Lip Service? Or Life Service?

II Kings 17:9-10

And the sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right, against the Lord their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. And they set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah on every high hill and under every green tree.

I find it rather odd that Israel could refer to God as "their" God but at the same time

carry on an illicit affair with other gods.

Not only believing in them but going as far as erecting and dedicating specific locations

for the sole purpose of worshiping these false deities.

Saying with their lips, "You alone are our Lord!" and all the while their affections and attention is set upon other gods.
We may not like to think of such behavior as being a form
of spiritual adultery....
but that is what it is...
Professing our love for one,but all the while our thoughts....
our heart....
is on another.

I pray that I never find myself in this type of relationship with God.

One where I offer only lip service to him while all the time I am focused on serving another.

This is a good time of year for such a thing as I have written about to happen.

This time of year, people give lip service to the birth of Jesus.

We may even read an obligatory passage from Luke Chapter 2 in

order to soothe the religious spirit that rises up.

But our affections are turned toward gifts, parties, gatherings, and other such things.

Are these things evil? I don't think so.

But when we live the other 11 months of the year by not following the directives and

instructions of God, only to try and make up during the month of December......

Well, there is something wrong with what how we perceive relationship with God

to be lived out.

To me Christmas should be the culmination of a year spent growing in Christ.

To celebrate the beginning of the end of the power that sin held sway over mankind.

Christmas should be a time of gratitude and helping those who are struggling.

Truth be known, this is how we should live 24/7---365!

How can we ignore people for 11 months only to turn around in the 12th month and

pass along a bag of oranges and say, "God bless you!"?

Yes, December is a time marked to celebrate the birth of Christ....

but shouldn't every day be a celebration of living for Him?

Shouldn't we work and strive to love as He loved?

To do unto the least of our brethren as we would do unto Christ?

Look for Jesus today!

You'll see him.

You'll find him.

It won't be in the places you think you'd find him.

Merry Christmas!

mb

More Than Wonderful

John 17:3
And this is eternal life....that they many know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one You sent to earth.

The picture above is from the movie "It's A Wonderful Life"....
The imaginary town of Bedford Falls, home to one Mr. George Bailey....
I love this movie...
It is a staple in the Bynum Christmas movies that we watch every year.
And yet as wonderful as this movie is, there is a dark undertone that the world doesn't want to consider.

"It's A Wonderful Life" is about being a servant....
Putting the needs of others ahead of your own.....
Of helping others fulfill a dream, while your's gathers dust on the shelf...
The belief that riches are found in the unseen places in a persons life.
George Bailey, the hero of our movie, had dreams.....big ones....
As he so eloquently states to his father...."I'm going to shake the dust of this old town and I'm going to see places and do things".
He meant every word too.
George was going places....
But George had a major problem in his life...
As much as he wanted things for himself, he had a heart that led him to take care of others needs before his own. The world might view such as a curse....
A man who would forsake his own dreams to help others. Such would be seen as weak...no business savy...but this was George Bailey.

Such a heart made George angry....but he never showed it....
Such a heart could be called a "Servant's Heart"....
George never once cried out..."This isn't fair!"
Years roll on, and George, through the Bailey Savings And Load, improves the lives of the towns people by helping them build and own their own home. Of course no movie would be complete without a villain, and this one is no different....Mr. Potter. Our villain owns the counter part to the Bailey Savings and Loan. In fact the BS&L is a thorn in his side and Potter bristles with just the mention of it. Potter's life revolves around the simple fact that the Bailey Savings and Loan is taking money from him that rightfully should be his.

Fast forward into the movie, George's uncle Billy (who works for the BS&L) looses a deposit of $8,000.00, which just happens to be found by Mr. Potter. Potter puts the wheels in motion for the BS&L to be inspected by the State Auditor, knowing full well that such a short fall in funds would shut down the Savings and Loan. 

Threatened with jail, shame over this event, George sinks into depression and the darkest places of the human soul...
Eventually George finds himself on a bridge preparing to kill himself....
Mr. Potter's words come back to haunt George who went to him begging for help. When asked what he had for collateral to pay back an $8,000.00 loan, George held out a life insurance policy....Potter laughed and told him, 'Why you're worth more dead than alive".
Suicide it was...George Bailey was going to end it all, to make the pain stop.

