Forgiveness - God's answer for the rage of a troubled soul

She came to inquire about getting her children involved in the church. She was concerned about their spiritual care. She had barely opened her mouth when tears filled her eyes. The depth of her emotion startled her. "I didn't think this would happen," she said. For the next 30 minutes, Mary (not her real name) could not stop crying as she told me a story of a priest's abuse of her when she was a child! She told me that she had not been in church for many years, cut off from faith, by the sinful actions of a man who represented God to her. I soon realized that her tears were not flowing from sorrow, but from a rage hidden deep in her heart. I pray that God will allow me to help her to re-discover His love that can secure her soul, and then, hopefully she will be ready to discover the release from her rage and emotional pain that is possible through forgiveness.

During this Holy Season the phrase first announced in the skies over Bethlehem about 'peace on earth' is often heard, and little practiced. In fact, the holiday season often uncovers old wounds, family rivalries, and bitterness that is carefully packed under layers of politeness or denial. The remedy for the pain is found in only one thing -- forgiveness. This is the most costly gift we give to ourselves or offer to another. Forgiveness as an expression of grace. The whole subject stirs up deep emotions, and often not positive ones. Despite the benefits that a person receives when they release another to God with active forgiveness, many people resist taking that step. We love justice (as long as it's for someone else) and usually consider the idea of extending another forgiveness unfair.

People offer all kinds of reasons (and excuses) for not extending forgiveness to someone. I've heard these and many more in the course of offering Pastoral care to my flock.

"But I just can't let her off the hook! She must make things right with me."
"How will he learn the lessons he needs if I forgive him?"
"He hurt me. He must pay!"

The greater truth is that forgiveness is the only thing that breaks the cycle of escalating conflict and ever greater retaliatory measures. The gift of forgiveness is irrational, and yes, unfair by natural reasoning! Grace, by definition is undeserved! God shows us the way in how He treats us. He sent Christ Jesus into the world to bear the burden of justice on our behalf, to take away our sin, so we could be forgiven. The Psalmist sings, "...nor does he deal with us as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west." (Psalm 103:9-12, NLT)

When we forgive, we are like God. His love for us shows us the way. It requires great courage to lay down our grudge, to set aside our rights, and to offer another forgiveness. If we will not forgive, we make ourselves slaves to guilt and bitterness. Unforgiveness hands another person the keys to our heart and allows them to keep us locked into the past.

Here in the weeks prior to Christmas when we celebrate the birth of the One who brought us God's gift of forgiveness - it's time to forgive! Lewis Smedes says, "the only person healed is frequently the forgiver." Don't expect your forgiveness to bring about some miraculous transformation in the one who has offended you. They may actually feel vindicated! Don't expect that forgiveness will lead to reconciliation. The other person may wish to continue in hatred.

Forgiveness is YOUR act, YOUR choice, YOUR gift- to the offender and to YOURSELF! Letting the hurt go, releasing that other person from any debt to you by transferring it to God who judges with ultimate justice, will be one of the most difficult choices you make. It is the right choice.The Lord's Prayer, there is this line- which we pray hopefully with sincerity - "forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us." (Matthew 6:12, NLT) Jesus follows that with this warning - “...there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part." (Matthew 6:14-15, The Message)

Peace on Earth! That is the declaration of the One who came to bring us a message of forgiveness, with all debts paid at His expense.
Let that peace find a way into your heart as you break down every wall, discharge every debt, and forgive those who have trespassed against you. It will make for a Merry Christmas!

"I am the Lord's servant."

With that faithful response, Mary accepted the message of her pending pregnancy from the angel Gabriel. Her entire life was about to be thrown upside down. Her fiancé would question her fidelity. Friends would think she was immoral. Her story would be judged a fantasy by those who heard it. But, this young woman, a girl really, from Nazareth embraced God's plan with humility that reveals her deep faith. “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her." (Luke 1:38, NIV) We are left mainly with our imagination about the events of the next 9 months of her life. We are told she took a trip to see her cousin, Elizabeth, probably to avoid the questions and stares that her expanding womb brought her way in the village of Nazareth. We also know that Joseph took her on a long journey to Bethlehem in the final days of her pregnancy, but mostly her story is left untold. Her faith, however, remained strong! She embraced God's plan and 33 years later was standing near the cross with a broken heart watching her Son die in the plan of God. Two millennia later, we respect this woman for her unique place in our faith and her example of faith inspires us!

When I was a teenager, the Lord spoke to my heart concerning giving my life to His service. My response, unlike that of Mary, was not immediately positive. I wrestled and waffled and resisted. My immaturity, both emotional and spiritual, led me to believe that I would be happier doing something other than Christian ministry with the gift of my life, but God was patient and merciful. He drew me to Himself. The decades of experiencing His faithfulness and provision, have brought me to a place where I find myself saying "I am the Lord's servant," more readily. I embrace His plans with greater enthusiasm, too. 'Bout time, wouldn't you say? I join Jeremiah in praising God, borrowing his prose - "The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord." (Lamentations 3:22-26, NLT) Amen and amen! Because of His promise, I know my home is ultimately in the Presence of God, in a place of unimaginable beauty called Heaven. The road between today and eternity is hidden in His mind, but by His grace I will say "I am the Lord's servant" at each turn, at each new challenge.

God has a plan for you, just as He did for Mary and for me. Don't be misled by those who say that His plan will always lead you along sunny pathways, strewn with flowers of sweet fragrance! Praise God, there are moments on the mountaintop. And, some days, even the most faithful are led through deep valleys. Some of us He leads to greatness, others to obscurity. In the great faith-walk chapter, we read of those who saw God's promises unfold in glorious ways; and we read of those who died in persecution holding onto their faith. The Word assures us that "All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.
For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us." (Hebrews 11:39-12:1, NLT)

Are you ready to trust Him with your life, friend? Yes, that is rather grand, isn't it?
Better we ask ourselves, "will I trust Him with this day?" and leave tomorrow's faith until then.

Let the faith of Mary instruct you today. As she was willing to let God use her for His purposes, may you, too, respond to Him with a simple faith, without pre-qualification, saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”
_________________________

I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk, Close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, None but Thee.

Just A Closer Walk With TheeCopyright: Public Domain

Walk with the wise

In the course of my life I've made some really dumb mistakes! Up until I was around 30, I could pass them off to youth and/or ignorance. I do not have that luxury now. After a half century of living, it's a lot more difficult to say, "I did not know...." convincingly to myself or others. With the gray hair in my beard comes the expectation that I should have accumulated a measure of wisdom. Without intending to sound arrogant, let me say that the shortage of true wisdom in our world never ceases to amaze me. How can people make some of the choices they make is beyond my comprehension. Last week's flap over the proposed book and TV program by O.J. Simpson entitled, "If I Did It, Here's How It Happened," is one of those moments. In case you're out of touch, he had collaborated on a book that "hypothetically described" how he would have committed the murders of his wife and a friend who were killed in 1994 in a terrible and bloody way. Dumb, dumb, dumb! When the public reacted to this bit of idiocy, the publishers and producers cancelled the release. I'm sure you have a situation in mind that makes you question human intelligence, too.

