Articles by Tim Archer at Heartlight

Earning a Reward

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

My wife just traveled to Argentina and back. That trip would normally have cost more than we could pay, but it turned out to be quite affordable. We were able to pay for that trip with miles we had accrued by taking other trips. In the language of the airline industry, we had earned a reward.

That’s a popular concept these days. Many companies offer incentives based on your purchases with them. Take enough trips and you earn another one. Stay in a hotel and earn another stay. Use your credit card and earn rewards. Buy flowers, shop at the hardware store, rent movies, eat pizza … there are lots of ways you can get free things by earning bonuses.

I have no problem with that system. I like being rewarded. One problem I see, though, is that we often want to look at God as operating in the same way. If we do enough of the right things, we reason, God will be obligated to give us our reward. That's how many people in the world see it. Just make sure that you have done enough right things, and your future is secured.

But that's not how God works. He doesn't expect us to earn the reward that He has to give. And there is nothing that we can do to obligate God to do anything. What He gives, He gives because of His grace, not because we have been able to force Him to do something. What He offers, He offers freely, not with a price that we have to pay. There's not even a rewards plan where we can accrue enough points to go to heaven. It all depends on God. The apostle Paul wrote: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

There's no Frequent Prayers Plan, no Platinum Church Members Plan. There's just Jesus and His sacrifice. By accepting what He did for us with a loving, obedient faith, we get the reward that He earned for us. Now that's a great plan!

If you'd like to know more about God's reward, write to me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

Changing Seasons

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I live in Texas in the northern hemisphere. Here, springtime is just beginning. For fifteen years of my life, I lived in Argentina in the southern hemisphere where at this time of the year they are moving into autumn. It takes time to become used to the differences. For example, when people in the United States want to talk about something that is extremely unlikely, they say, "It'll be a cold day in July before that happens." To which many of our southern hemisphere friends reply, "Most July days are cold."

It's my experience that all of life is this way. While some people are living in the sunshine, others are living in moments of darkness. I have a vivid memory of the night that my son was born. At the hospital, I was in the lobby using a pay phone to tell my in-laws the news that a delivery was imminent. (This was in the dark ages, in the 1990s, when people didn't carry cell phones.) As I shared with them this message of joy, a family burst onto the scene, obviously distraught. One of the young men picked up a large piece of furniture and started to hurl it across the room before someone stopped him. It was a scene of grief that stood in stark contrast with the joyful moments that I was living. That's how life is. Some rejoice while others weep. Some receive while others lose.

Just as the earth moves and the seasons change, so sorrow and joy ebb and flow throughout all of humanity. If we live long enough, we will have moments of great happiness and we will have moments of great hurt. Our circumstances will change from year to year and even from day to day. Some of us will experience more suffering than others, yet we all will pass through those hard times.

I want to invite you to watch some of the videos on our website, HopeForLife.org. These videos tell of people who faced moments of pain and loss, hard times and difficult days, yet who came through it all with hope. They did so not because of their own specialness, but because of the God who saw them through those times with an unending hope. Along with the videos, you can read articles that speak of hope and how to find it.

If you're in a moment of pain, I hope you'll take the time to hear some words of hope. If you are living through a good time, I hope you'll take the time to prepare yourself for the not-so-good times. As always, I'd love to hear from you. Write to me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

The Healing

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It was Sunday, March 9, 2008. Steve Ridgell and I had traveled with Herald of Truth Ministries to the island of Cuba. We were speaking at a church service in the town of Matanzas. I used the text that I had chosen beforehand, Mark 2:1-12. The first part of the text seemed very appropriate. Verse 2 says, "So many gathered that there was no room left." We were speaking to a group of well over 400 people when there were only seats for about 300. However, I was a bit uncomfortable with other parts of the text. As I read about Jesus healing this paralyzed man, I was acutely aware of the people in wheelchairs at the back of the audience. I couldn't help but wonder how they felt. Like other times when I've spoken on this passage, I talked about how Jesus put more emphasis on forgiving the man's sins than He did on healing his handicap. I explained that our physical needs can't begin to compare with our spiritual needs. As I preached, I couldn't help but wonder how my words were being received by these people whose physical needs were obviously great.

After the sermon, one of the local members invited any who needed to respond to the message to do so. Nine people came forward to be baptized into Christ. One especially caught my eye. She was one of the people in wheelchairs being wheeled forward by one of her friends, much like the paralyzed man in the story had been helped by his friends. This woman was connected to an IV bag. She was in the wheelchair because she only had one leg. It was obvious that she had major physical needs.

