The billboard grabbed my attention: MegaMillions – $127 Million payout. Yes, I suppose that I should not have noticed, but I did. I got lost for a few moments in a daydream. I saw myself paying off my kid’s school loans, helping get a business started, providing funds to a struggling ministry, paying for much needed improvements on the church and school buildings. It was fun, but a waste of time. I was lost in a fantasy! I confessed my foolishness to the Lord and thanked Him that He provides every resource I need. If I had great wealth and did all those things of my daydream, it would likely hurt more than help, short-circuiting the very necessary processes of maturity for others.
We can invest in the lives of others even without having $millions. In Christ, we have been given amazing grace, infinite love, abundant mercy, astonishing kindness... need I go on? People need those things more than money! Ever watched a person respond to love and encouragement? For about a year, at the parent’s request, I have met with a little girl for a few moments about every two weeks. We sit and talk about the things that matter to her. They are not world shaking events but they are important to her. I affirm her desire to please God, share some words of encouragement, and let her know that she’s loved. It’s a gift that costs me next to nothing, but her Mom tells me it means the world to that child who has gained self-esteem and confidence – just from being loved!
It’s been my privilege to tell the story of Jesus to hundreds of people, often at a time in their lives when everything was dark, when things were confusing, when others were writing them off as failures, as hopeless. Few things can begin to compare with the joy I feel when I see the seed of the Gospel take root, see a relationship with God, the Heavenly Father, begin, and watch that person find a new and whole life as they learn to live in the Spirit. It costs me so little to invest so greatly.
When Jesus commissioned his followers for their first outreach, He told them: "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8, NIV) There is something implied in that statement that we need to remember: we cannot give away what we do not possess! God has eternal wealth, great riches of the Spirit’s gifts available to us. Have we received them so that we can give lavishly? When we possess the riches of God, not just in word but in our hearts, we will gain a liberal heart, a generous spirit that overflows. We will take notice of the hurts, the sorrows, the pain of those around us and give them from the store of love that we have received from the Lord.
The Word observes the principle of reciprocity: "It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:24-25,NLT)
Jesus states it simply -"Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." (Luke 6:38, The Message)
For a few moments, right now, thank God for the riches you have been given in Christ Jesus. Here’s a word from the Word for your mediation. "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV) Then, go-- and give it away! We don’t need to win Megamillions to be rich! We already have access to heaven’s wealth. Have fun blessing people with love, kindness, mercy, goodness that you own in the rich storehouse to which God has given you the key!
__________________
Touch Through Me
Touch through me, Holy Spirit,
Touch through me.
Let my hands reach out to others
Touch through me.
There's a lonely soul somewhere
Needing just one friend to care.
Touch through me, Holy Spirit,
Touch through me.
My hands will be Your hands
Reaching out to others.
My lips will not be slothful,
Lord, to speak.
I will be that good Samaritan
To someone else in need.
I will be Your house to dwell in
Live through me.
Love through me, Holy Spirit,
Love through me.
I will be my brother's keeper,
Love through me.
Hearts are bleeding deep inside,
Love can dry the weeping eyes,
Love through me, Holy Spirit,
Love through me.
Flow through me, Holy Spirit,
Flow through me.
Like a river in the desert,
Flow through me.
Springing fountain, healing stream,
Living water, pure and clean,
Flow through me, Holy Spirit,
Flow through me.
Rambo, Dottie
© 1981 John T. Benson Publishing Company (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)
CCLI License No. 810055
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Change, Faith, and Right with God
The change happening around me is exhausting. Our church is taking a new name that we believe will be more inviting to people from our region who might be interested in spiritual things. We are exploring new ways of doing ‘church’ that will help people to grow into mature followers of Jesus. The process is demanding change in me. It requires that I serve as a catalyst for change in people who are comfortable in the present. I understand their resistance! I like things to be predictable and familiar, too. Left to myself, I would settle into a rut and do what demanded the least adaptation from me. Why disturb the peace? Why be open to a new way of thinking when the old line has served so well? The short answer? God leads us on into tomorrow! The message of Christ is unchanging, but the methods used to communicate that hope must be adapted to every generation.