Truthfully, often what appears to be obviously without merit to some, seems quite logical to another. That is why we need a reference point outside of ourselves, an external source of Wisdom, if we desire to live judiciously. The Bible holds out this promise: "Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of justice and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will know how to find the right course of action every time. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise planning will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose speech is corrupt." (Proverbs 2:3-12, NLT)

Knowing my natural propensity to make short-sighted, ill advised, and/or self-serving decisions, one of my daily prayers is for the wisdom of the Spirit to guard and to guide me. I pray for the ability to understand how the Scripture's principles apply to my life and the internal discipline to say 'no' to those impulses that would bring short term satisfaction but long term regrets! I ask the Lord to help me to keep in mind that the choices I make today have consequences I will live with for years. That is not all bad! The principle applies for good, too. We can harvest a rich crop of blessings if we sow wisdom consistently in our daily decisions. The Psalmist sings: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (Psalm 1:1-3, NIV) What a promise! The wise person who loves God will enjoy continual refreshment and become a source of blessings to those around him. Now, that's what I really desire, how about you?

Want to enjoy the benefits of true wisdom? Fear God! Turn to Him and let Christ change you from the inside out. Seek advice from godly people. Gather friends from those who love God. Don't admire those who are flip, arrogant, and smug! Love the Word. The result will be insight that preserves you in a world full of folly.

Here is a word from the Word. Meditate on it today. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." (Proverbs 3:5-8, NIV)
________________________

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Nought be all else to me, Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, By day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom And Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee And Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, And I with Thee one.

High King of heaven, My victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, Whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Be Thou My Vision - Hull, Eleanor / Byrne, Mary E.
Copyright: Public Domain

Advent's reasons - simply amazing

While shaking my head over a story of yet another egregious moral failure that appeared in our newspaper yesterday - this time a grandmother and local mayor caught stealing $9000 from a church where she volunteered to work in the office - I had another grace awakening! Once again I came to understand that God's love story for us, which we celebrate anew this Advent season, is so amazing precisely because it is told to a dark world in desperate need of the Light. God looks over a world where people hate each with murderous intent in His Name! He sees cruelty on a scale that is beyond my imagination. He hears the secret conversations we have inside our own heads- where we lust, covet, and hate in secret. He sees the mass murderers in action and the little child learning to sin - and loves this world anyway.

You and I become impatient with someone after just a few failures. We are ready to dismiss a person from our life for a sin or two. When I look at all the evil around me and feel the storms of temptation that blow over my own heart, the story of Noah makes a lot more sense to me than the story of Jesus. I can understand God's anger and the solution He proposed! "God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.”" (Genesis 6:5-7, The Message) That makes sense, doesn't it? Just destroy it and start over!

But, the New Covenant is different. God acts from an amazing grace, a love that defies my understanding. God steps into the darkness and reveals the Light. He intervenes, not to destroy but to restore. Advent is summed up in this passage which says - "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:6-8, NLT)
Our brokenness becomes the place for the display of God's beauty! Our sinfulness provides the canvas on which He paints His picture of forgiveness.
The darkness makes His Light shine brilliantly.
We must not make the faulty leap in reasoning that would then say, "well, then let us sin all the more!" The Word reminds us that His desire is transformation and that when His love touches us, we are changed. "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2, NIV)

Today, I am filled with a new sense of hope - for myself, for the world that I live in. It is not a hope that springs from any human self-improvement program or some personal victory. This hope comes from the promise of Jesus Christ to love us despite our sin. Advent sings with joyful celebration -"He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found!" My prayer today is that His grace will teach me to be 'grace-full.' Instead of seeking to dismiss or destroy those who sin - against God or even against me with some small offense - I pray that I will be full of love that looks for a way to restore.

Are you in despair this morning? Are you discouraged - by your own sins, by the failures of a friend or family member, by the darkness of the world?
Fall on your knees and look up to the Cross where the broken Savior built a bridge that connects us to our Father. Take renewed hope and rejoice in the amazing grace that can transform the most desperate sin or situation into a thing of beauty.
____________________________

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love. - Isaac Watts

My fickle heart

Yesterday around 7 AM I was praying in the sanctuary before the church services as I customarily do. Music was playing in the background and I became aware of the lyrics of the song which spoke of loving Jesus whole-heartedly because there was nothing in life that compared to knowing Him. The song said that "all I have in You is more than enough!" Nice song, but is it true for me? That's what I asked the Lord as I prayed. "Jesus, am I really content with knowing You? If I found myself going through a Job-like experience, where my family, my home, my reputation, my stuff - were stripped away from me, would I still sing, all I have in You is more than enough?" It was a difficult prayer to pray. The growing realization that there is often a gap between my expression of love and experience of devotion was not all that pleasant, either.

The Holy Spirit made me face the fact that I have a fickle heart that sings of loving Jesus, but that is also captivated by the Circuit City ad for an HD TV. I don't mean to set up an either/or situation for those of us who are followers of Christ. We don't necessarily have to choose between an HD TV set or Jesus! Sincere Christians can have nice homes, cars, and goods. We are not all called to vows of poverty or monastic lives. But we must all wrestle with the question that Jesus put to Peter there on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. As He gestured toward the fishing boats, the familiar surroundings of Peter's life, He asked - "Do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15)

The rich young man who came to Jesus asking about gaining eternal life was told - "Go and sell all that you have, then, come follow me!" The man left Jesus sad because, "he had great wealth." He loved his stuff and his status. In the moment of testing, what he loved most became evident as he choose his stuff over Jesus! The rest of the passage grips me, for I, too, am a rich man comparatively speaking. "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. I say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”" (Matthew 19:23-26, NLT)

I cling to that final phrase as my hope as I deal with my fickle heart -'with God all things are possible.' I cannot save myself, nor can you. We cannot do enough to prove to ourselves the depth of our love and devotion. We can only pray that He will keep us faithful, day by day. We can only respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit in this moment, and rest in the fact that we have obeyed today. He will save us from ourselves tomorrow. Yes, I do love Him. How much? Truthfully, only God knows!

Let me encourage you to think and pray about your love for Jesus and the things of God today. I believe He is asking us - "Do you love me more than these?" Watch out! Don't compare yourself to others. God does not ask you or me, "Do you love Me more than Sam or Sally loves Me?" Each of us must examine our own heart, then we present ourselves to Him. He asks different sacrifice from each one - according to His will. And He rewards our faithful obedience to Him, not to the rules and expectations of others.
___________________________

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

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

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

Title: Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart
Author: George Croly
Copyright: Public Domain

Keep Christ in Christmas.

Thanksgiving feasts are over. Football games played out for us who watched from our recliners! Our families are thinking about going home. And today ... is 'Black Friday,' the day when American consumers spend $Billions! It is called "Black Friday" because retailers count on the burst of spending to put their annual revenue in the black. Today and tomorrow will likely be the most profitable days in retail sales for the entire year. So begins the Christmas Season, but hopefully, But, hopefully Believer, you will walk through the Advent Season differently than the wider culture.I want to encourage you to make this a holy time of great joy.

Advent is the time when Christians prepare themselves for the coming of the King. In various ways- fasting and feasting, with special songs, exchange of gifts, meditations on Scripture, readings, and worship - we celebrate the fact that God entered the world as a baby boy, or as John's Gospel tells us: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, NIV)

Without attacking the rituals that are very much a part of an American Christmas, may I plead with you to make it a Christ-centered Christmas this year?

