TREASURED TRUTHS TOLD IN SNOW

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

We have finally gotten a significant snowfall. I always watch in awe as the beautiful snowy blanket covers the barren landscape and decorFallSnowDayates the trees. I am mesmerized as the snowflakes dance in the sky. It has an almost hypnotizing effect as you watch it gracefully fall from heaven. It is beautiful. Then the next morning when the sun is glistening off the snowy covering, there is nothing more gloriously scenic and breathtaking. The word “snow” is used 25 times in the Bible. Job speaks to us about entering into the treasures of the snow (Job 38:22). What are some treasured truths we can learn from snow?

First, snow is unique. Scientists tell us that no two snowflakes are alike? Can you imagine, of all the snowflakes that have ever fallen no two are alike; each one is unique. In the same respect, no two people are alike. God is a God of infinite variety. The Lord has created each one of us unique and special with different abilities and capabilities. We each are created for a unique purpose that only we can fulfill. Let us each thank Him for our uniqueness and be about the business of fulfilling the purpose for which He created us.

Second, snow is beautiful. No matter how desolate or barren a landscape may be, a covering of snow turns it into a beautiful sight fit for a picturesque postcard. Isaiah tells us that no matter how black our sin, failures, and mistakes may be the Lord can make us whiter than snow (Is. 1:18). He can take our spiritually barren lives and by His grace transform our lives into a picture of beauty that becomes a blessing to others.

Third, snow makes sounds. Scientists, using sensitive instruments, tell us at various temperatures snow makes sounds. Around zero snow it creeks, at minus ten it squeaks, at fifteen below zero it whines like an out of tune violin, and colder than that it’s like a knife over a plate. If man-made instruments can pick up sounds of snow, why do we doubt that the Lord cannot hear our every cry and sigh? The Psalmist said over and over, “I cried unto the Lord and He heard me.” Lift your voice to Him, He is there and He is listening.

Fourth, snow is short lived. Eventually temperatures creep back up and the snow soon vanishes before our eyes. It is beautiful while here but it quickly disappears. So it is with life. Life at its longest is short. James says we are like a vapor that appears for a little while then quickly vanishes away (James 4:14). Life is fragile and fleeting so let us seek to be a beautiful snow of covering in the lives of others and live so as to influence others for the Lord while we can.

Fifth, snow is free. It falls freely from the sky and covers whatever is in its path. If we happen to be outside the snow will freely fall upon us. Like the snow, God’s grace is free, and covers those who will place themselves in the path of His amazing grace. Snow will fall upon whosoever comes under its covering, as well; the grace of our Lord will cover the “whosoever’s” who come under grace’s influence. Like a snow covered field, has His grace covered you and me? He invites us to come under His cover that He might transform our lives into one that reflects His beauty. As the Psalmist prayed, “May the beauty of the Lord be upon us” (Ps. 90:17).

Yes, there are many treasured truths found in a beautiful snowfall. How wondrous are the Lord’s creation and His glorious works? Just as the Lord rains down upon us so many blessings into our daily lives, let us enjoy the seasons of the year and the blessings and surprises that come with each.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

OUR LORD SEES ALL IN THE NEW YEAR

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 2 Comments

The Roman God of Beginnings

In ancient Rome it was believed that Janus, their god of beginnings, had the ability to see in two directions at the same time. Janus, from where we get the name for the month January, was said to be able to simultaneously look at the past, as well as ahead to the future. The Romans gave his name to the first month of the year.

As January rushes in upon us like the north wind, it brings with it fresh and new possibilities. The New Year brings with it a new beginning, new starts. The New Year also brings with it uncertain questions of what lay ahead in the next twelve months. I am thankful as 2015 ends and  2016 begins that we serve a Lord not made with man’s hands like Janus, but a living God who became a man in Jesus, born in Bethlehem’s manger. I am thankful He has the ability to see both our past and our future. He knows the joys and heartaches we experienced in the year just past, and He walks by our side with strength and grace so we will not have to journey one step on the rocky roads of life alone.

Our Lord knows what 2016 will hold for each of us; paths that take us to the rarified air of joyful mountain tops or paths that find us descending into the fog of a deep valley. And more than likely 2016 will find us walking on both. Yet He says to us, “I will go with you and before you, and will empower and enable you to face whatever the New Year may hold.” Yes, He who was veiled in human flesh and called Emmanuel, meaning God with us, invades our every moment of every day with His divine presence.

