THE LOST ARK The popular movie Raiders of the Lost Ark familiarized a whole new generation with an ancient Biblical relic that has been largely forgotten: the Ark of the Covenant. The ark represented God's presence among his people, and His awesome holiness. Not only is the actual ark lost today, but I believe we have lost what it represented as well. We have lost the sense of God's holy presence among His people. Nothing is viewed as sacred anymore. Cameras intrude into bedrooms, courtrooms, and all areas of our private lives. Networks air suicides to capture ratings. Ordinary people and celebrities mock God openly. We have lost the reverence of God that is critical to our very survival. Listen! Even the seraphim who surrounded the throne of God knew when to cover their eyes. Even the sun knew to hide its face on Good Friday. How we need to bring back the ark to our land, to recover our sense of the sacred. How do we bring back the ark? The same way Israel did. We repent, confessing our sin to the living God who makes ethical requirements of us. We return to Him with our whole heart, acknowledging His authority over us. Then we remove the foreign gods from among us. Foreign Gods? That's right. "Little-g" deities like the god of comfort, the god of beauty, the god of gain and ease and activity all of these must go if the ark is to return. Then we are to serve God only, and God alone. He is not to be just a part of our agenda, but our entire agenda. He is to be involved in every endeavor, every relationship, every dream and desire. There's an agricultural truism that fits here, I believe. When a farmer whose crops were choked out by weeds would blame the soil, he would be told "any soil that will grow weeds will grow beans." A life that is sensual can also be a life that is pure. A life that is prideful can be a life that is humble. It is possible to live in the presence of God in a wicked world. The ark can still reside among us!

CHANGING COATS We live in the polling age. Should marijuana be legalized? Take a poll. Is abortion every woman's inalienable right? Take a poll. Is pre-marital sex wrong? Take a poll. But poll-taking is no barometer of right and wrong, only of popular opinion. The standard has been established on right and wrong, and it was set by God Himself. Unfortunately, our culture seems to live and die by the standard reflected in the polls. Once upon a time there was a man named Ed. (I'll give him my own name in this fictional example.) Ed lived to make other people happy, and he lived in a land where everyone wore coats. These people never removed their coats, and because Ed wanted to fit in, he tried to wear the color of coat that would please people most. His mother liked blue, so Ed wore blue. When he did, she praised him. When he wore another color, she said, "Yuk, Ed. Put on your blue coat." But Ed's boss liked green and all his co-workers wore green. The blue coat was quickly discarded, and replaced by a green one. When Ed wore green, his boss applauded. When he wore another color, his boss said, "Yuk, Ed! What happened to the green coat?" Soon Ed got very adept at changing coats. He carried several colors with him at all times. When he wore the right coat, he was praised: Yea, Ed!" When he wore the wrong coat, he was booed: "Yuk, Ed!" You can imagine what eventually happened. Ed became a "Yea-Yuk" man. He could please almost everyone, almost all of the time. He was popular and powerful. But he lost the ability to choose right and wrong for himself. He simply became a reflection of the desires of others. Jesus encountered such a man. But his name was not Ed, it was Pilate. He was asked to choose, but he could not. He simply took a poll, and gave the people what they wanted. Isn't it time for us to stop listening to the "Yea-Yuk" men and pollsters, and take a stand for the truth of God?

NOTHING MORE THAN NOTHING A sparrow looked at a dove and asked him this question: "How much does a single snowflake weigh?" The dove answered "Nothing more than nothing." Then the sparrow told this story. "Last week when the snow was softly falling, I was nestled in a fir tree's branch, as close to the trunk of that tree as I could get. As I watched the flurry from my hiding place, I began to count the snowflakes as they landed on the branch. I counted and counted until I came to three million, four hundred ninety-three thousand, seven hundred and twenty-one. Then one more snowflake fell "nothing more than nothing" and the whole branch broke off and tumbled down below." With that the sparrow flew away, and the dove thought and thought. Nothing more than nothing? A single snowflake made a difference in the sparrow's story. I wonder if you might be that one person "nothing more than nothing" that might make a difference in your world, your home, today? Moms, what can you teach your children that no one else can? How many hugs can you give? Dads, how often can you play catch or checkers or Monopoly, or listen to your child's latest victory or struggle with your undivided attention? Husbands, how many acts of kindness can you show your wife? Wives, how many loving touches can you give your husband? You see, you and I can make a difference. A hundred couples with vibrant, God-honoring marriages could touch and influence a thousand other couples. Ten men who are devoted to their children before job or self could influence a hundred more. A handful of women who pray for one another's faithfulness to honor God could change a generation. How much does a single snowflake weigh? Nothing more than nothing? Or more than enough?

