25F

I flew to Florida to see my kids on Christmas day. Traveling by airplane, which I once thought a lot of fun, is now just a means of transportation from which the glamour has long since faded. After being herded through security lines, taking off my shoes and belt so I could be scrutinized by bored people saying, "Please keep your boarding pass available for inspection," over and over; and then walking for a mile through terminals full of tired people; we all got to cram ourselves into seats made for people the size of my wife! Due to a reservation glitch, the four of us who were traveling together ended up in different parts of the airplane and I was assigned to seat 25F! In that Boeing 737-400, seat 25F was in the last row, a window seat which made it narrower. It didn't recline because it was right against the rear cabin wall, and was right next to the restroom which was quite odiferous by that time of the night!

As I took my seat quite tired at 9:30 PM, I was grumbling inside. "25F! What did I do to deserve this seat? Why can't I be with my wife, enjoying some conversation at least?" I was the anti-Christmas guy, for sure. The good feelings that I had felt at 10 AM when singing, "Joy to the World," were swallowed up by my supposed misery! But, the Holy Spirit was traveling US Air Flight 704 that evening, too! In the middle of my complaints, He prodded my conscience and I began to realize the extent of my self-absorption at that moment. He got very personal --

Was a 2 hour stretch in a seat that was minorly uncomfortable really all that big of a deal?
Was it going to be made any better by allowing myself to be angry and irritable?
What happened to "in every circumstance give thanks?"
Why did I think I was 'undeserving' of 25F?
Was I somehow better than the other people on the plane?

I started smiling, amused by my foolishness, at the ease with which I had slid into sinning by ingratitude. The more I thought about my response to my seat assignment, the more amused I became, until I broke into a little chuckle. The lady seated next to me heard me and asked what was so funny. I think she thought I was laughing at her, at first, because she was grumbling aloud to no one in particular. I told her that earlier in the day I had led a congregation in worship on one of the most joyful days of the year, that I was on my way to spend some quality time with my kids and grandkids. Now, I was in seat 25F and I had nearly lost my joy to self-pity. She started to laugh, too! God's Spirit turned the situation around. I kept the boarding pass stub as a reminder of my little epiphany in 25F.

It's so easy to let little, inconsequential things steal our peace! Of course, there are situations in life that are terrible, but seat 25F wasn't one of them. Just this week, I've ministered to a couple of people whose problems really are big issues. One lady poured out her heart, broken by a marriage to a man who is unbelievably selfish, but she is trapped because she cannot support her kids alone; and she wants to do the right thing, too. As we prayed together, a desperate little prayer for Jesus' intervention in some way not obvious in that moment to either of us, she wept inconsolably. I talked with another person who is facing major health problems that are life-threatening. He tried to be brave, but I could see the worry lines etched into his face. Even in those kinds of situations, I am glad that there is hope, there is One to turn to. Jesus promised, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you." (John 14:16-18, NLT)

Are you worried, irritated, complaining, because you're in a place not of your choosing today?
God, the Holy Spirit, is present! Open up your mind, your heart, to Him. Prayerfully invite Him to be close.
Perhaps He'll do for you what He did for me -and just put your attitude in perspective and help you to deal with life with more equanimity!
Or, if necessary, He'll comfort you with a supernatural peace, becoming your Advocate in time of trouble.

Here's a Truth to take with you today:

• "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:5-7, NLT)
  _________________________
  

Give thanks
With a grateful heart,
Give thanks to the Holy One;
Give thanks because He's given
Jesus Christ, His Son.

And now let the weak say,"I am strong."
Let the poor say,"I am rich"
Because of what
The Lord has done for us.
And now let the weak say,"I am strong."
Let the poor say,"I am rich"
Because of what
The Lord has done for us.

Give thanks.

Give Thanks-- Smith, Henry
Copyright: 1978 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)

Useless, now useful

History has millions of stories of dramatic conversions! Nicky Cruz, whose story of transformation was told in Wilkerson's bestseller, The Cross and the Switchblade, was a New York street thug who became an evangelist for Christ. Saul, better known as Paul, was once the enemy of Christ. After having a vision of Jesus on the road to Damacus (Acts 9) he became the apostle to the world. At the end of the 19th century, a hard-drinking baseball player named Billy Sunday, met Christ and became a preacher whose fiery sermons helped to bring about Prohibition in 1918.

