Rich man, Poor man: a modern retelling with a point.

"Get up, vagrant. You can't be here," he heard the voice say.

He wearily opened his eyes and looked up. Standing before him with an angry and worried look on his face, stood a man in a nice three peace suit. The man was looking around anxiously, obviously concerned about people seeing him here.

"What's your name," the man asked?

With a groggy voice, he responded, "Lazarus."

"Well Lazarus, you need to get up and get going. It's 7:30 AM and our first service is at 8:30. The congregation will soon start arriving and you can't be here when they get here."

Lazarus sat up slowly, in shock. He'd been run out of a lot of places since he'd lost everything. But, he never expected to be hurried away from a church. He had thanked God for leading him here last night, as he'd lain down on the front walkway. He'd felt at peace there, in front of the massive glass and brass doors of the cathedral. He just knew that here, at last, was a place that not only had the money, but because they were Christians, had the will to help people like him to get back on his feet.

He heard a phone ring and looked up. The man, who hadn't bothered to introduce himself, reached into his suit coat and pulled out a smart phone.

"Hello," the man answered with a pasted on smile and false happiness in his voice.

The man listened and answered, "Yes, sir pastor. I just got here and I'll take care of that just as soon as I can get inside and turn everything on."

"The pastor," Lazarus thought happily. Maybe if he could extend his exit so that he was still there when the pastor arrived, he could get some help. Surely a man of God would see his need and extend a helping hand, right?

"No problem, sir," the man continued. "You can count on me."
The man listened some more and responded with a congenial laugh, "You're very welcome, sir. It was my pleasure to do it. Any time you need me to fill in and preach or teach or any other thing, you just ask. That's what I'm here for."

Lazarus sucked in a sharp breath, so much so that it started him into one of his coughing fits. As he struggled to get his breath and stop coughing, he thought, "This rude man is a preacher? Really?"

The preacher man looked at him angrily as he continued his talk with his pastor. "What's that, sir? The coughing is coming from a vagrant man I found asleep in front of the church doors this morning. He was actually covered up with our doormat, if you can believe that!"

Lazarus was still coughing, but he felt a little more hopeful, now that the pastor had been told he was there.

"Yes, sir," the preacher man said into the phone. "I'll see to it as soon as I get off the phone."

"Good," thought Lazarus. "Maybe I'm gonna get some help after all, I'm at the end of my rope. I know this cancer is getting worse. I've lost my family and friends. I've lost my home and job. Now, I'm losing my health. I was a somebody at one time, Lord. I had a nice family, a nice home, a good university job, and the respect of many people. Then, I met you, Lord. And I've lost it all for you......." Then, he thought "Forgive me, Lord. I'm not complaining. I'd rather have you than anything this world has to offer."

The preacher man hung up and started striking Lazarus on his back.

"Stop that coughing and get up." Did the man really think that slapping his back would help him breath? He was coughing, not choking on food.

Lazarus finally managed to stop coughing. He struggled to catch his breath. His barely hanging on third hand tennis shoes squeaked on the concrete as he tried to rise. His hands rested on the holes in the knees of his dirty, old brown corduroy pants. His too large and thread bare blue, long sleeve shirt hung off of him like a tent. He'd lost a lot of weight due to his illness and lack of funds. He'd only stayed alive by the grace of God and the occasional soup kitchen.

The sound of an approaching car caught his attention before he could make another effort to rise.

Both he and preacher man watched as a pearl white, Escalade limo pulled into the pull through area in front of them. There was a brick overhang there to keep people dry in bad weather when they were dropped at the door. The huge car stopped. The driver, who was dressed well and wore sunglasses, got out and hurried around to open the rear door for the pastor to get out. As he did this, two more doors opened and two huge men in suits and sunglasses got out. One of them carried an ornate Bible, They looked and acted like body guards. Both had immediately scanned the surroundings for possible threats and had stopped with their backs toward the opening car door- forming a protective corridor for the pastor to walk through.

When the pastor exited the car, he glanced around with a stern face. Then his eyes had found Lazarus and stared.

"Brother Johnson," the pastor said.

Immediately, the preacher left Lazarus, who was still trying to get up, and ran to the pastor's side.

The pastor gave Lazarus one more scowl, faced the preacher man, and said, "He's still here, I see."

"Yes, sir. He had a coughing fit and he's very weak. He's still trying to get up."

"It's an act," said the pastor. He then turned and spoke to his guards, "John. Bob. Escort this gentleman to the edge of the property. He can't be here when the people get here. Our congregation is full of important people. They don't want to see a vagrant on the grounds when they arrive,"

Then, as if to show he had some compassion, the pastor turned a cold smile at Lazarus and said, "I'm sure you understand. But, we do have a soup kitchen and clothes closet downtown on third street. You can get one meal a day and one outfit a month there. It's called 'The Master's house.' I'm sure you can find it."

