by Warren Baldwin

Ever feel like your vote really didn't count? It might not. Columnist Charley Reese recently wrote: "There are 30,000 to 40,000 lobbyists and representatives of special-interest groups in Washington, compared with 435 members of the House, 100 senators, one president and one vice president. Ever wonder why it's so hard for your voice to be heard?" (Idle Thoughts On The Road To Understanding, Friday, Aug. 8, 2003). reese.king-online.com

Wow!! Our elected officials are constantly bombarded with visits from well-meaning "friends" bearing gifts and advice on upcoming legislation. That may be why sometimes it seems like politics and economics just happens without us. People can begin to feel disenfranchised in their own country.

People sometimes feel that same way in their spiritual life. God has so much to be concerned about, how can he possibly find the time or energy for me? There is so much evil in the world, how can he conceivably recognize and remember the little I am able to do? And on that final day, what hope can I possibly have before his throne?

The answer is: Representation. The one who represents us before the Father is on a mission to secure our liberty and guarantee our freedom for all eternity. He can not be bought off or side-tracked from his mission. The evil one has already tried all that. Early in his mission Jesus was approached by this "lobbyist" promising power and wealth if he would forget his mission of intercession for the people and throw his lot behind the evil one. Jesus refused. Leaving Satan, Jesus marched straight to Nazareth where he preached,

"The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed" (Luke 4:18).

Not even the wiles of the evil one with promises of great personal benefit could deter Jesus from his course of saving you.

Today Jesus is in the very presence of the Father continuing his work of securing eternal liberty and freedom for us: freedom from sin and its consequences of despair and death; liberty to live as sons and daughters of the Father.

Want some assurance of that? Consider Hebrews 7:25:

"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

Jesus' very mission, his very purpose, is to appeal to God on your behalf. He is always interceding for you. He offered his own life for your sins (Heb. 7:27), becoming your high priest. He continues to appeal to God on your behalf, working since the day of your salvation to keep you saved. Jesus is representing us in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle (8:2).

When we vote to send someone to represent us in Washington, we have no guarantees that the desire of our hearts will be honored. We can only hope. But when Jesus ascended into the throne room of the Father to represent us to Him, He went without any personal motive or ambition. His whole purpose was to tell the Father, "Yes, he's mine. Yes, she's mine."

We couldn't hope for better representation! Our character isn't enough. Our good works aren't enough. Our Bible knowledge, good intentions, sacrifices -- none of them are enough to gain acquittal from our sins before the Father. But Jesus is our guarantee of God's promise of salvation. This is one representative we can count on to represent our needs and interests. Completely.

"Father, thank you for the continued presence of the Great Intercessor on our behalf. May we, today, experience the confidence and joy that you meant for your redeemed to experience. Bring peace to our hearts. Thank you."

by Warren Baldwin

A college roommate of mine for two years, Richard Hill, is a farmer in Illinois. Thanks to the Internet, we keep in touch with brief notes. And he sends me some of his farming humor. Today I share some of his humor with you: Top Ten Reasons Why Farm Pickups Aren't Stolen.

10. The thief cannot find the right screwdriver among the 25 in the glove box.

11. Grain dust blowing from dash vents causes uncontrolled sneezing fits.

12. Poor visibility caused by accumulation of caps, gloves and foam coffee cups.

13. Corn growing in dirt on floorboards is wrapped up in the steering wheel and pedals.

14. Chains rattling in tool box causes thief to wonder if the pickup is haunted.

15. Gas gauge does not work so the thief thinks the tank is empty.

16. Holes in muffler and bald tires cause unwanted attention from law enforcement officials.

17. Cab jammed with muddy boots, tool box full of livestock medicines, greasy coveralls, and empty seed corn bags leaves no room for passengers.

18. The tailgate is held on with bailing wire; it could fall down and spill stolen goods onto the roadway.

And the #1 reason why farm trucks are not stolen is: The thief can't operate a manual transmission.