These men and millions of others - experienced that hard to describe life changing encounter with the Spirit of God of which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3. “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8, NLT) The process defies explanation, but the results are obvious!

Even process differs from person to person. Some are quickly changed, almost overnight. I remember one young man that heard the story of Jesus and loved Him immediately. Scotty's drug habits and addiction to cigarettes were gone, right at that moment, and he is a fervent follower of Jesus to this day, nearly 20 years later. Others come more gradually into the Kingdom, discovering more and more about Jesus, the Light increasing in their life like the light of the sun gradually spreads over the earth at dawn.

One common thread is shared by all who are called to Christ - they were previously useless to the Kingdom, now they are useful! The little letter found in the New Testament in the book of Philemon is one of Paul's most 'human' missives. A slave named Onesimus somehow meets up with Paul while he is under house arrest in Rome. He had run away from the household of Philemon in Colossae and was hiding in the city. Paul knew the slave and his master, Philemon, a church leader from a time of early ministry. In fact, from the letter we can infer that Paul had been the means of Philemon's conversion. (I won’t mention that you owe me your very soul! 19)

So, he writes to Philemon, asking that he forgive Onesimus for running away, a crime punishable by death. More than forgive this hapless slave, Paul urges Philemon to accept him as a brother. In the middle of the letter, Paul makes a play on words that is lost on us as we read it in English. He says, "He was useless to you before; now he’s useful to both of us." (Philemon 11, The Message) The slave's name, Onesimus, means 'useful.' He was made useful, a man of great value, by coming to Christ. Paul does not mean this simply in the sense that he will be a better slave! He means that he is valuable in the work of the Kingdom. He is "no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord." (Philemon 16, NKJV)

Have you been converted? Have you met Christ, received the Spirit into your life, and experienced a transformation?
One way to know is to look at your life and ask, "Am I, once useless to God, now useful in His work?"
We cannot save ourselves by good work, but if we are truly converted, the evidence will be plain to see - useless, now useful!

Here's a word from the Word to think on today.
"God saved you by his special favor when you believed.
And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece.
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NLT)

Jerry D. Scott
www.WashingtonAG.com

Loved!

"Love is a many-splendored thing, ... love is nature's way of giving, a reason to be living; the golden crown that makes a man a king!" Those old love songs might be corny but they surely capture a feeling, don't they? One reason to enjoy a wedding reception is the opportunity to hear Joe Cocker growl, "You are so beautiful to me... you're everything I hope for, everything I need" and the Righteous Brothers rendition of "Unchained Melody." Are you laughing at me, a silly fool in love? Romantic love makes an easy target for those who wish to mock but - if we've been in love - we never forget the rush that came the first time we fell in love, as immature as that experience might have been.

Having loved the same lady for more than 31 years, I know the depth and breadth of a mature love, too. One evening recently, as we sat quietly reading in our living room, I looked over at Bev and remarked that it was my favorite time of day - just being together. My heart beats faster, a feeling akin to terror clutches my throat, when I even think of being torn from her!

Are you 'in love' with Christ Jesus with feelings something like those? I don't mean to imply that we need a teen-age crush on Jesus, and it's hard to separate our romantic love from sexual stirrings, so the language is perhaps confusing when used about our Lord. But, please, reach for the idea with me.

Christianity without passion just isn't Biblical! The grandest love story of all time is the story of God's love for us, written in the life and death of Jesus. As much as I like and as often as I have used the "Four Spiritual Laws" to explain the concept of sin and salvation; the 1,2,3,4 logic of that presentation doesn't come close to capturing the essence of the heart of God like the story Jesus told of a lost son who came home to the arms of the Waiting Father after wasting his fortune and ruining his life! "And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." That is compelling stuff! Who doesn't long to be loved like that after failing, falling, and disappointing another?

