Faith, With A Little

Dr. Mike Murphy

November 3, 2024

     A young boy was invited to spend some time with Albert Einstein.  Although very intelligent, the young boy was more than a little arrogant.  After spending time with Dr. Einstein, they walked out onto his porch to continue their talk.  As they sat on the porch, the young boy smiled, thinking of a way he could possibly trip up Dr. Einstein.  As they began to sit, the young boy pointed to a tree, and asked, “How do we even know that tree is there?”  Calmly Albert Einstein looked over at the young boy and replied, “Only by faith.”

What is faith?  The dictionary defines faith as “strong belief or trust in someone or something, belief in the existence of God, strong religious feelings or beliefs, a system of religious beliefs”.  Although belief and trust are a big part of our faith, to accept this definition would mean that if we believe there is a God or have feelings for God, then we have faith in God.  This is one time Webster and the scholastic world simply got it wrong!  Faith cannot be found through positive thinking.  Faith cannot be defined by intuition or premonition.  Faith is not wishing for the best, and hoping all will turn out okay.  Although many would try to define faith in such terms, it can never be seen or identified in this way.    

The Bible defines faith in an altogether different way.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  When we read this verse, we must ask ourselves, what is the assurance and the conviction that defines our faith?

The word for assurance means “that has foundation and actual existence, a firm substance of real being.”   The word comes from another Greek word that actually means “to stand under”.  Assurance is certainty, the reality of trust we have in things around us.  When we walk up the stairs in our home, we do so with certainty, without second thought.  We have walked up those stairs so many times that we know they will support us, and get us to where we need to be.  Assurance is based in trust, knowing we can rely on something with complete confidence.

Conviction means “that by which a thing is proved or tested”.  This is why we refer to the term when someone has been found guilty of a crime.  The conviction of our faith is the same.  We have been shown the evidence, and have seen all the things that support that evidence.  We have conducted our own personal trial, and been shown all the facts.  We have intelligently looked at this evidence, and have made our ruling.  Jesus Christ is who He claims to be!  He is the Son of the living God, who came to this earth to offer each of us a true and lasting hope!

When we take a close look at these two words, we begin to see the power that Paul placed in this verse.  And when we go back and look at the verse in its’ original language, we see even more power.  The Greek literally translates, “Now faith is the reality of things being hoped for, the proof of things not seen.”  Our faith is both reality and proof, it is based on both our mindful acknowledgement and our certainty.  We cannot know and understand faith without both.  Through our mindful acknowledgement, we have the proof our faith is based on.  Through our certainty, we experience the reality of knowing our faith is true.  

The best way this can be explained, is by doing so the way Jesus would have.  Through a example or parable. When we see a boat, our mind quickly identifies the object and recognizes it as a boat, not as a car or a plane.  Through our experiences, we have come to know the purpose of a boat.  The boat is designed to keep up afloat on water, and to help us get to the other side.  Our faith is likened to the trust that allows us to step into that boat, knowing what it is designed for and the purpose it is meant to serve.  This is why Paul goes on to tell us that without faith, it is impossible for us to please God(Hebrews 11:6).  For the Lord knows that without faith, we will never find ourselves in that boat!

To truly understand faith, we need to understand where our faith comes from.  Faith is not something we can just learn.  It is not something we can obtain on our own.  And it is not something that we are born with.  Faith is a gift.  It is not a gift we deserve, or a gift we have earned.  Along with His grace and mercy, it is a gift that leads to His glory, a gift to fulfill His plan and purpose for each of us.  A gift that will never be any better than the One we place that faith in.

Faith is vital to the life of every Christian.  We are saved through faith(Ephesians 2:8), we are justified by faith(Romans 5:1),  our hearts are cleansed by faith(Acts 15:9), and through our faith we look forward to the return of Christ(2 Peter 3).  It it because of our faith that we please God, that we show the Lord our trust and dependency on Him, and that we seek to rely on His mercy and His grace.  

Our faith is rational(Hebrews 11:3), showing us that God is the Creator of all.  Our faith is revolutionary(Hebrews 11:4-8), making the invisible visible, and the impossible possible.  Our faith is inspiring(Hebrews 11:4-40), leading us to places we would have never gone, and accomplishing things we would have never imagined.  And our faith is discerning(Hebrews 11:26), teaching us the rewards of Heaven over the riches of man. 

Our faith is trusting, our faith is rational, and our faith calls us to action.  As we closely see how the Lord defines faith, let us take a closer look at each of these.

Faith Is Trusting  

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”, Proverbs 3:5..  A verse many of us have grown up knowing, being taught to us from our earliest years.  Many will often try to separate the words trust and faith, but you actually cannot.  Although they are two different words, you cannot define one of these words without the other.  It is through trust that we can believe in all the promises God has given us.  And it is through faith that we trust those promises will be fulfilled.  Without trust, our faith would rely on hope.  Trust gives us the assurance of those things, and what separates the truth of God’s Word from all the other religions of this would.  We have seen the fulfillment of God’s Word, therefore we can trust His Word.  No other religion can make that claim!  They just hope the false words their ‘god’ has given them will come true.