She was the first to be baptized. I stood in the water, and someone handed her to me. She professed her faith in Jesus, then I immersed her. When she came out of the water, no one looked at her leg. Instead, all eyes were drawn to her face. Seldom had any of us seen such joy, such pure and unrestrained joy. She was still unable to walk. She was still a sick woman. But her sins had been forgiven. My sermon about the importance of the forgiveness of sins versus physical healing was probably soon forgotten. But her sermon will long be remembered, even though it was preached without words. She knew. She understood. Her physical infirmities remained, but she had been healed in the way that mattered.

I've received the same healing. If you haven't, write to me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog. I'd love to share with you what I shared with that woman in Cuba.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

Remember

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

When they were young, my kids loved videos. They could watch the same movies over and over again. Consequently, I watched the same movies over and over again. Not as many times as my kids, but I certainly would get a good dose of each movie. One favorite in our household was the Disney movie, "Lion King." In the movie, Simba, the young lion who is next in line to be king of his pride is present when his father dies in an accident. Simba is convinced that he is to blame for his father's death and flees into the desert. He is rescued there by two jungle animals who take him to an oasis and nurse him back to health. These are insectivores, eating only grubs, worms and other bugs. They teach the young lion to live as they do. Their key phrase is "Hakuna Matata," a Swahili phrase meaning "There are no worries here." For them, life was about eating, dancing and singing. They felt no responsibilities toward anyone else.

Then comes the time when Simba has a vision of his dead father. The ex-king has one word for his son: "Remember." The young lion was meant to be royalty, king of the beasts, leader of the pride of lions. Instead, he was eating bugs and living a selfish life. His life was far from what it was meant to be.

For many of us, that's the very thing that we need. We need to remember. We need to remember who we are supposed to be. We need to remember who God made us to be. We were not made to live like animals. God has instilled in us a sense of purpose, a dignity, a higher calling. We need to remember.

Just as Simba needed to remember whose son he was, we need to see that God has given us the chance to be His sons. We can be so much more than bug-eating self-centered animals. We can be royalty, sons and daughters of the King, children of God. We can be part of God's family, living our lives with purpose and dignity. We have been called to greatness. We just have to remember who we are. We just have to remember Whose children we can be.

If you'd like to know more about God's call, learn more about His purpose for you, contact me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

Changing the Past

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Alfred had dedicated himself to the science of war. A talented scientist and creative inventor, he studied ways to create new and better weapons. Specializing in explosives, he created dynamite. While you may think that he was a man who enjoyed war, quite the opposite was true. He felt that if he could perfect the instruments of war, it would be impossible for man to wage war. He once said, "My dynamite will sooner lead to peace than a thousand world conventions. As soon as men will find that in one instant whole armies can be utterly destroyed, they surely will abide by golden peace."

That dream of peace through improved weapons was shattered by World War I. Alfred's dynamite and other inventions were used to kill more and to kill faster. Yet he continued on his quest for peace.

One morning, Alfred picked up the paper and was shocked to read his own obituary. Through an error, a French paper had printed Alfred's obituary instead of his brother's. It was a terrible shock to this peace-loving man to see himself labeled as "the Merchant of Death," portrayed as the man responsible for thousands of deaths. This was not how Alfred wanted to be remembered. So in his remaining years, he worked with lawyers to set up a foundation that would give yearly prizes for chemistry, physics, medicine and literature. Today if you ask someone about Alfred Nobel, few will call him "the Merchant of Death" nor connect his name with dynamite. We remember, instead, the Nobel peace prize.

We may not be able to change our legacy that dramatically, but we can do something even better. We can take our past mistakes, our old lives, the guilt and regrets that we've built up through the years, and have them erased forever. God has promised to separate us from them "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12) ... and that's pretty far! God will look on us as though we'd never done anything wrong. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Wouldn't you like to wake up tomorrow and know that you can be proud of every aspect of your life? Jesus can make it possible. A new start, a clean slate. It's there for the taking. Contact me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog. I'll tell you more about changing your past and assuring your future.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

It's Not For Everyone

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)

If you think about it, this invitation by Jesus isn't for everyone. I'm not saying that He wouldn't receive all who wanted to come nor am I saying that His sacrifice was in any way limited. What I'm saying is Jesus is calling those who are tired. Those who feel weighed down. Those who are dissatisfied. Those who don't like the way things are.