By that I do not mean that we play into the hype about the 'X-mas' ads or the failure of public school programs to include Christmas in their 'holiday' concerts. Yes, let's just acknowledge that in many ways America is a secular country that is increasingly losing touch with her Christian roots, then let's go beyond symbols and rhetoric, to truly celebrate a Christian Christmas! Instead of coming to January 1, 2007 with credit cards maxed out and an extra 10 pounds packed onto our waistline, why not come into the New Year with a full heart and the joy of knowing that you touched someone with the same kind of love that God showed us in the Gift of His Son? Like Peter and John, who realized the source of True wealth, let's give away the best and richest gifts in the Name of Jesus. Those two men were presented with an opportunity when a beggar asked them for money as they went to worship. Peter's reply makes me smile.... "Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!”" (Acts 3:6, The Message) That beggar received a grace gift that day and his life was changed. Wouldn't it be great to be used of God this Christmas Season to give away grace gifts of love and healing?

Let me make some suggestions for a sane and Christ-honoring celebration:

Set an affordable budget for all your gift-giving BEFORE you venture to the store. If you find it too hard to discipline yourself to the spending limits, then leave your credit cards home and shop with cash only.

Keep yourself from exhaustion by wisely choosing which activities you will attend. When we try to fill our schedule too full with many good things, we become cranky and miserable, and end up making the Season something to endure rather than days to celebrate.

Include regular times of spiritual renewal. Move church attendance UP on the list, not down. Step out of your comfort zone and go to church with other members of your family that attend a church that worships differently. (Believe it or not, some of the most meaningful Christmas services this life-long Pentecostal Believer has attended were at an Episcopal church where the priest was a close personal friend. Those ancient liturgies, reading, and prayers - interspersed with carols - made me REALLY think about the meaning of the Gift of Heaven.)

Include charitable organizations, needy families, and/or your church on your gift list - giving in honor of Jesus, God's gift.

Here's an ancient hymn/prayer - weaving together many strands of the prophetic themes that God used to tell of the coming of His Messiah. Here at the beginning of the season of Advent, make this hymn your personal prayer.
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O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory over the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Dangerous Blessings

I am blessed in too many ways to count! My life has been filled with good things - loving parents, a rich spiritual heritage, enough resources available so I can have food, health care, shelter, and creature comforts more than I need. I am loved by my wife, have great children, work at a profession I love (most of the time!), and enjoy robust health. My life is filled with purpose. I know peace with God and, because of His grace, I am assured of eternal life in the Presence of Jesus. What more could a person desire? Sad to say - Plenty! Contentment eludes me too often and I find myself complaining or at least wishing for 'novel,' or 'different.' It is the curse of 'entitlement.'

Those who know great blessing often come to believe they deserve it, that they are owed more and more by God, others, and even the government. It shows up all through the American way of life. Many kids believe that they are owed a college education and never even think of it as a privilege. They assume Mom and Dad are required to go into debt to get them a degree. At the other end of life, many of us make little preparation for those years when we will not be able to work to earn a living because we believe that the government owes us a pension and health care. When disaster strikes in America today, many people sit down and wait for help to arrive because they feel entitled to assistance from Uncle Sam. Even McDonald's played to our sense of entitlement with a wildly successful advertising campaign built on the slogan - "You deserve a break today!"

Believers are not exempt from that entitlement mindset. It is easy to begin to believe that God owes us more and when He does not give us what we want, we start to complain, often bitterly. Ancient Israel is an example for the modern Church. After their miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt, God provided for their every need. Most amazingly, every morning they went out of their tents and found manna on the ground, angel food that the Lord gave them to sustain them in the wilderness. Did they appreciate it? For a few weeks, then they started to feel entitled to more. The Bible says, "The riff-raff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, “Why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt—and got it free!—to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna.” (Numbers 11:4-6, The Message) Time and again, when God gave them something, they tired of it and wanted more.

And I do it, too! Do you?
There are a couple of things we can do that will help us to avoid the ugly characteristics of entitlement thinking.

First, practice the discipline of giving, generously and sacrificially! I am convinced that tithing (giving 10% of our earnings) is a principle that is good for us. God demanded the tithe of the Jews under the first covenant. For those of us who are in Christ, under the agreement of grace, it is no longer a law, but it is a great guiding principle for our giving. We need to go beyond giving as a emotional response to sad stories, or because we feel pressure from a preacher, or because we buy into the 'seed faith' nonsense (basically a 'give to get' scheme without Biblical merit) that prosperity teachers use to manipulate us. Instead, we should give purposefully, like an investor uses his money. We should look for worthy ministries, well run charities, and individual people that we can help onto their feet. In these ways, we put a portion of our resources, at least a tithe, to work for God. When we choose to set aside some of our wants so we can give, we gain a renewed sense of our blessings. We are able to grasp that what we have is not because we are more deserving than someone else, but because we are God-blessed.

Second, worship deeply, regularly, and from the heart! True worship restores proper perspective. Taking a significant amount of time each day and on a special day each week to focus our attention on God, reminds us that He is God and we are not! As we mature in our prayerfulness, we begin to talk to Him less about our wants and listen more intently to His instructions. In worship we learn more about how to live to bless than we do about how to gain blessings for ourselves. That's not to say it is wrong to pray about our needs. God wants us to ask boldly. But I think each of us can remember more than a few prayers that were more about our wants than our needs. Spiritual worship helps us to discern the difference.

Third, we need to express our gratitude! Cultivating a habit of thankfulness helps us to avoid a 'me centered' life. We keep in sight the ways that God has blessed us. We realize how much those around contribute to our well-being. Thanksgiving should not be just a day on the calendar for Believers. It should be a way of life.

Here's a word from the Word. It is an excerpt from the 'song of Moses,' which he recited for the people of Israel when he was advanced in age and near the end of his time of service. In this passage he warns them of the danger of blessings - that they would begin to feel entitled and forget to serve God. I pray that these ancient words of warning will find a place in our hearts and minds today, so that we will give glory to God.

"For the people of Israel belong to the Lord; Jacob is his special possession. He found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as his most precious possession. Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them in and carried them aloft on his pinions.

The Lord alone guided them; they lived without any foreign gods. He made them ride over the highlands; he let them feast on the crops of the fields. He nourished them with honey from the cliffs, with olive oil from the hard rock. He fed them curds from the herd and milk from the flock, together with the fat of lambs and goats. He gave them choice rams and goats from Bashan, together with the choicest wheat. You drank the finest wine, made from the juice of grapes.

But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation." (Deuteronomy 32:9-15, NLT)

Tempted?

Snack chips are a weakness of mine! Just about any variety will do, however sour cream and onion potato chips and nacho cheese corn chips top my personal snack list. But, chips are not health food so I must fight off the longing to eat them. They are loaded with carbs, fats, and sodium and pack a calorie punch into a tiny serving of about 8 chips. Who eats just 8 chips? Remember that old line ad line from Lay's - "Betcha Can't Eat Just One" ? Oh, what a temptation they are! Because I know my proclivity for over-indulgence, I take active steps to keep myself from eating chips by addressing two things: opportunity and desire. We just don't keep them in the house which takes care of opportunity most of the time. You can't eat what's not available. When I'm buying lunch at the deli, I have to address desire because that bag of Doritos calls out to me. So I remind myself that my hunger will soon be satisfied with more healthy food, that the apple will be much more nourishing, and that in an hour I will be glad I didn't wolf down 400-500 calories in 45 seconds - and I walk right past the chip display with desire in check.