I spent some years on a farm. On several farms, actually. We had a small farm, and my brothers and I would also work for different farmers, particularly during the haying season. So, I have some familiarity with those farm trucks. I can understand why they aren't stolen!

But there is something a thief doesn't understand about those farm trucks. Or something that even if the thief did understand he wouldn't do anything about: Many of those old farm trucks are still dependable. That is why the farmer has them around. Oh, I know there are other reasons for them to be around, too. Such as, who would want to buy it if you tried to sell it?

But I know from some of the old equipment we kept around for the farming or construction, that if you give it a little TLC now and then, the old things would work, whether they were farm trucks, chain saws, or old milking machines. Tighten the screws, change the oil, stick some bubble gum in the right place, and you have an almost-new machine. Well, you know what I mean.

I wonder how many other things of importance would still click right on if we gave them a little TLC?

I'm thinking of our marriages. I'm thinking of our connection with our parents or our children. I'm thinking of the folks at church. I'm even thinking of faith.

A little attention. Some kind words. Taking someone out to lunch. A prayer of thanks for blessings received. None of these actions or expressions are a major overhaul: they are just common courtesies and decencies. But that keeps old farm trucks running, and it just might keep the major relationships in our lives running as well.

"A word aptly spoken is like an apple of gold in a setting of silver" (Proverbs 25:11).

by Mike Benson www.oakhillcoc.org

Jesus had power (Col. 1:16-17). "Wonder-working" power (Luke 5:17). He could walk on water, raise the dead, and instantly heal those afflicted with horrible, life-long disease. He could cast out demons, feed thousands with but a few loaves and fish, and transform water into wine. He could rebuke the storm and calm the sea. He had power (Acts 10:38).

And yet -- perhaps His most surprising manifestation of power was the intentional failure to employ it (1 Pet. 2:21-23; cf. Isa. 53:7; Mark 14:61). Despite the unlimited miraculous resources at His disposal -- when faced with Calvary and all that entailed -- Jesus restrained His own mighty hand. Has it ever occurred to you that one of the Lord's most significant displays of power was expressed in a non-miraculous way?

The chief priests, elders, and scribes (religious leaders!) levied a sordid array of attacks against Jesus. They brought false testimony against Him (Mark 14:55-58). They accused Him of blasphemy (Mark 14:64). They spat upon Him, they blindfolded Him, and they struck Him (Mark 14:65). Pilate had Him scourged (Mark 15:15). His own friends betrayed Him and denied Him (Mark 14:10-11; 66ff). Finally, He was thrust upon a cruel cross and forced to endure humiliation and torture (Mark 15:22ff; cf. Heb. 12:2).

Jesus could have prevented it all. Peter tried to (Mark 14:47); in fact, he had vowed to (Matt. 26:31-35; Mark 14:31). When the enemies attempted to take the Lord away, Peter struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. In another one of his brash initiatives, this future leader, apostle, and preacher of the first-century church tried to start a fight. Peter wanted the mob to know that He was ready to come to blows, if necessary, and he drew blood in order to prove his point.

But Jesus didn't need Peter's sword; He was the Son of God. He not only had power, He had all power at his disposal. He could have called angels. Mighty, super-human (Psm. 103:20; cf. Matt. 28:2-4; 2 Thess. 1:7) legions. A legion was anywhere from 3,000-6,000 thousand strong. We sometimes sing, "He could have called ten-thousand angels." More accurately, He could have called between 36,000 and 72,000 angels PLUS (cf. Rev. 5:11; Dan. 7:10)! So why would He need Peter's puny blade? The host of heaven could have been beckoned with but a word, and Jesus could have retaliated.

Let's be honest, most of us have more in common with Peter than with the Lord. Right? When our mates hurt us with words, we want to show our superiority and exhibit our prowess -- "Where's my sword?! Hey angels, come on down!" When our enemies try to hurt us, our inclination is to emulate Peter rather than Christ. We want to unsheathe our weapon and fight back; we want to call in our reinforcements and engage in battle.

But the Lord urges us not to use force (Rom. 12:19). You see, we, like Jesus (Matt. 26:54), have a mission (Matt. 5:43ff; 1 Pet. 2:20), a mission to reconcile others to God (2 Cor. 5:20). So how can we bend our will to the Father's and subdue our desire to use force, intimidation or power? Consider:

1. Remember that those who live by fighting eventually die in battle themselves. "All who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matt. 26:52). I know couples who are capable swordsmen. They are skilled in verbal engagement. They know how to cut to the core with their sharp tongues (Prov. 12:18a). They mutilate their mates by hacking them to pieces with their words. (Peter would be proud!) By their malicious and caustic jabs, they bleed the life out of their relationships. As a result, their marriages are "killed," and divorce ensues. Husbands, wives, "swinging your sword" (Matt. 26:51) doesn't produce peace; it only escalates hostilities (Prov. 15:1). Be a lover (1 Cor. 13:4-8a; Eph. 5:25; Titus 2:4), not a fighter (Prov. 17:14; 20:3; 1 Tim. 3:3). Be a peacemaker (Jas. 3:14-18; cf. Matt. 5:9), not a war-monger (Jas. 4:1; cf. Psm. 68:30b).

2. Remember that employing force nullifies your mission. "How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" (Matt. 26:54). Had Peter been permitted to fight off the Roman mob, had Jesus summoned His legions (Matt. 26:53) and prevented His own capture, Calvary might never have occurred, and you and I would still be in our sins. Peter could have cut, and Jesus could have called, but either alternative would have aborted the Father's will for mankind (Matt. 26:54). Brethren, when we employ retaliatory force against others, we effectively severe any opportunity to win/reconcile them to Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 3:1; 1 Pet. 4:19). We have a mission to win souls (Prov. 11:30b; Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 12:17-21), not personal battles (1 Pet. 2:20ff).

3. Remember that the greatest exercise of power is often the decision not to employ it. Jesus didn't dial 1-800-4ANGELS; instead He turned over His Shepherd's rod and became a sheep Himself (Isa. 53:7). Real power backs away from a fight. Real power shows restraint and exercises self-control. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23; cf. 2 Pet. 1:5-9).

by J. J. Turner

When we turn the spotlight on spirituality there are a number of qualities revealed as being essential. The following attributes must characterize a person's life before it can be said he is minding the things of the Spirit.

1. He has placed God first in his life (Matt. 6:33).

2. He knows God and His will for his life (John 17:3).

3. He has set his mind on things above (Col. 3:1-2).

4. He is working on producing the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-26).

5. He does not conform to the standards of the world (Rom. 12:1-2).

6. He is a servant of others (Mark 12:35-45).

7. He daily denies himself (Matt. 16:24).

8. He has total faith in God and His word (Heb. 11:6).

9. He is convinced of the need of helping others (Gal. 6:1).

10. He desires to grow in Christ-likeness (Eph. 4:11-16).

11. He fights worldliness (1 John 5:19), because He knows to the degree the things of the world satisfy him, to that degree he is worldly.

12. He serves the Lord with his mind (Rom. 7:25).

Spirituality is the evidence of maturity in Christ. This takes time and patience (cf. 1 Cor. 3:1-3; Heb. 5:12), and looms as a major challenge for the Christian faith.

Until a person becomes spiritually minded, he will not understand the things of the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). A carnal-minded person can't build a positive life.

Excerpt of Building a Positive Life, vol. 1, pp. 73-74 (J. C. Choate Publications). You can order this book from Choate for just $4.00. (No kickbacks for us here, except for your increased spirituality.)

by Mike Benson www.oakhillcoc.org

"And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat'" (Luke 22:31; cf. Matt. 16:23).

He wasn't exactly a great prospect...

