Who Tells You the Truth?

"Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success. Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!" (Proverbs 15:22-23,NLT) I thank the Lord for my wife's good sense.  Too many times to count she has provided me with a perspective that helps me find the right balance, or she has wisely steered me away from some impetuous, regrettable action.  In our church, I am doubly thankful for our leadership team, men and women who bring wisdom to our planning and programs.

King David enjoyed the counsel of good friends. He nicknamed his inner circle, "the Mighty Men."  The Bible says "David’s Mighty Men, ...linked arms with him as he took up his kingship..." (1 Chronicles 11:10, The Message)   They were his allies, offering encouragement, surrounding him with support.  

In the book of the Acts which tells us the stories of the first generation of the Church. When they faced thorny issues councils were called and God’s wisdom emerged. Peter and Paul were decisive and bold leaders, but they were also willing to let God speak to them through the counsel of from the Body. Sometimes the debate was sharp and words pointed! Feelings got hurt, too.  But, with the help of the Spirit, those early church leaders kept their eyes on the goal and built Christ's Kingdom, not their own!

Who are your ‘mighty men?’ 

Are there people in your life that you have invited to speak truthfully to you, no matter the situation?

Are you a "Lone Ranger" trying to live self-sufficiently?

Jesus calls us into the community of the Church.  That means more than coming together for worship on Sunday morning. He asks us to lay down our ego, to 'die to self,' and to become servants to one another. In obedience, we gain so much.  Our society loves radical individualism.  We are quick to discard relationships with those who challenge us, who offer counsel that does not soothe us, or seem to affirm us.   Let's take that descriptive line from the experience of the Mighty Men and 'link arms!'  Let's go beyond romantic notions of fellowship that only values the 'warm fuzzies' that come from the good times of fun and laughter, to build a real team that builds our character, that calls the highest and best from us in the cause of Christ.

Take this word from the Word with you today.  Ask God, the Spirit, to teach you how to build a circle of counselors in your life.

"Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor.

If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.

But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.

And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other.

But how can one be warm alone?

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer.

Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NLT)

(CoffeeBreak will not go out next week. I’ll be taking a break.  See you in June!)

So sleepy...

Around 2 in the afternoon I get so sleepy. Concentration eludes me, eyelids heavy. If I am on the road, I know I am a hazard to myself and others. Sometimes I find a place to park and take a 10 minute long power nap.  Do you have a midday lull in energy, too?

Jesus was in the struggle of His life!  In the garden, He was readying Himself for the Cross. The terrible separation from His Father when He took our sins on Himself loomed just ahead. The suffering of crucifixion was waiting.  He cried in horror and pain, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Mark 14:36, NLT) Not wanting to be alone, He took Peter, James, and John with him and asked them to pray.  Instead, they fell asleep!  Overcome by emotion and stress, worn out by the activities of the day, they drifted off. Jesus turned from His prayer with a warning:  "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Mark 14:38-40, NIV) In the days ahead they would be tested. They would taste fear, find themselves confused, and become disillusioned. Failure was not just possible, it was likely.  “Pray, men! Get in touch with God and stay strong!”  But, they slept! And they failed. Every one of the disciples ran off into the darkness except Peter. He stayed with Jesus, but hours later was weeping bitter tears of regret when the crowing rooster reminded him of Jesus’ warning that he, too, would deny His Lord. 

Life might have been so different for these men if they had entered deeply into prayer with Jesus that night. But, sadly, they did not.

“Watch and pray!” is still Jesus’ call to us. He knows that our heart’s best intentions can be overcome by drowsiness, by neglect.  If we are prayerful, often with Christ and filled with the Spirit, we will be energized from the inside out, wide awake, and ready for the challenges that will come our way.  There is an amazing power that is found in real prayer.  I am not talking about the half-focused prayers we sometimes offer up or the prayers that are a habit before meals or bedtime. The prayer that empowers is that which draws us into the heart of God, that is intense, honest, and deep!  In that kind of praying the Spirit reveals the mind of God to us.  He lets us ‘see’ from heaven’s perspective.  And, in those moments, ‘the things of earth grow strangely dim in the Light of His glory and grace.’  

