How well do you ‘adult?’

Ed is struggling to find his way to adulthood. He likes the cocoon of ‘home,’ though he says otherwise. He spends the day playing video games, lives off his allowance, and resists taking responsibility for himself. Some might envy that kind of life, I suppose, but who really would want to keep on living like a 14 year-old forever?  (Yes, I know – many do!)  Last week, when I was headed out the door to care for someone in need, Ed remarked, “You just take care of everybody, don’t you?”  No, not really, but living maturely means that I get myself to the office on time, meet the deadlines that come with my work, make sure I have enough resources to pay my bills, and try to someone others can rely on.

The Urban Dictionary defines a word that recently entered our vocabulary- “Adulting” - as being able to “carry out one or more of the duties and responsibilities expected of fully developed individuals; such as paying off that credit card debt, settling differences without blasting social media, etc.”   

Did you know that the Lord wants us to ‘grow in grace,’ to become mature Christians? James says "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4, NIV) God allows us to be stretched, tested, and tried in life so we develop resilience, learn to sort out what is important, and know how to do what needs to be done even when we are tired, lacking enthusiasm, or just plain bored.  Peter urges us to get good spiritual nourishment. Why? "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." (1 Peter 2:2, NIV)  Paul chastised the Christians in Corinth, people who played at their faith walk, who fought like kids on a playground, who indulged their sinful natures saying “You’re acting like infants when you should be mature in faith!”

Are you growing in your faith, letting God, the Spirit, lead you to maturity? Maturity is a blessing. God replaces the physical beauty  and strength of youth with the beauty of a great soul in those who are willing to ‘grow up’ in Christ.

Ron Rolheiser, a Catholic priest, writes about those who refuse maturity, who try to hang onto a past that inevitably slips away.  “The body ages, but the soul remains immature, clinging to adolescence, fearful of responsibility, fearful of commitment, fearful of opportunity slipping away, fearful of aging, fearful of own maturity, and, not least, fearful of death. This is not a formula for happiness, but one for an ever-increasing fear, disappointment, and bitterness in life. Not growing-up eventually catches up with everyone, and what judged as cute at 20, colorful at 30, and eccentric at 40, becomes intolerable at 50. At a certain age, even poetry and verve don’t compensate for immaturity. The soul, too, must grow-up.”

Don’t fear growing up. Become one of those rock-solid, steady, productive people who anchor life for many others. That does not mean you have become boring, cranky, or joyless!  That caricature of age is not the same as maturity. Here is  word from the Word. May this truth move us to choose to ‘adult’ in our Christian practices. "So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. . . .   

Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance." (Hebrews 6:1-3, 11-12, NLT)

__________

Lord, make us mature people of faith.

Teach us to use the gifts You give in the best way.

Help us to live steadily, through the ups and downs

that inevitably come our way.
Give us a new appreciation of responsibility

making us forgetful of applause and privilege as we

serve in Your name, be it on stage or in obscurity.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen

I Will Rejoice in the Lord

Our Wednesday Fellowship tackled the opening lines of James last night. What meaty food from the Word. There is a line, familiar, but still challenging:  "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…" (James 1:2, NIV)  Choose Joy! Think Joy! Be Joyful!  

What fuels the joy of the Lord in us, especially when life is tough? James tells us that we can be joyful not because of the trials, but because we know that God can use them to create new strength in us. "For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." (James 1:3, NLT)

I need to remember, often, that just as much as ‘love’ marks me as a Christian, ‘joy’ is also the evidence of the Spirit’s work in me.  There are some practical decisions we all can make, regardless of circumstances to give joy fertile soil in which to grow in us.

The following is borrowed from John Ortberg’s book The Life You’ve Always Wanted.

1. Begin NOW!
Stop waiting for joy to make its way to you, or waiting for something you hope for to happen. Believe what the Word declares, that "This is the day the LORD has made" ... and when you believe that... then go on to the next step..."let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24, NIV)

2. Find a 'joy' mentor.
Experiencing joy is a learned response. Griping and complaining comes naturally to the sinful nature. So let somebody who's grasped the joy of the Lord coach you.

3. Set aside a day a week to celebrate.  
Make sure your "Sabbath" includes JOY as well as worship.  Eat ice cream! In moderation, it won't hurt you a bit. Revel in beauty.  Appreciate a sunset, a work of art, a musical composition. So, make sure you celebrate regularly to break out of the monotony of life.

