Real Success!

 

Our Pastor asked us at Bible study – “How has your idea of what matters in life been changed by the Lord?”  Good question, right?  I used to define ‘success’ in ‘ministry’ as more people in Sunday services, more money to fund church programs, and gaining increased visibility.  Even writing those words makes me cringe now. All the articles that were published in national magazines – largely forgotten. The events planned and programmed – dim memories. 

But, the conversations with people, the encouragement given, the love shared – those are lasting!  To this day, people will thank me for helping them, encouraging them, or providing them with guidance. Most of those moments have faded in my memory, but they remain in theirs.  While serving others at the church’s food pantry yesterday, a man stopped in.  “Hey Rev, how about one of those prayers?” He wasn’t joking and it was a highlight of my day to pray for him at that moment. That is what makes life rich for me these days.

So, what matters in life? People! 

When I was 40 years of age, I attended a conference in Boston, MA led by a man named Bob Buford who had enjoyed the kind of success that is measured by dollars and a big office. He lost his son in a tragic accident and that crisis provoked Bob to take time out for a deep self-evaluation.  His entire life shifted in to new priorities. I was captivated by his description of changing his life aim from “success to significance.” His book, Halftime, explained how to change from chasing titles and money to becoming a person of character who seeks the purpose for which he was created by God.

The Bible makes an arresting statement that supersedes all the success literature as our guide to the best life! "The Lord is your life… Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long … " (Deuteronomy 30:20, 32:46-47, NIV)

The Lord is your life! What a phrase. The Hebrew word translated as “life,” is one that bursts with energy. It is translated in other places in the Bible as “green” (think lush vegetation), as “running or flowing” ( think a sparkling stream of water), and as “renewal” (think springtime). In our relationship with our God, we find that kind of active life-force. He renews us, refreshes us, makes us fruitful. Paul, preaching in Athens, declared that "In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28, NIV) In other words, God, the Spirit, is our LIFE.

Whether we live in a palace or a cabin, drive a new car or a clunker, wear the latest fashion or blue jeans from the thrift store, have a 401(k) for retirement or just a hope that our kids will give us a room – we will be a success IF we have shaped our lives around the will and Word of the One who is our Life. 

Is that hard?  Yes, it is because the sinful nature repeats the lie of Eden to us attempting to cause us to doubt the goodness of God. Each day two paths diverge before us. Jesus described them as the “broad way that leads to destruction,” and “the narrow way that leads to life eternal.” One offers immediate gratification of our sensual desires; the other the long-term reward that comes from faithful love, service to others, and obedience.

Christian, have you been tricked into believing that Jesus came just to make you richer, smarter, and more comfortable in this world?  Are your prayers mostly just ‘bless me and my kids?’  Even so-called “Christian” success literature claiming to be “godly truth” is really just the American dream re-packaged. God’s success formula is equally true in Bangladesh and New York City! It works for the bright and beautiful and the those who are not so fortunate. “The Lord is your life,” is accessible to us all – if we will accept it by faith and pursue loving and serving Him whole-heartedly. Which kind of success are you chasing, friend? From which fountain are you trying to draw life’s sustenance? May the Spirit guide you to the life that is truly life, to success that survives the end of your journey on this globe.

Here’s a word from the Word to ponder today. Paul penned these words from a dungeon facing execution. To outward appearances his life seemed wasted, a failure. He saw it differently because he knew that the game wasn’t over when his eyes closed in death.  How I pray that his words describe what I hope for and live for.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
And now the prize awaits me—
the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,

will give me on the day of his return.
And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly
look forward to his appearing."  (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NLT)

Now, that is real success, isn't it?

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Build My Life

 

Worthy of ev’ry song we could ever sing

Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

 

Jesus the name above ev’ry other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

We live for You

 

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

 

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

 

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Elizabeth Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Martin, Karl Andrew (Admin. by Arkyard Music Services Limited)

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Love is not weak!

 

 

The noise of conflict surrounds us constantly.  War is imminent as Russia builds up military resources on the borders of Ukraine.  China is making increasingly bellicose gestures toward Taiwan.  The Middle East simmers with hostility. Our own nation is tore apart internally, a political war that seems only to intensify. Perhaps your home is full of strife, hard and angry words frequently spoken.  Then, too, maybe your conflict is personal – a struggle inside of you with a habit, an attitude, disappointment, or fear.

The most common response to conflict is power. Nations build bigger armies. Remember the insanity of the Cold War nuclear strategy aptly called MAD – Mutual Assured Destruction?  The volume of the argument escalates when we attempt to out-shout the other guy. We double down on building fortifications to which we can retreat and aim our guns or words at those we perceive to be our enemies. The result of all this is great harm. 

Christian, Jesus teaches that we live in a world full of conflict as people who love.  

When you read those words did you say, “Yeah, right, Jerry. Love is weak, a sure way to get run over and beat down.”  Let me invite you to think about that again proposing to you that love wins!  I’m not talking about romantic love that warms our heart, nor am I talking about that emotional response to cute puppies or kids. The love that defeats evil in us and through us is a bold love, a sacrificial love, an engaged and truthful love that is willing to die for others.  

John shows us the way to love, the foundation of security in this world of wars.
He says "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:1-2, NIV)

Lavished!  God loves YOU.  Yes, His love is not doled out in small measure. His love is not just sufficient. He profusely provides love to us, demonstrated in Christ Jesus who left His glory to be a Man, who showed us the Father’s heart, and Who gave Himself at the Cross to make peace with God for us. Lavished!

Paul prays that our understanding will be opened to the power of God’s love.
"I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:17-19, NLT)

When, by faith, we accept that God loves us – not because of who we are, because what we have done, because we are beautiful, or because of what others say about us – but simply because we are, a profound shift begins to happen inside of us. We learn to live confidently, hopefully, and lovingly. 

