What a Wonderful World

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.”  - Isaiah 11:6

In 1968 our nation was in the midst of the Vietnam War, and two men—Bob Thiele and George David Weiss—wrote a song that was recorded by the great jazz musician Louis Armstrong. You’ve all heard it sung many times. The song was “What a Wonderful World.”

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. 
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. 

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, saying, “How do you do?” 
They’re really saying, “I love you.”
I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know
And I think to myself…what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself…what a wonderful world.

The world Louis Armstrong imagined was, without a doubt, a wonderful world. But Jesus’ world will be…EVEN…BETTER.

I don’t know about you, but after the past six months of COVID, social unrest and constant political squabbling, I’m ready for a better world. Sometimes it seems impossible. But the Bible tells us a day is coming that will be like Christmas, our birthday and the 4th of July all rolled into one. Jesus Christ will touch down on planet earth once again, and this time he will set up his throne here on earth for 1,000 years. Under his leadership, we will finally experience perfect righteousness, justice and peace. I can hardly wait for this wonderful new world!

We can read about it in the Book of Isaiah, written by the great prophet who lived about 700 years before Christ was born. Isaiah’s name means “Yahweh is salvation.” That’s the perfect name for him, because many of his prophecies highlight the salvation that Jesus Christ will bring to Israel. Like most prophetic books, the Book of Isaiah speaks of judgment. But Isaiah’s prophecies don’t just talk about judgment. Like most prophetic books, they also speak of blessing.

Some of the most encouraging prophecies in the Book of Isaiah are those that deal with Jesus’ second coming—when he will set up his earthly kingdom and reign for 1,000 years. Isaiah 11:6-10 describes what Jesus’ earthly kingdom will look like: “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them” (vs. 6).

Finally … perfect peace here on earth. No more pandemic lockdowns. No more religious persecution. No more ruthless dictators. No more constant bickering between Republicans and Democrats. No more abortion, sexual perversion, poverty or racism. We won’t need to lock our doors, because nobody will steal our stuff. During that thousand-year reign of Christ, it won’t quite be heaven. There will be a certain amount of temptation, difficulty and pain. There will be death. But without a doubt, it will be BY FAR the best this world has ever been since the Garden of Eden.

At long last, our government will be perfectly right and perfectly just. And all creation, which for several thousand years has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth, will let out a sigh of relief and rejoice with us as we—for the first time since the Garden of Eden—experience true rest and peace on earth. I can hardly wait!

But remember, the same Lord who will one day bring peace to this world is living inside of you. He wants to speak through you and work through you to bring peace to our broken world—today. People around us need to be at peace with God and with others. And we can bring them peace—because we carry with us the Prince of Peace.

Until that day, here are some things you and I can do: #1: Although Jesus isn’t yet king of this world, make sure that he is king of your heart. #2: The righteousness and justice that you long for in our world should be lived out in your home. #3: Since Jesus’ kingdom is a kingdom of peace, you as Christ’s follower must be a peacemaker.

Passages like Isaiah 11:1-10 leave us thinking, “What a wonderful world it will be!” But because Jesus lives inside us, every single day of our lives, we have the ability to bring much of that wonderful world into this broken world. So, let Jesus Christ work through you to make the lives of those around you a little more right, a little more just, and a little bit more at peace. Jesus is with you, so go and make this world a little more wonderful!

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our live outdoor worship service tomorrow at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook.

Are You a Base-Model Christian?

“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation he fell asleep.” - Acts 13:36

I heard a story about a dairy farmer who went to buy a new pickup truck. He had seen an ad in the paper for a great deal on a new truck, so he decided to trade in his old clunker. He went to the dealership, chose a pickup and was ready to write the check for the full amount. But the salesman said, “Wait, I haven’t given you the final price yet.” The farmer asked, “Isn’t it the price I saw in the paper?” The salesman said, “No, that’s for the base model. All the options cost extra.” So, after the options were added, the farmer reluctantly wrote a check for $2,000 more than he had planned to pay, and he drove off the lot in his new pick-up.

