The Mighty Payara

Meet the payara.  On the outside it looks just like any other fish, but as soon as it opens its mouth, it is obvious this is not a cute little aquarium fish.  You thought piranhas were scary?  This fish hunts piranhas!  The payara is found mostly at the mouth of the Amazon River.  It can grow as large as 4 feet and 40 pounds.  It has developed a reputation for being an unbelievably aggressive and powerful fish, especially since it hunts a fast and strong fish like the piranha.

God has equipped the payara to be a mighty predator.  Easily the most interesting fact about the payara is it’s massive fangs.  For a full-grown payara, these teeth can get as long as 4-6 inches!  The fangs are very sharp and easily pierce through another fish.  Doing so will typically immobilize the fish, making it unable to swim, and it becomes an easy meal.

These fangs are formidable weapons, but you would think they pose a danger to the fish.  Why doesn’t the payara pierce itself when it closes its mouth?  First of all, this fish has a specially designed upper lip.  This lip is thick and has holes for the huge teeth to slide into.  These compartments accommodate the length, width, and curvature of the teeth.  So, when it closes its mouth, the teeth will slide into these special compartments without harm.  Second, the lower jaw swings up and closes at an angle with the upper jaw.  Most animals, including people, have jaws that are horizontal when closed.  The payara’s top jaw is high and angled so that the teeth will slide perfectly into their compartments.

(Click Here For Video On The Payara)

God engineered the payara to be a formidable predator from its powerful, fast, and sleek body to its frightening fangs.  He even protected the fish from itself by providing custom compartments for the teeth.

In the discussion with his friends, Job explained that all the animals of this earth proclaim God as their creator (Job 12:7-10).  Animals do not do this with words, but with their unique abilities and designs from God.  We are wise when we look out and take notice of God’s creation.  Let’s join in with all of creation in Psalm 148 and praise God for His magnificent workmanship.

From Winner to Loser In Record Time

 

French runner Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad is a terrific track and field athlete.  He took second at the Beijing Olympics and first at other competitions in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.  This week, Mekhissi-Benabbad won the gold in the European Championship’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.  However, instead of celebrating his victory, he reacted in a ridiculous way.  He walked directly over to the mascot, slapped a gift bag out of her hand and proceeded with a two-hand shove.  Inside this mascot was an innocent and unsuspecting 14-year-old girl.  At this point Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad went from being the gold medal winner to being an absolute loser in record time. 

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

No matter what reason or excuse he would give, Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad showed a lot about his true character after winning that race.  This got me thinking.  This doesn’t just happen with stuck-up professional athletes and celebrity divas.  This happens in nearly every congregation.  In the bright lights of the auditorium people smile, are complimentary, and act Christ-like.  However, some of these same members are the gossips or those who cause divisions and inappropriate controversies over little details and minor disagreements.  Members who are guilty of such hypocrisy, like the French runner, quickly go from being winners to losers. 

Christ often preached against hypocrisy (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16; 7:3-5; 15:7-9, 23:13, 15, 25-30; etc).  Many other Scriptures speak about hypocrisy in regards to gossip, squabbles, and divisions (James 3:10-12; Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 13:15; etc).  It is easy to become hypersensitive and hypercritical with others, but this kind of attitude brings nothing but ill feelings and division within the church.  We can deceive people into thinking we are better than we really are, but God is never fooled.  Let’s strive to be the same person in public and in private, in the light and in the dark, and in other’s eyes as well as in God’s.  Only then will we be true winners (Revelation 2:10).

No Power Source

A native from a distant mountain village had the opportunity to visit a large modern city.  He was utterly amazed with everything he saw.  There were so many cars, buses, and other forms of transportation.  The roads were wide, smooth, and a strange black color.  The buildings were enormous.  Food, clothing, and other useful items could be bought at almost every store.   But out of everything he saw, the one item that amazed him the most was the light bulb.  He found it fascinating that he could flip a switch and the bulb would produce light.  Though he didn’t have much money, he decided the best purchase would be on light bulbs and switches.

When this man arrived back at his village, he began hanging the light bulbs all over the village.  Many asked him what he was doing, but he told them to wait until it got dark.  Once night came, everyone watched as he flipped on the light switches.  Nothing happened.  Despite his incredible interest in light bulbs, no one in the city had thought to tell the man about a little thing called electricity.

The light bulb is one of the most ingenious inventions, but it’s completely worthless until hooked up to a power source.  In Christianity, God is our power source.  We all have talents and abilities.  You have a skill set unlike anyone else, but if these skills are not used for the Lord, then what good are they?  What good is it to be beautiful, popular, rich, smart, successful, or even to gain everything the world offers, but risk loosing our souls (Matthew 16:26)?  Yes, these qualities may help us succeed in some parts of life, but if our skills aren’t used for the Lord, then they are worthless (Colossians 3:17).  If not used for God, nearly everything we do in life is, as Solomon said, “Vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-18; 12:8).

In the parable of the sower, Jesus clearly taught that we should use what God has given us for His glory (Matthew 13).  Every single person has special abilities that can be used to bring glory to God.  Everyone has something to contribute to God’s kingdom. Talents and abilities not used for God are about as useful as a light bulb disconnected from the power source.  The question is, are you hooked up to the power source?  How will you use your talents and abilities to bring glory to God?