Two hundred and forty-five times we see the word faith used in the King James Version of the New Testament.  What may surprise you, it is only used twice in the Old Testament.  But both times the word carries incredible meaning.  In Habakkuk 2:4 we read, “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.”   The Hebrew word for faith means “firm, secure, trustworthiness”.  It is actually derived from another word that means “craftsman”.  A craftsman was seen as a one who was an expert in his field, whose actions could be trusted.  Someone whose actions had purpose and meaning, and what they made you could be secure in.  It is by no mistake that the words is used here!  It is by faith that we can have security and trust in God’s Word and His work.  This word shows us that there is far more to faith that just knowing God.  It shows us that faith is trusting God, and believing that we should follow His will.  

Trust is a call to our faith.  Trust is why we should follow God with all our heart, committing every part of our life to the Lord with complete confidence.  Showing us that our faith does not rest in the logic of men, but in the proven wisdom of God.  Jesus said in Luke 4:4, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”  Trust shows us why our faith in Christ is all we will ever need!

Faith is Rational

Our faith is not a philosophical theory or even a psychological fact.  Our faith is nothing short of a spiritual force!  Our faith is living, created from a Living Word, that has produced a living proof!  Although our faith is not solely based on evidence, it is supported by every ounce of evidence this world has ever seen.

Despite what many would try to tell us, our faith is not blind.  The very heart of the Christian worldview is based on actual evidence, not on blind faith.  It is only after one is presented with overwhelming evidence that he or she is invited to place their faith in the facts of the Gospel.  Our faith is not about turning off our brains and only following our heart.  It is also not driven by the emotions of the day.  Our faith is about seeking Christ with every character and feature of our body, every cell that makes up our existence being used to follow God.  Our mind shows us the reality of all we hear, and our eyes shows us each day that our faith is not blind.

  Throughout the Scriptures we are shown that reason, understanding, and wisdom are traits that are rewarded.  Proverbs 3:13 tells us, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.”  This verse tells us we are blessed when we seek wisdom from, and understanding in God.  We must remember, that God created us with the ability to reason and to think.  And He gave us those abilities for a very specific purpose, so that we might seek and find the truth.  God knows that if we truly seek that truth, we will find Him.  Psalm 14:1 tells us, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’.”  The word for fool used here does not refer to a lack of intelligence, but refers to a person without morals.  This verse shows us that when we deny the existence of God, we put ourselves on a path in search of evil.  Reason and understanding that does not focus on God, soon becomes the logic that leads us to the evil of this world.  Faith is not only rational, faith is a sign of intelligence in God’s eyes!

Faith Is Action

An impala is an amazing creature.  This antelope found in the savanna of Africa, has athleticism and grace that few animals can match.  In a single jump it can reach heights of over ten feet, and can leap distances of over thirty feet.  But with all of its’ abilities, you can enclose an impala behind a three foot wall and it will never escape.  An impala will never jump if it cannot first see where its’ feet will land.  Fear, and this world, would have us be like the impala.  Entrapped in fences without knowing what lies beyond.  But our faith allows us to overcome the fear of these fences that Satan would place in front of us.  Our faith draws us into action, causing us to step over those fences.

We must begin to understand, faith is not just believing in the evidence God would have us see, it is putting that wisdom into action.  Faith is not just cheap talk, faith also requires our hard work.  Faith takes us beyond talk, it puts us into action.  Faith is more that just believing in God, faith leads us to behave by the Word of God.

Faith is an action.  Look at the Bible as an example.  Noah built an ark.  Abraham departed his home when he received the call of God.  Moses commanded Pharaoh to let the Israelis go.  Joshua fought for the Lord.  Samuel anointed David.  Each of these were acts of faith.  Faith requires action, without action there cannot be faith.  In Hebrew there is not even a noun form of the word for faith, it can only be found in verb form.  Each of the above patriarchs stand in the presence of the Lord today, because they chose(a verb) to follow the call of God.

Faith is a doctrine that is expressed through our choice, through our action.  Faith leads us from belief toward trust and obedience, and that trust and obedience requires us to act.  We must never forget, faith is our trust, our reasoning, and our understanding in action .  In order to follow God, we must first get up, and put all that God shows us into movement.  Our faith is evident in everything we do.  It is only when we put our faith into action, that the world around us can see Christ reflected in each of us!

Faith!  A word far more powerful that most of us ever imagined.  A word that Christ tells us with the smallest of amounts we could move mountains.  Our faith brought us to the Cross, put us on our knees in front of that Cross, and calls us to show the world the beauty of that Cross. Faith is not just our holding on to God.  It is knowing that God is holding on to us, and that He will never let us go!  It is us knowing that before He even thought to let go, He would move mountains.  That He would and will move this very earth  because of our faith. 

Praying each of you will move mountains!

FEAR!

Dr. Mike Murphy

October 27, 2024

He could hear his heart beating louder than the voices and the footsteps. As he crouched in hiding behind the cabinet, he was sure they could hear every beat.  But with each beat, the soldiers continued to move, and soon he could hear their voices no more. He quickly rose, and found his way quietly to the door, stepping as lightly as he could as he made his way out of the village and into the protection of the land surrounding it..

