It's Not Too Late

By Gobel Brockman

     I once went to my bank to cash a check. One of the one dollar bills I received caught my attention. It was printed in 1988. On both sides of it, people who’ve had this dollar bill in their possession over the years have written their location on it:

Portland, Maine – 1992
Edgewater, Maryland – 1992
Mount Vernon, Ohio - 1993
Lexington Kentucky, Winchester Kentucky – 1993

     There are more locations written on it, and I’m sure it’s been in many other places as well.

     My mind began to imagine all of the things this dollar bill has been used for over the years. I pictured a mother in Maine giving this dollar bill to her child so they could buy a candy bar. A college student in Maryland using it to help pay for a Venti Cappuccino to get them through an “all nighter” preparing for a test. A basketball fan in Lexington using it to help buy a Coke at Rupp Arena. What a journey this dollar bill has been on. I can’t imagine all of the things it has been used for. What I do know is that it is showing signs of its age. It is worn and tattered. It wouldn’t take much to tear it, and it has obviously been folded up more times than I could imagine. The Federal Reserve definitely got its dollar’s worth out of this piece of paper.

     That got me to thinking about my Christian life. I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ in 1981, and it has been an incredible journey! I know many of you reading this can say the same thing in your Christian life as well. We have seen a lot, and we have done a lot. The journey has taken us places we couldn’t have imagined. God has used us in ways we never dreamed possible. But just like that dollar bill, perhaps we’re beginning to feel our age. There are some days I look in the mirror and feel that I could pack my entire wardrobe in the bags under my eyes. In the past, I could rarely take a nap. Now I can take them without even planning on it (which is especially unhandy while driving!) But here’s my point: this dollar bill, for all of its signs of age, is worth just as much as the newest one dollar bill that just rolled off the printing press. It has lost some luster, but it hasn’t lost any value.

NEITHER HAVE WE.

     I have said all of this to simply speak a word of encouragement to those who may need it today: it’s not too late for you. You are not too old. You still have value, and God can still use you mightily in His kingdom. If I feel tattered and torn, it is just a sign that I have lived a well-lived life. And even if I do feel tattered and torn, it doesn’t mean that I have lost my value - and neither have you. We are still in circulation, and there is still “Kingdom of God business” that we get to be a part of. There is still much work to be done, and we still get to be part of it. Jesus said this in John 4:35:

     "Do you not say, 'There are four months, and then comes the harvest?' Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest." 

     As long as I have breath in my body, I want my life to bring honor to Jesus Christ. I want to be used for His glory in any way He deems best. Like that dollar bill, I may be showing my age, but I still want to be "spent" as God desires for as long as possible. I know many of you reading this feel the same way. So stay in circulation, stay in the hand of Jesus, and be ready for the next time He wants to "spend" you for His glory. He always makes wise investments.

By Gobel Brockman

“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” - Luke 7:36-39

   A Savior with a present once met a woman with a past.

   It was obvious this woman had a past, because the Scripture text specifically refers to her as “a sinner.”  But this “sinner” heard about Jesus, and was immediately aware both of her failures and His faithfulness. Her response was the perfect response: she came to worship at His feet. She would soon learn that His presence offered grace and forgiveness for her past.

   I can relate to this lady. There was a time in my life when the only thing I cared about was where my next beer, joint, or tab of LSD was coming from. I didn’t need anybody to tell me how bad my life was, because I had a front row seat for every moment of it. But when I finally came to Jesus, I instantly found both forgiveness and absolute freedom. But I had to come to Him the same way that lady did: humbled, repentant, and falling at His feet. The incredible thing is that Jesus will always accept humble, repentant worship that comes from the heart - regardless of the past.

   I’ve said all of that to simply say this: your “past” does not prohibit you from an absolutely amazing “present!” And when you begin to understand the vastness of the mercy and grace extended to you, there’s truly no other response but to worship Him. 

