Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“Wisdom is not Proud”

“A wise heart takes orders…” – Proverbs 10:8 (MSG)

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” – Matthew 1:24-25

Joseph was a man of few words. His role in the birth of Jesus was carried out mostly in silence. If he had questions, he didn’t express them to anyone who was taking notes. He did what he was told, and he raised no objection. Some people prefer to be anonymous. I would not be surprised if Joseph was probably one of them. He would have preferred going through the normal process of becoming engaged, then married, and then having a family. God had a different idea. He moved “family” up one slot, and it surely wasn’t a plan that Joseph embraced easily. But he did embrace it. And he accepted all of the public humiliation that accompanied Mary’s pregnancy. He obeyed the angel. He will always be remembered for that.
Obeying God is not always easy, especially when our plans don’t seem to run parallel to God’s plans. We ask questions, and when answers aren’t forthcoming, we are troubled. But as we mature in faith, we discover that sometimes God explains things in advance; and other times he does not. (Deuteronomy 29:29). He is in charge. He wants us to obey first, and leave the questions for later.
If Joseph is the prime example of obedience, then Rehoboam can teach us a lesson on what not to do when given a task. For those who may not be familiar with his name or fame, Rehoboam was (of all people) Solomon’s son and the one chosen to follow him after Solomon died. Not long after taking office, Rehoboam was faced with an issue, much like that of his father before him. How should he govern this great nation? Here is the scene as told in the book of 1st Kings:

Rehoboam assembled Jeroboam and all the people. They said to Rehoboam, "Your father made life hard for us—worked our fingers to the bone. Give us a break; lighten up on us and we'll willingly serve you."
"Give me three days to think it over, then come back," Rehoboam said.
King Rehoboam talked it over with the elders who had advised his father when he was alive: "What's your counsel? How do you suggest that I answer the people?"

They said, "If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they'll end up doing anything for you." But he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he'd grown up with who were now currying his favor, "What do you think? What should I say to these people who are saying, 'Give us a break from your father's harsh ways—lighten up on us'?"

The young turks he'd grown up with said, "These people who complain, 'Your father was too hard on us; lighten up'—well, tell them this: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!'" Rehoboam turned a deaf ear to the people. – 1st Kings 12:3-11; 15

“A wise heart takes orders.” This is obviously a lesson that many need to learn and even more did not.
Joseph did have a role to play. He got to announce the name of the baby. Later he got to play the role of dad. And what did the name “Jesus” mean? Matthew tells us: “…and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Not exactly an insignificant starting role after all. He put his pride aside and then gained great recognition. Rehoboam on the other hand went the opposite direction and had a majority of the kingdom ripped from him. Something the nation never recovered from.
What are you listening to…and to whom or what is your obedience to? He who listens and obeys God is indeed wise!
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester,OK

“Precious Memories”

“Good people are remembered long after they are gone…” – Proverbs 10:7 (CEV)

