Done With YOU

 

I was enjoying my dinner last night when a couple sat down at the table near me in a nearly empty restaurant. The conversation was animated. (OK, I eavesdropped!) She adamantly stated that Susan (not the real name) was not invited to their home with the rest of the family.  Apparently Susan voted for the ‘other guy’ and the speaker took it as a personal affront. “Some things are forgivable, but not that,” she declared with great passion. “She has betrayed our family’s heritage ...”   

And it went on, while I grew more sad with each moment. So much for a pleasant dinner.  Is that conversation I overheard an oddity, a quirk of someone with a misadjusted personality? No, it is not. Too many families are being torn apart, too many friends are not speaking, too many churches are becoming split because of our polarized political environment.  

Christian, we must, for Christ’s sake, do better.

 In the church in Corinth when divisions over personality and preference broke out, Paul did not treat it as something acceptable, ‘just a natural human response.’ He called on those Christians to repent, telling them that their fighting was  evidence of sin and spiritual immaturity.

"Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your arguments, dear brothers and sisters. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.” Can Christ be divided into pieces?" (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, NLT) 

He returns to the subject later in the same letter, underlining his concern, reminding them that their party spirit was wrong. “You are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your own desires? You are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord. When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I prefer Apollos,” aren’t you acting like those who are not Christians?" (1 Corinthians 3:3-4, NLT)

Christians can hold very different convictions and keep the unity of the Spirit. How?

First, we put our identity in Christ FIRST. Whoever you may be in life, however you choose to identify yourself, you are first a Christian, defined by knowing Him as Savior and Lord. We are members of His Body and we cannot be healthy, happy, and productive people if we cut off others with whom we disagree or if we choose to separate ourselves over differences. We will go beyond ‘tolerance’ to seek true unity of purpose in our shared identity as the ‘children of God.’

Second, we live in the same grace that we have been given by God. Sometimes people are just flat wrong and there is nothing wrong with recognizing that. Some suggest that we can each have ‘our own truth.’ That is nonsense, but we do have our own perspective, shaped by our experience, training, and information.  None of us can lay claim to complete knowledge. So, we graciously accept the differences that exist, listening and learning. If someone persists in utter nonsense, we gently engage with the facts, not from superiority, not with disgust or disdain. Grace gives space for change and patiently pursues relationship as something of primary importance.

Third, we refuse to elevate secondary issues into primary ones. "There are three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT)  The noise and fury of this election will subside, eventually.  The urgency that we fell about climate change, economics, race relations, immigration and such matters will be temporary.  I do not mean to suggest that there are not things worthy of debate, nor would I be foolish enough to think that decisions made by city councils, state legislators, or the President are inconsequential.  Our health and safety in this world depends on wise, thoughtful leadership.  BUT, our ultimate security, our eternal hope, rests solely on the promise of Jesus Christ. That first-line security allows us to engage in debate over secondary issues without baring our fangs and putting out our claws!

Fourth, we will need to die to self to maintain unity.  I confess that sometimes when I have to listen to someone who is committed to a position that is exactly opposite of my own I find it irritating. I am tempted to just walk away with an attitude of contempt. Yes, more than once, I have thought to myself, “What complete lunacy. How could an educated and informed individual even say that out loud?”  And, then checked by the Spirit, I surrender my personal comfort (dying to Self most of the time) to take a position of love that seeks ‘first to understand’ the person and to prioritize the relationship. The halo slips and sometimes I fail, firing back with a snarky remark!

Christian we cannot descend to the level of those who live by their natural instincts or their own wisdom. We are ‘of Christ.’ We are to be filled with His loving heart. Can you even imagine Jesus writing off a family member or a friend because that person was aligned with the ‘other’ party?  I cannot. Can you imagine Him refusing to stand alongside of someone because their politics?

The Church does not do her work with political power, nor can we let ourselves be deceived into thinking that any government made up of human beings will bring us into the rule of God.  Because we live in a democratic republic, we rightly seek to influence the policies of our governing authorities, but we also realize that when and where resistance is required, it must be shaped by humility and with a willingness to endure persecution without complaint, for the sake of our Savior and Lord.

