Mixing up ‘rights’ with gifts

The young man kept repeating a phrase, “I have my rights.”  He resisted authority, broke rules and the law, and was facing some stiff penalties.  He could not or would not understand that his refusal to act responsibly was creating his misery.  He is convinced that people owe him respect, support, and unrestricted freedom but he has proven, again and again, that without supervision he will fail. He is his own worst enemy, but he is blind to that fact!

Do you believe that God owes you blessings, healing, salvation, peace, joy? Do you consider these things your ‘right?’ Many Christians do! But, like that young man I met last week, they do not live where they can enjoy His blessings.  I am not saying that we can earn God's rich blessings by being good enough!   But, we do have a responsibility to accept His rule, to obey Him, so that we can enjoy all that He has prepared for us.  He does not owe anything, but He loves to give us all things.  

Read the opening line of this Psalm. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1, NIV)   To dwell means to live, to stay, to be at home.  The rest that we can know in the Presence of God comes when we choose to live near to Him.  "If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your dwelling." (Psalm 91:9-10, NLT)  We cannot demand God’s blessings.  We should not expect them if we are living sinfully, willfully, or at a distance from Him because we are chasing after lesser gods!

I know that some will read these thoughts and turn them into a religious exercise.  They will think that they can obligate God by meeting some standard, that He will have to give them answers to their prayers because they have earned enough merit points through good works. If that is how you are reading these lines, pray for understanding. God calls us to Himself because He is loving and kind. He pours the Spirit into our hearts at the impulse of His grace and mercy. We are saved from sin at His initiative! "Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:9-10, NLT)

And, with that salvation comes an invitation to a life that is responsive to the leading of the Spirit. “Since we live by the Spirit,” Paul says, “let us keep step with the Spirit!”  And when we do, we are led into the fullness of joy, finding a quality of life none can demand, but that only the obedient and the faithful can enjoy.  Jesus spoke of the reward of those who do the will of God. " Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:23, KJV)

If you are full of frustration, devoid of joy, angry, and miserable – check your attitude. Are you demanding what you mistakenly believe are your rights as a child of God?  Come near to Him humbly. Surrender and let Him lead. Then, you will live this word from the Word. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91:13-16, NIV)

___________________

Near To The Heart Of God

There is a place of quiet rest,

Near to the heart of God.

A place where sin cannot molest,

Near to the heart of God.

There is a place of full release,

Near to the heart of God.

A place where all is joy and peace,

Near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer,

Sent from the heart of God.

Hold us who wait before Thee,

Near to the heart of God.

Cleland Boyd McAfee | Liz Wagley

© Words: Public Domain

I’m possessed by a stubborn hope!

We think life is pointed in the right direction, hope for a stretch of smooth road, then the phone rings or a letter arrives and … there is another ‘situation.’  After one of those phone calls yesterday, I remarked to my administrative assistant, “Could I get even one month without having a major challenge show up in my life?”  Almost in the same breath, I put the problem in God’s hand with faithful expectation that He knows the way and that He is working for our good.

When, as a little boy, I would complain about something I found unpleasant my Grandma used to quote a snippet from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  She would say:
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Disappointment turns some into angry people. It turns others into cynics never seeing a good thing in anyone or anything!  It brings on despair in a few – a deep kind of depression turns every day to darkness.  There is a better way to deal with life's disappointments. It’s called HOPE. 

The Christian’s hope is much more than mere optimism. It is a core conviction that God rules, that He is actively working for our good.  I know that, but at our Bible Study fellowship last night, while reading Romans 8 to the group, the promise took hold of me powerfully.  Emotion choked me as I read those amazing words inspired by the Spirit.  "We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory. What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (Romans 8:28-31, NLT)  If you are wrestling with some uncertainty today, go back and read those lines out loud.  Let the Word own you, settle you, and give you peace.

Our Christianity is not just about eternal life. Yes, Heaven is on the horizon but IF we walk with the Lord with hope today, those unexpected disappointments are met with a supernatural serenity!  Peter says it like this: "In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (1 Peter 1:3-6, NIV)

In this season, as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection, meet the challenges, the sorrows, the disappointments – with ‘living hope!’  Because Christ emerged from His Tomb, even the grim, dark valley of death, the last enemy, is overcome. Not even the thought of our mortality can steal our hope and joy because of the inheritance of eternal life that is assured.

