Last week, my son asked me, "Dad, you you dream any more?" His question made me laugh. What is it about my middle age that implies I've become a drone, plodding though the days without any dreams? And his question made me think, too. What do I dream of? A retirement home in Florida? No way! Winning the lottery and quitting my job? No. (Well, that could an occasional escapist fantasy.) The dream that keeps me going is finding opportunities to help others develop joyful, rich lives that are truly different as a result of knowing Jesus Christ! I've found the answer and my dream is to share it with anybody who wants to hear it. I believe that Christianity is the hope of the world and my cause is to share Jesus with people in a way that leads to spiritual transformation. Transformed people are blessed, happy, productive, and eternally alive.
One of my favorite authors writes - "A Christian's aim is not just to act differently, but to become different in his inner being. We're not just learning to become nicer versions of our old selves. We're dealing radically with the fundamental wrongness of human life that is left to itself and introducing the kingdom of righteousness that comes from Christ into the depths of our heart. The inner life.... that is where profound transformation must occur." (Revolution of Character, Dallas Willard)
We're not just learning to become nicer versions of our selves! There lies the challenge for us who claim to be followers of Jesus. Do we really get down to transformation of ourselves or are we content with a superficial religion that leaves us a bit nicer on the outside? Have we seen a vision of who we can be in Christ that is compelling enough to cause us to take up the challenge of engaging with the Spirit of God in a way that disturbs everything about our lives and leads to the emergence of a new godly person?
Jesus says, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." (Luke 9:23-24, NLT) Later He raised the bar with this declaration - "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple." (Luke 14:26-27, The Message) And what would cause us to take up such a life? The promise of life to the full, something more than just making money, building a reputation, and scratching out an existence. In Christ, we become sons and daughter of God, people of destiny with an eternal home. We stop hating and love others. We stop being greedy and become generous. We bring light to a dark world.
By that measure, many who claim to be Christians are either spiritually immature, or they just have a religion of rules!
Why do I say that? Because too often there is little genuine love, generosity, or light coming from their lives. They are just nice, not really transformed!
Dear friend, are you a transforming person? Have you been 'born again,' to use Jesus' phrase?
Jesus' people are revolutionaries. History is replete with examples of men and women who knelt before the Lord, give away their life (which they couldn't really save anyway), and stood up as a new person, full of the Spirit. The implications of that 'newness of life' are worked out over time as those who believe draw on the Spirit's life. Jesus said, "A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes." (Luke 6:43-44, NLT) Just look at the fruit of your life and you can determine if Self or Holy Spirit is the life inside of you. If you're constantly fighting with others, serving your appetites: it's time to ask yourself, am I really a Christ follower, or am I just religious? The fruit of your life is revealing the true nature of your heart. Conversely, if you're loving, generous, serving others with no calculation of self-benefit - you know that the Spirit is giving you life.
Now, there's a challenge. Take it up!
Enter into the process of change, inside out, and begin to "reflect the Lord’s glory, ... being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)
Friday, March 02, 2007
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Faith's vision
Sometimes discerning the plan of God is beyond difficult! It is near impossible. The ancient prophet, Habakkuk, saw the sins of the people of Judah. Despite the preaching and pleading of the prophets God sent their way, they continued to rebel. When he prayed and asked God to intervene, the Lord told him that He was sending the idol-worshipping Babylonians to bring corrective punishment on Jerusalem, the city of God. Habakkuk was incredulous! " God, you chose Babylonians for your judgment work? Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job of discipline? But you can’t be serious! You can’t condone evil! So why don’t you do something about this? Why are you silent now? This outrage! Evil men swallow up the righteous and you stand around and watch! " (Habakkuk 1:12-13, The Message)
God's answer to his rant is a word for us, too. The Lord says that in times when we cannot discern His purposes, when to all appearances He's forgotten us, we have two choices: "...self-importance— full of himself but soul-empty. (or) ... right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive." (Habakkuk 2:4, The Message) Perhaps you're more familiar with the text like this: "...the just shall live by his faith."