The man we call the ‘father of the faithful’ was settled in his family’s city, Ur, when the voice of God brought him a new challenge. “Abram, leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you. I’ll make you a great nation and bless you. I’ll make you famous; you’ll be a blessing." (Genesis 12:1-2, The Message) God asks a major thing of this man: Become a wanderer, traveling 600 miles across deserts, and I will do something great for you. There were no pictures of a palace that was waiting for his arrival, no job at the end of the journey. Yet, he responded in faithful obedience. His faith allowed him to own the greatest gift of all: "Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith." (Genesis 15:6, NLT)
Do you have the faith to let God call you from where you are into a place you cannot yet see?
Do you trust Him to lead you from the things you know to things only yet a promise?
For example, it requires real faith to let go of religious acts and to accept the gift of grace He offers. To give up the hope of making yourself good enough for God and believing His declaration of your righteousness, is a big leap of faith. To abandon one’s self to a life of love is an act of faith, too. God says, “love Me and others more deeply than you love yourself.” We know that taking care of ourselves works, but will we let go of our self-love and start the journey of selfless love? Much faith is demanded because we have no idea where such a radical act will allow God to lead us.
Moments will come when we could conclude our faith adventure has been nothing but foolishness. God told Abram that he would become the father of nations and through his descendants all the world would be blessed; then left him without a son until he was 100 years old! Old Abe got nervous and tried to help God fulfill the promise by having a child with Hagar, his wife’s servant. That lapse in faith created nothing but sorrow and pain! Still he hung onto the promise he had received years earlier. The Bible tells us "Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance." (Romans 4:20-5:3, NLT)
What is the Spirit of God whispering into your soul today?
Don’t only listen for the call to exotic destinations or big projects! Perhaps the adventure of faith to which He calls you is about loving your wife more deeply, or about forgiving your father who has abused you for years, or about having the patience to lead your rebellious son through the turbulence of teenage years. Then, again, His call to you might be about letting go of a habit that is both comforting and enslaving so that you will grow into greater holiness. It might be that He wants to re-define the meaning of ‘success in life’ with you, by asking for a major change in your lifestyle. These choices are no less an adventure of faith than selling our home and moving to someplace far away.
Will you believe God? Here’s the Bible’s definition of Faith. Read it prayerfully, asking God to help you to believe and obey today, in order to be where He can use you to meet the challenges He sees coming tomorrow!
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1, NIV) "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)
The man we call the ‘father of the faithful’ was settled in his family’s city, Ur, when the voice of God brought him a new challenge. “Abram, leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you. I’ll make you a great nation and bless you. I’ll make you famous; you’ll be a blessing." (Genesis 12:1-2, The Message) God asks a major thing of this man: Become a wanderer, traveling 600 miles across deserts, and I will do something great for you. There were no pictures of a palace that was waiting for his arrival, no job at the end of the journey. Yet, he responded in faithful obedience. His faith allowed him to own the greatest gift of all: "Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith." (Genesis 15:6, NLT)
Do you have the faith to let God call you from where you are into a place you cannot yet see?
Do you trust Him to lead you from the things you know to things only yet a promise?
For example, it requires real faith to let go of religious acts and to accept the gift of grace He offers. To give up the hope of making yourself good enough for God and believing His declaration of your righteousness, is a big leap of faith. To abandon one’s self to a life of love is an act of faith, too. God says, “love Me and others more deeply than you love yourself.” We know that taking care of ourselves works, but will we let go of our self-love and start the journey of selfless love? Much faith is demanded because we have no idea where such a radical act will allow God to lead us.
Moments will come when we could conclude our faith adventure has been nothing but foolishness. God told Abram that he would become the father of nations and through his descendants all the world would be blessed; then left him without a son until he was 100 years old! Old Abe got nervous and tried to help God fulfill the promise by having a child with Hagar, his wife’s servant. That lapse in faith created nothing but sorrow and pain! Still he hung onto the promise he had received years earlier. The Bible tells us "Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance." (Romans 4:20-5:3, NLT)
What is the Spirit of God whispering into your soul today?
