Time for war!

America saw naked hate in Charleston, SC on Wednesday evening. A young man went to a church where a small group was gathered for Bible study.  He allegedly told the people he was there to ‘kill black people,’ and then murdered 9 people because of their race!  The country will respond, I am sure, as we usually do. Politicians will call for more laws and money for law enforcement. Educators will ask for additional funding for schools.  We will shake our heads in disbelief and sadness and move on.  I am asking myself - "Where are God's people?"  The increasing bitterness in our land, the racism, the economic disparity, the violence that fills our culture – is a challenge to every God-fearing Christian. What are we going to do about it?

A robust commitment to Christ, a fearless love of His Gospel, will carry us beyond hymn singing on Sunday.  Jesus calls us into action now. Armed with Love that is bold the Church will go to the places where hate festers and defeat it. Equipped with Spiritual gifts, we will show the world that the Kingdom of God is here to overthrow the darkness. Before you nod in agreement, please understand that means real sacrifice!

Many of us have asked God for easy assignments, far from the front lines.  God's people are often missing in action at critical moments when evil might be turned aside, when sin threatens to overwhelm yet another life, neighborhood, or nation!   How many pray or, at least think, something like this - "I will serve you, Lord, but only where it requires minimal inconvenience and little sacrifice in terms of my autonomy and lifestyle."

Have you ever considered any of the following:

Adopting an unwanted child?

Mentoring a fatherless child?

Answering a call to vocational ministry in some less than desirable place?

Committing real time, not spare time, to teach kids at your church?

Feeding the poor, visit those who are elderly and lonely, or lead a prison Bible Study?

Getting up regularly to pray for the world at 4:30 AM?

Encouraging your kids to accept a call to full-time Christian ministry as a pastor or teacher despite the sacrifice that comes with that vocation?

If not, why not?    Have you preserved your own comfort and offered to serve, but only at your convenience?   Jesus’ words about our call to carry our Cross are ones that we usually either ignore or soften, but that deserve our full attention.  He said,  "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26, CEV)    If we read that commission in the soft voice of the Sunday School class it loses much of its meaning.  I hear Him speaking more like a drill sergeant!  Come! Forget yourself! Give yourself! Change your world! 

Can you hear? Will you answer?  “Be strong with the special favor God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. And as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army.” (2 Timothy 2 NLT )

The stakes are huge.   The destiny (present and Eternal!) of your family, your church, your town, your nation;  yes, the world - depends on the Church (you and me) standing up and reporting for duty.

Andy Stanley teaches that real and passionate visions develop in four stages:

    1. Defining the Problem.

    2. Outlining a Solution.

    3. Determining the Reason something must be done.

    4. Deciding to do something now!  (Visioneering)

Evil is on the rampage, destroying lives, and deluding people to march straight for Hell.  There is no quick fix, easy solution, or painless healing.  It’s war, but not with guns, rather it is for hearts and minds. It will not be won with another government program, by talking heads on cable news, or after another study from Harvard.  The solution is the message of the Gospel, that Christ Jesus has defeated evil and opened the way to eternal life.   So, "knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed." (Romans 13:11, NKJV)   

Please! Watch out that you're not diverted into the sub-culture of conservative American Christianity.  Regardless of what many teach, Jesus did not die on the Cross so we could pay lower taxes, buy more guns, and fight bloated government spending!  Our calling is not to try to pass laws banning gay marriage or punish young women who seek an abortion.  Our enemy is Evil.  We confront sin, selfishness, greed, and hatred – first in ourselves, and then pray desperately to learn to love others to life! Our mission is one of justice, mercy, and compassion.   We are advocates of the poor,  liberators of those enslaved by sin, and priests of the living God who are sent to bring healing to the nations.

Let us pray to understand the mission of Jesus and for the Strategy of the Spirit that will contextualize the Gospel in our time.  "God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”  (Luke 4:18-19, The Message)  

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:10-12, NIV)

Who will answer the call?

Today, Make a Choice for Beauty

After a chaotic day (month?) yesterday, despite having a busy evening ahead, I went home in the afternoon and did some physical labor for a couple of hours. The hum of the mower gave me a break from the stuff that swirled around me. When things feel like they are out of control, I like to mow grass! Getting my lawn done gives a momentary sense of accomplishment. (You amateur psychologists can have some fun with that, right?)  Giving attention to my lawn on a weekly basis is a source of happiness to me and yields a desired result – an attractive home.

No amount of wishing, hoping, or talking can make my lawn attractive. It demands weekly work, applied efforts – and something beyond my control – the sun and the rain. In a similar way, an ordered Christian life, a character filled with Christ’s beauty demands our daily attention and the work of the Spirit in us. Faith that survives the chaos is built by doing the small things that honor Him. Only then, will we obey Him in the crisis!