A few months later the car salesman called the farmer because he wanted to buy a cow for his son’s 4-H project. The farmer assured the car salesman he had several good milk cows for sale for $500. The salesman drove out, selected a cow and took out his checkbook. The farmer said, “Wait. I haven’t given you the final price yet.” Then he handed the salesman a bill that read: “Basic cow, $500. Two-tone exterior, $45. Milk storage compartment, $60. Four handy spigots at $10 each, $40. Leather upholstery, $125. Automatic rear fly swatter, $38. Natural fertilizer attachment, $185. Grand total … $1,233.”

Now, I’ve never purchased a cow, but because I’m a bit of a cheapskate, I’m pretty sure I’d go for the base model. When I buy a car, I LIKE the base model … as long as it has air conditioning. If the car has four tires, an engine and a steering wheel, the base model is just fine. But when it comes to living the Christian life, the base model will never be “just fine.”

On Paul’s first missionary trip, he went into the Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch to preach a powerful message about Jesus. In this message, Paul mentioned one of the greatest heroes of the Old Testament: King David, the only man in the Bible to be called “a man after God’s own heart.” David had a fierce love for God and served Him faithfully. And then, in Paul’s words, “when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation he fell asleep” (Acts 13:36).

Paul was making the point that God had a plan for David’s life. God gave him a clear purpose to carry out in his own generation. And David carried it out. David served God’s purpose in his own generation. God called David to slay Goliath, so David obediently slew Goliath. God called David to serve in King Saul’s court, so David obediently served in King Saul’s court. God called David to lead Israel in her battles and lead the people to follow God. So David obediently led Israel in her battles and led them to follow God.

Isn’t that good? In a day and age when most people were pretty much living for themselves, David was the servant of his generation. Could the same be said about you and me? The Bible makes it clear that everything in this vast universe of ours was created by God. He created every bug, every fish, every bird, every animal and every person—including you. The Bible is clear that God created you and designed you just the way you are. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. Your eye color and hair color are by design. Your height and your build are by design. Your natural strengths and even your natural weaknesses are by design.

So, are we living the lives God designed us for? In a day and age when most people are pretty much living for themselves, are we, like David, a great blessing to the age we live in? Are we servants of our generation? Matthew Henry reminds us, “We were not born for ourselves, but are members of communities, to which we must study to be serviceable.” And as devotional writer A.W. Tozer says, “David was smart enough to serve God and his generation before he fell asleep [ie, “died”]. To fall asleep before we have served our generation is nothing short of tragic…. It is a moral calamity to sleep without having first labored to bless the world.”

So true! But what is that purpose? At Impact Christian Church, we summarize God’s purpose with the shortest mission statement I’ve ever seen. It’s only three words: Love. Learn. Serve. Every Sunday morning, we seek to love God by loving people. Our greatest desire is to see every person who comes through our doors accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and begin loving him too. Our second focus is to learn God’s word. As we study His word, we get to know Him better, and we learn how to love and serve Him better. Our third purpose is serving. Just as David was created to serve God’s purpose in his own generation, so too are we. Jesus didn’t come to earth to be served, but to serve. And we follow in his footsteps as we serve each other and our community.  

My life has meaning and purpose, and so does yours. So, we must boldly stand and declare, “I will NOT waste my life!” You and I were created not to be served but to serve, and to serve God’s purpose in our own generation. I do not believe that anyone was created by God for base-model Christianity. I believe you and I were created for greater impact. And that boils down to this: Loving God by loving people … learning His Word … and serving others. If you don’t already have a church home, then I’d love to invite you to start joining us every Sunday. And we’ll serve God’s purpose in our generation—together.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Come join us Sunday at 10 a.m. at the new Ralph Baker School in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

God of the Midnight Emergencies?

