The news media blasted us with the story of the death of Anna Nicole Smith, who achieved notoriety for taking off her clothes for Playboy magazine, making a joke of herself on 'reality TV,' and marrying a billionaire who was 60 years older than she was. She died in a hotel room in Florida at age 39. Speculation is that abuse of drugs and alcohol were the cause of her death. But, I believe that there is a cause for her death that will not show up in the coroner's investigation. She really perished from a lack of genuine love! This woman who managed to attract so much attention was lonely and insecure, estranged from many people including her family. Money, celebrity, and attention could not fill the need for authentic love - love of family and God. She destroyed herself by looking for love in all the wrong places. It makes me wonder what happened to her when she was very young - if someone missed the opportunity to show her genuine love?
Tony Wood, a friend and a man who does ministry in prisons, is a 'Dad' to a hundred young men who are in lock-ups. Young tough guys hug him and send him cards and letters. Why? Many of them have lived most of their young lives with a famine of love. Then along comes Tony showing them genuine loving concern, treating them like sons. He does it without any selfish interest on his part and not because he's paid to be concerned. They begin to feel human again, as God intended. The power of love never ceases to amaze me. I see it everywhere I go, wherever I have the opportunity to interact with people. When I show even the smallest amount of interest and concern for another person, there is almost always a positive response.
Bringing love to our world is what Christ's followers are commissioned to do. It's not that we send everybody a Valentine Day card! It's not about giving a box of chocolates! We love in ways that declare to everyone - the broken as well as the whole, the unattractive as well as the beautiful, the powerless as well as the powerful - "You are a person of dignity and worth!" Whenever and wherever Believers have found ways to do that, they have made the world a better place, and glorified God. But wherever and whenever they start to judge and condemn others they go 'off purpose.'
Here's how Jesus said it. "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it—the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends." (John 15:9-13, NLT) Read it again!
Deception is all around us, a lie that says that we can be full of joy and live a rich life if we selfishly serve our own needs. "Take what is yours. Push your way to the head of the line. Don't let anyone steal your credit. Hoard your wealth. Feed your needs." These messages are pounded into us, day after day, but they are simply wrong. Here's the truth - Let God love you, and then forget yourself. Give your life away and you'll find it again- but in a whole and wonderful way.
This love life principle is so basic I feel silly sending out this TFTD. Why state the obvious? Because we forget. Even among the Christians that I work with everyday, I see men and women who forget that they are loved and that they are called by God to be lovers! They get all caught up in promotions, recognition - trying to make sure that they get their whole slice of the pie, so to speak. So, I am reminding us today, of what we already know. Go love somebody. Just as the Father has loved you, deeply and restoratively, love others. You just might save someone's life! Really!
______________________
"What marvelous love the Father has extended to us!
Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are.
But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to." (1 John 3:1, The Message)
"For this is the original message we heard:
We should love each other. We must not be like Cain, who joined the Evil One and then killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because he was deep in the practice of evil, while the acts of his brother were righteous. So don’t be surprised, friends, when the world hates you. This has been going on a long time.
The way we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together. This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves."
(1 John 3:11-16, The Message)
Friday, February 09, 2007
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Just paying your dues?
America is a religious nation! Compared to Europe, Australia, and other 'first world' nations, the USA is way out front in percentages of people who regularly attend church, who support religious charities, and who profess belief in a Personal God, who can be known and loved. Before you break out in praises, let me hasten to say that while I am glad for this, it is a small comfort for this pastor in all that for two reasons.
