A Better Way

A Better Way

Our Bible study group is doing a year-long survey of the Bible. The goal is to step back to see the Bible as a unified revelation of God, to understand the themes of entire books, rather than the content of short, isolated passages. This week we were flying through Leviticus. It's not an easy read, especially for us, removed so far from the culture and time into which the book was written! Some of the more obscure passages remain mysterious to us as to the reason for them and/or the way we can apply them to our lives as Christian Believers. Long detailed passages describe ritual sacrifices, preparation of priests for ministry, and the laws governing the lives of the Israeli nation. But, as I read the book this week, on the whole I was inspired. That's right! In the middle of those passages about blood sacrifices and ritual purity, I caught a renewed glimpse of the "other-ness" of God, of His transcendence. The Law was rigorous, reflecting the holiness of Yahweh. He is not a God to be trifled with, or to be treated contemptuously. He is not the 'Big Guy in the Sky,' as irreverently referred to by some in ignorance. One study participant told me, "I've never read it before!" I loved her response to the book - "They had it hard. I am glad I am a Christian!" Me, too!

The book of Hebrews compares the Law of Moses with the new Covenant centered on Christ. We are urged to rejoice in the grace of God, expressed in Christ Jesus! I'll let it speak for itself. "Here is the main point: Our High Priest sat down in the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. There he ministers in the sacred tent, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law of Moses. They serve in a place of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the design I have shown you here on the mountain.” But our High Priest has been given a ministry that is far superior to the ministry of those who serve under the old laws, for he is the one who guarantees for us a better covenant with God, based on better promises. " (Hebrews 8:1-8, NLT)

The Law was detailed and specific, but it did not change the human heart. It brought condemnation as those who lived under it realized the widening gap between God's requirements and their performance. So, the faithful among them came to the priests with their sacrificial offerings seeking forgiveness. But even those offerings did not take away their sin, they only covered them! In Christ, we find our sins removed, our hearts and minds transformed so that we are 'becomers,' changing into the likeness of our Savior by the internal work of the Spirit! It makes me want to shout and jump for joy. We are not constrained by law and threatened with penalty, but called by promise and offered spiritual power.

But, will we accept the calling? Will we wed truth and faith, so that a holy response to our amazing God is evident in our lives?

The inspired writer of Hebrews offers Believers this challenge - "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him," (Hebrews 2:1-3, NKJV) ... "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." (Hebrews 3:12-14, NLT)

Look to Jesus! Come and see His beauty. Be captivated by the indescribable grace that makes it possible for ornery, ordinary sinners to become gentle, precious saints!
God is the same. His majesty, His holiness has not changed, nor will it ever. But He has opened up a new and better way for you and me - offering His Son as our 'once for all time' sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

"Honest to me, honest to you"

Jim McGreevy, former Governor of NJ, appeared on Oprah yesterday to promote his new book about his sordid, sorry, selfish life. He was working hard convince the TV audience that he was some kind of victim. The truth is that this man chose a life of deceit because he wanted it all - his pleasure, his self-expression, and a family, a political career, and the respect of the public. Yes, it had to be harder than I can imagine to be an adolescent boy dealing with homosexual desires in a world that had only terrible words to say about those sexual feelings. However, the promiscuity of his adult life and the pain he caused for everyone in his life including two ex-wives and his children, left me disgusted. McGreevey says that his greatest failure was not being authentic. I'd say it was trying to have life two ways - being a fraud and a cheat!

It's easy to throw stones at the very public sins of Gov. McGreevey, but each one of us needs to keep a humble heart in the face of the word that best characterizes his life - The word is hypocrisy! And it's a word that stalks everyone of our lives. Every one of us is less than authentic at some time, in some way, during the course of our life, aren't we? My kids, when they were teens, would refer to someone who was obviously projecting a fake image with the dismissive phrase - "What a poser!" Yet, we all strike a pose to impress, now and then. The news reports bring stories of people who get jobs with a resume that includes a fake degree or two. We hear about a man with two families, one on each coast, and wonder how he could keep such a secret. And, too, we meet people who are in the depths of deception, who don't even know themselves.

But, the most serious hypocrisy is that of the spirit. Jesus was amazingly harsh with religious leaders of his time who worked hard to project an image of devotion and piety to their world. They wore the prescribed clothing, went faithfully to the synagogues, prayed eloquent public prayers, and separated themselves from the ordinary people who they considered 'sinners.' Read a portion of Jesus' stunning tirade against these frauds.

“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel!

“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! Blind Pharisees! First wash the inside of the cup, and then the outside will become clean, too.

“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. You try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:23-28, NLT)


Hypocrisy is one of those sins that feeds on itself. Pretense piles on top of pretense, deepening the deception and creating a tangle of lies from which it becomes harder and harder to escape. Ah, friend - that is why you and I must run to the arms of Our Heavenly Father who knows us inside and out to experience the amazing grace He offers. We are set free by His healing love to live authentically, honestly, and confessionally.

The old phrase, "what you see is what you get," comes off as arrogant to some, but for me it is an aspiration! I want to live a transparent life that is no more and no less than reality. I aspire to accept the place in life that God has prepared for me with no overweening desire for acclaim or recognition.

We must not use authenticity as an excuse to remain in our sinful state! That's a mistake I've observed in some, too. Like Popeye, some insist, "I yam what I yam!" They will not let the Spirit of God touch their lives with His transforming Presence. They are honest about their failures perhaps, but too proud to admit the need to become like Christ. My confession is that of Paul who understood that he was a 'becomer,' a saint under construction.

"I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." (Philippians 3:12-14, NLT)

Make that your aim, to admit that you're not all you should be, but that you're focused on becoming all God wants you to be.
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Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one rascal less in the world. -- Carlyle.

A broad and generous vision

Human beings easily 'see' the world through lens distorted by pre-conceptions and assumptions. We all do it! Friedman, in his insightful book, The World is Flat, (Farrar, 2005) writes about the radical Muslim clerics in the Middle East who hate America because they see only the Britney Spears, Hollywood, and MTV side of our culture. Seeing only the decadent and the worst, they cannot grasp that in an open and democratic society that allows music and entertainment that is so repugnant, there is also a free 'give and take' of ideas that allows a mosque, a synagogue, and a church to be built in the same town. They cannot grasp that openness creates opportunities for good and evil. The radical Muslim agenda, boundaried with a very narrow vision, is to seek to destroy us all, instead of embrace the best of what we bring to this world.

Another example of failed vision is our Congress that is in a deadlock. Republicans refuse to see a single good idea in the Democratic agenda. Democrats, likewise, cannot see anything but the worst excesses of the Republicans. The result is wasted time, failed leadership, and we are robbed of the best solutions to our pressing national needs.

Now, let me bring this concept of vision in an application to our lives. I know more than a few Christians who look at the world we live in and see only the awful, the terrible, and the sinful. To those who have such limited vision the whole world is so bad, so terrible, that the only answer is to separate from it and wait for the End of Days. I believe that perspective ignores some wonderful things about our time, blinds us to some of our great blessings and opportunities, and that 'woe is me' talk becomes self-fulfilling prophecy.

For example, there is the Internet. Some Christians bemoan the development of this technology and regard the wired world as nothing more than a vehicle for pornography and gambling. But consider this, the same Internet that brings all kinds of evil stuff to our doorstep, flows the other way, too! By means of the Internet, the Gospel can reach behind locked doors, into closed societies, and to the far reaches of the globe. In response to vile content of movies and music, some Christians mistakenly clamor for restrictive laws to close the doors of free expression and bring on censorship. But they fail to see that the same freedom of speech that allows the rapper to spew his filth also allows the evangelist to tell the Gospel story without restraint.

