Hungry?

In our land of plenty, hunger is not all that common. Food is relatively inexpensive and abundant, so much so that we are becoming a fat nation, confronted with myriad health problems- many, if not most, rooted in eating too much of the wrong kinds of food! Cheap, fat-filled, sugary, and calorie-laden foods fill our stomachs but do not satisfy our hunger, causing us to eat more, much more than we need to consume. French fries appeal to our simple tastes, but do not provide nourishment. Despite being 'full' we still 'feel' hungry. The situation is much the same when we consider the hunger of our soul. We are created with a longing for God. We hunger for meaning, purpose, and hope but often attempt to satisfy that hunger with 'junk' food. Americans pursue endless pleasure, seek distraction in entertainment, buy things to gain status or to become more attractive, and worship sex! Our lives are full, yet our souls are starved.

The Lord invites those who hunger to a feast! "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live." (Isaiah 55:1-3, NIV) Jesus says the same, but simply- "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6, NIV)

We develop appreciation for foods with complex textures and tastes. When I was a kid, I hated salads. If you offered me a plate of leafy greens including baby spinach, arugula, and various lettuces, garnished with nuts or seeds, and brushed with a balsamic dressing, I would have pushed it aside as inedible. No more! I love the mixed flavors of a well-made salad, complementing a nicely grilled piece of chicken! I'm still working on the sushi thing! My point is that today, I eat in a way that is much more healthy than I did two decades ago, because I was willing to venture beyond cheeseburgers and macaroni and train my palate to appreciate more complex kinds of food. Our soul hunger will be satisfied by worship, with the Word, and with true spiritual service - but we must learn to 'eat' the things of God.

Let's be honest - given the choice between an exciting football game or a two-hour church service - most people would choose the football game. Why? Sad to say, sometimes church is just bad and boring! But assuming that there is a commitment to creating a quality worship experience that honors God, even then many choose football. Again, I ask, why? Because it is harder to appreciate the satisfaction of the hunger of our soul that can be found in listening to God, in opening our heart and mind to His Presence, and in pursuing Him. It is much easier to get our kicks, to be emotionally stimulated, by the hype and fun of the game! I am not suggesting that a football game is bad! But man cannot live on football alone!

How are you satisfying your soul's hunger? Are you stuffing yourself, spending your resources on one thing after another, only to find that the hunger persists?

Turn to God! Receive Christ, and pursue His ways. Let the Holy Spirit give you an appetite for the Word and for worship (which by the way does not just happen in church buildings) so that you will eat and be satisfied.

Here's a word from the Word. Ponder it today and be instructed by the wisdom of God.
"O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy." (Psalm 63:1-5, NLT)
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Hungry, I come to You
For I know You satisfy.
I am empty,
But I know Your love
Does not run dry.
And so I wait for You,
So I wait for You.

I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me.
Jesus, You're all
This heart is living for.

Hungry
Kathryn Scott
© 1999 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Mercy / Vineyard Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055

Right at my weakest point!

I am the clichéd male when it comes to asking for directions. I just won't stop and ask for help, no matter how lost I am. Yep, it is a matter of pride. Somehow, someway I believe if I keep driving I will figure out where I am. This silly trait makes my wife crazy, especially when my frustration level is rising and she feels the tension. Thank the Lord (really!) for a little device called GPS. It's almost like having a guide from Heaven in the car. Lost? Just turn it on, give it a moment to get its bearing, and it shows a dot on the map that says, "Here you are!" Then, I program in my destination and the device leads the way. My pride is salvaged in that I don't have to 'ask' a real living person for directions and I can still appear to be the "Blazer of Trails Along Unknown Highways!" The great B'TAUH!

Pride may be laughable when it involves spending an extra few moments on the road trying to find the way on our own, but it is deadly when it keeps us from admitting our need and/or seeking help with the larger issues of life. According to Paul, keeping pride in check is one of the reasons that God allows us to suffer! That's right, God does not want you and me to fall into the deception that we are the masters of our fate, so He allows us to go through experiences that remind just how fragile, just how dependent on Him and others we are. Take a look at Paul's testimony. He tells of the amazing, wonderful spiritual visions God allowed him to have, the insights into the Truth that he was given. Then he says, "Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty!
At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, The Message)

"I was given the gift of a handicap!" What a thought. Did you ever consider that the thing that is most difficult in your life, the situation that produces the greatest angst, could actually be allowed by God for the purpose of keeping you from becoming an arrogant fool? God's greatest opportunities to reveal His power happen at the point of our greatest weakness. The things that 'kill' us, allow the resurrection life of Jesus to be revealed in us! So, says the Scripture.

So invite the Holy Spirit into your weakness, and thank Him for giving purpose to that situation that causes you such pain. Trust Him with the difficulties and disappointments, and thank Him for promising you grace to endure, strengthening you right at your weakest point. I know you're asking, "But, Jerry, doesn't He promise to deliver us from suffering, to heal us?" Yes, and He will - maybe here and maybe in Heaven. What I know for certain is this - He is always working out His plans in my life and the world. Despite that mysterious blend of my free will and His total reign, I can be at complete peace that His purposes will ultimately be accomplished. And I know that I know that He is always with me - on the days when the sun shines brightly and in middle of storm, too.

"Learning to lean, learning to lean.
I'm learning to lean on Jesus.
Finding more power than I'd ever dreamed,
I'm learning to lean on Jesus!" John Stallings

Lean on Him today!