Moses, who walked on mountains with angels and who, also, trudged through valleys of loneliness and despair, gives us an assuring promise that is especially appropriate as we embark upon a new year, “The eyes of the Lord our God are always upon [you], from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12). Wow! Is not that a marvelous truth? Moses reassures us in this eternal promise of the Lord’s abiding presence in our lives every minute on every road we travel during 2016.

In the New Year, let us give the year to Him and receive His forgiveness for past failures, comfort for our heartaches, strength for our weaknesses, and peace for our confusion. As a fresh twelve-month calendar of days dawns upon us, bringing with it 365 new sunrises, let us place our hands in the hand of the ONE who sees all and who is able to give us power, courage, and confidence as we face the New Year, and each day of the year.

Blessings in the New Year,

Dr. Dan

BEING CLASSY IS NOT DETERMINED BY AGE

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

CleanColMabeGrave 048What does it mean to be classy? We have all heard said of various people, “They are a person of class” or “They are a classy individual.” We all have known people who are classy. Being classy is one of those character traits we might find hard to define, but we know it when we see it.

The dictionary, among several definitions, defines “classy” as “having qualities that makes someone or something special; showing impressive character; of high quality; very good or kind.” Being classy is a characteristic we all need to exhibit in our lives.

This past weekend I was privileged to witness the word “classy” firsthand. Let me set the stage of how I came to witness “classy” in action. Back last year I began writing a book that came to be titled, “Bitter Tongues, Buried Treasures.” It was the biography of Col. Martin V. Mabe (1838-1918).  Col. Mabe was a Civil War veteran from Stokes County, a Civil War POW, and after the war was a colonel in the NC state militia that fought against the Ku Klux Klan. After the war, as the result of hard work, he became very prosperous, a large land owner, become a leader in Stokes County and North Carolina politics, and was a United States Commissioner. He was one of the most interesting, intriguing and influential men in Stokes County history.

When Col. Mabe died in 1918, one month shy of this 80th birthday,  he was buried on a small knoll on ColGrave2 079his land beside his housekeeper, Nancy Jane Mabe (1844-1916), who was his first cousin. The two graves were enclosed within a forty by forty foot wrought iron fence. Over the years the graves have been neglected, being overtaken by undergrowth and the intrusion of tall trees.

As a result of the wide circulation of the book, the story of Col. Mabe came to the attention of Boy Scout Troop 230 from Greensboro, NC. Patrick Bell, looking for an Eagle Scout Project, chose as his project to clean-up the grave sites of Col. Mabe and Nancy Jane Mabe. On Saturday, December 12, 2015, Troop 230 and their leaders gathered to make the project a reality. For about six hours, on an unseasonably warm December day, those young men worked cutCleanColMabeGrave 060ting trees, clearing brush, raking debris, and hauling dirt. Through much sweat they transformed the cluttered gravesite into a sight that one would have had to have seen beforehand to truly appreciate. Laboring all morning long and all afternoon, shadows were stating to grow long as the sun began retreating behind the Suratown Mountains.

After a long day of satisfying work, as the weary teenage boys were packing up everything to begin the hour drive back to Greensboro, I witnessed a sight that touched me at the core of my deepest emotions. I would have loved to have taken a picture of what I saw, but I was frozen in respect and dared not intrude upon such a moment.

You ask, “What happened?”

As the boys were getting in their vehicles, I watched two young men come back, one at a time, standing at erect attention at the gate of the fence and facing Col. Mabe’s grave, they saluted him. They didn’t do it  to be noticed. They didn’t even know I was watching or if anyone else was watching. They saluted him out of respect for a man who deserved the respect. While the moment became frozen in my mind, my eyes became moist with warm tears. I was privilege all day to witness classy young men work to carry out a task and reach a goal. In their saluting at the foot of Col. Mabe’s remains I witnessed “classy” carried to an even higher level.

After everyone else left I stayed behind to be alone at the grave to meditate on what I had witnessed all day long and what I had witnessed in the saluting of Col. Mabe. I couldn’t help but think, “If all young people are as classy as the ones from Boy Scout Troop 230, then the future of this country is in good hands.”

Being “classy” is not determined by age, but by the character of one’s heart. And in the midst of the Christmas season I am thankful I was gifted the opportunity  to witness “classy” demonstrated before my fortunate eyes.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

It‘s getting close to that time again. It’s been six months since my last one. It’s not something I look forward to, but I have to do it. It’s time for another check-upAllWantForXmas, scheduled for Tuesday, December 15. It has been two years since I completed radiation treatments for prostate cancer. I had been going every three months for a check-up and blood work, but on my last appointment in June the doctor moved me to every six months. I am most grateful that the previous visits to the doctor my blood work has come back good and I seem be doing very well.