Hopefully, you realize that this TFTD is not really about snack chips! It is about temptation, which is the common experience of every living human being. The Bible says that "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV) We often think, "Nobody will understand how difficult this is. Or, we live alone with our struggle thinking, "I'm weird, twisted, because surely no one else has this kind of desire." But, we're wrong on both counts. Temptation is part of being human. The truth is that temptation's power is reduced when we find others who understand us, who support us, and open up our hearts. That's the genius of 12 step groups. Those groups bring together people who are slaves to alcohol, drugs, food and provide them a safe place to admit to their temptation, to process their inner thoughts with others who share the same way of thinking. Together, they are able to find strength to defeat the temptation.

It is true that we are each tempted by different things depending on our personality and/or our situation. Temptation comes to us out of the natural longings and needs of our lives. Sexual longing quickly morphs into lust. We easily slide from a proper use of money, which allows us to provide for ourselves, into greed. Our need to be secure is a source of temptation to become people who control others. Our God-given curiosity about the world we live can become the fertile ground in which doubt grows with the rapidity of weeds. James explains this - ". . . each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (James 1:14-15, NIV)

You may thinking, "What about the Devil, Jerry? Doesn't he have anything to do with temptation?" Yes, he does. The Bible convinces me that evil has a father, that evil is organized by a person who brings his demons to fight against God and good in me and in my world. But, I believe we give him way too much power by blaming him directly for things he does only indirectly. The Devil can only exploit desires that exist in you and me. For example, if I refuse to hate and practice forgiveness on a regular basis, the Devil has no way to tempt me to murder anybody! He can't plant that seed in my mind if there is no soil in which it can grow. Does he try to manipulate situations so that I will misunderstand others or misjudge them? Yes, he does! And where I allow him to succeed in these small ways, he finds opportunity to do worse things. And, yes, over time, if a person gives more and more of his life over to evil, the Devil is able to use that person to do greater and greater evil.

In the life of the Believer, where the Spirit of God is actively at work, the places to deal with temptation are at the points of desire and opportunity. First of all, we need to understand our true needs and how we think about them. Let me use sex as an illustration since so many people get that one all tangled up! Sex is a God-given part of our humanity, a gift He has given to us that propagates the human race, that provides us with pleasure, and that powerfully bonds us to the person we marry. Sexual desire is not sinful- in itself. But, because it is such a powerful part of us and because we live in a culture that worships sex, our legitimate sexual desire is a frequent source of temptation! One of the ways we defeat that temptation is to satisfy the desire in the way that God intended. The Scripture is quite practical about this. Take a look at the opening lines of 1 Corinthians 7. There Paul makes a couple of suggestions. "Get married and don't withhold sex from your mate!" These choices, he says, deprive Satan of a place to tempt us. To return to my illustration about chips- I am much less inclined to long for a bag of Doritos after I've eaten a balanced, healthy meal! So the first place to attack temptation is at the source of desire asking two questions: What legitimate need is letting this temptation gain my attention? How can I meet that need in a good and godly way?

Then there is opportunity! If we know that we are prone to temptation around certain things, we would be wise to limit our exposure to those things. Evangelist Billy Graham, who has served his entire career in very high profile ministry, recognized his humanity and the tendency for temptation to grow in strength when we are alone. So, he and his inner circle of associates made a pact that they would not be alone, that they would serve as a team! This limited their opportunities to give in to temptation. An alcoholic who is serious about staying sober doesn't keep a huge wine cellar full in his house, nor does he spend Friday nights in a bar! Believer, don't set yourself up to sin by creating opportunities for temptation. Often victory is found in something as simple as just not going somewhere, or taking a preventative step early on before the temptation is a raging war.

Here's God's promise for you and me. Meditate on it today - "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT)
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Now, walk with God

God said, "Go to Nineveh!" Jonah said, "No, I'm having none of it!" and so starts one of the more amazing sagas of the Bible. The Bible says, "Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the Lord." (Jonah 1:3, NLT) The prophet's rebellion brought God's judgment in a storm and he told the sailors to toss him overboard. The Lord prepared a 'great fish' which swallowed him whole and he spent three nights in its belly where he concluded he would obey. The fish vomited him onto the seashore and he went off to do what the Lord asked him to do. Near the end of the short story, the self-will of the prophet shows up again in his complaint against God's will.

It's a story for every one of us. Have you ever been a Jonah? People run from God for all kinds of reasons - fear, self-will, misunderstanding - to name a few. Early in my own life, I had a real sense that God was calling me into His service. I considered a run for the hills, figuring that I could find success in some other field and then settle up with God later on down life's road. Thankfully, at prayer rail in a little church on a Sunday night, God spoke to me unmistakably. All these years later I still remember leaving that time of prayer in the Summer of 1971, where I just knew that it was 'make or break' time for me with Him. I could go my way and walk alone, or I could follow Him and trust Him with those things that made me afraid of saying, "yes" to His purposes. I am so glad that I was obedient. He has been so faithful to me!

One of the reasons Jonah resisted God's will was his unwillingness to see Nineveh, the enemy of Israel, blessed by God! The prophet took a look at the growing threat of Assyria to the north of his native country and concluded that it would be best to let God's judgment fall on that kingdom, but that was not the plan of Heaven. God wanted Jonah to preach to Nineveh and He wanted to bring about a spiritual renewal there through the efforts of that unwilling preacher. Implied in the text is this, "Jonah, you do what I tell you to do today, and I'll do what I need to do in the days ahead." Sometimes we attempt to live in the future and resist the will of God today because of what we think might happen tomorrow. That is a tragic deception. Jesus reminds us that if we want to please God, it must be today! He says, "Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. " (Matthew 6:33-34, The Message)

Some of us run from God's plans, too, because we feel so inadequate. I don't know if just the thought of the task of preaching repentance to Nineveh was overwhelming to Jonah, but I can imagine it was. I know that there have been moments in my life when just the thought of obeying God was too much for me, given my natural abilities. Seems that is a common response to God's commission. Remember Moses' encounter with the Lord in the desert? He, too, had been on the run for years. God knew his address and showed up in a burning bush out in the wilderness. He spoke to the errant prince of Egypt and directed him to go back to that land and lead the people out of their slavery and into the Promised Land. Moses didn't jump for joy and do a little victory dance in the desert. He began to argue with God, telling the Lord about his inability, his speech impediment, and that nobody would listen anyway. Read the 4th chapter of Exodus. His dialogue with God is almost comical. Moses could not grasp that where God is leading, He is also preparing the way and providing the resources!

Those who walk with God are always 'on the edge,' and so they never feel completely adequate! So Paul writes, "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." (2 Corinthians 3:4-5, NIV) He tells of a time when things got so tough, he concluded that life was over. And then he writes, "We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead!" (2 Corinthians 1:9, The Message) Obedience to the Lord's purposes will take us into a life where we have just one option - complete faith. Without it, we will not please Him.

