Insurance or Assurance

 

Let's start out today with a little quiz. I'll give you a slogan and you think of the company name associated with the phrase. Here we go. 1. "The good hands people" 2. "Just like a good neighbor" 3. "Navigating life together" 4. "We've got you under our wing" 5. "Give your child an advantage for life". I'm guessing those may have gotten a little harder as we progressed, yet if you get any exposure at all to television or radio broadcasting I imagine you have heard many of these hundreds or thousands of times over the years. So not to leave you wondering how you fared on the quiz, here are the insurance company names that have the above listed taglines. 1. All State, 2. State Farm, 3. Met Life, 4. AFLAC, and 5. Gerber Life Insurance. 

So, what is it with our obsession with life insurance? We certainly understand that life has a beginning and life, as we know it, has an end mark as well. What then is the goal of insurance? Well probably some of the top reasons to have adequate insurance coverage would center around protection from a tragic life event to providing security for your loved ones after we are gone. We insure our homes, our cars, our boats, and our RVs. Term life, whole life, and universal life insurance policies allow us to provide for our families even after we are gone. The key to insurance is that you invest in it now and then when you need it the investment plus the increased value of making that investment will provide larger dividends to the beneficiary. That sounds like a sound and logical plan for financial security, yet what type of investment are you making into your "life assurance" policy?

Insurance companies promise that when you have an accident or "claim" they will be right there ready to support you and provide the necessary means to get you back on your feet again. We buy insurance because we can never be certain about what might happen tomorrow and we want to have the "assurance" that everything will be okay as long as we have enough "insurance". Yet if you read your life insurance or auto insurance policies a little more carefully, you'll see that all of your policies have limits on how much "insurance coverage" you actually have. That exposure leads many people to continue to purchase additional policies such as extended coverage or annuities and stocks with the hope of having enough coverage. We certainly do not want to be left unprepared for life's unexpected twists and turns. Our insurance policies cover us to the extent of the investment we make into them, our life assurance policy works in a similar fashion, but there are no limits on the coverage for this plan if only we trust and believe.

May I provide you with one simple life assurance? God loves you. He loves us so much that He gave us a life assurance that will forever out perform any insurance policy you can find. Mankind was lost, the path to redemption was marred in sacrifices and rituals that had taken the place of faith and trust in God. So, what did God do? He sent His son to become a living sacrifice for our sins. Jesus died on the cross as a promise of life "assurance", if only we believe in Him, trust in Him, and follow Him. God's slogan for this promise of life assurance would best be summed up in this scripture "For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whosoever believeth in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life." John 3:16. Have you found an insurance policy that makes that level of commitment to you or your family? My guess would be no. 

Insurance covers you to the limit of how much you invest in the coverage. Assurance works similar in that the investment into the lives of others you make assures you that you will receive His offer of life eternal and that your example of giving will perpetually go forward "assuring" eternal and internal dividends. The difference is the price for life "assurance" has already been paid! You need only to accept His offer, believe He is who He says He is, and submit to Him. From there we invest our time, assets, talents, and service to the cause of following God so that others can benefit from our investment. 

I don't see insurance companies offering to pay your premiums each month. Their plan is that they invest your premiums into investments that will benefit them through profits and stock values. In contrast, your investment into God's offer of life "assurance" is that when you invest others benefit for free just like your initial commitment. If you are investing in your life "assurance" policy you know the comfort and peace that I am talking about today. If you have spent all your time, effort, and money on investing in life "insurance" policies then you may or may not have found the peace that God's offer provides. Don't forgo your life insurance policies, but do invest more into your life "assurance" policy for eternity! 

I thank God for His assurance of life eternal and the promises He gives us, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5 and from the mouth of Jesus, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:3. Invest in His life assurance and you will forever be in "good hands". 

Today, Tomorrow, and Forever God's "Life Assurance Agent"

Coach Carter

Every Step of the Way

I'm going to start today's FTM with the chorus of a current Contemporary Christian hit that is being played across the airwaves delivering an important message of hope for us all to understand.

 "Every step of the way
You’ve been You’ll be
Working everything for the best of me
So I’ll trust in who You are
Every step of the way
You’ve been You’ll be
Fighting and writing Your love in my story
You’ve held my heart
Every step of the way" 

Cade Thompson "Every Step of the Way" 

Does it feel like God is with you every step of every day? Walking beside you, walking in front of you, guarding your back and catching you when you fall? If you confidently answer that question "yes", count yourself as blessed. Having a deep, trusting relationship with your Creator gives you that confidence, sadly there are more people that don't have that confidence that is founded in faith and hope. Let's spend a few minutes diving down into the idea that God is with you "every step of the way".