Loved people love.

John goes on in that ‘love chapter’ to remind us that when we truly know God’s love, we live differently from those who are full of love hunger. "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 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? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:11-18, NIV)  Please do not read that passage as an “I gotta do more” set of rules. The love described there is a response to the love we experience. If we know God’s love, then love will flow from us, inside out.  

The response to our personal conflicts is love, that divine love lavished on us by God, our Father, paid for by the offering of Christ Jesus. This is the Good News. It’s not just a nice idea for Sunday School kids. It is a way of life to which we are called.  Jesus’ directive to lay down our defensiveness, to unclench our fists and to meet our enemies with open arms, is impossible unless and until we are secure in the lavish love of God.

Let’s commit ourselves to the ‘war’ of love.  
The word from the Word sums it up today.  Meditate on these words, prayerfully anchoring your heart and mind, your life and hope in the radical love of God.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11, NIV)

Love is strong, not weak. Love wins!

(Video of this blog at this link)

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The Power Of Your Love

Lord I come to You
Let my heart be changed renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I found in You
And Lord I've come to know
The weaknesses I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the pow'r of Your love

Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side
And as I wait
I'll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the pow'r of Your love

Lord unveil my eyes
Let me see You face to face
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me
Lord renew my mind
As Your will unfolds in my life
In living ev'ry day
By the pow'r of Your love

 

Geoff Bullock © 1992 Geoff Bullock Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

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Closing The Gap

 

“Euphoria” is a profane story about teens who drink heavily, use drugs, and engage in promiscuity. A recent article spoke of how most people claim it is shocking and ugly,  yet it is currently a TV hit!  Yes, there is some hypocrisy in that, isn’t there?  Who among us does not tend to have those kinds of inconsistencies in our lives?  For example, Christians universally agree that prayer is an important part of the Christian life.  But, studies reveal that a tiny percentage of people of faith actually engage in daily focused times of prayer and meditation.  I am quite certain that most intend to have better prayer practices than they do in reality, but the urgencies of life overtake good intentions.

Christian, can we simultaneously claim that Jesus is our Lord and serve our own agenda? What do we do with those choices that we know are wrong, that are more than a momentary lapse?  Can we close the gap?  I wrestle with Jesus’ pointed words that ask  - "why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46, NKJV) Living in two worlds, conflicted by our love of God and Self, is not a new thing. Isaiah wrote of God's lament over Judah 2600 years ago! "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." (Isaiah 29:13, NLT)

When we ignore the Holy Spirit’s counsel, when we choose to live with hatred, unforgiveness, greed, selfishness or _____________ (fill the blank with your own struggle) one of the results is a lack of true joy.  Like a willful child who avoids a parent, we cannot enjoy being in the Presence of a Holy God.  A Christian living in self-will is spiritually compromised, diluting his call to be 'salt’ and dimming the brightness of ‘light' because the Spirit’s work is limited.

How do we integrate our profession of faith with our daily lives, closing the gap between “I believe” and “I live?”

First, we confess Christ as Lord daily!
When I awaken in the morning, one of the prayers that I breathe is quoted from the Psalms. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14, NKJV)  Some days close with an awareness that the prayer was left unanswered, not because God failed, but because I chose to live in my own willful way.  Others close with a quiet realization that He was honored in my words and actions and there is peace.

Second, we fill our minds with Truth!
Romans 12 calls on us to "Let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him." (Romans 12:2, CEV) Is your mind full of Scripture?  When we are soaked in the values and principles of God's Truth those things become foundational in our thoughts, and then in our actions.

Third, we become part of a holy huddle!
When the football team steps away from the line and players put their heads together for several seconds, they are getting the play from the quarterback, regrouping and getting ready to move the ball in a team effort. Living as a Believer of deep faith requires a team, too!  God’s counsel is this - "My friends, watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called "today." If you don’t, then sin may fool some of you." (Hebrews 3:12-13, CEV) Call out the best effort in each other. Get on the same page. Challenge one another to a high level of service.

Fourth, we kneel at the Cross!
Here is the most important part - we are 'made holy,' by Christ. IF we focus on our failures, determining with gritted teeth to ‘do better’ the likely result will only be growing shame and/or guilt. Even mature Christians sin. Even those who love Jesus fail.  The sinful nature remains a part of us until the moment that we arrive at home in Heaven.  Confession of our need and focus on the completed work of salvation in Christ Jesus is that which truly makes us free.

So, day by day, we kneel at the Cross to be washed, to be renewed in our acceptance of a holiness that is not of our own making. The remarkable declaration of the Word is this - "For He (God) made Him (Jesus Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV)  That does not mean we excuse or ignore the failures, sins, and gaps. We stand in the sure hope that the One who knows us best, loves us most.  And we ask the Spirit to make us whole.

Feeling conflicted and confused today? Torn between what you want and the will of God?  You’re not alone or unique. Go to the Father. “Here I am again, Abba, in need of grace and strength.” He gives both liberally to those who ask.

Here is a word from the Word. "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." (Hebrews 10:35-39, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Lord I Need You

Lord I come I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
And without You I fall apart
You're the one that guides my heart

 

Lord I need You oh I need You
Ev'ry hour I need You
My one defense my righteousness
Oh God how I need You

 

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

 

So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus You're my hope and stay
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus You're my hope and stay

 

Lord I need You oh I need You
Ev'ry hour I need You
My one defense my righteousness
Oh God how I need You
My one defense my righteousness
Oh God how I need You

 

Christy Nockels | Daniel Carson | Jesse Reeves | Kristian Stanfill | Matt Maher

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