So, what's facing you, friend?
Everyday, each one of us makes a choice - to obey or to 'escape from the Lord.'
We're either moving toward Him or away from Him, for life makes just standing in one place impossible. Put your hand in His and trust Him for today. He'll take care of the rest.
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On God's holy Word I challenge you,
To give to the Lord your life anew.
My friend, make your choice; He waits for you,
For this is the moment of truth.

Now walk with God;
And He will be your dearest Friend;
Where'er you go, In everything you do.
And may your life,
Reflect His love to ev'ryone.
Now walk with God,
And He will walk with you.

Now Walk With God - Otis SkillingsCopyright: 1969 Lillenas Publishing Company

"I can't hear you while that gun is pointed at my head!"

According Doug Pollock (Outreach, August, 2005 issue) as American forces moved through the city of Najah in April, 2003, rumors spread among the population that the soldiers were going to desecrate a mosque. An angry crowd of Iraqi civilians gathered and bloodshed seemed imminent until the officer, Lt. Col. Christopher Hughes, barked terse commands to his soldiers. "Kneel, take a knee. Aim your weapon at the ground. Wave and smile!" Within moments the tensions lifted and the defiant crowd allowed the soldiers to pass. No blood was spilled that day because one officer was willing to take a risk by appearing less powerful, which in turn invited people feeling threatened to reconsider their belligerent pose.

I find it real hard to open a dialogue with a person who is threatening me with destruction! It's not like I've been held-up by street thugs, but too many times in life to count, people have decided that the best way to get my attention is to make me afraid - whether by yelling, threatening, or attacking. It works, but not as they hope. Why? Because when threatened, I immediately shrink into a defensive position. Emotionally, I am unable to hear what they are saying. As I reflect on this, it causes me to wonder how many times I've approached a situation in a similar manner, causing a break in communication because the other person is unable to see past my posture which they determine is threatening to their well- being? What might happen if I lowered the weapon of words?

As Christians with a message of Truth for our world, we sometimes exacerbate the 'spiritual deafness' by our shrill rhetoric, with our talk of Hell and damnation, and our insistence on the 'absolute truth!' I do believe in the Truth. And I know we sometimes just think our preference is the Truth! Our words, may indeed be true enough, but the posture we adopt in delivering them, may be more of a problem than the message itself.

For example, can a young woman hear our offers to help her cope with her unplanned pregnancy as long as we're labeling her a sinner or a baby-killer for considering abortion?
Can a homosexual man living with confusion and shame hear that God loves him while we are talking about 'perverts' and making 'queer' jokes?
For that matter can any person who is truly on the road to destruction hear our warning if we speak in a manner that they perceive as hostile?

One old preacher said that if he could not preach about Hell with tears in his eyes, he would not speak of it at all. How wise! Paul challenges us to be people who are capable of "speaking the truth in love," and He says this will cause us to "grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Eph. 4.15 NIV Being truthful, which is requires disturbing people's comfort, yet to be seen as loving - is a real challenge. Some conclude that we can be either loving or we can be truthful, but that we cannot be both. Yet, the Scripture challenges us differently. Jesus was Truth, all about telling the truth to the world in which He lived, yet He found a way to do so that was compelling to most people. They wanted to hear the truth about God, themselves, and life from Him for they perceived that He spoke ultimately with love. To be sure, some would not hear Him having determined He was a threat to them from the first. Those religious leaders perished in their stubbornness.

Let me leave you with two questions today - one about your ability to hear what others are saying, the other about your method of delivering the Message:

Are you capable of hearing the Truth from another, willing to lower your defenses to help dialogue to happen?

Are you speaking, in love, in a way that considers the needs of the other person so that the message you bring is unhindered by a perceived threat?

The key that helps us to answer both of those questions affirmatively is to be completely secure ourselves in the Love of God. When we are aware of the embrace of Grace, our Truth message is no longer about us, our fears, or our agenda. It is about God, and that makes all the difference.
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Here's a word from the Word on which to meditate today -"...even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t be afraid and don’t worry. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!" (1 Peter 3:14-17, NLT)

(This TFTD is one from the archives.)
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Better to be 'in touch.'

Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book, Integrity, makes this simple statement - "Reality is always your friend." He tells the story of the CEO of a dog food manufacturing company that was seeing sales fall month after month. New sales executives were brought in. Various extensive and expensive marketing programs were rolled out. Nothing was increasing sales. Finally, a newly hired individual told the CEO the truth - "Dogs don't like our product." The reality of the situation was that a new product needed to be developed, not a new sales program.

Being aware of what is going on in our lives and the reality of our situation is something that many of us are not adept at doing.

• Sometimes we are just ignorant of reality. We simply cannot 'see' what's is happening to us because we are too close to it, too enmeshed in events to sort them out and see them for what they are.
  
• Sometimes we deliberately block reality because it is painful, disappointing, or ugly. We simply refuse to see life for what it is. A parent, for example, who sees their child struggling in school, may be inclined to seek better teachers or a different school because he is unwilling to admit that his child has a learning disability.
  
• And sometimes we are out of touch because we have spun the story of our life to fit alternative scenario for so long that we now confuse reality and fantasy in our mind. Instead of just admitting that we are where we are, we tell ourselves where we could be, 'if only' we had made this choice or that, and then we pretend things are as we wish them to be instead of as they are!
  

"Reality is always your friend!" is the truth. Why? Because until we are dealing with life as it is, we are shadow boxing, engaging ourselves in useless efforts to maintain a deception. We cannot find solutions or create working strategies until we are living in the real world. The Bible calls this living confessionally. In dealing with our need of God's salvation, John says, "If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." (1 John 1:8-9, NLT) I love the word of the Greek NT text that is translated confess. It is the word, 'homologeo' which literally means “to speak the same thing” (homos, “same,” lego, “to speak”), “to assent, accord, agree with,” and indicates a meaning “to confess, declare, admit.” (Vines Expository Dictionary) James calls on us to look at ourselves in a mirror and to remember what we see. Metaphorically, he's saying, "Face up to reality."

How do we get 'in touch?'

A counselor can be helpful. That does not necessarily mean we have to find a psychologist. For most of us, a good friend with a listening ear and the courage to tell us the truth about our life is sufficient. It the old accountability line. We need people in our circle of friends to whom we have given permission to tell the truth to us without facing recriminations. Often when we hear the truth about ourselves, it causes us to feel confused. Why? Because from our side of our eyeballs it just looks different! Robert Burns penned this line - "O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us." (O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us.)

Regular times of contemplation and prayerful meditation are wonderfully clarifying. As we learn to quiet our mind and heart before God, He can speak to us revealing those places in our lives where we are blind to or even refusing the truth about ourselves. As we wean ourselves from constant external stimulation, noise, and diversions- we develop the ability to commune with our heart and with the Spirit of God. In that place we not only discover reality, we find His strength to deal with it and courage to engage in the process of change. This passage from Hebrews can be read either as terribly threatening or as greatly comforting - depending on our desire to know the truth. It says, "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what." (Hebrews 4:12-13, The Message) The Spirit of God takes no joy from beating us over the head with the Truth. He wants to use it to bring us wholeness, much as a surgeon uses his scalpel!

Do you regard reality as a friend?
Are there places in your life where you are living a fantasy, making excuses, hiding from the Truth?
Embrace it! Be liberated by moving into the truth. It's the best place to be for that is where God lives.