In the Church and the church! (not a typo)

Unity is a much celebrated, little practiced, Christian ideal! In every part of life, including religion, Americans have a hard time setting aside their individualism, their competitiveness, and their 'rights' for the greater good. We are quick to resist any suggestion that we can accomplish more by becoming a part of an organization, and yet the Bible calls on Believers to be 'submissive to one another out of reverence for Christ.'

One of the more difficult things that I have to do as a Pastor is to confront Believers with two important sides to their spiritual experience- being "in" the Church and being part of our church. We come into the Church, the universal Body of Christ, when we receive Christ by faith and are baptized. The Word teaches us that the old lines that separated us - race, ethnicity, sex, social status - are erased by baptism and we become one in Him. But, there is more! We also find maximum effectiveness as a Believer when we join a local church, finding a place to use our gifts, are taught the Word, and find accountability that keeps us from the folly of a highly privatized faith.

I was trying to emphasize the importance of being part of the local congregation in a dialogue with a person in the church. The conversation teetered towards a painful collision. As I encouraged greater participation in our local church, the other person thought I was questioning the reality of their faith! Many Believers are not clear about the two expressions of unity - one with the Church universal, and the other with the church, the local congregation. The conflict drove me to prayerful introspection. I asked the Lord, "How can I encourage a growing unity in a culture that is so committed to personal rights and prerogatives? Is real unity possible?" His whispered reply in my heart was this: "It is not shared mission, nor even clear vision, but rather shared passion for Christ!" There it is - for me- for us all. We surrender our individuality to one another in God's work, not for a program or a pastor, but because we love Jesus deeply. Loving Him trumps all of our personal needs and/or desires.

Are you 'connected' to the Body of Christ or are you attempting that uniquely American style of Christianity that ignores the importance of the Church, preferring a highly privatized spirituality? Theoretically we can be a Christian without going to church, without joining with others to use our gifts and resources in Christian work, but we will NEVER be ALL we could be for God if we are "Lone Rangers" for Jesus! Our experiences in church makes us understand that unity is not all 'sweetness and light.' The quirks of our brethren and 'sisteren' will aggravate us and even hurt us from time to time. People, even sincere and good Christians, will miss our expectations, be selfish and leave a sour taste. Pastors will fail morally. Church leaders will act egotistically. All of this might tempt us to abandon our quest for deep, mutually encouraging friendships if we did not keep our focus on our shared love of Jesus Christ. But, when we step over our pride, our self-sufficiency, pushing radical individualism to the side; we find the delight of shared passion, the ministry empowerment that emerges from our unique spiritual giftings, the refreshing that comes from the other person's different expression of worship and love.

Here's what the Word says. "....I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift . . ." - Ephesians 4: 1-8 The Message

Commit to your church as faithful member, a working part of the local congregation. As you worship, look around at your 'family' and thank God for each one: the old, the young, the weird, the conforming, the formal, the uninhibited, the mystic with his visions, the practical one with his plans, the singer, the reader, the server, the smiler, the frowner, the wealthy, the poor, the 'all together' and the dysfunctional.... It's your family in Christ!You can choose your friends, but not your family. Live in mutual submission to Christ and make unity more than a Christian ideal!

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28, NKJV) "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 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 10:24-25, NIV)
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Remember!

Six years ago this morning, at the same hour that I am writing these words, thousands of people were headed to catch planes, off to work, just another ordinary - albeit beautiful - day! At the same hour, 19 young men, full of hatred and mis-directed religious zeal were intentionally walking towards their own deaths. My son's panicky voice in the phone call that alerted me to the unfolding tragic series of events is still echoing in my mind. The rest of that day was full of a jumble of emotion - disbelief, confusion, fear - among them. As evening fell, I led a spontaneous prayer gathering at the church where people gathered to ask God for His help in the face of a then still unknown threat. I remember too, the incredible change in America's personality that followed 9/11. Neighbors hugged in the street. People slowed down and talked with total strangers. Our national government was unified - for a brief moment. In that window of time, I caught a glimpse of better America, a spiritual America.


Then, we quickly forgot 9/11, found a way to explain it, buried the loss and sorrow under the blanket of distractions, and returned to business as usual. Our political scene became even more rancorous than ever. Greed quickly resurfaced. We went back to staring at our TV screens, absorbed with mindless sitcoms that rot our brains and pollute our hearts. War plans were laid, almost as a reflex; as if the only way to address hatred was with killing! Often I wonder what the world might look like today if , in response to 9/11, we had dispatched an 'army' of teachers, doctors, and builders to the poor nations of the earth instead of spending our national fortune on bombs and bullets. Can hatred ever be defeated with violence, even with so-called 'just war'? Is peace possible? God was returned to the back shelf of our minds to which He had been relegated since the close of the Second World War, when America became rich and proud.


Today, please take some time to remember! Don't just think about the thousands who perished with the obligatory moment of silence. Go deeper. Really remember- the sorrow, the terror, the confusion, the questions. Remember the need for the Lord that you felt that day. Remember your willingness to forget the love of money, the way that you abandoned the pursuit of pleasure, and hunger you had for connectedness with friends and family. Remember and be silent - be prayerful - and let the Spirit of God do the work of real change. As I hear the rain falling outside of my window this morning, it seems like God is weeping over us, for our foolishness. Six years ago, He reached out to us, but in the end, we spurned His love, to chase life's ephemeral treasures of this present world. This morning, all I can do is cry!


Jesus says - "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

"Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne." (Revelation 3:14-21, NLT)