I conducted the funeral of an old saint yesterday who stepped into eternity after 93 years journey here on earth. Standing to one side of the room, prior to the service, listening to an hymn playing over the sound system, I filled up with gratitude, amazed that God would choose to use me to bring His Word and comfort to those who mourned. "Why me, Lord?" I asked Him. There is nothing about me that qualifies me to enjoy such trust, to have this privilege of being a shepherd to His flock. It is a grace gift - start to finish. Then, after the service, there was another 'gift.' A young girl, part of the family and from the congregation I serve, rode with me from the funeral home to the cemetery. Our time in that short ride was a gift to this Pastor. I so enjoyed talking with her about her life, her plans, her dreams. And again, I asked the Lord, "Why do I enjoy these kinds of blessings?"
Do you feel entitled to different circumstances, greater joy, more respect? If you allow that attitude, you will miss the joy of the moment! The entitlement mentality creeps up on us stealthily and becomes a blot of darkness in us. When we don't get what we feel that we are entitled to receive, we become miserable. When I start to think that I should be treated differently, given more of this or that, have a bigger place in life - I get ugly. I cut myself off from the love of others and the peace of God by focusing on myself, my perceived needs, my desires. The Spirit withdraws His fellowship and others stay away; and why not? A person wrapped up in himself is a very small and unattractive package!
Do you believe that God owes you - blessings, healing, salvation, peace, joy? Many Christians do! They twist God's rich and wonderful promises into entitlement contracts and their prayers are more like legal briefs thatpresent demands for actions than conversations with a Friend. These Believers turn faith into a 'gimme' system that says, "God, you promised; now, pay up!" How tragic, how misguided. Our Father in Heaven loves tobless and He does, but He owes you and me NOTHING. His gifts are based in grace, not merit.
One day Jesus was traveling and came upon ten men who suffered one of the worst fates in that time. They were lepers. When leprosy became evident on a person's skin, he was immediately separated from the community, as a means of keeping the spread of the disease to a minimum- no more living in his home, no more meals with his family, none of life's pleasures were available. Instead, the wretch lived as a beggar outside of town, usuallynear the dump from which he scavenged the scraps that kept him alive! When the ten lepers realized who was approaching, they yelled - "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" He looked at them and said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, their leprosy disappeared. Luke 17:14 (NLT) Imagine their joy when they saw their skin clearing, all evidence of their leprous condition gone, given the desperate situation that they lived in because of it! Now, here's the part of the story that I want to emphasize today. "One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, "Praise God, I'm healed!" He fell face down on the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?" (Luke 17:15-17, NLT)
If we think that we are entitled to the blessing of God, we will not even think of thankfulness! Instead, we'll simply believe that God paid up, made good on the deal. The downside of that line of thinking is that when things go badly, when life falls apart, we will beat ourselves up wondering what we did that brought such grief on our heads. The Psalmist reminds us - "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." (Psalm 103:9-14, NIV)
Are you grateful today?
Does thankfulness overflow from you?
Or is God asking, "where is the gratitude, where is the recognition of My mercy?"
Let's not be found wanting when it comes to returning thanks.
Here's a word from the Word. Note the benefit of waiting on God with thanksgiving!
"Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." (Philippians 4:6-7, The Message)
This Thanksgiving, check your heart for areas where entitlement has taken up residence. Get rid of it and realize, anew, the gifts of kindness and mercy that come your way. Then, liberally give thanks - to God, to friends, to family.
___________________
Why me Lord?
What have I ever done,
To deserve even one
Of the Pleasures I've known?
Tell me Lord?
What did I ever do
That was worth loving you,
Or the Kindness you've shown?
Lord help me Jesus,
I've wasted it so,
Help me, Jesus, I know what I am.
Now that I know that
I've needed you so,
Help me Jesus,
my soul's in your Hand.
Try me, Lord!
If you think there's a Way
I can try to repay,
All I've taken from you
Maybe Lord, I can show someone else what
I've been through myself
On my way back to you.