Faith allows us to keep on trusting God when the faithless curse Him! Faith helps us to climb over the why's that clamor for our attention to focus on the Who that is our Solid Rock. If we begin to believe the lie, an old as Eden, that we are the masters of our universe, that we can control our world, we will surely become soul empty in our self-importance. I've been in that place in my life so many times. With angry threats, bluff and bluster, and strategies hatched in the sleepless hours of the early morning, I try to impose my will on my world. For a time, I think it's working, but then my powerlessness becomes clear, even to me. Despair deepens until... I look to the Lord. With repentance and, in humility, I lay down my need to own my world, and let Him lead. Amazingly (how many times must I learn the same lesson?) there in His Presence, I find peace. So did Habakkuk! "...the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:20, NKJV) "Counting on God’s Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I’m king of the mountain!" (Habakkuk 3:19, The Message) The Babylonians were still coming, but the prophet was secure in faith.
Today - choose faith. Don't fall for the false faith that is just made of words. That kind of 'faith' leads us to pray prayers we don't really mean, to live a double life where we say the right words, but still hang onto our own ways with desperate insistence that God will do what we want Him to do if He really loves us. True faith abandons the need to control the world and God, and lets Him lead. That is underlined by the declaration that "... we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV) Believe the word of God and find rest.
Perhaps you're in a great time in your life - everything is going the way you want, the blessings bountiful, your heart full of joy! Hallelujah! That is still a time for faith. Don't be duped by the Deceiver into thinking that it was your own charm or wisdom that brought you to your place of success. Celebrate God's goodness. Praise Him for the blessings and continue to walk by faith for 'without faith it is impossible to please God.' That is just as true when life is full of sunshine as it is in the deep darkness of a terrible storm.
Here's a prayer to take with you today.
"I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.
I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.
But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do." (Psalm 73:21-28, NLT)
God's answer to his rant is a word for us, too. The Lord says that in times when we cannot discern His purposes, when to all appearances He's forgotten us, we have two choices: "...self-importance— full of himself but soul-empty. (or) ... right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive." (Habakkuk 2:4, The Message) Perhaps you're more familiar with the text like this: "...the just shall live by his faith."
Faith allows us to keep on trusting God when the faithless curse Him! Faith helps us to climb over the why's that clamor for our attention to focus on the Who that is our Solid Rock. If we begin to believe the lie, an old as Eden, that we are the masters of our universe, that we can control our world, we will surely become soul empty in our self-importance. I've been in that place in my life so many times. With angry threats, bluff and bluster, and strategies hatched in the sleepless hours of the early morning, I try to impose my will on my world. For a time, I think it's working, but then my powerlessness becomes clear, even to me. Despair deepens until... I look to the Lord. With repentance and, in humility, I lay down my need to own my world, and let Him lead. Amazingly (how many times must I learn the same lesson?) there in His Presence, I find peace. So did Habakkuk! "...the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:20, NKJV) "Counting on God’s Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I’m king of the mountain!" (Habakkuk 3:19, The Message) The Babylonians were still coming, but the prophet was secure in faith.
Today - choose faith. Don't fall for the false faith that is just made of words. That kind of 'faith' leads us to pray prayers we don't really mean, to live a double life where we say the right words, but still hang onto our own ways with desperate insistence that God will do what we want Him to do if He really loves us. True faith abandons the need to control the world and God, and lets Him lead. That is underlined by the declaration that "... we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV) Believe the word of God and find rest.
Perhaps you're in a great time in your life - everything is going the way you want, the blessings bountiful, your heart full of joy! Hallelujah! That is still a time for faith. Don't be duped by the Deceiver into thinking that it was your own charm or wisdom that brought you to your place of success. Celebrate God's goodness. Praise Him for the blessings and continue to walk by faith for 'without faith it is impossible to please God.' That is just as true when life is full of sunshine as it is in the deep darkness of a terrible storm.
Here's a prayer to take with you today.
"I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.
I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.
But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do." (Psalm 73:21-28, NLT)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thorns and Thistles
Yesterday, I looked up from my desk to see a man standing at my office door. When I invited Paul in, he sat down with a heavy sigh and over the next half hour told me a story of sorrow that stretched back 30 years. His most recent misfortune included a fall that broke his foot, which made him unable to work, which led to his eviction from his apartment, which caused his girlfriend and children to be in a shelter, which made him feel even worse about himself. His eyes were full of sorrow as he told me that he had 'cussed God out' and he wanted to know why his life was going so badly. There were the obvious reasons for his difficulties - an old conviction for assault on a police officer that led to a stretch in prison, bad choices about jobs, and substance abuse. It would have been easy to just throw the whole mess back on Paul's head. "You're just reaping the harvest of the seeds you've planted along the way." But, that wouldn't have been exactly just, nor fair. To be sure, Paul is responsible for choices that have led to his sad life, but he's also living in a world that is held in the grip of sin, enslaved by Satan.
