Snarling at God?

Whenever Sam, my Irish Setter, hurts herself- getting thorns tangled into her coat, twisting her leg during a hard run - she sulks. When I attempt to help her, she growls and snarls at me, apparently conscious only of her pain and somehow mistakenly thinking I am the cause of it. I don’t take it personally. After all, she’s a dog, with limited understanding. The tragedy is that in my pain I sometimes react similarly to my Lord. Life hurts, my soul aches, disappointment washes over me. Do I run to Him? Sometimes, yes. But, sometimes, sadly, I grow mean and surly, snarling at the very One who is my Healer!

Bitterness is a terribly toxic condition of the soul. It hinders prayer, destroys faith, breaks down healthy relationships, and skews our perception of the truth. The Psalm of the embittered says this: "I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. ... This is what the wicked are like- always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. ... When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you." (Psalm 73:2-4, 10-12, 21-22, NIV)

Have you allowed yourself to slip into this state, where everything in the life of everyone looks better than your lot in life? Have you started to accuse God of being cruel and unfair, singing the woeful tune- “Why me, Lord? Nobody else has to go through what I’m enduring. You’re mean!”

Life does get painful. Disappointment is real. Deep faith does not demand denial of our pain; but it does require that we are willing to give up our snarling attitude so that the Spirit can come to comfort us. "Yet I still belong to you; you are holding my right hand. You will keep on guiding 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. But 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 73:23-28, NLT)

We need not resign to fate, settle for what we think is ‘reality,’ or grimly slog on through the dark. We go to the Rock of our Salvation with our broken heart. Find a place alone with Him, or in the company of a trusted friend and weep. Brokenness is not the same as bitterness. In fact, expressing our emotions honestly can protect us from becoming a little angry ball of self-protective misery. Then, too, there is a time when, like suffering Job, we must choose to silence, expectantly waiting on the Lord’s revelation of Himself. He railed at God in his pain (which was very real!) and then, as he caught a glimpse of the majesty of the Lord, he regained perspective and with it, humility. He said, “I am unworthy-how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer- twice, but I will say no more.” (Job 40:4-5, NIV)

The old song advises:

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged thinking all is lost.

Count your many blessings, name them one by one.

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one!

Count your blessings see what God has done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings see what God has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by. -Public Domain

“Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submit to and delight in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition” - Jeremiah Burroughs

So, what will you do with that pain today?
Will you react like a wounded animal or will you choose to let our Abba minister to you?

Father, life hurts when disappointment overwhelms.

I confess that I wonder why the reward seems so disproportionate to the effort.

Keep my heart tender. O Christ Jesus, I need You to intervene, to give grace.

When I’m tempted to look around and compare,

Draw my attention to You and teach me to look up!

May I come to the place of contentment in You that allows me to think and proclaim:

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you."
(Psalm 73:25, NIV) Amen.

What do you 'see?'

What joy I find in looking into my wife's face, taking in a sunrise, or watching a child play contentedly. Eyes are part of my amazing body, a gift of my Creator. Because of my age I need glasses to see the fine print, to do detailed work. I get frustrated when a job is in a tight spot where I cannot adjust my head to let me see through my bifocals, but I am very thankful that I can see. What would I do if my sight were taken from me? I would adjust, I'm sure, but the loss would be huge.

There is another kind of vision, just as important as that sight provided by our eyes. That vision is what we 'see' with our mind, our view of life, of the future, of our purpose in the plan of the Lord. In a deep discussion yesterday, when pressed about a critical issue, I had to admit, to my sorrow, that I had lost my vision in one part of my life! I could no longer a better future; hope for a different outcome, seek a better situation in that situation. That failure of vision has left me stuck, unable (or maybe unwilling?) to move towards God's will. My prayer is for healing of my sight, for faith to recreate vision.

God gives us the ability to see, by faith, what does not yet exist. That kind of vision gives 'big picture context' to the work of the day. Vision is the 'why' that informs the 'what.' For example, I can choose to view preparing sermons in two very different lights. It can be 'just doing my job, having something to fill 25 minutes in church on Sunday!' God help me, and the church I serve if that is my vision for preaching. When I 'see' the work as a God-given opportunity to nudge the flock along the road to godliness and towards eternal life, that 'vision' a delight rather than a duty.

Vision pulls us to invest in the future, even for eternity. A person who plants tree seedlings has to have vision! Trees do not grow quickly. An oak planted in the back yard won't be a shade tree to sit under for decades. If a person wants only immediate gratification, he will plant flowers. Petunias will grow quickly into flowering gardens. Is your vision shaped by eternal values, inspired by the Spirit, drawn into existence by faith? Have you excused yourself from pursuing a God-shaped vision because you believe it is easier to just settle for your present reality?