My appointment is only ten days before Christmas, so I bet you can’t guess what gift I want for Christmas! You may ask, “If your previous check-ups have produced good reports and you are feeling well, what is the worry?”

I would be less than honest if I didn’t confess that every time a doctor visit pops up on the calendar I am revisited by those same emotions that welled up inside of me on June 14, 2013. That was the day I hesitantly answered the phone and heard the doctor say, “Rev. Merritt I wish I had better news, but…..” There aren’t words to describe the disbelief, numbness, detachment, and anxiousness that you experience at the moment you hear those life changing words, “You have cancer.”

The paradox of emotions that engulf you as your new journey begins is like riding on a roll-a-coaster. While there is anxiousness, there is a sense of His calming peace. While there is uncertainty, there is a sense of His assurance. While there is detachment, there is a sense of His abiding presence. While there is human weakness, there is a sense of His divine strength. While there is a lack of human sufficiency, His grace is sufficient.
How can one experience such a paradox of emotions all at the same time? I don’t know how, but I am here to tell you that I did and that I do again each time another doctor’s appointment draws near. In my humanness I ponder how the check-up will turn out, in my spirit I know that He is with me and will never leave me or forsake me no matter the result. I have learned that prayer is not me trying to change the mind of God, but me discovering the mind of God for my life and realizing He is at the helm of the ship of my life’s voyage.

I trusted Christ as my Savior many, many years ago and while I have failed and made a mess on more occasions than I would like to admit, there is one truth that has remained constant: He has never failed me and He has never been unfaithful to me. My life is in His secure and strong hands, and after the journey I embarked upon two-and-a-half years ago I am more keenly aware of that today than ever before. I am here to tell you, “He is faithful.”

I now see each day as a precious, precious gift. Each sunrise, each moment, is to be treasured. I love life and nothing gives me greater joy than to be used by Him to invest in the lives of others. My desire is to hang around and do that as long as possible, yet each of us are only one heartbeat away, only one step away, from eternity. I know that someday, unless the Lord returns, I, as well as you, will find the flower of life wilting before the rays of a setting sun. But here is the difference: if you know Christ as your Savior you can say with David, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for THOU art with me” (Ps. 23:4). The long shadow of our last enemy ever lingers near the paths we walk, but we have the assurance of Christ who proclaimed, “I am the Light of the world. He that walks with Me walks not in darkness” (John 8:12). His Light shines brightly in our darkest night and guides us in all of life and, as well, as we travel beyond the veil of time. O, what a Savior.

While I will anxiously await the report from my blood work following my doctor visit, I will trust and not be afraid, for because of His shed blood on my behalf on Calvary’s Hill I have already received the greatest healing of all, the greatest gift of all – spiritual healing from my trespasses and sins. I may answer the phone with a paradoxical calm yet trembling hand, listening intently as the doctor tells me the results; but the Rock I confidently stand upon will never tremble.

Bet you can’t guess what I want for Christmas!

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

I AM BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 1 Comment

As Thanksgiving is fast approaching  like a speeding train, my mind and soul, like a mighty river overflowing its banks, are flooded with many thankful thoughts. I am keenly aware that I am truly  blessed beyond measure. As I ponder all the Good Lord has allowed me to experienceBlessedMeasure over the years my expressing  of thanks  makes every day Thanksgiving. Time or space will not allow me to mention all I am thankful for, but I will attempt to share some thankful ponderings.

First and foremost I am most thankful I am a Christian, though a most poor example of one. I am thankful that one night, many years ago, my heart was awakened to the truth that I am a sinner who had rebelled against a holy God. Yet, though a sinner, God’s holy-love provided for me a Savior, Jesus Christ, who paid my sin debt which He didn’t owe but that I could never pay. Embracing Him as Savior, I realize more each day how truly amazing His grace is. It is grace that saves me, keeps me, and will eternally sustain me. I am most grateful for the day He called me unto Himself. I am truly blessed beyond measure.

I am thankful, though unworthy, that I was called of the Lord to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ.  Over four decades I have had the privilege to pastor in five different North Carolina counties  and serve as interim-pastor at two. I am most thankful that for the past few months to be serving as interim pastor of the wonderful people of Ivy Green Baptist Church in Mt. Airy. It is my earnest prayer that I can be half the blessing to them that they have been in my life. I can say of them, as Paul said of some of his friends, “For they have refreshed my spirit” (I Cor. 16:18). I am truly  blessed beyond measure.

