“And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.” 1 Samuel 12:21

What a strange, and even anticlimactic, statement!  Samuel says to the people that they must not turn aside from God. That certainly makes sense, but his reason is rather startling. He says that if they deviate from following the Lord they will end up going ”after empty things.” Okay, I get it. They would fall for the frivolous, but is that the worst thing that could happen? Is it really all that bad that those who detour from following after God would go after those things that are “nothing”?

Why does Samuel have such a great fear of emptiness? Certainly it is always a terrible thing to stop following after God. But, if the worst thing that a man could do is give himself to shallow, frivolous and empty-headed pursuits, is that really so terrible? Wouldn’t it be better to go after the simple, harmless, innocent things of this world – things that would be considered “silly” – than it would to give yourself to those things that are indeed “sinful”? Samuel says, “No.”

Who is the farthest away from God? Which one would it take longer to come back to Him? Is it the one who was lured by lust? The one who slipped into open sin? The one who hurt his own heart with acts of debauchery? No, all of these have come quickly to Christ. Mary Magdalene’s passion was transformed for Jesus. Saul’s fiery hatred of Christ was turned into a fiery love for Him. Peter’s guilt was changed to glory. Each of these had no doubt been far from the Lord. It appears far more difficult for those who have simply become caught up with the common cares of this world to come to Christ than it does for those who were deep in sin. Simon the Pharisee is “farther away” than Mary Magdalene because he’s “empty.”

What is the opposite of a calm sea? Is it a sea stirred by a great storm? No, because in a minute it can go from stormy to settled, from raging to peaceful, from windy to complete and utter calm. No, the opposite of a calm sea isn’t a stormy sea. It is a stale, stagnant pool. Why? Because it is missing the very thing that is found in both the stormy and the settled sea. It is missing life.

There is nothing so detrimental to fellowship with God as the worship of trifling things, because such worship is idolatry without any sense of sin. Trifles don’t trouble the human heart, and like Bethesda, where there is no troubling of the pool there can never be any healing.

May the Lord deliver me from lifting up my heart to vain, empty, trifling things. There is a pride that lifts itself only to bring about its own fall. It’s when I set my sights on those things that are surely impossible that I see my own presumption. However, when I take aim at those things which are beneath me, it is then that I fail to realize my great need. I am lulled into a false sense of achievement by the simplicity of my aim.

If I were to set out to scale the Tower of Babel, my failure would immediately be evident and would likely cause me to see my failure and need of forgiveness. But, when I build my house on the sand, and it stands, I see no sin and therefore realize no need for God. So, when Jesus comes walking on the stormy seas I don’t even see that I’m sinking and that I must reach up and cry out to Him.

Great sinners such as Zacchaeus and Mary have come – but not me. Why? Because there are times that my amazing selfishness is held in such a small vessel. “My sin isn’t as great as Zacchaeus. It isn’t as notorious as Mary’s. Surely it is a small thing that I haven’t helped my neighbor or shared a kind word.” I have hidden my treasure in a trifle and it is the trifling thing that now hides Him from me.

Oh, that He would rend the veil and show me the tragedy of the trifle! How I pray to see the great poison that is contained in such a tiny box. May Christ break the box and trample on the trifling things of my life. May He teach me to know just how much I desperately need Him. May I then follow only after Him and not be turned aside by “empty things.”

Love Gives By Faith

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” Psalm 5:3

Why does David say that “in the morning” he will ”look up”?  Is it said in earnest expectation? Does he mean to say that he lifts his eyes in hopes of an answer from Heaven? I don’t think so.  I think that what David is saying isn’t that he looks up with expectation, but rather in confidence. He lifts his eyes with the assurance of a man who daily walks with God. He’s saying that when he prays he can do so with an unrestrained confidence and an unashamed countenance. He can look into the perfectly pure face of God because he has nothing of which to be ashamed. He may not receive what he requests, but he doesn’t have to be ashamed for asking.