God calls us to active pursuit of the good He has purposed to do through us - patiently and persistently.  Andy Stanley writes, "The daily grind of life is hard on visions. Life is now. Bills are now. Crisis is now. Vision is later. It is easy, therefore, to lose sight of the main thing, to sacrifice the best for the good. All of us run the risk of allowing secondary issues to rob us of the joy of seeing our visions come to completion. Distractions slowly kill the vision." (Visioneering, Multnomah, 1999)

James uses the work of a farmer to illustrate the way to resist the deception of the day. "Wait patiently for the Master's Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time." (James 5:7-8, The Message) Regain your vision. Remind yourself why you started down this road. Pray that God will set this day into the context of the larger picture of life for you, then - push ahead, steadily.

Paul stood before a pagan king who wanted to know why the apostle had chosen to live such a difficult life. The king wanted to know why he traveled, risked persecution, endured arrest and imprisonment. Paul described his calling beginning with his vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus. He said that the Lord told him, "I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' Then, note what he tells the king- "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven." (Acts 26:17-19, NIV) When the Spirit gives you vision - by revealing His will to your heart or by showing you the Word - what will you do with it?

Here's a word from the Word. Own it! "Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright- but the righteous will live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:2-4, NIV)

You Can BE Good, but not like you think

I ask the children and teens in our church, “How are you?”  They answer, as we all do, “Good!”  “But,” I ask, “are you righteous?” Yes, it’s a preacher kind of joke and often they don’t get it.  But, my teasing has a purpose. Over time, I hope they will think about the difference between the two.  Do you know what it is?

A 12 year old asked me, “do think I’ll go to Heaven?” He knew that his behavior did not come close to even acceptable, and like most people, assumed that God’s heaven was gained the same way that he got his teacher’s approval – being good.  We all are prone to think that being ‘good’ is the same as being ‘righteous.’  Truthfully, the Bible says that ‘there is none that is righteous, not even one.’  Even good people cannot achieve it apart from a Divine intervention. Righteousness, which is defined as enjoying God’s acceptance, is a gift of the grace of Christ Jesus. It cannot be earned, only received.

Good people are not necessarily righteous, but righteous people will be good!  Are you struggling to find peace with God, to lose the sense of shame or guilt that keeps you from confident prayer? There is a gift waiting for you.  The grim fact is that we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Regardless of our good intentions, we fall into pride, rage, greed, self-absorption; or some other sin because our human nature is fatally flawed.  Our hope can never be anchored to being good enough.  The Lord says we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23-24, NIV)  "Justified" is not a word we use often.  It means that we are made right (yes, righteous!) before God when we let Jesus wrap us in His forgiveness and wholeness.  If that sounds like so much theological mumbling, consider the promise attached:  “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2, NIV)

Trusting Christ to set us right with our Heavenly Abba takes away the angst of guilt and allows us to become true children, beloved, full of faith and hope!  "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”" (Romans 8:15, NIV)   The Holy Spirit begins to renovate our mind and we change from the inside out.  Hate loses its grip and love burgeons.  Fear of the future is overtaken with hope for tomorrow.  The loneliness we feel as spiritual orphans is erased and we become part of the family of God.  And, we become good, not because we try so hard at it, but because sin has lost its hold over us.

Are you alienated from God?  Has religion left you feeling only more like a failure?   Here’s a word from the Word:  "’Even now,‘ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.‘ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." (Joel 2:12-13, NIV)  "Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the Lord your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this. “Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike." (Joel 2:27-29, NLT)

________

Jesus Messiah

He became sin, who knew no sin

That we might become His righteousness.

He humbled Himself and carried the cross,

Love so amazing, love so amazing!

Jesus Messiah! Name above all names!

Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel.

The Rescue for sinners,

The Ransom from heaven,

Jesus Messiah, Lord of all!

His body, the bread, His blood, the wine;

Broken and poured out, all for love.

The whole earth trembled and the veil was torn

Love so amazing, love so amazing,

All our hope is in You,

All our hope is in You,

All the glory to You, God.

The Light of the world

Jesus Messiah, Lord of all!

The Lord of all, The Lord of all.