The first has to do with the so-called Millennial Generation, those born in the two decades spanning 1977 to 1997. That generation is bringing us a rapidly changing set of values. They are just now beginning to assume places of power and influence. They have disdain for traditions and 'Truth,” including religious dogma. They are wired, connected to one another in such a way they shut out the voices (and influence) of their elders. yes, they are 'spiritual,' but in a most experiential way; swayed by what 'feels right' more than what they are told is right by experts. They doubt the integrity of the institutions that provide social stability. The next 25-30 years is going to be interesting for the Church. As the Millennial generation takes over our pulpits, I wonder if they will lead America to quickly become a secular society like those in Europe. Or, in the mysterious ways of God, will a religious revival shake the American psyche like the awakening that changed millions of lives in the early 70's? The the so-called "Jesus People" movement of that era produced the evangelical and charismatic churches that many of us worship in today, where contemporary forms of worship and conversational prayer are the norms.
The second reason that I find small comfort in American religiosity is that for many people overt Christianity is just another way to 'pay the dues,' to make a tacit deal with the Almighty. "I'll show up for church and support the American Cancer Society, and You, Lord, make sure that the social contract that provides me a good life stays intact." Perhaps that is much too cynical, but I can say this with certainty, preaching total commitment and self-sacrifice is not a prescription for growing a mega-church in religious America! Many sermons are just re-packaged "me-ism" about a therapeutic God and a Jesus who dispenses endless love and favor to us because we are so important to Him. There's just enough truth to make it all sound right, but not enough to really change our hearts and minds!
Reading the prophets this week - Hosea, Amos, Joel - I see that they, too, wrestled with a changing society that enjoyed great blessings. The people to whom they preached loved their wealth, their wine, and their idol gods. The prophets, living in the world but listening to the music of Heaven, saw the coming judgment of God. Hosea actually lived his sermon! His wife, Gomer, ran off with other men more than once, a lesson of the spiritual adultery of God's bride, the Jewish nation. Just as Gomer's infidelity enraged and broke Hosea's heart, so the Jews' waywardness infuriated God, but still He longed to show them love.
This nation, which He has blessed with unparalleled opportunities, with wealth and influence of a magnitude that no other nation in all of recorded history has ever known, must surely face the heavy hand of God discipline unless we turn again to Him. The shallow experiential religiosity of the Millennials and the "Christianity Lite" of many who occupy church pews is an offense to His glory and majesty which He cannot overlook for long.
Joel, the prophet, heard the Lord God say, "Now, therefore, turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” The prophet followed up God's invitation with this advice. "So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. " (Joel 2:12-13, NKJV) Enough of the superficial religiosity, the emotionalism and excitement that the flesh craves, but passes as quickly as thunderstorm, leaving little genuine spiritual change. Rip up your heart in a true sign of desire for transformation. It's not too late to discover a deep passion for holiness and Truth, for God is very patient.
Read this ancient prophecy and invite God, the Holy Spirit, to make it speak to your heart today."O Israel, come back! Return to your God! You’re down but you’re not out. Prepare your confession and come back to God. Pray to him, “Take away our sin, and accept our confession. Receive as restitution our repentant prayers. Assyria (our powerful neighbor) won’t save us; horses won’t get us where we want to go. We’ll never again say ‘our god’ to something we’ve made or made up. You’re our last hope. Is it not true that in you the orphan finds mercy?” God replies - “I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out. I will make a fresh start with Israel. He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring. He’ll put down deep oak tree roots; he’ll become a forest of oaks! He’ll become splendid—like a giant sequoia, his fragrance like a grove of cedars!" (Hosea 14:1-6, The Message)
Those who claim that the Lord God of the Old Testament is a vengeful, wrathful, graceless God just do not know what they are talking about. He's always loved His People and He still does.Today, His people are not those of a nation or a race, but those who have received His Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus. That Spirit, says Joel, will bring new visions, new dreams - a rebirth of God's glory among those who really love Him. Ah, friend, the question is - "Do you love Him whole-heartedly, for Who He is, beyond the blessings, for more than the promise of a good life?"
___________________
"Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. ” (Joel 2:13, The Message) Amen.
