A Cure for Bitterness

Gary Thomas tells the story of an experience that changed him.  He started to write a specific thing about his wife for which he was thankful, everyday. “I began filling in the day-to-day account that very day. It was easiest for me to do it first thing in the morning. I’d wake up, and even before I prayed, I’d pick up the journal, reflect on the previous day, and write something nice about what Lisa had said or done. Occasionally, it might just be a reflection of who she is, but I wanted it to be very specific, not generic—something that couldn’t be written about any other woman. After just one month of doing this, I noticed something curious—I hadn’t prayed once for God to change my wife.”  (Full article here)

Gary’s choice need not just be about a spouse. I think we might all benefit from keeping a ‘praise journal’ right alongside of our prayer list! The Word urges "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." (Psalm 103:2, NIV)  Are you doing that?  A friend of mine gave me a magnet to stick on my frig that reminds me to ‘choose joy.’  The Gospel song tells us to, “Count your blessings, name them; one by one!”

It is so easy to narrow the focus to the slice of life that is unpleasant, to feel the pebble in our shoe to the exclusion of every other good thing.  When we slip into complaint about that chronic pain, that habit in our spouse that drives us crazy, that person at work whose attitude is like fingernails on a chalkboard, we can get lost in the pain and wrapped in bitterness!  How the Tempter must rejoice when he finds us focused on our failures, disappointments, or sins to the exclusion of the faithfulness of our Savior and Friend.  The old pattern for prayer – ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (requests) – is a reminder of the importance of praise and worship as the context of our prayer life. How quickly we slip into a pattern of whining our prayers if we fail to praise first.

The Psalm quoted a moment ago continues, "He forgives your sins—every one. He heals your diseases—every one. He redeems you from hell—saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence." (Psalm 103:3-5, The Message)  In genuine praise, we find our soul lifted, our footing restored. "The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights." (Habakkuk 3:19, NLT)

Let me add a word of caution here. Don’t become a phony, unable to deal with reality, living in a ‘everything is always wonderful’ kind of denial. The Lord does not ask us to pretend that all is well all the time. Jesus’ faith was profound and perfect yet He still wept! The sins of others, the pain touched His soul.

If we refuse to feel pain, if we ignore the suffering in this world, including our own, we will become shallow, insincere persons. But, the Word does ENCOURAGE US TO REMEMBER ALL of our reality, to bring to our minds His faithfulness, His love, His promises right in the middle of the sorrows and challenges.

Today, balance complaint with thanksgiving, criticism with encouragement, petition with profuse praise. Do it consciously as you walk with Jesus and let His Spirit “renew your youth… surefooted as a deer!" 

Here is a word from the Word, practical and compelling. May the Spirit make it living Truth for us this Friday.

"Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
 
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation."  - Psalm 100, NLT

Are you a lover?

The word “love” gets tossed around often.  Preachers talk about it. Songs by the thousand are written about it. We fall into it and out of it, apparently. People profess to love various things, causes, and people. Love is powerful, sometimes painful, and as necessary to our health as the air we breathe!

John wrote to the churches in his charge and to us to remind us that a genuine experience of Christ Jesus will make us lovely people! "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. … We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death … If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" (1 John 3:11, 14, 17, NIV)     

We know that our faith is genuine, our salvation real, when we are changed into loving people, when we no longer live apathetically towards those who are hurting, in need, or apart from God.  The word in the Greek of the first writer that is translated as ‘know’ is about seeing, perceiving, being convinced by examining the evidence.  The Holy Spirit is telling us that the observable evidence of our spiritual change is love.

What kind of love does the Spirit awaken in us? "We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." (1 John 3:16, NLT)  We must not miss this! It is a love that other-centered, that is sacrificial, that is generous. That person in the church who just rubs you the wrong way, who you find obnoxious, that you ignore – is someone that Christ will cause you to love, actively.  That dysfunctional person who ‘just won’t get it together’ is someone Christ died for and calls me to love at great expense to myself!  Jesus did not just come for the beautiful, the pleasant, the well-adjusted people.  He came to save the world by love, giving Himself for those who were ‘sinners!’  He is the model for the love we experience and from which we gain great assurance.

C. S. Lewis disturbs me with this observation about love.

“It is easier to be enthusiastic about Humanity with a capital ‘H’ than it is to love individual men and women, especially those who are uninteresting, exasperating, depraved, or otherwise unattractive. Loving everybody in general may be an excuse for loving nobody in particular.”    

We will find it much easier to go and do some ‘ministry’ for a needy group than to actually love, deeply and consistently, those with whom we live and work. Some Christians say, “I am a very loving person. I give to World Vision to support a kid in Africa. I don’t do anything bad to others. I respect my neighbors.”  And that is all good. But, if they will not do the arduous work of building and maintaining loving relationships with a group of Believers, sharing ups and downs, doing ‘life’ together, their love is not complete, perhaps not even authentic.

How do come to love others in an authentic way? Our word from the Word points us in the right direction. "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. 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. (complete) So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first." (1 John 4:16-19, NLT)

Let God love you. Inevitably, His love will make you a lover!

 ________________

Love Them Like Jesus (Link to song by Casting Crowns)

The love of her life is drifting away,

They're losin' the fight for another day.

The life that she's known is falling apart,

A fatherless home, a child's broken heart.

You're holdin' her hand, you're strainin' for words.