Here is a word from the Word, a directive for all Christians, for this time. "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:1-6, NIV)

__________

In Christ Alone

(Celtic worship does this song beautifully!)

 

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light my strength my song

This Cornerstone this solid Ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love what depths of peace

When fears are stilled when strivings cease

My Comforter my All in All

Here in  the love of Christ I stand

 

No guilt in life no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

 

Keith Getty | Stuart Townend

© 2001 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

I will not live in the coward’s refuge

Here we are … waiting.  Who will be our President? In my mind a much more important issue is the recovery of our national unity, in what seems to be our ‘two Americas.’  The divide shows up everywhere, even in our churches. I am heart-broken over the disdain for the ‘other side’ that is tearing friends and families apart. Yes, I write often about finding peace and I confess it is a struggle, but it is the birthright of the Believer, therefore I will wait in hope, live purposefully in joy, choosing love. How about you? Christian, we have a BIG job yet to do!

If we want to experience the peace of God we must be willing to become content; not apathetic, but secure in our Father’s grace, satisfied by His love. Are you willing to actually ‘live’ in the moment, to accept this day from His hand, to desire to be exactly the person He desires; no more, no less?  

Jesus counsels us about allowing ourselves to be anxious. "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? … Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. … For the pagans (those who don’t know God) run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." (Matthew 6:25, 27, 32, NIV)  His wisdom is to enjoy the things you have right now and to make the most of this day.

Let’s not retreat into apathy. That’s the coward’s refuge!  

We cannot just stop caring, for God has given us the calling to work to bring about His purposes in this world; loving the loveless, feeding the hungry, advocating for the powerless, pointing others to Christ.  That agenda sets us against the tide, invites the opposition from this world as well as the spiritual one. However, we are not engaged in this work with our natural abilities. 

So, we can be-  we must be - filled with the Spirit so that we live in a place of daily spiritual renewal. If I attempt to do life as a Christian, in my own strengths, trying to control life with my own strategies, I will become stressed, angry, and frustrated.

Paul, a Spirit-filled man, went through life's up's and down's. He was hero and he was heel. Some loved him, others drove him out of town like a criminal. Sometimes he was respected by the Christians he taught and sometimes they ignored him preferring smooth talkers that fed their ego! He felt joy and pain equally. Yet, he never wavered from his commitment to Christ he loved because his true contentment was not circumstantial, but fixed on a Person greater than this world. He would not take solace in the coward’s refuge.

The secret of his consistent service, of his ability to keep going in the face of hardship is found in these words. " "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. … And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now glory be to God our Father forever and ever. Amen." (Philippians 4, NLT)

We have a choice in the middle of our current mess – we can live miserably, overwhelmed, blaming, and complaining-  OR we can take the grace of Christ and live with contentment. Which will you choose today?

He is equally Lord of life when things are good and when things go wrong.
He is Lord while we wait and when we act.  

Here's a word from the Word for this day. "Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" (Lamentations 3:21-24, NLT)  "But godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6, KJV)

_______________

God Is Good All The Time

(turn up the sound and rejoice with Don Moen)

God is good, all the time.
He put a song of praise
In this heart of mine!
God is good, all the time,
Through the darkest night
His light will shine.
God is good! God is good,
All the time!

If you're walkin' through the valley
And there are shadows all around;
Do not fear, He will guide you,
He will keep you safe and sound.
'Cause He has promised to never leave you,
Nor forsake you, and His Word is true.

Though I may not understand,
All the plans You have for me,
My life is in Your hands
And through the eyes of faith-
I can clearly see-

God is good, He's so good,
God is good, He's so good,
God is good, He's so good all the time!

 Don Moen | Paul Overstreet © 1995 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (IMI)) Scarlet Moon Music, Inc. (Admin. by Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

Finding the Blessed Life

 

Perhaps you, like me, are weary of all the talk, all the opinions.
Today, I simply share the words of Jesus, from His Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5.

"Jesus began to teach them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

 

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”    (Matthew 5:2-13, NIV)

 May you be blessed in your obedience to His invitation, becoming a blessing to the world in which we live.

Amen.

Today’s phrase – God Rules!