   No matter where you have been in life, the door is open to you to become a true worshiper of God in Spirit and in truth. Yes, that lady had critics - and so will we. But Jesus rose in her defense, and He will rise in our defense as well. We have a saying at our church: “What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Worship Him!” My message to both the critics and the criticized today is simply this: may we ALL come together to the feet of Jesus and worship Him. There’s room for all of us, it’s exactly where we all need to be, and there is no better place to be.

   Especially these days.

Don't Ignore Your Season

By Gobel Brockman

   Recently at our midweek service at church, there was a reference to Ecclesiastes 3 which says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” My mind immediately went to verse 4 which says, “A time to weep, and a time to laugh” and this thought came to me:

DON'T IGNORE YOUR SEASON.

   What do I mean by that? I’ll explain it this way. There are times when life gets difficult. Family issues, financial strain, difficult job situations, and a host of other issues can cause us pain. One of the problems we encounter in these times as Christians is the thought that we should suppress our feelings of concern because that might be seen as “a lack of faith.” We feel the pressure, either from ourselves or outside influences, to smile through our pain because “God is with us.” Yes, God is INDEED with us – always. We have this promise in Hebrews 13:5-6: “He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”

   On the other hand, that Scripture in Ecclesiastes also says that there is “a time to laugh.” Another problem that we sometimes face as Christians is the feeling of unworthiness when blessings come our way. God blesses us abundantly, but yet we convince ourselves that we don’t deserve those blessings. “I’m not good enough” thoughts fill our minds as we hit the rewind button to replay all of our sins, mistakes, and shortcomings. We recall the words in Nehemiah 8:10 that “The joy of the Lord is our strength” but yet we somehow convince ourselves that doesn’t apply to us, and we feel that we don’t deserve to laugh and express the very joy that God graciously pours out upon us.

   As I thought about this Scripture last night, I thought of how often we try to ignore our seasons. In our seasons of weeping, we put on a fake smile and attempt to convince ourselves and everyone around us that “all is well.” In our seasons of laughter, we allow feelings of unworthiness or thoughts of “this won’t last” to rob us of the joy that God wants to pour out upon us. With that in mind, this is my encouragement to you as a child of God today:

   If you are in a season of weeping right now, WEEP. God does not see your tears as a lack of faith. On the contrary, you can know that those tears have been seen by your Father, and you can claim the promise of Psalms 34:18: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Likewise, if you are in a season of laughter, LAUGH! Turn off the tape recorder of past failures and forget the feelings of “I don’t deserve this!” and allow the joy of the Lord to indeed be your strength. Recognize that Psalms 126:2 can be your reality: “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them.”

   Finally, always remember that seasons change. For however many more days God gives each of us on this earth, there are going to be “seasons” of weeping and “seasons” of laughter. Things change, and that will never stop. Life will always include both grievous challenges and unspeakable blessings. The one constant in all of it is that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you won’t go through ANY of it alone. Whether your current tears are tears of sorrow or tears of laughter, the words of Jesus are your promise today:

   “Behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Get Fitted For Your Garment of Praise

By Gobel Brockman


Part of my Bible reading this morning included Psalms 147. Verse one says this:

“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is FITTING.” Psalms 147:1 (Emphasis mine)

This reminded me of the Scripture in Isaiah 61:3 that says God will give us “a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” No one needs me to tell them that we are in “heavy” times right now. What I will tell you is that God can give peace in situations where in the natural, peace shouldn’t be found. There is power when we learn to praise God in the midst of our pain. Jentezen Franklin puts it this way:

“It works like this. When you begin to praise Him with a heavy heart, you experience a new sense of hope and joy. Through worship you are reminded that God is bigger than the situation you face; that He’s not only capable of managing your concerns but willing, wanting, and waiting to.”

With that in mind, let me encourage you with this thought. Today, let’s take a few moments and turn off CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. Sign out of Facebook for a bit - it will still be there when we get back. Crank up some worship and praise music, and spend some time with Jesus. Take a few moments not asking for anything, just give Him praise for the simple reason that He deserves it. Jesus truly is Lord of all, and no earthly situation will change that. So lift your voice in song and prayer, and put on the garment of praise.

