"THANKS-HOARDING"

 

When you have lived all of your adult life “responding” to emergency calls they often run together and I can only remember certain calls when I trip over their memories that I have left lying around on the floor of my mind.  I tripped this morning and this call came to mind. 

The “beeper” blared it’s obnoxious tone and immediately I responded to the report of a structure fire with heavy smoke showing.  As I pulled up on the road in front of the structure I identified it as a double wide trailer, clear of exposures on all sides with heavy smoke from the front windows. 

Another volunteer firefighter was already on scene dressed in turn-out gear.  I quickly donned my bunker pants, threw on my jacket and swung my Drager air pack over my head and buckled it in place.  I reached behind me turned the wheel on the air pack allowing the compressed air to flow through my mask.  Reaching back over my shoulder I pulled my red nomex hood over the top of my head and then strapped on my helmet.  I slid my hands into my fire-gloves and I was ready to rock.

By this time the engine had pulled up in the front yard and someone had pulled an inch and three quarter hose to the front door.  As my partner and I approached the door I patted the top of my helmet and yelled through my mask “Gim’me water”! 

On our hands and knees we opened the door and crawled inside.  The smoke was intense.  You could literally not see your hand in front of your mask.  We had learned to “see” with our hands so with one hand cradling the hose I reached out my other hand and “looked” for the wall.  Only inches to my right I felt what I thought was the wall.  Reaching to my left I felt what I assumed was another wall.  We must be in a hallway. We continued on down the “hallway” dragging the hose.  As yet we had not “seen” nor felt the fire. 

 “Bill, this is crazy”! My partner yelled.  The ”hallway” seemed to wind its way through the house instead of going in straight lines like most hallways.  We continued on until we faced the dragon and quickly put him to sleep. 

After the fire was extinguished and the smoke cleared I experienced my first encounter with “hoarding”. The “hallway” we had entered was in actuality stacks and stacks of books, magazines, cloths, yard sale items and various piles of “junk”.  These things were stored in cardboard boxes and in most places, throughout the house, stacked to the ceiling. Only a tiny trail led from one room to the next. 

 I’m sure to the owner of the home, these things were good, these things were valuable.  But because they were stored, stacked and stashed in his home, because they were “hoarded” they become a hindrance and certainly were no good for anyone. 

Let me see if I can transition here.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day 2012.  Recently, I have been reading the unabridged writings of E.M. Bounds.  In that work he explained the difference as he understood it, of gratitude and thanksgiving.  He stated that, “Gratitude is an involuntary, inward emotion of the soul while thanksgiving is the voluntary expression of that gratitude”. He further states that “Gratitude is felt in secret while thanksgiving is an open expression of that feeling”. 

Without a doubt, we all receive the benefits of the blessings of God.  Many of us stop long enough to recognize that involuntary emotion of gratitude.  We may even be cognizant of the fact that we should not only be grateful for the things that God does for us but also for “who” God is and what it means to be loved by an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God.  A few, oh Lord, an ever decreasing few, will even experience that personal relationship with the Holy Trinity and experience that involuntary, overflowing, gratitude inside our hearts. 

However, I suggest to you this morning, dear reader, that we have become “Thanks-hoarders" instead of “Thanks-givers”. We hold that gratitude in our hearts and do not in any way express it openly. 

Someone has said that we must be “thanks-livers” as well as “thanks-givers”.  We must voluntarily express to God and to others our thankfulness to Him by the things we say and the way we live. 

 I hope I can do that tomorrow.  I hope I can do that throughout this coming year.  I don’t want to hoard up all my gratitude inside myself, doing no good for anyone and becoming actually a hindrance to myself.  I want to express and communicate that gratitude to those I meet.  I want to voluntarily give my offering of thanks to God. 

ESCAPE HATCH (I COR. 10:13)

I have read the above referenced scripture many times throughout my life.  I’ve turned it over in my mind’s hand and looked at it from what I thought was every side.   

I can accept the statement that the temptations I face are nothing new.  Satan is really not picking on me when adverse things come my way.  Others have faced the same problems and temptations.  Some have faced much more than I.  I can’t call out to God and say “Why me, Lord”? 

I certainly understand the statement that God is faithful.  That’s one of the few things I can testify to about growing old.  When I was young I didn’t have a lot of experiences to fall back on regarding God’s faithfulness to me.  But after all these years, and all these miles, and all these trials I can stand with the Apostle Paul and tell you “yes, God is faithful”. 

When my sweet Mama died she asked me this question, “He won’t leave me will He”?  I was able to tell her with absolute assurance, “No Ma’am He will never leave you”. God is faithful. 

When Paul said that our God will not allow us to be tempted “above” or more than we are able to stand, I understand that.  He is  our loving Father.  If we love our children, if we love our grandchildren, if we know how to love anyone or anything….our God, our Father loves us so much more and He will not put anything on us that will drive us beyond our limits and His care. 

But the statement in the 13th verse regarding escape has caused me to pause and consider it's meaning. Let me quote it to you from the KJV.  (The real Bible)  “…but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”. 

The thought I’ve always had regarding this statement has been that God would insert some special circumstance, some supernatural occurrence, some angel, some person to come by to get me out of my situation.  That’s happened, that will happen in many instances.  But I think His meaning here is deeper than that.  

 

I believe the “way of escape”, the “escape hatch” if you will, was provided for us many years ago.  I think it has been here our whole lives.  I think it is so close that perhaps we can’t see it. I believe the “way of escape” for us is the gift God sent on the Day of Pentecost.  I believe the “way of escape” is the Holy Spirit of God.   

When I am tempted, when I am in trouble, when my world is crashing in around me, I need not look for an angel in a fiery chariot to come riding by to save me. But instead look to the Comforter who is in my heart.

In John 14 Jesus told His disciples that The Father will, “give you another Comforter….He will abide with you forever…..He will dwell with you and shall be in you”.   

If your heart has been forgiven of sins and your life has been totally committed to God and He has given you His Holy Spirit, then you have had that “built-in escape hatch” installed into your being.  He is “in you” and is ready to assist you at a moment's notice.  

You understand that an escape hatch is useless if not used don’t you?  If you don’t know how to use it, it cannot benefit you in times of emergency.  Emergency service folk practice using emergency equipment and practice getting out of tight spots. Does it not make sense to you dear reader that we should practice the presence of the Holy Spirit?  We should recognize that He is right there with us, in the car, driving down the road, at our job site, in every conversation and at the supper table.  We should recognize that there is no where we can go that He is not with us.  Then when the emergency comes, when we are faced with trials and temptations, our “way of escape” is oiled and ready to function to get us out of our troubles.   

Check out your escape hatch today.  Ask God to make His Holy Spirit real in your life.

 

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I almost stopped there.  I almost left without giving you the following scripture. It’s one of my favorite.  There may be some of you who don’t understand how God goes about giving His Holy Spirit to us.  You may have thought that there is some sort of mystic, far out, process that you must go through.  You may think that you have to “do” something special, “be” in a certain place.  Let me share a gift with you, for that is exactly what our loving Father calls it.  Look at this scripture, look at these words.  As I read them from the Word just now it blesses my heart again.  

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him” Luke 11:13 

As I write this, Christmas 2012 is only a few weeks away.  Keva has asked our kids and grandkids what they want for Christmas.  Do you think that what they ask for we won’t bust our butts to get for them? Do you think that we are more gracious than our loving God?   

Do you need that “heavenly hatch”?  Don’t wait another day.  Don’t go into another battle without it.  Go to your Father and ask.  He will be more than happy to install it in your heart.