It’s an old joke but one that I still smile at when I hear it. There was a man who was in every sense one of the town’s meanest and most notorious scoundrel. He manipulated people—cheated people and was hated by nearly everyone there. When he died, his brother went to a local preacher and asked him if he would conduct his funeral. He had no problem conducting the service, but then the brother presented him with a request that would be a real challenge. “I want you tell people that my brother was a saint.”
The minister was taken back but quickly responded: “I can’t say that! Everyone in town knew the kind of man your brother was. He was a cheat, a drunk, a philanderer…how in good conscience can I lie about what he was?”
The brother looked at him and said, “I’ll pay you a thousand dollars to say he was a saint.” After taking a deep breath the minister agreed. He would say his brother was a saint. When it came time for the minster give the message, he began with these words: “The man lying here today had to be the meanest, most notorious scoundrel to ever live in this town.” He looked over in the direction of his brother and could literally see the anger on his face. Then he continued, “But compared to his brother he was a saint!”
I have been in ministry for close to twenty-five years. During that time I have had the opportunity to help several Funeral Homes both as an assistant and when a family is in need of a minister to conduct a service they could call on me. One of the things I like to do prior to the service is to sit down with the family and ask them to tell me about their loved one’s “story.” In all of the years conducting services—of all the families I have met—I have as of yet to hear any disparaging words regarding that person I was conducting the service for. The “memories” of their loved one is positive, encouraging, loving—and not a one of them has said to me, “I don’t think they are going to heaven.” All of them believe that their mom, dad, sister, brother, husband, wife, was a good person. And if you go back to one of my previous messages you will remember that good (biblically) translates into Godly.
As funny as the story I told above is, there is some truth attached to what the one brother was wanting from the minister. That despite all the wrong a loved one (or family member) does, the evil and treachery that often accompanies their words and actions—there is that hope that there is just enough “good” in them that somehow in the end everything will be all right. We want to remember the good—we want people to say positive things about that person. That is how we want them to be remembered!
But what about you? How do you want to be remembered? What do want people to say or think about you? I can hear the “cogs” turning. I just know that there are those saying to themselves (or screaming at me) that it really does not matter what other people think! If that is the case stop for a moment and reconsider that thought. Would you want the people who mean the most to have to manufacture something good to say about you? For me, I know that I would not want my family members coaxing a minister to say good things about me. Rather, I would want my life to speak for itself. Recently, this scenario played itself out in a way that I could not have scripted. I was asked to conduct a graveside service for a woman. In truth, it was not even a service, it was scripture and a quick prayer. Other than myself, the funeral director and the cemetery workers there was one person in attendance. The woman’s husband. There was no one else there to be a witness of her life. That was in the morning. The same day I traveled 2 hours to attend the service of a friend who was tragically killed. It was conducted in a Sanctuary that held up to 2,000 people and there had to have been at least 1,000 in attendance! Of the two, whose life spoke the loudest? Whose life will be remembered for generations to come?
I am not saying that we should strive to have 1,000 people at our service. But are you living to make your memory count?
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“I Hear Your Heart”

“…the words of the wicked hide a violent nature….” – Proverbs 10:6b (Good News Translation)

Have you ever noticed how children say whatever is on their mind? There is a very good reason for that—they do not know any better! There is a “freedom” in their thinking and their conversations that we as adults do not enjoy. Or maybe it is because we lose our ability to keep our “thoughts to ourselves” when it comes to our conversations and they become more of a problem than a pleasure.
After yesterday’s message I began thinking through some other issues relating to this particular thought from Solomon and why it is an issue that needs addressed. Here are a couple of the things that came to mind.
First, the words that come out of a person’s mouth are typically not garbled random thoughts but that which has been stored in the heart over a period of time. How many times have we heard someone say (or even ourselves), “I don’t know why I said that?” Or, “that’s not what I meant to say.” Well…you may not have meant to say what you did, or maybe you did not want to say what you did, but in truth it was there all along and unfortunately it came out at the wrong time with the wrong people listening.
For those who have been following the political language going on will know that practically every word that a politician says is going to be recorded and at some point used against them. You would think that they would guard their mouth more carefully—unfortunately their pride gets in the way (which is a condition of the heart) and when that happens people get hurt. And in the cases I just suggested, elections get lost.
This thought comes out in a classic line from the Oscar winning movie, “The King’s Speech.” For those who have never seen this movie it tells the true story of King George VI of Great Britain who had a serious speech impediment. Before he became king he sought several means to help overcome his stuttering but none were successful—none that is until he met and began working with Lionel Logue. In one scene Logue has then Prince Albert attempt to read a book out loud while wearing headphones listening to music. The Prince questions Logue’s method and asks him, “How will I know what I am saying?” To that Logue responds, “Surely a prince’s brain knows what it’s mouth is doing.” (Great line!) To that, the prince quips, “You don’t princes very well do you?”
This could also explain why friendships, relationships and yes, even marriages can become splintered and even destroyed. Words are said that some ears were not meant to hear, and in truth, words were uttered that should have never left the person’s mouth, because the brain does not know what the mouth is doing. But this begs the question—how did they get there in the first place? Jesus might have given us a clue.
“Don't you understand? Anything that goes into your mouth goes into your stomach and then on out of your body. But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these are the things that make you ritually unclean. For from your heart come the evil ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others. These are the things that make you unclean” – Matthew 15:17-19