I take great comfort from this declaration - "where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5.20 NIV) I believe that the Christian Church still has great days ahead of her, IF she will enlarge her vision to see the opportunities presented to her in this age. Are these the Last Days? I honestly do not know. All I know for sure, is that these are my last days. I have only 20-30 more years on earth to be about the Lord's work, so I cannot waste time debating the day of the dawn of the Great Tribulation. We cannot allow ourselves to retreat into Apocalyptic visions that let us detach from a needy world while we pray for the Rapture to rescue us!

You may well be thinking - "Jerry, how can you deny us the promise of the Blessed Hope of the Church, the Second Coming of the Lord?" I am not doing that. My ultimate hope for this world is in the return of Christ, the King. I believe that when He comes, as He promises, all of the visions of the prophets will be fulfilled. Who cannot long for the words of Malachi to come to pass? "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 4:2-3, NLT) But, for me the promise of His coming, is not an escapist vision borne out of fear and loathing of this world. It is the ultimate realization of a way of life that I have already embraced. I am, here and now, living in the Kingdom of God. I have already taken His Promises and accepted His life. I will not wait for the Lord to appear in the sky to be about the King's business. Instead, I want to be about His work of salvation in my world right now.

I take seriously the teaching story that Jesus told in Luke 19. It opens like this -- "While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once." (Luke 19:11, NIV) Then, He went on to tell about three servants who were each entrusted with a part of a king's treasure to manage while he was away. Each one received an amount appropriate to his skills and abilities. When the king returned, after a long time, he called the servants in to give an accounting. Here's part of the story. “Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ ”‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’" (Luke 19:15-17, NIV) But the last servant, the one only given one share, came in with nothing to report. This servant was in the grip of a pinched, narrow vision that did not see the opportunities. His fear made him a failure! “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth." (Luke 19:20, NIV) The king did not commend him! He roared his angry disapproval.

When my king returns, I want to stand before Him to report, "I gave the utmost, prayed for large vision, and used the grace gifts You invested in me for your glory. Lord, I have, by the Spirit's help, left the world a bit better than I found it." How about you?

Here's a word from the Word. It is set in the context of Jesus' visit to Samaria, which many of his fellow Jews regarded as a land and people beyond God's reach. His challenge to his disciple to take a second look is a challenge to us as we gaze on our world today -
"I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! “The Harvester isn’t waiting. He’s taking his pay, gathering in this grain that’s ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant. That’s the truth of the saying, ‘This one sows, that one harvests.’ I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others.” Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!”" (John 4:35-39, The Message)

Will you regret it?

60 Minutes ran a story about Bill Romanowski, the NFL linebacker who played mean, vicious football for 16 seasons with four different teams. Romo was not a nice man and for a long time was proud of that fact. He fueled his on field performance with rage and $millions of pills, legal and illegal. Now, 40 years of age, with brain damage caused by repeated concussions sustained in hard hits on the field, he weeps at the memory of what he was willing to do to keep his job and to hear the fans chant, "Romo, Romo, Romo," when he took the field. His most painful memory, however, is stated in his own words - “The embarrassment to my family, and friends, to teammates, team owners and the league, that hurt. And ultimately a little boy that looks up to his dad, and he said, ‘Dad, do you do drugs?’ And that one hurt me more than anything,” (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/13/60minutes/main941102_page2.shtml) Romanowski says that if he had not taken up professional football, he would have been a dairy farmer! I hope that he has another 40 years on this earth to life a different kind of life that isn't about hurting opponents and abusing his body.

I want to put a couple of hard questions to us today.
They are not pleasant questions and many of you may stop reading this TFTD, disturbed at me for even asking them, but here goes...

• Can you project your thoughts into the future, 10 years, 20 years down the road of life, asking yourself - "Will I be full of regret?"
• What kind of legacy are you creating and how would you be remembered if God called you into eternity today?
  

Jesus puts the question to us like this: "how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Matthew 16:26, NLT) Jesus not so gently is telling us that there is a way to live that can bring us all the earthly rewards we want but the cost of getting those things is our life! No, not our physical life, but rather our spiritual life - our eternal life. There are all kinds of soul poison available to us.

The love of money is chosen by millions of Americans. The glitter of wealth tempts us to sell our self-respect, to sacrifice our families. The Bible holds out this wisdom -'the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.' (1 Tim. 6.10) Drink from that cup and there will a day when you weep with regret over years wasted. "Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. " (1 Timothy 6:10, The Message)

The worship of the body captivates millions of us. We spend inordinate amounts of time and money in a desperate attempt to hold onto the beauty of youth, valuing firm muscles and sensual beauty above all things. The underlying myth is that sexuality is the name of the game, the meaning of life. Entire industries are devoted to creating the illusion of immortality for us. This poison tastes sweet for a time, but the aftertaste is bitterness beyond imagining.

The lure of fame and/or influence is the cup chosen by some. To gain power they will trample on anyone in their way. They will exploit those who can advance them and then discard these 'friends' when they are no longer useful. The poison of power is so corrosive, it eats away the heart of those who seek it.

God makes an offer that we should not refuse.

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. " (Isaiah 55:1-3, NIV)

Choose life for your soul today! Walk with God, in the light of His love and with the wisdom of the Spirit.
It's the road of no regret, that leads to a life that has no end. Yes, we will die, but if we have lived in the Spirit here and now,
our death is only a transition into the life that is really life!
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"Lord God, I come to You today to confess that I live in a world that offers me many things that part of me wants to own.
I am torn by temptation when offered the cup of money, sensuality, or power. Their lure is strong for me.

I ask for Spirit-enabled eyes that see beyond tomorrow, for vision that allows me to choose the road of long obedience that leads to life that is really life.

Let me drink deeply from the cup of life, to be satisfied and filled with the rich food found at Your table.
I pray this in the Name of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."

Don't you know who I am?

An incident from about thirty years ago still makes me smile with amusement at the arrogance that gripped me back then. (Hopefully, it's moderated some by time and the Spirit's influence.) The family and I were headed home from Sunday worship at the church where I was the newly minted Associate Pastor, very impressed with my new position and title. I took pleasure in signing everything - Rev. Jerry Scott! I pulled out of the church parking lot and accelerated much too fast for the residential street. Seconds later, I saw the flashing lights of a police cruiser in the rearview mirror. When the young officer stepped up to my window, I said, "Don't you know who I am?" I'd heard about 'clergy courtesy' and figured I deserved it! He didn't care if I was the Princes of Wales and handed me a speeding ticket, as he should have.

The Bible says that some people have a mistaken notion that when they come before the Lord in the Judgment, they will be exempt from accountability because of their religious reputation. Take a look. Jesus said, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" (Matthew 7:21-23, NIV) Amazing and sobering, isn't it? Religious practices won't exempt you or me from the Lord's judgment. The fact that we knew the right words, or even that we did some of the right things, won't cause the Lord of Glory to hand us the key to His house. "But, Lord, don't you know who I am? I'm the guy who got the perfect attendance award from Sunday School when I was a kid. I gave $thousands to charities. I served on the church board for years." He'll be unimpressed, because it is possible to do all those right things for all the wrong reasons.