I am thankful I have had the opportunity to have helped so many young people over the years through the avenue of coaching. While not actively coaching a high school team anymore, I am still active in giving coaching advice to many young people. I am thankful I had bestowed upon me the privilege of serving as a coach, a father-figure, a mentor, a friend, and a confidant. I have been blessed with so many wonderful memories I could never count them all. I am truly  blessed beyond measure.

I am most thankful for the many prayers, kindness, and support I have received over the last two-and-a-half years. Having been diagnosed with prostate cancer in June of 2013, it has been an emotional and spiritual journey that has brought me closer to the Lord and, as well, made me treasure more the precious  gift of life. The love, prayers and encouragement that I have experienced from so many friends has been overwhelming and that, and the Good Lord, has been the reason I have done so well.  Friends are a blessing. With another check-up fast approaching on December 15, I covet your prayers again. I am truly  blessed beyond measure.

I am thankful that after all these years I am still able to run. I started running in junior high school at age 13 and have been running ever since. I am, of course, not as fast as I once was, and grow slower with each passing year, but I truly express my thanks to the Good Lord each time I lace up my running shoes that He has blessed me with the health to continue to run daily. The clean feeling running gives to my soul is indescribable and always a looked forward to experience. And it helps keep me sane! That I am still running after all these years I have never taken for granted, for I know each run could be my last one. I am truly  blessed beyond measure.

I am thankful to be the proud grandfather of three grandsons, ages ten, seven, and three years old. Living in Maryland, I don’t get to see them as often as I would like, but when I do there are no words to describe the inner joy that Wyatt, Tyler, and Levi bring to my soul. Just to hear them say “Pa-pa” is always a treasured experience that makes life worth the living. I am truly  blessed beyond measure

I am most thankful for the music of laughter. Can you think of anything more melodious than the laughter of a friend or love one? Laughter is a gift from God, it is natural and innate. It is contagious. Each time we hear a child laugh we are reminded that as we grow older not to lose this precious gift the Lord has given us. Laughter is the medicine that gives to our lives that balance in body, soul and mind, which helps us face the turbulence of day to day living. I love to laugh and each time I hear it lingering in the air about me I realize I am truly  blessed beyond measure

As Thanksgiving approaches I am most thankful for the privilege of experiencing the blessings mentioned and many more too numerous to list. No matter how lengthy our list it would by no means ever be exhaustive, yet they are blessings that transcend the boundaries of time. We have much for which to be thankful. Our blessings are to be cherished. Our abundant blessings are to spur us to continually lift up hearts of thanksgiving for all we have received from the Lord’s hand.

Did I mention that I am truly blessed beyond measure?

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 2 Comments

Forty-five years ago today, October 5, 1970, I trusted Christ as my Savior. The scales from my blinded eyes were removed and I realized I had sinned against a holy God, but our Creator God became the Redeemer of humanity in Jesus Christ. He who knew no sin became sin for me that I might become the righteousness of God in Him. Ah, amazing grace!!WhyaChristian pic

Over the last forty-five years I have been asked many times, “Why are you a Christian?” I will answer that question with one of my favorite  stories from the days of the Roman Empire. There was once a wealthy Roman senator who had become most influential in the political arena. He desired that his only son follow him into politics, but his son was not interested in governmental affairs. His son was more interested in living a life without restraint and indulging in behavior that brought heartache and shame to his well known father.

In time the young man left home with his partying companions to live a life of reckless abandonment. For a while he kept in touch with his father, but as time passed their relationship become more and more strained and all contact was discontinued. That broke the father’s heart, but what could he do.

He continued to faithfully serve as a Roman Senator, but he realized as time passed he would not see his wayward son again. As the wealthy senator grew older he decided to change his will, which had stated everything was to go to his only son. Presuming his son was dead, he rewrote the will and left his vast wealth to his trusty servant who had been with him most of his life. However, he made one stipulation in the will, that if his son ever returned he was allowed to choose one thing from his estate.

Not long after revising his will the Senator passed away. A most influential man, word of his passing spread throughout the Roman Empire. Word of his passing eventually made it to the ears of his son. Heartbroken at hearing of his father’s death, he realized how he had wasted his life and had broken his father’s heart. Repentant, he made his way back home. Upon arriving he was told of his father’s change of the will. He was informed his father’s vast wealth was to go to the faithful servant, but he was allowed to choose one thing from his father’s fortune.