Lord help me Jesus,
I've wasted it so,
Help me, Jesus, I know what I am.
Now that I know that
I've needed you so,
Help me Jesus, my soul's in your Hand.
Amen
( Words And Music By Kris Kristofferson )
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Living in Shame?
Tim Blixseth, a 57 year old billionaire, used the shame of his childhood poverty as motivation. As he sat in his French mansion surrounded by opulence, he recalled being 5 years old in the welfare lunch line at his school. He said that it was then and there he determined that he would do whatever he needed to do to get money and escape those feelings of inferiority. (20/20, abcnews.go.com)
Shame can serve a positive purpose. There is a place for shame in this world. When we are selfish, cruel, dishonest, or crude - we need to feel the sense of diminished worth, the pain of the soul, that signals a need for change. That is shame. If shame motivates to examine ourselves and work on becoming a better person, it serves a valuable purpose.
But, shame can be toxic, too.
A woman who feels worthless because her appearance does not match the idealized cultural standard of beauty and consequently develops an eating disorder is not helped by shame!
A man who struggles with sexual desire and who hides his feelings, becoming more and more enslaved by his lust, is not helped by his shame.
A Believer who wrestles with some habitual sin and who chooses, because of shame, to conceal his behavior is increasingly enslaved.
Parents who use shaming as a primary disciplinary tool are making a grave mistake! Holding a child up to ridicule, carping on a character flaw, or criticizing behavior in a way that diminishes his sense of self-worth is very destructive. If you tell a little person he is worthless long enough, he will learn to believe it and most likely will treat himself like a piece of junk! I counseled with a woman several years ago who hated anything that made her feel attractive. As we explored the roots of those feelings, she told about her adolescence, as her body began to develop. She liked being pretty, but her father seeing her beauty, repeatedly called her a whore or a filthy tramp. Most likely he was projecting his own feelings of shame about his sexuality onto her. His tirades left deep emotional scars.
A constant feeling of shame and/or inferiority leads to all kinds of dysfunctional behavior; yes, even to sinful and self-destructive choices. The glory of the Gospel of Christ is that in Him, we find a true release from shame! It is tragic when Christianity is turned inside out and made into a tool of shaming and condemning. When the Bible is used like a club to beat sinners with guilt and to drive them deeper into despair, it makes me furious. Jesus Christ came into a world that was full of darkness and sin, and became the Light of True Righteousness. No longer did the shamed guilty person feel that his only choice was to hide his sin, to pretend, or to cover over his sins with good works, pleasure, or gaining notoriety. He could be forgiven and set free! Jesus came to find the sinful and to offer forgiveness for our sins, and to give us the Spirit who sets us free to live a new life! "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." (John 8:12, NLT)
Can you see the old way of shame contrasted with His way in this story?
"The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?"
They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?" "No one, Master." "Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin." (John 8:3-11, The Message)
And this is the same Jesus who loves you and me, Believer! He sees us not just for what we have done, but for who we can become in Him. He does not excuse our sins and failures, He forgives them and sends us off to live a wholly new life. The Cross is for us both a symbol of terrible shame and tremendous glory, for there the worst of sin met the amazing grace of God. The Scripture tells us "You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross." (Colossians 2:13-15, NLT)
Are you living in shame?
There is no need to stay there any longer.
The One who knows you best, loves you most!
________________
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross;
The emblem of suffering and shame.
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best,
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
Oh, that old rugged cross, So despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God, Left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For 'twas on that old cross, Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
The Old Rugged Cross
George Bennard © Public Domain / 1913 George Bennard Renewed 1941 The Rodeheaver Company
CCLI License No. 810055
Shame can serve a positive purpose. There is a place for shame in this world. When we are selfish, cruel, dishonest, or crude - we need to feel the sense of diminished worth, the pain of the soul, that signals a need for change. That is shame. If shame motivates to examine ourselves and work on becoming a better person, it serves a valuable purpose.