How is it that a man can have such confidence in the presence of God? It is because he offers his prayers, “in the morning.” He’s not worn out by the pressing concerns of the day because he offers his prayers before the heat and weight of the day falls on him. He’s not consumed with the common cares of life. He’s not crying out for personal gain. He prays from a heart that is free from fear and unhindered with the wants of the world. His prayers mount up on wings of praise and soar to Heaven on a song. They fly by instinct, not by instruction. They’re drawn by attraction, not by compulsion. The prayers of the Psalmist rise before the first drop of rain falls. Thus, I learn from the Psalmist that it is only when I offer the morning’s of my life that I can truly say, “I will direct my prayers to You.”

The Bible says that “God is love,” and as such would naturally rejoice in offerings that are given by love. There is no sacrifice like those given early in the morning. He loves it most because it sacrifices the least. It is more dear to His heart because it comes most from mine. He doesn’t desire sacrifice, but rather a song. He hears the cry of the weary, but it is the prayer of praise that is most precious to Him. Evening prayers may evoke His pity, but it is the prayers of the morning that most stir His joy.

Many voices will no doubt cry out to Him at dusk, but may mine be the one heard at dawn. May I offer my unhindered heart and my undimmed life. May I come to Him, not out of fear, but always for fellowship. For, if my voice is heard in the morning, it is then that I can lift my head to Heaven with joy.

Kim is due to have third child any day now. So, I thought I’d be a good husband pick up some dinner to bring home. (Nobody wants me cooking in the kitchen. Tried it once. Bad idea.) She had been craving Japanese food, so I dropped by our favorite local chopstick-toting restaurant – Joy of Tokyo – and ordered steak and chicken teriyaki with steamed rice. Even as I was placing the order, I thought, “There’s no way that Jack is going to eat this.” Oh, he loves chicken and rice, but mostly the fried kind. Which, it turns out, are not the most healthy of foods.

So imagine my surprise when, after fixing the kid’s plates, praying over the meal and spending a few minutes eating and catching up with one another, I looked over and his plate was clean. Not only was it clean, he was trying to get more food off of my plate. I was really happy and pleased. I gave him more food, and he ate it too.

This was a huge milestone for our family. It is something that we have been working on for a while. You see, I not only believe that children should eat healthy food, but they should eat the food that the rest of the family eats unless they have an allergy to a certain food.

I remember hearing that my parents had a similar battle with me when I was a child. My mom would make supper for the family, which normally included foods that I didn’t naturally or normally like. But, there were some rules that were enforced around my parent’s table. First, everybody in the family ate what was cooked for the rest of the family. There were no special meals made for anybody – unless you were sick. You didn’t have to eat everything, but you did have to try everything at least once. (I have a story about a egg sandwich that I promised my mom I would never tell again.) The other rule around my parent’s table was that you couldn’t have “seconds” of anything until you’d first cleaned your plate. I do have to admit that this rule ensured that me and my brother’s learned how to eat an entire plate of food very quickly so we could have “seconds” of the mashed potatoes or biscuits. This is a habit that I still struggle with overcoming today.

So, since we have been “blessed” with a somewhat picky eater, we came up with and have started following some simple rules that I believe helped to get us to tonight’s victory and will help ensure that we are able to enjoy many more such meals together as a family. If you have the daily battle with a picky eater, let me share some simple suggestions that I pray will be a help and encouragement to you as you too seek to instill healthy eating habits into your child.

Don’t worry if they don’t eat as much as you think they should. Remember, they have small stomachs. Sometimes our adults eyes don’t realize how much they do eat, so scale down your expectations. You might also consider starting off with smaller portions. You can always give them seconds.

Cut back on morning and afternoon snacks. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t give them anything to eat in between meals, but keep their snacks small and healthy. Our kids love fresh fruits and nuts.