Touma did not plan on still being in the village as the soldiers arrived, but the Lord’s needs had keep him there.  Two hours earlier, a voice in the dark had awakened him. Calling out to him, warning him of the soldiers that would soon raid his village.  He did not recognize the voice, but his heart knew the One who spoke.  As the village leader, Touma had the care of the village in his hands.  Five months earlier, a missionary had introduced Touma to Christ, and Touma soon accepted Christ into his heart.  With Christ in his heart, Touma soon found the Lord in his voice. Teaching all in the village the love of Christ, and baptizing each as they proclaimed His name.  In a village of forty-two, Christ name was soon declared by all.  And as each proclaimed Christ, Touma knew that the village was no longer in the care of his hands, but had been placed in the care of the Lord’s hands.

The voice that spoke told Touma to warn the village, to get all to safety as quickly as he could.  Touma quickly sprung into action, going hut to hut, awaken all that night and sending them on their way to safety.  As time ran short, Touma got the last family out of the village, and into the security of the night.  Forty-one of the forty-two were now safe, only Touma was left as he heard the vehicles of the soldiers approaching.  In his rush to get all safe, Touma had forgotten the most valuable item the village had.  A Bible given to him by the missionary that had led him to Christ.  A Bible that was read for all to hear each day. Each word cherished, each word bringing the village to want to hear more.  A Bible the village not only cherished, but did not know how they could ever replace.

Touma hurried to his hut to grab the cherished Bible, but as he gathered it into his hands, he could hear the voices of the soldiers swarming the village.  As they crashed they way into each hut, Touma hid behind the only place he could think of, a small cabinet in his home.  As he hid, Touma prayed.  Not for his own safety, but for the safety of the Bible.  He could not imagine the village without all hearing and taking comfort in the Word.  As the soldiers entered his hut, he could hear them questioning where everyone was.  And as Touma curled in hiding behind the cabinet, he could hear the disgust of the soldiers.  Muslim soldiers, who had heard of the village’s recent conversion to Christ.  A decision that had secured their eternity, but one  the soldiers could not allow to stand on this earth.  A decision that would cost each in the village their life if the soldiers had found them.  And as village leader, would have cost Touma even more, a persecution that many would consider worse than death.

But as Touma prayed, he could hear the soldiers leaving.  Frightened beyond belief, but without fear.  Terrified, but without terror.  Touma had found his strength, and it was written in each word of the Book he held and cherished.

If someone asked you, “What is the most common command in the Bible?”, what would your response be?  Would your answer be one of trust? Would you say it was a command to obey?  Or would you answer it was a command of love?  The answer is one most would never think of, that few could even guess.  “Fear Not” or “Do Not Be Afraid”, is the most common command God gives us.  By most accounts, three hundred, sixty-five times, the Bible tells us to not be afraid.  Once to remind us each day of the year.

Fear.  One of the most basic emotions that fill each of our days.  Fear can overwhelm us. Fear can silence us.  Fear can influence us.  And fear can drive us.  From the beginning of recorded history, fear has made its’ presence known. When we read the events that occurred in the Garden of Eden, we see fear there. Although pride was a driving force behind man’s first sin, it was the emotion of fear that is first recorded.  After Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree, the Bible tells us that God was in the Garden looking for them. “Then the Lord God called to man and said to him,’“Where are you?’  He answered, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.’”(Genesis 3:9-10).  Although their rebellion had brought tragedy on them, it was their fear that hid them from the only One who could save them.

Years later, the nation of Israel would also find themselves consumed by the same fear. They found themselves in exile, prisoners at the hands of the Babylonians.  Afraid as they were forced from their homes, abandoning their land to be marched into cities they had never seen, captive to a people they did not know.  With each step of that march, their fears consumed them. Questions driven by those fears came to their minds.  Why had this happened?  Had God abandoned them?  But their fears blinded them from the fact, God had not abandoned them, they had abandoned God.

So exactly what does the Bible tells us fear is?  Is all fear bad?  And how should we handle our fears?

The Bible describes fear in two ways.  The first, is a way that motivates us and encourages us.  The second, is a way that hinders us and restricts us.  We often refer to the first as the “Fear of the Lord”, but it is a term that is often misunderstood.  Proverbs 8:13 describes this fear as a hate of all evil. Teaching us that to fear God is not to be afraid of God, but to see in ourselves what God stands for.  It teaches us to have a respect for God, and to find ourselves in awe of what God does in our lives each day.  In this term, we see the blessings and the benefits of serving God, the wisdom and understanding that only God can bring to us(Psalm 111:10), and the life that only He can offer us(Proverbs 14:27).

But as much of a gift as the first is, the second way the Bible describes fear could not be more opposite.  The Bible describes this as a “spirit of fear”.  A fear that is not from God, but a fear that keeps us from God.  Dictionaries describe this fear with words like, afraid, panic, and threatening.  I find it much easier to describe in a different way, it is a lack of trust in God.  When we trust in the complete power of God, our fears vanish. our fears have no power over us.  It is for this reason that Paul tells us, “For God did not gives us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”(2 Timothy 1:7).

Fear, as we know it in the world today, is not from God, but is a powerful tool in Satan’s hands.  It builds a wall around us, convincing us that we are helpless.  Restricting us from doing the things that God has called us to do.  Fear is a word that only knows excuses.  Always looking to tomorrow, never allowing us to do all the things God needs us to do today.

