In praise of obscurity

Many of us are tempted to measure our worth, to validate our existence, with external measures: who knows our name, what degrees hang on our wall, how much money is in our bank accounts, the title on the office door, the neighborhood in which live - and that list goes on. That way of life leads us to live inauthentically, tempted to look better than we are, to create an image unmatched by our inner reality. Ever known that temptation?  Some respond by becoming rebels, purposefully marching to the beat of their own drum, defying social order. There is a better way - the way of the servant who lives a quiet life guided by the voice of the Savior. That choice will often lead us along pathways of obscurity.  Is that a bad thing? Let’s consider that in this CoffeeBreak reflection.

Each week I spend a few hours volunteering at the church’s Food Pantry ministry along with around 10 other people- all over 70 years of age - who are incredibly faithful to the work. Several of those volunteers have more than 2 decades of service behind them and they are still going strong. And here’s something noteworthy - they serve out of sight and largely unrecognized. I doubt that 10 people in the church’s congregation could name even three of the people who carry on this work. Their reward is not medals, certificates, or applause. They serve under the approval of the One who commissioned His Church to care for those in need.

For more than three decades, I have gone to nursing homes to conduct worship services for the residents. While serving a congregation in Massachusetts, I went each week to one of our local homes to minister to the residents. I don’t think the congregation even knew about it. The effort did not produce growth in numbers in our local church nor did it add a penny to our offerings. It was just an opportunity to love those who were confined by age or illness and to fulfill the call of Christ in my life. I still go to lead services at a nursing home twice a month on a mid-week afternoon for the joy of serving.

Through the lifetime of pastoral ministry that I was privileged to know, I gave thanks often for the people who financially supported their church, not to get their name etched on a building or to have a room named for them, but simply because of generosity and love for the Lord.  I chose not to know who gave how much so I would resist the temptation to treat donors of large amounts differently from those who gave less. Truthfully I was thankful for each one who gave and prayed that they would sense the importance of the part they had in carrying out the mission of the Kingdom of God.

My friend, there can be great fulfillment found in faithful service that happens behind the scenes, unseen, and unrecognized IF the focus is on Jesus rather than on results or rewards! Most Thursday afternoons I leave the church’s fellowship center with a heart full of happiness, remembering the smiles of those that received some groceries along with a blessing of loving care.  Have you experienced that inner joy from obscure service?

What place of service can you fill in your world, for Christ’s sake? 

You serve your family, perhaps taken for granted, without much thanks. Will you do it with joy? 

You work diligently at your job, patient and encouraging others, maybe feeling like you are pulling the heavier part of the load? Will  you continue to be faithful?

You care for an elderly parent who forgets the cost to you in time and commitment? Do you complain or choose joy?

You serve in some ministry at your church and get overlooked because you are always there and seem to just be part of the fixtures. Will you look higher than applause for your reward?

Listen to Jesus’ wisdom. “Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give a gift to someone in need, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone, don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. “And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get." (Matthew 6:1-5, NLT)

Let’s be clear. Nowhere in those words does He tell us not to accept thanks. IF someone offers you thanks, humbly accept it. The Lord speaks to motive. Praise of others is not why we serve. If we do, then when that praise comes, we have received the result we sought. Instead we serve, we give, we pray - for the joy of serving Him. And we know this - He NEVER forgets and promises that our investment of time and effort  in the Kingdom will find rich rewards in eternity.

Give yourself to Christ today. Let go of the need to be recognized and find the joy that can be discovered in the contentment of obscurity.

Here’s a word from the Word. Jesus says “If any of you wants to be my follower you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life." (Mark 8:34-35, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Only Jesus

“Make it count” “Leave a mark”
“Build a name for yourself”
“Dream your dreams”
"chase your heart above all else"
“Make a name the world remembers”

But all an empty world can sell is empty dreams
I got lost in the light when it was up to me
To make a name the world remembers
But Jesus is the only name to remember

And I I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus

And I I've only got one life to live
I'll let every second point to Him
Only Jesus

All the kingdoms built all the trophies won
Will crumble into dust when it's said and done
'Cause all that really matters

Did I live the truth to the ones I love
Was my life the proof that there is only One
Whose name will last forever

Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name to remember

I I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus

Bernie Herms | Mark Hall | Matthew West

© Get Ur Seek On; House of Story Music Publishing; My Refuge Music; Matthew West (Combustion); Remaining portion is unaffiliated

CCLI License # 810055

Shaped by Wisdom

The man best known for his declaration -“Give me liberty or give me death!” left another quote that I found interesting.  Near the end of his life, while holding a Bible, Patrick Henry said - “Here is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed: yet it is my misfortune never to have found time to read it, with the proper attention and feeling, till lately. I trust in the mercy of heaven, that it is not yet too late.”  I suspect that he is not alone in his neglect of the Holy Scriptures. Even among Christians who may likely own several copies of the Bible, there is often a lack of attention given to reading it.  Many of us read books about the Bible, attend services where passages are read, and listen to sermons that reference the Bible - but we too often fail pick it up to read and learn.

If that describes you I urge you to adopt a new practice-  Read the Word! 

Yes, it can difficult to understand some parts of it without knowing the historical context of the writing. There are passages that collide head-on with our cultural ideals and rationalism that make our minds spin.  But, the Word is God revealing Himself, His ways, His wisdom to us.  The Psalm declares "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! … Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:105, NIV)   That’s not just poetry, it is TRUTH. Those who would grow in grace and wisdom will take time to sit with others to learn and they will pick up their Bible every day to feed the soul.   

At the age of 68, with a life-time of Scripture study and sermonizing behind me, I still read it, finding myself informed, challenged, asking questions, convicted, and shaped by the Bible.  I pray for the Spirit to guide me so that my views, my speech, my values will be aligned to the will of God.

Most basically, the Bible teaches us that we are NOT gods but that there is a God to Whom we can entrust ourselve both in this life and for the life to come.

Regardless of what interpretative mode we use in our understanding of the book of Genesis, we learn from those stories that we are created, not accidential, that the world is formed at God’s word.  In the Gospels we are reminded that God does not stand aloof, but that He is engaged with us, walking with us, offering himself on the Cross for to save us.  The Bible convinces us that He is a loving personal Lord that cares for His people. He teaches us of the sacredness of life itself and directs us to keep a reverence the dignity and personal worth of all people. The Bible’s revelations preserve us, giving us the hope of eternity, teaching us that this present world is the prelude to the 'forever' life that is promised to all of God's children. Eternity, out there on time's horizon and growing closer each day, allows me to live at peace in the turbulence of life’s storms.

I don't have a lot of patience with those who twist the wonderful Word into strange doctrines, who use snippets of the Word to support their pet theories. Few things make me more disturbed than hearing someone 'interpret' the Scripture with little or no real skill or study. It is simply too precious to be misused by charlatans, misquoted by simpletons, or ignored by misguided sophisticates!  Paul encouraged Timothy, a younger pastor, to remember the importance of good teaching. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV) And James held this caution out to those who would take the podium to teach- "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1, NIV)

Are you a person of the Word? Don't make the mistake of just owning a Bible and thinking that makes you Biblical! Read it. That’s not a simple assignment. It demands discipline of the mind. But, when we are engaged to understand what God says we will find words of life.  The reward of knowing and doing what the Word teaches is beyond estimation.

There are dozens of guides for our daily readings. At this link (https://www.navigators.org/resource/bible-reading-plans/one ) you will find one that is good and trustworthy. Begin by trusting the Living Word (Jesus) in faith. Pray for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart. Then go on a journey of discovery - mining the riches of the Scripture for yourself.

If you’re not a reader by nature, try reading along with an audio Bible. There are many that are free online. Here is a great resource. (https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/)

Here is a word from the Word. "You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do." (2 Timothy 3:15-17, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Thy Word

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path

 

When I feel afraid

And I think I've lost my way

Still You're there right beside me

Nothing will I fear

As long as You are near

Please be near me to the end

 

I will not forget

Your love for me and yet

My heart forever is wandering

Jesus be my guide

And hold me to Your side

I will love You to the end

 

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path

 

Amy Grant | Michael W. Smith

© 1984 Meadowgreen Music Company; Curb Word Music

CCLI License # 810055

Celebrating NEW

Our worship gathering at Faith Discovery Church included baptisms, 6 people from ages 10 to 60 obeying the call of Christ Jesus. Tears flowed freely as ‘old’ life was left in the water and the ‘new’ began. The atmosphere was charged with joy and love. We practice “Believer’s Baptism” in our church, following the ancient pattern first set down by Jesus Himself Who commissions us to “Go, make disciples, and baptize!” 

Two young boys who were baptized yesterday, came to me on the Sunday after their orientation class, having processed the things we talked over and they asked me in all earnestness - “So when we are baptized does that mean we are then disciples of Jesus?”  I assured them that it did, for it is true!

Baptism is a rite that identifies us a Christian. We join Jesus in His death and Resurrection, as Paul said. "Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." (Romans 6:3-5, NIV)  That is why we immerse those who have made a profession of faith.

Baptism of the faith-filled is a doorway into a whole new way of life, a moment when the Spirit is invited to live in us. Peter preached to the crowd who gathered in Jerusalem at the birth of the Church on Pentecost and urged them to  “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2)  The big word we use is regeneration - to be new - the opposite of sin’s degeneration to death.

Baptism also invites us into unity, a oneness of heart that grows out of a that new identity found in Jesus that is more important that any other label we may wear.  "For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28, NLT)  Whatever divided us in the past is set aside as we become ‘brothers and sisters’ in the family of God.

I pray that those 6 who took that step of faithful obedience will always remember that day when they said “yes” to Christ Jesus in a public and humble way - plunged into the water of baptism.  It is a moment of resolution that marks us for life.  My own baptism now more than a half century past is etched in my memory, a moment when I declared to God, to the world around me, and to myself - “Hey, I’m a Believer!”  Everything changed - life now and for eternity - when the amazing, irrevocable life of the Spirit took hold of me.

Remember the day of your baptism with joy, renewing your commitment to faith and discipleship.  Let me ask you - have you been baptized since you believed? If not, why not? Take the step of obedience to Christ, with full faith.  Invite the Spirit to turn that act of obedience into a moment of empowerment, filling you with the Resurrection Life of Christ.

Here is a word from the Word. “Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.   

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” Romans 6:3-8, NIV

Oh Hallelujah, what a Savior!
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(Video of this blog at this link)

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Spirit of God, Descend upon my Heart

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart,
wean it from earth, through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness mighty as Thou art,
and make me love Thee as I ought to love.

Hast Thou not bid us love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own --soul, heart, and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross --there teach my heart to cling,
O let me seek Thee and O let me find.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh,
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear ---
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh:
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
Only holy passion filling all my frame.
The baptism of the heave'n descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love - the flame.

 George Croly© Public Domain

When You Wonder If You Matter

“Do I really matter?” is a question we all ask ourselves at least some of the time. It is not narcissistic to want to others to care that we exist, to feel that our life makes a difference. Look at the child who dances for her father, or who tries so hard to master that skill that she knows will impress her parent. Check out the teen who looks for a way to be noticed even as he carefully fits into his chosen social circle. We all look around and measure our lives against those who surround us - wondering if the world knows we are alive.

Notes that express thanks turn into treasures.
Phone calls that bring us word of care warm our hearts. Why?
Because they are tangible reminders that we matter to that person.

Most of us will live our days in relative obscurity and pass from the scene to be largely forgotten within a generation’s time. It is a fact we have differing abilities and opportunities. We need not become a CEO, a world-renowned artist, a best-selling author, or an Olympic medalist to matter. Not all can be superstars, yet we can all matter.  

 We can all LOVE others and God,
and in that faithful devotion,
we will become people who matter! 

There is a story in the book of The Acts, chapter 9, that illustrates the importance of each and every life to God.  A Christian who lived in Damascus enters the record from nowhere and just as quickly disappears, but what a pivotal person he was. Without Ananias the story of Christianity would have to be rewritten. 

"Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you arrive, ask for Saul of Tarsus. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him so that he can see again.” “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And we hear that he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest every believer in Damascus.” But the Lord said, “Go and do what I say. For Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for me.”

So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you may get your sight back and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and was strengthened. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days." (Acts 9:10-19, NLT)

This man’s faithfulness is amazing when we set it in the context of the time.  He knew about Saul, the zealous Pharisee who had made it his life’s purpose to eradicate the Jesus Followers.  Those people spread a message that Saul considered a falsehood, a threat to his religion. Most likely he had heard that this fanatic was coming to find people just like him, to beat them, arrest them, even to drag them back to Jerusalem for religious trials. God, the Spirit, comes over him and asks him to go and meet the man who could harm him, perhaps even end his life!  “I’ve heard about the terrible things this man has done to the Believers in Jerusalem!” he objects.  But, God urges him to go and pray for him! And he does!

What love and faith find their way into the story as Ananias meets the tormenter of his fellow-believers. He speaks to Saul as “Brother Saul.”  He extends fellowship, grace, and love. Most likely Ananias was the one who baptized Saul on that day, too. The rest, as we say, is history.  Saul becomes Paul, the apostle to the Gentile world, the inspired author of more than half of the New Testament. 