You will find that it “fits” you well.

Dealing with Day Nine

By Gobel Brockman

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared to them tongues as of fire, being distributed and resting on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.” - Acts 2:1-4

   This past Sunday (as I write this) was Pentecost Sunday. We celebrated the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit and the birth of the New Testament church. There are many things I could address on this subject, but for today I want to focus on one thought. On the day of His ascension, Jesus told His disciples to return to Jerusalem and “wait for the promise of the Father.” (Acts 1:4) They obeyed and went to the upper room to pray and wait.

One day passed.
Two days passed.
Six days passed.
Nine days passed.

   I try to imagine how those men and women felt in that time of waiting. The were exactly where Jesus told them to go, and they were doing exactly what Jesus told them to do - WAIT. I can’t help but wonder if there was any uncertainty in their minds as the days passed. (I can picture one of them asking Thomas, “Do you think it will happen today?” with Thomas replying, “I doubt it!”) They were praying and waiting. And waiting....and waiting....

Then Day Ten arrived.

SUDDENLY.

   All the praying and waiting paid off. The promise arrived, and the world hasn’t been the same since! But here’s an interesting point: the Greek word for suddenly in that passage is aphno, which means “unaware, unexpected.” They were praying for the promise, and when it arrived it STILL caught them “unexpectedly unaware!” My question for today is this: the answer came on Day 10, but what would have happened if they had grown tired of waiting on Day 9?

   I ask simply because I know how I can be sometimes, and I know I’m not the only one. Waiting can be challenging. Microwaves and digital clocks have us programmed for instant results, but God operates on a schedule that totally ignores man’s impatience. Today I simply want to remind us all that when God promises God delivers, but He alone decides the delivery day. We no longer have to “tarry” for the promised Holy Ghost, we can simply ask and receive. But there are times in our lives when we are seeking an answer and God will tell us to “pray and wait.” So if you’re waiting on an answer from God, follow the “Day of Pentecost” example of the disciples: do what Jesus tells you to do, keep praying, waiting, and believing, and stay put. The Holy Ghost changed their lives, and He will do the same for you.

   Don’t grow weary on Day 9. Day 10 is worth the wait.

Do We Sometimes Treat God Like an Idol?

By Gobel Brockman


   Part of my Bible reading this past week included Psalms 115, and verses 4-8 grabbed my attention:

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
eyes, but they cannot see;
they have ears, but they cannot hear;
noses, but they cannot smell;
they have hands, but they cannot feel;
feet, but they cannot walk;
neither can they speak with their throat. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.”

   Many times we think of “idol worship” in terms of bowing down and/or praying to statues. That practice seems questionable at best: a man crafts a metal or wooden image, and then treats it as a supreme being? This statue is created with eyes, ears, and a mouth that cannot see, hear, or speak. For many people, this seems absurd. But before we get too critical of them, allow me to ask a question:

HOW OFTEN DO WE AS CHRISTIANS TREAT THE LIVING GOD LIKE AN IDOL?

   What do I mean? The Scripture quoted above speaks about an idol’s complete inability to interact with those who worship it. Yet in our current “COVID-19 world” are we guilty of accusing God of the very same things today?

“God, why aren’t You speaking life into my situation?”

“God, don’t you see what I’m gong through?”
“God, do you even hear my prayers?”
“God, isn’t the fragrances of my “sacrifices” reaching Your nostrils?”
“God, why aren’t Your hands working in my life?”
“God, why do You feel so far away?”

   Idols cannot assist their worshippers in any way, but sadly there seems to be many right now who are allowing their own pain, impatience, and frustration to cause them to feel as though their faith in God is just as invaluable. My message, however, is NOT intended to make anyone feel worse than they may already feel. I understand the doubt and uncertainty that some are feeling in these times. None of us have lived through anything quite like this before, and fear of the unknown can indeed be a challenge to our faith. My hope in writing this today is to encourage those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ with these thoughts:

God DOES see what you’re going through.