Is your life filled with chaos, unfinished business, unresolved conflict – all growing like weeds?  If so, it is time to make a new choice, to begin to live “on purpose.”  The chaos can be turned into beauty  - one choice, one day, at a time. Of course, we cannot control everything!  Storms and sickness visit us uninvited despite our best preparations and preventatives! However, those who have learned to walk with God are much better equipped to deal with those surprises, even to learn from them! Theirs is a faith that is anchored in God’s unwavering providence. He says, "I am God, the only God you’ve had or ever will have— incomparable, irreplaceable— From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be, All along letting you in on what is going to happen, Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul, I’ll do exactly what I set out to do. " (Isaiah 46:9-10, The Message)  And, from His promise, we gain inspiration to make a choice for beauty – of heart, character, mind- all of life!

Christian, two extremes tend to attract us. Some assume all the responsibility for living a life that is pleasing to God, creating crushing burdens of perfectionism. Such persons become obsessed with religious rules to point of slavery, living joylessly, and often in the grip of hypocrisy because they cannot admit their failures even to themselves! Some choose to be irresponsible, thinking that the Spirit will do all the work.  They accomplish little for God because their lives are marked by chaos that results from the lack of sustained discipline that creates pathways for the Spirit, that lead to growth and greatness. The interdependence of our daily choice and God’s Spirit are nowhere any more clear than in Romans 8 where we read - "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. … Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. …  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. … Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:1-2, 5, 12-13, NIV)

Here's a practical word from the Word. Prayerfully read it, understanding that it is not a suggestion, but a Divine Imperative.
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.
Then the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9, NLT)
____________________

Lord God, I desire that my life will be a beautiful garden-
filled with the fruit of the Spirit-
holy and pleasing in Your sight;
that reflects the Order of Your Holy Nature.

Help me to make the choice, today;
to follow You, to say "yes" to the Spirit.
Renew the passion for godliness in me.
Help me to choose wisely the places
where my thoughts linger,
to discipline my mind and heart to remain in the Light,
so that Your will becomes my delight.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Take my hand, Precious Lord, lead me

In aisle 3 of the supermarket I saw the exasperated Mom, attempting to get her toddler to cooperate.  She had allowed him to leave the seat in the cart, probably to deal with his restlessness. Now, he was determined to go the other direction and she was doing her best to coax him to follow her.  First she walked away, hoping he would come along. He didn’t.  Then, she offered a reward, he ignored her.  I moved on, though fascinated with her situation, realizing she did not need nor want an audience!  In aisle 5, a few moments later, I saw her with her hand gripping the strap on his outfit, dragging him along as he made noisy protest.  I felt her frustration and but smiled inwardly as I thought of my own relationship with the Heavenly Father.  Does He ever want to grab me by the straps and drag me along in the way He would have me go?

God promises to be our Shepherd, to lead us ‘by peaceful streams!’ Most of the time I discern His leading and walk with Him obediently. Sometimes I know where He wants me to go but in my best Jonah attitude, I resist Him. And, then there are seasons when I ‘walk by faith.’  I do not or cannot discern His hand nor hear the Voice of the Spirit. In those moments we must go steady on in the general will of God, obeying what we know, while we listen for further orders. More than one Psalm records the prayers of godly people who wait for God to speak. "O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still." (Psalm 83:1, NIV)  "How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?" (Psalm 89:46, NIV)

Let’s not make a common mistake, clearly shown in a dramatic story from the history of Israel. When God has not spoken we must not assume we know what is best and take matters into our own hands. Some of the worst mistakes in my life were decisions made without prayer, in haste, or without listening carefully for the counsel of the Spirit.  Here is that story.  "The people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai and cooked up a ruse. They posed as travelers: their donkeys loaded with patched sacks and mended wineskins, threadbare sandals on their feet, tattered clothes on their bodies, nothing but dry crusts and crumbs for food. They came to Joshua at Gilgal and spoke to the men of Israel, "We've come from a far-off country; make a covenant with us." ... The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn't ask God about it. So Joshua made peace with them and formalized it with a covenant to guarantee their lives. The leaders of the congregation swore to it."  (Joshua 9: 3-6; 14-15, The Message)  The choices before Joshua and the leaders of Israel appeared to be obvious.  Why not make a peace treaty with these people who had traveled so far?  But, in fact, Gibeon was just miles away, in the heart of the land God had promised to Israel. Because of an uninformed decision, made without God’s leading, Israel would have to live with less than His best.  The Gibeonites brought their false gods with them and became a source of spiritual corruption a generation later!