Christian, are you awake, alert, and prayed up?
Or, are you a sleepy, drowsy Christian, drifting near danger without being aware of the perils of temptation?

Here’s a word from the Word. Make it a call to prayer today, especially when you feel so sleepy spiritually.

"You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars.
He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would.

About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”—suddenly everything will fall apart.

It’s going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.

But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this?

You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others.

Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us!

Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation. "

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-8, The Message)

_____________

Father in heaven, we are sometimes lulled into complacency,

Overtaken by the urgent so that we ignore the important.

Our lives are packed with activity and responsibility; and yes,

We grow weary.

Keep us alert to Your Presence.
Holy Spirit, draw us from the rat race and teach us to listen.

And when we hear Your call strengthen us to answer,
“Yes, Lord. I’ll do what You want me to do.”

May Jesus Christ be honored by our thoughts, words, and actions.

We pray in His holy Name. Amen.

Tears by the bucket

I am no stranger to sorrow. Pastors spend a lot of time in the presence of people who are going through dark valleys. But, this time ‘round the sorrow is mine. "You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful." (Psalm 80:5, NLT) "My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you." (Psalm 42:3-6, NIV)  I once read those kind of Psalms as beautiful poetry. Now, they are prayers, mine!  With great hope I cry out, "Restore our fortunes, O LORD… Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." (Psalm 126:4-5, NIV) It is not despair, for I am not without hope. It is deep sorrow, pain that is unyielding. Oh, I know I am not alone. I empathize with the pain of those with broken hearts much more these days. I weep for those who are refugees, who live with abuse, who suffer and I pray!

This broken world is full of suffering. Oh, I know the theology that explains the Fall: that Adam sub-let the Creation to evil with his disobedience. Still, I wonder why.  There are no answers, right now.  But, I know that God sent His Son Jesus to save us- from our sins and from the destiny of destruction.  In that salvation there is a wonderful, wonderful promise. Yes, when His kingdom comes, tears will dry. When the struggle’s over, God will draw us close and dry our tears!  "I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:3-5, NIV)

Are you crying? Is your heart broken? Don’t rush about trying to hide from the pain in activity. Don’t try to numb your soul by turning up the noise or burying yourself in drink or diversions. I hear you, “But why not, Jerry?”  Because those things are no balm for the soul. Instead, wait on God. Sit quietly. Let tears flow. Accept the love of friend and family, even from those who repeat words that grate on you, even from those who have never hurt in the way that you do. Pray for protection from cynicism that turns people into ugly, self-absorbed, and mean being! Suffering can, if we allow it, make us into beautiful people; full of grace, tender, and with an other-worldly grip on eternity.

And remember …  “He will wipe every tear” from our eyes. Gordon Jensen wrote a song with this memorable line, “God weeps along with man and takes him by the hand, tears are a language God understands.”   Are the tears ready to fall today?  Has the disappointment, the pain, the unrelenting struggle with the curse of sin nearly broken you in two?

Go ahead and cry. Find a place alone with Him and let the tears that fall become a wordless prayer for renewal of hope, for healing, for forgiveness.  Then, with courage, offer up a sacrifice of thanksgiving even as you pray for the grace to hold onto the hope that He will someday wipe every tear, and even the memory of those things which make you cry, from your eyes forever.

_______________

There is coming a day

When no heartaches shall come,

No more clouds in the sky,

No more tears to dim the eye.

All is peace forevermore

On that happy, golden shore.

What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be

When my Jesus I shall see,

When I look upon His face,

The One who saved me by His grace.

When He takes me by the hand,

And leads me through the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there,

No more burdens to bear,

No more sickness, no pain,

No more parting over there.

And forever I will be

With the One who died for me.