Jesus Christ wants to know you and me, to walk with us, to shape our lives by His daily Presence. There is a story from the book of the Acts where Peter and John were hauled into a court to answer for their teaching of Christ as Lord. These men, who had no seminary degrees, who were unsophisticated, offered an amazing defense of their doctrine. The Council sent them out of the room and conferred, coming to this conclusion - "they took note that they had been with Jesus!" (4.13) The difference was the relationship. Yes, Believer, that still is the remarkable difference. Those who are full of religion may accomplish much, driven by the need to prove their goodness or even by a keen sense of humanitarian concern, but they will not have the fragrance of the Lord's Presence about them. They will not ultimately find themselves in God's graces, either. When they ask, "Don't You know who I am?" Jesus will honestly have to say, "No. You never spent anytime with me."

Ah, friend, do you know Him? The question is not - do you know about Him?
How long has it been since you just spent time loving Him, not doing anything, not working, not singing, not serving ... just loving Him?
Yes, it is true, that when we love Him, we will serve Him. Our devotion to Christ will find expression in the ways we serve others. BUT, we must not make the mistake of trusting in our own goodness, in our long list of church accomplishments as proof of our acceptability to God. If we do, we will become pious frauds or worse. Let God love you today. Invite the Spirit to come close and receive the grace of God!

Here's a word from the Word. Pray for the Spirit's wisdom to understand it. And then, revel in the Love of Christ which makes you holy and acceptable in the sight of God.
"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus.

And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:4-10, NLT)

If you have believed, received, and lived in love for Him - you will never have to ask, "Do You know who I am?" Instead, when it comes your time to 'go home,' you will be met by the angels of Glory who will usher you into the Presence of your beloved Lord, who will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your Master's happiness." (Matthew 25:21)

Making the connection

Some subjects make for an interesting conversation, and that's all. You know, the great issues of life like:
Should the English monarchy continue to be supported by the government?
Will Oprah ever marry Stedman?
What are the primary colors for Fall fashions?
Will the Patriots make the play-offs this year and defeat Pittsburgh?
You're laughing, I hope. My point is that there are things we simply chat about that have little consequence in our daily lives.

Believer, I am concerned that for some Christianity falls into that same category: conversation without consequence. Endless talk will sideline us from the core issues of discipleship into endless discussions about End Times scenarios, debates about interpretations of Genesis, and the authorship of the book of Hebrews. Will you spend more time analyzing the style in which the Sunday sermon was delivered than you spend in application of its content? Will you spend more thought on the tone of voice used by the reader of the Scripture than understanding the words of truth she reads?

I sometimes ask myself, "How is it that this person has been attending church and 'studying' the Bible for so long and yet shows so little evidence of genuine Christ-likeness?" Perhaps part of the answer is that they dabble constantly in secondary issues and seldom let the Word speak directly to the issues of life! James warns about not letting the Bible work on us. He says, "remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:22-25, NLT) People who turn the Bible into a source of conversation only, are as foolish as a person with a big splotch of dirt on their face who see it in the mirror, but walk away forgetting to wipe it off! Gaze intently into the mirror of the Word and ask the Spirit to help you to understand what you're seeing. The result will be a transformed life that is God-approved.

As I was teaching a Bible study on love and forgiveness in a prison recently, I saw the power of the Word in action! Several of those in attendance became very quiet, then tears formed in their eyes as the Spirit used His Word to pierce their hearts with conviction. One of the things I love about prison Bible Class is the honest reaction. One man blurted out, "If I actually started to live like that, people would think I was weak and I'd get beat up and taken advantage of in this place." Another woman became agitated, convicted by the Spirit I'm sure, and literally turned her back on me for the rest of the study, refusing to make eye contact. These men and women were taking it seriously and God's Spirit was driving the Truth deep into their lives. They didn't turn it into an intellectual and/or theoretical debate. It was the stuff of life and they were dealing with the Truth.

Do you read and hear God's Word as the stuff of life?
When you come upon a passage that shakes up your world view or that makes you acutely uncomfortable, what's your reaction, if any?

Watch out for a response like that of the religion scholar who came to Jesus with a question: “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” Good question, right? One we all need to ask.
Jesus answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.”

Now, take special note of the scholar's next question. Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?”" (Luke 10:25-29, The Message) Jesus responded with a pointed story about the Samaritan who involved himself in costly care of a Jewish man who had been beaten and robbed, even when a priest and a scholar wouldn't! I don't think that religion scholar succeeded in diverting the conversation into a fruitless debate! Was he changed? Only Heaven knows.

Here's a word from the Word on which to meditate today - "With God as your witness, you must warn them not to argue about words. These arguments don’t help anyone. In fact, they ruin everyone who listens to them. Do your best to win God’s approval as a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message. Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God." (2 Timothy 2:14-16, CEV)
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In the grip of pride?

The conversation bordered on the bizarre as the person insisted that his whole family was his enemy. It is a sad scenario in which he has become increasingly committed to his perceptions, no matter who tries to help him grasp the realities of his situation. This person is not mentally ill, functions well in his place of work, but in this one area - he has become willfully blind to the truth. His mind is made up. As he sees it, he is being persecuted - and it is his 'truth.' Have you ever tried to dialogue with someone who is committed to their version of the 'facts,' who is completely unwilling to consider the possibility that they could be getting it wrong? It is frustrating, to say the least.

When we close our mind on a subject, we begin to interpret all the data that flows our way in a way that supports our conclusions. The results can sometimes be hilarious and often tragic! I have a friend who refuses to believe that American astronauts ever walked on the moon. With a straight face, he'll tell you that all the videos and pictures from the moon explorations were fabricated by the government. His mind is closed! One of the more loony conspiracy theories that keeps making its way around these days is that the US Government brought down the World Trade Center on 9/11! The fringe who propagates that idea is committed to it despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

So, are you in the grip of a closed mind (an expression of pride), unwilling and/or unable to see the facts and deal with the truth?
If you are, it is unlikely you will admit it! And so the delusions deepen.

As a Christian Believer, I personally walk the line between two competing ideals -
being committed to the Truth of Christ and the Holy Scripture, and
remaining open to instruction that allows for correction.

From the Scriptures, I learn facts that are unchanging - God is the Creator; Jesus Christ is the Savior; the Holy Spirit is present, at work in the world now. The Gospels inform me that love of God and fellow man are God's basic requirement of all people, at all times, in every place. I am a committed Christian who believes in the exclusive Truth claim made by Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6, NKJV)

But I am wary of pride that would keep me from hearing the correcting voices that would keep me from slipping into a world of illusions born of my own twisted understandings of the 'facts.' There are no more frightening people in the world to me than those who proudly announce - "We are the 'true' people of God, for we possess 'all' the truth." When the sin of pride is wedded to the power of 'truth' - the results are terrifying! That is one reason I am so reluctant to ever make the claim that "God told me to tell you...." It is much different to say, "I believe that the Lord wants me to share this with you." The second statement allows for the real possibility that the 'prophet' got it wrong! Pride is a singular sin that feeds itself and keeps us from God and the Truth, regardless of our religiosity or lack thereof. Pride is a form of idolatry, a love of self that excludes God and good.

C.S. Lewis, in his book, Mere Christianity, writes this about pride.

"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves.. . . There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility. You may remember, when I was talking about sexual morality, I warned you that the centre of Christian morals did not lie there. Well, now, we have come to the centre. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."

Later in the same chapter, he writes -

"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people: that is, they pay a pennyworth of imaginary humility to Him and get out of it a pound's worth of Pride towards their fellowmen.

I suppose it was of those people Christ was thinking when He said that some would preach about Him and cast out devils in His name, only to be told at the end of the world that He had never known them. And any of us may at any moment be in this death-trap. Luckily, we have a test. Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good --above all, that we are better than someone else -- I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil. The real test of being in presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether."