But, shame can be toxic, too.
A woman who feels worthless because her appearance does not match the idealized cultural standard of beauty and consequently develops an eating disorder is not helped by shame!
A man who struggles with sexual desire and who hides his feelings, becoming more and more enslaved by his lust, is not helped by his shame.
A Believer who wrestles with some habitual sin and who chooses, because of shame, to conceal his behavior is increasingly enslaved.
Parents who use shaming as a primary disciplinary tool are making a grave mistake! Holding a child up to ridicule, carping on a character flaw, or criticizing behavior in a way that diminishes his sense of self-worth is very destructive. If you tell a little person he is worthless long enough, he will learn to believe it and most likely will treat himself like a piece of junk! I counseled with a woman several years ago who hated anything that made her feel attractive. As we explored the roots of those feelings, she told about her adolescence, as her body began to develop. She liked being pretty, but her father seeing her beauty, repeatedly called her a whore or a filthy tramp. Most likely he was projecting his own feelings of shame about his sexuality onto her. His tirades left deep emotional scars.
A constant feeling of shame and/or inferiority leads to all kinds of dysfunctional behavior; yes, even to sinful and self-destructive choices. The glory of the Gospel of Christ is that in Him, we find a true release from shame! It is tragic when Christianity is turned inside out and made into a tool of shaming and condemning. When the Bible is used like a club to beat sinners with guilt and to drive them deeper into despair, it makes me furious. Jesus Christ came into a world that was full of darkness and sin, and became the Light of True Righteousness. No longer did the shamed guilty person feel that his only choice was to hide his sin, to pretend, or to cover over his sins with good works, pleasure, or gaining notoriety. He could be forgiven and set free! Jesus came to find the sinful and to offer forgiveness for our sins, and to give us the Spirit who sets us free to live a new life! "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." (John 8:12, NLT)
Can you see the old way of shame contrasted with His way in this story?
"The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?"
They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?" "No one, Master." "Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin." (John 8:3-11, The Message)
And this is the same Jesus who loves you and me, Believer! He sees us not just for what we have done, but for who we can become in Him. He does not excuse our sins and failures, He forgives them and sends us off to live a wholly new life. The Cross is for us both a symbol of terrible shame and tremendous glory, for there the worst of sin met the amazing grace of God. The Scripture tells us "You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross." (Colossians 2:13-15, NLT)
Are you living in shame?
There is no need to stay there any longer.
The One who knows you best, loves you most!
________________
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross;
The emblem of suffering and shame.
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best,
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
Oh, that old rugged cross, So despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God, Left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For 'twas on that old cross, Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
The Old Rugged Cross
George Bennard © Public Domain / 1913 George Bennard Renewed 1941 The Rodeheaver Company
CCLI License No. 810055
Monday, November 19, 2007
A favored son
Nobody likes making mistakes publicly. When I am in front of the church on Sunday morning, it is my desire to be prepared so as to help the worship experience to be seamless for those who are in the congregation. Yesterday, that was not happening! The PowerPoint slides were in wrong order. My words seemed to trip over each other. The message was somewhat disjointed. It was a great reminder - "Hey, Jerry, you're not perfect!" My natural tendency after such Sunday mornings is to feel worthless because I don't 'get it exactly right.' Yes, I am something of a perfectionist. When I fail in more important ways such as being loveless in words or actions, allowing myself to be envious, or some other sin; I am even harder on myself. But, I have learned to turn quickly to the Lord. When I sin, I seek forgiveness. When I just don't get it right like yesterday morning, I refocus my attention from a self-defeating attitude that says, "I am no good," to thank Him for using me in His work in spite of my imperfections.