“For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Luke 11:10

A woman who lived in a remote area of Wales made a big request: She asked the electric company to connect her home to the grid. It required a lot of hard work and a whole lot of money, but she finally convinced them to run power to her house. However, a few months after her power was turned on, the utility company noticed that she had barely used any electricity. They thought there must be something wrong with the hookup, so they sent a meter reader out to investigate. The serviceman came to the door and said to the woman, “We’ve just checked your meter and it doesn’t seem that you’re using much electricity. Is there a problem?” She answered, “Oh no. We’re quite satisfied. We turn the electric lights on every night so we can see to light our gas lamps, and then we switch them off again.”

What an odd thing to do! This woman missed out on many modern conveniences that could have been a big blessing to her and to her family. She had cheap, convenient light at her fingertips, but she only tapped into the power source for a few seconds every day. The same could be said about many Christians when it comes to prayer.

Every Christian believes in prayer. We’ve heard plenty of stories about answered prayer. But we use prayer’s power so sparingly. Perhaps some of us don’t pray very much because we believe God’s going to pretty much do what He’s going to do with or without our prayers. Others of us may not pray much because we view prayer as a last resort—a “Hail Mary” pass—when all else fails.  Still others of us don’t pray very much because we’re too busy or too lazy. We can come up with plenty of reasons for not flipping the prayer switch and tapping into God’s power grid, but none of the reasons are very good.

In Luke 11, Jesus tells his followers a parable to illustrate the importance of prayer. He tells about a man who has an unexpected midnight visitor—a friend who arrives tired and hungry from a long journey. The man has no food to offer his visitor, so he knocks on his neighbor’s door and asks for three loaves of bread. But the neighbor responds: “Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything” (v. 7).  However, in the end, Jesus says, “Though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (v. 8).

Now, some readers of this parable might assume that since the man who pounds on his friend’s door represents you and me, the sleeping friend must represent God.  But Jesus makes it clear that God is nothing like the sleeping, reluctant friend. You see, unlike the sleeping friend, our heavenly Father is not a reluctant giver. The reluctant friend feels inconvenienced by his friend’s request. But God never feels inconvenienced by His sons’ and daughters’ requests. The reluctant friend basically says to his friend at the door, “You screwed up by being unprepared for your friend’s midnight visit. It’s not MY problem!”  But God delights in sharing our problems, even when it’s our fault. Finally, the reluctant friend eventually does the right thing for selfish reasons—he wants to get back to sleep. But God does the right thing because He loves us.

Jesus simply says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (vs. 9-10). I’d like you to ask yourself: Do these verses work both ways in my relationship with God? In all honesty, most of us would answer, “No.”  God ASKS us to speak for Him and do certain things for Him, but so often we don’t do it.  God SEEKS followers who will stand in the gap between our godless culture and the gates of Heaven and lead others back to Christ. God seeks followers like these, but quite often He doesn’t find them.  God KNOCKS on our hearts’ doors, asking us to let Him come in and spend quality time with us, but like the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:20), so often we refuse to answer the door.

God comes our way asking, seeking and knocking, and so often—just like the sleeping friend—we turn Him away.  But thankfully, God is not like us. If we go to our Father and ask, we will receive. If we go to our Father and seek, we will find. And if we go our Father and knock, the door will be opened.

Friends, God is NOT a reluctant Giver. He is a loving, gracious, generous Giver. He delights in hearing and answering our prayers. He delights in meeting our needs when we bring our needs to Him. Don’t just go to God for the midnight emergencies. Go to your Father in Heaven every day, throughout the day with your needs and your requests. He will hear you and He will answer you. Now, will you do the same for Him?

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville and the author of "Holy Huldah: Lessons You Should Never Forget from Bible Characters You've Never Heard Of." For more information, visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com, and join us for our Worship Celebration Sundays at 10 a.m.