Choose the discipline of service, which will open pathways for the Spirit to work humility into your character. Choose to associate with people unlike yourself. Listen, really listen, to those with whom you differ. Pray for the grace of humility, and when God lets life disappoint you, allow Him to use it to accomplish His work of humiliation.

Here's a word from the Word to ponder today - "Jesus called a small child over to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:2-4, NLT)

God's Wonderful People

Lanny Wolfe penned a song in the 1970's called "God's Wonderful People." Part of the lyrics say, "There's no place I'd rather be, than with the ones who've been set free, I'm so glad I'm in God's great big family." It's not the language of Shakespeare, but the sentiment is one I share. Sunday evening at the annual meeting of our church, each ministry presented their report for the fiscal year which ended June 30. We celebrated a good year of effective service done in the name of Jesus, our Lord. What really touched my heart was the amount of work that a relatively small group of people accomplishes! Thousands of dollars and thousands of hours of service are invested by those who volunteer - teaching classes, mowing the lawns, leading worship, doing community service - to build the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Yes, our church is a big family, in every sense of the word. We care about each other, pray for each other, and work together. And, we bicker and squabble and criticize, too! I don't want to create a false picture as though we've established utopia in Washington, NJ. But, we are drawn together by a shared vision of a different world that is possible because of the Good News of Jesus Christ. That shared love for the Lord and a common vision produces a community that actually works - God's wonderful people- "the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—" (1 Peter 2:9, The Message)

At the beginning of the year, I preached a series of messages to define the kind of people that I believe God wants us to be.

First of all, God wants His people to be real- Authentic. It's not for this congregation to embrace a superficial religiosity that is a thin veneer laid over top of unchanged lives. Integrity is our desire. We pray that the Holy Spirit will disturb us, pulling us from apathy.

Second, we believe that God wants us to be loving - Accepting. Our love will not be feigned, nor will it thrive just in rhetoric. We will pray for a love like that of Jesus - sacrificial and deep.

Third, our community is committed to the work of encouraging growth- Accelerating. It is not part of our culture here to be content with yesterday's success. We are not threatened by excellence, nor are we so in love with tradition that we resist innovation.

Yes, the annual meeting, far from being just a recitation of stats and figures, was a celebration of service done for the glory of God. Much remains to be done! Jesus challenges those who follow Him to "go and tell the Good News." We go out as teachers, warriors (with weapons of love!) that defeat evil, and servants to all.

Are you part of His wonderful people?
If not, join up today. Membership comes through faith in Christ, our King.

The Bible says, "you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you." (Galatians 3:26-29, NLT)
____________________
Do you hear them coming brother,
Thronging up the steeps of light,
Clad in glorious shining garments,
Blood washed garments pure and white?

'Tis a glorious church, Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb;
'Tis a glorious church, Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Do you hear the stirring anthems
Filling all the earth and sky?
'Tis a grand, victorious army,
Lift its banner up on high!

Never fear the clouds of sorrow,
Never fear the storms of sin.
We shall triumph on the morrow,
Even now our joys begin.

Wave the banner, shout His praises,
For our victory is nigh!
We shall join our conqu'ring Savior,
We shall reign with Him on high!

-- A Glorious Church Hudson, Ralph E.CCLI Administration Account© Public Domain CCLI License No. 810055

Hatred in the name of God

Five years ago today, 19 men full of hatred for 'the Great Satan' - America - hijacked 4 airliners and turned them into flying bombs. By Noon that day, 3000 people had died, billions of dollars in property damage was done, and America was changed. Those young men acted in the name of Allah, their hatred and rage fueled by religious fervor, born in fear. I am no expert on Islam, but I am told that theirs is a twisted interpretation of that religion and I certainly hope that is true. It is not just fringe adherents to Islam that practice hatred in the name of God! Christianity has a radical fringe of haters, as well.

Where does religious hatred come from?
It grows in a very fertile soil called -fear: fear of a changing world, fear of those who are 'different,' fear that what we value is being destroyed. When people perceive that their way of life is threatened, they grow fearful. Questions arise about the very meaning of life, the kind of world our children will live in, about the most precious things to us being torn away. The natural human reaction to that kind of threat is to become protective and belligerent. I have heard and/or read sermons delivered by Christian preachers who are filled with fear about the world. They focus their fear on dozens of different targets - homosexuals, doctors who perform abortions, 'liberals,' evolutionists, people of color, Jews, Hollywood, rock music - and the list could go on and on. I've heard some of those same preachers move beyond condemning their targets and moving into outright hatred! For example, in the name of God some advocate bombing clinics where abortions are done or shooting doctors that perform those abortions. Often the hatred is contained in discriminatory words that stops short of advocating outright violence. I have even sat through prayer gatherings where sincere Believers caught up in their fears have prayed prayers that are packed with hateful venom poured out in the most holy moments.

Jesus speaks directly to those who follow Him and He forbids hatred! He says, "Judge not!" “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own." (Matthew 7:1-3, The Message) We read His words about the the two Great Commandments - "Love God with your whole being, and love others as you love yourselves!" There is no room for hating in those commands, is there? Only God can judge and condemn, for only He has the full knowledge of the motives and ways of those who do evil.

So you might ask, "Jerry, when we see the reality of sin and evil, we must respond to it, right?" Yes, absolutely. We would be fools to pretend that we are living in a world that welcomes the ways of Jesus Christ. Sin abounds around us. It is true that there is a real Enemy of God who actively resists all that is good. The Evil One is sowing his seeds of destruction. But we cannot overcome him by using the tactics of hatred and violence. Our response must be different. (I speak to each of us personally. This TFTD is not about national politics. The debate about 'just war' is for another time.)

What did Jesus command of us?
Ponder these words, so often forgotten or laid aside in moments of fear.
“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it.’ But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. ...
You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too." (Matthew 5:38-45, NLT)

So, how can we act in such an unnatural way?
By being secure in the Love of God for us. We believe the promises of God that He will never leave, nor forsake us.
We hold to His declaration that His Kingdom cannot fall, and we then live confidently. As Martin Luther wrote,
And though this world with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear for God hath willed,
His truth to triumph through us! (A Mighty Fortress)

Apart from being deeply loved by God, and living in His promises, there is no other way we can be kept from fear, especially in our time of rapid change and perceived threat to all that we hold dear. We cannot win over evil by becoming evil. We cannot defeat those who hate us because of Christ, by hating them in return. We overcome evil with Good, hatred with love. Let God love you! When you begin to fear, reach out to Jesus and ask Him to grant you peace. When the future looks dark, pray for eyes to see the Glory that is promised to those who are in Christ. Then, go live in love.
________________
Lord I come to You
Let my heart be changed, renewed;
Flowing from the grace
That I’ve found in You!

And Lord I’ve come to know
The weaknesses I see in me
Will be stripped away,
By the power of Your love!

Hold me close,
Let Your love surround me.
Bring me near,
Draw me to Your side.
And as I wait
I’ll rise up like the eagle;
And I will soar with You,
Your Spirit leads me on,
In the power of Your love!

Lord unveil my eyes,
Let me see You face to face,
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me.
And Lord renew my mind
As Your will unfolds in my life,
In living every day
By the power of Your love!

-- The Power of Your Love- by Geoff Bullocks

Transforming love, daily grace, amazing change!

Wednesdays I go to jail! Yep, I get locked up for about an hour each week. And I love it. It's an opportunity to share the Word with about 15 people who can't get to church, most of whom have made a series of wrong choices that landed them on the wrong side of the law. Often, as I look around the table, I wonder how many of those I'm teaching will be back in custody within weeks or months of their release from jail. Statistics show that many people, once in the justice system, keep going back for many reasons - some the result of bad choices, some the result of the huge challenge of rejoining society as a productive citizen. Those who are in jail need a transforming experience, not a reforming experience! Just like you and me.