We must remember, fear cannot be present where love is(1 John 4:18).  God’s love cannot know fear, and Satan will do everything he can to keep fear present so we cannot see and feel the love of God surrounding us.  He will use fear to bring us doubts, keeping from us the freedom that God’s perfect love brings us.  Our faith and our fears cannot exist together. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. Even when we cannot see it, we know the Lord is in control, working in and through each of our lives everyday.  Fear blinds us to that assurance, putting questions in our mind to those convictions.  Satan uses fear to grab hold of our emotions, seeking to gain an upper hand on our thoughts.  Satan knows that faith is not something we can ever produce ourselves, but is a gift from God.  Fear is Satan’s way of setting up a roadblock, looking to keep the Holy Spirit from delivering that precious gift to us.  It is for this reason, from Genesis to Revelation, God gives us the encouragement to plow through that roadblock, always reminding us to “Fear not”.

As we look at this world today, no greater two words should we hear each day than “fear not”.  With each step, this world will place roadblocks in your way. Roadblocks that play on our fears, that look to make us take pause instead of moving in the direction the Lord would lead us. Roadblocks that look to slow us down, filled with sounds that look to drown out our voice. Roadblocks that carry names of danger and enmity, posting signs at each stop that read with words like bigot, hate, outdated, and ignorant.  Words that leave us with only fears of what the world will think of us, instead of driving us to places the Lord needs us. Words that seek to make us forget how His grace has taken us this far, and how His grace will lead us the rest of the way home.

As you hear the words “fear not” this day, do not let your fears drive you. Do not let fear stop you from saying a single word the Lord would have you say. Do not let fear stop you from making a single step the Lord would have you make.  Do not let fear give you pause, causing you to not reach out to the hand that the Lord desperately needs you to touch.  And do not let fear convince you to hid your face from the opportunity the Lord has placed in your hands this day. Today, remember those two words, and repeat them often. And today, give Satan a glimpse of what he should fear.

Be freed by faith, not restricted by fear.

The Persecuted!

Dr. Mike Murphy
October 20, 2024

Logan Brookes had the opportunity of a lifetime, an opportunity that he could not have dreamed of.  As a young journalist at a major newspaper, these opportunities did not fall into your lap often.  Logan felt his career was going nowhere fast.  He had shown such promise at his past assignment, but now he found himself at what he thought was a dead end position.  He was given the position of religious reporter, one he did not know what to make of, and one he knew little about.  But today, he felt fate had smiled on him.  Today was the day he could make a name for himself.

As Logan watched the television coverage of the recent events, he knew that religion would be coming front and center.  The sudden disappearance of many Christians brought with it many questions.  These were questions the world would soon ponder, questions that would allow Logan to bring his name to the forefront.

Logan listened to the commentators, looking for an angle that would separate him from all the others covering this story.  He heard them discuss the who.  He heard them talk about the what.  He heard the reports that stated the where, and addressed the when.  But as he listened to every channel, not once did he hear the why.  Why had many people throughout this world suddenly vanished?  This would be Logan’s approach, he would seek to answer the why.

As Logan began to investigate the story, he soon discovered the why would not be an easy question to answer.  For the past several years, Christians had grown to be despised.  A religion that relied on what the world had come to see as failed past events, a religion the world saw based more on fairy tales and myths than on science.  A religion that restricted the progress the world seeks, and taught standards the world would never accept.  Obstructionist that stood in the way of the evolution of man.  As the years had past, those who practiced this belief had dwindled greatly in number.  Many had left the faith, realizing that Christianity did not hold the answers the world sought.  Many had been forced out, as the world could no longer tolerate their views.  And many had been eliminated, obstacles disposed of as other beliefs had come to the forefront.  But even with all their faults, the question still lingered.  Why had Christians suddenly been taken out of this world?  This was a question Logan was determined to find the answer to.

For days Logan sought the advice of the experts.  Experts who could tell him what Christians believed, but could not tell him why they were gone. Professors and scholars who could tell him the principles behind their thoughts, but did not have a clue why they had vanished. Questions that as he asked, he not only did not get answers to, but soon discovered these were answers that no one sought.  The reality of the matter soon became aware to Logan. He had the story of a lifetime, a story that sought an answer.  But it was a story that no one cared to read.  It was an answer in search of a question.  Logan soon perceived that no one really cared, no one gave a second thought as to what had happened to all the Christians.  Most were just glad to see them gone.

As we read this story, the fiction of the situation soon becomes apparent. But as I look at the world around us today, I soon begin to wonder just how much is fiction, and how much is reality waiting to develop?

If you were asked, “Who are the most persecuted people in the world today?”, what would your answer be?  Most would guess many times before they came up with the right answer.  Christians!  Christians are the most persecuted people of this world today.  Over one hundred million Christians suffer persecution for their faith.  Whether imprisonment, abuse, hostilities, or death, more and more Christian lives are impacted because of their belief in Christ.

Over one hundred thousand Christians are martyred each year.  That equates to eleven men and women of faith who give their life in the name Christ each hour.  Eleven every hour! That number is not just growing each year, it is exploding.  In over seventy-five percent of all the nations of this world today, Christians face some form of discrimination.  And across the world today, eighty percent of all persecution and acts of religious discrimination are directed toward Christians.  Those numbers are not just staggering, they are overwhelming!