Searching for perfection?

My sons are doing some remodeling work in our home this week. Watching them work makes me wish I was 28 again! Yesterday, I got home and when I saw a part of the unfinished project, I said, "Stop, that part needs to be re-done!" Jay then patiently showed me his plan and I realized that I was making a judgment too soon. But when I offered that criticism, I made him quite anxious because he wants to do a good job for his Dad. The fact is that the job is only half done. I was looking for 'perfection' before the process was complete. (It's going to look good, by the way!)

Thinking about that this morning, the Spirit whispered to me that we can easily become discouraged with ourselves and/or others if we search for perfection while the work is in progress! In my prayertime I sometimes ask the Lord, "How long will it take to overcome this habit?" Or I find myself criticizing another person saying, "Why are they still doing that? When will they change?" Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48, NIV) However, do not misunderstand the intent. In the context, that word 'perfect' does not speak to flawless performance, but rather to reaching full potential. The Lord is calling on us to become mature.

We know that maturity results from a process called growth! It would be foolish to demands a man's performance from a child. Imagine holding a 10 year old to the same standard as a 40 year old. Silly, right? We realize that maturity arrives slowly, over time, as we instruct and as the one maturing is able to experience both success and failure. Becoming 'perfect' - again, not flawless, but mature - in spiritual matters is a life-long process which only ends when we finally are 'perfected,' by our transition into eternal life. In 1 Corinthians 13 we read of the ongoing work which leads us to God's Presence - "Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. It’s like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now." (1 Corinthians 13:9-12, NLT)

What peace we can know if we patiently let the process be worked out. That's tough to do sometimes. We want what we want and we want it now. We tire of working out the implications of God's salvation in our life, don't we? Mastering the lessons of the Spirit-filled life can be a tedious process involving instruction, experience, and discipline Paul found himself frustrated and said, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" expressing exasperation with the sins that marked his daily experience. If we look at the work in progress too critically, too soon, we will give up. James encourages us "let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:4, NKJV) The meaning comes through more clearly in The Message where we read, "don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

Are you searching for perfection? Good! It is right that each of us should desire to honor God as mature Believers, who are developing the spiritual gifts He has placed in us, who are overcoming the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil! It is good that we want to be productive and fully effective as mature followers of Christ. Remember, however - it is a process; in you and in others. While we are working it out, here's good advice, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (times when we miss the bull's eye on the target)." (1 Peter 4:8, NIV)

Here's a word from the Word for your meditation:
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, (growing and maturing!) which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm 1, NIV)

Passing the faith along

God has no grandchildren! In reading the books of 1 and 2 Kings, I note a phrase that shows up again and again as a new generation is introduced, "he did what evil in the sight of the Lord." The nations of Israel and Judah were led by a succession of kings, one good and righteous; the next forsaking the Lord. Some of the most godly kings were succeeded by terrible ones. What I noted was that these were members of the same family. Son following father, which might cause us to assume that the faith would remain intact from generation to generation. It didn't! Why? Because each generation must have their own experience of the Spirit for God has no grandchildren.

That is not to say that we cannot pass the faith along. It is a sacred obligation to make certain that our children understand the ways of God! Judaism, ancient and modern, included the "Shema Y'Israel," which is literally translated, "Hear, O Israel," and is taken from the declaration of the existence of One True God and the importance making Him known to our children. The prayer is taken from Deuteronomy "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." The passage goes on to direct us with this solemn commandment. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8, NIV)

Believers are fond of quoting a proverb which emphasizes the parental responsibility of passing the faith along - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6, NIV) - but often do so with a kind of desperation about the spiritual well-being of their children. I don't believe that verse should be read like a covenant statement in the sense of "if you do this, then this is the inevitable result." Rather, in keeping with the pithy wisdom of the Proverbs, it should be read as common sense kind of knowledge. The Message catches the spirit of the passage - "Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost." (Proverbs 22:6, The Message)

It is the God-given task of every generation to lay the foundation of the knowledge of God for the next, but we cannot save our children from their sins. Only God can transform a human heart! We present the Truth and, if we are wise, live it well so that they have powerful examples of the desirability of serving the Lord. But, then we must pray for the Spirit to take hold of the heart and mind of our child, drawing that sinful one to the Cross and to a soul-transforming experience of the Spirit. There is a folly in the land of the churched that believes that a good youth group or a solid Sunday School can replace parental example! Of course having a good community of faith is an important part of the spiritual development of any person - young or old. However, when it comes to passing the faith to the next generation there is nothing as powerful on earth as the consistent commitment of Mom and Dad to a life that is lived in the fear of the Lord.

Kids have a wonderful hypocrisy detector that can sense the old 'do what I say, not what I do' nonsense at a very early age! Where they see that kind of gap between profession and possession, they will much more likely to conclude that faith in God is unnecessary baggage to be tossed away as soon as practically possible.

That said, let me circle 'round to underscore once again, even the best and godliest of parents, cannot save their children. God deals with each generation and each one must respond to Him, to receive the regenerative life of the Spirit for themselves. This grandpa watched his two little grandsons play yesterday and my heart was full of love for them, my strongest yearning being that they will know the Lord and find the joy of life in the Spirit early in their lives. And, in my reverie, I re-committed myself to passing the faith along, praying that their parents will provide quality spiritual nurture, and, most importantly, that the Holy Spirit will draw them to the Living Lord and find in them a response of obedient faith.

Are you passing the faith along, laying the foundation of the knowledge of God, living a life that invites the next generation to join the community of the people of God?

"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor." (Proverbs 1:7-9, NLT)
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A Parenting Newsletter suggests that there are key things we can do that help the legacy of faith to be handed off to the next generation.

Do you:

Acknowledge and reinforce spiritual realities? Do your children know, for example, that Jesus loves everyone? That God is personal, loving and will forgive us?

View God as a personal, caring being who is to be loved and respected?

Make spiritual activities a routine part of life?

Clarify timeless truth — what’s right and wrong?

Incorporate spiritual principles into everyday living

—From Your Heritage, by J. Otis Ledbetter and Kurt Bruner

Missing the Miracles

Ask my family and friends, it's tough to get me to relax. I'm a focused person who likes things done right and efficiently. I do not say that as a matter of pride. Sometimes my driven nature leads me to sin against God and others, something I am praying that the Lord will help me to come to grips with before I get any older. Some of my deepest regrets are the result of putting my work first and failing to create gaps in time to savor a conversation - to just be 'in the moment' - especially when my children were younger. My obsession with checking off the tasks on my 'to do' list has caused me to miss out on some of life's miracles. My face has been so close to the task, I've often be oblivious to the wonder happening around me.

With this dawning realization, I have recently, in the times that I minister at the county jail and in a home for the aged, adopted a new goal for the hour. Instead of seeing myself as going to those places just to teach, or to preach - a dispenser of 'holy truth' - I have prayed that God would let me be a participant in the lives of those with whom I will spend those moments. Yes, I still prepare a message, but I am willing to leave it unfinished or even to adapt my agenda to the conversation that occurs when I am quiet and listen to those to whom God has sent me. Some of you are probably smiling, and thinking to yourself, "And he thinks this is a new idea?" To me, it is! As a result of setting aside my desire to 'finish a job' and instead to enter into the lives of people, I am discovering that there are stories waiting to be discovered, people who bring as much to my life as I bring to theirs. In learning to be a little more flexible, I am finding more wonder, greater joy.