When The World Literally Stands in Your Way

 

Sometimes it feels like there are days, weeks, and even years filled of problems.  Nothing seems to go right.  We face home repairs, car breakdowns, family arguments, and financial woes.  We have to overcome injuries, sicknesses and other health problems, death, family dysfunction, and separation.  There are just times in life when it feels like the world is literally standing in our way.

Sailing the seas in the 1800s or earlier was a dangerous and daunting task.  These journeys often took a great deal of time and resulted in sickness and sometimes death.  One of the worst voyages was from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.  Even though they are very close together, a little chunk of land called the Sinai Peninsula stood in the way.  So, one would have to sail all the way around Africa.

In 1832, a man by the name of Ferdinand de Lesseps was sailing to Egypt when people in his crew became one of the many ships struck with sickness.  Everyone on the ship was quarantined.  While in quarantine, Ferdinand de Lesseps was sent books by a friend.  These books, combined with his current situation and the tough reality of sailing, sparked an idea.  Ferdinand de Lesseps decided to make a canal in-between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.  By 1869, the Suez Canal was completed.  This canal dramatically reduced the danger and sailing time between the two seas and opened up a whole new world of opportunities (See Picture Below).

I appreciate the sermon Neal gave last night.  He talked about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” and applied to our own difficulties.  Though we don’t know what Paul’s “thorn” was (sickness, temptation, enemies?), the key was how Paul dealt with this.  In Scripture, people like Paul and Job both stood close to God and used the difficulties in their life to mature, grow, and help others.

Sometimes it feels like the world is standing in our way when we face temptations, health problems, and other difficulties.  For Ferdinand de Lesseps, the world literally stood in his way (the Sinai Peninsula), but he used this problem to grow and develop something that has benefited the entire world.

I don’t know what kind of problems you are facing in your life; I only know my own.  But we must ask ourselves, how are we going to respond to our “thorns in the flesh”?  Will we give up and become angry, bitter, and depressed?  Or will we use these problems to grow, mature, and help others?  How we respond to our “thorns” is up to each of us.  How will you respond?

An 11-Year-Old Ordained Minister

 

How would you feel if an 11-year-old became a preacher for your congregation?  On May 6, the Fullness of Time Pentecostal Church in Temple Hills, MD ordained 11-year-old Ezekiel Stoddard as a minister (where is parents are both ministers as well).  According to Ezekiel, he was motivated to become a minister when God came to him in a dream and told him to read Psalm 23.  In this congregation, Ezekiel preaching the 11 AM services each week.

Reading about this story brings both negative and positive feelings.  On the negative side, it is unwise and ridiculous to put an 11-year-old in charge of preaching to the souls of a congregation.  How would you feel if an 11-year-old surgeon, lawyer, police officer, or firefighter walked through the door to help you?  Someone of this age may not even be accountable for his sins before God yet, let alone ready to lead a congregation.  There are just some positions in this world that require a higher level of maturity, knowledge, training, and experience.  Church leadership is one of these positions.  Surely there are several other negatives we could point out as well (like his alleged “dream from God).

On the positive side, this is all about developing leadership.  Even though they are going about it all wrong, their intentions are admirable.  They are trying to ensure strong leadership for the future.  We have the same struggle in our congregations as well.  Good, sound leadership is becoming uncommon in the Lord’s Church today.  Many congregations are struggling without qualified elders and deacons, and may go for years without a preacher.  Why is this happening?  Because many congregations are not training and encouraging young people to be leaders.

For this reason, I have come to realize one more of the many reasons I am blessed to be part of this congregation.  We have taken considerable steps into training men and women to become leaders and active members in the church.  Some of our works include:

Young Lions (2-6 grades): Our young boys are taught the fundamentals of public speaking and trained how to publically read Scripture, lead singing, lead prayers, and even prepare a short sermon.

God’s Precious Daughters (2-6 grades): Our young girls are taught what Christian women do.  They are taught about being a servant, hospitality, and other godly attributes.  They participate in service projects, visiting shut-ins and the elderly, preparing meals, writing encouraging letters, as well as planning the annual Ladies Tea and devotional.

Future Preacher’s Training Camp (Ages 13-18):  Young men from all over the US come for a week of spiritual training.  They prepare sermons, devotionals, and engage in many leadership and character building activities.  The goal is to teach and encourage these young men to become preachers, teachers, and leaders in church. 

Higher Ground Girls Camp (Ages 13-18):  Teen girls from all over the US come for a week of spiritual teaching and fellowship.  There is a strong emphasis on teaching the girls how to better study their Bibles.  They are also taught qualities of Christian women and how to be active in their congregations.

Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver:  BVBID is an incredibly intense two-year college program dedicated to training men and women for full time ministry.  The goal is to ground faithful men in God’s word and prepare them to preach, teach, and become leaders in the church.

Please understand that the list above is not given in a boastful, prideful, or arrogant way.  All that is done is for the glory of God.  Beyond this, many of these ideas are not original with us but created by others.  However, I wanted to share them so that you too can use these works, or other great ideas you might have, and implement them in your congregations.

One of the greatest leaders to ever live was Moses.  Moses took huge steps to ensure that a great leader would follow after him (Deuteronomy 34; Joshua 1).  As a result, Joshua also became an incredible leader in Israel and brought the nation into the Promise Land.  We too must take action and build up tomorrow’s leaders.  What steps are you taking to grow and train the next generation of leaders?