At the same time we see these startling facts, we must also face the fact that the influence the Church has in this country and throughout the world is diminishing.  Every recent poll shows that more and more people are not turning to God for their answers.  They do not trust the accuracy of the Bible, and do not see it as inerrant.  They do not understand the principles of Christianity, and most no longer seek to understand those principles.  More and more tell the polls that they do not believe that Christ was God, nothing more than a simple man.  And fewer and fewer feel the Church has any influence in their life.

We are watching as the world no longer wants to hear what the Church has to say.  At the same time they are speaking loudly back, telling us to be quiet or face the consequences. And as we are watching this happen, we see the Church in the western world unaware of the anger the world is spouting at us.  As much of the Christian world cries in anguish, the western Church ignores their pleas.  We sit in our pews ignorant of the predators that roam around us, predators that will soon be gathering at our very doors.  Predators that will soon seek new prey.

Our enemies feed on our silence.  Our silence as we watch the predators of this world gathering to devour us.  The words of Martin Luther King speak with volumes to the Church today.  “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”  A prophetic warning that may well apply more to the Church today, than it did to the generation in which these words were spoken.  Words that echo the warning that Christ had for this generation.  “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”(John 15:18-19).  The words of Christ foretold us, the hatred of this world wants nothing more than to have us out of this world!

As we near that glorious day, a day that will call each of us to spend an eternity with the Lord.  A day in which we will be changed in the blink of an eye, a day that will change this world forever.  A day the Church often discusses, and a day we often reflect upon.  We wonder what that day will hold for those left behind, those that will face a time of tribulation unlike any this world has ever seen.  How will this world face that day?  How will they explain the one event that will change their lives forever?  What theories will the world create to illustrate it? What explanations will be devised to explain why those who follow Christ have instantly vanished from this world?  Or will they even look or care to explain it at all?  Maybe they will just be happy to see us gone.

Praying each of you will not be here to find out the answer to my question.

Making Biscuits

Dr. Mike Murphy
October 13, 2024

Each Sunday morning, at his small southern church, the pastor would call on one of his deacons to lead the service in an opening prayer.  This Sunday was no different, he called on his oldest deacon, Bruce, as the service began.  Bruce slowly rose, bowed his head, and began to speak.  “Lord, you know how much I hate buttermilk.”

On hearing these words, the pastor opened one eye to glance at Bruce, wondering to himself just where all this was going.  And then, with a slow southern drawl, the pastor heard Bruce continue.  “And Lord, you know that I am no fan of lard.”  Now the pastor was completely perplexed, and began to openly sweat at the thought of how he would follow all this up.  Then, he heard Bruce begin to speak again.  “And Lord, you know I am not crazy about plain ol’ flour. But Lord, when you mix them all together, and you bake them just right, You know how much I love biscuits.  Lord, when I look around at this world, I see a lot of things I do not like, a lot of things I just do not understand.  But you know Lord, maybe I just need to take a look at what You are mixing, at what You have baking.  I am sure that when You get through, it will probably be something even better than biscuits!”

As he heard these words, the pastor slowly smiled.  He knew that the best sermon the congregation would hear that morning, had just been spoken.

A very dear relative of mine sent me this little story the other day.  As I read it, I could not help but smile.  And often that day, this little story stayed on my mind.  And each time I thought of it, it spoke to me a little louder, a little clearer. And with each thought of the little story, it became a little more transparent, it was me that the little story was speaking about, it was me that the deacon in this little story was speaking to.

So often today, we look at the world around us and we shake our head. We see the events playing out each day, and we just do not understand.  We find ourselves left questioning God, not understanding why He has not already done something about all these.  Many of us jokingly say we would love to just find a cabin in the woods, isolated from all we see going on in this world around us. Others of us point to the sky, saying everything we see means the Lord will soon return.  That the joyous day when Christ will return for His Church is at hand, and we just need to sit back and wait for His return.

But as I hear these words amidst the buttermilk, the lard, and the flour the world has spread around me, I realize that this oven is heating up for a reason, a reason that involves me. The Lord is reminding me, it is time for me to put my apron on.  To get out all the cooking tools He has given me.  It is past time I started making some biscuits.

Each word of the little story reminded me, the chaos we see in the world today is not calling for our silence, but demands our voice.  It does not lead us into the woods in isolation, but draws us right into the middle of the heat.  Only in the heat can the biscuits be made, and never in silence can the meal He has us preparing be announced.

I treasure and look forward to the moment I see His face, as He returns for all of us who call on His name.  But the promise of that soon approaching day does not leave me silent, it makes me want to shout until I am hoarse.  Of this Paul told us, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”(Philippians 1:6).  God is working on me, and looking to working through me each day I find myself on this earth.  Each minute, each second of every day, brings opportunity in His hands, the potential to reach someone else for Him. Just because the world might fall apart around me, does not mean His hands are not at work in and through me.  And not for one second does it mean His voice should ever be seen as quieted by me.  If anything, the chaos demands that I make His voice be heard louder.