While motivation and planning are important components of building a new life on the 'outside,' I realize that those men and women I am teaching behind bars need to meet Jesus! And so do those of us who have never been locked up. The only hope any of has of pleasing God is to be changed - inside out - by the Holy Spirit. Jesus named the Spirit -"the Paraclete." Yes, it's a Bible word, a title. Jesus, speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper, said: "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7, NIV) The Holy Spirit is now the active member of the Godhead in our lives. He is our Paraclete! The word, drawn from NT Greek, is one for which translators use various words showing the difficulty of capturing the true meaning. 'Parakletos' is translated as "Comforter, Friend, Counselor, Advocate, and Helper" in various English Bibles. The word was one used to describe the person who came to your side to plead your case to another. Ah, you're thinking, a Heavenly lawyer of sorts. (Could there be such a thing?) Actually, the function of the 'Parakletos' was greater than simply lawyering. As the various translations indicate, a Paraclete was a friend, coach, and aide!

One of the great gifts of God's love is the availability of the Spirit. He is 'on call' 24/7! (In case you're not up on the slang, that means all day, everyday!) Jesus promises us that the Holy Spirit will not just be with us; He will live in us! "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17, NIV)

Believer, are you drawing on the advantages that the Paraclete offers to you?
Or are you attempting to live the Christian life by your wits and wisdom, by grit and guts, by resolve and rationale?

Yes, it is important that we determine to serve God's purposes. Yes, it is important that we are courageous and that we take up the challenge of serving God today. Yes, it is important to set goals and to align our lives to the principles of the Scripture. BUT, if we are focused on our abilities, on our own resources, if we think we can say enough prayers, or discipline ourselves, or get an accountability partner (all of which are good choices) and that will keep us holy, we're sadly deceived. No matter how smart or well-intentioned, we will fail! If we want to live a holy life, if we want to stay out of trouble, We must 'fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.' (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)

How do we stay in the place where Heaven's Life Coach can transform us from people who keep failing and falling, into holy ones who succeed at serving God and bringing honor to Him?

First, we need a LOVE REVELATION! God loves us, right where we are, in the middle of the mess. The word rhapsodizes about the wonder of His love. "We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us!" (Ephesians 2:3-5, The Message) The foundational truth for transformation the depth and breadth of God's love.

Second, we must allow the Spirit to convict us deeply, giving us a true sense of need. When I feel myself becoming apathetic towards God, I pray, "Lord, break me down. Show me the depth of my sin." Which brings that which I wrote about above back into focus. My need - His love. It's a liberating combination. Until we have faced up to the persistent power of our sinful nature and realized that, apart from the daily intercessions of our Lord, we are desperate sinners; we will not open up to the Spirit.

Then, we need to practice the disciplines of the Spirit. "But, Jerry, doesn't that give the lie to what you're writing about today?" No way. We don't pray, read our Bible, meditate, confess our need, and connect with other Christians to prove that we are good Christians! We do these things because as we do, we open up channels in our lives through which the Spirit flows into us to empower us. The disciplines are the moments when we pull up to God's table and receive the food of the soul which He is ready to provide according to our need that moment, that day.

Today, invite God to show you how much He loves you. Then, be prepared to be surprised!
Confess your need, your sins freely, openly, authentically. Don't just make up a couple to impress Him. Let God shine the light on your heart and show you that you desperately need Him. There is grace in Christ Jesus. Our sins are not so great that He cannot forgive and cleanse. He doesn't follow the 'three strikes and you're out' principle.
Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, to renew you. Your Life Coach, the Paraclete, is ready to keep you safe in the Way. Are you cooperating with Him?

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)

Today matters.

It's hard to convince a 25 year old that putting away $50 a week can add up to a significant amount. But if he does just that, assuming a 6% average return on his investment, he will have around $500, 000 in his account at age 65! OK, I'm not an investment counselor and my point is not really about dollars but about the power of small, but consistent choices that are made over time.

A life lived well is an accumulation of days lived well! It isn't the single stellar moment that makes a life. Rather it is the consistent choices, made day after day, that add up to a life worth remembering. Are you waiting for your 'big break?' Are you letting one day after another slip away into history while you sit on the sidelines waiting for something to happen? That is the tragedy of many lives. Instead of taking the opportunities that are available to do something good, people wait.... and wait ... and wait. Little do they realize that, like the blink of an eye, 25 years will disappear over the horizon of time. Then, too, there are those who choose to waste the present. They're going to do something different, 'tomorrow.' So they spend week after week, watching the same boring TV, avoiding responsibility as much as possible, waiting for tomorrow, which never comes. In contrast are those who set goals, who determine to use their days to make a difference. They keep investing themselves in life on a daily basis, creating a memorable life in the process.

The film, Saving Private Ryan, released in 1998, open with a scene of a old man walking slowly across a field of white crosses marking graves of soldiers. When he finds that of Captain Miller, he falls to his knees and remembers the captain's dying words spoken years ago at the end of a desperate firefight. As Miller died, he challenged Ryan to live in an honorable way so that the sacrifices of those who saved him would matter. The old man, James Ryan, turns to his wife and wonders aloud if he is a good man, if he's lived well.

Sooner than you or I realize, we will be nearing the end of this earthly stay. Like the fictional James Ryan we will wonder, "Did it count? Have I lived well?" How we answer that will depend on two things - would we choose as the measure of success and our daily choices. Hugh Hefner, he of Playboy fame, turned 80 this year. He's spent his life in pursuit of sex and money. A succession of blondes whose attention was purchased with his fortune have shared his bed. Many silly men envy the life he's built on exploitation of women. I wonder what Hugh thinks? I wonder if he ever realizes that he's accumulated a treasure of fool's gold? He, too, came to the place in life he now occupies, one choice at time, beginning more than 50 years ago. Even if he feels little regret now as a result of a scarred conscience, he will face God not too far into the future and answer for his hedonism.

There's another famous man who decided to take a very different road in life right around the same time as Hefner, near the same place in America, the city of Chicago. That man decided to give away his life to tell a simple life-changing story, again and again, to as many people as possible around the world. Billy Graham, the renowned evangelist, whose is now in his mid-80's, started talking about Jesus. His team, which he kept around him for decades, committed themselves to each other and their lives to integrity. They remained faithful to their spouses and chose to handle the fame and wealth that came their way responsibly and with integrity - day after day. Best of all, they stayed faithful to Christ Jesus.

Today matters! The old cliché reminds us that 'today is the first day of the rest of your life.' It may be clichéd but it's true.
So make a difference, starting today. With the counsel of the Spirit and the Scripture, choose the path of the righteous, and then walk it - consistently, day after day. I can make this guarantee - you'll never live to regret it!

Here's a word from the Word for today. "This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. " (2 Timothy 4:7-8, The Message)

Watch out for pragmatism

A pragmatist makes decisions based on the practicality of the action. Does it work? Does it serve the purpose? Does it 'get the job done?' These questions are first line in the mind of the pragmatic individual. What's wrong with that? Nothing at all, in most areas. My concern is about Christianity shaped around pragmatism. For many years I lived a Christian life that was mostly built around making good choices that would produce positive results. Somehow what I heard being taught was a whole lot of 'do this and that will happen.' I did not realize that I was actually worshipping self- my true intent being creating a life of maximum benefit to myself. For example, as a teen I was that being sexually pure was an important choice for a Christian, but the reasons given for that choice were based on avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, avoiding pregnancy, etc. Those are not the most important reasons for sexual purity! The Bible points out that honoring God with our body and recognizing the covenantal nature of sex are the real reason Christians adopt the sexual ethics of purity. If a teen is taught only the pragmatic reasons for not sleeping with his girlfriend, he'll 'solve the problem' by buying a condom or getting the 'morning after' pill and then do what he wants.