Adversities, afflictions, trials, tragedies, valleys, and in life's dark alleys am I saying that God is right there with us every step of the way? Yes I am. I say that with confidence. The psalmist David wrote "yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me" Psalm 23:4. David didn't say when times are good, or when I am on the tip top of the mountain you are there with me celebrating my successes and accomplishments. God is there too, but that is easy to acknowledge, it's when things are tough, when illness turns into a potential life threatening or life taking event, that's when we have to understand that God is with us even in life's tragedies. That can be challenging at best. 

If God is with me every step of the way then why did my loved one die? If God is with us every step of the way then why do snow storms, floods, tornadoes, and tsunamis destroy homes, communities, and lives almost daily? God doesn't say I'll put you in a bubble and push you along through life, He said I'll be with you and I will give you my rod and staff to comfort you (Psalm 23:4). In other words, I'll give you what you need to face the battles and the challenges that you confront, but I won't guarantee you that the outcome will always be what you think it ought to be, there is a bigger plan and purpose to everything that happens, we have to trust that while God is with us every step of the way that His plans and His paths are designed not for us individually, but for the greater cause which we cannot fathom. We are called to trust that He is with us every step of the way and that no matter what happens God is there. Every step of the way.

Let me pause for just a moment, there is context for a completely different FTM message in the understanding that if God is real and he is with us every step of the way then it is also important to understand that there is evil in this world and it exists right in front of us as well. Crimes, cruelty, and inhumane treatment of a person is not of God. Evil exists on this earth, but even when it appears that evil has gotten the upper hand, God will prevail. We must trust that God will prevail when it feels impossible to believe that something positive could come from some form of cruel and inexplicable tragedy. We may not be able to see it or understand it, but God will prevail if we only trust and believe that God's plan is beyond what we may even see in our own lifetime. When we are reunited in Heaven with all of our loved ones that truth of victory will then be revealed. For that truth, we can praise God from whom all blessings flow! 

Today God is with you every step of the way! That is the message I share with you today. Each step you take, every detour, pitfall, mountain you climb, and every valley you endure, God is with you every step of the way. Every victory lap you take, every life you touch, and every day you work and serve Him, God is with you every step of the way! My advice to you, walk forward confidently, blanketed in the knowledge that God is with you every step of the way!

One step at a time!

Coach Carter

 

Two Wrongs Do Not Make "One" Right

 

That old saying "two wrongs don't make a right" definitely is true. Placed in the context of driving, if you make a wrong turn and then you attempt to get back on track by making a second wrong turn the end result is you are lost. Believe me I am speaking from experience, ask my wife. From the title of today's FTM message you may have noticed I placed the word "One" in place of "a", well just as in driving, two wrong actions or decisions won't all of a sudden make everything kosher. It is a little easier to own our right actions if we arrive at our destination without any unanticipated detours. Yet, it is critically important for us to own up when we make that wrong turn in life because being lost is one thing, but remaining lost has lasting effects on our lives and those that we live, love, and work with each day. 

Back to our driving analogy, I don't want to stereotype us men, but if it's true I guess we have to own it. When we get "off course" driving, something deep down inside of us thinks that if we just take the next turn up ahead and then a second and a third turn then eventually we will magically be back on the right path. In my own experience, it would have been nice if it had worked out that way! My guess is that's true for most of us in the male species so we will state it as factual. Getting lost is one thing, accepting that you are lost and that you need help with directions to get back on the right route is a completely different feat. My stubbornness has cost our family countless minutes and hours over the years, when all I needed to do was stop going the wrong direction and ask someone for help. Hard to do? Well you wouldn't think so, but how else did men get the reputation that we have so rightfully earned? When we are driving down a wrong path the cost is time delayed on our arrival, when we are driving down the path of our wrong choices in life the cost is so much more. 

Whatever those wrong choices are let's just go ahead and label them what they are, sin. Whether we hurt someone's feelings with our words, sin, or we rob a bank, sin, both are sins and need to be forgiven. Many times, the sins we commit that hurt those closest to us are the very ones that we don't want to turn around from and ask for help with from God. We want to place the blame on the other person making us look innocent in our own eyes. Wrong turn, wrong turn, won't get us back on track! Ownership of our sins is what we are asked to do. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9. Just as in driving, but not just for men, this is hard to do for some reason. We either want to marginalize the wrong deed, justify it, or deny it is actually a sin in the first place. Remember in driving we need to stop driving in the wrong direction and ask for help, that is what's required for forgiveness of sins likewise.

