Author: Chris Luzio

By the time you read this we should know who our next president will be, but I’m writing before the returns are in. What I want to say is not dependent on who wins.

The lead article on my USA Today app reads, “As millions vote, thousands monitor polls for problems.” We generally call them “poll watchers.” In the book of Daniel we find there are also some angelic “watchers” who keep an eye on the political affairs of man.

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream they declare: “This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realms of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes, and sets over it the lowliest of men.”

In Romans 4, Paul confirms that “there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” That assures us that the establishment of civil authority has been ordained by God, and I believe we are safe to say that God is ultimately in control of our political processes. I do not believe, however, that it necessarily assures us that whoever wins is His choice.

We learn in Romans 1 that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth”, and that God’s wrath is often revealed by simply allowing us to have our own way. The things Paul points to that result from God giving us over to what we want can be readily seen in our society today, so I don’t believe we can blame God for the mess we are in.

Still, when writing to Timothy, Paul urged that prayers be made for “all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” So we pray for our president, whoever he or she might be, but we also realize that according to Philippians 3:20, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” God Bless, Rick

It’s Monday, and the Cubs are still alive. Does it surprise you that I’m even aware of that? If you know me at all, you know the only sports I care about are the ones my grandkids are playing. But here I am writing about the Cubs and the World Series. Why? Because something on the sports page of Sunday’s Journal-Register caught my attention as I was turning to a section I actually read. The heading was “What happens to ‘lovable losers?’”, and the subheading read “If Chicago wins it all, do Cub’s fans lose something?’

The writer expanded on the opening question by writing, “If the Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time since 1908 what happens to fans who have waited for next year their entire lives, the ones sporting T-shirts that read, ‘Just win before I die’? What happens when someday arrives?” The question that popped into my mind was, “What happens to hope when what you hoped for comes?”

In Romans 8:24-25 we read, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

We generally think of losing hope as something bad, something that happens when we give up thinking that which we long for will ever happen. And some might lose hope while waiting. But I’m longing for the day when I’ll lose hope because hope will no longer be needed.

In the love chapter Paul writes, “But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Why is love greater that faith and hope? I think the answer is that someday there will be no need for faith or hope. Our faith will be confirmed, and our hope will be fulfilled.

To keep Cubs’ fans from losing hope I guess it would be good thing if they lose the series. They can then go on hoping. And if Christ doesn’t come back tomorrow, we can just keep on hoping. But if He does, all hope will be gone. And that will be a good thing, because all that we hope for will have arrived!

God Bless, Rick

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Philippians to practice discerning love, and last Sunday we explored how that could be done on a personal level. Discerning love, however, must also be practiced by the church. As a body of believers we must not only discern the bad from the good, but the better from the best.

There are a lot of good things that can be done to make life better for others, and we should obviously seek to do good. There is a danger, however, in getting so involved in doing good, that we forget the church’s primary mission.

A recent article in American Thinker entitled “Surrendering to the Spirit of the Age” addressed the danger of allowing corporal needs to overshadow spiritual needs. “Jesus understood the physical/corporal needs of the people, he fed them, clothed them, healed their illnesses. But was that his mission? No; Jesus did not come to heal bodies of people who would die in this world and be forever out in the cold in the next.”

A similar theme is found in the chapter on the temptations of Christ that we will be looking at this Sunday night in Life of Christ. “The first temptation of Our Blessed Lord was to become a kind of social reformer, and to give bread to the multitudes. There are deeper needs in man than crushed wheat; and there are greater joys than the full stomach. You want Me to be a baker, instead of a Savior; to be a social reformer, instead of a Redeemer. You are tempting Me away from My Cross, suggesting that I be a cheap leader of people, filling their bellies instead of their souls.”

As a church we have long supported the Food Pantry, but it may surprise you to discover that we are hesitant to get involved in an upcoming community effort to fill student backpacks with food for the weekend. We don’t deny that some children would benefit from such a program, but we don’t want to do anything that might encourage parental irresponsibility. We are prayerfully striving to discern the better from the best.

God Bless, Rick

I don’t like playing games. And I’m not speaking metaphorically. I really don’t like to play literal games.

I played games with my kids when they were little; games like Sorry, Chutes and Ladders, and Hungry Hippo. And I know I played Old Maid and Go Fish, but I’m not sure I even remember how to play those card games, let alone card games with suits and hands and whatever. And, sad to say, other than the 3D tic tac toe I play with the grandkids, they’ve pretty much advanced beyond the games I’m willing to attempt.

Whenever Matt and Salena come for a visit, Paul and Nikki break out the Carcassonne, or Settlers of Catan, or Splendor, or some other new foreign box board game that has pages and pages of instructions and detailed rules that must be followed. And they play into the wee hours of the morning. I obviously want to visit with the kids when they’re all together, but it doesn’t take long for me to get tired of watching them play, and head for bed.

And don’t get me started on video games. I can drive a race car around a track if I have some idea where it’s going, and I do open Free Flow on my phone when I’m in a waiting room, but that’s about it. I think you get the idea. I really don’t like playing games.

However, I don’t want to be accused of not practicing what I preach. And in last Sunday’s sermon I did point out that we need to spend time together socially. And knowing a Game Night had been planned for Friday, I included playing games together in my list of things we could do together. By Sunday afternoon I had come under conviction.

So, I guess I’ll see you Friday evening. Please bring a game or two that’s easy to play, and I’ll join you at a table. But don’t be surprised if I head for home before you’ve had your fill of fun. I fill up pretty quickly.

God Bless, Rick