Do you see me?

 

Turning people into objects, into things to be used, rather than beings made in the image of God, happens too often and it has awful consequences. Nations do it when they go to war. The ‘other side’ is turned into a country of caricatures, de-humanized with a series of demeaning adjectives. It is easier to justify bombing or killing ‘things’ than real people who are someone’s son or husband.  When people are killed in war, we avoid the truth by speaking blandly of ‘collateral damage.’

Millions of women have felt the ugliness of being made into an object valued for beauty rather than a person to be loved. Racism turns people into colors – black, white, brown.  We all tend to objectify others casually even if we are not racist or sexist.  We forget that the inattentive person who serves us from behind a counter is dealing with life, just like us. We grow irritated with the guy driving on our bumper and he becomes an object of our anger, something less than human.

Jesus taught that the whole of God’s law is summed up in two commands – “Love God and love others.”   His words -  ”‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”" (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)  If we love in that way, we will go beyond tolerance to give grace, to seek the best for even those who are our enemies.  

 You think I am just being sentimental? Jesus’ word - “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty." (Matthew 5:43-45, The Message)

Our love of others grows out of the love that God has for us. He does not just see us for what we do – good or bad. He loves us because we are. I love the story of the Waiting Father told in Luke 15. A young man, arrogant and proud, demanded his inheritance and went off to waste it all, partying, forgetting the ‘old man’ completely …. For a while.  Then when he was broke, hungry, and alone he decided to try to go home and make a deal. "I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’" (Luke 15:19, NIV)  

What he said, in a world of justice, was true. He was unworthy of relationship. But, his father never forgot the son. He loved him, seeing more than his mistakes and sin. “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." (Luke 15:20, NLT)   That story, which is told about everyone of us who has forgotten our Heavenly Father, fills me with such joy!   I am not just a collection of sins and successes. I am his son!  You, too, are His child.

When we accept that, by faith, we are born anew in His family, His Spirit taking up residence in us, changing us inside out.  So loved, we no longer objectify those who are beloved by God.  “We love,” John says, “because He loved us first.”

Are you feeling like an object, useful only for what you do … for your family, for your boss, for the world?  God sees you and loves you.

Are you treating others like objects, forgetting that they are sacred, made in His image?  Ask God to forgive, to renew your understanding of His love and to help you to love.

The word from the Word comes from the old story of a young woman who was treated terribly. As Hagar fled her abusers, God found her in the desert and comforted her.
"She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”" (Genesis 16:13, NIV)   

He sees YOU today, my friend. Be loved.

(Video of this blog at this link)

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You Are My King (Amazing Love)

I'm forgiven
Because You were forsaken
I'm accepted
You were condemned
I'm alive and well
Your Spirit is within me
Because You died
And rose again

 

Amazing love
How can it be
That You my King
Would die for me
Amazing love
I know it's true
It's my joy to honor You
In all I do I honor You

 

You are my King
You are my King
Jesus You are my King
Jesus You are my King

 

Billy J. Foote

© 1996 worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

 

First Things, First

Priorities. We all have them, even if we do not think about them. There are those things that come first in our lives, things we treasure, people we prioritize. If our priorities are in order, we will live better lives. If we are putting our efforts into secondary issues which do not merit the place in our life that we assign them, it will show in a mismanaged and disappointing existence.  Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, includes this as Habit 3 – Put first things, first. Do the most important things first. Shape your daily life around priorities that reveal your true values.

The ancient book of Haggai was written after the return of the exiles to Judah to rebuild their nation. The city of Jerusalem was in ruins, the Temple of God sacked and destroyed some 70 years prior. In the beginning, there was great enthusiasm for the effort, but when the neighboring kings threatened, the work on the city walls and the Temple stopped.

14 years came and went as the people carried on life and the people became complacent, self-satisfied. Their priorities were wrong, God said! “The people procrastinate. They say this isn’t the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of God.” Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: “How is it that it’s the ‘right time’ for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God’s Temple, is in ruins?”  (Haggai 1:2-4, The Message)

Haggai went on to challenge the people of Judah to consider the consequences of misplaced priorities. "You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways." (Haggai 1:6-7, NIV)  Their refusal to put God first led to chasing a mirage of happiness, a life that was ultimately empty of meaning and reward.

My friend, what are your priorities?  Let your choices answer, not just your words.

By the measure of your investment of time and money, who or what is the highest priority?

I hope that the things of God – worship, service, generosity of spirit – are in evidence.

Though 3 millennia have passed since God spoke through Haggai, the principle of priorities of godly things remains important.  Our Lord Jesus restated the principle. "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:31-33, NIV) 

The real substance of a rich life is found in loving God and loving others. A shelf of awards, or a house full of beautiful things, or even a fat bankroll cannot provide the same joy or the eternal riches of Heaven. If you find yourself feeling lack, unsatisfied by your life when the music fades and the night closes in, spend some time with God alone, asking Him – Are You first in my heart?