Don’t only listen for the call to exotic destinations or big projects! Perhaps the adventure of faith to which He calls you is about loving your wife more deeply, or about forgiving your father who has abused you for years, or about having the patience to lead your rebellious son through the turbulence of teenage years. Then, again, His call to you might be about letting go of a habit that is both comforting and enslaving so that you will grow into greater holiness. It might be that He wants to re-define the meaning of ‘success in life’ with you, by asking for a major change in your lifestyle. These choices are no less an adventure of faith than selling our home and moving to someplace far away.
Will you believe God? Here’s the Bible’s definition of Faith. Read it prayerfully, asking God to help you to believe and obey today, in order to be where He can use you to meet the challenges He sees coming tomorrow!
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1, NIV) "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Will you give up ice cream?
Today is the first day of Lent, "Ash Wednesday." Ashes made from palm fronds from the previous year's celebration of Palm Sunday traditionally are used mark the forehead as a reminder of mortality – the whole ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust’ thing. That reminder was to encourage the discipline of fasting that would prepare Christians to receive the Word of God during the 40 days that lead up to the celebrations of Easter.
Can such ritual turn our hearts to the Lord?
We may not follow the traditions of Ash Wednesday in our church, but we would benefit by taking time each of these 40 days during Lent to remember the Cross of Christ. Lent is a great time to renew the practice of fasting. Fasting, in the most narrow meaning, is about abstaining from all food. We can fast without such deprivation. We can enter the joy of fasting by setting aside some pleasurable pursuit or special food. Why? We do it to remind ourselves that we are subject to the Spirit. Fasting can be an act of obedience offered in faith to God that opens us to a new experience of the Holy Spirit’s Presence!
In each of us is a genuine spirit-body connection! What we do in our physical body has an effect on our spiritual state. Let’s not be overly simplistic. Will we become amazingly devout Christians just because we don't eat ice cream during the 40 days of Lent? No, but if we choose to fast (give up to God) some pleasure as an act of worship; if we add to true worship to our devotion, we invite the Holy Spirit to act in us. If we fast and think that our small sacrifice earns God’s approval, we have missed the point entirely. Religious ritual, done for the purpose of impressing God and/or other people, is worse than useless; it is a expression of sinful pride. That is why Jesus urged us to practice spiritual disciplines like fasting, giving, and prayer without telling anyone. Such choices, because they are acts of faith, must be very personal. Jesus told us to keep our fasting a private matter!
Jesus said, "when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will suspect you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in secret. And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you." (Matthew 6:16-18 NLT) If we 'show off' or if we judge those who do not practice a discipline as we do, we rob the disciplines of any value. They become nothing more than the display of religion and empty traditions or worse, a means of making ourselves feel better than someone who does not share our conviction.
Will you give up ice cream for Lent? If you do, do it for the purpose of seeking the Lord. (I think we might be better served by giving up some TV time for prayer, meditation or reading Scripture.) Don’t do it just because I said to. Rather, pray about it. Ask the Lord if you need to discipline your body to provide freedom for the spirit. Here’s a word from the Word about living in the Spirit. Think deeply and prayerfully on the promise of this passage.
"My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? …
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way." (Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23, The Message)
______________________________
I Will Offer Up My Life
I will offer up my life
In spirit and truth,
Pouring out the oil of love
As my worship to You.
In surrender I must give
My ev'ry part;
Lord, receive the sacrifice
Of a broken heart.
Jesus, what can I give,
What can I bring
To so faithful a friend,
To so loving a King?
Savior, what can be said,
What can be sung
As a praise of Your name
For the things You have done?
Oh, my words could not tell,
Not even in part,
Of the debt of love
That is owed by this
Thankful heart.
You deserve my every breath
For You've paid the great cost.
Giving up Your life to death,
Even death on a cross.
You took all my shame away,
There defeated my sin,
Opened up the gates of heaven,
And have beckoned me in.