His heart raced as he thought to himself, “What shall I choose?” He pondered and he pondered. Then suddenly, like a flash of light, his eyes were opened and it dawned upon him what should be his choice. Twirling around and pointing at the faithful servant, the son exclaimed, “I will take him.” For the young man realized that wrapped up in the faithful servant was all that his father possessed and to possess the servant was to possess all that belonged to his father.

That story is the answer to “why I am a Christian.” Forty-five years ago my heart cried out, “I will take HIM.” On the night of October 5, 1970, my eyes were opened to gloriously see that wrapped up in the Faithful Servant, Jesus Christ, is all the Heavenly Father possesses and to possess Christ is to possess all that belongs to the Father!
For in Christ, the Suffering and Faithful Servant, I discover all my heart longs for. In Him I have found forgiveness for all my sins. He, as my Substitute, paid the sin debt I could never pay and His perfect provision on the cross paid in full the debt owed by all humanity. In Him I have found fulfillment and satisfaction. He gives a peace, purpose and satisfaction this world can’t give, a peace that passes all understanding. In Him I find a Friend that sticks by my side no matter what I go through in life. He never leaves me nor forsakes me. In Him I find a strong tower that I can run to in life’s darkest and toughest hour. In Him I find faith for standing when I don’t understand. Faith means I don’t have to have all the answers, but I hold the hand of One is the Answer when I don’t understand. He is the Rock that holds me up in a world of sinking sand. In Him I have a future hope that is sure. This old life will one day cease, but He has promised, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me shall never die.”

And in the Faithful Servant is found so much more. All that the Father has for us to experience is wrapped up in Him. As Paul wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). All that the heart longs for is found in Christ. He waits for you to exclaim, “I will take HIM.”

My dear friend, He waits your response. I am so thankful that I responded forty-five years ago to His invitation. The most important words I ever spoke were on that life changing night over four decades ago when I emphatically said, “I will take HIM.”

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

LESSONS FROM MY ANTIQUE STOPWATCH

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment
My Antique Stopwatch

My Antique Stopwatch

Yesterday my daughter, who lives in Maryland, found in a desk drawer an old stopwatch that once belonged to me. How she came in possession of the stopwatch, that is about 50 years old, neither of us have any idea. She took a picture of it and sent it to me. As I stared at the picture a flood of images raced through my mind. There are many lessons contained within my antique stopwatch, four of which I will seek to share.

First, the stopwatch reminds me of a time in my life filled with many wonderful memories. I began running in 1965 at age thirteen and purchased the watch soon afterwards. This was in a day long before digital watches and the Ironman Timex watch I wear now. The stopwatch was used to time my training runs all through high school and my father used it to time my races. The watch represents many wonderful memories I was privileged to experience. I remember gazing at it in disbelief after running a 440 on a dirt track and it had stopped at 51-flat. As a miler and two miler, I remember looking at my times after I ran and won conference, sectional, and regional championships. I remember excitedly staring at it the first time I set my high school records for the mile and two mile races and then later conference, sectional and regional records. I remember looking at it after each time running my anchor leg on the 4×440 relay checking to see what my split and team time was. Ah, those are some wonderful memories. I am most thankful for having lived them. Seeing that stopwatch allowed me to relive them.

Thank the Lord for wonderful memories. Good memories can transport us back to revisit the good times and events of our lives. While we all have memories we wish we could erase, let us be thankful for the good memories that we have experienced over the years. Revisiting them  keep us going, make us smile and laugh, they give us hope, they make us thankful to the Lord, and instill in us a longing to live in such a way that we experience more good memories than bad ones.

Second, the stopwatch reminds me that the foundation of success is hard work. That stopwatch timed many, many miles of training. It ticked on and on and on during my training runs when it was cold, when it was hot, when it rained, when it snowed. It worked as hard as I did. The watch reminds me that the foundation that resulted in all my fast times, wins, records, accolades and my earning a track college scholarship was laid with hard work. I was raised in the day before the entitlement mentality permeated society. Nothing was given to me because I thought I deserved it. “Blood, Sweat and Tears” was more than a rock group I used to listen to,  but it was the way I trained. Any awards I achieved were the result of committed, disciplined and hard work. I still believe that is true, if you want something, work for it. Don’t expect someone to give you something just because you think you deserve it. The foundation of success is hard work and always will be. So you want it, be committed and go after it.

Third, the stopwatch reminds me that time stands still for no one.  A lot of time has ticked away since I lasted used that stopwatch. Some forty years have passed since I probably last used it. Time has marched on like a swiftly flowing river. I have been married for 40 years, have earned three degrees, had kids, pastored five years, preached hundreds of sermons, conducted hundreds of funerals and weddings, coached hundreds of runners, written six books, battled cancer, and the list goes on. Time stands still for no one.