While he was talking, the tragic words of God to Adam, recorded in Genesis, scrolled through my memory. "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:17-19, NLT)
God informed Adam that his sin had opened the door to the work of the Destroyer and that from then on, all of humanity would struggle to wrest a life out of the earth, only to face death! Paul's life is an example of the results of the curse of sin in vivid colors! More than blame or even an explanation, the man needs a Savior and friends. Don't we all need the same?
The result of our sinful disobedience to God's laws - sorrow and death - have been taken away by Jesus Christ. The Word says, "Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it." (Galatians 3:13-14, The Message)
What a remarkable promise. The rich blessings of God, first promised to the father of the faithful, Abraham, are now available to all men and women, who by faith receive them through Christ Jesus.
Is your life full of 'thorns and thistles,' your best efforts frustrated by failure? Are you struggling to make life work, fighting with an increasingly overwhelming sense of futility?
Look to Jesus! Take life from Him.
Ask Him to be your Redeemer, the One who buys you back from the slavery to sin into which you were sold. Then, seek friends among those who are His and together begin to build the Kingdom of God, and living under the New Covenant (agreement) which leads to eternal life, not to death.
Don't accept a life full of weeds! Take your inheritance as a child of God.
Here's a word from the Word. Believe it, receive it, live it by faith.
"...before Christ came ... we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." (Hey, Dad!) Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir." (Galatians 4:3-7, NLT)
___________________________________
Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus lover of my soul!
Friends may fail me, foes assail me;
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
Tempted tried and sometimes failing,
He, my strength my victory wins.
Jesus! I do now receive Him;
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness;
I am His and He is mine.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Our Great Savior - Chapman, J. Wilbur / Prichard, Rowland H.
© Public Domain CCLI License No. 810055
While he was talking, the tragic words of God to Adam, recorded in Genesis, scrolled through my memory. "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:17-19, NLT)
God informed Adam that his sin had opened the door to the work of the Destroyer and that from then on, all of humanity would struggle to wrest a life out of the earth, only to face death! Paul's life is an example of the results of the curse of sin in vivid colors! More than blame or even an explanation, the man needs a Savior and friends. Don't we all need the same?
The result of our sinful disobedience to God's laws - sorrow and death - have been taken away by Jesus Christ. The Word says, "Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it." (Galatians 3:13-14, The Message)
What a remarkable promise. The rich blessings of God, first promised to the father of the faithful, Abraham, are now available to all men and women, who by faith receive them through Christ Jesus.
Is your life full of 'thorns and thistles,' your best efforts frustrated by failure? Are you struggling to make life work, fighting with an increasingly overwhelming sense of futility?
Look to Jesus! Take life from Him.
Ask Him to be your Redeemer, the One who buys you back from the slavery to sin into which you were sold. Then, seek friends among those who are His and together begin to build the Kingdom of God, and living under the New Covenant (agreement) which leads to eternal life, not to death.
Don't accept a life full of weeds! Take your inheritance as a child of God.
Here's a word from the Word. Believe it, receive it, live it by faith.
"...before Christ came ... we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." (Hey, Dad!) Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir." (Galatians 4:3-7, NLT)
___________________________________
Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus lover of my soul!
Friends may fail me, foes assail me;
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
Tempted tried and sometimes failing,
He, my strength my victory wins.
Jesus! I do now receive Him;
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness;
I am His and He is mine.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Our Great Savior - Chapman, J. Wilbur / Prichard, Rowland H.
© Public Domain CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
My Father's Gifts
There is a "gospel" proclaimed from many pulpits that says, "God wants you to be healthy and wealthy! Claim your inheritance." Preachers of the "prosperity gospel" teach that if a person believes enough, that is, 'speaks the word of faith,' lives a good life, and (don't forget this) sends in their generous offering- the inevitable result will be an enviable life filled with the riches of this world. This 'health and wealth' line is a basic ingredient in many television preachers' sermons. Why? Because it appeals to so many of us and builds huge audiences of people who want to tap into the flow of Divine blessings. Promising people that you will show them the road to riches will always draw a crowd. Many of these preachers of prosperity model their message by living the high life - dressing in high fashion, driving luxury cars, and building themselves huge houses.