God intervenes and sends and angel named Clarence.
Clarence, in an effort to save George, shows him what life in Bedford falls would have been like had George never been born. All the lives he touched along his life journey....some would have lived, some died...on and on Clarence shows George the effects if George had never been born.

Bottom line, the towns people come to George's aid to help bail him out. Why? Because they knew that George had given himself to better their lives....
Here's where the movie gets real strange, without really pointing it out.
As wonderful as the ending is to the movie....
As heartfelt love flowed to George, Mary and the Bailey kids.....
Life went on....on the surface there wasn't a happy ending...
They still lived in that drafty old house, with the spindle that comes off the staircase banister.
George still worked at the Bailey Savings and Loan, scrimping and saving to simply provide a living for his family.
George's dreams still lay on that shelf gathering dust....
Mr. Potter kept trying to shut the BS&L down....
In fact nothing had really changed in George's life, except for one thing....
George discovered the incredible riches that come from loving, helping and serving others...
George Bailey discovered riches and wealth he never knew he possessed.

There are riches that cannot be seen or touched by human eye or hand.
Riches that are not accounted for by banks, the stock market or any other financial institution.
Such riches are held by God ready to be dispensed to the "George and Mary Bailey's" of the world.
Precious things like love to others......mercy....compassion....being free with what God has given to you.....and on and on and on the list goes. Living a life that is defined by the Gospel.

Don't let this Christmas season pass you by without giving thought and taking stock of your own life.
How do you measure it? By what you have accumulated in the material things you have bought? By your social status? 

The only true measure of a life is found when it stands in the shadow of the Cross....
life....real life is found in the passage from John 17:3.....Eternal life is knowing...not collecting facts and information about God...but knowing Him through encounters you have with Him...Knowing Him through study of His word....Taking those principals He gives to us and then living them out among the people of your life. We have been called to pour out ourselves on humanity, not circle the wagons and sit and stare at our own navel. Why not allow God to open your heart and eyes to the wonderful life that is there for you?

Merry Christmas from the "B's" In Attalla !

Best-est Christmas Present Ever

Luke 15:16
......when no one gave him anything.....He finally came to his senses.....

Got my Christmas present yesterday....
Been praying for it for a number of months, but wasn't sure it would make it.
It arrived via a telephone call last night around 7 p.m.
My phone rang, not knowing who it was that was calling, I answered it only to be greeted with a recorded message......"This is a call from an inmate at (Insert name) county jail wishing to speak to you" . Well, at least it wasn't a collect call.

The voice on the other end sounded clear, sober and, if you can believe it,relived.
"Bro. Mike! I just had to call you and let you know what has happened to me". Now to some of you who are reading this, it may get a bit strange from here on out as I finish this story. This person has been on a runaway train headed straight to destruction and hell for some time. I would get calls at least once a week where they would describe what was going on in their life. With each call, things got a little worse....
It began with "I lost my job"...
Then there was "I lost my car"....
Followed by "I've lost my house".....
Then came an upswing in life...."Someone has given me a place to live"...
Which was quickly followed by encounters with demons...coming in and out of the place he was staying, tormenting him. Not making this up and if you've ever had any dealings with such you know that what I write is true.

Old friends began to reappear in this persons life.
Old friends are usually quickly followed by old ways and old thoughts.
Such will put you on the fast track to old habits and behaviors.
Before you know it, you're smack dab back in that old lifestyle of drugging and drinking.
The person I was talking to confessed that they had reverted to being a gutter-addict, or one who uses what ever is available to get high. Meth, Crack, Booze, Heroin..didn't matter as long as it did the job. In this drunken stupor, last Saturday night they decided to steal a car, but before they did, they went to a 7-11 to use the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, door locked, they sat down and immediately went to sleep. Next thing they knew, the police was asking them questions.

This was quickly followed by a new set of bracelets being given to them, as well as a personal escorted ride to a government building. In other words, they were going to jail. Due to the history of this individual, probation was revoked and now they are headed to prison for 18 months. Here was my Christmas present....they were going to prison. Usually I would not wish prison on my worse enemy, but in this case, prison might be the vehicle that saves this individual. I think there was relief in this person that the train had been derailed before it killed them. 