Trained to think scientifically, we have made even our faith a thing of careful logic, systematic theologies with points built into a structure of reason. I am thankful for those who study the Scripture, who teach us about the important truths contained in the sacred Word. We just must not lose the heart of the faith in the process of parsing the words! From the beginning the Bible is more than history; it is "God's story!" Genesis 3 tells us that God came walking in the Garden, just to be with His created beings, a Divine Lover. The most common imagery that the Hebrews used to describe their relationship to God was marriage, and it became the language of the Church who is the 'Bride of Christ.' The ancient prophets railed on the people who went after other gods calling their perfidy - spiritual adultery.

The Bible speaks of our covenant with God, not a contract! He loves us, draws us and we love Him in return. The love is not calculated, nor is it based on some equation of return. It is abandonment of ourselves to Him. Ah, friend, do you love Him? We must go beyond cutting a deal with God that is cynically described as- "I believe some facts and You give me the key to Heaven." We must love Him! That might require a new way of seeing Who He is, of thinking of our faith in new ways.

Let this 'love letter' inspire you today.
"How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him.
Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ.
(What pleasure he took in planning this!)
He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son." (Ephesians 1:3-6, The Message)
___________________________

I'm calling out to You,
There must something more;
Some deeper place to find,
Some secret place to hide,
Where I've not gone before!

Where my soul is satisfied,
and my sin is put to death;
and I can hear Your voice,
and Your purpose is my choice,
as natural as a breath.

The Love I knew before;
When You first touched my life,
I need You to restore,
I want You to revive!

Could You place in my heart,
A passion for Jesus,
A hunger that seizes,
my passion for You?
My one desire,
my greatest possession,
My only confession,
my passion for You!

Passion for Jesus
Author: Brian Houston

Celebrate the love, and be transformed.

The worship team at the Assembly is one of God's gifts to our church. This team of musicians loves the Lord and they love their music. Since 2000, when I was called to this church where I serve, I've watched a talented group of artists meld their gifts and abilities, and they have become a ministry team that helps all of us to open up our hearts and minds to the Presence of the Lord. But, they do some of their best work after the benediction! Yes, it's true. People who hang around the sanctuary for a few moments longer, often hear the team 'cut loose.' The guys exult in their passionate joy of making music for God, turn up the volume, and do some crazy stuff. I'm sure some of the saints wouldn't see some of what they do in those moments as 'decent and in order,' since the songs that sometimes pop out at that time aren't always 'spiritual,' but the joy they feel is obvious and often infectious.

Did you know that "Jesus" and "joy" are words that go together? Many people don't! Church and playfulness; Jesus and joy; just are not common word association links, but they ought to be. Yes, of course, there are times when God calls us to reverent silence, to ponder His majesty or to humble ourselves. But, He also calls us to rejoice. Do you think there is any significance to be drawn from the fact that Jesus' first public miracle was producing wine for a wedding? I do! The common picture of Jesus that has somehow infected the world depicting Him as a long-faced man, walking around with the weight of the world's suffering twisting His face into a mask of grief, just is not the whole picture. There was surely a time when He offered Himself on the Cross and was the Savior, marred with suffering and grief. However, in much of the Gospel, He's a joyful man hanging out with ordinary people, often with those that the 'holy folk' considered riff-raff! The church crowd dismissed Him as a lush and pejoratively as the 'friend of sinners.' (Matthew 11.19) He was a man fun of life, who told stories to teach truth, who loved kids, and who laughed, poking holes in the pretensions of those who thought they were God's special people, so much better than others.

Take a look at this passage - Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:14-17, NIV)

"Why don't your disciples do more religious stuff and act seriously like we do? Don't they know this is the way to please God?"

The religious model that prevailed in Jesus' day was one of rigid discipline and seriousness! The Pharisees kept strict laws in their attempt to please God. They separated themselves from the ordinary people, drawing lines between those they considered 'in' and those who were 'out.' John's disciples, likewise, were called to repentance and a life of strict observance of things like fasts. Jesus' followers were a joyful lot. He threw parties for them on more than one occasion, feeding thousands at His own expense. The holiest ritual that the Lord instituted for us was not a fast, but a feast. Mostly we miss that point because when we have Communion since we celebrate it with a tiny wafer and a sip of grape juice. When He celebrated it, it was a feast!