Many Believers do not live a holy life precisely because they don't understand the real 'why' behind God-honoring decisions. They only see the 'what' and they find a solution to avoid the consequence, then choice to live as they wish. God, Who is to the center of life, is pushed to the periphery and Self remains enthroned. The not so subtle sub-text of a lot of contemporary preaching is how to create a pleasant life and avoid suffering, and then to get oneself into Heaven when we die.

Perhaps you're wondering, "So, Jerry, what's wrong with that?" Much, I say! A careful reading of Scripture reveals that the purpose of a godly life is not health, wealth, and sweet dreams! We are called to selfless service of humanity and our Lord, regardless of personal cost and without thought of benefit to self. The pragmatic Believer finds Jesus' words about sacrificial living inscrutable. He challenges us saying - "he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:38-39, NKJV)

We must not and cannot calculate the 'cost benefit' ratio of every choice we make as a Christian. Think of it with a example - Imagine calculating something like 'how many Sundays do I have to be in church every year to stay on good terms with God?' If our true motive in corporate worship is loving God and His people, then we will eagerly set aside all other activities on the Lord's Day and be in worship because loving God is the primary call of every Believer. And after worship, we won't be asking, "What did I gain? Was it a good sermon? How was the music? Were the people friendly?" We'll be thanking God for the privilege of honoring Him with our time and attention to focused worship!

Think of the folly of pragmatic Christianity in another way. Peter was rebuked by Jesus for trying to calculate a pragmatic response to other people who offended him. “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22, NKJV) The Lord then went on to tell a story illustrating the importance of endless forgiveness, based on the model of God's grace.

Love is not the choice of a pragmatist! True love is costly, demanding, and thoughtless of benefit to self. That applies whether we're thinking of love for God or love for other people. I hope I have provoked you today to think about why you are making the choices you're making as a Christian. The truth is that everyone of us thinks about the benefits to ourselves everyday; maybe not consciously, but we're basically selfish creatures and thus, somewhere inside, we're usually calculating - 'what's in it for me?' "Jerry, you're so negative!" No, just honest! I do it all the time, without even realizing it. That's why we need the Spirit to take us to Cross again and again, as Paul says, to be 'crucified with Christ.' Self is amazingly resilient and must die daily, hence the Lord's command to pick up our Cross.

Here's a passage that is not pragmatic. May the words, though familiar, find a place in your mind today.

"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.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. When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!" (1 Corinthians 13:3-12, The Message)

The Gift of Beauty

While driving up the inter-state highway, I turned on my CD player. Beautiful music poured out of the speakers. God embraced me! I wish I could find words to describe the sense of His Presence, but it is indescribable. I could not speak for 20 minutes, I was so full of emotion. Some would dismiss that experience as just an 'emotional' high, or with explanations of chemicals released in my brain. I know it was the Spirit of the Lord. He used beauty to touch my soul, to tell me of His love, to remind me of His plans and purposes.

I am not the only person who has experienced God's Presence in the arts. My friend, "Doc" Edmunds has written to me more than once to tell of sensing God's Spirit while he enjoyed a classical composition. He has shared with me that it forms a context of worship for him. Chuck Colson, in his book The Good Life, writes - "When I need inspiration, I sometimes walk on a beach near my home in Naples, Florida. I've always been moved by the majesty of the oceans. The nearby Gulf of Mexico, year-round, storm or no storm, is an absolutely beautiful sight. It is particularly striking during the summer..... I experience awe and wonder and gain perspective during my walks on the beach. ... I identify with Scottish mountaineer, W. H. Murray, who described his unspeakable joy at witnessing a great mountain peak as one on of those 'fleeting glimpses of that beauty which all men who have known it have been compelled to call the truth.'"

David, the Psalmist, who had spent many nights under the stars caring for his sheep and later, waiting for a morning's battle, wrote of the glory he saw in creation's beauty. In Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT) we read:"The heavens tell of the glory of God.The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it."
Beauty should draw to think of the Person who brings order from chaos, who is the Painter of the sunset, the composer of the songs of birds and whales. A person does not need to be sophisticated to appreciate beauty. A child can recognize the wonder in a rose!
Because we live in a world marred by sin, where evil works against good, we deal with ugliness everywhere. Warfare spreads chaos and destroys the beauty of human community. Hatred tears apart people - in families, in towns and cities, religion from religion, nation against nation. Gardens quickly degenerate into weedy messes when left untended. Even the arts are marred when God is removed from them. I cannot help but note the difference between what is created by those who see the world as a place loved and created by God and those who are without a knowledge or belief in God. Much art produced by post-moderns who see the world as a product of random chance and a place without over-arching purpose is chaotic, full of noise and fury, and harsh - because that is the place from which the artist begins his work!
Are you in need of perspective?Has life overwhelmed you, problems become many while resources have diminished?Take a beauty break! Go ponder the works of God in Creation. Or, listen to some beautiful music. Or, visit a garden. Or, enjoy a work of art... and do it with a prayerful invitation to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to embrace you, to come close and to remind you that despite the destruction and chaos that the Evil One wreaks on this world, that He is the King of Kings, the Author of Life, the One who remains the Source of Hope, Life, and Beauty.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today: "...what may be known about God is plain ... because God has made it plain .... For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20, NIV)
__________________________

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art! -

Carl Boberg, a Swedish pastor, editor of a Christian newspaper, and member of the Swedish Parliament, was suddenly caught in a midday thunderstorm in 1886 while visiting a beautiful part of the coast of Sweden. The rolling thunder and flashing lightning filled him with awe. "Following the violent storm, he was inspired by the calm water, the clear brilliant sunlight, and the sweet songs of the birds. The experience prompted him to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God. He penned his experience in the poem which later became the song sung across Europe and the United States - How Great Thou Art!

Confidence in the Lord

There are always challenges in life! When we get through one set of problems, a new one comes along, or at least that is my experience. Our daughter called yesterday to update us on her life. She's been a student for 6 years, college, then graduate school. While she was in school, she juggled being a wife, a student, and holding a job. She was eager to get into a job working in her field, thinking that she would finally get past the stresses of multiple responsibilities. Now she is working for a college as she desired, and has discovered that her position has presented her with a whole new set of challenges! There is no utopia this side of heaven, regardless of the age, the place, or the situation we find ourselves in in life.

Every life stage, every job, every season comes with its own problems. However, for every Believer there is the promise of the peace of God in the middle of the mess! That is one of the facts I've learned with maturity. I cannot avoid problems. In fact, if I try, I will retreat into an ineffective, lazy lifestyle that still has problems. But I can live with quiet confidence in the middle of the battles and struggles. There is no better example of this than Paul, the Apostle. As he engaged in his calling, he found opposition everywhere. "I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I’ve had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather. And that’s not the half of it, when you throw in the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:23-28, The Message) What a life! Some of us might have been tempted to counsel Paul to find another line of work, to take an early retirement, right? But he saw these problems as a part of fulfilling the calling of God, and accepted them. Near the end of his life, while he was imprisoned in Rome, he sent a final letter to Timothy and, even then, his words have the pulse of confidence: "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV)

So, how do we face life with confidence and peace?