Of course, in the conversation I had with this person, they were saying all the right things. As they went on and on about how this was God's love to get them in a place where they would not die, I told him.."We'll see! If this truly is God then you will go in with an attitude of gratitude that He loves you so much, He is sending you to prison." In other words, as bad as prison is, this is an opportunity given by God to get it right this time. No more playing. No more lying. Keep this person in your prayers if you would, they God would continue to hold their feet to the fire, that they may finally make the turn toward a new way of living.

As soon as I receive their address, I will post it so if you would like to write them, you can. Like I said, this was the best Christmas present I've received. Mercy and grace to this person, Father....mercy and grace.

Merry Christmas from the "B's" in Attalla.

Wise Men And Shepherds

Matthew 2:2
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?"

Wise men show up in Jerusalem....
There were more than three of them....
Had to have been this way, because the Scripture says that King Herod was "deeply disturbed" when he heard their question, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
Three visitor's might not have stirred up much of a stink...
But a caravan of many wise men might have.

The Magi have arrived. Isn't that a great name....Magi? A name associated with Eastern Astrologers and mystics. Watching the heavens, they come upon a star unlike any other. I don't know if it was the brightness of the star that drew their attention, or the position of the star when it was first noticed, but something spoke to them about the star. Or could it have been that someone spoke to them about the importance of this particular star? Which ever the case, it was enough for them to pack up, leave home, and go on a journey. Some estimates say that they traveled as much as two years. Here again, I love looking at the night sky, but to chuck everything for a two-year excursion? I don't know if I'd threw my hat in the ring on that one.

What we do know is that the wise men did not show up on the night of Jesus' birth. They did not meet up with the shepherds in Luke 2 to go  see this new born babe. They came later after Jesus' birth. Matthew 2:10-11 says, "When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! they entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary....."
Shepherds went to a stable....
Wise men went to a house....
Both driven by an inward desire to see this child....
He was more than a child...
He was more than that newborn babe we portray each year in our Christmas celebrations...
He was GOD IN FLESH.
God had come down to us, to save us....He fulfilled every prophecy concerning this coming child. The earth had been waiting in anticipation ever since Genesis 3:15.

To Shepherds, God declared His coming through a host....a bunch.....a crowd....a multitude of angels....
Do you understand this? The most important event in human history was declared from the heavens to a group of men who were the least of the least. They were the ones chosen by God to declare the salvation of all mankind from the power, presence and penalty of sin. The news wasn't proclaimed to those at the Temple. It wasn't shouted in the halls of the palace. It didn't fall upon the ears of those who drove the commerce of the city. It came to a bunch of men, whose name we will never know, tending sheep outside the city.

But in the East, God revealed this truth to a group of men who studied the heavens for signs. Who knows, maybe these wise men were knowledgeable of the prophecy found in Numbers 24:17 spoken by a man named Balaam. He was hired by the king of Moab to come and speak a curse over the flood of people that Moses had lead out of Egypt. Instead of a curse, God spoke a prophecy through this man.
"I see Him, but not here and now. I perceive Him, but far in the distant future. A STAR will rise from Jacob.....A scepter will emerge from Israel....."

Two distinct ways of God revealing to us that THE Messiah was coming and was here.
Every day we get up should be a day of grasping this truth concerning this babe.
That our struggles have been paid for...
Our sin has been forgiven....
We no longer have to dwell in a land (or state) of darkness.
This Babe....
This tiny, little babe was the fullness of God come to us.
I think back to the words of the song "Mary Did You Know"....and the line that says, "Marry did you know when you kissed His face, you've kissed the face of God."
I know that today's posting probably wasn't anything new....
But sometimes we need to take another look at what the Scripture says, and ask ourselves, "How can I apply this story of the birth of Christ into my own life?"

Well, for starters....
Don't become apathetic in your daily life...
Watch for God every moment of every day...
He is a communicating God, and he will speak to us, but we have to be ready to hear.
The Shepherds left their flocks...
The wise men left their country...
Why?
To go and worship a new born King.
What are you prepared to leave?
Life, real life is all about worshiping the very one who has saved us.
Not because He demands it...
But because He is worth it.

Merry Christmas from the "B's" in Attalla.