If you've never gone through a hard time, if you haven't known disappointment, if you haven't experienced loss, Jesus' invitation won't be very attractive. If you enjoy war and suffering and hunger and illness and all the things that surround us in this world, you're probably not interested in the rest that Jesus offers. If you haven't felt the burden of guilt, the soul-wrenching weight of remorse, then a light yoke probably doesn't sound very good. You may find it hard to appreciate what Jesus has to offer.

But the vast majority of us know what it is to be weary. Tired to the bone. We know what it feels like to be burdened, be it the burden of worry, the burden of sin, the burden of illness. What we long for is rest. Rest for our souls. Even though it is a yoke that Jesus offers, it is a light one. And we're ready. We're willing. Show us where to sign.

To us, Jesus says simply: Come. He'll lay His yoke on us, He'll teach us, and He'll do it in a gentle, humble way. Come, He says. Lay your burdens down. Come. Find rest and peace. Find forgiveness and grace. Learn what it is to serve a gentle Master, one whose goal is to ease our burdens and rest our souls.

No, the invitation isn't for everyone. But I know it's for me. And it just might be for you. If you'd like to know more, write me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

Stepping Out

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600

It's called rappelling. It's the means by which you walk down a near-vertical surface with the aid of a rope around your body. I was fifteen when I did it. I don't think I'll do it again.

Let me state up front that I have some fear of heights. Not like the lady I knew in Argentina that couldn't stand up when she was on the ninth floor of an apartment building. But if I'm in a situation where I can picture myself falling, I definitely experience heightened anxiety.

My rappelling episode started off with me having to walk off the top of a cliff. Backwards. Slowly but surely I made my way down the rock face, with an ever-growing appreciation of the power of prayer. About halfway down, I saw one of the staff members from the camp that I was participating in; he was perched on a nearby ledge. "You need to go to your left," he told me.

"That's easy for you to say," I thought to myself. I was near a protrusion; going to my left meant stepping out in space for a moment or two. Going to my right kept my feet on the solid face of the mountain. You guessed it: I went to my right. Later, when I was about fifteen feet from the bottom, I ran out of rope. By not following the staff member's instructions, I had gotten the rope snagged on a rock and could no longer reach my destination.

The ending to the story is less than dramatic; within five minutes or so, the rope was freed and I was able to get down. But I often think back to that moment of decision, when I had to choose between the uncertainty of stepping out in space and the safety of what I could see and feel. It helps me to sympathize with people who face that same decision in their spiritual lives. How much easier it would be if we could take God to the laboratory, place Him under a microscope and prove His existence once and for all. How comforting it would be to have an undeniable certificate of authenticity from God showing that the Bible is true in every way. How convenient it would be if faith were not required, if we could operate only on what we can see and feel. But it's not that way; to find God we have to step out in faith.

Let me, like that camp staffer years ago, encourage you to step out in space. Go beyond what our senses perceive and step out in faith. I and many others can tell you that God is there, that He is real and He is waiting for you. Take a chance, reach out and find Him; don't wait until you reach the end of your rope!

As always, I welcome your questions and comments at tim@hopeforlife.org or on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

Away in a Manger

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Away in a manger

For many of us, that's where Jesus is. A cute little baby lying in a manger. He's smiling and cooing and generally looking harmless. He fills us with good feelings, as healthy, beautiful babies do. We never hear a whimper, never a cry. He’s the perfect baby.

Away in a manger

It's convenient to leave Jesus there. A harmless baby, making no demands on us. We don't even have to change His diaper. We can go about our lives without thinking of Him, then return to the stable to find that happy, smiling baby.

Away in a manger

Part of a nativity scene to be pulled out once a year. Almost lost among the sheep and cattle and shepherds and wise men and angels. A tiny piece in a larger set, all wrapped up in tissue paper and stored away at season's end. Placed in a box next to Santa and his elves, right under the Christmas lights and tree decorations.

Away in a manger

Away from me. Away from the real world. Tucked away, stored away. That tiny baby is part of another time, another reality. A figure from history, maybe, or maybe just a part of a legend that men have passed on for hundreds of years. Either way, that tiny baby just doesn't seem to fit in the harsh realities of the twenty-first century.

Away in a manger

If that's your view of Jesus, I want to encourage you to take a look at what the Bible says about Him. His birth is a tiny part of the story of Jesus, so small in fact that it goes unmentioned in two of the four gospels. That manger is overshadowed in the Bible by a cross, dwarfed by the reality of an empty tomb. Jesus didn't come to earth to be a cute baby. He came to give His life on a cross. His whole life centered around that. Having given His life, He was placed in a tomb, laid on a stone slab not unlike the stone manger where He was first placed. But, just as He left that manger years before, He left the tomb behind as well, coming forth as the conquering Lord of Lords, defeating death in one mighty act of triumph.