Simply look at the Apostles, those who spent so many of their days with Christ, and see how their actions speak to us as we complain about the world around us today.  As Christ ascended into Heaven, and His return was promised, they believed like us that Christ could return any day.  In the midst of the chaos of their day, look what they did with all this in mind. They gave their all, literally. They refused to be silent when the world threatened to silence them.  And in almost every case, they gave their life so others might know the love, grace, and mercy that Christ brought to this world.  Take an even harder look at the ministry of Paul.  Most do not realize it, but of the thirty or so years that Paul spent in the ministry for Christ, he spent almost six of those years in prison.  A prisoner for doing nothing more than speaking the truth that only Christ had shown him.  But despite this, what did Paul do?  He worked to the very end. Despite all this world threw at him, despite all the hardships he would face, he made the most of every opportunity(2 Thessalonians 4:7-8, Ephesians 5:15-17).  Paul made biscuits!

And as I look around me today, I still see those like Paul.  Those that serve as a Christ-like example to all of us.  I have a friend who finds himself up each morning before most of us even realizes the day has begun.  Each day he goes on social media, and he prays for this Church and this nation.  Despite all the evil he sees in this world around us, despite all the hardship he sees this Church facing, he prays for hope.  He takes the opportunity each day the Lord gives him and makes the absolute most of it.  And daily through his written prayer, he reaches out to all around him, so each might share in his Godly hope for all of us. I have another friend who does street ministry in a foreign country.  Each day he reaches out to kids on the street, many of these kids are ones that our world has forgotten.  But kids he has not forgotten, and knows that Christ would never forget.  Most of us talk about the frontlines, but he lives for Christ on those frontlines every second of every day.  In conditions most of us could not even begin to imagine, he brings Christ to a needing world.  Both of these friends each day make biscuits!

With each day I have left, whether I am here until Christ returns, or I find myself already there, looking down joyously as many of you come to join me, it is past time I spent each day making biscuits.  Not being put off by all this world might throw at me, but making the most of each daily opportunity the Lord gives me.  That I leave this world the way the Lord will again come, with a shout.  And as He returns, I want to spend each of my days helping the Lord to make the “ride up” as full as possible!  It is time I took the buttermilk, the lard, the flour of this world, and made something remarkable from them.  Something that my hands are not capable of, but with the help of His hands, do not even test the capabilities. That each day finds me with apron in hand, baking away as I have never found myself baking before.  That I spend each day in His kitchen, doing the very thing He has called me to do.  It is time I started making biscuits!

Praying each of your days finds you in the Lord’s kitchen hard at work!

Better Hands

Dr. Mike Murphy
September 22, 2024

She looked intently at the hand she held.  As she stroked his hand, she let her fingers caress every wrinkle.  She knew each of those wrinkles well.  For forty-eight years she had watched as each of those wrinkles had formed.  Each line reminded her of the life they had shared together, the love they had for each other. The family they had raised, the business they had started.  The home they had cherished for so many years.

As she looked again at that hand, she realized just how good of a man that hand belonged to.  Almost forty years ago, they had started a family grocery store in the small town they had both grown up in.  The store had never brought them wealth, but it had allowed them to raise three kids, and it had always provided a way for them to pay the bills. They might have had more, but the hand she held was a compassionate hand.  How often she had caught him as he slipped a few more items in the grocery bag of someone in need. Or an extra bag of groceries somehow got loaded in the car of the mother who was just not sure how she would feed her children that month.  And the annual food drive at the church they attended always seemed to meet its’ goal, even when it had been way short the day before the drive was scheduled to end.  But it was that compassion that first attracted her to that hand, a compassion that drew her to cling so tightly to that hand today.

As she held that hand, she could hear the beeps slowing.  He was a man with a heart of gold.  But as big as that heart was, it could no longer handle all the stress that this life had placed on it.  As she heard the beeps growing slower, she realized that the hand she clung to was grower colder.  Finally, she could hear the beeps no more.

As she looked up, she looked into the eyes of their pastor and lifetime friend.  He had been standing there beside the bed for hours, unwillingly to leave either of them for a single minute.  But as he watched the life leave his longtime friend, his eyes caught hers.  In that moment, he sought the words that might comfort her, words that might soothe her.  He found himself speaking before he could even give it a second thought.  “Do not worry Amelia, he is now in better hands.”

Better hands.  Most pastors will tell you they find themselves turning so often to these words in trying situations.  Words spoken to often comfort.  To remind all that the Lord is there with them, and His promises are not forgotten. As I find myself in the midst of a struggle with cancer, I find myself also being reminded of these words.  I find friends and fellow pastors now offering me these words to give me strength, to show me encouragement.  To also remind me, that with this body my life will not end, that my life will just begin.  And with the beginning of this life, I will find myself in better hands.

But as I hear these words, I find myself chuckling at the thought of what they are saying. Through the reality of my cancer, the Lord has shown me that these are words I could not disagree with more.  My passing from this earth will not place me in better hands, because my life is in Better Hands now!

Over thirty years ago, those Hands reached into the pits of Hell to pull out a young rebel of a man named me.  Those Hands lifted me up, they nurtured me, molded me, taught me, and those Hands surrounded me with a love unlike any this world can begin to imagine or know. On the day I first reached out for those Hands, those Hands gripped me tightly, and not a day since have those Hands even thought of letting me go!