My reaction to this abuse of the Word of God has led me too often away from teaching that God really does love to bless His children!
Jesus says: "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9-11, NIV) I love to give to my children. If it is within my ability to provide something for them that they need or want, I love to do it. However, when they growing up, I never gave them all they asked for, even those things I could afford. Why? Because some of the things they wanted were not good for them. Sometimes I knew that in order to better serve God they needed to develop a different set of values so I would not give them the latest trinket to feed their greed. Other times I considered that they would be better served by working to own the things they wanted. Though they could not understand it, I was often more loving in saying, "No," to a request than in saying, "Yes!" But overall, I delighted in providing the best in life for them. It was a way to demonstrate my love to them.
Our Heavenly Father loves to bless us. That much the prosperity preachers get right! Where they err is in ignoring that God is the Ultimate Good Father, that He remains the One in charge, that He is never obligated by our prayers or good works to give us anything. He sees what is the very best thing in life for us, from the perspective of eternity, and provides all that we need, but not all that we want.
Know this, too. The Bible consistently shows us that a godly person tends to prosper. What are leading causes of poverty? Sloth, greed, drunkenness, and family disintegration. Are any of those things consistent with a godly life? No.
God teaches us to be disciplined and to apply ourselves to our work. A greedy person is never content with what he has and thus does foolish things that lead him into greater debt. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10, NKJV)
Drunkenness (and its cousin, drug abuse) are specifically pointed out as a way to destruction. "Don’t destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life." (Ephesians 5:18, CEV)
A strong family unit is a key to wealth building for many reasons too numerous to explore here in depth. Among them are stability, security, and investment of a previous generation's wealth in the next, which gives a head start.
Don't read the paragraph above and jump to an erroneous conclusion that judges those who are suffering or not prosperous as having created their own misery. It may well be true that they have, but there are plenty of Biblical examples that show us that God allows suffering even in the lives of the godly and that our lives are effected by the sinful world that we live in. So we must be very careful in judging another and always extend ourselves to share with those in need, never assuming that we are superior to those who suffer.
Yes, friend our Father's gifts are numerous. He does love to bless us. He invites us to bring all of our needs to Him - with faith - and to ask for His provision. We must not let the ways that some mis-use these facts to rob us of the wonderful truth that we are beloved sons and daughters of God.
Meditate on this passage of promise today.
"How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways!
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!
Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.
That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him.
May the Lord continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!" (Psalm 128, NLT) Amen.
My reaction to this abuse of the Word of God has led me too often away from teaching that God really does love to bless His children!
Jesus says: "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9-11, NIV) I love to give to my children. If it is within my ability to provide something for them that they need or want, I love to do it. However, when they growing up, I never gave them all they asked for, even those things I could afford. Why? Because some of the things they wanted were not good for them. Sometimes I knew that in order to better serve God they needed to develop a different set of values so I would not give them the latest trinket to feed their greed. Other times I considered that they would be better served by working to own the things they wanted. Though they could not understand it, I was often more loving in saying, "No," to a request than in saying, "Yes!" But overall, I delighted in providing the best in life for them. It was a way to demonstrate my love to them.
Our Heavenly Father loves to bless us. That much the prosperity preachers get right! Where they err is in ignoring that God is the Ultimate Good Father, that He remains the One in charge, that He is never obligated by our prayers or good works to give us anything. He sees what is the very best thing in life for us, from the perspective of eternity, and provides all that we need, but not all that we want.
Know this, too. The Bible consistently shows us that a godly person tends to prosper. What are leading causes of poverty? Sloth, greed, drunkenness, and family disintegration. Are any of those things consistent with a godly life? No.
God teaches us to be disciplined and to apply ourselves to our work. A greedy person is never content with what he has and thus does foolish things that lead him into greater debt. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10, NKJV)
Drunkenness (and its cousin, drug abuse) are specifically pointed out as a way to destruction. "Don’t destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life." (Ephesians 5:18, CEV)
A strong family unit is a key to wealth building for many reasons too numerous to explore here in depth. Among them are stability, security, and investment of a previous generation's wealth in the next, which gives a head start.