Chris Tomlin | Daniel Carson | Ed Cash | Jesse Reeves

© 2008 Vamos Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Seeing Into The Future

Forecasts, analysts, fortune cookies, and prophets all claim to see through a window into tomorrow. Humans say that they want to know what the future holds. I wonder if that is really true? Frequently we

choose to be ignorant of the trends that reveal what lies ahead. How many of us (me, included) choose to ignore warning signs in our bodies that signal a need for weight loss, diet change, or lifestyle adjustment? How many heavy smokers do you know that refuse to acknowledge that their habit will have a real negative effect on their health, even shortening their lifespan by years? I have, on too many occasions, known of a pending marriage failure, even as a young husband refused to see the warning signs.

On the dashboard of our automobiles there is a ‘check engine’ light. An onboard computer warns us that the engine is not functioning as it should. We have a choice. Go get it checked or ignore it. Some seem to think they have solved the problem by putting a piece of black tape over the indicator! Life is filled with warning indicators, and as much as we claim we want to know the future , many of us choose to ignore or even block them. When things go terribly wrong, we bitterly blame others or God for failing us. “How could He do this to me? Why do I have such awful ‘luck?’” To be sure, there are circumstances that come our way we could not foresee, things that happen to us for which we have no explanation, but largely life is what we choose to make of it.

And, yet, we know that God’s law of harvest is in effect. The Word says, "Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters." (Galatians 6:7-10, NLT)

Memorize these principles about harvest:

   1. We will harvest of the seeds plant.

   2. We harvest only after we plant, in a different season.

   3. We will harvest more than we plant.

   4. We harvest in proportion to how much seed we plant.

Only a stupid farmer would expect to harvest wheat after planting acres of seed corn! A wise farmer plants his fields knowing that his investment of seed and labor is creating the future he desires. Are you showing that kind of wisdom? Are you investing yourself in the kind of efforts that will produce the future you desire?   You may object, “Jerry, there are too many things that could come between me and the harvest I desire. There are unanticipated storms, disasters, wars, acts of others over whom we have no control.” And you are right, except for one thing: the promise of God.

While we do not always know exactly what tomorrow’s harvest may be on this side of eternity we have an absolute assurance that what is invested in God will return an abundant harvest. "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (2 Timothy 1:12, NIV) Jesus promised that the treasures we store in Heaven are not touched by moth, rust, or thieves! (Matthew 6: 20)

What’s in your future? You don’t need a crystal ball or a prophet. Just look at the seeds you’re planting.
Sow love, reap love.
Sow generosity, reap generosity.
Sow kindness, reap kindness.
Sow obedience to God, reap a rich reward of His blessings.

"Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter." (Proverbs 6:6-8, NLT)

"If you are too lazy to plow in the right season, you will have no food at the harvest." (Proverbs 20:4, NLT)

Don't Live in The Cemetery

Don’t live in the cemetery.

Between hamburgers and potato salad, take time today to remember those who paid the ultimate price in defense of the nation. It might be a cliché but it’s true none the less – “Freedom isn’t free!”  Memorial Day was once called Decoration Day. It began in the United States after the Civil War as a day to visit the cemeteries to decorate the graves of those who died in that terrible conflict. After the first World War, the day's focus widened to include a remembrance of all those fallen in war. Visiting a memorial to soldiers lost can be a powerfully moving experience. On several occasions, I have walked the length of the Vietnam memorial on the Mall in Washington, DC and each time, I find that black slab bearing 50,000 names evokes deep emotions.

We never forget but we cannot live in the cemetery with them!  Their sacrifice is meaningless if we do not move on, building a world that honors their sacrifice, cherishing freedom.  In 2013 true patriots need to insist that “liberty and justice for all” is not just something we say.  We must speak up, vote, and make certain that our government maintains the principles of our Constitution!

Yesterday, in our worship, we remembered another sacrifice, a gift of life, that sets us free! On the night before He went to the Cross, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, the Communion meal that Christians have celebrated for two millennia. We lift the cup to remember His shed blood which sets us right with our Father.  His death makes it possible for us to forgiveness of our sins. The bread reminds us of His broken body, that He is our Wounded Healer. The Bible's familiar words are:  "On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me." In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people-an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it." For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again." (1 Corinthians 11:23-26, NLT)

Disciple, we don't live in the cemetery! We remember the Cross, but live on the other side of the Resurrection. His death brought us life! That is the amazing fact we remember at the Lord's Table. "Walk worthy!" is the command we hear. Take the gift of the sacrifice and make it count in your day to day choices.

This Memorial Day, I hope you will remember, perhaps even walking through a cemetery where flags decorate the graves of those who died in the armed services of our great nation. Then, I pray you will leave the cemetery inspired to be a citizen who makes their sacrifice meaningful.

Enjoy the holiday!