And Ananias?
He disappears into anonymity but what a difference his cameo appearance in history made.
Yes, he matters.

Who might you love to life, my friend?
Whose destiny might be changed by your investment in their life, if even for a short season?
Your name may not be known a generation from now. 

Your contribution to the ‘story’ may be hidden from view, but it is never overlooked nor forgotten by God.

Our faithfulness is what makes us into a person who matters: faithful in the place where we are given opportunities - great and small - to care, to love, to give, to encourage, to pray.

The word from the Word urges us to make today’s choices in the light of eternity’s promise. May the Spirit guide us into lives that are lived in such a way that we matter in the things that are of true and lasting worth.

"The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:7-11, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Find Us Faithful

We're pilgrims on the journey

Of the narrow road

And those who've gone before us

Line the way

Cheering on the faithful

Encouraging the weary

Their lives a stirring testament

To God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great

A cloud of witnesses

Let us run the race

Not only for the prize

But as those who've gone before us

Let us leave to those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness

Passed on through godly lives

 

Oh may all who come behind us

Find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion

Light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live

Inspire them to obey (to obey)

(Oh may all who come behind us)

(Find us faithful)

 

After all our hopes and dreams

Have come and gone

And our children sift through all

We've left behind

May the clues that they discover

And the mem'ries they uncover

Become the light that leads them

To the road we each must find

 

Find us faithful

Oh may all who come behind us

Find us faithful

Jon Mohr © 1987 Mystic Beard Music; Jonathan Mark Music

CCLI License # 810055

A Game-changer!

There is a choice we can make that has the potential to completely change the way we live, our relationships with others, and even our spiritual health. Our entire perspective will shift if we learn to live this way. What has such potential?  The choice for true gratitude.  Learning to be content and thankful is not just a mental health issue, it is the will of God for each us who claims to live ‘in Christ.’  Scripture says "No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

Gratitude reveals a heart that is humble before the Lord. In Romans 1:21, Paul speaks of those who knew God but who “neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.” That awful passage includes a long list of sins showing us the downward slide into sinfulness that flows from the refusal to recognize God as Lord of all and thus, to give thanks in all situations.   

Luke tells us about some who received Jesus’ grace and forgot the source of the blessing. Take a look - "As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, their leprosy disappeared.

One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God, I’m healed!” He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19, NLT)

This is not about trying for positivity or saying the right kind of words without really meaning them. Genuine thanks is rooted in acceptance of God’s will, in humility that turns to Him with open hands and heart. When stormy times come - and they will - we can focus on what we lack or on what God provides.  We can choice to turn towards complaint and misery or we can find a quiet place with Him and invite His peace to own us.  

If we choose faith we will find the path of simple gratitude which pleases the Lord
and opens up the possibilities for Him to work in unforeseen ways on our behalf.

Will you invite the Spirit’s Presence to touch your life by giving up ‘a sacrifice of praise?’ (Hebrews 13:15)

The travails of the Israelites during the wilderness would be almost comical if they were not so revealing of our own foibles. God led them out of Egypt miraculously. He opened the Red Sea in front of them. He fed them every day with manna. Yet, they continually complained, focusing only on the hardships, which were real, instead of on God’s provisions for them. Their ingratitude turned into fertile soil for the growth of the weeds of unbelief. In that unbelief grew rebellion and they refused God’s will.  He gave them over to their self-will  and that generation wandered in the wilderness until they all died off; never seeing the Promised Land. It was no joke!

In his final charge to Israel, Moses contrasted the life of blessings found in devotion with the sorrows that come to those who abandon the Lord. Look at this sobering passage. "Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you." (Deuteronomy 28:47-48, NIV)  

The writer of Hebrews brings their negative example to us and encourages us to choose humility and gratitude. "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." (Hebrews 3:12-14, NLT)

God is speaking to us- His children – asking us to guard our hearts and minds. We, those of us who are ‘in Christ’ need not become part of the growing statistics of depression, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, and such things that are part of life in 2024. We can be different because of the One who lives IN US, but we must yield ourselves to Him and choose a course of surrendered obedience.

How can we do this? Not just with gritty determination. We do it by allowing faith to grow when we look higher than our circumstances, beyond our ‘light and momentary troubles’ and trust ourselves, our family, our future to Christ.

The word from the Word that I leave with you today is a call to shift our sight higher.
"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:2-3, The Message)

Take this moment to remind yourself that He knows your place, your difficulty, your joy - and confess - “You are Lord of all!”  Then, choose simple gratitude today, and let God’s Presence find you. It is a real game-changer!

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(Video of this blog at this link)

 

Stand In Your Love

When darkness tries to roll over my bones
When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own
When brokenness and pain is all I know
I won't be shaken I won't be shaken

My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love (repeat)

Shame no longer has a place to hide
I am not a captive to the lies
I'm not afraid to leave my past behind
I won't be shaken I won't be shaken

There's power that can break off every chain
There's power that can empty out a grave
There's resurrection power that can save
There's power in Your name power in Your name

Standing in Your love

Ethan Hulse | Josh Baldwin | Mark Harris | Rita Springer

© 2018 Be Essential Songs (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

EGH Music Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

Gateway Create Publishing (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

CCLI License # 810055

Grow through it!

Each Friday morning, I find a newsletter called Friday Update in my email from a pastor - Mike Woodruff- who collects news of note, adding his comments and wisdom. Today he opened with this good thought. “We can learn much about ourselves, God, and life by suffering. Many say as much. The tuition is high, but some go so far as to thank God for it — i.e., for cancer, unemployment, and similar challenges. Not everyone, of course. And we need to be clear: not everyone gets better via suffering. Some simply get bitter. Growing through suffering requires the right conditions, starting with reflection, humility, and faith.”  .  (click here for a free subscription)

If your life is full of sunshine, love, and plenty - give thanks to God and enjoy it. Know this - sunny days will give way to rainy ones. Because we live in a world where there is sin and brokenness, we will inevitably run into hard times; some the result of our own choices, many simply because things like aging, illness, economic cycles, and imperfect people are part of the world in which we live. How we walk through those days, the choices we make, can make us better or bitter.  I really like Mike Woodruff’s line.  If we want to grow deeper and stronger in life, “the tuition is high,” but the result is so worth it, my friend. Faith grows. Love flourishes. God comes nearer to us. The Psalm says -“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.” (Psalm 119:67)

The value found in suffering is revealed in so many of the stories of the Bible.

Joseph would never have become the salvation of his family and the Prime Minister of Egypt without the horrific trip through slavery, false accusation, and imprisonment.

Daniel might well have concluded that his life was over, before it even started, when the Assyrians took him from Jerusalem to become a servant of the court of Babylon, but God turned a slave into a counselor to kings, changing history. Daniel did his part by doing what was right and godly, even when it looked as if he had no reason to do it.

David walked into a face to face challenge that looked ridiculous, a hero on the other side named Goliath, and he, a teenage shepherd from a backwater village. Mocked by the champion, David showed his heart. “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you.”  (1 Samuel 17:45-46)

Jesus was taken down from the Cross, buried by dispirited friends who thought it was over. I would like to know what the conversation among those disciples was like on Saturday. Regrets, perhaps? Recrimination?  But, God was not finished. His Son had entrusted Himself to the Almighty and on Sunday morning, the earth shook, the stone rolled away and death was conquered.

Paul was beaten up by life, opposed by enemies – spiritual and human – and his rivals dismissed him as just a ‘big talker.’ In city after city after preaching the Gospel of Christ he found himself rejected, arrested, and sometimes in peril of death. In Corinth it got so bad that he concluded his life was over. But, God was not finished with him. 

Reflecting on that time later in his life, he wrote -  "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." (2 Corinthians 1:8-11, NIV)

From my own experience, I can tell you that God is faithful and that He accomplishes His purposes in us when we are willing to wait, to trust, to humbly accept His will, and to lean into His love.  I barely recognize the man I was three decades ago. Success found me early. God blessed me with a beautiful wife, wonderful children, with a fulfilling life that overflowed with good things.  Sadly, I allowed myself to think that somehow I had made it happen.

Pride overtook my heart and choices I made led me into a wilderness I did not seek. But God was there and I grew to know His grace in a way that I could not have known until that time in life. A decade ago, the awful diagnosis of cancer came to my wife, my love, and in 20 months her life here came to an end. It was the worst blow I had known in my life - emotionally and spiritually. But God was there; leading and loving me.  And I know this- I have not yet graduated from the school of discipleship!

Our strength is not blind faith. It is Christ-centered faith. We are not fatalists fumbling our way to the finish. We are people of purpose, called to follow the Spirit, assured of His promise and our ultimate place worshipping eternallly around the Throne of God. So, let’s go make a difference. Finish the game, for the glory of God.

The word from the Word:  "I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 1:16-20, NLT)  And He "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)

Let’s grow on!

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(Video of this blog at this link)

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 wisdom

Be Thou my true Word

I ever with Thee

And Thou with me Lord

Thou my great Father

I Thy true son

Thou in me dwelling

And I with Thee one

 

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

The Most Excellent Way

Yesterday, while I was returning from a trip to Home Depot, I noted that the driver in the right lane paused for a few seconds before making a turn on red, simply being cautious.  A blaring horn announced the anger of the driver behind him who apparently found his caution a source of irritation. She gestured rudely while shouting words I can only imagine were not a blessing. Her flare-up of anger is not uncommon, is it?

Road rage contributes to a significant portion of traffic accidents and deaths on our highways. Aggressive drivers who crowd others, who drive too closely, or even who use their vehicle as a weapon are showing up on our roadways every day and every where. About a third of drivers self-report to experiencing road rage at least occasionally. Why is this happening?   Sociologists point to several factors. Among them are increased levels of general stress in life, feelings of isolation and being disconnected from a larger community, thinking of one’s self as anonymous and therefore unaccountable, and more crowded highways.

Let’s widen the lens on life.
Are you an angry person, quick to offense, meeting life with clenched fists?
Do you struggle with unresolved hostility, always ready to ‘defend your turf’ because you perceive a world that is hostile towards you or yours?

Paul was inspired by the Spirit to teach us as Christians to live differently!   “And now I will show you the most excellent way.  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:1-7, NIV)

That passage makes clear the absolute necessity of love in our Christian practice.  We learn that without love eloquence is just noise. Without love spiritual gifts lose their ability to accomplish God’s work in the world. Without love personal service and devotion is without reward. Without love great knowledge becomes worthless.

Love is not just a syrupy emotion for special moments. It is not reserved for a select few, for children, or the sentimental. Love is a way of life that is vigorous, powerful - ‘the most excellent way.’   Authentic love is bold, engaged with the world, taking on difficult people, refusing offenses, actively going after what is best all of the time.  When we take time to process that passage, especially the second part, we find that love is never passive. It shapes each and every part of our lives and will make us radically different in this world.

So, how do we come to love in the ‘most excellent way?’  We will never achieve it simply by determination or discipline. Love begins with love!  John tells us "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:15-16, NIV)  By faith we accept that “God loved the world so much that He GAVE His son to save us”   The Spirit lives in us and reveals God’s love to us. Like the wayward son of the story of Luke 15 we turn towards home and find the arms of our Father open wide, ready to receive and forgive.  Loved, we learn to love!  Friend, let me underline this fact - God loves YOU.  His love is not limited or conditional.  He loves us from His essence, which is love. His grace is given to us, costly to Himself, free to us for the receiving. This is the start of becoming loving.

Then, we begin to live in love. 
We choose forgiveness because we are forgiven.
We refuse pride because we know we are “God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)  
We learn to live patiently because He is patient with us in our failures. 
We live outwardly focused because we know that He holds us secure in His grasp into eternity. 
We refuse to keep score in life because His love is the best affirmation we can ever know.

We feel no need to hide from the truth because we know that the ‘One who knows us best, loves us most!’

Choose love. It is ‘the most excellent way.’   Love pays rich dividends now and in the future with God.  I hope you will let Him love you to life.

The word from the Word is worthy of our meditation today. Jesus says "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35, NLT)

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(Video of this blog at this link)

God So Loved (Live At The Wheelhouse)

Come all you weary

Come all you thirsty

Come to the well that never runs dry

Drink of the water

Come and thirst no more

 

Come all you sinners

Come find His mercy

Come to the table He will satisfy

Taste of His goodness

Find what you're looking for

 

For God so loved the world that He gave us

His one and only Son to save us

Whoever believes in Him will live forever

 

Bring all your failures

Bring your addictions

Come lay them down at the foot of the cross

Jesus is waiting there

With open arms

 

For God so loved the world that He gave us

His one and only Son to save us

Whoever believes in Him will live forever

The power of hell forever defeated

Now it is well I'm walking in freedom

For God so loved God so loved the world

 

Praise God praise God

From whom all blessings flow

Praise Him praise Him

For the wonders of His love

 

For God so loved the world that He gave us

His one and only Son to save

 

Bring all your failures

Bring your addictions

Come lay them down at the foot of the cross

Jesus is waiting

God so loved the world

Andrew Bergthold | Ed Cash | Franni Cash | Martin Cash | Scott Cash

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