When disappointment comes, one of the first casualties is often faith. Don’t let that happen to you. Instead, choose to trust. The bitterness of missed expectations is sweetened when we set our ultimate hope in the Lord! Here’s a word from the Word for the disappointed. Isaiah 40:30-31 reminds us that: "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,  they will walk and not be faint."

In this broken world, full of disappointment, marked by uncertainty about tomorrow, yes, with rainy days that come to all of us - we are people of hope. Ours is not a naive and silly way of thinking that will not see life as it is. It is not escapist.  We are possessed by a hope settled on the rock solid guarantee of eternal life in God and His promise to work in us today to accomplish His will. And so we pray, ever more earnestly, "May your Kingdom come, and Your will be done - on earth, as it is in Heaven." Amen.

________

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name!

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand!

-          Public domain

Going to Hell

Their young son, now a student in college in Georgia, rejected the Christianity that was the core of his life as a boy, becoming a militant atheist. The parents, broken in heart, told the reporter doing the story on CNN that they were convinced their son was going to Hell. I surely hope that is not their first concern right now for him! Do not get me wrong. I accept what Jesus and the Bible teach about the existence of an eternal place of suffering devoid of the presence of God. As much as I find the doctrine difficult and even repugnant, if I believe in Heaven based on the Bible’s promise, (and I do!) then I must also accept Hell as a real place. But, I am also convinced that some kind of failure of love right here is a much more important issue than worrying about going to Hell!

The newly minted young atheist in Georgia spoke of being rejected by friends and family because of his atheism.  While I do not know ALL of the story, I hope he does not face hatred in the Name of God which will reinforce his fascination of a life without God.

I have not known many atheists but of the few I do know, I have heard them tell me that they rejected faith in God because of some kind of prior failure of the Church or Christians!  Some were poorly treated during a crisis time in life. Others were harshly judged and ostracized by Christians at the very moment they needed to be loved.  One man was abused by a priest and concluded that all of Christianity was a fraud. Then, too, some confuse the dogma of their denomination with the Word of God, rejecting some doctrine and throwing away belief in God at the same time.

Telling a person who is already struggling with doubt or reeling from disappointment that he is now “going to Hell” is surely not the best or first response. Christians, secure in the faith, held in the grasp of the loving Father, can and should be lavish in their love for those who hate their faith.  That does not mean we agree with their mistaken rejection.  It does not mean that we throw out a welcome mat for their hatred of God and Christ. But, we can love them!  Jesus does!  We remember that Christ died for us while we were still sinning against Him and we know that He died for those who hate Him still.  A deep and patient love becomes a powerful witness to the Truth of our convictions.

A fear-based “Christianity” that is long on laws and short on love misses the point.  John teaches us that ‘perfect’  (which is best read as complete or mature, not as flawless) love replaces fear with great confidence. We no longer concern ourselves with fear of Hell because we are in possession of the Promise of Heaven!  "This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us. We love each other as a result of his loving us first." (1 John 4:8-19, NLT)

Hell is not my first concern for those who do not know God.  My desire is to share the love of the Lord, to hold the door open  that they might be drawn by the Spirit into His Kingdom, and find ‘life to the full’ (John 10:10) that Jesus offers.  Hell is real but neither you nor I sit on the Judgment Seat to determine who goes there!  Our privilege is to share the love of Christ.  Let’s do it:  honestly, gently, always reflecting the goodness of the Lord to the world in which we live.

And here is a word from the Word. Lord, help us to truly hear it. Amen.
"Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts." (James 3:13, The Message)
"Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced." (James 3:17, The Message)
"My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back" (James 5:19, The Message)

The 'Secret' of Radical Obedience

Being the President of the United States is a tough job! We expect much of the man who occupies the Oval Office. The pomp that surrounds him, the motorcades, bands, Air Force One, and security detail create a picture of a man who enjoys almost godlike powers.  So we want him to create world peace, keep our economy prosperous, defeat the terrorists, and make sure that all of that Federal largesse keeps flowing to us!  We tend to let the carefully crafted image of being “The President” eclipse the reality that’s he just a politician in high office, a person who pulls on his trousers each morning one leg at time, just like us. We feel better if we think that he is bigger than life.