Jesus told those who questioned Him that He wasn't interested in trying to rehabilitate old religious models! His Gospel was like new wine and required new wineskins! If the message of God's Kingdom come was poured into the old religious models built around strict discipline and careful observance of rules, an explosion would result, ruining both the skins and the wine! The good news that God loves people and is calling them to know Him and love Him could not be patched onto a system of rules created to restrain sinful behavior. The Gospel required a new robe of righteousness that was given freely by God to those who trusted and loved Him.

Friend, God calls us to be His children! That is cause for celebration. He tells us that our religion is woefully inadequate to ever please Him, for religion only touches the surface, it never changes the heart. That is why He announced a new way, a way of love, a way of the Spirit - so that we could become holy in our hearts, and then live joyfully as we please Him because we actually delight in His plans and purposes. Have you received the good news of the Kingdom come? Have you invited Christ to be the Lord of your life and rejoiced that the guilt is gone, the alienation from your Father removed; that you are now a beloved child of Heaven?

Jesus told another story about a son who rejected his father's love, left home, and squandered his inheritance. At his lowest point, he hatched a plan to go home and ask for a place among the hired help. As this broken man approached home, he was met with an amazing display. Read the rest of the story. It's our story, Believer! And then, go live joyfully as a child of God today.

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming.
Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began." (Luke 15:19-24, NLT)

What's ahead?

There I stood, on a rocky mountain point, high above the valley, looking toward the horizon. That was the mental image that formed in my mind as I prayerfully meditated this morning. The adventure we call 'life' continues with the flip of the calendar.

• What's ahead in 2006?
• What part do I play in shaping the tomorrows that will aggregate into another year of history?

Those questions are very much in my mind today at the beginning of a New Year.

2005 was a year of challenges, to say the least! Globally, we saw pain and suffering on terrible scale in floods and storms that brought death and destruction to hundreds of thousands. War tightened it's ghastly grip around the world in conflicts large and small. These United States seemed to descend even deeper into the swamp of self-interest as we searched in vain for statesmen of bold vision to inspire us to greatness as a nation. Those in both political parties appear, to me anyway, to be squandering the amazing influence and resources of this wonderful nation on petty political squabbles while the world becomes a more dangerous place day by day. It is a year that many hope not to re-live!

Personally, the year past was one of challenge, too. I hope I do not have to relive it, though I am thankful for the spiritual and intellectual growth that came from working through the unpleasant 'stuff.' (an intentionally non-specific word!) If you're presently working through 'stuff,' let me encourage you from my experience. It is true that at the end of yourself, you find God's strength. Paul says of his own struggles, "The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10, NIV) I've found it true! When I am beyond my perceived capabilities and at the limits of my life skills, I am in a place where I more readily allow God to be in charge.

That said, I am not casting myself to fate! There are choices to be made today that will certainly have a part in shaping tomorrow. Joshua's charge to Israel echoes in my mind -- "Choose today!" He made it clear that their day to day decisions would have far-reaching consequence. Even as we trust in God's strength, we need to pray for wisdom to choose wisely and well, so that our choices will lay a rock-solid foundation for our life. Jesus told a story that is simple and yet profound. We must choose! He said, "Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me (a choice word, right?) is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27, NLT) Our choices are important!

As we look out over the vista that stretches out to the horizon, we must trust the Providence of an all-wise God and pray for courage to choose His way today - for today is all we own. Tomorrow may never come. But, should there be tomorrows, there are great promises of God for us to own, and come what may - we can live hopefully, purposefully, and pleasing our God - if we follow Him closely.

Here's a hymn for our thoughts today. Make it a prayer.

Lead On O King Eternal

Lead on, O King Eternal.
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong;
And now, O King eternal,
We lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King Eternal,
'Till sin's fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet "Amen" of peace.
For not with swords loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy,
The heav'nly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O King Eternal,
We follow, not with fears;
For gladness breaks like morning
Where'er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted o'er us;
We journey in its light.
The crown awaits the conquest;
Lead on, O God of might.

Author: Shurtleff, Ernest W. / Smart, HenryCopyright: Public Domain