I read a story in the gospel of John about some people who were so committed to their pre-conceptions, so gripped by their ideas about what God wanted, that they missed a miracle that was right in front of their eyes. Take a look -

"Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking!

What an amazing development, a cause for celebration and rejoicing, right? After 38 years a man is walking, whole, on his feet! You would think that everybody who saw him would be infected with his joy, overcome with his excitement. And, you would be wrong! Read on -

But this miracle happened on the Sabbath day. So the Jewish leaders objected.
They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! It’s illegal to carry that sleeping mat!” He replied, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Pick up your sleeping mat and walk.’ ”
“Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”" (John 5:2-14, NLT)

I am just blown away by their myopia, their fixation with the rules, that robbed them of the wonder. They didn't see a man just healed after 38 years of being crippled. They only saw a man carrying his bedroll in violation of their religious traditions! That was not the only time in Jesus' life when He ran into people who missed the miracle. In the 12th chapter of Matthew, we are told that he healed a man with a deformed hand. There, too, the Pharisees only saw that He did it on the Sabbath, in violation of their prohibition against doing 'work,' so instead of rejoicing that a man was healed, they "discussed plan to kill Jesus."

Those stories remind me about a conversation I had with a woman who struggled to find the peace of Christ through some very difficult circumstances in life. She was growing in faith but another Believer didn't see her heart and the work that God was doing there. The other person only saw that she was still smoking cigarettes and called her faith in question because of it! If it hadn't been so painful for the woman whose sincerity of faith in Christ was called into question, I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the issue. The amazing things that God was working out in the life of the woman was missed by a person who only saw a cigarette in her hand, not the whole of her life! Yes, that is how easy it is to miss the miracle when we're consumed by our own pre-conceived ideas.

I've missed my share of miracles, too, because I was focused on my plans, my ideas, my needs and unwilling to enter into the experience of another person in a way that let me feel their wonder, share their joy (or sorrow), or see what God was really doing in and/or through them.

Today, the God of wonder is at work! And He will be working in your neighborhood, and mine, too. The question is, will we perceive His work? Will we rejoice with those in whom He is working?

Here's a word from the Word. It is Jesus' own words of frustration with those who could not, would not, see what He was doing. Let these words challenge you to celebrate the wonder, to open your eyes to the miracles of the hand of God who is here, now!

To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ”‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day." (Matthew 11:16-23, NIV)

_____________________

Lord of all creation-
Of water, earth, and sky;
Heavens are your tabernacle,
Glory to the Lord on high!

Early in the morning,
I will celebrate the Light.
When I stumble in the darkness,
I will call Your name by night.

God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy!
The universe declares your majesty,
You are holy, holy!

Lord of heaven and earth!
Lord of heaven and earth!

God Of Wonders
Steve Hindalong
New Spring Publishing© 2000
CCLI License No. 810055

Our glorious calling

On Tuesday, America's political landscape experienced an earthquake of sorts, rearranging the chairs in Washington, DC. Most of the punditry that I read attributes the people's overthrow of the Republican party to her drift from the core values of conservatism. Fiscal restraint, a commitment to smaller and less intrusive, more localized government, and true respect for human life and dignity were being eclipsed by bloated budgets, Congressional largesse, and disregard for the value of life and liberty. TFTD is not a political column so I'll leave my opinions out of it, but there is a clear parallel to the work of the Church and the lives of Believers that I draw from Tuesday's events. It is - 'keep the vision clear!'

Why did God call you and me into His Church? What is the vision He has for us?

Our answer to that inquiry is not found in our mission statements. It is much more clear in what we do, the way we allocate our resources. In my humble opinion, churches are always dealing with the risk of becoming social clubs that are all about building ever more comfortable buildings, creating positions of power and prestige for pastors and lay leaders, and becoming more and more shaped by the needs of those inside the walls, rather than serving those still outside. Jesus gave this mission to us: "Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world." (Matthew 28:19-20, CEV) The way of life to which those of us who are in His Church are called is outlined in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 where He said these kinds of radical things: "Keep your word. Don't let yourself even think lustfully. Forgive quickly. Practice humility and don't make a show of your faith. Be generous to a fault and don't tell anyone about it. Build your treasure in Heaven, not here on earth." Those are the core values of the Church!

Why are Americans skeptical of Christianity, increasingly looking to other religions for spiritual fulfillment?

We can blame the culture, and to some degree, that may be accurate. Self-fulfillment, pleasure, and wealth are the gods of this age! But, just as the Republicans would be mistaken to blame their electoral losses entirely on those outside of the party, we would be mistaken to blame our world for rejecting our faith. We need to invite the Spirit to shine His Light into our lives, showing us where compromise and fuzzy thinking are obscuring the beauty of the Good News of salvation through Christ, our Lord. Where we perceive that we have lost our focus and/or that we are not implementing the radical lifestyle to which we are called by our Lord, we must be prepared to pray- 'change my heart, Oh God!' Believer, if we want to be effective shapers of our culture, true ambassadors of the Kingdom who enjoy credibility, we must reclaim the mission of our Master.

Where we lose ourselves in selfless service, where we become advocates of those who are poor and oppressed, when we love people to wholeness instead of blaming them for their plight, Christ will be lifted up; and His promise is that 'where I am lifted up, I will draw all to Myself.' And know this! As difficult as it may seem to embrace His mission - there is joy to be found there.

Meditate on His call today. He is commissioning you and me saying:
"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.And 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.
.... And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:37-42, NKJV)

Not beyond the grace of God

Are you ever tempted to think that you or someone you know is beyond redemption, with a life too full of 'junk' to ever be useful in God's hands? When faced with a person's repeated failures, we conclude, "There's just no hope for him. He's a total wreck." I confess that I have said it or at least thought it more than once. This week I re-read most of the book of 2 Samuel, the story of King David's reign in Israel. In a time span of 40 years, he managed to get it wrong - in big and small ways - at least as often as he got it right. Not only is there the well-known story of his dalliance with Bathsheba and murder of her husband. The book also shows us that he was an inattentive father who let his children get away with way too much. In a family crisis, he refused to reconcile with his son Absalom because of his pride, which led to a civil war and the death of thousands. Near the end of his rule, for reasons unstated in the Bible, he conducted a census to find out Israel's military strength and brought a terrible judgment on the nation.

And yet... God loved him, forgave him, and used him to do some wonderful things! David came to understand the goodness of God. When presented with a set of options, none of which was good, he shows his faith in the Lord saying, “They’re all terrible! But I’d rather be punished by God, whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands.”(2 Samuel 24:14, The Message) Ah, friend, what an awesome God He is! His grace is beyond all measure. His love is so great as to defy our descriptions. Our friends and acquaintances, even our families, will give up on us when God is just getting started with us.

I am certain that had I been in Israel at the time of King David, when the Jerusalem Daily News published the headline - "King kills loyal commander in failed attempt at cover-up" - I would have concluded he was beyond hope, a failure, a disgrace; that it was time for a new king.

There is a passage in Ephesians that I read from time to time precisely because I learn, again, the depth of God's grace. Read it slowly. As you do, take special note of the turning point.

