this seems very discouraging on the surface the author goes on to encourage us to honor and love God and the blessings from him regardless of our status or situation. And this is true!

All in the world IS vanity or futility when it is from man’s own power. But we are promised something greater through Jesus. We are to do things to the glory of God and not for men.

Colossians 3:17 says “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
And 3:23 says “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,”

The author of Ecclesiastes knew that the sun rises and sets on the good and the evil. But he also knew that God is still in control and since God has the big picture, he knows what is best for all from his perspective, not from a finite, earthly perspective.

When we are motivated by our own sense of self-worth, by how much we can accomplish, by how much we can impress others with our plans, our desires, our abilities, etc., we are forgetting who gave us our skills, abilities and capacity for thought and creativity in the first place.

But if our goal is always to live according to God‘s perfect will, obeying Christ’s Commandments, and seeking to edify others, seeing everyone else as our equal in potential, from the janitor to the CEO, we break out of the cycle of vanity.

In going through my old hometown, where the highway has been rerouted around it and it is nearly gone from a population perspective and in comparison to my youthful recollections, I see that man’s efforts are futile overall. We live in a fallen and imperfect world and in seeking to do things from an earthly perspective we are buying into the worldly lie that we are all in competition with one another. God tells us differently. We can see in the parable of the talents that Christ was telling us that every person is given a mission by God and he is to run his own race. Doing so breaks out of the cycle of vanity. However if we remain concerned with comparing our achievements to those of others who have been given their own missions, we ultimately lose. Life ends the same for the rich and the poor alike! God does not care about worldly achievements. He cares about how you glorify Him in your every endeavor!

If 3 runners are racing, but one is running a 5K, another a 10K and another a marathon, can you really compare each of them on the same set of times? Each is a runner and each may be at the top of his or her bracket for the race run, but it is futile to compare their times to one another. They are apples and oranges.

So too is your life-race in comparison to others. Your accomplishments should only matter to you alone. We are not to blow a trumpet when doing alms, so that others see your good works. God sees them. He sees how you run YOUR race. He sees how you glorify HIM. And that is NEVER VANITY! 

~Pastor Brian Wattenbarger

“And one of the elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to be able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’”
(Revelation 5:5, NASB)

In the ancient world, scrolls were nearly always written only on the smooth side. Writing on the outside of the scroll (the rough side) was reserved for instructions for application of the scroll and its contents. So why is this significant? It speaks to WHY the Root of David (Jesus) is worthy to open the scroll.

God gives us an explanation in Jeremiah 32. Jeremiah is imprisoned for prophesying against Israel, warning them of the impending enslavement to the Babylonians for 70 years. While in captivity, God tells Jeremiah that He is sending his cousin Hanamel to him with property to sell to Jeremiah. This seems ridiculous on the surface since they are going into impending captivity and there is a good chance Jeremiah will not be present AFTER the captivity to take ownership or activate the deed scroll created and hidden in a clay jar (he, in fact, died 27 years into the captivity). But it is explained that this is a sign to Israel that buying and selling will once again take place in Israel in the future, after the captivity. But I believe there is a deeper meaning!

The scroll of Jeremiah is an example of a legal document in ancient times. In order to open the book and act on the document, one had to be “worthy” or legally capable and authorized to do so (generally a kinsman, as would be required for Jeremiah’s land). The rules for such capability were written on the outside of the scroll. In Revelation we find that no one was worthy on, above or under the earth. But there is a Redeemer, a kinsman in the person of Jesus Christ who IS authorized to loose the seals of the scroll and take possession of the deed. The scroll can be viewed, then, as the “deed” to the world and humanity. Christ is fully human and fully God, so He is WORTHY to fulfill the role of opening it. His sacrifice FOR US makes him WORTHY.

We are adopted into God through Jesus Christ. Our sinful nature seems to make us unworthy of love and salvation. But through our faith in Jesus, we are worthy to be in His presence and to live out our eternity in the blessed presence of our Lord and Creator. This is not only an honor and a privilege reserved for a select few, but it is accompanied by a duty to honor His commandments and remain faithful. We are to “overcome,” as Christ did, in order to realize our promise and reward. Christ overcame the world. We are to likewise overcome the trials and tribulations of this life in order to live on in the next life and avoid the second death, as Jesus explained in the Gospels and His apostles reinforced in the remainder of the New Testament.

We were bought at a price. It was a steep price. And Jesus holds the deed to our souls, with the power of life and death. His love for us is perfect and unending. How can we turn away from that? Take stock in what you are doing to show your gratitude to God for your salvation. If you find that this is not foremost in your mind at all times, then you still have some overcoming to do! Jesus did HIS part, now we must do ours to honor our part in the new covenant.  

~Pastor Brian Wattenbarger