Don’t let them fill up on drinks. Looking back, this was one of my problems as a older child and younger teenager. I couldn’t gain weight no matter hard I tried. (Oh, to have that problem again.) Sure, a large part of my not gaining weight was a turbo-charged metabolism, but that wasn’t the only thing that contributed to my lack of weight gain. I would drink so much tea or milk or juice that I wouldn’t want anything to eat. One of the things we do at the Whitt house is we try to let them get started eating before we put a great big glass of milk or juice in front of them.

Make sure everybody sits at the table together during meal times. This was a non-negotiable at my parent’s house. If you were on the property you were expected to sit at the table while everybody else was eating. Today, as a daddy I’m so thankful for those times around my parent’s table. I remember our family devotionals and the scripture memory that took place there. I remember the lessons on life that were shared. It was invaluable and is something that I intend to pass on to my children.

Don’t fuss and fight at the table. This is not the place to deal with the “issue” you’ve been wanting to discuss all day. This is not the place to criticize or complain about what they have or haven’t done. Make your family table a place of encouragement and discussion. Use this time to catch up, compliment, share the joys of life together as a family. If there is some issue that needs to be dealt with, do it later and away from the table.

This isn’t “Burger King” – don’t do it their way. Make sure to prepare the best, most healthy, meal you can and then expect them to eat what you have cooked. If you begin serving as a short-order cook, serving up their favorite fried or high fat food, you will create a monster and set them up for a life time of problems. Serve good, tasty, healthy foods and expect them to eat it.

Keep the “Big Picture” in view. The important thing is to teach and instill healthy eating habits into your children. As your children change and develop, their likes and dislikes will change and develop as well. I can look back over my life and see how my tastes have change. I like trying and eating new and different foods. I’ve been overseas and love trying local cuisine. I thank my parents for not being so shortsighted that they sacrificed my future for a fast, easy, fuss-free meal one evening.

Today was not the end of the table battle, but it was an encouraging and reaffirming victory. While I know that this was just one meal, it was an important development that has come as a result of consistently following some very simple rules. Tomorrow…well that’s tomorrow. But, since Jack did so well eating his supper, now it’s time for dessert.

Love Gives From The Heart

“And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you shall put them in the ark.” Deuteronomy 10:2

At first this seemed to me to be a very strange, and even stingy, statement on the part of God. He said, “I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets…” “What? You’re going to write the same thing – again? Is that all you’re going to write?” Sure, the first tablets were destroyed and the revelation lost, but wouldn’t that mean that God should give further revelation instead of just repeating the same revelation? Shouldn’t there be something higher, better, greater?

Any singer that sings a song twice would be expected to sing better, and with more confidence, the second time. So, why then, would God confine Himself to just one song? Doesn’t the scripture say that His voice is like the sound of many waters? So, why would He simply repeat the old words, write the same statements on stone again? Why not move forward with a further and future revelation? Why wouldn’t He swing wide the windows of Heaven and reveal more of His glory and sovereignty to us? Why limit us to the simple sphere of everyday does and don’ts like we find in almost any children’s bible-book? ”Love God!” “Love others!” “Love your mom and dad!” “Love your neighbors!” Love truth and righteousness, gentleness and goodness!” The first tablets contained earthly principles and precepts, surely the new tablets would hold the commands and promises of Heaven!”

But, the answer comes from Heaven in a resounding, “No!” God set the same statements in stone again. Why? Because Heaven can have no other standard of morality than that which was written on the first tablets. As odd, and contrary to common thinking as it might be, the Ten Commandments are as much for eternity as they are for earth. We will never have another moral law. There will be no rewriting of what is good and just, right or wrong. Anywhere we go on earth or in eternity we will find the same old statements that were first written on those tablets of stone.

There will be many new and never-known things to experience in the realm of Heaven. Our eyes will see sights and colors never beheld before. Our ears will hear sounds so subtle and sublime. We will walk roads without end and scale heights unimaginable. There will be new laws of physics – think of a place and immediately we will be there. There will be new laws of physiology – no more disease or death. There will be new social laws – the humble will be exalted and the proud will be humbled. There will be new laws of knowledge – science will be known without the aid of schooling, and truth will be comprehended without any training. But even in Heaven there will be no new laws concerning what is right and what is wrong.