Away in a manger? Hardly. The risen Lord sits at the right hand of God, offering life and victory to all who would follow Him. Now that December 25 has passed, go ahead and pack away that little baby boy. But don't think that you've left the Lord Jesus lying in a manger. He's left it far behind.

The risen Lord offers life and peace and hope to all who would come to Him. Contact me at tim@hopeforlife.org to know more. Or visit our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog to discuss more.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

Is That All There Is?

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600

I remember the football game I wanted so badly. At a time when computers were unknown in homes, it was "computerized." My favorite football player appeared on the box, assuring me that it was so realistic that pros could train with it. I knew the game would be wonderful.

I dreamed about that football game, of the fun I would have playing it. I imagined myself passing wonderful hours with this realistic simulation. Finally, after months of longing and pleading, I got the game I wanted. Excitedly I took it out of the box and discovered that I'd been misled. There was nothing computerized about this game, except in the loosest sense of the word. There were two moving sticks with a light attached to them; the light would illuminate different numbers according to how the sticks were moved. That was the extent of the "computerization" of this "realistic" game. I was left looking at the game thinking, "Is that all there is to it?"

I'd like to say that was the only time in my life that I experienced that feeling, but it wouldn't be true. In fact, I've lived through the same thing time and again. I see something and come to want it, dreaming about it, anticipating the satisfaction I'll feel when I finally get it. Then I obtain the object of my desire and find myself thinking, "Is that all there is to it?"

If we're not careful, we go through our whole lives thinking "Is that all there is? Isn't there anything more?" We hear the promises, the sales pitches, the call of endless temptations: buy this and you'll be happy; start a relationship with this person and all your dreams will come true; get that dream job and live happily ever after. Then we get home and discover that we've just bought two sticks connected to a light. "Is that all there is?"

In the book of Genesis, a man named Jacob describes his life as follows: "The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life" (Genesis 47:9). 130 years, and Jacob calls them "few and evil." I can almost hear him say, "Is that all there is to it?"

Only God can meet our deepest needs, only He can satisfy that longing we have. When we receive His gifts, we'll never say, "Is that all there is?" When He gives us the gift of salvation, when He pours out His grace in our lives, we'll never be left looking for more. God keeps His promises. His gifts have no equal. No one can satisfy our longings like the living God.

I'd like to share with you more about what God has to offer to us. Just write me at tim@hopeforlife.org. Or visit our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog. I promise that when you understand what God has to give, you won't be looking for more.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife

Hope for Life

tarcher@heraldoftruth.org (Tim Archer) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Viktor Frankl was a Jew living in Nazi Germany. He was arrested and sent to a Nazi death camp. There he watched men live in inhuman conditions, saw many stronger than he wither and die, and learned lessons about survival. One of the key things he observed was the power of hope. Those who had hope could survive almost anything; those who didn't, died. As Frankl put it, "The prisoner who had lost faith in the future - his future - was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay."

At HopeforLife.com, we believe that there is hope. We believe that it not only exists, but that it can be found. We know because we've found it and know many others who have as well. The hope that we have found comes from God, the source of all true hope. Others fall short: dreams of power, wishes for pleasure, longings for riches. None of those can transcend this life and reach beyond the grave. Only God can give us a hope that will not fade, a hope that cannot be tarnished by death or disease.

Jesus Christ came to this world to bring that hope to mankind. It's not enough for hope to exist; it's only when we are able to find it that it does us any good. Jesus came not only to embody hope, but also to give us something to hope in. Through him, we can hope to live forever. That life of hope can be lived now; Jesus made it possible for us to find, live in and share with others the same hope.

As human beings, we desperately need hope. This world is a cold, empty place without it. With hope, we can face any circumstance. The apostle Paul wrote, "In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12-13). Jesus Christ and the hope that he gives allow us to face every situation this life can offer.

If you are facing a hope crisis in your life, contact me and let's talk more about hope and the God who gives it. Just write me at tim@hopeforlife.org. Or visit our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Tim coordinates the Spanish-Speaking Ministries of Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. You can reach him at (866) 814-4673 or (866) 814-HOPE or by writing to tarcher@heraldoftruth.org.

Website: HopeForLife