The first has to do with the so-called Millennial Generation, those born in the two decades spanning 1977 to 1997. That generation is bringing us a rapidly changing set of values. They are just now beginning to assume places of power and influence. They have disdain for traditions and 'Truth,” including religious dogma. They are wired, connected to one another in such a way they shut out the voices (and influence) of their elders. yes, they are 'spiritual,' but in a most experiential way; swayed by what 'feels right' more than what they are told is right by experts. They doubt the integrity of the institutions that provide social stability. The next 25-30 years is going to be interesting for the Church. As the Millennial generation takes over our pulpits, I wonder if they will lead America to quickly become a secular society like those in Europe. Or, in the mysterious ways of God, will a religious revival shake the American psyche like the awakening that changed millions of lives in the early 70's? The the so-called "Jesus People" movement of that era produced the evangelical and charismatic churches that many of us worship in today, where contemporary forms of worship and conversational prayer are the norms.
The second reason that I find small comfort in American religiosity is that for many people overt Christianity is just another way to 'pay the dues,' to make a tacit deal with the Almighty. "I'll show up for church and support the American Cancer Society, and You, Lord, make sure that the social contract that provides me a good life stays intact." Perhaps that is much too cynical, but I can say this with certainty, preaching total commitment and self-sacrifice is not a prescription for growing a mega-church in religious America! Many sermons are just re-packaged "me-ism" about a therapeutic God and a Jesus who dispenses endless love and favor to us because we are so important to Him. There's just enough truth to make it all sound right, but not enough to really change our hearts and minds!
Reading the prophets this week - Hosea, Amos, Joel - I see that they, too, wrestled with a changing society that enjoyed great blessings. The people to whom they preached loved their wealth, their wine, and their idol gods. The prophets, living in the world but listening to the music of Heaven, saw the coming judgment of God. Hosea actually lived his sermon! His wife, Gomer, ran off with other men more than once, a lesson of the spiritual adultery of God's bride, the Jewish nation. Just as Gomer's infidelity enraged and broke Hosea's heart, so the Jews' waywardness infuriated God, but still He longed to show them love.
This nation, which He has blessed with unparalleled opportunities, with wealth and influence of a magnitude that no other nation in all of recorded history has ever known, must surely face the heavy hand of God discipline unless we turn again to Him. The shallow experiential religiosity of the Millennials and the "Christianity Lite" of many who occupy church pews is an offense to His glory and majesty which He cannot overlook for long.
Joel, the prophet, heard the Lord God say, "Now, therefore, turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” The prophet followed up God's invitation with this advice. "So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. " (Joel 2:12-13, NKJV) Enough of the superficial religiosity, the emotionalism and excitement that the flesh craves, but passes as quickly as thunderstorm, leaving little genuine spiritual change. Rip up your heart in a true sign of desire for transformation. It's not too late to discover a deep passion for holiness and Truth, for God is very patient.
Read this ancient prophecy and invite God, the Holy Spirit, to make it speak to your heart today."O Israel, come back! Return to your God! You’re down but you’re not out. Prepare your confession and come back to God. Pray to him, “Take away our sin, and accept our confession. Receive as restitution our repentant prayers. Assyria (our powerful neighbor) won’t save us; horses won’t get us where we want to go. We’ll never again say ‘our god’ to something we’ve made or made up. You’re our last hope. Is it not true that in you the orphan finds mercy?” God replies - “I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out. I will make a fresh start with Israel. He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring. He’ll put down deep oak tree roots; he’ll become a forest of oaks! He’ll become splendid—like a giant sequoia, his fragrance like a grove of cedars!" (Hosea 14:1-6, The Message)
Those who claim that the Lord God of the Old Testament is a vengeful, wrathful, graceless God just do not know what they are talking about. He's always loved His People and He still does.Today, His people are not those of a nation or a race, but those who have received His Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus. That Spirit, says Joel, will bring new visions, new dreams - a rebirth of God's glory among those who really love Him. Ah, friend, the question is - "Do you love Him whole-heartedly, for Who He is, beyond the blessings, for more than the promise of a good life?"
___________________
"Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. ” (Joel 2:13, The Message) Amen.
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