Because God is Spirit, invisible to us in His Person, we tend to make Him too small! When we rob God of His majesty, our faith shrinks, too.  In our age of inquiry, we do not value mystery as much as explanation.  An unintended consequence of all our study is often to tame God.  Thinking we know more than we do, we explain away His mighty acts.

So how does He reveal Himself to us?  David sings, "The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun." (Psalm 19:1-4, NLT)  Yes, the world tells us of His greatness.  Jesus Christ shows us His wonderful heart.  He asks,  “How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”

Honest pursuit of the knowledge of the Holy One brings His majesty into sight, His grandeur only increasing with discovery!   In that great hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, a line that says, "Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same."   Yahweh T'sebaoth- the Lord of Hosts- is a name given to God often in the Old Testament.   Some modern translations say "Almighty God" but The Message comes closer to the real intent of the tithe.  In that translation we read "GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies."    The Hebrew - "tsaba" - is a generalized word that means a force, a group, or an army. When the Scripture calls God, Yahweh T'sebaoth, the intent is to show us His power that is beyond challenge.

Let’s not trivialize God! Let’s not confuse a Christian fish on your car's bumper, wearing a jeweled cross, or saying a ritual prayer before we drop off to sleep with the worship He desires, worship that is offering in “spirit and in truth.”   Yahweh T'sebaoth is honored by our implicit trust and complete obedience. Both of those are impossible if we make Him too small.  They are difficult sometimes because He only allows us to see a slice of time that doesn't include a neat ending to the story of our lives!  But, we reveal our true faith and understanding of Who He Is when we see how we live in the trials that lead us into the depths of mystery.

Let me illustrate obedience.  
If you think your project manager is competent, if you understand her goals, if you agree with her strategy, it's easy to fall in line, isn't it? If our leader inspires us we readily put ourselves wholeheartedly into the effort they are leading.  

But what about the times when you don't know the plan, when you only have your assignment, and have not worked with the one in charge enough to really know if she's all that competent as a leader?   It is natural then to wonder - "Is this the right thing to do? Will this really succeed?"   

God is Yahweh T'sebaoth – "GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies."    Let’s trust Him totally  even when He doesn't reveal the whole plan to us! The General of Heaven's Armies is also the “Alpha and Omega” (The Beginning and the End) so, when He sends us into the battle in life - be it with temptation, with sickness, with Satan or his demons- we go with full assurance, and with authority - not of our own making, but from His Name!    David, just a teenager, went to do battle with Goliath, the giant champion of the Philistine army that was holding the line against the armies of Israel.    Filled with faith and in spite of not knowing exactly how the Lord would provide the victory, the teenage shepherd strode onto the field where the contest would take place.   His courage came from knowing he was in the Lord's army.   As he approached the skilled warrior, he said, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty (Yahweh T'sebaoth), the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will hand you over to me... and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel."  (1 Samuel 17:45-46, NIV)   And, we know the rest of the story.    David defeated the hero in the power of the Lord and God's Name was honored.

Who is trying to stymie God's work in your life?
Who is trying to discourage you, cause you to doubt or fear?
Bow in humble reverence, magnify God in sincere praise.  

Pray that because of your reverent obedient that ‘the whole world will know that there is a God!’

Here is the word from the Word.   "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."  Amen  (Ephesians 1:17-19, NIV) 

___________________

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

You call me out upon the waters,

The great unknown, where feet may fail.

And there I find You in the mystery,

In oceans deep, my faith will stand.

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves,

When oceans rise,

My soul will rest in Your embrace,

For I am Yours and You are mine.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters,

Your sov'reign hand will be my guide.

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me,

You've never failed and You won't start now.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.

Let me walk upon the waters,

Wherever You would call me.

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior.

I will call upon Your name.

Keep my eyes above the waves.

My soul will rest in Your embrace.

I am Yours and You are mine!

Joel Houston | Matt Crocker | Salomon Ligthelm

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