Matt Redman
© 1994 Kingsway's Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
Can such ritual turn our hearts to the Lord?
We may not follow the traditions of Ash Wednesday in our church, but we would benefit by taking time each of these 40 days during Lent to remember the Cross of Christ. Lent is a great time to renew the practice of fasting. Fasting, in the most narrow meaning, is about abstaining from all food. We can fast without such deprivation. We can enter the joy of fasting by setting aside some pleasurable pursuit or special food. Why? We do it to remind ourselves that we are subject to the Spirit. Fasting can be an act of obedience offered in faith to God that opens us to a new experience of the Holy Spirit’s Presence!
In each of us is a genuine spirit-body connection! What we do in our physical body has an effect on our spiritual state. Let’s not be overly simplistic. Will we become amazingly devout Christians just because we don't eat ice cream during the 40 days of Lent? No, but if we choose to fast (give up to God) some pleasure as an act of worship; if we add to true worship to our devotion, we invite the Holy Spirit to act in us. If we fast and think that our small sacrifice earns God’s approval, we have missed the point entirely. Religious ritual, done for the purpose of impressing God and/or other people, is worse than useless; it is a expression of sinful pride. That is why Jesus urged us to practice spiritual disciplines like fasting, giving, and prayer without telling anyone. Such choices, because they are acts of faith, must be very personal. Jesus told us to keep our fasting a private matter!
Jesus said, "when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will suspect you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in secret. And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you." (Matthew 6:16-18 NLT) If we 'show off' or if we judge those who do not practice a discipline as we do, we rob the disciplines of any value. They become nothing more than the display of religion and empty traditions or worse, a means of making ourselves feel better than someone who does not share our conviction.
Will you give up ice cream for Lent? If you do, do it for the purpose of seeking the Lord. (I think we might be better served by giving up some TV time for prayer, meditation or reading Scripture.) Don’t do it just because I said to. Rather, pray about it. Ask the Lord if you need to discipline your body to provide freedom for the spirit. Here’s a word from the Word about living in the Spirit. Think deeply and prayerfully on the promise of this passage.
"My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? …
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way." (Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23, The Message)
______________________________
I Will Offer Up My Life
I will offer up my life
In spirit and truth,
Pouring out the oil of love
As my worship to You.
In surrender I must give
My ev'ry part;
Lord, receive the sacrifice
Of a broken heart.
Jesus, what can I give,
What can I bring
To so faithful a friend,
To so loving a King?
Savior, what can be said,
What can be sung
As a praise of Your name
For the things You have done?
Oh, my words could not tell,
Not even in part,
Of the debt of love
That is owed by this
Thankful heart.
You deserve my every breath
For You've paid the great cost.
Giving up Your life to death,
Even death on a cross.
You took all my shame away,
There defeated my sin,
Opened up the gates of heaven,
And have beckoned me in.
Matt Redman
© 1994 Kingsway's Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Tiny, Beautiful, and A ‘Bundle of Potentiality’
We met a new little beauty on Sunday evening. It’s been a week since our granddaughter Selah was born. I was glad to take her in my arms, all 7 pounds of her! As I gazed at her, sleeping, I felt a familiar weight settle on me; the press of responsibility. It was a weight I felt at the birth of each one of our children, too, but especially when as a 21 year old kid, I was handed my first son a few moments after he was born. As I held him, I bawled- really wept! As joyful as I was that morning, I was equally awed by the daunting responsibility of caring for a helpless human being and living in a way that invited him to follow me to the Cross of Christ, where he would kneel and receive grace and eternal life.