What are we doing with our time? Time quickly vanishes like a candle flame in a winter wind. We are here today and gone tomorrow. Are we using our life productively and positively to touch the lives of others or are we living selfishly. Are we seeking to be an influence on others that will encourage them to become a better person and strive for things impossible? Someday we will have to give an account to the Lord for the life we lived and I so desire to live a life that will impact others for Him and help others to discover the purpose for which the Good Lord created them. Get busy being a useful vessel, for time stands still for no person.

Fourth, the stopwatch reminds me that time eventually stops for us all. The stopwatch has a wind-up stem and had to be rewound to keep working. The picture shows the watch has wound down and has stopped at 6:46.1. It has quit ticking.
No matter who we are, our time will eventually run out. Sooner or later we will stop ticking. George Bernard Shaw once said, “One out of one die.” The Bible says, “It is appointed unto man once to die, after that the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). No one will escape that appointment. The stopwatch reminds me that I need to be living a faithful life for my Lord because I am not guaranteed tomorrow. When my time runs out I want to be prepared to meet Him. Thankfully, many, many years ago I bowed my knee before the Christ of the Cross and received His perfect righteousness in place of my own filthy righteousness. I am ready for that Day, not because of who I am but because of who HE is.

While the stopwatch is running make preparation for that Day when the ticking will stop. Until then be about the business of living a life that is making good memories and influencing and impacting others.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

THE CHRISTIAN’S FIRST ALLEGIANCE

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 1 Comment

One would have to be living in a cave if they aren’t familiar with the news involving Kim Davis, who has found herself in a Kentucky jail because she has refused to issue GODRATHERTHANMANmarriage licenses to gay couples even though the U.S. Supreme Court has legalized gay marriage nationwide. There appears to be two camps in regard to the Kim Davis saga. The first being, if she Biblically believes that gay marriage is wrong she has that right, but since it is now law she should resign. If her convictions will not allow her to issue marriage licenses to gay couples then step down from the job. To not do so is an act of civil disobedience.

There is second camp that contends she should not have to surrender her religious convictions and support a law she genuinely believes to violate the teachings of the Bible. This second camp champions that civil disobedience is warranted. Let it be said, if it were not for our Forefathers practicing civil disobedience there would be no USA. If men and women who believed slavery was wrong had not practiced civil disobedience slavery would not have been abolished. If Martin Luther King, Jr. had not engaged in civil disobedience the civil rights movement would have never have become a reality. King ended up in jail on many occasions but he believed that when man’s law conflicts with God’s moral law, then we must choose God’s moral law. During the Nazi rule of terror in Germany, Dietrich Bonheoffer, a Lutheran pastor, engaged in civil disobedience in the face of Hitler’s godless laws, and he was put to death. Time proved Bonheoffer was right. If Martin Luther had not engaged in civil disobedience there would have been no Protestant Reformation. If William Tyndale had not engaged in civil disobedience there would have been no English translation of the Bible.

We find in the Bible Daniel, a government official, engaged in civil disobedience when he was found praying after a law was passed he could not pray. He prayed anyway. The three Hebrew children, also government officials, engaged in civil disobedience when they refused to bow down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar which was a law. It cost Daniel being thrown in the Lion’s Den and it cost the three Hebrew children being thrown in the fiery furnace. Standing up against an unjust law sometimes is costly, but stand one must.

Peter didn’t quit preaching the Gospel even though authorities told him it was against the law. He replied to authorities, “We must obey God rather than man.” Many Christians in the days of the Roman Empire were put to death because they engaged in civil disobedience by refusing to declare that Caesar was Lord. One could believe anything they desired as long as they declared once a year Caesar was Lord. The Christian could not do that as only Jesus was their Lord.

Engaging in civil disobedience is hard for an unbeliever or liberal to understand seeing that their first allegiance is to the government regardless of the unjustness or immoralness of the law and don’t adhere to a Higher Law.  A Christian’s first allegiance is to the Lord Jesus Christ and as Peter said, “We must obey God rather than man  when man’s law contradicts God’s law.” The Christian knows that there is a Higher Law that transcends the ever changing laws of man. And when the two collide the Christian must choose the Higher Law of God. While not all our Forefathers where Christians, they understood there was a Higher Law. In a letter John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813, Adams stated, “The general principles on which the father’s achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity…and the general principles of English and American liberty…Now I will avow, that I then believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God; and that those principles of liberty are as unalterable as human nature and our terrestrial, mundane system.”