4. Unplug from the steady stream of 'bad news' from the world for a week.
Depression is an epidemic among us. Might it be because we  are trying to deal with the ugliness, the sin, the suffering of the whole world every day? Those 24/7 news channels might keep you informed, but they may also be a great hindrance to joy as you find yourself confronted with terror, tragedy, and woe from the four corners of the earth.

5. Discipline your mind to see life from the Biblical perspective.
Today is not all that will ever be. Change is happening, that is the assurance of the Word. "...we are transfigured much like the  Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. " (2 Corinthians 3:18, The Message) Not happy with who you are, what you're like today? Work with God and He'll change you.  Keep hope alive by reminding yourself of Christ's coming Kingdom!   There is coming a day when wrongs will be made rights, the reason for unexplained sorrow will be revealed, and the curse of sin will be removed.  "Lord, let your Kingdom come!"  That perspective will keep the disappointment and sorrows of this day from overwhelming you.

6. Pray for the fruit of the Holy Spirit
(the evidence of His life) to be created in you. What is that fruit? "Love, JOY...." Yes,  second on the list is JOY! "Oh, God, teach me to celebrate, to live joyfully, because You live in me."

7. Practice joyfulness.
Yes, when you hear yourself complaining, when you're chafing against situations, when you  are ungrateful- make a choice, by the power of the Spirit, to go in a different direction. Look up, not down. Speak with faith, not from fear. Thank God for what He's given you, instead of complaining about what you perceive that you lack.

"Lord, thank you for being You and for being Joyful over us.
Wherever we are, in whatever state we find ourselves today,
may our response to you be gratefulness for your faithfulness.
When our hearts are broken by real suffering, by hurt visited on us
by cruel people, heal us and hold us close.
When we are selfish, touchy, and full of irritability -
convict us and help us to listen when you say, "Get your heart right!"

Do the work of transformation in us, so that the joy of the Lord will be evident in us.
In this you will be honored and the world will know that we are people of faith.
Jesus, we pray this in your holy name.

Amen."

The ugly awful

The news out of Harrisburg, PA yesterday was heartbreaking. A grand jury investigated sexually predatory behavior in the Catholic church going back 70 years. The published report listed 301 priests who preyed on children leaving thousands of people confused, afraid, feeling alone in their shame.  One man, in his 50’s who had been the victim of a priest, heard the name of that man on the list of predators and slowly shook his head, his story now confirmed after so many years.  He said, “I’m free, I’m free.”  Compounding the ugly was the awful revelation that church authorities did little or nothing to stop the evil, usually just moving a priest who was exposed to a new town.  It is hard to even imagine the reasoning that justified those decisions.

I want to distance myself from that. I want to insist that I am different, don’t you?  Let’s be reminded that as horrific as this story is, we are all capable of doing things we hope never see the light of day. 

The history of humanity is full of chapter upon chapter of stories that confirm the preacher’s inspired words declaring that “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10, NLT)  Perhaps you are getting angry, insisting that you are not like those awful men who preyed on children while representing Jesus.  I surely hope that we are not doing those things, and yet we do fail.  Sin is so common, so lacking in originality, that is accepted as ‘normal.’ 

That being true, let’s look into our own lives, away from the dark and sordid account of that grand jury report.

Ever been so angry you hated someone if only for a day or two? 

Jesus says that kind of anger is kin to murder.  
Remember His famous words about adultery? 

If we spend time indulging fantasy, we have taken steps towards the reality.  

Which of us has not just wanted to have his own way, disregarding the need of another?

That selfishness does not reflect the goodness of God, does it?

As much as some resist the fact, the truth is that we are universally resistant to the will and way of God. We all need a Savior! Against the backdrop of our failures, there is this bright light of hope, redemption, and transformation!  

Paul, a man who had been full of self-righteous rage, who hated Christ and Christians, knew grace first-hand. The Spirit found him, invited him to give himself to the Lord Jesus, and changed him who had been “chief of sinners.”    

He says, "Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. . . .  By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms . . .  God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 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 we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:1-10, NLT)

My prayer is for a new heart. I want to care deeply for those victimized by sinful people. I want to shine brightly with Christ’s love in a world of darkness. By the Spirit, I desire to be an agent of redemption and transformation – starting in me!   

Yes, my prayer is this, our word from the Word. What a promise from the heart of our Father. "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." (Ezekiel 36:25-27, NIV)

______________

Father, make us whole and then make us healers.

Let your Light shine on us and then through us.

May we love the Truth and then be willing to speak it.

Help us, Holy Spirit, to listen, learn, and love.

In Jesus’ Name.

Amen