A human being is an eternal creature – destined to live with God in glory or apart from Him in misery. While we are not the Savior, our role in setting their life course is not minor. We turn them towards spiritual matters by our example. When you make choices - about where you go, what you buy, the movies you watch, the songs you play on the radio, the clothes you buy, the way you speak of your family, the attitude you have toward others, the place and manner of your worship – are you doing so as an authentic disciple of Christ? Can you say to your child, or any child for that matter, ‘follow me as I follow Christ!’? Jesus’ words are a stern warning. "Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me. … But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck." (Mark 9:36-37, 42, NLT)
It might seem that I am urging people to be excessively religious around children. If that’s your reading, start over! Holding back profanity because children are present, living like the Devil all week and then insisting on going to church every Sunday – and such religious practices are terrible choices. They teach children to be hypocrites, to think that God can be bought with a few trinkets and a couple of hours of feigned worship! That well known passage in God’s Law reminds to make Him known, not just on holy days, but every day! "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (Deuteronomy 6:6-8, NIV) Is the Lord part of every conversation? No, I don’t mean in a forced way, a strain to mention “Jesus” in every paragraph! Is He present?
We choose to love, they learn to love.
We choose to forgive, they learn to forgive.
We choose to seek God first, they learn He is their primary resource.
We are faithful to our commitments, they learn to stick with the tough things.
We discipline ourselves in big and small ways, they learn how to make the choice to eat cookies after dinner. We live our faith, they look to the One who gives them life.
The Proverb offers this wisdom: "Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost." (Proverbs 22:6, The Message) Yes, it’s a heavy responsibility and one no parent can carry alone. It should send us often into the Presence of God where we ask for His wisdom, where we pray for forgiveness, where we invite the Holy Spirit to shape us into the likeness of Christ Jesus.
_____________________
I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital "P"
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin' to hear God's voice
And I am tryin' to make the right choice
I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be.
I can go anywhere that He wants me to go
I can be anything He wants me to be
I can climb the high mountains
I can cross the wide sea
I'm a great big promise you see!
I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital "P"
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin' to hear God's voice
And I am tryin' to make the right choice
I'm a promise to be anything God wants me to be
Anything God wants me to be!
I Am A Promise, Bill and Gloria Gaither
A human being is an eternal creature – destined to live with God in glory or apart from Him in misery. While we are not the Savior, our role in setting their life course is not minor. We turn them towards spiritual matters by our example. When you make choices - about where you go, what you buy, the movies you watch, the songs you play on the radio, the clothes you buy, the way you speak of your family, the attitude you have toward others, the place and manner of your worship – are you doing so as an authentic disciple of Christ? Can you say to your child, or any child for that matter, ‘follow me as I follow Christ!’? Jesus’ words are a stern warning. "Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me. … But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck." (Mark 9:36-37, 42, NLT)
It might seem that I am urging people to be excessively religious around children. If that’s your reading, start over! Holding back profanity because children are present, living like the Devil all week and then insisting on going to church every Sunday – and such religious practices are terrible choices. They teach children to be hypocrites, to think that God can be bought with a few trinkets and a couple of hours of feigned worship! That well known passage in God’s Law reminds to make Him known, not just on holy days, but every day! "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (Deuteronomy 6:6-8, NIV) Is the Lord part of every conversation? No, I don’t mean in a forced way, a strain to mention “Jesus” in every paragraph! Is He present?
We choose to love, they learn to love.
We choose to forgive, they learn to forgive.
We choose to seek God first, they learn He is their primary resource.
We are faithful to our commitments, they learn to stick with the tough things.
We discipline ourselves in big and small ways, they learn how to make the choice to eat cookies after dinner. We live our faith, they look to the One who gives them life.
The Proverb offers this wisdom: "Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost." (Proverbs 22:6, The Message) Yes, it’s a heavy responsibility and one no parent can carry alone. It should send us often into the Presence of God where we ask for His wisdom, where we pray for forgiveness, where we invite the Holy Spirit to shape us into the likeness of Christ Jesus.
_____________________
I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital "P"
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin' to hear God's voice
And I am tryin' to make the right choice
I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be.
I can go anywhere that He wants me to go
I can be anything He wants me to be
I can climb the high mountains
I can cross the wide sea
I'm a great big promise you see!
I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital "P"
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin' to hear God's voice
And I am tryin' to make the right choice
I'm a promise to be anything God wants me to be
Anything God wants me to be!