In an election unlike any in my memory there are so many who are issuing dire warnings that we’re doomed if the other guy is elected. Will a Biden election bring America economic ruin? Will a Trump re-election set the world aflame?  Will a Democrat majority in the Senate bring the destruction of the republic? Will a Republican majority take away basic rights?  Oh the noise and the fury. Perhaps you are as tired of it all as I am. IF you have not voted, please do today.  Lay aside anxious thoughts, refuse fear.  How?

Let’s look at the life of a man that God used in a pagan empire, a man of excellence and integrity who influenced the world. His name was Daniel. About 600 years before the time of Jesus, Babylonian conquerors overwhelmed Jerusalem and took young men from that city to serve in the courts of their capital. Daniel was among them, still a teen, but well-trained in the Scripture.  Surely that teen struggled to understand why the Lord God allowed Jerusalem and the holy Temple to be sacked by idol worshippers.

It was, in fact, the end of the world, at least as Daniel knew it. And yet, there in a foreign land, a captive, he chose to serve God faithfully.  In face of much evidence to the contrary, he trusted that God was in charge of human history, that there was a plan in it all, though inscrutable at the moment. He grew into a deep, mature faith, becoming a man so in tune with the Spirit that he became God's spokesman to the super-power of his time!

On one occasion, Nebuchadnezzar demanded that his counselors tell him not only the meaning of his dream, but the content of it as well! Impossible? Sure it was. Daniel, who had become one of those trusted counselors, went to prayer, received the revelation, and told that king what God was saying. Remember that dream? It was a large statue with golden head, silver chest, bronze belly, iron legs, and feet of clay. It represented the kingdoms of men. The key part of the dream was the Stone that was cut out, not with human hands, that smashed the statue. The meaning? All earthly kingdoms will come to an end when the King of Kings sets up His reign. God showed Daniel that He was still in charge.

In another terrifying dream, that king saw a great tree in the center of the earth. It was cut down by a heavenly messenger, but the stump was left. Daniel courageously told Nebuchadnezzar that it was a message that he was about to be cut down because of his arrogance. "They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. "And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules." (Daniel 4:25-26, NKJV)

When Daniel was about 80 years old he was called to interpret a terrifying vision. Belshazzar, the regent of Babylon, whose arrogance far outstripped that of Nebuchadnezzar, was throwing a banquet when a hand appeared to write on the wall of the hall. No one could understand the cryptic phrase. Then the queen mother reminded Belshazzar of an old Jewish man who had counseled the prior king.

Daniel came and read the inscription: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin" -- "Numbered, numbered, Weighed, and Divided!" Boldly, Daniel pronounced the message of Heaven. 

"Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. ... But when his heart and mind were hardened with pride, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. ...until he learned that the Most High God rules the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them. You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have defied the Lord of heaven ...you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! So God has sent this hand to write a message." (Daniel 5:18-24, NLT)   His message?  God rules!

Christian, “God Rules!”  Though the Lord calls us to be responsible, proactive, and engaged in the world in which we live, all the while we know that GOD RULES!   

Trust that revelation today.  As you watch election results, continue to know that He holds us in His hands, that our salvation is secure. Whatever happens in the elections today, whatever storm blows through your life, whatever crisis comes in your life – GOD RULES.  Pray for eyes that see what God sees and a mind that thinks as He thinks.  Join that great man of old, Daniel in this worshipful declaration - "Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: He changes the seasons and guides history, He raises up kings and also brings them down." (Daniel 2:20-21, The Message)  He has charged us with responsibility to pray for His will to be done, to trust Him with unwavering obedience, and to live with a rock-solid assurance of His care.

The word from the Word is the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray -
"This, then, is how you should pray:
"‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’" (Matthew 6:8-13, NIV)
____________

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my vision
O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought
By day or by night
Waking or sleeping
Thy presence my light

Be Thou my shield
And my sword for the fight
Be Thou my dignity
Be Thou my might
Thou my soul's shelter
And Thou my high tow'r
Raise Thou me heav'nward
O pow'r of my pow'r

Riches I heed not
Nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance
Now and always
Thou and Thou only
Be first in my heart
High King of heaven
My treasure Thou art

High King of heaven
When vict'ry is won
May I reach heaven's joys
O bright heaven's Sun
Heart of my own heart
Whatever befall
Still be my vision
O Ruler of all