Tempted to wrap myself in sackcloth of self reproach, I read again the amazing declaration of God's favor that is directed to me, and towards all who are called to be 'in Christ.' Here it is. "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:4-8, NLT)
Did you take note of the verbs that describe God's actions? "Loved, chose, decided!" God pursues us, not because we are perfect, or even because we are desirable. He chooses us because He is good and gracious. And, going beyond simply having pity for us in our sorry sinful state, He intervenes to change the way we live; to give us a new life, one marked by freedom and wisdom! No matter how badly you have failed someone or even God Himself, no matter how far you may have fallen, there is a Savior whose grace is greater. That is the good news. Believe it, receive it, and see what God can do with you!
Paul started out as Saul, the Pharisee, persecuting Christians, even seeking their death. He rejected the Lord of Glory and lived in an ugly parody of righteousness, centered on futile attempts to be good enough for God, that ignored the true state of his soul. Then, he met Jesus and was shown the depth of his deception and depravity. Saul, the man with the rich religious heritage, and sorry record of sinfulness, sees the truth that he is, despite his best efforts, 'the worst of sinners.' But, he does not live in that declaration. He lives in the grace of God. He says, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." (1 Timothy 1:15-16, NIV) A friend calls the past failures and sins, 'the junk in the trunk.' We can drag around that stuff, letting it weigh us down, hoping to keep the past hidden, convinced that though we are going to Heaven, that here on earth we are worthless to God! OR, we can let the Lord Jesus have the junk, forgive the sins, restore us from our failures - and become favored sons of God, in whom He shows off His amazing grace and ability to transform. Saul took a new name, Paul, and God made the one time sinner into an amazing saint.
At the start of this week of Thanksgiving, let God's love pour over, right now. Thank Him for the Cross of Christ, where all your sins were fully forgiven! Thank Him for the grace that closes the gap between your good intentions and your human tendency to fail. Thank Him for loving an imperfect child like you. I thank Him for loving one like me, everyday.
Take this prayer with you this week -- read it again and again, accepting what it says as true for you:
"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.
Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21, NLT)
______________________________
Tempted to wrap myself in sackcloth of self reproach, I read again the amazing declaration of God's favor that is directed to me, and towards all who are called to be 'in Christ.' Here it is. "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:4-8, NLT)
Did you take note of the verbs that describe God's actions? "Loved, chose, decided!" God pursues us, not because we are perfect, or even because we are desirable. He chooses us because He is good and gracious. And, going beyond simply having pity for us in our sorry sinful state, He intervenes to change the way we live; to give us a new life, one marked by freedom and wisdom! No matter how badly you have failed someone or even God Himself, no matter how far you may have fallen, there is a Savior whose grace is greater. That is the good news. Believe it, receive it, and see what God can do with you!
Paul started out as Saul, the Pharisee, persecuting Christians, even seeking their death. He rejected the Lord of Glory and lived in an ugly parody of righteousness, centered on futile attempts to be good enough for God, that ignored the true state of his soul. Then, he met Jesus and was shown the depth of his deception and depravity. Saul, the man with the rich religious heritage, and sorry record of sinfulness, sees the truth that he is, despite his best efforts, 'the worst of sinners.' But, he does not live in that declaration. He lives in the grace of God. He says, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." (1 Timothy 1:15-16, NIV) A friend calls the past failures and sins, 'the junk in the trunk.' We can drag around that stuff, letting it weigh us down, hoping to keep the past hidden, convinced that though we are going to Heaven, that here on earth we are worthless to God! OR, we can let the Lord Jesus have the junk, forgive the sins, restore us from our failures - and become favored sons of God, in whom He shows off His amazing grace and ability to transform. Saul took a new name, Paul, and God made the one time sinner into an amazing saint.
At the start of this week of Thanksgiving, let God's love pour over, right now. Thank Him for the Cross of Christ, where all your sins were fully forgiven! Thank Him for the grace that closes the gap between your good intentions and your human tendency to fail. Thank Him for loving an imperfect child like you. I thank Him for loving one like me, everyday.
Take this prayer with you this week -- read it again and again, accepting what it says as true for you:
"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.
Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21, NLT)
______________________________
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