You're tryin' to make sense of it all,

She's desp'rate for hope,

Darkness clouding her view,

She's lookin' to you.

Just love her like Jesus, carry her to Him.

His yoke is easy, His burden is light.

You don't need the answers

To all of life's questions.

Just know that He loves her

And stay by her side,

And love her like Jesus,

Love her like Jesus.

The gifts lie in wait in a room painted blue,

Little blessing from Heaven would be there soon.

Hope fades in the night blue skies turn to gray,

As the little one slips away,

You're holdin' their hand, you're strainin' for words.

You're tryin' to make sense of it all,

They're desp'rate for hope,

Darkness clouding their view,

They're lookin' to you.

Just love them like Jesus, carry them to Him.

His yoke is easy, His burden is light.

You don't need the answers,

To all of life's questions,

Just know that He loves them,

And stay by their side.

And love them like Jesus

Lord of all creation,

Holds our lives in His hands.

The God of all the nations,

Holds our lives in His hands.

The Rock of our salvation,

Holds our lives in His hands.

He cares for them just as He cares for you.

So love them like Jesus,

Love them like Jesus.

You don't need the answers,

To all of life's questions.

Just know that He loves them,

And stay by their side,

And love them like Jesus.

Bernie Herms | Mark Hall

© 2005 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

My Refuge Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

This crazy, mixed-up thing called Life – and God’s invitation!

Sometimes we come to the proverbial fork in the road.  A choice must be made and both have advantages, both are acceptable, both will require something of us, though the demands will be different. That is my place today.  It is there and it is as if I am standing, pondering, wondering, waiting. I imagine that I feel something of what a first time sky-diver feels as she stand at the door of the plane about to jump into the air, will the chute open? What happens when she leaves ‘safety?’  What I must remember, consciously bringing this to mind, no matter which way I go, I am free falling into the arms of God! The life of faith in one sense is always uncertain and yet it is ultimately the most secure! "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see." (Hebrews 11:1, The Message)

Our very Gospel pivots on faith – will we trust the promise of God’s grace or continue in our own religious works?
Our security rests on faith – will we attempt to create wealth and relationships that make us feel secure or will we live with our hope resting on the Rock, secured by His Word?
True faith is never static. The faith that led us yesterday must be renewed with a faith matched to the challenges of this day.  It is not that we must ‘work up’ a new belief or try for some new kind of assurance. Just like He provided manna for the people of Israel in the wilderness, He provides us with faith for each new day. However, it is up to you and me whether we will choose to accept it with obedience. "The righteousness of God (is) revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17, KJV)

Real faith does not exempt one from feeling real fear! Those who engage in extreme sports where they risk their lives, do so with full faith in their skills and equipment, yet they also feel fear. Curiously they love facing fear and the exhilaration that comes from overcoming it. When they reach the summit, they may be near collapse with exhaustion, but they also feel triumph.
 
Daniel is an inspiration for those of us who are challenged by life, who must walk on in faith.  He and his friends were taken captive when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. Led, mostly like in chains, over hundreds of miles from their home into an alien culture, they were immediately faced with the challenge of onto their faith in the Lord or being assimilated into the religion and culture of Assyria. The safe choice was to ‘go along to get along.’ The faith choice was to trust the Lord. They chose the Lord and He gave them want they needed.

The megalomaniac king decided that he would set up a giant image of himself and require all of his administrators to give worshipful homage to it or face a fiery death. These men could not bow to an idol and keep their faith intact. Did they feel fear? Judge for yourself as you read their response to the king’s demand. “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18, NLT) Do not miss that phrase – ‘even if He doesn’t!’ They fully recognized that their choice could bring them death and they were willing to make the faith choice anyway!
 
Are you facing a choice of faith today?
 
Don’t confuse your fear and/or uncertainty with faithlessness. Faith, by definition, leads us from the visible, the known, the secure, the comfortable and into the realm of the Spirit, where we are led towards what is yet a promise.  Commit yourself to the faith way, He will meet you there. When the summit is reached, you may be exhausted, but you will be able to say: "I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, The Message)

Here is a word from the Word. May it be the wind that catches us as we leap into the unknown. "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11:6, NLT)
_______________

Even IF

(listen at this link)

They say sometimes you win some

Sometimes you lose some

And right now, right now I'm losing bad

I've stood on this stage night after night

Reminding the broken it'll be alright

But right now, oh right now I just can't

It's easy to sing

When there's nothing to bring me down

But what will I say

When I'm held to the flame

Like I am right now

I know You're able and I know You can

Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't

My hope is You alone

They say it only takes a little faith

To move a mountain

Well good thing

A little faith is all I have, right now

But God, when You choose

To leave mountains unmovable

Oh give me the strength to be able to sing

It is well with my soul

I know You're able and I know You can

Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't

My hope is You alone

I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt

Would all go away if You'd just say the word

But even if You don't

My hope is You alone

You've been faithful, You've been good

All of my days

Jesus, I will cling to You

Come what may

‘Cause I know You're able

I know You can

I know You're able and I know You can

Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't

My hope is You alone

I know the sorrow, I know the hurt

Would all go away if You'd just say the word

But even if You don't

My hope is You alone

It is well with my soul

It is well, it is well with my soul

Songwriters: Bart Marshall Millard / Benjamin Glover / Crystal Lewis / David Arthur Garcia / Tim Timmons

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