We are God's children not His puppets. He invites us to let Him lead. Each new day we will intentionally and prayerfully listen for the Spirit’s song and, hearing it, we will follow His lead. When His voice fades because we are tired, distracted, or living disobediently – there is just one thing to do – renew our worship, waiting on Him. When times of silence come that are without explanation, we must never give in to panic or willfulness. His Word remains and we are kept safe by remembering what He has said.  The Word teaches us to, "Pray continually."  (1 Thess. 5.17)  We keep an open heart and mind, going nowhere, doing nothing that would cause the Spirit grief.  A humble heart, simple prayers, breathed praises – will allow the Father to keep us right where He wants us. 

So, should we live fearfully, wondering if we're going to make some terrible mistake?  Not at all. If we desire Him, He will lead us, even when we are unaware of what He's doing or where He's taking us.  However, He will let us walk willfully out of His perfect will if we become headstrong or full of ourselves.   The Word reminds us, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)   

Here's a word from the Word to take with you through this day.  

"I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;  my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave,  nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life;  you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:7-11, NIV) 

________________________

Take My Hand, Precious Lord

Precious Lord, take my hand,

Lead me on, let me stand;

I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm lone.

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light,

Take my hand,
Precious Lord,
lead me home

Tommy Dorsey

Having a 'star quality' in life!

He passed me on I80 going about 80 MPH. His Harley Davidson was decorated with skulls, the back of his leather jacket emblazoned with a death head, topped by the word “Omerta.”  The word is code among members of organized crime for their silence about the activities. The basic principle of omertà is that it is not "manly" to seek the aid from legal authorities to settle personal grievances. As he went around my Honda, he gunned the engine, spattering the loud noise of exhaust in my ears. His message? “I am bad!”  I laughed quietly to myself at his display of ‘badness’ wondering if it was a Sunday afternoon persona or if he really was a bad guy?

Being seen as bad is a sought after trait. Wholesomeness is generally despised, a choice for the weak or unimaginative. Rappers strut and swagger, spewing lyrics about sex and violence that make me cringe. The rock bands of my youth were noted for their excesses of sex, drugs, and lawlessness.  The media industry continues to push the edges of acceptability.  Foul and profane language is so common it barely gets our attention.  All this is thought to be a kind of sophistication, but is it?

God wants those who love Him to show goodness. Paul urged early church leaders to teach disciples to "devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives." (Titus 3:14, NIV)  The list of the evidence of the life of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) includes these traits – goodness, kindness, patience, and gentleness.  Do you desire to be known for goodness? Peter teaches those who follow Christ that "It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you." (1 Peter 2:15, NLT)

"This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good." (Titus 3:8, NIV)  That word, “good,” is a translation of the word, “kalos” in the Koine Greek of the original Scripture text.  That word includes the meaning of beautiful, worthy, admirable, excellent, and genuine.  A Christian who acts rebelliously, whose life is filled with filthy speech, who admires violence, whose eyes are full of lust and greed, is not good and needs to grow into the beauty of His Savior.  Those who center their lives on Christ Jesus will care nothing for being “cool” or “bad” by social standard. Make NO mistake. True goodness is not about some kind of external pretense or naïve avoidance of life’s ugly reality!  Goodness goes the core, a reflection of God’s character, a desire for what is life-giving, whole, and beautiful!

The Psalm celebrates the whole quality of the godly life.
"Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers.
But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail.
Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper.

But this is not true of the wicked. They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.

For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction." (Psalm 1, NLT)

 

Christian, we need to rediscover the joy of living good lives.  Those are filled with God’s wisdom will not practice the pseudo-sophistication of this present world that allows them to sin on Friday night and sing God’s high praise on Sunday morning.  A person of true wisdom will "show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility." (James 3:13, NIV)

Take a few moments to prayerfully meditate on this passage.  May the Spirit relieve you of any sense of self-consciousness as you pray to be one of the good guys for God’s sake. “Become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe  as you hold out a the word of life.”  (Philippians 2:15)  

_______

Father, may my life be filled with the beauty of holiness.

Help me to reject the pressure to shape my life around those things

That are socially acceptable – that make me a ‘cool’ person.

Rather, may Jesus be seen in me –

Loving, kind, gentle, pure, trustworthy, honest, and transparent

In every word, every action.

Holy Spirit, work deeply to transform my heart so that

Evil and temptation lose their grasp,

Replaced by goodness and desire for godly things.

Give my life a real ‘star quality’ as Your radiance shines through me.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.v