Just to clarify, nobody is perfect. Paul reminds us of this truth in Romans 3:10 " as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;" " So why is it that we are so stubborn and unwilling to accept that we will make mistakes in this life we are living? Why do we not open ourselves up to self and admit that we have done wrong and that we need to ask for forgiveness? That admission of fault and the sincere desire to be forgiven not only impacts our life, it also has a lasting impact on those we have sinned against and for those that we love so much that learn from our actions in life. 

If I am driving the wrong way, those in the car with me are my captive passengers and will be lost right along with me. The impact of being lost means that everyone in the car is going to be delayed in reaching the destination. That loss of time cannot be regained, and the longer we stay on that wrong path, the longer those with us miss out on the true destination we all desire to reach. Don't ever think that the sins we commit don't have an impact on others, they do. 

As part of the family of believers it is our responsibility to own up to our wrongs and stop following a pathway that only leads to a dead end in life. We are His example to a dark world that is driving down a road that only leads to a dead end. If we don't illuminate this world then our sins will only highlight the pathway that leads to destruction. We must choose to step up, admit our fault, and then ask for forgiveness. In so doing we become an example for Him and we can become that roadside assistant for the next wayward driver! “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house." Luke 11:33

Are you driving down a wrong one way street? Are you packed down with luggage and instead of being headed to the beach you are headed down a darkened alleyway? The AAA roadside assistance is right there waiting for your call. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye. shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh. findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7-8. Stop, Seek Him, and Turn Around. A wrong turn plus a right turn equals redemption!

Coach Carter

Farmer John

 

Back in the early 1970's I joined a band, the East Ridge Middle School band that is. Our mother was musically inclined, playing the piano by ear and also through reading music. Along with our mother, my sister also picked up the piano and sings like a nightingale. Yet, when I joined the ERMS middle school band to play the trumpet, my only claim to fame was in the nickname the band director donned on me. Bib overalls probably weren't the most stylish fashion statement in the 70's, but with the hippie culture procuring a great deal of attention in the media and in society, I felt pretty stylish in my denim blue jean galluses. The band director at East Ridge relegated me a new title when I wore my bibs to school for the first time, "Farmer John". Not sure where the "John" part came from, I guess it just sounded good together to Mr. Mayes, but the "Farmer" prefix gave me a sense of pride, coming from a family that loved the land that provided our sustenance and livelihood to a certain extent. Who would have guessed that some forty years later I would be going back to my roots of planting seeds and harvesting the produce in the lives of so many through my teaching and my coaching. I guess Farmer John isn't too far off the mark after all!

The Bible is filled with references to sowing seeds, nurturing the seeds and plants, and then harvesting the gain that they produce. A very popular parable that Jesus shared in Matthew 13 tells of the different outcomes for seeds that happened upon different types of terrain and settings. Some got gobbled up by the birds, others were choked out by the sun, and some found good soil and produced a bountiful return. Well a couple of weeks ago, during my morning devotional I wrote a prayer that almost took on the form of a parable about being a farmer and the seeds that I plant. I'd like to share my parable prayer with you today and pray this same prayer for your own garden that you plant each day. 

Dear God, don’t let me be like a man who is given a fruit producing plant, but places it on a shelf in a dark closet, never allowing the plant to have a chance to grow or produce. Lord don't let me be like a gardener that plants the seeds, but then allows the weeds to overtake the seedlings because I don’t tend to my garden. Dear God, don't let me be the man that is given the seeds, yet never plants them in the ground keeping him from seeing what the seeds might produce. Father, I want to take the seeds you have planted in me and nurture them with the food of your word, showers of worship, and abundant praise. I want to harvest the fruits of that labor and I want to gather the seeds from that produce, and plant them into the lives of others. Use this humble gardener Heavenly Father I pray! Amen. 

We all are sowing and we all will reap. The unknown variable will be what our labor produces. We will sow to the Spirit that leads us and others to Christ, or we will sow to this world and our efforts will never produce the quality or quantity of harvest that you and I were placed on this earth to achieve. My Farmer John nickname may not have stuck with me as I moved on to high school and into adulthood, but I place my hope in the fact that as long as I continue sowing the seeds that God has given me to sow, the end result will be a humble Farmer John that provides a bountiful harvest for His Kingdom!

"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9

Coach Carter