Live close to the Lord and trust Him to lead! Paul did not say, "Tim, I've finally figured it all out and now I'm at peace." He didn't have an inside contact that was going to fix it for him. He knew the One in whom he had put his trust and his confidence was set on God's ability to keep him, here or in heaven. That is the only way to live at peace in a world where wars break out that we cannot control, where the vagaries of the economic situation can bring our job to an end, where our bodies break down with age, where people disappoint us or worse, turn against us ... the ordinary stuff of life. We can focus on the troubles and grow fearful or cynical OR we can focus on God's great grace, and remain at peace. The Scripture reminds us that the godly live by this principle - “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. " (Zechariah 4:6, NKJV)

The reason that many do not enjoy God's peace is that they do not live for Him, or with an awareness of His Presence, until some crisis breaks! I don't even mean that they are living in evil ways. They may good people, doing good things, but they are not worshipful. They do not pray, nor do they seek God's will. For years they manage to overcome the problems and challenges that come their way. Then comes that mountain that is too high to climb, that river that is too wide to cross... and what then? We must walk with God now! We must pray and worship and love Him now. Then, we problems come (and don't believe those who tell you that the godly are exempt from problems!) we can draw on our long-standing friendship with God and know that He will make a way for us.
"My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (Psalm 62:1-2, NIV) _____________________________

Calm Faith Ian White

A prayer from the inner heart we bring to You,
for deep unspoken cries are breaking thru;
for You love us like no other can,
for You know us like no other can.

We’re asking for calm faith.
We’re asking for burning love.
We’re asking for bright hope,
and a deep compassion for souls.

We know that what we stand for stays the same,
and ‘til the end of time Your love remains;
for You love us like no other can,
for You know us like no other can.

One of God's great gifts

Family! Pleasure, pain, comforting, aggravating - and so much more, right? A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going with my Mom and Dad to a reunion of her family in Indiana. For a weekend I interacted with a few dozen people with whom I share nothing but DNA because of having the same ancestor back a few generations! We gathered from all over the country, bringing our stories (wonder if some were tall tales?) and our pictures to share. Why would strangers (some of us, others were well acquainted) make the effort, spend the money, and invest the time to meet people who share the same great Grandfather? I'm sure that someone could give me the scientific reasons, but all I know is I felt warmth, acceptance, and a sense of kinship. Knowing who those distant cousins are helps me find a 'place' in this world.


If you're a regular reader of TFTD, you know that I am really attached to my family. Stories about my wife, my kids, and the grandkids show up here often! The greatest joys of my life are found in my adult kids, my wife, and our extended clan. My wealth is not in the bank, it's in the love we share. When we vacation, it's almost always to connect with the kids. We talk weekly, sometimes more often. I love to rejoice with them, cry with them, and to offer advice - sometimes when asked, sometimes even when they don't want it! Why? Because they are my family!


We have a big, happy family; certainly not without stresses, not without dysfunction, for ours is a family that is real and that is impacted by the sinful world where we all live. We are saints in process! Truthfully, we have grown closer in the tough times when we have had to fight through misunderstandings and disappointments with the choice of love. Admittedly, we are God-blessed family, too, and for that I have to thank the godly grandparents who sowed the seed of the Gospel into our extended families 60-70 years ago, creating a legacy of godliness from which I am reaping huge benefits.


The Bible says "Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families;...." (Psalm 68:5-6, NLT) God is a family man. Genesis is very clear that the family is His idea. The nurture of the family is a high priority for God. That fact is quite clear when we consider all the fences God builds around family relationships and the emphasis His Word places on proper order of the godly family.


Do you regard your family as a gift of God? Some of you just sighed, I heard it. You're thinking, "My family - a gift from God? Come on. They only cause me grief." Sure, I know that is sometimes true. Never the less, the family is God's plan, and we must value it. The person who treats his family with contempt, robs from himself, and misses the best that God has prepared.


The late Ray Stedman, pastor and writer, said,
"A man once asked some of his friends, "What are the three most wonderful words in the English language?"
One unmarried young man said, "To me the most wonderful words in the English language are, 'I love you.'"
A married man said, "The three most wonderful words are, 'Home Sweet Home.'"
The third man said, "To me the three most wonderful words are 'Enclosed find check.'"
I do not wish to make too much of the story except to say it may be symptomatic of an age in which materialism has become the strongest factor of our day, eclipsing even "Home Sweet Home" or "I love you."

What are your family values? Are you highly committed to your family, praying for them, loving them, serving them, and building them up?
Or have you chosen to love the things of life?
___________________________________

I'll be starting a series of messages this Sunday about the Christian family.
See you in church at 10:15 AM.

Truly wise or merely sophisticated?

There are people who are wise and there are people who are sophisticated - and they are not the same. Yesterday I greeted a boy I've known for several years. He is in the grip of adolescence and desperately works at projecting the look of teen-age sophistication. By studying the trends and carefully emulating the media celebrities of his age, he can appear quite worldly, but is he truly wise? Not yet. I've met many adults caught in much the same illusion. They drive the 'right' kind of car, buy their clothing at the 'right' stores, speak with the 'right' inflections and verb tenses. Everything about them projects worldly sophistication. Yet, when one looks beneath the surface, the sparkle of their life is only an illusion for they lack substance, the richness of character that comes from being truly wise. Sophistication is to wisdom what pyrites are to gold. Pyrites are a brass-colored mineral commonly called - fool's gold. Though it gleams, it is essentially worthless. It can deceive those looking for the real thing - but only temporarily. Just a little bit of heat quickly reveals the difference between real gold and iron pyrites!

Friend, are you seeking to be wise or merely to appear sophisticated? The Bible teaches us the road to wisdom. It isn't necessarily through Harvard's ivy halls! The Word says that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!" Here's the context of that statement.

"Wisdom has built her spacious house with seven pillars. She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table. She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. “Come home with me,” she urges the simple. To those without good judgment, she says, “Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn how to be wise.”
Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more.

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer." (Proverbs 9:1-12, NLT)

God invites us to pull up to the table of life and there to learn from His counsel the way of the wise. From Him we learn to live with humility, with integrity, with obedience - and thus to become wise. Sophisticates learn to project their power, how to shrewdly cut the corners to profit themselves, how to appear independent, submissive to no one. Those who would be wise accept counsel and reproof. Those who are 'wise in their own eyes' mock their counselors.

Know this. Sophisticates appear often to be 'winning' at life! In the 73rd Psalm, the writer laments that. "Pretentious with arrogance, they wear the latest fashions in violence, Pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness. They jeer, using words to kill; they bully their way with words. They’re full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace. People actually listen to them—can you believe it? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words." (Psalm 73:6-10, The Message) But wisdom ultimately succeeds because it is built on God's promises and God's eternal values. So the Psalmist continues, "When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy, I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence. I’m still in your presence, but you’ve taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me. You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth!" (Psalm 73:21-25, The Message)

Believer, seek God! Invite the Spirit to lead you to His table. Open the Word and let the counsel of God transform your mind with wisdom. Though some may regard you with contempt because you do not adopt the superficial pretensions of the wisdom of the age, do not be deterred. "Wisdom will multiply your days!"