The secular godless crowd screams we can’t have any Christian morality undergirding society. Someone’s morality will be the foundation of society, and it is much better it continue to be the morality of our Forefathers who drew their moral principles from Christianity, rather than it be the ever changing immorality of the godless secular humanists whose principles lead to chaos, destruction and the death of an orderly society. The principles of our Forefathers made us the greatest nation on earth, while the principles of the secular humanists are destroying the moral and spiritual fiber of this once strong nation.

But let me say, I believe the issue with Kim Davis pictures a bigger issue that is on the horizon. There is a much bigger issue at stake here that is coming as this county moves further and further away for its Judeo-Christian foundation. The gay agenda is not satisfied that their unnatural and unbiblical union has been sanctioned as normal and equal to a  marriage between a man and woman. Their ultimate goal is to enact laws that will silence the Church and any Christian person who dare speak out against it as other than being normal. The bigger picture is that the day is fast coming when it will be against the law for a minister to preach that homosexuality is a sin as the Bible clearly states, and in the near future it will be against the law if a minister does not perform a gay marriage when asked to do so. The penalty will be a fine or jail, or both.

The whole structure of our society today is being attacked and destroyed. It is being given an entirely opposite foundation which gives entirely opposite results. Get ready my Christian friend, if the spiritual and moral atmosphere of this nation doesn’t change we are going to have to make a choice whether we will obey God or the godless laws of man. It is my earnest prayer we will say with Peter, “We must obey God rather than man.”

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

REFLECTIONS IN THE MIDST OF TRAGEDY

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

The nation is numb and in shock once again at another senseless and cowardly act of violence that has occurred. Early Wednesday morning, in Moneta, Virginia, a disgruntled man cold bloodily gunned down on live TV two unsuspecting news journalists. Such evil we cannot comprehend. It leaves us numb, in tears, shakihopeng our heads, and with questions that can’t be answered. What in the name of all that is morally good would cause someone to commit such inhuman violence on innocent victims? What is to be our response when such brutal acts shake the very foundation of our Christian faith in a loving God?

I certainly don’t claim to have many answers in the face of such tragedy, but if I might I would like to offer some reflections from a biblical and pastoral perspective. In the midst of such awful tragedy the question of “Why” can never be answered and will drive us to spiritual exhaustion. However, when our minds want to ponder “Why” we must turn our attention to the “WHO” in the midst of our “Whys.” Who are we to turn to is our quest, not necessarily for answers, but for strength and comfort in the darkness of our unanswerable questions?

Man was created with the capacity to make choices, and our fellowman can make choices that at times seem to be those of angels and at other times choices that are demonic. Our capacity to choose is both individualistic and corporate and affects one another for evil and good. Sadly, too often our sinful, selfish, and godless choices and behavior are like ripples in the water affecting those within its boundaries. What are we to do, where are we to turn when the ripples of evil splash upon us?

The foundation of the Christian faith rests upon Jesus Christ in whom God has acted in history when He clothed Himself in human flesh as a Babe at Bethlehem and walked upon the earth. That God has acted continued in Christ’s cross and His resurrection, and because of His victory over death He has promised to abide with us forever. As man our God has wept through human eyes, as God He a seeks to lift us out of our sin and suffering, rather that suffering be the result of our own bad choices or as the result of the evil and violent behavior of others. As Christ wept with Mary and Martha at the death of their brother Lazarus, so He weeps with us over the consequences that sin, whether it be ours or someone else’s, can bring into our lives.

We must not forget that Jesus Christ bore in His physical body, as He hung on the cross, the very worst evil that mankind could inflict. Yet in the midst of the darkness of the worst of evil which Christ experienced He was victorious, and in His victory He provided for us Light in the midst of our darkness, comfort in the midst of our pain, and hope in the midst of what appears hopelessness and senselessness.

We must not forget that because of God’s suffering with Christ on the cross, as He tasted the evil and sin of all mankind, and His triumph over it all that we gain the assurance that God can and will be with us in our suffering and pain. God, who in Christ on the cross was the greatest sufferer of all, is the assurance we will ultimately obtain victory even though tears may temporarily fill our eyes.

P.T. Forsyth has written, “God is able to empathize with all human suffering because He has, in the event of the Cross, experienced the height of suffering…God spared not His own Son from suffering, and in the midst of suffering rose above it; then even in the most dreadful things that man can produce He bids us to follow Him in our sufferings so that His victory might be actualized in us.”