Those Hands so often lead my hands to open His Word, and find the wisdom of a verse He gave to Isaiah.  “But now, Oh Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.”(Isaiah 64:8).  I am but clay.  I am useless, shapeless and without purpose.  It is only by those Hands that my life took on form, that my life became the purpose He made and intended it for.

As those Hands molded me, they shaped me and brought me into His work.  Many who work in ministry will often refer to themselves as “working for God”.  Those are words He has never taught me, and words He has never etched on this clay.  In my years in the ministry, I have never worked a single day “for” God.  But since being lead to the ministry, each day I have found myself working “with” the Lord.  I have been blessed to serve as an apprentice of those Hands, and each day I stand in amazement as I am given the absolute privilege of watching those Hands at work.

Each day those hands guide me, they instruct me, and yes, each day those Hands discipline me.  Each day those Hands lead me.  Each day those Hands open up His Word to me. Each day those Hands cover my hands, bringing my hands together in prayer.  Those Hands humble me, lightly nudging me with a downward motion on my shoulders, bringing me to my knees, and reminding me where I so desperately need to be.  As those Hands move through my life each day, they teach me an abiding trust.  A trust that comes without question.  And each day as I look at the beauty of those Hands, I am reminded of the brokenness and flaws in my own hands.  But each day, those Hands cover mine, so only those Hands are seen.

With each day, I become more familiar with those Hands. And with each familiar glimpse, I see the strength in those Hands.  I firmly believe that in knowing every bend and crevice of those Hands, Paul was led to write words that we all know, that we so often quote.  “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:13).  Paul knew that we could not achieve that strength by our own hands, but only those Hands could give that strength to us, could share that strength with us.  Hands that shine a light into our darkest shadows.  Hands that silence the world around us, so we can only hear His voice. Hands that so silent this world, that we can hear the calming of His breath as He stands next to us. Hands that paternally reach for us, when we do not even know we are in danger. Hands that lift us to the highest of mountains, when we bury ourselves in the deepest of valleys.  Hands that hold our promises of tomorrow.  Hands that now build for us each of those promises.

As my time draws closer, I cannot wait to see the promises that tomorrow holds. Promises He has given to me.  To be able to look at the beauty of the place He has prepared for me.  Tears come to my eyes at even the thought of being able to see Him on His Throne.  And I am sure I will fall to my knees as I am able to look on the face of the One who has loved me. But as I find myself in His Presence, and He reaches for me, I do not have a doubt that I will know those Hands.  The Hands that each day cover me, the Hands that each day direct me. The Hands that for over thirty years has shown me, my life today rest in Better Hands!

Praying each of you already recognize those Hands!

Under God

Dr. Mike Murphy
September 14, 2024

He had heard the words of numerous sermons in his life, but the words he was hearing preached, he could not escape.  As he sat listening to the Lincoln Day sermon, the Holy Spirit used the words to grip him, to open his eyes to a truth that the Lord was showing him.  

The pastor used the words of Galatians 3:28, to set up his sermon.  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  He used the words to describe this country, all we had overcome, and the One who brought us all together.  He talked of liberty, and he spoke of freedom, and he laid out where those rights came from.  He then said,  “These fundamental concepts of life had been given to the world from Sinai, where the moral law was graven upon tables of stone, symbolizing the universal application to all men; and they came from the New Testament, where they heard in the words of Jesus of Nazareth the living Word of God for the world.”

He then went on to speak of Lincoln, and the words he spoke at the Gettysburg Address.  “This is the American way of life.  Lincoln saw this clearly. History for him was the Divine Comedy, though he would not use that phrase. The providence of God was being fulfilled. Wherefore, he claims that it is under God that this nation shall know a new birth of freedom. And by implication, it is under God that “government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”  For Lincoln, since God was in His Heaven, all must ultimately be right for his country.”

The pastor then went on to speak of the world as it was in the day he was giving the sermon.  He talked of Communism, and the nations it controlled.  He told how those Communist nations proclaimed liberty and freedom.  How they declared justice, and they also claimed to be living under the law.  But as the congregation listened, he told of the two words that separated their laws, their justice, their freedom and their liberty.  Two words, “Under God”. Two words absent from all they believe, two words that no nation could survive without.

The pastor then went on to talk of the words that united us, and the pledge we told the world about us, and so desired for the world to see in us.  

“What, therefore is missing in the Pledge of Allegiance that Americans have been saying off and on since 1892, and officially since 1942?  The one fundamental concept that completely and ultimately separates Communist Russia from the democratic institutions of this country.  This was seen clearly by Lincoln. Under God this people shall know a new birth of freedom, and “under God” are the definitive words."