Jesus knew where the real problem lies. If we were to consult the heart first then maybe the brain would not have so much trouble giving the mouth free reign. That is unless the heart is filled with hate, bigotry, envy, pride, anger…etc. Children say things out of an innocent heart—a heart that has not had time to have it polluted and stained by the world and the evil that does exist.
For me, this gives an entirely new meaning to the phrase, “think before you speak.” Don’t you think?
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Reading the Bible

From: "Bonhoeffer" by Eric Metaxas

Quoted from a letter by Bonoeffer to his brother-in-law.
"First of all I will confess quite simply-I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we need only to ask repeatedly and a little humbly, in order to receive this answer. One cannot simply 'read' the Bible, like other books. One must be prepared really to enquire of it. Only thus will it reveal itself. Only if we expect from it the ultimate answer, shall we receive it. That is because in the Bible God speaks to us. ... Only if we will venture to enter into the words of the Bible, as though this God were speaking to us who loves us and does not will to leave us alonge with our questions, only so shall we learn to rejoice in the Bible. ... and every day I consider a text which I have cosen for the whole week, and try to sink deeply into it, so as really to hear what it is saying. I know that without this I could not live properly any longer."

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“When Words are More than Enough…or Just Wrong!”

“…the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions….” – Proverbs 10:6b (NLT)

In a recent article from the Los Angeles Time, columnist Rene Lynch wrote:

“Do you need to reach for the dictionary to double-check the definition of "F-Bomb" and "sexting"? Probably not. But now you could if you wanted to. The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has added "F-Bomb" and "sexting" to its list of new dictionary entries for 2012 along with the likes of "mash-up," "aha moment," "cloud computing" and "earworm." (An earworm is a song or tune you just can't get out of your head.) The dictionary's editors pride themselves on monitoring the evolution of language, and the creative new terms that seemingly overnight become part of the lexicon.
"Some of the new words this year provide colorful images," Merriam-Webster Editor at Large Peter Sokolowski said in a statement posted online. "Terms like 'man cave,' 'underwater' (when used to describe mortgages), 'earworm,' and 'bucket list' paint vivid pictures in your mind. They show that English-speakers can be very creative as they describe the world around them."

I found the statement “…that English-speakers can be very creative as they describe the world around them” to be both enlightening and disturbing. Enlightening in that we are constantly reinventing the American language and notice I said American and not English. We Americans departed from true English language a loooong time ago and these constant changes (or creative-additions) to the dictionary is just further proof of how far we have deviated.
Now here’s the disturbing part. That we have to create a word to describe a word that should not be used in the first place tells me we have lost respect not only for our language but for morals in general.
For those who may not be “in-the-know” an “f-bomb” is a euphemism for what I believe to be one of the most offensive words in our language—and I hope that I don’t have to spell it out because I do not plan to nor would I anyway. This word gets far too much air-time, both in music and movies and in recent years has been heard coming out of the mouths of those high in political office. I must disagree with Ms. Lynch here about us being “creative” – instead, I think as a people (or culture) we’ve become lazy and we’ve lost respect for what is proper and right.
It is obvious that the use of “colorful” language has been around for a long time. Paul, to the Ephesians wrote: “Let no unwholesome (perverse-KJV) talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful in building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29, emphasis mine)
Jesus as well dealt with this issue as well: “But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (Matthew 5:22)
For Jesus (and Paul for that matter), anything which degraded a person’s character was (and still is) an affront to God who created us in His likeness. I believe the same holds true for the person using this kind of language. Every word spoken carelessly, especially when used intentionally rips out a piece of one’s character—and after an extended period of time what is there left?
Don’t degrade yourself or others by using any word or words that do little but destroy and put down. Good rule of thumb…if you can’t say anything nice…well, you know the rest.
Pastor J. T. Carnell