Orange Slices And God-thoughts

Isn't it funny how our minds work (or sometimes don't)?
Usually by this time in the Christmas season, I have begun to take a long journey back through Christmas past. Revisiting old times and old thoughts. My nephews death has awakened me to the fact of how important time really is. I'm not to waste it on myself. I'm called to be a servant to family, friends, and even those I meet that  do not know.

This journey through memory land is not so much in a year by year listing of what happened, as it is images and fleeting thoughts of something someone said or a song that I remember. This morning, as I was pondering Scripture about what to put on the posting, out of nowhere came the thought....."orange slices".
Orange slices? Yeah, you know....those little jellied candies coated in sugar made in the shape of an orange slice (hence the name...boy those Madison Avenue guys are sharp aren't they?).

This was the "chosen" candy of the Bynum household as I was growing up. But the only time we ever got them was during Christmas. It was my mom's favorite candy. Usually during a trip downtown (remember when you shopped downtown?) we would find ourselves either in W.T. Grants or Sears & Roebuck Department stores. Each had the most wonderful candy counters that you could imagine. Rows upon rows of treats all waiting to be scooped up and weighed out for your convenience.  My mom was a stickler when it came to orange slices. They had to be fresh. Anything less than that made the simple act of eating them somewhat like chewing roofing tar.

Those simple candies that we purchased year after year, were the center of many incredible memories that come to my mind. It is almost as if God files certain memories about my mom, about Christmas in the "O" Drawer, "O" being orange slices.
God's ability to create us with such a powerful gift as memories is one more reason that evolution is such a "hinky" science. I bet that was a first. The first time hinky and science have been used in the same sentence.

We are called to remember in Scripture.
To remember what Christ has done for us.
To remember the price that was paid so we can enjoy the freedom and liberty of this new life we have in Christ.
To remember the promises, yet unfulfilled, that God has spoken. He is a God of His word, isn't He? I think so.


Why remember?
Because these simple slices of our past, neatly tucked away in our minds, can keep us grounded and focused on where we have come from, where we are today, and where He is taking us tomorrow.


On the other side, the devil can use memories as a weapon against us.
He can dredge up those dark memories of things gone wrong and, if we ponder them, can keep us weighed down by guilt,shame and fear.
Wouldn't it be great if when we are saved, that God would wipe our memories clean of all the bad we have said and done? Well, He doesn't. But I always try to encourage the men in treatment that what God is capable of doing is pretty incredible. Through our confession, repentance and acceptance of His forgiveness, God takes those dark memories and removes the emotions from them. In other words, I can have a memory of something I did in the past that caused great pain to myself and others, but it simply is a memory....none of the emotional baggage that it usually brings. Why? Because as I'm having the memory, I am reminded of the work that Christ has done in me and for me. I am reminded that that is the old me. That person is dead and gone through my salvation. Now if that doesn't set you on fire, then your wood is wet!

Merry Christmas from the "B's" in Attalla.

Three Act Play

Psalm 107:20
He sent out His word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.

Life yesterday was like a three act play...

Act 1:
Teaching at Northside Baptist Church yesterday morning...
Small congregation that is dwindling down as members have gotten older and moved, or have passed away. Don't judge it by the size. If you do so you will deceive yourself. Look at the heart of those who have remained. I hate the way American's have taken on the view that unless it is "BIG" then it isn't successful. These folks at Northside love God and each other in a way that shames larger churches. No formality here....let's gather together and see what God wants to do. They love His word...They love to worship....I don't  know what the future holds for them, but I know that God will take care of those who are faithful to each other and this church.

Act 2:
We had the funeral of my nephew Jeff Bynum yesterday.
It was amazing to see the number of people who came from all over the country to pay their respects. I was asked to read the Greene Street posting I had written about Jeff's death. At the graveside, three young men came to me to thank me for what I had shared during the funeral. You could tell that this whole death/funeral/church/God thing was new to them, and they were extremely out of their element, so to speak. They fumbled for words to express their own grief and pain. At one point, one of them shook my hand and with trembling voice said, "You know I found your post in those Greene Street things....I kept reading other things you'd written. I've never been able to understand much about the Bible and God, but I was able to understand what you'd written." The other two agreed with him. Who knows.......my prayer is that in spite of Jeff being taken so soon from this life, maybe these three will find their own lives in Christ. God does have the incredible power and love to turn what was intended to destroy us, into life for others.