"Now, Lincoln was not being original in that phrase.  He was simply reminding the people of the basis upon which the Nation won its freedom in its Declaration of Independence.  He went back to Jefferson as he did in a famous speech delivered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on February 22, 1861, two years before the Gettysburg Address.  “All the political sentiments I entertain have been drawn from the sentiments which originated and were given to the world from this hall.  I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” 

The pastor then recalled the words of that Declaration, the words of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness they proclaimed.  “In Jefferson’s phrase, if we deny the existence of the God who gave us life, how can we live by the liberty He gave us at the same time?  This is a God-fearing nation. On our coins, bearing the imprint of Lincoln and Jefferson are the words “In God we trust.” Congress is opened with prayer.  It is upon the Holy Bible the President takes his oath of office.  Naturalized citizens, when they take their oath of allegiance, conclude, solemnly, with the words “so help me God.”  

The pastor then went on to close his sermon by saying, “This is the issue we face today: A freedom that respects the rights of the minorities, but is defined by a fundamental belief in God.  A way of life that sees man, not as the ultimate outcome of a mysterious concatenation of evolutionary process, but a sentiment being created by God and seeking to know His will, and “Whose soul is restless till he rest in God.”

The words he heard that day so spoke to his heart that he vowed to never forget them, to lead this nation to forever proclaim them.  The words of the sermon that day would forever change the history of this nation.  And the direction those words would lead this nation would one day lead to a controversy that many still argue today.

The man who sat in a pew at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., and listened to the sermon preached that day by Reverend George M. Docherty, was none other than President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  For most of his adult life, Dwight Eisenhower had seen church as irreverent, and rarely at best attended.  But as he became President in 1952, he began to turn more to the Bible, and began to follow the words that Christ had told us. Soon, Eisenhower found himself more on his knees than he could have ever imagined in seeking the guidance and direction he needed in heading this country.  Now in need of a church, he turned to none other than Billy Graham for direction.  It was Reverend Graham who directed him toward Reverend Edward Elson at the National Presbyterian Church near the Capitol, as he knew the pastor as a man who taught the fullness of Christ, and the inerrancy of the Word of God.  

Eisenhower became more and more involved in the church, and soon had Reverend Elson coming to the White House on a regular bases instructing him on the ways of Presbyterianism, and on what it meant to walk in faith with Christ. Soon, Eisenhower would become the only President to be baptized while holding the office.

It was his faith that led Eisenhower to the Lincoln Day Service that faithful day,  And it was his faith that led Eisenhower to push for the words “Under God” to be added to the Pledge of Allegiance.  For a few years prior, many had pushed for the words to be added.  But it was the words of a pastor, who was led by the Holy Spirit, that inspired Eisenhower to make official the two words that America had always believed.

Under God.  What does it mean for our nation to be “under God”?  A simple look in the dictionary of the word “under”, gets us well on our way.  The definition is a complex one, with multiple meanings.  Under means, “in a position below; covered or concealed; subject to rule and guidance; with authorization and protection of; being the subject of and to”.  From this definition, it becomes clear that “one nation under God” is a nation that is subject to the authority, rule and protection of the covering hand of our Lord, and it is His Word that guides them.

From the minute our forefathers drew up the words of the Mayflower Compact, the origins of this nation were placed under the guidance of His hand. As the Pilgrims sailed to this land, it was His hand that directed them,  And as they arrived on its’ shores, it was His Word that governed them.  Over one hundred and forty years later, it was that same Hand that guided Jefferson to pen the rights all men are given, and Whom it was that gave us those usual rights. That same Hand covered Lincoln as he proclaimed to this nation at Gettysburg, “this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom”.   It was the same Hand that faithfully guided us and held us strong through the horrors of war, and the tragedy of the Depression. And it was that same Hand that raised us up as the “shiny city on the hill” for all the world to see, a beacon of hope for the world to follow.  The idea of “under God” may not have found its’ way onto paper until 1954, but it is obvious by every minute of America’s history that those words were always there.

Each time we recite those two added words, we recognize the love, the grace, and the mercy that can only be found in that governing Hand.  The Hand, in which all rights are given, and the Hand upon which true liberty and freedom can only be found.  It is in those two words that James Madison formed the branches of our government(Isaiah 33:22).  It was those two words that led our Founding Fathers to open their Bibles, establishing the morals of this land that would guide us, and the laws of this land that would govern us. Those two words directed our Founding Fathers to do something no land had ever done, they established a freedom of religion, not a freedom from religion.  Those two words showed them that man had been made in the image of God(Genesis 1:26), with the free will to choose or reject the Lord above. Those two words showed them that it was the work of the Holy Spirit alone that could change the heart of man, not the actions of government. Those two words showed them that Christ had come to establish a relationship with man, not a government that would control the thoughts of man. They knew that in those two words freedom could only be found.  They knew the power of those two words, that only under God could the people rule, and without God the people would soon perish. They knew our future could only be found in those two words.  Words that Eisenhower would one day echo when he said, “To raise our children in a moral atmosphere is to recognize the existence of a Supreme Overlord.”

As Eisenhower’s life would come to an end, it was those two words that continued to guide him.  One of the last visitors to speak with Eisenhower was an old friend who had help the Lord change his life.  Eisenhower summoned Billy Graham to his room at Walter Reed Medical Center, and asked Reverend Graham if he would once again tell him the plan of salvation that Billy Graham had given him over fourteen years ago.  As Reverend Graham finished, Eisenhower responded with two equally powerful words, “I’m Ready!”

My life has been blessed that I am able to say, I live each of my days “under God”!

Praying each of your lives are guided by those two words.