HOME-MADE GODS When man has had no god to worship, he has often made one for himself. Usually these homemade gods deified a man's own pet vices. Man enjoyed drinking, so he made himself a god named Bacchus, who smiled on wine and revelry. He wanted to make war on his enemies, so he made himself a God named Mars who promised victory in battle. Down through the ages, man has sought to make gods that would aid and abet him in his chosen lifestyle. But what happens when these "home-made gods" meet the true and living God? The Bible records just such a confrontation in I Kings 18, when God Almighty won a showdown with Baal. It was not a theological debate, but rather a demonstration of power and a call for decision. The word "baal" means "owner," and Baalism was a lifestyle of materialism, possessions and self-rule. (Sound familiar?) Baal-worshippers were "top of the heap" folks who had money, power and autonomy in their day. Baal worshippers believed they had the world (and their home-made god) by the tail. Worshippers of Jehovah God believed that He had them! All the singing and crying and praying in the world could not bring down Baal to light a fire on his altar. But one man's prayer to the one true God brought fire so hot it consumed an altar that had been soaked three times with water! When the onlookers saw this, they became believers: "The Lord He is God," they said. "The Lord He is God."

Sowing and Reaping The Scriptures plainly tell us that we will reap what we sow. Literally, this applies to farming and planting crops. It also applies to giving money and being generous. But did you know that this principle also applies to the way we treat others? We can sow and reap attitudes and words as well as a crops or finances. The devil loves to keep us busy thinking selfishly, treating loyal friends as unimportant, sowing words of strife in our families, and thinking negative thoughts about bosses, pastors, etc. The devil wants us to sow bad seed in every single relationship. So many people behave this way and then wonder why people don't like them or treat them the way they want to be treated. The answer is simple, they are reaping what they've sown! Let me ask you, what are you sowing today? No matter the person, no matter the relationship, sow love, forgiveness, kindness, and patience. You'll find that as you treat others the way God wants you to, you will reap a life filled with encouraging friendships and wonderful, godly relationships. Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, I want to sow good things and reap good things. Instead of acting selfishly toward others, help me to sow kindness and love in my relationships with all of the people in my life.

A ROCK IN A SEA OF AMNESIA Writer Tom Wolfe summed up the amoral climate of the 1970's with a personal story. Wolfe told of visiting a major university with his friend Harris, whose daughter Laura was a student there. They found her dorm, went to the room, knocked on the door, and finding it unlocked, walked inside. The room was dark, and a boy and girl were in bed together. Wolfe said that he and Harris backed out of the room as if they'd been looking down the throat of a snake. His friend, visibly shaken, said "I'm sure that's Laura's room - but that was not my daughter." The two men asked around, and found Harris' daughter in the library. He began to tell her what he'd seen, but before he got far she interrupted him: "Oh, daddy, don't be such an old fogey. Two days a month everybody's room is a free room. So, we just go to the library or something during that time." Wolfe said Harris didn't accept that explanation, and began to argue with his daughter that such behavior was wrong. But by the time the visit was over, and Harris and Wolfe had driven back to the city, Harris had reconciled himself to this "new morality." Before long, he neither spoke of it, nor remembered his outrage. "It got lost," Wolfe said, "like a rock in a sea of amnesia." We live in the age of the beer-commercial philosophy: "You only go through life once - live it with all the gusto you can." Some say our culture is immoral, but I do not believe that. For a culture to be considered immoral presumes some widely-accepted standard of morality - and we have none. This is the age of "anything goes," where truth is considered relative, and where "right" is "what's right for me - right now." Biblical, Judeo-Christian morality has been lost, like a rock in a sea of amnesia. No one blushes any more because no one needs to. Virtually any behavior or "lifestyle" is accepted in the name of tolerance. Our standards have changed, or disappeared altogether. But God's standards have not changed even one iota. They are timeless, immutable and true. And one day, every man, woman and child will be judged by them. Have we ever needed Jesus more than we do today?

CHARACTER COUNTS! His name was Barnabas, and as players go, he was a minor character in the story of the first century church. But in the life of a man named Paul, he was huge. Barnabas didn't get top billing in the book of Acts; Peter and Paul were the main men. Barnabas was a "background" kind of guy: quietly serving and loving and encouraging those on the front lines of battle. Is there a Barnabas in your life? We need encouragement from others. And we need to be encouragers for others. When Barnabas saw all the good work that was going on in Antioch, "he rejoiced and began to encourage them with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord." In other words, he said "Atta boy!" or "Good job!" as often as he could. Studies have shown that praise for good behavior is twice as productive as correction for bad behavior, but most of us are quicker to point out another's shortcomings than to praise their progress. Barnabas was a man of character and character is not something you have, it is something you are. Character will be expressed by a man's choices and his behavior. Barnabas chose to use his gifts for the good of the Body of Christ in Antioch, and he encouraged Paul to do the same. Men of character do not believe that they are diminished by another man's successful contribution. Barnabas wanted the church at Antioch to benefit from Paul's powerful preaching and teaching, so he encouraged his brother in Christ to join him in the work. Who are you encouraging today?