 Eleanor Henrietta Hull | Mary Elizabeth Byrne

© Words: Public Domain

Salvation is not found on a ballot

 

Tomorrow we have the privilege of electing our government here in America. On Wednesday morning about half of the nation will be disappointed and half will be delighted, such is the state of our politics. And some, at both ends of the spectrum, will be outraged by the prospect of being governed by ‘that man’ being defined as the one for whom they did not vote!  Oh yes, elections do have consequences. Policies that have real effect for our lives will come from the councils, Congress, and Executives we elect. That means we should vote thoughtfully, and as Christians, prayerfully.

HOWEVER …  my dear Christian friend, let’s be reminded again that politics are no substitute for the Gospel of Christ. Legislation can never replace the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of the world. A leading pastor wrote that “the most important lesson we should learn is that the church must stand against the way politics has become a religion, and religion has become politics.”  Christians are not first Republican or Democrat!  We are foremost of Christ and in Christ. It is to our shame that we let our convictions about COVID-19, health care, immigration, or gender issues divide us from those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

It has been said in my presence more than once, “He could not possibly be a Christian. Look at who he supports.”  Come now, friend. Is that really true?  Does support for the temporal agenda of some political party actually disqualify a person from knowing and loving Jesus Christ? Since when did how a person views climate change or abortion rights become the litmus test for being ‘in Christ?’ 

Yes, it is my conviction that the sacredness of human life and issues of justice flow out of knowing the eternal principles of God’s Word.  But, I also know that neither party is ‘pure’ in the way they reflect my convictions about the Truth. That is why I recognize that my salvation and that of the society in which I live will NEVER come from our legislators or our courts.  When we elevate the political process and misplace our hope in the power of legislation to save and transform the world we have given ourselves to a false god. We give ourselves to an empty hope!  

It is an equal mistake to conclude that Christians should remain outside the political process, having no interest in public policy. Christians, just like everyone else, have ideals that we would like to see reflected in our laws and policies. In our system, we have the privilege of voting our convictions.

But, our highest and most holy calling is not to write better laws but rather to bring salvation to the nations through the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ! Why? Because the Gospel does what no law can ever do. It changes a sinner into a person who knows God and good. The law can only attempt to control behavior with the threat of punishment.  Christ’s love will change behavior by changing the heart and the mind.  We seriously hurt our ability to share the Gospel of Christ if we wrap our politics around Him, implying that one must be _______________ in persuasion in order to be a true Christian. 

Russell Moore reminds Christians that it their calling to “maintain a prophetic clarity that is willing to call to repentance everything that is unjust and anti-Christ, whether that is the abortion culture, the divorce culture, or the racism/nativism culture. We can be the people who tell the truth, whether it helps or hurts our so-called ‘allies’ or our so-called ‘enemies.’”  A prophet is not a wild-eyed fanatic on the fringe of society. The true prophet is one who comes from their place of prayer and speaks on God’s behalf out of an  intimate relationship with Him.

I will pointedly ask – when you make those ripping statements on Facebook, when you hurl hateful comments at the ‘other’ side, when you seethe with rage about some defeat of legislation or exult with something akin to religious ecstasy over the election of a President – is that the result of time before the Throne of Heaven and a profound experience of the Holy, or is it an expression of the preferences of Self?  

In the coming week, let us not become like Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup! He gave away his spiritual birthright just to fill his belly.  Will Christians surrender the high ground of loving God and knowing Christ Jesus for some temporal advantage? We must not.

Whatever your political registration, may you always remember the higher calling, your true identity as a follower of Jesus. Peter tells us that in Christ “You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.  “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.”  (1 Peter 2:9-11)

Go vote!
Pray for these United States to be a home for all people.
Speak wisely, thoughtfully, graciously as you advocate for your politics, never forgetting who you truly are.

_____________

Father, I come to You today asking
that Your kingdom will come and Your will be done –
in my life – so that it may be done in my world.

Temper the passion of my convictions with a new experience of Your holy love.

Grant me wisdom in casting my vote, as these are troubled and confusing times.

As Francis prayed,  “Make me an instrument of Your peace!”
In Jesus' Name. Amen