What a day, glorious day that will be.

What A Day That Will Be

Hill, Jim

© 1955. Renewed 1983 Ben Speer Music (Admin. by Integrated Copyright Group, Inc.)

CCLI License No. 810055

Just one terrible mistake

Just one terrible mistake

5 years ago, I was speaking one Sunday morning on the subject of loving other whole-heartedly and some of the situations that complicate our relationships. Then, it happened. I spoke three words and saw the eyes of a woman in front of me widen as she thought of an entirely different image than I was reaching for! Then I heard the quiet laughter spread across the church. The unintended meaning of what I had just said came into my mind. My face grew red with embarrassment! It was a gaffe and a half. No, I won’t repeat here.  Every now and then, someone is kind enough to say those three words, just to remind me.  35 minutes of preaching and most people remember just three words!

Your life can be defined by a single decision, a mistake, a choice made in haste or for ignoble reasons. That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it?  My little mistake only ruined a single sermon. The mistakes of some ruin their lives.  President Richard M. Nixon’s entire political career is eclipsed by a single word, “Watergate.” A stupid decision to cover up a crime of little significance destroyed him and His Presidency.   What history reveals to us about that man, however, is a sobering lesson for us all.  In reality, Watergate revealed the arrogance and paranoia that ran wide and deep in the Nixon administration.  If a younger Nixon had overcome his sense of inferiority and defeated his fears, there would have been no conspiracy, no impeachment, no Watergate.  

Often that ‘single mistake’ that defines somebody’s life is really the moment when a deep flaw finally surfaces. Infidelity starts with a wandering eye.  Embezzling company funds is preceded by small dishonesty. Being caught in a major lie is the result of telling little lies along the way.  More positively, a holy life on the outside starts with a transformed heart, filled with the Spirit! 

Jesus made it easy to understand: “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart." (Luke 6:43-45, NLT)

Are you living wisely, disciple?
Are you giving the Spirit access to your heart and mind so that He can bring about health and wholeness in your thoughts and plans?

Christians believe in redemption!  No one is defined, in God’s eyes by a singular sin. The Bible is filled with stories of failed men and women who found forgiveness, new hearts, and fresh starts.  David, the poet–king of Israel, became a  notorious sinner in mid-life. When the ugly facts of his adultery, treachery, and murder by proxy were exposed, he turned to God with a broken heart, the enormity of sin weighing heavily on him. "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. … Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12, NIV)  In the New Testament, we meet a hateful man, a religious zealot named Saul who murdered in God’s name until Jesus met him on the road to Damascus.  Grace changed him and he changed his world!  Yes, you know him as St. Paul!

John reminds us that restoration requires confession, owning our sins without excuse. "If we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God. I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus." (1 John 1:9-2:1, The Message)  That promises makes me want to shout-  Hallelujah!  My past need not define my future because of God’s great love and mercy.  Have you knelt before the Cross of Christ Jesus for renewal?

I’ll have to live with the jokes about my gaffe for the rest of my tenure as pastor at Faith Discovery! It was a teaching moment that has made me much more vigilant in my choice of words.

Disciple, walk near to the Lord. Respond quickly to the Spirit’s gentle prompts. He will guide and guard.  And, should you fall, turn back quickly. He forgives and restores.
“Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge! You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes." (Matthew 6:9-13, The Message)
____________

Alas, and did my Savior bleed,

And did my Sov'reign die?

Would He devote that sacred head

For sinners such as I?

Was it for crimes that I have done

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity, grace unknown,

And love beyond degree!

But drops of grief can ne'er repay

The debt of love I owe.

Here Lord, I give myself away,

'Tis all that I can do.

At the cross, at the cross,

Where I first saw the light;

And the burden of my heart rolled away.

It was there by faith I received my sight,

And now I am happy all the day!

Alas And Did My Saviour Bleed (Hudson)

Isaac Watts | Ralph E. Hudson

© Words: Public Domain