Wherever you go in that new land, you will not go beyond the writing of those first two tablets. There will never be a day when righteousness is anything other than right. There will never come a time when purity isn’t pure. There will never come a morning when holiness is anything other than holy. Heaven may pass away, but the heart will remain. Gravity may break on itself, but grace will never be broken. Light may forever be extinguished, but love is everlasting. We will find the tablets within the veil and meet the same statements once again in the Father’s house. Goodness and mercy will not just follow us, they will walk with us, carried by us over the flood. Other things may fall from our arms into the rushing, raging waters – vanity will vanish, pride will perish, and selfishness will sink, but God has set eternity in our hearts and the things of the heart will ultimately and finally make it across the flood. This is why God set to stone the same Ten again.

This past week it hit me.  I suddenly realized that in less than a month our third child will arrive. It is an exciting and anxious time around the Whitt house. It’s exciting because we will welcome the newest member of our family. There will be joy and happiness in bringing our new baby boy home. I know that there will be sleepless nights and dirty diapers and the smell of baby powder and baby food. But, I’ve got to admit – I love being around little babies – especially when they’re mine. Now, I never thought I’d feel this way, much less say it out loud or put it in print, but it’s true.

It’s also an anxious time. The nursery still needs to be set up and put in order. All of the baby stuff needs to be brought down from the attic and cleaned. The house, and the family, needs to get ready to welcome this miracle of God, this bundle of joy, the newest baby Whitt.

One of the greatest ideas ever passed on to me as a dad came from my friend Dr. Sid Nichols. Sid is a Director of Missions for a strong Association in Alabama. I’ve known Sid most of my life. I’ve hunted with Him, called him for sermon illustrations and ideas. He’s even preached at Temple several times over the past ten years.

About four years ago while Dr. Nichols was preaching a revival meeting at Temple Baptist Church, he gave me the idea for the “Birth Day” Bible. We were expecting our first child and he gave me the suggestion of purchasing a Bible, writing my prayers and dreams for the baby on the Bible’s fly leaf on the day it was born, preaching from it for years and then giving it to my child on the day of his/her wedding. I took his idea and have done it with both of our children. It has been, and continues to be, a very special and precious part of my relationship with my two children.

Now, that I’m about a month our from our third child’s birth, I’ve been thinking about what I would write in the front of his bible. What would I pray for him? What kind of man do I desire that he grown to become? I’ve already purchased the bible, so the easy part is over. Now, comes the important and  meaningful part as I begin to pass on my faith and hope in Jesus to him and for him.

Here’s what I pray for my baby boy.

I pray that he will be saved at an early age.

I pray that he will love Jesus more than anything or anybody.

I pray that he will love his family.

I pray that he will love people.

I pray that he will live a life that honors God.

I pray that he will find God’s will for his life and pursue it with all of his heart.

I pray that he will be a faithful husband and a godly daddy.

I pray that he will serve the Lord’s church.

I pray that he will live a life of no regrets.

I pray that he will spend his life for the cause of Christ.

I pray that he will be a faithful and consistent witness.

I pray that he will be bird hunter and fly fisherman. (Ok, I’m willing to give a bit on this one.)

I pray that he will be a Tennessee Vols fan. (I’m not willing to give on this one.)

I pray that he will get to experience the rapture and meet his family in the air with Jesus.

These are some of the sentiments that I want to share and instill into my baby boy, beginning on the day that he is born. I’m looking forward to meeting this little one that the Father knitted together in his mother’s womb and loves so much that He sent his Son to die for him. I’m looking forward to seeing the Lord work in His life. Yes, I’m even looking forward to the sleepless nights and dirty diapers. Ok, maybe not so much on the dirty diapers.