Lazarus's heart fell in sadness as he was lifted up by the body guards and carried away. They dropped him by the road and walked away. Lazarus' sobs rose to heaven as he watched them enter the church. He started coughing again. This time, blood filled his hands. He fell over, eyes still focused on the church. As his eyes closed in death, he thought he could see Jesus standing outside the church doors knocking- trying to gain entrance.

When Lazarus' eyes opened, all he could see was pure white light. He no longer felt sick. As he was pulled into the light, he felt love like he'd never known. Then he heard, "Well done, my dearly beloved child, enter ye into glory." And Angels began to sing!

After the church services were over, the pastor was leaving the building and noticed that the vagrant was still laying by the road. His anger flashed! What did the crazy man think he was doing?

He was so angry that he didn't wait to command the body guards, uh..deacons, to go and see. He went himself.

As he walked, he shouted, "You there! Didn't we tell you to leave? I told you this was no place for you and where to find help. What more do you want?"

When he reached the edge of the road, he saw the vacant stare in the vagrants eyes.

"Great," he thought. "How many of our folks noticed him lying there dead? I hope the mayor didn't see him."

He pulled out his cell phone and was dialing 911 when he heard the screech of a car losing control. Before he could even look, something struck him and the world went black.

The pastor awoke to pain like he'd never known! He felt like he was burning, though he could see little. He could hear screams all around him and could make out that he was in a lake of fire. "Oh no," he screamed! "NOOO!!!!!"

Luke 16:19-23King James Version (KJV)

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

  

 

 

One inch from death.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2King James Version (KJV)

6 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

This morning, as I was getting ready for church, I saw something that needed to be corrected quickly. I had the water running while I was shaving. Our sink drains slowly, so water tends to fill up quickly with the water running. Beside the sink is a gift my wife received recently. It's a wax melting thingy that keeps the wax hot, thereby releasing a sweet smell into the air. 

What I noticed was that the plugged in and in use chord to this thing was hanging down into the sink (the on/off switch is on the chord and it was that switch that was lower most in the sink). The water level had risen to a point where it was about 1 inch from the switch. If not corrected, there is a possibility that one of the times I dipped my razor into the water to rinse it, I could be severely electrically shocked- maybe unto death. 

I corrected the problem, but the thought hit me that we, as humans, all live our lives every day one inch from death. Any moment something could happen and our lives could be snuffed out: a car accident, an allergic reaction, a crazy gunman while your shopping, even a freak electrical accident. Anything could happen at any time.

Are we ready to meet Jesus today?

We all seem to carry a lot of baggage that we don't need to carry. 

Brother so and so hurts our feelings. A wife offends us. A husband disappoints his wife. A child says something hurtful to his parents. The boss treats us wrong. God doesn't answer us in the way we wish and we even get upset with him. 

The Lord's prayer tells us to forgive others. More than that, it tells us to ask God to help us to forgive others. It matters not the offence. It matters not who the offender is. We are called to forgive. If we do not, it will weigh us down. 

When we refuse to forgive, we start to turn angry inside. Anger leads to bitterness. Bitterness will destroy us. We must ask God to help us forgive others and ask him to dig out that root of bitterness. And we must do it today- now! 

We are not promised tomorrow. We are not promised another second. We must release the pain and hurt into the hands of God and let him deal with those that hurt us. We must learn to walk in forgiveness.

God forgave us. Can we not forgive others? We cannot be like the unrighteous servant who was forgiven the millions he owed, but refused to forgive the hundreds his fellow servant owed. If we are, we will be lost.

Only our forgiving others will enable the master healer to work on our hearts and heal us. Then, he can help us to experience his joy and peace- even in the midst of the storm. 

Please, my friend, forgive. 

 Hebrews 12:1

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Lord, help us to forgive others as you have forgiven us. 

A little good news on the journey. Help for the wounded warrior.

Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Life is tough. Becoming a Christian does not change this fact. To hear many of the modern scholars tell it, if you're a Christian and you're having troubles, then you have either sinned, or your faith isn't where it should be. 

While it is true that, when we sin, we do bring extra trials on ourselves, it is not true that all our trials are as a result of our own sin. In fact, Peter tells us to: 

" think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." (1 Peter 4:12-13)

In spite of today's "fell good" false prophets, Peter tells us that life- even with Jesus- is going to be a long, hard journey. There will be hard times. There will be battles. There will be times where you want to throw in the proverbial towel and walk away. 