I Am A Promise, Bill and Gloria Gaither
Monday, March 07, 2011
Bringing Heaven to Earth
Christians are given the most amazing job to do – connecting God and His goodness with this present world. It’s not just preacher’s work nor is it primarily done in church buildings. You are called to this privilege. Living as Jesus Christ’s representative is your true calling and it is the key to knowing the ‘abundant’ life He promised. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33, NIV) When we let living His life define us, we move out of pre-occupation with our reputation and resources. Owning things or being seen as a successful person loses importance as Christ gains mastery of our heart and mind.
So many Christians (including me!) speak of ‘building the Kingdom of God’ here on earth, but that is a misplaced focus. It implies that I am the primary actor, the one doing the work. When I think in that way, there is a shift, often unconscious, from doing Jesus’ work to doing Jerry’s work. That leads to anxiety, stress, tension, conflict, and frustration. Robert Burns neatly sums up our dilemma – “the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry!” Where I am trying to do even great and good things, unforeseen complications will certainly rise up to frustrate those plans. But, when God is Captain of my life, I rest on the promise that He is working in me and through me to accomplish what is yet unseen. Borrowing the example of the Jewish people and God’s gift of a Sabbath, a day to step aside from daily work into rest, the Spirit tells us "there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall." (Hebrews 4:9-11, NLT) We ‘rest’ on God, demonstrating our reliance on Him with a RADICAL obedience to His expressed will. And by that very faith His influence spreads from us into this present world. Our primary influence comes not from what we strive to do, but from who we are.
Ah, disciple, stop trying to act like a Christian! Instead, become one! Relinquish yourself, without reservation, to Him. I am concerned that some might read this as a call to inaction, laziness, or passivity. It is none of those things. We can and must be people of passion, often intense, but not with the usual focus on Self. Our passion is to love Him, and being loved, to live in love. If we are filled with the Spirit, the sins of our own heart and of the world around us should cause us great pain and move us to both tears and anger. Jesus was not passive in the face of evil. While He lived among us He did not work at creating for Himself a detachment from the sorrows that surrounded Him. Yet, He brought wholeness to earth by living in the fullness of His Father’s care and will. We can do the same.
Here’s my prayer for us as this new week begins: "It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. … I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! " (Ephesians 1:13-14,17-19, The Message)
So many Christians (including me!) speak of ‘building the Kingdom of God’ here on earth, but that is a misplaced focus. It implies that I am the primary actor, the one doing the work. When I think in that way, there is a shift, often unconscious, from doing Jesus’ work to doing Jerry’s work. That leads to anxiety, stress, tension, conflict, and frustration. Robert Burns neatly sums up our dilemma – “the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry!” Where I am trying to do even great and good things, unforeseen complications will certainly rise up to frustrate those plans. But, when God is Captain of my life, I rest on the promise that He is working in me and through me to accomplish what is yet unseen. Borrowing the example of the Jewish people and God’s gift of a Sabbath, a day to step aside from daily work into rest, the Spirit tells us "there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall." (Hebrews 4:9-11, NLT) We ‘rest’ on God, demonstrating our reliance on Him with a RADICAL obedience to His expressed will. And by that very faith His influence spreads from us into this present world. Our primary influence comes not from what we strive to do, but from who we are.
Ah, disciple, stop trying to act like a Christian! Instead, become one! Relinquish yourself, without reservation, to Him. I am concerned that some might read this as a call to inaction, laziness, or passivity. It is none of those things. We can and must be people of passion, often intense, but not with the usual focus on Self. Our passion is to love Him, and being loved, to live in love. If we are filled with the Spirit, the sins of our own heart and of the world around us should cause us great pain and move us to both tears and anger. Jesus was not passive in the face of evil. While He lived among us He did not work at creating for Himself a detachment from the sorrows that surrounded Him. Yet, He brought wholeness to earth by living in the fullness of His Father’s care and will. We can do the same.
Here’s my prayer for us as this new week begins: "It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. … I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! " (Ephesians 1:13-14,17-19, The Message)
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