C.A Dinsmore writes, “There was a cross in the heart of God before there was one planted on the green hill outside of Jerusalem. And now that the cross of wood has been taken down, the one in the heart of God abides, and it will remain so long as there is one sinful soul for whom to suffer.”

In the midst of our heart-felt sobs and tears, if we listen closely we can hear the comforting voice our Savior saying, “I understand, for I, too, have suffered and am touched with the suffering and pain that touches you.” Our Christ is not indifferent, He is the Chief sufferer and giver, He is one who has paid the greatest price to secure for us atonement and the comfort that God is with us in our suffering. Forsyth says, “On the cross of God’s incomparable suffering is that it provides us with a concrete model of faith to emulate in our times of suffering: that of the crucified Christ.”

We may never logically understand the suffering that touches us and those we love, but we with the conviction of faith understand that what Christ did on the cross He did for us all. On the cross he took our sin, our heartache, our brokenness, our grief, and our questions; and with a holy love that can’t be intellectually grasped but can be experienced, He entered into a realm of suffering that is beyond our comprehension that we might know His abiding presence in every circumstance and situation of our lives.

Only a few months away from the celebration of the Christmas season, its message being that God in Christ has walked among us in human flesh and as a result He is able to be present in our every situation – both good and bad. Found in the One who was born at Bethlehem is the One who seeks to be born in the “everyday” of our lives.

That Christ lives means we are not alone in our suffering, He is with us. While the world can be cruel, evil, bring us sorrow, and leave us with many unanswered questions, we must remember that in Christ we find comfort, hope and His presence that enables us to continue on in faith as we wait for that Day when He makes all things new and dries every tear from our eyes.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 2 Comments

A person of biblical faith can be an enigma to someone who has no faith or to someone who possesses a shallow faith that changes directions like a weathervane in a wind storm. In recent days people of faith who hold unwavering convictions contrary to the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage have been labeled as being intolerant, bigoted, unloving, and fanatical. Those are just some of the nice names!! Such names are hurObeyled at people of biblical faith because of a lack of understanding what causes a person of faith to hold unwavering convictions.

Let me see if I can explain.

For forty-five years my soul and conscience have been captive to the Christ of the Cross and to His Word. He shined His Light into my darkened and sinful heart and revealed unto me His holy-love that was manifested in Christ’s life, death and resurrection. I daily give thanks that my life is firmly anchored upon the Rock of Jesus Christ and His eternal Word, instead of the shifting sands of man’s fickleness and changing morality. Truth is not found in the dry wells of man’s finite wisdom, but is found in an ongoing relationship with He who is the Water of Life and daily drawing from the Well of His Word.

People who believe truth is relative and ever changing don’t understand people of faith and the unwavering convictions people of faith hold. They don’t understand that there is a Higher Power that guides and undergirds our lives and to whom we not only vow our loyalty but owe our allegiance. They don’t understand that all humanity must give an account of their lives someday to a holy Supreme Being not to the Supreme Court. And when the Word of God opposes abnormal behavior then I must not be swept away by the often misguided and deluded reasoning of man that affirms such behavior as being normal, but I must remain true and obedient to His Word.

The world seeks moral direction from a broken compass that has no fixed North. For people of faith our true magnetic North is the Christ of the Cross. My allegiance first and foremost is to Jesus Christ who paid my sin debt (and all humanity) on the cross, and if someone doesn’t understand that then I cannot and will not apologize for choosing my Savior over the unjust moral laws of man that are contrary to my convictions which have been shaped by the Living Word and the Written Word. The world may mock and scoff, so be it. Our allegiance is to the Christ of the Cross not to man or to moral laws that clearly contradict His Word. We are told our allegiance “offends” an ever changing culture. However, our first priority is not whether or not we offend a changing culture, but to be obedient to  our Lord and Savior. While one of faith may stumble in their obedience, they ever pray for an obedient heart for the Savior they embrace and love.

I realize many do not understand such unwavering loyalty. I realize many do not understand our faith and convictions that are anchored in an eternal relationship with One who is beyond ourselves. I realize many do not understand that the holy-love of God, which opposes sin, but has provided atoning grace in the Christ of the cross, who came not to affirm us in our sin, but to forgive and deliver us from our sins. Christ not only told the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee,” but He added, “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Grace that does not change us is not grace at all but license to sin. Love that doesn’t point people to a path of deliverance from their sin is not real love, but only sentimentality that continues to ensnare people in their sin.

My unwavering biblical position may seem too strong for some. If you want to hurl at me names that label me as narrow-minded and intolerant I will not be offended. I understand why you don’t understand.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan