Human beings are wicked and wonderful creatures! (Just for the record, what follows in this TFTD isn't just about 'others' for I most certainly share this trait of duplicity, too.) People confound me, in ways good and bad. Over and over, just when I thought I knew who someone was, they did something that amazed or disappointed me - acting in a way that was totally out of sync with who I thought they were. For example, the most loving individual, who gives of herself unselfishly, will make a most hurtful statement revealing a deep streak of selfishness. A person who appears to be completely self-absorbed and incapable of caring for someone else, will make a costly and generous gift of himself.
I will confess to a certain level of credulity in this area of life. I want to believe that the people I meet are who they appear to be! I want so badly to think that everyone who claims to love Jesus is really intent on following His ways. I want to think that all Believers live in a way that puts the work of God and the good of the Church over their own agenda. And... time and again, I am disappointed by people whose actions, despite the profession of best intents, reveal that they are guided by baser motives. Lest I seem overly negative, let me note that I've been equally amazed by the discovery of a genuine heart that hungers for God hidden under layers of habits of what I would consider 'sinful' behavior!
How do we account for this? Jeremiah wasn't very complimentary about human nature. He observed, [17:9 MSG] “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out." Paul admits that he was a person torn between righteousness and wickedness! Who among us cannot identify with the angst in his words? He admits, "It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me." {Romans 7:21-23 NLT}
We cannot trust our hearts! We are fools to put much stock in all of our best intentions. "But, Jerry" you may object, "that is such a terrible view of human nature!" The inescapable conclusion I draw from the Scripture is that in every saint, there is a sinner that is struggling to express dominance. It helps to account for the lapses into sin that we observe in the lives of Believers. The most loving husband may fall prey to a wandering eye. The most devoted mother can become a cruel antagonist to one of her children. The most selfless Pastor may become a self-serving manipulator of those who trust him as their shepherd!
-- IF they look to their own inner strength to protect them from the temptations of the world, the flesh (sinful nature), and the Devil.
Paul, after spilling out the ugly confession of the duplicity of his heart, goes on to tell what makes a holy life of integrity possible -- the intervention of the Savior and a life intimately lived in the Spirit's power. He writes, "Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death." [Romans 7:25-8:2 NLT]
This is the miracle of the Christian life! Spiritual transformation is not the result of religious acts or harsh and punitive deprivations. We are changed by entering the Presence of the Holy One, allowing Him to change us from the inside out. To be sure, we are cooperative in the process. By faith, we practice the spiritual disciplines that are a part of the Christian life, not because they earn us the approval of God, but rather that they create conduits for the Spirit's life to course through our lives. Regular intake of Bible truth, consistent times of meditation and worship, faithfully gathering with other Believers for corporate worship, giving of our time and resources, and confession are among those choices we make that allows the work of the renovation of the heart to proceed. (thanks to Dallas Willard for that great phrase!)
Are you disappointed in yourself or another today? Are you ready to condemn that person as inferior or terrible? Are you ready to crawl into a place of personal shame, feeling the awful ache of condemnation? Don't! There is no solution in that response to your sin or the sins of others. Instead, look to the Spirit, invite Him into the situation. Let Him reveal the sin that is causing the dysfunction. And pray earnestly that Jesus Christ will come with the power to defeat the world systems, the seductions of the sinful nature, and the deceptions of the Devil. Rest, don't wrestle!
For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Life and Light. Only God can grant us the life of His Holy Spirit that consistently defeats sin that seeks to dominate us. So, since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25 NIV)
_____________________________
Change my heart, oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like You.
You are the potter,
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.
Change my heart, oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like You.
© 1982 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services) CCLI License No. 810055
Monday, May 09, 2005
Friday, May 06, 2005
For Real!
Years ago, I bought a gold ring that was inset with diamonds for $19. No, it wasn't 'hot.' (stolen) You guessed it. It isn't real gold and they aren't real diamonds, but hey -- from 6 or 8 feet away, who could tell? It looks like the real thing, until you take a close look. Then, the fact that it is an imitation is obvious even to the untrained eye. There are plenty of imitations in our world. You can buy a pint of imitation vanillin flavor for the same price as a couple of ounces of real vanilla extract- but there is no comparing the flavor difference. You can buy an imitation Rolex watch on the streets of New York City for a few dollars, but a real one will cost several thousands.
I love real people. OK, you're scratching your head wondering, "What other kind are there? Robots? Fake people?" Yes, the world is filled with people who are just shells, images without substance, pretenders who work at hiding their true selves behind titles and tales; suits and surgeries. My heart breaks for these sad souls who have to work so hard to be somebody they are not, in vain attempts to gain the approval of people they don't even like.
Real people have learned to be 'at home' in their own skin. They don't have to prove anything, play a role, or have rhinoplasty. (Look it up and smile!) Real people know that they are more than the kind of car they drive and the job that they hold. Real people can be difficult because they are so resistant to the games too many of us play. You can't manipulate a real person because she is not responsive to peer pressure. Then, too, real people live and tell the truth which makes some of us very uncomfortable. They don't pretend to see the Emperor's new clothes, they just acknowledge that he's naked!
(If you don't know that story you can read it at http://hca.gilead.org.il/emperor.html)
Being authentic is important for Believers! The opposite is hypocrisy, which Jesus condemned more harshly than any other sin! When He met the Pharisees who were expert religious fakes, He was not gentle. In The Message, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible, Jesus' outrage at these pious frauds comes through. Take a look.
I love real people. OK, you're scratching your head wondering, "What other kind are there? Robots? Fake people?" Yes, the world is filled with people who are just shells, images without substance, pretenders who work at hiding their true selves behind titles and tales; suits and surgeries. My heart breaks for these sad souls who have to work so hard to be somebody they are not, in vain attempts to gain the approval of people they don't even like.
Real people have learned to be 'at home' in their own skin. They don't have to prove anything, play a role, or have rhinoplasty. (Look it up and smile!) Real people know that they are more than the kind of car they drive and the job that they hold. Real people can be difficult because they are so resistant to the games too many of us play. You can't manipulate a real person because she is not responsive to peer pressure. Then, too, real people live and tell the truth which makes some of us very uncomfortable. They don't pretend to see the Emperor's new clothes, they just acknowledge that he's naked!
(If you don't know that story you can read it at http://hca.gilead.org.il/emperor.html)
Being authentic is important for Believers! The opposite is hypocrisy, which Jesus condemned more harshly than any other sin! When He met the Pharisees who were expert religious fakes, He was not gentle. In The Message, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible, Jesus' outrage at these pious frauds comes through. Take a look.
- “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?
- “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.
- “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh." Matthew 23:23-27
Wow! What would Jesus say to some of us who are so skilled at putting on the religious show on Sunday? Just reading those words makes me shudder!
Here's the great truth. Though being honest with ourselves and others about who we are and what we've done is very hard, it is the first step to change. The Bible calls it 'confession.' John wrote about 'confessing our sins,' (1 John 1.9) and in the Greek text which is the New Testament's original language, he uses the word 'homologeo.' which means 'same word.' How does that connect? God wants us to 'say the same word' as He does about who we are and what we have done. He knows us - inside and out - beyond our pretending and our image. He says, "Agree with Me about your true self, and then, I can start the work of restoring you to a state of being genuine, of bearing my image as I intended!"
The #1 objection to authenticity is this - 'but if people really know me, they won't like me.' Mostly that's because we do not like ourselves! We think we are too fat, too thin, too dumb, too ugly, too shy, too tall, too short, too.... I've heard it all. Hidden inside of us, is a person God made to fill a specific place in this world. We sin against Him when we try to become somebody else. Yes, who He made us to be is damaged by sin, our own and who sin against us. The thing with sin is not to pretend or cover it up, but rather to own it and let the Son shine in. He will bring us His hope, His healing, and His restoration of the image of God that we were meant to bear, forgiving us and loving us, so we can liberally love and forgive others.
Are you a fake? Let God love you to reality.He knows the 'real' you so why not admit who you are to Him, and then to yourself?
Real is a beautiful thing - truly!
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Idolatry of perfection
"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly."- G. K. Chesterton The phrase arrested me!
Everywhere I turn I am challenged to excellence, urged to compete, compared to the best, inspected, poked, prodded.... and that's not all bad. But, there is a place for doing what we do, being who we are, without comparing, without measuring. Years ago, I stopped playing golf. There were many reasons but the primary one was that I did not play well enough. I knew I didn't have the time or money to invest in developing the skills that would allow me to be a good (by prevailing standards) golfer. I loved spending three hours puttering around the course, and I really did not give a care if I shot a 9 on a par 5! But, not many of my follow golfers wanted a guy along on the course who was just out hitting the ball and soaking up sunshine. I wasn't a 'serious' golfer. I let the pressure of competition steal a simple pleasure from me.
My wife teaches 1st grade. She feels constant pressure to make each of the little ones learn all their subjects to the same high degree of proficiency. Never mind that tiny Sally is an artist for whom math is an exercise in torture. Mark's passion is reading but he must draw! They must all get good grades in all subjects regardless of natural interests or abilities. The joy of learning and collaboration is lost to little marks on a paper that determines if Sally and Mark are 'good' students. This is the tragedy of modern education.
A small church of a 100 or so enthusiastic Christians may be a wonderfully healthy Body nurturing people into a relationship with God that is deep and authentic, but that little congregation will often destroy the joy and health of who they are by trying to become the next mega-church-- going into debt, taking on ministries -- because that what 'churches of excellence' do. Instead of being the church that God ordained them to be, they feel they must be the church that Christianity Today magazine lauds in the lead article of the most recent issue.
The idolatry of perfection creeps into everything, turning our focus onto ourselves away from the service of God. The result is that fewer of us live joyful, committed, and fulfilled lives. Instead we are perpetually desperate, anxious, and cranky!
Are you starting to get my point today?
Everywhere I turn I am challenged to excellence, urged to compete, compared to the best, inspected, poked, prodded.... and that's not all bad. But, there is a place for doing what we do, being who we are, without comparing, without measuring. Years ago, I stopped playing golf. There were many reasons but the primary one was that I did not play well enough. I knew I didn't have the time or money to invest in developing the skills that would allow me to be a good (by prevailing standards) golfer. I loved spending three hours puttering around the course, and I really did not give a care if I shot a 9 on a par 5! But, not many of my follow golfers wanted a guy along on the course who was just out hitting the ball and soaking up sunshine. I wasn't a 'serious' golfer. I let the pressure of competition steal a simple pleasure from me.
My wife teaches 1st grade. She feels constant pressure to make each of the little ones learn all their subjects to the same high degree of proficiency. Never mind that tiny Sally is an artist for whom math is an exercise in torture. Mark's passion is reading but he must draw! They must all get good grades in all subjects regardless of natural interests or abilities. The joy of learning and collaboration is lost to little marks on a paper that determines if Sally and Mark are 'good' students. This is the tragedy of modern education.
A small church of a 100 or so enthusiastic Christians may be a wonderfully healthy Body nurturing people into a relationship with God that is deep and authentic, but that little congregation will often destroy the joy and health of who they are by trying to become the next mega-church-- going into debt, taking on ministries -- because that what 'churches of excellence' do. Instead of being the church that God ordained them to be, they feel they must be the church that Christianity Today magazine lauds in the lead article of the most recent issue.
The idolatry of perfection creeps into everything, turning our focus onto ourselves away from the service of God. The result is that fewer of us live joyful, committed, and fulfilled lives. Instead we are perpetually desperate, anxious, and cranky!
Are you starting to get my point today?
- We don't age with grace because baldness, thick waist lines, and wrinkles are not acceptable in the modern standard of perfection of perpetual youthfulness. Says who? It's the way of life that youth gives way to age and God's plan is that the deficits that come with aging are offset by the strength of wisdom! Proverbs observes- 16:31 "Gray hair is a mark of distinction, the award for a God-loyal life."
- We can't let our kids be ordinary (almost a curse word to some!) because to do so is to fail to push them to their potential. So, conforming to the ways of the world, we make them neurotic performers who don't know the joy of doing anything just 'for the fun of it;' who spend the rest of their lives competing and living on the edge of mental breakdown. Imagine saying, "Just play baseball and enjoy it, son." Oh no, we have to ruin Little League for him, making a 9 year old kid play the game like the destiny of the universe rides on whether his team wins!
- We can't rejoice in who we are because we're always focused on what we could be... if only!
- Our spouses suffer under the strain of being compared to that one that is 'so perfect' and we destroy what could be a great relationship trying to make our wife realize that she 'needs' to be thinner, neater, .... etc. We miss the treasure we have, because we are comparing.
- Our Christian lives are full of stress and strain as we measure and compare ourselves to others. God's will is that we surrender to the Spirit's call and allow Him to use us - just as we are, right where we are- for His purposes.
"Jerry," you say, "I am shocked that you would applaud mediocrity." If that what you're thinking, I've communicated poorly or you've jumped to the wrong conclusion. It's not mediocrity that I'm urging on us today. It is acceptance of who we are and contentment in the situations in which we find ourselves at this moment. God has a plan for each one of us, and we can't all be the President of the United States or evangelist Billy Graham!
The Bible reminds us that "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ’s body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit.Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?" (1 Cor. 12:12-16 NLT )
If we attempt, in the name of excellence, to be someone that we are not called or equipped to be, we will miss out on the great joy that comes to those who are humble - that is, no more and no less than God calls them to be.
Let me urge you today to ask God who He is asking you to be, without comparison to some external standard of 'excellence.' Rejoice in the spiritual gifts and opportunities He has presented to you and be the person He wants, not the person others are demanding you become. Give up the need to be recognized, to 'win' the award, to earn applause - except the applause of Heaven earned as we perform for the Audience of One.
In this humility and contentment we will find that life is much more pleasant for us and for all those around us. AND, I am absolutely convinced, that in the end, we will accomplish more, and what we do, because it is done for God, will be of lasting value!
Are you worshipping the idol of perfectionism?
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Love's strength
Telemachus, a monk who lived in the 5th century, journeyed to Rome. He went to the Coliseum where the bloody gladiatorial contests were waged, killing for public entertainment. The sight so deeply offended him that he jumped into the arena. There are several variations in the story of what happened next. In some tellings, he put himself between two gladiators shouting that the contest must stop in the name of Christ, and was run through with their swords. In other tellings he implored the crowds to go home and never return to the games. Their bloodlust was so great that they stoned the monk to death. Whatever account is true, the end result was that Honorius, the Emperor, was so moved by this display of sacrificial love that he put an end to the murderous games forever.
Such is the transforming power of real love! Jesus said that it would be the quality of our love that would be the undeniable distinguishing mark that we were His followers. In the first three centuries of the Christian church this was certainly true. Believers had no worldly power structure, no cathedrals in which to worship, no wealth with which to fund armies or professionals, no official hierarchy to promulgate the faith. Christianity thrived because those who put their faith in Jesus were radically changed by His love and went into a cruel and violent world armed with nothing but love. Followers of Jesus rejected any solution to evil that required power or violence. Instead they looked for the places where need existed and served sacrifically. The sick found compassionate care in the homes of Believers. The outcasts were welcomed. Abandoned children were adopted. Love was more than a feeling! Love was a verb that worked hard, at great personal cost. The world was changed by the power of love.
This quality is beyond the sentimental impulse so often confused with genuine love. It comes from a place much deeper than the warm fuzzy feelings produced by a greeting card poem. Transforming love is borne of an encounter with God. It is sustained by ongoing intimacy with God's Spirit where our heart is made tender by the application of His grace. "We love," John says, "because He first loved us." If this kind of love is cultivated and allowed to flourish in our lives, we will be transformed and we will become world-changers! Our children will not abandon our faith as so much silly and/or superficial ritual aimed at getting into Heaven, someday when we die, by and by.
Love will give our lives depth and texture that is so compelling that others will long to live with the same intensity. Was it her beauty, wealth, or political power that made Mother Teresa universally admired in the last two decades of the 20th century? Of course not! Her life was lived completely in the two loves that Jesus said were at the heart of a life rightly lived- love for God and love for others. Love compelled that little woman to serve the least, the low, the loveless and love gave her access to kings and Presidents whose power was eclipsed by that of a diminutive nun from Calcutta. Once when she was asked about her hard work, she said, I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself “How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery.
I have much to learn about love! But I rejoice that I am not who I was, and that I am not yet all I will be! Thanks be to God who loves me with transforming love. He loves you, too. Are you letting that love change your heart?
________________________________________________
1 Corinthians 13 (The Message)
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete.
But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Such is the transforming power of real love! Jesus said that it would be the quality of our love that would be the undeniable distinguishing mark that we were His followers. In the first three centuries of the Christian church this was certainly true. Believers had no worldly power structure, no cathedrals in which to worship, no wealth with which to fund armies or professionals, no official hierarchy to promulgate the faith. Christianity thrived because those who put their faith in Jesus were radically changed by His love and went into a cruel and violent world armed with nothing but love. Followers of Jesus rejected any solution to evil that required power or violence. Instead they looked for the places where need existed and served sacrifically. The sick found compassionate care in the homes of Believers. The outcasts were welcomed. Abandoned children were adopted. Love was more than a feeling! Love was a verb that worked hard, at great personal cost. The world was changed by the power of love.
This quality is beyond the sentimental impulse so often confused with genuine love. It comes from a place much deeper than the warm fuzzy feelings produced by a greeting card poem. Transforming love is borne of an encounter with God. It is sustained by ongoing intimacy with God's Spirit where our heart is made tender by the application of His grace. "We love," John says, "because He first loved us." If this kind of love is cultivated and allowed to flourish in our lives, we will be transformed and we will become world-changers! Our children will not abandon our faith as so much silly and/or superficial ritual aimed at getting into Heaven, someday when we die, by and by.
Love will give our lives depth and texture that is so compelling that others will long to live with the same intensity. Was it her beauty, wealth, or political power that made Mother Teresa universally admired in the last two decades of the 20th century? Of course not! Her life was lived completely in the two loves that Jesus said were at the heart of a life rightly lived- love for God and love for others. Love compelled that little woman to serve the least, the low, the loveless and love gave her access to kings and Presidents whose power was eclipsed by that of a diminutive nun from Calcutta. Once when she was asked about her hard work, she said, I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself “How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery.
I have much to learn about love! But I rejoice that I am not who I was, and that I am not yet all I will be! Thanks be to God who loves me with transforming love. He loves you, too. Are you letting that love change your heart?
________________________________________________
1 Corinthians 13 (The Message)
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete.
But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Ennobled by love
The best 15 minutes of yesterday was when I rocked a little 2 year old while she watched TV. I sat down in the rocker while I was waiting to have lunch with my Mom and Dad. Little Ashley, a child in their care at Scott House, came over, crawled onto my lap, snuggled in, and made herself comfortable. Later her older sister, age 3, wanted to sit next to me during lunch, where she basked in the attention I gave her. Making those little kids feel special by giving them a few moments of focused attention was not only good for them, it was good for my soul!
We need to love and be loved. We hunger for the affirmation of our person that is found in receiving love and affection. As adults we move away from the simple expression of the hug and experience love in words sincerely and creatively say, "You matter to me!" These words build our sense of personal worth, letting us know that we are valued beyond our 'work' and function in society. As much as we need to loved in that way, we also need to give that kind of love away liberally.
Genuine Love is so precious, such a catalyst for transformation, so "of God" -- that the Evil One does everything he can to frustrate the expression of it.
Sex - If possible he will convince us that sex is love; and he's been quite successful doing that in our present American culture. Our teens, particularly the girls, have so entangled sex and love that many are giving themselves in self-demeaning ways thinking that the guys will 'love' them in return.
Religion - He uses religious zeal to great effect in destroying love. Consumed with a need for the triumph of "truth" many Muslims hate Christians and Jews. With equal prejudice, Christians quickly assume a place of superiority, pointing out the deficiencies of Hindus and Buddhists. Even among Christians, being 'right' is usually more important than being loving - and 'right' is usually whatever 'we' are - Baptist, Pentecostal, Calvinist, Catholic, Sacramental, Charismatic. How proudly we wear our labels to make sure everyone is aware of our position and from the well-defended heights we rain down scorn on those differently persuaded.
Ego- Then, too, the Devil uses our innate love of self to frustrate the expression of love. He does whatever he is able to do to remind us when our hunger for love is unmet and to convince us that we could not possibly extend ourselves in love and kindness given our own need. How many marriages have perished because neither spouse will move to meet the other's need for love until they feel that their own need is met? How many friendships have died because one person became convinced they weren't getting their fair share of affection?
Believer, we can LOVE and we must. God, in Christ Jesus, has loved us and from that 'first cause' has sparked in us the ability to love Him and others with abandon. Meditate on this familiar passage for a few moments --
"My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him. God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him. God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other." (1 John 4:7-11, CEV)
Paul develops that thought even further as he writes to Timothy. He encourages him not to get side-tracked into being 'right' at the expense of being loving.
"Don’t let people waste time in endless speculation over myths and spiritual pedigrees. For these things only cause arguments; they don’t help people live a life of faith in God. The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.
But some teachers have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time arguing and talking foolishness. They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they seem so confident." (1 Timothy 1:4-7, NLT)
Let God love you deeply today. Realize that He loves you, not for your performance or pedigree, but because you are. As that sinks in, ask Him to help you to love someone else in that way... whether it's rocking a little child for a few moments (that will make your heart glad!), or listening intently to a lonely elderly person in the supermarket, or picking up a volunteer task that makes someone's world a little brighter.
"There are three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT)
We need to love and be loved. We hunger for the affirmation of our person that is found in receiving love and affection. As adults we move away from the simple expression of the hug and experience love in words sincerely and creatively say, "You matter to me!" These words build our sense of personal worth, letting us know that we are valued beyond our 'work' and function in society. As much as we need to loved in that way, we also need to give that kind of love away liberally.
Genuine Love is so precious, such a catalyst for transformation, so "of God" -- that the Evil One does everything he can to frustrate the expression of it.
Sex - If possible he will convince us that sex is love; and he's been quite successful doing that in our present American culture. Our teens, particularly the girls, have so entangled sex and love that many are giving themselves in self-demeaning ways thinking that the guys will 'love' them in return.
Religion - He uses religious zeal to great effect in destroying love. Consumed with a need for the triumph of "truth" many Muslims hate Christians and Jews. With equal prejudice, Christians quickly assume a place of superiority, pointing out the deficiencies of Hindus and Buddhists. Even among Christians, being 'right' is usually more important than being loving - and 'right' is usually whatever 'we' are - Baptist, Pentecostal, Calvinist, Catholic, Sacramental, Charismatic. How proudly we wear our labels to make sure everyone is aware of our position and from the well-defended heights we rain down scorn on those differently persuaded.
Ego- Then, too, the Devil uses our innate love of self to frustrate the expression of love. He does whatever he is able to do to remind us when our hunger for love is unmet and to convince us that we could not possibly extend ourselves in love and kindness given our own need. How many marriages have perished because neither spouse will move to meet the other's need for love until they feel that their own need is met? How many friendships have died because one person became convinced they weren't getting their fair share of affection?
Believer, we can LOVE and we must. God, in Christ Jesus, has loved us and from that 'first cause' has sparked in us the ability to love Him and others with abandon. Meditate on this familiar passage for a few moments --
"My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him. God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him. God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other." (1 John 4:7-11, CEV)
Paul develops that thought even further as he writes to Timothy. He encourages him not to get side-tracked into being 'right' at the expense of being loving.
"Don’t let people waste time in endless speculation over myths and spiritual pedigrees. For these things only cause arguments; they don’t help people live a life of faith in God. The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.
But some teachers have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time arguing and talking foolishness. They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they seem so confident." (1 Timothy 1:4-7, NLT)
Let God love you deeply today. Realize that He loves you, not for your performance or pedigree, but because you are. As that sinks in, ask Him to help you to love someone else in that way... whether it's rocking a little child for a few moments (that will make your heart glad!), or listening intently to a lonely elderly person in the supermarket, or picking up a volunteer task that makes someone's world a little brighter.
"There are three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT)
Monday, May 02, 2005
Sharing the love of Jesus?
I recently read a provocative book by Brian McLaren called A Generous Orthodoxy, which is an invitation to Christians to think about the many ways that God touches our lives. The chapter on bringing Jesus to our world, but in a way that invites others with warm dialogue rather than condemnation, was especially winsome. A person who reads it too quickly might conclude that the author says that all religions are equal in truth and worthy of the same respect. He doesn't! McLaren makes a case that we who are followers of Christ must go beyond our 'religion' to take Christ Jesus' message of God's love and offer of life to all people without trying to export our culture besides. Tricky call, isn't it? So much of our practice of Christianity is co-mingled with Euro-American culture that many of us scarcely know the difference!
He tells a story, a true one, that is arresting. Go with us to post 9/11 Washington, DC, to a neighborhood of cultural diversity.
One day, Emma (the author's little daughter) saw a woman walking towards us covered in a veil and asked the inevitable, "What that, Mommy?"
"Emma," I answered, "that lady is a Muslim from a faraway place. She dresses like that- and covers her head with a veil - because she loves God, that is how her people show they love God."
Emma considered these words. She stared at the woman who past us, pointed at her, then pointed at my hair and further quizzed, "Mommy, do you love God?"
"Yes, honey," I laughed, "I do. You and I are Christians. Christian ladies show their love for God by going to church, by eating the bread and wine, by serving the poor, and by giving to those in need. We don't wear veils, but we love God."
After this, Emma took ever opportunity to point out Muslim women during our shopping trips and to tell me, "Mommy, look. She loves God."
One day we were getting out of our car at our driveway at the same time as our Pakistani neighbors. Emma saw the mother, beautifully veiled, and pointing at her, shouted, "Look, Mommy, she loves God!" My neighbor was surprised. I told her what I had taught Emma about Muslim ladies loving God. While she held back her tears, this near stranger hugged me, saying, "I wish all Americans would teach their children so. The world would be better. The world would be better."
-- A Generous Orthodoxy, pg. 266 quoting Broken We Kneel, Diana Butler (Jossey Bass, 2004)
What a bridge-builder! And learning to reach across those kind of cultural gaps is exactly what Paul was willing to do in order to earn the right to present Christ's message in many settings. He was so secure in his identity as a Christ-follower, he was able to meet people where they were. He writes, When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings." (1 Corinthians 9:20-23, NLT)
Emma's mother wasn't endorsing Islam as a way of life when she taught her daughter to be respectful and to see the Muslim veil within the context of its use. That respect created an opening for Christ's love to bridge the gap between cultures. It takes great security in our relationship with Jesus to live in that way, a security found only in a deep intimacy with the Lord born of a revelation of His grace and love for us!
Some Believers feel the need to build a fence that divides the 'in' from the 'out' from the very first conversation. They insist that if we show respect or enter into dialogue with a person of no faith or of another religion, they might interpret our acceptance of their person as affirmation of their religion! Oh, how the Devil rejoices when we make that conclusion for this erroneous notion renders us largely silent as a messenger of Eternity's best news! There is a huge difference between accepting others and affirming what they do. Jesus ate at the table of sinners but he was quite confident that they wouldn't mistake His willingness to break bread with them as approval of the way they lived! Can we do less?
IF we are filled with the Spirit, the intangible reality of His Presence will spill out of us at those tables, compelling others to think deeply of value of following Jesus, too. May I encourage you to think about the way that you relate to the 'world' around you?
Are you hiding behind walls of separation, afraid of being contaminated by the filth that is real and prevalent out there? I understand that urge! Sometimes I want to run for the hills, too, and move into a Christian commune where never an unkind, filthy, or hateful word is heard. But, how can we fulfill our God-given function as 'salt and light' in this world if we are locked up in isolated communities?
Are you walking in the world, but careful to make certain that your 'Christian' persuasion is unmistakable, carrying a Bible prominently, pasting a fish symbol on your car, -- or whatever you've been taught? Check the motivation behind such displays. If there is even a hint of self-righteousness or self-preservation in all of that, stop it! Jesus wasn't too kind to some religious folk who wore their religion on their sleeve, so to speak. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear extra long tassels on their robes." (Matthew 23:5, NLT)
Are you intentionally open, respectful, and ready to enter into the lives of others so that you might have the opportunity to bring Jesus' message to them in your actions and words? This requires that we are wise, filled to overflowing with genuine love, and completely secure in our own faith in Him. There is something undeniably attractive about that kind of Believer. Paul alludes to it when he says,"thanks be to God, who made us his captives and leads us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing. To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?" (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, NLT)
_________________________________
Lover of my soul, this morning I am
feeling the wonder that You would love
someone as insignificant as I.
Let that love settle so deeply into my
heart and mind that I will become a
lover of others, deeply - compassionately.
Teach me how to bring your grace
to those who are hungering for You.
As I see and understand the world through their
mind and heart, help me to have the
words to convey Your hope and love to them.
Jesus Christ, hear my prayer.
Amen
He tells a story, a true one, that is arresting. Go with us to post 9/11 Washington, DC, to a neighborhood of cultural diversity.
One day, Emma (the author's little daughter) saw a woman walking towards us covered in a veil and asked the inevitable, "What that, Mommy?"
"Emma," I answered, "that lady is a Muslim from a faraway place. She dresses like that- and covers her head with a veil - because she loves God, that is how her people show they love God."
Emma considered these words. She stared at the woman who past us, pointed at her, then pointed at my hair and further quizzed, "Mommy, do you love God?"
"Yes, honey," I laughed, "I do. You and I are Christians. Christian ladies show their love for God by going to church, by eating the bread and wine, by serving the poor, and by giving to those in need. We don't wear veils, but we love God."
After this, Emma took ever opportunity to point out Muslim women during our shopping trips and to tell me, "Mommy, look. She loves God."
One day we were getting out of our car at our driveway at the same time as our Pakistani neighbors. Emma saw the mother, beautifully veiled, and pointing at her, shouted, "Look, Mommy, she loves God!" My neighbor was surprised. I told her what I had taught Emma about Muslim ladies loving God. While she held back her tears, this near stranger hugged me, saying, "I wish all Americans would teach their children so. The world would be better. The world would be better."
-- A Generous Orthodoxy, pg. 266 quoting Broken We Kneel, Diana Butler (Jossey Bass, 2004)
What a bridge-builder! And learning to reach across those kind of cultural gaps is exactly what Paul was willing to do in order to earn the right to present Christ's message in many settings. He was so secure in his identity as a Christ-follower, he was able to meet people where they were. He writes, When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings." (1 Corinthians 9:20-23, NLT)
Emma's mother wasn't endorsing Islam as a way of life when she taught her daughter to be respectful and to see the Muslim veil within the context of its use. That respect created an opening for Christ's love to bridge the gap between cultures. It takes great security in our relationship with Jesus to live in that way, a security found only in a deep intimacy with the Lord born of a revelation of His grace and love for us!
Some Believers feel the need to build a fence that divides the 'in' from the 'out' from the very first conversation. They insist that if we show respect or enter into dialogue with a person of no faith or of another religion, they might interpret our acceptance of their person as affirmation of their religion! Oh, how the Devil rejoices when we make that conclusion for this erroneous notion renders us largely silent as a messenger of Eternity's best news! There is a huge difference between accepting others and affirming what they do. Jesus ate at the table of sinners but he was quite confident that they wouldn't mistake His willingness to break bread with them as approval of the way they lived! Can we do less?
IF we are filled with the Spirit, the intangible reality of His Presence will spill out of us at those tables, compelling others to think deeply of value of following Jesus, too. May I encourage you to think about the way that you relate to the 'world' around you?
Are you hiding behind walls of separation, afraid of being contaminated by the filth that is real and prevalent out there? I understand that urge! Sometimes I want to run for the hills, too, and move into a Christian commune where never an unkind, filthy, or hateful word is heard. But, how can we fulfill our God-given function as 'salt and light' in this world if we are locked up in isolated communities?
Are you walking in the world, but careful to make certain that your 'Christian' persuasion is unmistakable, carrying a Bible prominently, pasting a fish symbol on your car, -- or whatever you've been taught? Check the motivation behind such displays. If there is even a hint of self-righteousness or self-preservation in all of that, stop it! Jesus wasn't too kind to some religious folk who wore their religion on their sleeve, so to speak. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear extra long tassels on their robes." (Matthew 23:5, NLT)
Are you intentionally open, respectful, and ready to enter into the lives of others so that you might have the opportunity to bring Jesus' message to them in your actions and words? This requires that we are wise, filled to overflowing with genuine love, and completely secure in our own faith in Him. There is something undeniably attractive about that kind of Believer. Paul alludes to it when he says,"thanks be to God, who made us his captives and leads us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing. To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?" (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, NLT)
_________________________________
Lover of my soul, this morning I am
feeling the wonder that You would love
someone as insignificant as I.
Let that love settle so deeply into my
heart and mind that I will become a
lover of others, deeply - compassionately.
Teach me how to bring your grace
to those who are hungering for You.
As I see and understand the world through their
mind and heart, help me to have the
words to convey Your hope and love to them.
Jesus Christ, hear my prayer.
Amen
Friday, April 29, 2005
Secure in His care
This Springtime morning the air was filled with the chirps, whistles, and cries of the birds. What a difference from the cold silent mornings to which I awakened a few weeks ago. The dogwood tree in my front yard, which was a snarl of brown twigs, this morning is decorated with beautiful white flowers. The lawn, which was patchy and brown, is lush and green. Where does all this life come from as Spring takes over from Winter? I'm not asking that like a scientist, for there are certainly explanations offered in of migratory patterns, germinating seeds, and extended sunshine warming the earth. Instead, I am looking at Springtime with worshipful wonder and thankfulness to the God who designed all this for you and me!
I found the chirping birds and bursting life in my yard curiously comforting this morning, a stark contrast to the woeful news that fills the pages of the newspaper and that pours out of the television. Our President, with all the power and authority that is available to him, is incapable of making a bird sing or a flower grow. Unending war, shortages of energy supplies, and economic challenges left President Bush grasping for answers in his news conference last night. All he could say is, "progress is being made," over and over again. In our demands, we fail to remember that he is just a man, a leader yes, but never-the-less an ordinary man.
The challenges in my own life chatter away in my mind demanding that I grow anxious, making my shoulder muscles tight and painfully tense. Most of you understand for you, too, face the stresses of life. May I invite you to go and stand for a few moments to listen to the birds, to contemplate the wonderful works of the Creator?
I read the closing chapters of the book of Job again today. I love the way God 'comforts' Job! Instead of soothing Job and empathizing with him in his sorrow, God points to the wonder of Creation as if to say, "Look up, higher, past your troubles."
I found the chirping birds and bursting life in my yard curiously comforting this morning, a stark contrast to the woeful news that fills the pages of the newspaper and that pours out of the television. Our President, with all the power and authority that is available to him, is incapable of making a bird sing or a flower grow. Unending war, shortages of energy supplies, and economic challenges left President Bush grasping for answers in his news conference last night. All he could say is, "progress is being made," over and over again. In our demands, we fail to remember that he is just a man, a leader yes, but never-the-less an ordinary man.
The challenges in my own life chatter away in my mind demanding that I grow anxious, making my shoulder muscles tight and painfully tense. Most of you understand for you, too, face the stresses of life. May I invite you to go and stand for a few moments to listen to the birds, to contemplate the wonderful works of the Creator?
I read the closing chapters of the book of Job again today. I love the way God 'comforts' Job! Instead of soothing Job and empathizing with him in his sorrow, God points to the wonder of Creation as if to say, "Look up, higher, past your troubles."
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?...
Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it? " (Job 38:4-7; 12-13, NKJV)
What a Word! We need to have our minds lifted from preoccupation with our troubles and trials. We need to gain Heaven's perspective. When we do, we will be able to live in Jesus' promise of provision. Here it is. Take it with you today and when the anxiety rises, repeat it to yourself again.
"So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are." (Matthew 6:25-26, NLT)
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33, NIV)
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Gold Fever
It has caused wars, provoked people to murder, brought on uncontrollable greed, made people insanely lustful, and driven men to abandon family, home, and safety in quests to own it. It is a soft metal, yellow in color - called gold! Today gold is 'green' as in dollars! Last night on 60 Minutes (CBS) Vickie Mabrey reported on a story out of Iraq. In April, 2003, soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division of the US Army, were part of the invasion. Two weeks into the war, they had pushed into Baghdad. One day, in three separate locations, they discovered dozens of metal boxes each about the size of a picnic cooler. Opening the boxes they discovered they were packed with $100 bills, about $4 million in each box! At two locations, officers quickly took charge and placed the money in the custody of the US government. But in another location, something different happened. I'll quote one of the soldiers who was there.
"And then … there was a moment that everything turned … evil. The air was thick…The looks had changed. You could see that everyone was just out for themselves."
"What do you mean, evil?" asks Mabrey.
"Have you ever been in a room with that much money?" asks Novak, adding that another soldier actually talked about killing someone to keep the discovery quiet.
(see http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/25/60II/main690763.shtml )
What an illustration of the Bible's statement - "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:9-10, NIV)
One of the most enduring myths among human beings from every age is that wealth will satisfy the soul hunger that exists within us. It is true that money can do some amazing things - buying us pleasure, causing others to treat us with respect, and giving us power. If you watch The Apprentice, a reality TV program that features Donald Trump, a rich real estate developer from New York City, you will always see people fawning over him, treating him with deference, for no other reason except that he is rich! His opinions matter, not because he is smarter or because he's invented something that will bring better lives to millions, but because he has $Billions in assets.
I even find this happening among Christian pastors. The one who is privileged to lead a larger, wealthier congregation is much more likely to be invited to speak to the conference gathering than the one who leads a little country church off of the beaten path. Pastor John, who shows up at the gathering with his entourage of associates, is often shown much more deference than Pastor Joe who drives up up alone!
Most of us think that gold fever is something that only effects somebody else. We just have 'needs.' They are greedy. How deceitful our hearts are. We find ways to disguise our greed even from ourselves, thinking if we drive a certain kind of car, or live in a certain kind of house, or give a certain percentage of our income -- we have mastered that universal tendency towards acquisitiveness. But, what if we were tested like those soldiers in Iraq? What if, suddenly, we had access to large sums of money? What would happen to us? Would we change, seized by gold fever?
The Bible warns about trying to use our faith to build wealth, about thinking of God as a means to 'get more.' Instead, we are challenged to become content. Here's what the Word says, "men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth.... suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:5-6, NKJV)
The cure for gold fever is thankful, genuine gratitude that we offer as a sacrifice to the Lord, day by day.Here's a word from the Word to take with you today -
"Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. " (Psalm 107:8-9, NKJV)
"And then … there was a moment that everything turned … evil. The air was thick…The looks had changed. You could see that everyone was just out for themselves."
"What do you mean, evil?" asks Mabrey.
"Have you ever been in a room with that much money?" asks Novak, adding that another soldier actually talked about killing someone to keep the discovery quiet.
(see http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/25/60II/main690763.shtml )
What an illustration of the Bible's statement - "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:9-10, NIV)
One of the most enduring myths among human beings from every age is that wealth will satisfy the soul hunger that exists within us. It is true that money can do some amazing things - buying us pleasure, causing others to treat us with respect, and giving us power. If you watch The Apprentice, a reality TV program that features Donald Trump, a rich real estate developer from New York City, you will always see people fawning over him, treating him with deference, for no other reason except that he is rich! His opinions matter, not because he is smarter or because he's invented something that will bring better lives to millions, but because he has $Billions in assets.
I even find this happening among Christian pastors. The one who is privileged to lead a larger, wealthier congregation is much more likely to be invited to speak to the conference gathering than the one who leads a little country church off of the beaten path. Pastor John, who shows up at the gathering with his entourage of associates, is often shown much more deference than Pastor Joe who drives up up alone!
Most of us think that gold fever is something that only effects somebody else. We just have 'needs.' They are greedy. How deceitful our hearts are. We find ways to disguise our greed even from ourselves, thinking if we drive a certain kind of car, or live in a certain kind of house, or give a certain percentage of our income -- we have mastered that universal tendency towards acquisitiveness. But, what if we were tested like those soldiers in Iraq? What if, suddenly, we had access to large sums of money? What would happen to us? Would we change, seized by gold fever?
The Bible warns about trying to use our faith to build wealth, about thinking of God as a means to 'get more.' Instead, we are challenged to become content. Here's what the Word says, "men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth.... suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:5-6, NKJV)
The cure for gold fever is thankful, genuine gratitude that we offer as a sacrifice to the Lord, day by day.Here's a word from the Word to take with you today -
"Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. " (Psalm 107:8-9, NKJV)
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Bowed heads and bent knees
One would think that the mysteries of faith, that pondering the awesomeness of the works and wisdom of God, would produce a great sense of humility in those who are deeply devoted to things spiritual. It surely did that for Isaiah who, when he had a vision of the Almighty, cried out, "Woe to me... I am ruined!" My observation is that among Christians just the opposite is often true! Those who claim a close relationship with God are frequently possessed of a "I am right and you are wrong" spirit. Positions of 'ministry' become, for some, little personal kingdoms. Many among us who claim to know the One who called Himself, "The Way," seem to think that the majesty of His Truth gives us a right to be disrespectful of those with whose convictions we differ.
Even within the Christian church, among various groups holding differing doctrinal views there is a great capacity for arrogance.
Some who believe that God sovereignly orders all things openly doubt that those who believe in free will are even Christian!
Some who believe that Christ's sacrifice is within the reach of all who would choose to receive His grace by faith, are quick to deride those who believe that Jesus' saving grace is available only to the Elect.
Pentecostals proudly declare they are followers of the way of the "Full Gospel" seeming unaware that if their motto is true that means non-Pentecostals have a partial Gospel. Is there such a thing?
Others don't blink an eye as they declare that the King James Version of the Scripture is the only real Bible! What incredible arrogance for people who are speaking of eternal mysteries of which even the most erudite have only the most elementary grasp!
This past Sunday, Evangelical Christianity was treated to an egregious display of Christian religious hubris. It was called "Justice Sunday." (see http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=LH05D02) Church leaders joined forces with the Republican party to attempt to rally Christians to apply pressure to United States Senators in support for President Bush's nominees for the Federal bench. I agree that the President has a constitutional right to nominate whomever he pleases and that the Senate has the right to vote on those nominees in their role of 'advise and consent.' I also agree that some very qualified candidates for the Federal bench are being denied their vote by Senators who are intent on keeping abortion legal and furthering an agenda of homosexual rights. However, using high-blown rhetoric to inflame people, in God's name, to promote a political party's program, is nothing short of an exercise of power that is rooted in pride! I believe that exercises such as "Justice Sunday" give Jesus a bad name, and I think that the spirit of this kind of 'might makes right' event breaks His heart.
I wonder what long term results might have happened if instead of holding loud rallies designed around speeches to attract national media attention, our Christian leaders had called us to a day of fasting and to gather in our churches to sit in silent prayer? Might God have listened to our hearts and seen our tears and saved our children from this land's growing debauchery? Do you think Jesus' words when He said-- “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace." (Matthew 6:5-6, The Message)-- apply here?
Friend, are you humble?
The Word calls on us to humble ourselves before the Lord!
Here's a passage for your contemplation today. Read it with a bowed head and a bent knee, an attitude of surrender to Him. It has something to say to each of us - as citizens, as parents, as Christians, as friends, as individuals:
Even within the Christian church, among various groups holding differing doctrinal views there is a great capacity for arrogance.
Some who believe that God sovereignly orders all things openly doubt that those who believe in free will are even Christian!
Some who believe that Christ's sacrifice is within the reach of all who would choose to receive His grace by faith, are quick to deride those who believe that Jesus' saving grace is available only to the Elect.
Pentecostals proudly declare they are followers of the way of the "Full Gospel" seeming unaware that if their motto is true that means non-Pentecostals have a partial Gospel. Is there such a thing?
Others don't blink an eye as they declare that the King James Version of the Scripture is the only real Bible! What incredible arrogance for people who are speaking of eternal mysteries of which even the most erudite have only the most elementary grasp!
This past Sunday, Evangelical Christianity was treated to an egregious display of Christian religious hubris. It was called "Justice Sunday." (see http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=LH05D02) Church leaders joined forces with the Republican party to attempt to rally Christians to apply pressure to United States Senators in support for President Bush's nominees for the Federal bench. I agree that the President has a constitutional right to nominate whomever he pleases and that the Senate has the right to vote on those nominees in their role of 'advise and consent.' I also agree that some very qualified candidates for the Federal bench are being denied their vote by Senators who are intent on keeping abortion legal and furthering an agenda of homosexual rights. However, using high-blown rhetoric to inflame people, in God's name, to promote a political party's program, is nothing short of an exercise of power that is rooted in pride! I believe that exercises such as "Justice Sunday" give Jesus a bad name, and I think that the spirit of this kind of 'might makes right' event breaks His heart.
I wonder what long term results might have happened if instead of holding loud rallies designed around speeches to attract national media attention, our Christian leaders had called us to a day of fasting and to gather in our churches to sit in silent prayer? Might God have listened to our hearts and seen our tears and saved our children from this land's growing debauchery? Do you think Jesus' words when He said-- “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace." (Matthew 6:5-6, The Message)-- apply here?
Friend, are you humble?
The Word calls on us to humble ourselves before the Lord!
Here's a passage for your contemplation today. Read it with a bowed head and a bent knee, an attitude of surrender to Him. It has something to say to each of us - as citizens, as parents, as Christians, as friends, as individuals:
- "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;" (Philippians 2:5-12, NKJV)
________________________
Father, what wondrous things You have done for us,
giving us grace and love while we were undeserving.
In our time, Lord, we are rich and our wealth has made us proud.
Forgive us who bear Your Name before the the world for
adopting the practices of power, pride so common among the 'self-sufficient.'
Teach us to seek You, to trust You,
to serve You - humbly and consistently;
alike in times of exaltation and times of deep need.
Give us the mind of Jesus Christ by the inner work of the Spirit
and make us forgetful of ourselves,
content to be no more and no less than You call us to be;
willing to bear whatever burden You lay on us with patience.
Jesus Christ, be glorified in us today
as we practice humility that allows Your Light to shine through us
uneclipsed by our pride.
Amen.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Breathed by God
We live in what is often called "the Information Age." An torrent of words flow our way everyday from multiple sources. That you are reading this TFTD indicates you are 'wired,' a part of the most amazing information development in human history - the Internet. As a pastor I am able, by this medium, to influence the thoughts of people far beyond the physical location of the pulpit from which I speak on Sunday. TFTD is read by people in Italy, the Far East, Australia, and many of the 50 states of the USA. I don't write that to boast, but to illustrate a point. Many of those readers have no way to know what kind of person I am. They are unable to see the life context that shapes the messages that arrive in their computers each morning. The anonymous nature of the Internet demands a high level of discernment from us and requires that we have a safe standard to use in evaluating the content of the information we find there.
For the Believer the ultimate standard of Truth is the Holy Scripture. That said, I want to encourage you to be students of the Bible, to learn to love the Word of God and to read it for all it's worth. Paul encouraged Timothy to remember the value of the Scriptures - which at that time consisted of the Books of the Law and the writing of the Prophets. He wrote: "why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." (2 Timothy 3:15-17, The Message)
"God-breathed" is a curious construction, isn't it? In many translations the word is "inspired." But didn't men write the words of the Bible? Yes, of course they did. It didn't fall down from the sky written by angelic scribes! Peter tells us that these writers were "moved by the Spirit." They breathed the Breath of God and in their stories and words recorded His wisdom for us. To recognize the human means of receiving the Word does not, in any way, diminish its power in my life, but it does make it study a bit more complex.
For example, to fully understand Paul's teaching letters we need to know to whom he first wrote and why. Galatians, that wonderful letter about Christian freedom from religious regulations, was written to a church he had founded and that had fallen under the spell of false teachers who were stealing the richness of Christ's grace from them. We can feel Paul's passion still after 2000 years as he asks, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified." (Galatians 3:1, NIV)
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were inspired to write the Jesus story, but each gives us a distinct perspective. As we understand that Matthew wants us to see Jesus as the Jew's Messiah, that Mark wants us to know that He is the powerful Son of God, that Luke wants us to understand that He is the Son of Man, the Savior; and that John is intent on helping us to see that He is the unique God-Man, who brought Light and Life to a dark world; the Gospel becomes a multi-faceted diamond that reflects God's truth into our lives.
When we read the stories of the the patriarchs and of the Jewish people who were alternately faithful and faithless, we are able to trust God to meet us where we are and to lead us to Himself- generation after generation! Thousands of years of great stories from the Old Testament era help us to learn that while God uses individual people, His purposes survive fools and frauds.
The way that we commonly hear the Bible used may actually diminish our ability to understand it. We hear a snippet here and a proof text there, little lines taken from their rich context and turned into a kind of pithy proverb to make a point. Yes, it is the common way the Bible is read and preached and used - even here in TFTD. It is true that we can excerpt passages and study them, we may even quote a phrase to underscore a point, but the best way to let the Scripture become the Gift of Truth to us which God intends - is to read it with understanding of context, with grasp of the story line, and with deep love for the One whose Breath makes the Words alive! Hebrews reminds us that "the Word of God is living and active." As the Spirit lives in us and in the Word, a miracle of living Truth occurs. The letters of Paul, the Gospel stories, the prophets' raging sermons, the Psalms rich images- are not just some legal text which we dissect and systematize with footnotes and bullet points. Instead, we find God's voice speaking to us, "—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live."
Let me encourage you to read the Bible! Don't read it to 'get something' out of it. Don't go looking for a verse to prove your point, or a passage to support your latest twist of doctrine. Instead, read it with an open heart and discerning mind, as the story of God! Read it with a kind of wonder and a deep humility. You will find that God will use those ancient texts to create wisdom in you, to shape your life in a way that pleases Him, and that causes you to learn to love Him with your whole life.
Read it again- for the first time!
For the Believer the ultimate standard of Truth is the Holy Scripture. That said, I want to encourage you to be students of the Bible, to learn to love the Word of God and to read it for all it's worth. Paul encouraged Timothy to remember the value of the Scriptures - which at that time consisted of the Books of the Law and the writing of the Prophets. He wrote: "why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." (2 Timothy 3:15-17, The Message)
"God-breathed" is a curious construction, isn't it? In many translations the word is "inspired." But didn't men write the words of the Bible? Yes, of course they did. It didn't fall down from the sky written by angelic scribes! Peter tells us that these writers were "moved by the Spirit." They breathed the Breath of God and in their stories and words recorded His wisdom for us. To recognize the human means of receiving the Word does not, in any way, diminish its power in my life, but it does make it study a bit more complex.
For example, to fully understand Paul's teaching letters we need to know to whom he first wrote and why. Galatians, that wonderful letter about Christian freedom from religious regulations, was written to a church he had founded and that had fallen under the spell of false teachers who were stealing the richness of Christ's grace from them. We can feel Paul's passion still after 2000 years as he asks, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified." (Galatians 3:1, NIV)
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were inspired to write the Jesus story, but each gives us a distinct perspective. As we understand that Matthew wants us to see Jesus as the Jew's Messiah, that Mark wants us to know that He is the powerful Son of God, that Luke wants us to understand that He is the Son of Man, the Savior; and that John is intent on helping us to see that He is the unique God-Man, who brought Light and Life to a dark world; the Gospel becomes a multi-faceted diamond that reflects God's truth into our lives.
When we read the stories of the the patriarchs and of the Jewish people who were alternately faithful and faithless, we are able to trust God to meet us where we are and to lead us to Himself- generation after generation! Thousands of years of great stories from the Old Testament era help us to learn that while God uses individual people, His purposes survive fools and frauds.
The way that we commonly hear the Bible used may actually diminish our ability to understand it. We hear a snippet here and a proof text there, little lines taken from their rich context and turned into a kind of pithy proverb to make a point. Yes, it is the common way the Bible is read and preached and used - even here in TFTD. It is true that we can excerpt passages and study them, we may even quote a phrase to underscore a point, but the best way to let the Scripture become the Gift of Truth to us which God intends - is to read it with understanding of context, with grasp of the story line, and with deep love for the One whose Breath makes the Words alive! Hebrews reminds us that "the Word of God is living and active." As the Spirit lives in us and in the Word, a miracle of living Truth occurs. The letters of Paul, the Gospel stories, the prophets' raging sermons, the Psalms rich images- are not just some legal text which we dissect and systematize with footnotes and bullet points. Instead, we find God's voice speaking to us, "—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live."
Let me encourage you to read the Bible! Don't read it to 'get something' out of it. Don't go looking for a verse to prove your point, or a passage to support your latest twist of doctrine. Instead, read it with an open heart and discerning mind, as the story of God! Read it with a kind of wonder and a deep humility. You will find that God will use those ancient texts to create wisdom in you, to shape your life in a way that pleases Him, and that causes you to learn to love Him with your whole life.
Read it again- for the first time!
Monday, April 25, 2005
Watch how you swing that Sword!
Frank came by my office to drop off a pistol he was letting me use for target practice. After he left, I took the firearm in my hand to see how it balanced, raised it to eye level and pointed upwards towards the corner of my office. On impulse, I pulled the trigger. Bang! It actually fired! The concussion shook me, not just physically, but emotionally. I broke the first law of gun safety! I handled a deadly weapon without first checking the chamber for a round. I assumed, very wrongly, that Frank, an experienced gun owner, wouldn't transport the gun without making sure it was unloaded. Always check your deadly weapon before handling it! The lesson, learned 15 years ago, remains with me to this day. I've never picked up another gun without being certain about whether it is loaded and ready to fire. Thankfully, the result of my stupidity was nothing more serious than a small hole in the sheetrock near the ceiling and a very damaged pride.
In my way of thinking, there were absolutes - and it was my God-given responsibility to make sure that everybody knew what was right and what was wrong. If someone got hurt in the process, oh well... that was just the inevitable result of 'telling the Truth!' Today, I realize that would be like a police officer taking out his pistol at every traffic stop and firing off a few rounds, just for effect, unconcerned if somebody got hurt or killed. Police are armed for a purpose. On rare occasions they are allowed to use their weapon with deadly force, but every good officer dreads the day he would have to use that authority.
The Psalmist lauds the power of the Word to heal: "You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you. By the power of his own word, he healed you and saved you from destruction." (Psalm 107:19-20, CEV) Isn't that remarkable? God's Word is a healing word. Yes, the implications are far greater than just healing for our physical ills. He speaks to draw us back from danger, to guide us away from destruction, to bring wholeness into our lives.
The Word of God does cut deeply! "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NIV) The Word is like a surgeon's scalpel, cutting into us but for the purpose of excising from our hearts and minds those attitudes and ideas that are diseased and death-producing.
The Word is described as a Sword, an offensive weapon given to us for our protection! "Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17, NIV) The modern equivalent - the sidearm. Hence, my opening illustration.
Take this instruction with you today. Ask yourself if you are showing proper respect for the power of the Word, if you are a skilled user of the Sword of the Spirit.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV)
- Do you realize the power of the Bible, the power that the Scripture's Truth can wield?
Do you handle that Word with care and skill?
In my way of thinking, there were absolutes - and it was my God-given responsibility to make sure that everybody knew what was right and what was wrong. If someone got hurt in the process, oh well... that was just the inevitable result of 'telling the Truth!' Today, I realize that would be like a police officer taking out his pistol at every traffic stop and firing off a few rounds, just for effect, unconcerned if somebody got hurt or killed. Police are armed for a purpose. On rare occasions they are allowed to use their weapon with deadly force, but every good officer dreads the day he would have to use that authority.
The Psalmist lauds the power of the Word to heal: "You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you. By the power of his own word, he healed you and saved you from destruction." (Psalm 107:19-20, CEV) Isn't that remarkable? God's Word is a healing word. Yes, the implications are far greater than just healing for our physical ills. He speaks to draw us back from danger, to guide us away from destruction, to bring wholeness into our lives.
The Word of God does cut deeply! "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NIV) The Word is like a surgeon's scalpel, cutting into us but for the purpose of excising from our hearts and minds those attitudes and ideas that are diseased and death-producing.
The Word is described as a Sword, an offensive weapon given to us for our protection! "Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17, NIV) The modern equivalent - the sidearm. Hence, my opening illustration.
Take this instruction with you today. Ask yourself if you are showing proper respect for the power of the Word, if you are a skilled user of the Sword of the Spirit.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV)
Friday, April 22, 2005
Knowing and doing... keys to intimacy
Remember the days of dating? For some of us, it was a long, long time ago. When I met that special 'someone,' [who really understands the mixture of elements that makes her that 'someone,'] I wanted to get to know Bev better. That meant raising my level of commitment to her. We quickly moved from just being acquainted to seeing each other frequently, not dating anyone else that Summer of '74. We were 'going steady!' What do that call it now? Then, in the Fall, we became engaged, pledged to marry. Impatient as I was (and am!) we moved quickly to marriage in January, 1975, when I made an irrevocable pledge of faithful, singular love made to her as a covenant before God. Sustaining our intimacy has required absolute fidelity through the years and a willingness to consider her needs at least, if not more, important than my own. The glory is -- each stage brought new depth of relationship, new intimacy.
When we come to Christ, and begin to love Him, there is a similar pattern of escalating commitment. That commitment isn't just about saying the right words, either. Our professions of devotion must be accompanied by appropriate actions that demonstrate the veracity of our words. James asks us - what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. (James 2:14, NLT) He is not implying that our good deeds are done for the purpose of earning merit badges for our holy sash to show everybody what a great Christian we are! His point is that IF we are deeply committed, in faith, to being a follower of Christ Jesus, there will be an observable effect on our lives that extends beyond songs and prayers on Sunday morning. In chapter one, he admonishes us to be sincere about our obedience. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! (James 1:22, The Message)
That kind of commitment allows us to grow deeper in Christ. Both what we believe and how we live are intertwined in this thing called Christianity. We err seriously if we elevate either over the other. Too much emphasis on belief, on sound doctrine, and we will end up with ideas, theoretical doctrine, that float unattached to the day to day world in which we live. Too much emphasis on actions and we will end up with a list of religious rules as long as our arm, captives of our guilty consciences, and driven to miserable shame. We believe the brilliant Word- that Christ loves and saves us- that what is done is totally effective on our behalf to make us again the sons and daughters of God. And then, gratefully, we grow in commitment, letting the evidence of the Spirit's life show as we live joyfully in obedience to Him.
Intimacy in a marriage relationship can get 'stuck' when one spouse comes to a point where he or she is unwilling to surrender autonomy. He thinks, "She cannot own my Saturday mornings, and resists all her efforts to be a part of his weekend." Or he holds back a portion of his money to spend exclusively for his own pleasure, or she continues to have friends that he is not allowed to know ... and until the conflict or difference in understanding is resolved, their intimacy cannot grow. What marriage partners fail to grasp in that moment is that in surrender, they surely lose something, but they gain something of greater value than what they release! What can compare to a deep, loving, and intimate relationship with a spouse who serves you with her whole heart? She is released from fear that she will be diminished or taken advantage of when she sees you love her in a way that is costly, but true!
Similarly, we can become stuck, unable to grow in our Christ love. The Holy Spirit will not allow us to hold onto some little part of our life, as though it had nothing to do with the Lordship of Jesus. Our disobedience breaks the close loving fellowship with Him. He asks us to love Him totally! That 'totally' grows over time. Frightening thought to you? Don't let it be. Yes, serving Him means that we lose ourselves -- but what we gain is of such worth that what we lose is inconsiderable!
Here's a word from the Word to take with you today... "you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:20, NIV)
When we come to Christ, and begin to love Him, there is a similar pattern of escalating commitment. That commitment isn't just about saying the right words, either. Our professions of devotion must be accompanied by appropriate actions that demonstrate the veracity of our words. James asks us - what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. (James 2:14, NLT) He is not implying that our good deeds are done for the purpose of earning merit badges for our holy sash to show everybody what a great Christian we are! His point is that IF we are deeply committed, in faith, to being a follower of Christ Jesus, there will be an observable effect on our lives that extends beyond songs and prayers on Sunday morning. In chapter one, he admonishes us to be sincere about our obedience. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! (James 1:22, The Message)
That kind of commitment allows us to grow deeper in Christ. Both what we believe and how we live are intertwined in this thing called Christianity. We err seriously if we elevate either over the other. Too much emphasis on belief, on sound doctrine, and we will end up with ideas, theoretical doctrine, that float unattached to the day to day world in which we live. Too much emphasis on actions and we will end up with a list of religious rules as long as our arm, captives of our guilty consciences, and driven to miserable shame. We believe the brilliant Word- that Christ loves and saves us- that what is done is totally effective on our behalf to make us again the sons and daughters of God. And then, gratefully, we grow in commitment, letting the evidence of the Spirit's life show as we live joyfully in obedience to Him.
Intimacy in a marriage relationship can get 'stuck' when one spouse comes to a point where he or she is unwilling to surrender autonomy. He thinks, "She cannot own my Saturday mornings, and resists all her efforts to be a part of his weekend." Or he holds back a portion of his money to spend exclusively for his own pleasure, or she continues to have friends that he is not allowed to know ... and until the conflict or difference in understanding is resolved, their intimacy cannot grow. What marriage partners fail to grasp in that moment is that in surrender, they surely lose something, but they gain something of greater value than what they release! What can compare to a deep, loving, and intimate relationship with a spouse who serves you with her whole heart? She is released from fear that she will be diminished or taken advantage of when she sees you love her in a way that is costly, but true!
Similarly, we can become stuck, unable to grow in our Christ love. The Holy Spirit will not allow us to hold onto some little part of our life, as though it had nothing to do with the Lordship of Jesus. Our disobedience breaks the close loving fellowship with Him. He asks us to love Him totally! That 'totally' grows over time. Frightening thought to you? Don't let it be. Yes, serving Him means that we lose ourselves -- but what we gain is of such worth that what we lose is inconsiderable!
Here's a word from the Word to take with you today... "you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:20, NIV)
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Legacy
Standing on a ridge west of Gettysburg, PA last night, I looked thoughtfully across the valley that stretched out in front of me trying to imagine the thunder of cannon, the crack of rifles, the yells of colonels on horseback, the screams of the wounded and dying. All around me there were monuments (about 1,000!) to the men who had fought on these Pennsylvania fields - obelisks carved with names of military units, bronze bas relief scenes. The horror of the 3 day battle that raged here on the first three days of July, 1863 is simply beyond my imagination. When the battle ended, there were 51,000 casualties, 1/3 of those who were sent into the battles were killed or wounded! For the men who survived the carnage, what happened here never faded from memory all the rest of their days. They were determined that no one should forget, so they came back again and again in the four decades that closed the nineteenth century, building monuments to stand as silent sentinels so we would not forget the blood that spilled here.
But it is not stone and bronze that is their greatest memorial. President Lincoln's 2 minute long speech, the amazing 'Gettysburg Address,' points to the true legacy of the men who battled here: "we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." That these United States of America still continue to offer freedom and prosperity to millions as the world's greatest democracy is the most enduring monument!
What will be the legacy of the battles you fight?
What monuments will give testament to your life 50 years from this day?
For those who live only for creature comforts, to accumulate possessions, or to create a fiefdom over which they can be a petty lord- the only monument will likely be a stone in a cemetery! But for those who live with passion, who love deeply, who pray and serve - there will be changed lives that are 'living stones.' By way of illustration, let me mention my grandfather now long gone from this earth. The money he made was spent years ago, the land he owned has all been divided and sold. But Walter Scott's lasting legacy are the lives of men and women who are now lived in the shadow of the Throne of God. His conversion to Christ and his leadership of his family in a way that pointed to Eternity has an effect that continues to exercise influence decades after his death.
Live in faith! Pray that God will give you a powerful vision for your life that will draw you on to greater exploits, but not for self aggrandizement, but for His honor.
Here's a word from the Word for this day: "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise.
Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren. Abraham believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to have any children—a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them." (Hebrews 11:8-12, NLT)
Let's keep the legacy in mind!
_____________________________________
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.
O 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.
O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful.
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 thru godly lives.
After all our hopes and dreams
Have come and gone,
And our children sift thru 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.
© 1987 Jonathan Mark Music ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management / Birdwing Music (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI License No. 810055
But it is not stone and bronze that is their greatest memorial. President Lincoln's 2 minute long speech, the amazing 'Gettysburg Address,' points to the true legacy of the men who battled here: "we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." That these United States of America still continue to offer freedom and prosperity to millions as the world's greatest democracy is the most enduring monument!
What will be the legacy of the battles you fight?
What monuments will give testament to your life 50 years from this day?
For those who live only for creature comforts, to accumulate possessions, or to create a fiefdom over which they can be a petty lord- the only monument will likely be a stone in a cemetery! But for those who live with passion, who love deeply, who pray and serve - there will be changed lives that are 'living stones.' By way of illustration, let me mention my grandfather now long gone from this earth. The money he made was spent years ago, the land he owned has all been divided and sold. But Walter Scott's lasting legacy are the lives of men and women who are now lived in the shadow of the Throne of God. His conversion to Christ and his leadership of his family in a way that pointed to Eternity has an effect that continues to exercise influence decades after his death.
Live in faith! Pray that God will give you a powerful vision for your life that will draw you on to greater exploits, but not for self aggrandizement, but for His honor.
Here's a word from the Word for this day: "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise.
Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren. Abraham believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to have any children—a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them." (Hebrews 11:8-12, NLT)
Let's keep the legacy in mind!
_____________________________________
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.
O 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.
O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful.
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 thru godly lives.
After all our hopes and dreams
Have come and gone,
And our children sift thru 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.
© 1987 Jonathan Mark Music ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management / Birdwing Music (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Wrestling...
The team that directs our Christian school sat around a table last night and wrestled with the budget numbers for the coming fiscal year; working to reconcile the vision with the available resources! It is not a simple task to discern what is mission critical and what is not, to know what God would have us trust Him to provide and yet to be responsible as stewards of a vital ministry. I was made glad by the efforts of the group, who dealt with tough issues in a godly, faithful, and ultimately hopeful way - as Christians should. This ministry will be stronger because several people are willing to wrestle with these things to clarify the purpose and methods.
We all have to wrestle with tough issues, with difficult decisions- don't we? Life is often an uphill climb for those who want to be better, build bigger, grow deeper!
Close-knit families don't just happen, they are created and maintained with hard work.
Good character is developed as we fight our way through the thicket of self-indulgence and resist the seductions of the 'broad way that leads to destruction.'
Skills and spiritual gifts are honed for maximum effectiveness through prolonged study and/or practice.
Fit bodies are made by sustained discipline of exercise and careful choices in our diet.
Don't be discouraged by the struggles of life! Don't think you're doing something wrong because you're in a wrestling match with sin, self, or Satan! It may be the very means that God is using to develop you into a champion for His purposes. Jacob, whose story we read in Genesis, spent a night wrestling with the Lord. It is a story with cryptic details, yet the larger message comes through clearly-- Only as we are willing to wrestle with those situations that God allows to come our way can we develop into the person God wants us to be!
Here's how it's told: "...during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. When the man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket.
Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is dawn.” But Jacob panted, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won.”
“What is your name?” Jacob asked him. “Why do you ask?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. Jacob named the place Peniel—“face of God”—for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” (Genesis 32:22-30, NLT)
A new name signified a new man! Jacob, the Liar (as his name meant) became Israel, the man who wrestled with God!
Those struggles that are making you wrestle with faith, that cause you to question God's plans and purposes, that make you groan in prayer, that drive you to seek out the wisdom of the Word are not a bad thing. God can use them to mold you into a person worthy of His high calling IF you'll wrestle and not quit!
Here's a word to take with you today:
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. (Ephesians 6:13, The Message)
We all have to wrestle with tough issues, with difficult decisions- don't we? Life is often an uphill climb for those who want to be better, build bigger, grow deeper!
Close-knit families don't just happen, they are created and maintained with hard work.
Good character is developed as we fight our way through the thicket of self-indulgence and resist the seductions of the 'broad way that leads to destruction.'
Skills and spiritual gifts are honed for maximum effectiveness through prolonged study and/or practice.
Fit bodies are made by sustained discipline of exercise and careful choices in our diet.
Don't be discouraged by the struggles of life! Don't think you're doing something wrong because you're in a wrestling match with sin, self, or Satan! It may be the very means that God is using to develop you into a champion for His purposes. Jacob, whose story we read in Genesis, spent a night wrestling with the Lord. It is a story with cryptic details, yet the larger message comes through clearly-- Only as we are willing to wrestle with those situations that God allows to come our way can we develop into the person God wants us to be!
Here's how it's told: "...during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. When the man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket.
Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is dawn.” But Jacob panted, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won.”
“What is your name?” Jacob asked him. “Why do you ask?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. Jacob named the place Peniel—“face of God”—for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” (Genesis 32:22-30, NLT)
A new name signified a new man! Jacob, the Liar (as his name meant) became Israel, the man who wrestled with God!
Those struggles that are making you wrestle with faith, that cause you to question God's plans and purposes, that make you groan in prayer, that drive you to seek out the wisdom of the Word are not a bad thing. God can use them to mold you into a person worthy of His high calling IF you'll wrestle and not quit!
Here's a word to take with you today:
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. (Ephesians 6:13, The Message)
Monday, April 18, 2005
Living a Transcendent Life
One of the more amazing technologies available to us today is GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System. Using signals from satellites, handheld devices enable a person to locate his place almost anywhere on the planet within a 6 ' square. Directional systems that combine GPS signals with computer programming can create driving directions as a person is on the move at 70 mph! Pilots of airplanes and watercraft not only can track their course with GPS, they can also determine actual ground speed with complete accuracy. In this morning's newspaper I read that a new hobby, a kind of high tech treasure hunt, is based around GPS. Small boxes are placed in parks or along hiking trails. Inexpensive items are put in the boxes and the location of the boxes are published on the Internet. Hobbyists, using their GPS devices, find the boxes, take an item, and leave something for the next trekker! Fun, eh?
Let me ask you some pointed questions today.
Let me ask you some pointed questions today.
- Where are the reference points from which you gain direction and purpose for life?
How do you determine where you are spiritually, if you're growing in character, and what your ultimate destination is?
In a course that Bev and I are teaching about developing Boundaries with Kids, Dr. Henry Cloud writes about the importance of parenting for character development. Children, he asserts, need to be 'oriented to transcendence,' meaning that we teach our children (hopefully from our own experience!) to seek their guidance, purpose, and meaning in life from a transcendent God, rather than from the material and temporal world. If we learn to tune our spiritual receivers to the beacon of the Holy Spirit, we gain, in Dr. Cloud's words, "the ability to transcend life, problems, our own limitations and mistakes, and even other people's sins against us. People who transcend self go beyond their own existence to the reality of God and live by virtues they hold more important than their own immediate happiness." That's heavy stuff, and a foreign concept for most minds, especially in our culture which is so powerfully captivated by materialism and sensuality.
We have only to read the headlines to see where our loss of reference to God and His will is taking us. From what roots did the Enron and WorldCom scandals come? From a philosophy that said that the ultimate good in the corporate world was producing profits, regardless of the methods used. Executives felt that they could justify any decisions, as long as they made the money flow increase. Their lack of integrity and greed combined to rot away the foundations of their companies which collapsed with terrible consequences for thousands of employees and share-holders.
It seems to be that sex crimes are on the increase. Some say that is only because more are being reported, but I think differently. I believe in time what is now just an intuitive guess will be confirmed. What is that guess? That our our reduction of the human race to the status of highly evolved animals rather than precious creations of a loving God has released many among us to express their basest predatory impulses. Where once even our sexuality was expressed within boundaries given us by God, now we are taught that sex is just an appetite to be satisfied. Without transcendent values, all kinds of sexual practices are made legitimate; including homosexual practice, rampant promiscuity, and prostitution. We are reaping the consequences of our worldview!
The Word teaches us that God has given us an internal spiritual GPS, a way of fixing our reference point for guidance outside of ourselves. Take a look...
"The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live." (Romans 8:11-13, NLT)
We need to invite Christ to 'turn on' the receiver that God built into our being so that we are able to tune into the Spirit's leading. Invite Jesus to make you fully alive! That will allow you to 'hear what the Spirit is saying,' to live a transcendent life. In this you will find a noble life, and more importantly, a life that ends here on earth with an arrival at the gate of Heaven, where a rich reward awaits the faithful!
Here's a word from the Word to take with you today....
"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:18-21, NIV)
Friday, April 15, 2005
Words- what power!
I heard two kinds of speech yesterday. In a memorial service, I heard words that were healing, hopeful, encouraging, and life-giving. Friends and family members told their stories about a humble man who loved the Lord and who showed his love for them in ordinary, yet wonderful, ways. As our tears fell together, healing for sorrowful hearts began. With just words, vivid pictures were painted in our minds of a man nick-named "Tiny" who would be better remembered as a giant for his willingness to do whatever was necessary to get the job done.
In a different setting, I overheard thoughtless words that cut deep. They weren't even about me, but they hurt me in their casual cruelty. Two people were discussing another's 'failure.' "If it were me, I know I would... Can you imagine not doing... It's just a shame..." I was saddened that the comments made by two professed Christians were so graceless. Since I know that the person they were discussing is going through an incredibly difficult time of life, I also knew that even if the lapses they asserted were true, there would ample reasons to extend understanding and grace. But their words revealed that they were absorbed by their own concerns to the extent that they could not empathize with the needs of the one they were destroying in their conversation.
James challenges us to remember the power of our words. He writes:
"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on." (James 3:5-10, The Message).
It is true! Our tongues are wild, untamable things. Changing what we say on our own is impossible. Why? Because our speech reveals our heart, our deepest values and most private thoughts will eventually bubble to the surface if we babble on long enough. No one can make his heart new by his own efforts. If we are self-absorbed, insecure, or mean; it will always show up in our conversations.
That is why we need Jesus! He is a heart specialist. When His grace and love full into us and when we cultivate a day to day intimacy with the Holy Spirit, we are changed- from the inside out! I love the down-home illustration that our Lord used to make this point. “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces. Figs never grow on thornbushes or grapes on bramble bushes. A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say. (Luke 6:43-45, NLT) What fruit will others pick from your conversations today?
Listen to your words. Do they lift others up or tear them down? Do they encourage or take away hope? If you need to be honest about another's sin or failings, do your words reflect a gentleness that helps that person aspire to do better or are they crushing and judgmental?
Need to tame that tongue? Then get with Jesus and pray for a changed heart. Ask Him to wash out bitterness, envy, cynicism, unforgiveness, even hatred - replacing those evil fruits with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and good.
Use that gift of speech to bless others and to cause those around you to thank God for His grace, expressed through YOU!
____________________________
In a different setting, I overheard thoughtless words that cut deep. They weren't even about me, but they hurt me in their casual cruelty. Two people were discussing another's 'failure.' "If it were me, I know I would... Can you imagine not doing... It's just a shame..." I was saddened that the comments made by two professed Christians were so graceless. Since I know that the person they were discussing is going through an incredibly difficult time of life, I also knew that even if the lapses they asserted were true, there would ample reasons to extend understanding and grace. But their words revealed that they were absorbed by their own concerns to the extent that they could not empathize with the needs of the one they were destroying in their conversation.
James challenges us to remember the power of our words. He writes:
"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on." (James 3:5-10, The Message).
It is true! Our tongues are wild, untamable things. Changing what we say on our own is impossible. Why? Because our speech reveals our heart, our deepest values and most private thoughts will eventually bubble to the surface if we babble on long enough. No one can make his heart new by his own efforts. If we are self-absorbed, insecure, or mean; it will always show up in our conversations.
That is why we need Jesus! He is a heart specialist. When His grace and love full into us and when we cultivate a day to day intimacy with the Holy Spirit, we are changed- from the inside out! I love the down-home illustration that our Lord used to make this point. “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces. Figs never grow on thornbushes or grapes on bramble bushes. A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say. (Luke 6:43-45, NLT) What fruit will others pick from your conversations today?
Listen to your words. Do they lift others up or tear them down? Do they encourage or take away hope? If you need to be honest about another's sin or failings, do your words reflect a gentleness that helps that person aspire to do better or are they crushing and judgmental?
Need to tame that tongue? Then get with Jesus and pray for a changed heart. Ask Him to wash out bitterness, envy, cynicism, unforgiveness, even hatred - replacing those evil fruits with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and good.
Use that gift of speech to bless others and to cause those around you to thank God for His grace, expressed through YOU!
____________________________
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Overflowing with grace?
Holding the magazine sweepstakes envelope with the promise of $10 million winnings trumpeted on it, I got lost for a few moments in a daydream. I saw myself buying this person a car, paying off that person's school loans, helping another get a business started, providing funds to a struggling ministry... it was fun, but fantasy! Then the Holy Spirit brought to mind a line from a story in the book of Acts- "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee." (Acts 3:6, KJV) I felt the challenge in my spirit- "Jerry, what are you doing with what I have given you, with the abundant spiritual wealth that is yours?"
Peter and John were going into the Temple to pray at 3 in the afternoon when a beggar called out to them for money. The man had been in that spot near the gate for years, crippled and dependent on the kindness of those who passed by. "Help me, show some kindness!" he yelled, holding out his hand pathetically. Peter stopped; looked right at him and said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." (Acts 3:6, KJV) The crippled man "stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." (Acts 3:8, KJV)
You and I may not have access to great sums of money to bless others, but we have been given amazing grace, infinite love, abundant mercy, astonishing kindness... need I go on? People need to be gifted with those things, more than money! But a generous spirit is not a first impulse for most of us. It is the result of a transformational work of the Spirit in us. Naturally we tend to think about caring for ourselves; making certain that we have secured our place, our future, provision for our perceived needs.
Want to gauge your level of generosity? Start with the practical stuff of life! Think about how you tip those who provide services to you. Do you carefully calculate 15% or throw in an extra couple of dollars? When you write out your tithe (10% for God's work) do you divide it down to the penny, or do you round it up with joy? When you're in line do you carefully guard your position or quickly let the guy with a couple of items cut in front of you? Are you impatient with drivers who go too slowly in your lane, or cheerfully share the road?
When we possess the riches of God, not just in word but in our hearts, we are freed from the need to grasp tightly what we perceive belongs to us. We will gain a liberal heart, a generous spirit that overflows. We will take notice of the hurts, the sorrows, the pain of those around us and give them from the store of love that we have received from the Lord. We will readily absorb the insensitivities and insecurities that cause others to slight us without the least care because we are so rich in the Father's love!
The Word observes the principle of reciprocity -
"It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:24-25, NLT) Jesus states it simply -
"Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”" (Luke 6:38, The Message)
For a few moments, right now, thank God for the riches you have been given in Christ Jesus. Meditate on this statement: "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)
Then, go-- and give it away! Have fun blessing people with love, kindness, mercy, goodness - from the rich storehouse to which God has given you the key!
__________________
Lavish love abundant beauty
Gracious gifts for heart and hand
Life that fills the soul and senses
All burst forth at Your command.
Lord, our Lord, Eternal Father
Great Creator, God and Friend
Boundless power gave full expression
To Your love which knows no end.
Who am I that You should love me
Meet my every need from birth?
Why invest Yourself so fully
In a creature made of earth?
In Your loving heart You planned me
Fashioned me with greatest care;
Through my soul You breathed Your Spirit
Planted Your own image there.
I am Yours, Eternal Father
All my body, mind and heart.
Take and use me to Your glory
Form Yourself in every part.
Lord, Your love brings joy and gladness
Flowing forth within my soul.
May my very breath and being
Rise to You, their source and goal.
© 1986 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Peter and John were going into the Temple to pray at 3 in the afternoon when a beggar called out to them for money. The man had been in that spot near the gate for years, crippled and dependent on the kindness of those who passed by. "Help me, show some kindness!" he yelled, holding out his hand pathetically. Peter stopped; looked right at him and said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." (Acts 3:6, KJV) The crippled man "stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." (Acts 3:8, KJV)
You and I may not have access to great sums of money to bless others, but we have been given amazing grace, infinite love, abundant mercy, astonishing kindness... need I go on? People need to be gifted with those things, more than money! But a generous spirit is not a first impulse for most of us. It is the result of a transformational work of the Spirit in us. Naturally we tend to think about caring for ourselves; making certain that we have secured our place, our future, provision for our perceived needs.
Want to gauge your level of generosity? Start with the practical stuff of life! Think about how you tip those who provide services to you. Do you carefully calculate 15% or throw in an extra couple of dollars? When you write out your tithe (10% for God's work) do you divide it down to the penny, or do you round it up with joy? When you're in line do you carefully guard your position or quickly let the guy with a couple of items cut in front of you? Are you impatient with drivers who go too slowly in your lane, or cheerfully share the road?
When we possess the riches of God, not just in word but in our hearts, we are freed from the need to grasp tightly what we perceive belongs to us. We will gain a liberal heart, a generous spirit that overflows. We will take notice of the hurts, the sorrows, the pain of those around us and give them from the store of love that we have received from the Lord. We will readily absorb the insensitivities and insecurities that cause others to slight us without the least care because we are so rich in the Father's love!
The Word observes the principle of reciprocity -
"It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:24-25, NLT) Jesus states it simply -
"Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”" (Luke 6:38, The Message)
For a few moments, right now, thank God for the riches you have been given in Christ Jesus. Meditate on this statement: "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)
Then, go-- and give it away! Have fun blessing people with love, kindness, mercy, goodness - from the rich storehouse to which God has given you the key!
__________________
Lavish love abundant beauty
Gracious gifts for heart and hand
Life that fills the soul and senses
All burst forth at Your command.
Lord, our Lord, Eternal Father
Great Creator, God and Friend
Boundless power gave full expression
To Your love which knows no end.
Who am I that You should love me
Meet my every need from birth?
Why invest Yourself so fully
In a creature made of earth?
In Your loving heart You planned me
Fashioned me with greatest care;
Through my soul You breathed Your Spirit
Planted Your own image there.
I am Yours, Eternal Father
All my body, mind and heart.
Take and use me to Your glory
Form Yourself in every part.
Lord, Your love brings joy and gladness
Flowing forth within my soul.
May my very breath and being
Rise to You, their source and goal.
© 1986 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
The least of these
Last night, an organization called Family Promise used our fellowship hall to present an opportunity for ministry to the homeless in our county. Over 60 local churches were invited to attend. About 30 persons actually showed up, representing just 9 different congregations! I guess I should be thankful for that, but in truth, I am saddened by it. There were exactly 2 pastors present. I wonder how many congregations would have found a representative to attend if the meeting were about a program that promised to bring 10 new familiese into their sanctuaries this year, and to add 15% to their income stream? Compassion, genuine caring for those in need- that's the mark of the Church, the proof of a real experience of Christ's life in the Believer. Well, it used to be- before we became obsessed with getting ourselves religiously comfortable and creating programs that are attractive to those people who are emotionally together, physically clean, and able to make a regular contribution in the offering.
Imagine the difference that Christian churches could make in this community if they actually did Christ-like things! But most churches spend almost 100% of their time, energy, and volunteer resources serving those within the walls, Christians comforting Christians! We claim we have no time to minister to the homeless, conduct a nursing home service, commit to a regular prison ministry, build a pantry to feed the hungry, provide mentoring to a fatherless boy, or take time to teach a young woman the skills she needs to support her baby. And we don't, because we have to keep the people happy who want climate controlled buildings, lavish youth programs, scintillating Christian education ministries, and well produced worship services.
I just wonder if our kids would be more convinced about the reality of Christianity if, in addition to teaching them doctrine in nicely decorated rooms with expensive, colorful literature that they discard before they reach home- we took them to do yard work or to read to a lonely elderly person, had a homeless ministry where they could play with poor kids and help to make dinner for them, or provided them opportunities to do other kinds of self-sacrificial service? Maybe they would learn what too many of us have forgotten... that faith without works is dead!
I have to give my parents some credit here. Every Sunday, when I was growing up, we got dragged to a nursing home to sing, talk, and love the people there. I hated it! While other kids got to play sports, I had to sit in an ugly basement chapel at Garden Nursing Home. I was deprived, or was I? Many of the residents smelled badly, tried to kiss me, and wanted me to sit by them so they could hold my hand. That's not cool when you're 12! But I learned to love outside of my comfort zone and, over time, learned that I was loving Jesus when I cared for those who were forgotten, lonely, and 'marginalized' by society. (I didn't realize my parents were conducting Sunday School in a with 'hands on' curriculum before that term was in vogue!) Then too, my parents were active in loving the needy all the time, not just on Sunday. Our house always had somebody in it that was in recovery, homeless, or otherwise in need. I thought that was just what Christians did. Later I learned that the majority of Christians talked about such caring and then paid for somebody else to do it, earning a tax deduction at the same time. That way they could 'love the needy' without getting their hands dirty.
Jesus told a story about the Judgment, when we stand before God. Interestingly, He doesn't say we will recite the Westminster Confession or the Apostle's Creed to receive the Father's commendation! In fact He doesn't mention that we earned a nearly perfect attendance record for Sunday worship gatherings or that we built a great building that was architecturally interesting. You know that, right? Here's what He does say: "Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’" (Matthew 25:34-36, NLT)
But how can we do those things for Jesus? Where is He hungry, or needy, or an alien in need of shelter? That's what those at the Judgment asked, too. And here's how Jesus replies: “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" (Matthew 25:37-40, NLT)
I am crying at this moment as I think about how little of the money that is collected, in the name of doing God's work, from my congregation actually feeds the hungry, serves the poor, or shelters the alien. I'm not crying with joy, but with shameful sorrow. What will I tell Jesus when I stand there? How will I explain the way the churches I shepherded in His name squandered the opportunities for ministry that existed all around us? I can only groan, "God, forgive us. Help us to please you by opening our eyes and our hearts to Jesus where He lives among us. Amen."
Imagine the difference that Christian churches could make in this community if they actually did Christ-like things! But most churches spend almost 100% of their time, energy, and volunteer resources serving those within the walls, Christians comforting Christians! We claim we have no time to minister to the homeless, conduct a nursing home service, commit to a regular prison ministry, build a pantry to feed the hungry, provide mentoring to a fatherless boy, or take time to teach a young woman the skills she needs to support her baby. And we don't, because we have to keep the people happy who want climate controlled buildings, lavish youth programs, scintillating Christian education ministries, and well produced worship services.
I just wonder if our kids would be more convinced about the reality of Christianity if, in addition to teaching them doctrine in nicely decorated rooms with expensive, colorful literature that they discard before they reach home- we took them to do yard work or to read to a lonely elderly person, had a homeless ministry where they could play with poor kids and help to make dinner for them, or provided them opportunities to do other kinds of self-sacrificial service? Maybe they would learn what too many of us have forgotten... that faith without works is dead!
I have to give my parents some credit here. Every Sunday, when I was growing up, we got dragged to a nursing home to sing, talk, and love the people there. I hated it! While other kids got to play sports, I had to sit in an ugly basement chapel at Garden Nursing Home. I was deprived, or was I? Many of the residents smelled badly, tried to kiss me, and wanted me to sit by them so they could hold my hand. That's not cool when you're 12! But I learned to love outside of my comfort zone and, over time, learned that I was loving Jesus when I cared for those who were forgotten, lonely, and 'marginalized' by society. (I didn't realize my parents were conducting Sunday School in a with 'hands on' curriculum before that term was in vogue!) Then too, my parents were active in loving the needy all the time, not just on Sunday. Our house always had somebody in it that was in recovery, homeless, or otherwise in need. I thought that was just what Christians did. Later I learned that the majority of Christians talked about such caring and then paid for somebody else to do it, earning a tax deduction at the same time. That way they could 'love the needy' without getting their hands dirty.
Jesus told a story about the Judgment, when we stand before God. Interestingly, He doesn't say we will recite the Westminster Confession or the Apostle's Creed to receive the Father's commendation! In fact He doesn't mention that we earned a nearly perfect attendance record for Sunday worship gatherings or that we built a great building that was architecturally interesting. You know that, right? Here's what He does say: "Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’" (Matthew 25:34-36, NLT)
But how can we do those things for Jesus? Where is He hungry, or needy, or an alien in need of shelter? That's what those at the Judgment asked, too. And here's how Jesus replies: “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" (Matthew 25:37-40, NLT)
I am crying at this moment as I think about how little of the money that is collected, in the name of doing God's work, from my congregation actually feeds the hungry, serves the poor, or shelters the alien. I'm not crying with joy, but with shameful sorrow. What will I tell Jesus when I stand there? How will I explain the way the churches I shepherded in His name squandered the opportunities for ministry that existed all around us? I can only groan, "God, forgive us. Help us to please you by opening our eyes and our hearts to Jesus where He lives among us. Amen."
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Encourage
Bob paid tribute to his circle of friends telling them that they added so much to his life. "You," he said to the little circle of people at his 41st birthday party, "have helped me and encouraged me." There was real emotion in his voice as he thanked us. It made me ask myself - "On the whole, am I a giver or a taker, a critic or an encourager?" Life is full of critics who are quick to take note when our work is less than stellar, when we sin or fail, when we are not who they expect us to be. The little lights in all that darkness are those precious few who see the good, send the 'thank you' note, who believe in us and help us to achieve more than we would if left to ourselves.
Several years ago, at a time when I was experiencing some real inner doubts about my effectiveness as a pastor, there was a Pastor Appreciation Day in our church. People were given the opportunity to write a note of thanks and the bundle was presented to me along with gifts. The gifts were nice, but the notes were like water poured on a parched plant. As I sat and read through them, some scrawled in childish handwriting, others written in flowing prose - I just wept! God used the kind words of several dozen people in that congregation to tell me, "Jerry, I can use even you to accomplish My work in this world. You're making a difference." I kept that little bundle of encouragement around for a long time and when I was feeling low, would read some of them again. They were like medicine for my soul.
The Bible tells us that as Believers we need to keep meeting together, and we should"encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25, NIV) In another passage, we are told pointedly- "If your gift is to encourage others, do it!... And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." (Romans 12:8, NLT)
Watch out for flattery which is defined as 'excessive or insincere praise.' Some will 'encourage' you but for their own purpose or gain. They will fill your ear with words that are ultimately manipulative. If we are in need of affirmation, we will be tempted to believe those flattering words and, in the end, will be hurt when we figure out we were used. I'm sure everyone of us can think of a time when we let somebody 'sweet talk' us into doing something or being somebody that we really were not. Proverbs, that treasure trove of practical wisdom, calls flattery a "a net for his feet." (29:5, NIV) It trips us up!
The story of David, who rose from a country shepherd boy, the least in his family, to become a great king, had people who encouraged him along the way. He was greatly gifted, had a deep faith and loads of courage, yet he needed people who spurred him on to greatness! As a young man, Jonathan was a key person whose encouragement helped David get through some awful times in the palace. Later on in his life he gathered several men around him that the Bible calls "David's mighty men." Isn't that rich? These guys believed in him and served alongside of him in the campaigns he waged for Israel's safety. During his reign there were others who advised and encouraged him. What would he have been without these people? Only God knows.
Be an encourager today!
You have a choice today as you deal with others- to dwell on the disappointments or to think on the good things. If you focus on those moments when you're needs and desires have been unmet, you will become a bitter, cynical critic who sucks the life out of every situation and relationship. If you seek the good, you will be an encourager, and, the encouragement you give will, in the end, come 'round to you again!
"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." (Philippians 4:8, The Message) _______________________________________
Lord God, the world teaches me to be a critic.
The talk show hosts, the movie critics, the political pundits, and even some preachers, fill the world with angry words, hurtful words, negative words.
Lord, their attitude sticks to me and makes me critical, too.
I pray that you would do a work in my heart and mind.
Help me to see the best, to choose to forget myself, and to lift up somebody today who needs to be encouraged.
Make me a bright light of hope in a dark world of despair, a source of refreshing words that bring life to the dry desert of someone's life.
As you have loved me, help me to love others, for Jesus' sake.
In His holy name I pray. Amen.
Several years ago, at a time when I was experiencing some real inner doubts about my effectiveness as a pastor, there was a Pastor Appreciation Day in our church. People were given the opportunity to write a note of thanks and the bundle was presented to me along with gifts. The gifts were nice, but the notes were like water poured on a parched plant. As I sat and read through them, some scrawled in childish handwriting, others written in flowing prose - I just wept! God used the kind words of several dozen people in that congregation to tell me, "Jerry, I can use even you to accomplish My work in this world. You're making a difference." I kept that little bundle of encouragement around for a long time and when I was feeling low, would read some of them again. They were like medicine for my soul.
The Bible tells us that as Believers we need to keep meeting together, and we should"encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25, NIV) In another passage, we are told pointedly- "If your gift is to encourage others, do it!... And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." (Romans 12:8, NLT)
Watch out for flattery which is defined as 'excessive or insincere praise.' Some will 'encourage' you but for their own purpose or gain. They will fill your ear with words that are ultimately manipulative. If we are in need of affirmation, we will be tempted to believe those flattering words and, in the end, will be hurt when we figure out we were used. I'm sure everyone of us can think of a time when we let somebody 'sweet talk' us into doing something or being somebody that we really were not. Proverbs, that treasure trove of practical wisdom, calls flattery a "a net for his feet." (29:5, NIV) It trips us up!
The story of David, who rose from a country shepherd boy, the least in his family, to become a great king, had people who encouraged him along the way. He was greatly gifted, had a deep faith and loads of courage, yet he needed people who spurred him on to greatness! As a young man, Jonathan was a key person whose encouragement helped David get through some awful times in the palace. Later on in his life he gathered several men around him that the Bible calls "David's mighty men." Isn't that rich? These guys believed in him and served alongside of him in the campaigns he waged for Israel's safety. During his reign there were others who advised and encouraged him. What would he have been without these people? Only God knows.
Be an encourager today!
- Don't flatter, but give praise.
- Take note of those who are often 'invisible' to the world, make eye contact, and say a sincere 'thank you.'
- If you know of someone who is struggling to keep their head above water - give them a call and pray with them, briefly and sincerely, for God's strength for this day.
- Has someone helped you make it through a hard time that is due a note? Then, tell them TODAY!
You have a choice today as you deal with others- to dwell on the disappointments or to think on the good things. If you focus on those moments when you're needs and desires have been unmet, you will become a bitter, cynical critic who sucks the life out of every situation and relationship. If you seek the good, you will be an encourager, and, the encouragement you give will, in the end, come 'round to you again!
"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." (Philippians 4:8, The Message) _______________________________________
Lord God, the world teaches me to be a critic.
The talk show hosts, the movie critics, the political pundits, and even some preachers, fill the world with angry words, hurtful words, negative words.
Lord, their attitude sticks to me and makes me critical, too.
I pray that you would do a work in my heart and mind.
Help me to see the best, to choose to forget myself, and to lift up somebody today who needs to be encouraged.
Make me a bright light of hope in a dark world of despair, a source of refreshing words that bring life to the dry desert of someone's life.
As you have loved me, help me to love others, for Jesus' sake.
In His holy name I pray. Amen.
Monday, April 11, 2005
"skubalon"
(What follows is not original with me. I owe my 'inspiration' to Alan Nelson, a pastor in Arizona. If this TFTD offends you, please know I'm not sending it to be mean or even just to be humorous. There is a point buried in it ... which just might stick, if you'll read all the way to the end!)
Can you say the vulgar word for "manure" if you're a pastor? I didn't think so... OK, so I'll use the Biblical term, "skubalon." (Dung, if you want to look it up.) You might say I have a Ph.D in the stuff-- yeah, piled high and deep-- 'cause I grew up on a farm where I scooped tons of it into the wagon that carried it to fertilize our fields. I just had no idea I'd have to scoop so much of it as a pastor! Here's what I mean. I get a whiff of skubalon during meetings I attend when a personal agenda overtakes God's agenda. The distinct odor drifts out of notes from people who are angry over this or that in their church. During most conversations that include the famous line - "Pastor, God is leading us to another church," I start looking around for a shovel. One of the big problems with church is that we spend way too much time trying deny or sanctify skubalon instead of just shoveling it out the door. In many places the wonderful treasure of the Gospel get buried in it and the sweet fragrance of Christ is obscured by the stench of selfishness and self-righteousness coming out of the church.
We need to call it what it is. When we over-react, let's just call it skubalon instead of making excuses. When we are trying to impress someone with our overblown story or tragic tale, somebody needs to sneeze, -skubalon! and bring us back to our senses and the truth. When pettiness and political pomp are hindering real progress we need to send for the skubalon wagon to haul it away so God's work can continue unhindered by phoniness. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you call it. If it looks like skubalon, smells like skubalon... more than likely it is skubalon.
Skubalon happens! That's life. But ignoring it, renaming it, or even playing around with it in conversations or gripe sessions, just isn't right! Identify it. Clean it up, and move on. Ever been drawn into a conversation where the ministry of another person is being coated with critical comments that stink like skubalon? Did you stop it or nod in agreement, piling it on? Ever been part of a gripe session where somebody's skubalon was hurled at at undeserving leader, just because of personal reasons or preferences? Of course, this pastor is the first to admit to the need for the golden rule principle in this discussion. I've flung more than my fair share of skubalon from time to time; and I repent for letting myself deal in such base stuff! It's kind of difficult to point out the pile in your front yard when mine is stinking under the sunshine, but.... if we all commit to telling the truth and start to deal with the skubalon in our lives, the world will be a better place.
From the summit of Mt. Midlife, my skubalon detector has become more sharply honed. I am told that the Busters (born between 1965-1980) and the Millennials (born in the 80's and 90's) have particularly keen skubalon detection skills and that if we are not willing to be authentic, they are quite willing to discard our Christian faith as so much skublaon, and they will head for the door of our church without looking back! They quickly see when somebody's position, power, or prestige has become more important than the truth, than Jesus' will, or loving people! They will shake the skubalon off their feet. Tragically, they often turn their backs on the Truth, too. Jesus has a word for those who let the stink of the skubalon in their lives drive others away from Him and His community: "if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck." (Matthew 18:6, NLT)
Lest you think that I've become overly coarse, let me share what Paul, the Apostle, wrote. He apparently had little tolerance for skubalon after his transformational meeting with Jesus Christ on the road to Damacus. He wasn't polite in his description of his B.C. (Before Christ) days. Here's what he wrote-- "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (skubalon), that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" (Philippians 3:6-9, KJV)
Just in case you're having a little trouble with the old English... here's the heart of that passage from The Message. "Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him."
The glorious Truth is that God, the Spirit, offers a powerful disinfectant to us that can rid us of even the odor of skubalon in our lives! We don't have to live in lies, traffic in deception, or serve self any longer. Because we are powerfully loved, we can face the truth even when it stinks! Once we call the stinky mess what it really is, God can help us deal with it effectively!
Here's a great word to meditate on today: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4, NKJV)
Take the freedom from the stink of sin that is offered by Christ. Let's breathe the fresh clean air that is blown into our lives by the Holy Spirit and the glory of the Gospel, the beauty of Jesus, and the power of the Spirit will become evident to all who see what God has done!
Can you say the vulgar word for "manure" if you're a pastor? I didn't think so... OK, so I'll use the Biblical term, "skubalon." (Dung, if you want to look it up.) You might say I have a Ph.D in the stuff-- yeah, piled high and deep-- 'cause I grew up on a farm where I scooped tons of it into the wagon that carried it to fertilize our fields. I just had no idea I'd have to scoop so much of it as a pastor! Here's what I mean. I get a whiff of skubalon during meetings I attend when a personal agenda overtakes God's agenda. The distinct odor drifts out of notes from people who are angry over this or that in their church. During most conversations that include the famous line - "Pastor, God is leading us to another church," I start looking around for a shovel. One of the big problems with church is that we spend way too much time trying deny or sanctify skubalon instead of just shoveling it out the door. In many places the wonderful treasure of the Gospel get buried in it and the sweet fragrance of Christ is obscured by the stench of selfishness and self-righteousness coming out of the church.
We need to call it what it is. When we over-react, let's just call it skubalon instead of making excuses. When we are trying to impress someone with our overblown story or tragic tale, somebody needs to sneeze, -skubalon! and bring us back to our senses and the truth. When pettiness and political pomp are hindering real progress we need to send for the skubalon wagon to haul it away so God's work can continue unhindered by phoniness. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you call it. If it looks like skubalon, smells like skubalon... more than likely it is skubalon.
Skubalon happens! That's life. But ignoring it, renaming it, or even playing around with it in conversations or gripe sessions, just isn't right! Identify it. Clean it up, and move on. Ever been drawn into a conversation where the ministry of another person is being coated with critical comments that stink like skubalon? Did you stop it or nod in agreement, piling it on? Ever been part of a gripe session where somebody's skubalon was hurled at at undeserving leader, just because of personal reasons or preferences? Of course, this pastor is the first to admit to the need for the golden rule principle in this discussion. I've flung more than my fair share of skubalon from time to time; and I repent for letting myself deal in such base stuff! It's kind of difficult to point out the pile in your front yard when mine is stinking under the sunshine, but.... if we all commit to telling the truth and start to deal with the skubalon in our lives, the world will be a better place.
From the summit of Mt. Midlife, my skubalon detector has become more sharply honed. I am told that the Busters (born between 1965-1980) and the Millennials (born in the 80's and 90's) have particularly keen skubalon detection skills and that if we are not willing to be authentic, they are quite willing to discard our Christian faith as so much skublaon, and they will head for the door of our church without looking back! They quickly see when somebody's position, power, or prestige has become more important than the truth, than Jesus' will, or loving people! They will shake the skubalon off their feet. Tragically, they often turn their backs on the Truth, too. Jesus has a word for those who let the stink of the skubalon in their lives drive others away from Him and His community: "if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck." (Matthew 18:6, NLT)
Lest you think that I've become overly coarse, let me share what Paul, the Apostle, wrote. He apparently had little tolerance for skubalon after his transformational meeting with Jesus Christ on the road to Damacus. He wasn't polite in his description of his B.C. (Before Christ) days. Here's what he wrote-- "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (skubalon), that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" (Philippians 3:6-9, KJV)
Just in case you're having a little trouble with the old English... here's the heart of that passage from The Message. "Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him."
The glorious Truth is that God, the Spirit, offers a powerful disinfectant to us that can rid us of even the odor of skubalon in our lives! We don't have to live in lies, traffic in deception, or serve self any longer. Because we are powerfully loved, we can face the truth even when it stinks! Once we call the stinky mess what it really is, God can help us deal with it effectively!
Here's a great word to meditate on today: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4, NKJV)
Take the freedom from the stink of sin that is offered by Christ. Let's breathe the fresh clean air that is blown into our lives by the Holy Spirit and the glory of the Gospel, the beauty of Jesus, and the power of the Spirit will become evident to all who see what God has done!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)