The Bottom Line

by Jimmy Tucker

God’s Special Forces

After graduating from high school I was given a white beat-up 1967 Chevelle. The transmission wasn’t working and it looked like it had been sideswiped. My dad helped me restore it. We fixed the dents, added transmission fluid, and had it painted blue. I put wide tires and air shocks in the rear to make it look cool. I had it reupholstered and bought an 8-track/cassette player with powerful speakers. However, the car just had a stock 283 engine and I wanted more power.

So I sold it and bought my brother’s 1973 Gran Torino which had a powerful 351 V8 engine. I decided to transform it into a muscle car. By definition, a muscle car is a high-performance automobile with a powerful V8 engine designed for maximum-speed driving. So I souped up the ‘73 with a Holly four-barrel carburetor, aluminum manifold, dual exhaust, a new set of wide tires in the back, jacked it up in the rear with air shocks, and added a stabilizer bar. Then I let my brother test drive it. I think he was impressed because he scared both of us by taking an S-curve faster than he intended as he slid the car through the corner like a pro.

God has blessed America with a military that’s got a lot of muscle. He’s blessed this Nation above other nations because we support Israel. God’s Word tells us that He curses the nations that are against Israel. In Genesis 12:3, God told Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.” Our Special Forces successfully completed a dangerous mission recently, letting the world see the power God has given the USA. Our veterans are America’s best and they lay their lives on the line for freedom. Our veterans represent “the land of the free and the home of the brave;“ they’re our heroes, and they deserve our respect, honor, and support.

There’s another kind of muscle that believers tend to forget about — the spiritual muscle of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been working on this planet since the beginning of time. “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2 NKJV). As believers, it’s amazing to realize that the Holy Spirit is residing IN us. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV). We have access to His power by using the name of Jesus in faith.

God’s muscle men of the Bible demonstrated the Holy Spirit’s power. Samson single-handedly killed one thousand Philistine soldiers with a donkey’s jawbone. He was just a man who became God’s muscle man when the Holy Spirit came on him.

The prophet Elijah was also a man. But when the Holy Spirit came on him, he became a powerhouse. In one day, he called down fire from heaven, killed 450 prophets of Baal with a sword, and outran the king’s chariot (possibly drawn by the fastest horses in Israel)! Elijah was a powerful prophet because the Holy Spirit was on him.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to serve King Nebuchadnezzar’s gods or worship the image set up in Babylon. They were told that they’d be executed in a furnace of fire if they didn’t fall down and worship the image. At the conclusion of the King’s threat, he asked, “And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” He would soon find out. The three Hebrews responded with a bold declaration of faith: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He WILL deliver us from your hand, O king“ (Daniel 3:16,17). These boys were God’s spiritual muscle men and testimonies of God’s power, and God was not about to fail them. So the King had them thrown into the fire. Then he looked and saw four men in the fire, and One looked like the Son of God. The three Hebrew boys walked right out of the fire and they didn’t even smell like smoke. However, the men who threw them in the fire were killed by the heat.

The Holy Spirit is your power source too. Develop an awareness of the Holy Spirit in you and meditate on the power of the One inside you. Build up your faith in the mighty name of Jesus.

The Bottom Line: Join God’s Special Forces and let the muscle of the Holy Spirit do mighty things through you.

Pastor Jimmy Tucker

Diamond Community Church

Fort Scott, KS

Worship 10:45 a.m.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

A lonely lady lived alone, and she didn’t like it. Finally, she decided to do something about her loneliness. She went to a pet store and looked at all the dogs, cats, hamsters, turtles, and goldfish that were for sale, hoping to find a pet that would be good company. None of the pets really made the woman happy and she was ready to give up when the pet store owner showed her a very expensive parrot.

“Does it talk” she asked. “Yes ma’am,” the owner replied, “He’s a genuine chatterbox.” The woman was thrilled. Excitedly, she paid $2000 for the parrot and his cage.

A week later, the woman came back to the pet shop and said, “I want my money back. I paid $2000 for my talking bird and he doesn’t talk at all.” The pet store owner said, “Ma’am, he will talk if you just entice him a little bit. Put some things in his cage with him.” She agreed and the pet shop owner sold her a mirror for the bird to look at himself and a ladder for the bird to run up and down. When the items were totaled up, it cost the lady $50.

A week later, the woman returned to the pet store. She was madder than a hornet. She said, “My talking bird still will not talk.” The pet shop owner said, “Ma’am, you have to entice him a little more. What you need to do is get him a bell to ring and a swing to swing on. He will get so excited, he will talk.” She said, “Okay.” By the time she left the pet store, she had paid another $50.

A week later, the woman stomped back into the pet store. She was visibly angry.

“I want you to know that my talking bird is dead. He is dead, dead, dead and I’m out $2100,” she huffed.

“You’re kidding. That bird was healthy when I sold him to you 3 weeks ago,” the pet store owner said.

“Well, he’s dead now. He’s deader than a hammer. He swung on his swing. He rang his bell. He looked at himself in the mirror. He ran up and down his ladder. Then he fell on his little back in the bottom of the cage. He kicked his little legs up in the air and he blew out his last breath. He’s dead. My talking bird is dead.”

“I am so sorry.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, he finally said something before he died.”

“Really? What did he say?”

“Right before he died, my bird looked at me and said, ‘Hey dummy! Don’t they have any bird seed at that pet store!’”

The point is: You can have all the bells and whistles this world has to offer, but without Jesus, you will be dead. We have all sinned. As far as God is concerned, we deserve the death penalty, but He provided a way to have life. God gave His Son to die in our place, and all who believe on Him are saved.

Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, is food for your soul. There is no need to let your hunger for spiritual nourishment go unsatisfied. All you need is abundantly available in Jesus.

Don’t starve to death.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

James Collins is a pastor at First Southern Baptist Church. He can be reached through the website www.thepointis.net or by email at [email protected].