If you lack knowledge, go to school.
If you lack wisdom, get on your knees!
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge. -- Vance Havner

Controlled by appetites

Judges is one of the Bible's more difficult books to fully understand! It tells the story of God's people in an era when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." The lack of strong leadership - political and spiritual - leads to some terrible sins and atrocities which are explained with this line - "In those days, Israel had no king." The implication is that there was no one to guide the people, no to challenge them, no one to restrain evil with law. One of the people introduced to us in that book is the man Samson. As I read his story, I see so many parallels to the way many people live in our time! He was a man controlled by his appetites, a man who lacked the ability to say, "No," to his darker desires. He wanted a woman, he took her! He was hungry, he ate whatever was available, whether ritually acceptable or not. He grew angry and killed people who stood in his way. He desired exotic entertainment, he went and found it. Samson had no restraint! Yet, we learn that he was a man born by the promise of God and a man who, from time to time, experienced the Presence of the Spirit of God in powerful ways, literally. What this man could have done if he had disciplined himself would have been amazing. What he actually did is too often stupid and tragic. His is a legacy of missed opportunities and self-destruction.

For many reasons too numerous to explore this morning, America is becoming a nation of 'Samson's.' We are unbelievably blessed with strength, resources, and opportunities but we seem to be increasingly in the grip of our emotions and impulses. We want what we want and we demand it now! We seem to think that our desires, whatever they may be, must be satisfied. We are gripped by a mindset that insists that delayed gratification is bad, that saying "no," to something today, so we can obtain a greater goal tomorrow, is a terrible sacrifice too great to bear. Evidence of our lack of restraint is everywhere.

-More than half of us are so fat we are damaging our health! And why? Because we don't know when to push away the plate and we like the foods that are loaded with fat and sugar. We know we should eat less and that we ought to eat better quality foods, but we don't!
- Many of our children are being born to unmarried mothers, which undeniably complicates things and, in many cases, leads to social problems for those children down the road. The facts are clear on this, but our culture has thrown away sexual restraint anyway.
-We won't allow our kids to be challenged by tough assignments, preferring to let them watch endless TV and play computer games. Then, we blame the educational system for failing them.
-Divorce, in most cases, is a terribly destructive thing. Life long marriage is proven to be beneficial in every way, and yet nearly one half of marriages will end in divorce because a couple is unwilling to press through the difficult moments and learn to love deeply and self-sacrificially.

Even our national policies show evidence of our demand for immediate gratification. We are consuming energy at prodigious rates, polluting the globe and producing climate change. Could we change that? Sure, if we wanted to, but we don't care! Imagine the outcry if our national leaders implemented policies to cause us to drive cars that were smaller and more fuel efficient! Everyone in America knows that our health care system is broken by sky-rocketing costs and demand for doctors to heal problems brought on, in too many cases, by our own poor choices, but we won't begin to diet and exercise. It's easier, so we think, to demand a pill for the problem. No one is leading us to envision a new way of providing care to the poorest in our rich nation. The Social Security system is headed for a crisis, but our leaders won't solve the problem because the solution would cost them votes from people like me who would have to bear a greater tax burden.

Ah, friend we need to read the story of Samson all the way to the end! He enjoyed his strength for a while. He slept with prostitutes, went on rampages, and toyed with Delilah - apparently without consequence for a time but then - one day he went too far. The Bible says, "... he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him." (Judges 16:20, KJV) What a declaration! God said, "enough!" and then He removed His blessings and Presence from Samson's life. The man ended up a slave to those he had tormented and exploited. The end of his ungoverned life was tragic.

Believer, you and I can change because we have Someone who lives in us that gives us wisdom, insight, and discipline. If we are alive in Christ, if we respond to His call to let Him lead, here's the result.

"With the Lord’s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.

But that isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness—righteous, holy, and true." (Ephesians 4:17-24, NLT)
Amen

Holy things, holy places

A situation in my life got me to thinking about holy stuff... you know, which are holy day? What are holy places and/or holy things? Who are holy people?

The first thing I did was re-think the word - "holy." Since it is a word primarily derived from Biblical sources, I went there. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew root word which is translated "holy" is a word that means "pure, devoted, and/or dedicated to a specific use." In the New Testament Greek, the word we translate as 'holy' means to be "venerated or separated from the common for God's exclusive use." Then I read a few more passages that used the word, holy. I found that in the Old Testament, especially in the books of the Law, the discussion primarily centers around establishing a distinction of both place and people. The tabernacle and Temple were specifically holy sites. They were exclusively used for the ongoing rituals of worship and were the symbolic center of God's dwelling place on earth. Later in Jewish history, Jerusalem came to be a holy city, because it was the site of the Temple and the center of worship for the nation. There were also 'holy men' who were exclusively set apart to do the work of God, priests and Levites, descendants of Aaron. Other men and/or women would occasionally be considered holy as a result of the Spirit's work in their lives. Most were called, 'prophets.'

In the New Testament, a new concept of holiness emerges. Holy places and holy things, people being holy because of their family status are all set aside. What emerges is the concept that ALL those who are Christ's are holy people and that the site of worship is not a building or city. God's temples are Believers. He lives in you and in me! Peter exclaims - "Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are God’s holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5, NLT)

Our human tendency to try to make Jerusalem or Rome into "holy cities," or Easter or Christmas into "holy days" (e.g., holidays), our church into a temple, and professional clergy into 'holy men' is simply a misplaced emphasis! You and I are to be holy - for God, the Holy Spirit, lives in us.

So, what does this calling to be God's holy people and temples mean? Must we start to wear long black coats, keep a dour look on our faces, and practice solemnity? That's what some would say. There is a certain kind of impression of holiness that comes with wearing esoteric clothing like clerical collars or black uniforms, but those can easily be quite superficial. Any old actor can buy the 'holy look.' Does it mean that we have to move into closed communities and live in dormitories? Some groups have tried that, but eventually they become so 'separate' they die out and leave no lasting legacy for God's honor in this world.

Holiness must go deeper, way deeper, than merely some rules imposed on us about our day to day behavior. Such rules may work for short time to make appear holy, but soon we find loopholes or we just ignore them altogether. And then, too, most holiness codes eventually become irrelevant as the world changes around us. The code that is designed to make people holy for one generation will not address the behaviors of the next.

The glorious truth is that we are called to embrace our calling and to become 'living sacrifices' whose words and actions reflect that we belong to God - all the time, everywhere. How that works out in everyday life is uniquely a reflection of God's work in us individually. God has gifted me to teach and write. My holiness will be reflected in the discipline of my mind and the dedication of my thoughts to Him. Whatever your gifts and abilities become a means of worshipping Him and you can use those gifts to display your devotion to Him by dedicated them to His purposes.

Of course holiness will show in some shared traits of behavior that are necessary of all God's people, in all places, and at all times. Those who walk intimately with Christ will love God with single-minded devotion and love other people intensely! Jesus said that these twin loves are the core of Christian ethics and the foundation from which we determine the morality of all actions. A holiness rooted in love for God and others will, according to the Bible, begin to show up in the way we act and speak. Paul says - "...among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:3-4, NIV) Please note - that kind of life cannot be imposed from the external! This passage refers to a life that grows out of a intimacy with Christ that transforms our lives. A person who loves Christ will find it inconceivable to be sexually promiscuous! A person whose heart is full of worship will not curse freely, for as James asks, "Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it?" (James 3:10-11, The Message)

Let me ask you if you've fallen into the same mistake that was tempting me. Are you dividing your life into what is 'holy' and what is 'secular?' If we do that, we are missing out on the true joy of being holy. For the Christian no day, no place, no person is more holy than the next. Every moment is a holy one lived in God's Presence. Every Believer is a priest whose life offers up sacrificial worship and whose words offer grace to those in need. And, every place on earth we go, we can make into a sanctuary!

Here's a word from the Word to ponder today ---
"As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." (1 Peter 1:15-17, The Message)