All along the way the enemy of our souls is trying to get us to do just that. He fights us directly. He lays traps for us. He makes other paths that cross ours look larger, easier, and nicer- tempting us to step off the path God has placed us on. 

But, remember, our attitude is to be one of thankfulness. Thankfulness for our salvation. Thankfulness for his provision. Thankfulness for the strength to make just the next mile stone, or even the next step. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartlily, as to the Lord..." (Colossians 3:23). 

God is watching. God is waiting. God is our ever present help in times of trouble. Notice here in Psalms 23:  "4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

In the midst of our trials, God is there to help. He brings comfort to our souls. How? Because he is our shepherd. Much has been made of how the shepherd uses his staffs to discipline wayward sheep- and he does. But, in this context, the staffs he uses are not sticks of discipline. Rather, they are weapons to ward off and defeat the attacks of our enemies! 

Yes, we do have to go through hard times, but we can take comfort in knowing that our shepherd only allows us to face what we can handle. He fights off what we cannot. He allows us to be pushed beyond what we think are our limits.

But, there comes a point where he will step in and put everything on hold: 

"5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." He stops the enemies in their tracks, looks at our tired and wounded souls and says, "You need a break."

And right there in the midst of our enemies (who are still chomping at the bit to finish us off), he prepares a feast for us. He takes time to kill the fatted calf and feed us what we need. He allows us time to rest and heal. He spends time encouraging and strengthening us. He holds us in his arms and mends our wounds. 

Isaiah 61 puts it this way: 

" 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."

This is not an exchange program. He doesn't sweep away the burned out ashes left from our fiery trials. He is not taking away our mourning. He's not dispelling the spirit of heaviness. 

Rather, while we are still in the ashes, he allows us to behold his beauty as a quiet balm to our bruised spirit. He pours that oil of joy on us to relieve some of our pressure and encourage us to fight on. He reminds us that we have things to be thankful for: his love and mercy, our families and friends, the provisions he gives us along the way. And we find ourselves throwing aside our dirty and tattered garments and replacing them with beautiful garments of praise. 

Why does he do all this? So, that the world will see that we are his planting. That we are strong trees of righteousness, standing tall in the storms, for all the world. Why? So that the worlds attention will be pointed squarely on the face of our God and he may be glorified. 

When we are going through a trial, remember he is watching and the world is watching. Know that at some point, in the midst of our storms, he will provide us with shelter, new strength, and rest. 

And when others say to you, "I can't believe you made it through all that." Just smile and point your finger to heaven and say, "Because HE lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know HE holds the future. And life is worth the living just because he lives!"  

How's your tire pressure?

The other day, I finally did what my wife and been after me to do for a long time: I checked the air in my tires. It turned out that, though the max load on the tires is 44 PSI, all four of my tires were somewhere between 18 and 26 PSI.

With the air so low in my tires, you felt every pebble in the road. It makes it harder to steer the car as we traveled to and fro. It takes away some of the cushion that is needed and can cause extra wear and tear on the suspension system and the breaks. It can also damage your motor mounts.

When I filled the tires up to 40 PSI, it was amazing the difference! The pebbles aren't noticed. The steering is MUCH easier. I'm sure that it is easier on the breaks and suspension, not to mention the motor mounts.

Ok, brother Winskie, thanks for the car lesson, but what does this have to do with anything?

Thanks for asking.

When Jesus prophesied over his disciples about receiving the Holy Ghost, " And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (John 20:22)" 

In other words, "Boy's, I'm gonna put air in your tires!" This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4: "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

But, was this a one time experience? No. Three times in the first four chapters of Acts, we read of the apostles being filled with the spirit. The initial infilling is great! But, scripture admonishes us many times to be "filled with the spirit." 

Why? Because if our spiritual tires are full, then every little pebble life throws our way won't be felt. If our spiritual tires are full, we may hit a pot hole, but the blow will be cushioned and we won't feel it as much. Of course, if our tires are low and we hit a pot hole, we may find ourselves stranded on the side of the road with a flat (or worse!). 

Romans admonishes us: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (Romans 8:9)

If we do not get filled with the spirit of God, we can't even make the journey to heaven because our tires are flat. 

If we do not stay filled with his spirit, we can cause irreparable harm to our spiritual car- even damaging our motor mounts and effecting many other aspects of our lives. 

So, my friends, it is not only required to be filled with the spirit when we are born again, it is also necessary to keep an eye on our  spiritual "air pressure". This way we can make and finish the journey home that the Lord would have us make. 

The alternative is to be left stranded on the side of the road- or worse: We could be killed in an accident and never make it to the finish line.

The choice is ours: ."And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18)

God bless!