His resume had some rather obvious gaps in it. He was an uneducated fisherman (Acts 4:13; Matt. 4:19). He was impulsive (John 18:10; Matt. 26:50-51). He was prone to break his word (Matt. 26:53; Mark 14:29; Matt. 26:74). He started things that he didn't finish (Matt. 14:28-30). He experienced fear and doubt (Matt. 14:30-31). He could be cowardly (Luke 22:54-60a) and undependable (Matt. 26:40-41; Mark 14:37). He couldn't always control his tongue (Mark 14:71). He couldn't always see the big picture (Matt. 16:23; John 18:11), but was often preoccupied with the urgent and immediate. He was a narrow-minded racist (Acts 2:39; 10:13-14; Gal. 2:11-14) and a male chauvinist (John 4:27).

Let's be brutally honest -- Simon Peter (Matt. 16:17; John 21:15-17) wasn't the right man for leading the early church. Right?! The Lord needed an entirely different breed of man. He required an uncommon stock -- a man with minor blemishes, a near-perfect specimen, a spiritual giant -- or did He (Luke 6:12, 13)?

At Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ, there was Peter, boldly preaching the first gospel sermon with his fellow apostles (Acts 2:14; 38, 40). Yes, Peter! But it didn't stop there. The very same man who fled for his life when he was identified as a disciple of the Lord was the very same man who, despite the threat of imprisonment, fearlessly proclaimed the risen Lord (Acts 3:11-4:20; 29-31; 5:29).

Think for just a moment -- how can we account for this incredible transformation? How did this milquetoast Galilean fisherman become a notable force in the Kingdom of the first century? More significantly, what does Peter tell us about ourselves? Consider:

1. No matter what your previous background, the Lord can use you as a vessel in His service. Our faults can be molded and fashioned into virtue. Failure yesterday is not necessarily fatal tomorrow. Weakness can become strength. This He did for Peter, and this He can do with and for you.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10; cf. Isa. 64:10).

2. It takes time to become the person Jesus wants you to become. Evolving a Christ-like spirit is a lengthy process (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18; cf. Heb. 5:12ff). No one is shaped into a leader overnight. Peter certainly wasn't.

In fact, approximately twenty years after His service during the Lord's personal ministry, Peter as an apostle, a gospel preacher, and an elder (1 Pet. 5:1) still needed some "internal refinement" (Gal. 2:11ff). I find that ironic. In Acts 2, on the birthday of the church, Peter had taught, "...For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off [i.e., Gentiles]" (v. 39). Then some eight to ten years later it took a vision from heaven (Acts 10:9-16) to convince him that God, in fact, accepted all men, including Gentiles, into the faith (Acts 10:34-35; 11:18). And perhaps yet another eight to ten years later, in Galatians 2, Peter still struggled with the concept of the Gentile equality (Gal. 2:11ff).

He was a slower learner. You might say he suffered from SADD-spiritual attention deficit disorder. Growth was an incremental element for Peter. The same is true for each of us today.

3. Jesus seeks a willing spirit. Peter's problem wasn't his lack of desire and zeal, it was how he employed these qualities that often got him into trouble. One of the reasons Jesus chose Peter was because he was a man of passion. Granted, his passion was misdirected at times, but once Peter came to terms with the concept of the risen Lord (1 Pet. 1:3), that same fervency was channeled in a very constructive and powerful way.

The good news is, the Lord sees beyond what we are to what we can become. We see spiritual resumes that are tarnished by transgression (Rom. 3:23). We see rank sinners; Jesus sees holy saints. We see humiliation; Jesus sees exaltation. We see despair; Jesus sees a living hope. We see Simon the crumbling disciple; Jesus saw Peter the rock-solid leader who would help stabilize the first-century church.

Dear friend, are you looking for a job?

Do you feel incapable?

Is your work-history marred by defeat?

Yes? Great! (You automatically qualify.)

The Lord is hiring new laborers at this very moment! You can start your new work NOW (Acts 2:38; 2 Cor. 5:17; 4:16).