Don't read the paragraph above and jump to an erroneous conclusion that judges those who are suffering or not prosperous as having created their own misery. It may well be true that they have, but there are plenty of Biblical examples that show us that God allows suffering even in the lives of the godly and that our lives are effected by the sinful world that we live in. So we must be very careful in judging another and always extend ourselves to share with those in need, never assuming that we are superior to those who suffer.
Yes, friend our Father's gifts are numerous. He does love to bless us. He invites us to bring all of our needs to Him - with faith - and to ask for His provision. We must not let the ways that some mis-use these facts to rob us of the wonderful truth that we are beloved sons and daughters of God.
Meditate on this passage of promise today.
"How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways!
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!
Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.
That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him.
May the Lord continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!" (Psalm 128, NLT) Amen.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Built to last
The building dates to the 1880's, a beautiful old Presbyterian church in Oxford, NJ. In a quick tour last Saturday, Jon showed me vaulted ceiling, the hewn beams, the hand carved pegs that held the floor joists in place, and the round pillars carefully crafted. It had been built to last by craftsmen who cared about their work, not hastily slapped together with shoddy materials. Oxford has quite obviously seen better days for the church building gives evidence of prosperous people who invested generously in its construction to honor God and to display their sense of community. I wondered what kinds of sermons had been preached over her pulpit to what effect in the lives of those who worshipped there. How many hundreds of children had passed through her Sunday School learning principles that guided their lives? How many couples had made their marriage vows in her nave? Most wonderful is that the building still serves as a home to a group of people, after all these years.
As I drove away, my mind picked up on Paul's phrase - "... you are the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God..." (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV) It is interesting to think of our lives as a building. If someone remembers Jerry Scott 50 years from today, if they should somehow pick up a photo album and take a 'tour' of my life, what would they find - a temple built for lasting honor to God or a warehouse thrown together with cheap material? I am aware (more so everyday!) of my mortality. I hear the echo of the words that Shakespeare puts into the mouth of Macbeth - Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. To be sure life is short, but I do not share Shakespeare's dim view of life's meaning. I have known those who live noisy lives that are nothing but bluff and bluster, designed to create an illusion of importance. I care nothing for that. Instead, my intent is to live in a quietly effective way so that my short time on the small stage here on earth leaves a rich legacy for those who come along behind me. And, I want to live each day in a way that leads to the blessing of God for eternity - in other words, a life built to last!
The Word shows us blueprint for a life that lasts. Paul says, "build on the solid foundation, the only lasting foundation, which is Christ Jesus." Money, fame, pleasure are foundations that will erode and when the foundation crumbles, the building falls! Jesus says "If you work My words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss." (Luke 6:48-49, The Message)
Make the Holy Spirit the general contractor of your life! Listen to His counsel.
Cooperate with Him as He shows you the way to live - lovingly, purposefully, with steady discipline.
The result will be a temple that is built to last that causes others to praise God and that will - in eternity - enjoy the best approval of all, the commendation of the Master Builder.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 24-25, NIV)
As I drove away, my mind picked up on Paul's phrase - "... you are the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God..." (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV) It is interesting to think of our lives as a building. If someone remembers Jerry Scott 50 years from today, if they should somehow pick up a photo album and take a 'tour' of my life, what would they find - a temple built for lasting honor to God or a warehouse thrown together with cheap material? I am aware (more so everyday!) of my mortality. I hear the echo of the words that Shakespeare puts into the mouth of Macbeth - Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. To be sure life is short, but I do not share Shakespeare's dim view of life's meaning. I have known those who live noisy lives that are nothing but bluff and bluster, designed to create an illusion of importance. I care nothing for that. Instead, my intent is to live in a quietly effective way so that my short time on the small stage here on earth leaves a rich legacy for those who come along behind me. And, I want to live each day in a way that leads to the blessing of God for eternity - in other words, a life built to last!
The Word shows us blueprint for a life that lasts. Paul says, "build on the solid foundation, the only lasting foundation, which is Christ Jesus." Money, fame, pleasure are foundations that will erode and when the foundation crumbles, the building falls! Jesus says "If you work My words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss." (Luke 6:48-49, The Message)
Make the Holy Spirit the general contractor of your life! Listen to His counsel.
Cooperate with Him as He shows you the way to live - lovingly, purposefully, with steady discipline.
The result will be a temple that is built to last that causes others to praise God and that will - in eternity - enjoy the best approval of all, the commendation of the Master Builder.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 24-25, NIV)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)