Act:3
We arrived back home and sat down at the table to share a meal together.
Josh, Heather, Chad, Tyler and Ashley, Vicki and I laughed over Christmas memories.....Shared snippet's of where life currently has us stationed....and told each other over and over and over how much we love each other. I think this was the underlying tone to Jeff's death, to not let things go unsaid. Be sure to tell those around you how much you love them. Be the one who encourages and lifts up those who need it. Be open handed and give away what God has freely given to us. Never...never...never be afraid to let yourself feel the love that God has for you.

As we settled in last night, my last thought before going to sleep was how real life situations has a way of tearing down all that isn't important in the grand scheme of society's view. Here in this season that has been marked by the giving of gifts......New cars in the driveway with huge red bows on them.....that perfect house that has been decorated to the nth degree.....perfect tree...perfect family....real life will pull down the shallowness of such. You see, real life is a mixture that is hard to wrap your heart and brain around.

Real life is pain and joy....
Real life is darkness and light....
Real life is about failure and hope...
Real life is about family and loneliness...
But the bottom line is that real life is truly found in Jesus.
That in spite of the pain that may be filling your heart to the point you feel like your going to drown.....He is there.
He is there to take you and lift you up to a place that you cannot stand or walk in by your own strength.
Real life..

Merry Christmas from the "B's" in Attalla.

On behalf of the Bynum family, I want to thank each of you for your love, your prayers and your support during this dark time. A special thanks to the core leadership of Vineyard ReCovery for taking over and seeing that the Saturday night meeting went on. You guys rock!

The Step# 12 Army Needs To Rise Up

...."Tis The Season"......
...."It's the most wonderful time of the year!"
...."Joy To The World!"

Why is it the most wonderful time of the year?
Because it is the day that God has made....
Today is a day that has been fashioned by the hand of God....
Fashioned and set in place with events and circumstances and situations waiting to happen.
Now smack dab in the middle of this day, he has placed you and me.
He has equipped us to affect and infect those we come in contact with, with the incredible, wonderful message that you don't have to live under the burden or bondage of sin. You know, if something is indeed wonderful and incredible, you want ot share it with everyone you know....Such is this day, this life, this time that God has given to us. It's Christmas!!! A celebration of God stepping into our time and space to become a Savior to all mankind. Man! If that don't crank your tractor then you battery is dead. Don't religious-ize this event and turn it into a something it never was intended to become. If you've truly been saved from your sin (and especially yourself) then you got a burning going on inisde that need never be quenched. The desire to share what God has done to you..........through you..........in you....and now flowing out of you.

You no longer have to be defined as a 'slave' to sin, driven by the wants and desires of a nature that will do nothing more than take you down the road to destruction. You can be free! This is why I chose Psalm 100:2 for today's verse....."Serve the Lord with gladness!" It is the time of the year to serve.....serve God and others...in fact in Matthew 25, in the parable of the sheep and goats, Jesus stated that when we serve those who are in need, we are actually serving him. 
..."For I was hungry and you gave Me food. I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. I was a stranger and you took Me in. I was naked and you clothed Me. I was sick and you visited Me. I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, "Lord...when did we see You hungry and feed You. Or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in. Or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" And the King (Jesus) will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to ME!"

Every morning that we arise to face this day that God has created, we should do so as coming into His presence. We serve! We were created to serve! We were created to be generous with anything and everything God has placed at our disposal. We should be goofy, silly, crazy people who spend themselves on others. We are to serve the Lord with gladness.

It's time we stop being takers......
It is time we start being givers......
So, with this in mind.....ask God to show you where you are to give.
Maybe you will be lead to start serving and giving at a Celebrate Recovery meeting...(What an incredible place to learn and practice this loving on others).
Maybe you could visit a nursing home and simply share some hugs and smiles....with those who don't have anyone to visit them. 
It could even be as simple as getting out of the Scrooge-mood and as you walk through the mall (or in my case...Wal Mart) start praying for everyone you see....pray that God would lead them to the true meaning of what this Christmas season is truly all about. Smile at them and wish them Jesus! 
Serve The Lord With Gladness!!!
It's time we become a STEP #12 Army!
Practicing the principals....
Taking the message to others....
Give away freely what has been given to each of us...
Merry Christmas From the Bynum's...
Michael and Vicki

God on you....
mb