God Builds Our Character in the Valleys

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  – Genesis 50:20

Joseph is one of my favorite heroes of the Old Testament. Unlike his dad—who was well-known for his self-centered, deceitful ways—Joseph was a model of selfless integrity. Whether he was being promoted above his peers or being unjustly accused and incarcerated, he maintained impeccable character and didn’t waiver in his faithful obedience to God's word.

Perhaps you remember the story in Genesis 37-45. Joseph was the eleventh of the twelve sons of Israel (aka, Jacob), and he was the favorite son of his father for at least two reasons. For starters, he was the firstborn son of Israel’s favorite wife Rachel. And secondly, because Rachel had been barren for many years, Joseph was born to Israel in his old age. It’s not uncommon for parents to play favorites with their kids, but unfortunately, Israel did it in plain view of his entire family. He made his favorite son Joseph a “coat of many colors” to flaunt his favored status. Every time Joseph wore his special coat it shouted this clear message: “You will never be better than second best, because the boy wearing this coat is his father’s absolute favorite.”

As you might guess, Joseph’s ten older brothers weren’t too fond of his new, flashy threads. They hated him with a passion and decided to sell him as a slave to some Midianite traders heading for Egypt. Before too long, Joseph found himself hundreds of miles from home in a strange country on a different continent. Yet despite Joseph’s crummy situation, he quickly went from zero to hero. How was this possible? Because “the LORD was with him.”

As Joseph made the most of his lousy situation—working hard and obeying his master’s orders—God saw to it that he was quickly promoted to the highest position in his master’s house. And even after Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown in jail, God saw to it that he was promoted to the highest position in the slammer. As Joseph maintained his selfless integrity, God blessed him. And within a few short years, Joseph was promoted to the second highest position in Egypt. Since Joseph had shown himself faithful to God in his small assignments, God gave him a very big assignment. And this assignment ended up saving the lives of thousands, including the lives of his own parents and eleven brothers.

There are many life lessons that we can draw from Joseph’s life. I’ll point out four: LESSON #1: Regardless of how crummy your circumstances are, you will prosper if God is with you. Therefore, in your darkest hour cling to God. If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, no matter who rejects you, no matter who walks out on you, no matter who abandons you, God never will. And if God is with you, He will prosper you. So, when everyone around you refuses to hold on to you, you must hold on to God.

LESSON #2: No matter what people take away from you, never surrender your integrity or faith in God. Seventeenth Century Bible commentator Matthew Henry made this great point: “Those that have wisdom and grace have that which cannot be taken from them…. Joseph’s brethren had stripped him of his coat of many colors, but they could not strip him of his virtue and [wisdom].” Well said! Thieves can steal our cars; banks can take our homes, and burglars can carry off all that we own. But nobody can strip us of our faith in God or our integrity. The only way we could lose these priceless possessions would be if we were to give them away. 

LESSON #3: What people have said and done in order to harm you, God can use for your good. Romans 8:28 teaches us that no matter what life throws at us, God will always be at work for our good if we love Him and are carrying out His purpose for our lives. And in Genesis 50:20, Joseph’s story ends with the Old Testament equivalent of Romans 8:28. After Joseph’s father died, his older brothers feared that Joseph would avenge their treacherous actions. But Joseph told them frankly, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Yes, God is so strong and so good that He can transform our enemies’ greatest acts of treachery into something good. Wow! What a mighty God we serve!

LESSON #4: If you’ll let Him, God will build your character while you are being overworked and underappreciated. Consider this: If Joseph had stayed at home with his pampering father, he might never have developed the kind of character that made him a hero of our faith. When Joseph was unfairly thrust into slavery and unjustly thrown into prison, he was forced to work hard and obey orders. And through it all, God was building His godly character. In fact, one of God’s preferred methods for building our character is to place us in menial positions where we must work hard and follow orders. He gives us unglamorous jobs to do and difficult people to obey. He teaches us to serve before He teaches us to lead.