Haggai’s challenge to those ancient people of Judah found a good response.  They got to work. "The whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,” declares the LORD. … They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God," (Haggai 1:12-14, NIV) And this was God’s promise  - "‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” (Haggai 2:9 NIV)

Say a ready “yes” to the Spirit of God, not just in the BIG things, but in the daily priorities of life. Make the will of the Father your highest pursuit. Take time for prayer, first; not last. Worship first, then play.  “We worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.” –Gordon Dahl  What misplaced priorities. God give us insight and wisdom to make wise choices.

The word from the Word is a profound statement of life’s best choices.  Jesus says, "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”" (Mark 12:30-31, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Passion For Jesus

I'm calling out to You
There must be something more
Some deeper place to find
Some secret place to hide
Where I've not gone before

Where my soul is satisfied
And my sin is put to death
And I can hear Your voice
Your purpose is my choice
As natural as a breath

The love I knew before
When You first touched my life
I need You to restore
I want You to revive

Oh place in my heart
A passion for Jesus
A hunger that seizes
My passion for You
My one desire
My greatest possession
My only confession
My passion for You

 

Brian Houston

© 1999 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

 

 

 

Handwriting is on the wall

Do you know where the a popular adage,  “the handwriting on the wall,” comes from?  The phrase describes the evidence that accumulates that should convince a person that something bad is going to happen, that they are acting in a way that will produce negative results.  It used like this.  “He should have known that he was going to lose his job. The handwriting was on the wall.”  It comes straight from the Bible, from the book of Daniel.

Belshazzar, emperor in the Babylonian empire, had a party that turned into a drunken revel. In the middle of it all, he decided to mock the God of Jerusalem by bringing out the sacred objects that had been taken from the Temple in that city when the Assyrians sacked it. The mood changed in an instant. “At that very moment they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, 6 and his face turned pale with fear. Such terror gripped him that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him.” Daniel 5:5-6 (NLT) 

The inscription read – Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. 
(Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, Divided) 
Nobody in the room knew the meaning.

Then somebody remembered an old Jew named Daniel who had interpreted dreams for Belshazzar’s grandfather. So they called him to the room. Fearlessly he spoke to power! In spite of the example of your grandfather’s downfall because of pride “you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!” (Daniel 5.23 NLT)  Therefore, God has numbered your days, weighed you in the scales of His judgment, and divided your kingdom. Belshazzar died at the hands of an invading army that very night.

There is another adage we use, not Biblical, that says – ‘ignorance is bliss.’  Many prefer that one! It is so inviting to ignore the warnings that come our way in life, to disregard the handwriting on the wall that comes before some not so pleasant development in life.  A spouse walks out and files for divorce. It seems so sudden but in reality the signs of a crumbling relationship were there for a long time.  Poor choices over time lead to a sick and weak body and that person wonders how it happened but in truth they ignored the handwriting on the wall sent by their body for years.  Faith disappears, a relationship with God once vibrant and alive, gone.  Did it happen in an instant? Not likely. Rather it was a little compromise here, a little neglect of spiritual disciplines there, and the relationship with the Lord goes cold.

In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews urges Christians to faithfulness. Inspired to write to us about the ‘better’ covenant of Christ Jesus that gives us life and hope, he warns of spiritual neglect asking "What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself?" (Hebrews 2:3, NLT)  That is sobering, isn’t it?  Later on, after alluding to the disobedience of the Israelites in their wilderness travels from Egypt to the Promised Land, the writer tells us that God sees us, knows us, and desires our devotion - "For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done." (Hebrews 4:12-13, NLT)

Does that all leave you fearful?
Does it create a foreboding sense of doom as if the handwriting were on the wall of your life?

Let me finish the story! Ours is a great Savior and a wonderful salvation. If we will come to Him in faith, if we will hear the invitation of the Spirit, we find this true. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16, NIV)  We are not lost and helpless in the hand of fate.  He will heal us, forgive us, and give us strength to turn life around. 

This Monday morning’s thought has not been ‘sweetness and light.’  I speak of the need to let the Spirit of God speak to us about those places where we have become apathetic and indifferent to His love. But, I do so with the sure knowledge that there is hope and fullness of life as we turn to Him with open hearts and readiness to change.

The word from the Word for today is life-giving. Receive with faith and live in joyful hope. "And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s people, let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:21-25, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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O Come To The Altar

Are you hurting and broken within
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself
Do you thirst for a drink from the well
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today there's no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes a new life is born
Jesus is calling

Oh what a Savior
Isn't he wonderful
Sing alleluia Christ is risen
Bow down before him
For he is Lord of all
Sing alleluia Christ is risen

Bear your cross as you wait for the crown
Tell the world of the treasure you've found

 

Chris Brown | Mack Brock | Steven Furtick | Wade Joye

© 2015 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

CCLI License # 810055