God IS hearing your prayers.
God’s IS speaking - His word is just as alive and powerful as it’s ever been.
God IS at work in your life and in the world.
Nothing - absolutely NOTHING - has ever caught God by surprise, and He never has and never will abandon His children.

   There is a Scripture in Isaiah 40:31 that can bring us tremendous peace and confidence in these times. The beginning of that verse says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...” One mistake we make in our relationship with God is a misunderstanding of what it means to”wait” upon the Lord. We think of waiting as standing with our arms folded, tapping our feet, and looking at the clock every 15 seconds waiting for the answer to our prayer to arrive. But in the original Hebrew the word for wait in that passage is “qawa” which has the implication of “binding together.” So with that thought in mind, think of it this way: “Lord, I wait upon you in faith. I know You are God and You will never leave me nor forsake me. In these times of waiting, I will bind myself together with You. I know You haven’t left me, and I’m not going anywhere either. You are NOT an idol; You are the living and true God, and You are indeed in control. I put my faith and my confidence in You.”

   In life and in death, He is God, He’s alive, and He’s in control. Jesus Christ is forever Lord, and if you know Him as Savior, you’re forever in His hands.

   And He’s no idol.

It's Not Too Late

By Gobel Brockman


   I once went to my bank to cash a check. One of the one dollar bills I received caught my attention (pictured). It was printed in 1988. On both sides of it, people who’ve had this dollar bill in their possession over the years have written their location on it:

Portland, Maine – 1992
Edgewater, Maryland – 1992
Mount Vernon, Ohio - 1993
Lexington Kentucky, Winchester Kentucky – 1993

   There are more locations written on it, and I’m sure it’s been in many other places as well. My mind began to imagine all of the things this dollar bill has been used for over the years. I pictured a mother in Maine giving this dollar bill to her child so they could buy a candy bar. A college student in Maryland using it to help pay for a Venti Cappuccino to get them through an “all nighter” preparing for a test. A basketball fan in Lexington using it to help buy a Coke at Rupp Arena. What a journey this dollar bill has been on. I can’t imagine all of the things it has been used for. What I do know is that it is showing signs of its age. It is worn and tattered. It wouldn’t take much to tear it, and it has obviously been folded up more times than I could imagine. The Federal Reserve definitely got its dollar’s worth out of this piece of paper.

   That got me to thinking about my Christian life. I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ in 1981, and it has been an incredible journey! I know many of you reading this can say the same thing in your Christian life as well. We have seen a lot, and we have done a lot. The journey has taken us places we couldn’t have imagined. God has used us in ways we never dreamed possible. But just like that dollar bill, perhaps we’re beginning to feel our age. There are some days I look in the mirror and feel that I could pack my entire wardrobe in the bags under my eyes. In the past, I could rarely take a nap. Now I can take them without even planning on it (which is especially unhandy while driving!) But here’s my point: this dollar bill, for all of its signs of age, is worth just as much as the newest one dollar bill that just rolled off the printing press. It has lost some luster, but it hasn’t lost any value.

NEITHER HAVE WE.

   I have said all of this to simply speak a word of encouragement to those who may need it today: it’s not too late for you. You are not too old. You still have value, and God can still use you mightily in His kingdom. If I feel tattered and torn, it is just a sign that I have lived a well-lived life. And even if I do feel tattered and torn, it doesn’t mean that I have lost my value - and neither have you. We are still in circulation, and there is still “Kingdom of God business” that we get to be a part of. There is still much work to be done, and we still get to be part of it. Jesus said this in John 4:35:

"Do you not say, 'There are four months, and then comes the harvest?' Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest."

   As long as I have breath in my body, I want my life to bring honor to Jesus Christ. I want to be used for His glory in any way He deems best. Like that dollar bill, I may be showing my age, but I still want to be "spent" as God desires for as long as possible. I know many of you reading this feel the same way. So stay in circulation, stay in the hand of Jesus, and be ready for the next time He wants to "spend" you for His glory. He always makes wise investments.