Therefore, may we never deny ourselves or our children the priceless character building that takes place in the midst of hard work and humble obedience. God can and will transform our character to be like that of Joseph. But He won’t do it on the mountaintops while we’re being pampered. God does His best character building in the valleys while we are simply working hard and obeying orders.

     Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for our worship service tomorrow at 10 a.m.

It’s Time to Get Back to Church

“Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
– Hebrews 10:25

It makes me laugh. A quick five minute search on the internet reveals that every day in September is a holiday of some sort. And I’ll bet you’ve never heard of most of them. Sure, you’ve heard of Labor Day and National Grandparents Day, but did you know that September 2nd was International Bacon Day? (Now, that’s a holiday that I could really sink my teeth into!) Or did you know that September 4th was Eat an Extra Dessert Day, and September 6th was National Fight Procrastination Day?

This weekend is chock-full of interesting holidays. Friday is National Felt Hat Day. Across our great nation all ten people who know this holiday exists are sporting their favorite felt hats. And my heartfelt “congratulations” to all of you reading this article. Without even knowing it, you're likely to be successfully celebrating Saturday’s little-known holiday: National Stay Away from Seattle Day. Evidently, Seattle residents like the idea of taking a one-day breather from the rampant tourism that they believe overcrowds their city.

Some of these little-known holidays are quirky and laughable. But this Sunday’s little-known holiday is no laughing matter. You see, September 17th is National Back to Church Sunday. As families across America have entered back to school season, Christian churches are spreading this very important message: “No matter how long it’s been since you’ve attended, it’s time to get back to church.” No guilt trips. No finger pointing. No rude comments like, “Boy, are you a flake or what?” Just a friendly, biblically-grounded reminder: “It’s time to stop putting church on the back burner. It’s time to get back to church.”

Let’s face it. We all have a laundry list of excuses for why we don’t attend church each week. New parents are exhausted by daily 2 a.m. feedings. Parents of school aged children and teens are pulled every which way by the demands of coaches, teachers, bosses and in-laws. And many empty nesters in the midst of the so-called “golden years” find themselves busier than ever. There’s no doubt about it: There are many competing priorities jockeying for our attention on a Sunday morning, and church…well, sometimes it just gets lost in the shuffle.

But it shouldn’t. If God is our #1 priority, how can we allow worshiping Him alongside other Christians to be such a low priority? That doesn’t make sense. However, on any given Sunday, there are millions of Christians across our nation who choose not to attend a worship service. Many will catch Joel Osteen, Charles Stanley or Tony Evans on the tube and say, “I did church at home today.” But don’t forget: You can’t fellowship with a TV or radio broadcast. And you can’t take communion with, pray with or encourage your 50” High Def screen. Bottom line: Although TV broadcasts can, at times, deliver biblical teaching into our homes, they are a very poor replacement for the bride of Christ—the local church.

So, if it’s been a few weeks, a few months or even a few years since you’ve attended a worship service at your home church, this weekend offers the perfect Sunday to get back in the pew (or chair). The door will be open wide. You will be warmly received. You will be blessed. And perhaps what might surprise you most of all is that you will be a blessing. You may be a blessing to a discouraged Christian sitting in front of you. You may be a blessing to the pastor who sees you with your Bible in hand, sitting in a chair that would have otherwise remained empty. You may be a blessing to the worship leader as you express your sincere love for Christ by joining in a song of praise. And the little bit you place in the offering plate may be the exact amount a church-supported missionary needs to take the Gospel to a city that desperately needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Yes, making church a weekly priority for you and your family is very important. Your presence can make a church stronger, more energetic, more impactful, and more adequately covered in prayer. And the benefits and blessings it affords to you and your family are too numerous to count. Oh, there will always be plenty of other things to do on a Sunday morning, but for Christians there will never be a weekly Sunday morning priority that is more important than worship. Deep down, I think you know this. So, push the excuses aside. Get back to church this Sunday. And if you don’t have a church home, I’d like to invite you to join us at First Christian Church.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information, visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship tomorrow at 10 a.m.