"You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.

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 2:2-10, NLT)

BUT GOD, rich in mercy, loved us so much! That little conjunction, BUT, interrupts a sad story of sin and failure. Just when we conclude that we or someone we know is beyond hope, God steps us and says, "Not so quick! Now, it's my turn!" Paul knew that from his own personal experience. A self-righteous Pharisee, he hated Jesus and His followers, persecuting them intensely. He was hell-bent on destruction, but God met him on the road to Damascus and from that encounter emerged the apostle to the world, the man who, second only to Jesus Christ, shaped our Christian beliefs.

"Jerry, just look at my life. I'm ...." is the way many conversations have started with people who have concluded they are too bad, too prone to failure, to be of any use to God. I am so glad that even when I want to agree with them and say, "Yes, you're right. You are just one big mess," I remember that with God there is no one who is too far gone, beyond hope, past the reach of the redemptive power of the Cross of Christ. So, I respond, sometimes with more faith than anything else, "But God..." And I have watched Him work some amazing transformations.
Thank Him, today, for His grace. Thank Him for second chances, for His offer to take the very things you think have disqualified you from His service and use them to shape and mold you into a servant that perfectly fits His plans and purposes.

____________________________________

Before The Throne Of God Above

Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the Risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I Am,
The King of glory and of grace,
One with Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.

One with Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.

© 1997 PDI Worship (Admin. by The Copyright Company) CCLI License No. 810055

Forget self-confidence!

Yesterday, I opened the Sept./Oct. '06 issue of Discipleship Journal and saw an interview with Pastor Ted Haggard printed there and it made me feel sick and sad all over again. I realize you may have had enough 'Haggard' to last you for a long time, but indulge me one more time to write about his moral crash. Ted Haggard, in case you've been stuck in the wilds for a week, is the man who led Colorado's largest church until last Sunday, is a prolific author, and the recent president of the National Association of Evangelicals. One week ago today his involvement with a male prostitute and with illicit drug usage was exposed and led to his removal from his ministries.

The question that keeps echoing in my head is: how did he descend into such an ugly, sinful secret life?

Perhaps he thought he was strong enough to fight off temptation by himself. Many of us do! It is hard, very hard, to look in the mirror and admit to ourselves that we have lied, that we have cheated, that lust stalks our mind, that we taste the poison of hatred, that we have been greedy, or such things. So we learn to give our sins other names, as though renaming them makes them less sinful. And we devise schemes that we think will keep us from doing what we know should not do. Still we fail; again and again. The more we fail, the deeper our sense of alienation. The more alone we feel, the more desperate we become. Our desperation leads to the need for an escape, which fuels temptation, against which we feel powerless and so, we do it again - strengthening the cycle. Sin is bigger than you, me, or any living person.

Don't trust that 'knowing better' is a strong defense against temptation, either. On Monday, 11/6/2006, the LA Times, published this excerpt from Haggard's book, Letters from Home. Published in 2002, the book is framed as a letter to the two oldest of his five children, who were preparing for college at that time. In a section called "Live as if there are no secrets," he listed powerful men brought down by lust or lies, including Presidents Nixon and Clinton and the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart. "Major leaders have lost their positions of influence because of what they did alone in a room," he wrote. "Please don't ever fall into the trap of believing that you can do something in secret, even when you are far away from home," Haggard urged his children. "This is a lie, and it will always come back to haunt you." Four years later, Haggard's own life blew up after his hotel room depravity was made public. He knew better but did it anyway. In Romans the power of temptation even in the face of knowing better is made clear. There we read: "I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge." (Romans 7:22-23, The Message)

Trying to self-regulate our behavior is a weak defense, too. Paul reminds us that rules and religion are ultimately powerless to change the sinful nature that resides in everyone of us! “Don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch.” Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires." (Colossians 2:21-24, NLT) In a statement read to the church he had pastored, Haggard spoke of the powerful temptations that overcame his inhibitions. "For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom, then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach."

Some of us think that fear of being shamed and/or internal guilt will save us from ourselves. It won't! We have amazing powers of self-justification. I am speculating, but I wonder how many times Haggard dealt with his guilty shame by rationalizing "I'll never do it again. It was just the pressure of that moment that made me weak."

Here's the part you probably won't like today. Haggard's sin is particularly repulsive to most of us, but in reality, his sin is no worse than yours or mine in the eyes of God! Honestly, which one of is not a hypocrite in one way or another? Which one of can say that our daily lives are in perfect harmony with our professed values? That said, I will go on to say that those who say that they live in by the Spirit should be growing in Christ's grace, closing the gap between words and actions! If his sin becomes an excuse for anyone of us to make peace with with our own sins, we have erred in our conclusion, and failed to gain a thing from his example. His failure should be a call to each one of us to renew our daily commitment to spiritual disciplines that create pathways for the Spirit to enter our lives in a powerfully transforming way. His fall should teach us the importance of staying in touch with those who can call us to account and seeking the Spirit's powerful conviction that will turn us from our lusts and lapses.

Paradoxically, the Bible teaches us to admit to our inherent weaknesses, for 'when we are weak, then we are strong!' Paul says, "Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence." The Message (1 Co 10:11-12)

There it is! Forget self-confidence.... cultivate God-confidence.

"Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. " (Romans 7:24-25, NLT)
_________________________

Take time to be holy. Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends with God's children;
Help those who are weak,Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy. Let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow thy Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
Each thought and each motive beneath His control;
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Take Time To Be Holy
Author: Longstaff, William D. / Stebbins, George C.
Copyright: Public Domain

God's fool.

The king was delighted to be bringing the treasured Ark of the Covenant of God to Jerusalem. The gold chest which had been the symbolic place of God's dwelling among the people had been part of Israel's national life for centuries; sometimes revered, sometimes feared, sometimes abused. Now, David had dedicated a place in his royal city for it. As the Ark was brought to the city, it was a way of inviting God Himself to be at home there. David was ecstatic and as the procession entered the city with songs and music, he abandoned all dignity, dancing and leaping in the streets! The Bible reports on his action with this simple summary: "David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly tunic." (2 Samuel 6:14, NLT)

One of his wives, Michal, whose life with David can best be described as tumultuous, watched him dancing in honor of God and felt it was a display that no dignified king should allow in public. When David came home, she said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”" (2 Samuel 6:20, NIV) He was not actually naked! He had laid aside royal robes and put on the plain shirt of a priest. But she found it a distasteful, disgraceful performance. His reply to her shows his heart for God- “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord. So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord." (2 Samuel 6:21, NLT)

"I am willing to act like a fool to show my joy in the Lord!"
That phrase challenges me today. Am I willing to love and serve God in a way that invites the ridicule of others? What matters more to me, to be 'respected' by my friends or to be devoted to my God? Tragically, this story is often used as an excuse for self-indulgent 'worship.' When somebody wants to just 'do their thing' in a church service, creating a display that is distracting to others, they quote this passage as justification for their actions. What an awful trivialization of a great lesson. The account goes to a much deeper issue than whether it is right to do a dance step in worship! It is about a life that is lived in worshipful abandon for God's glory.

Last week I learned of a couple who are skilled and educated people who have moved to the deep jungle of New Guinea with their children. They live primitively, traveling by boat to the village where they have already spent 6 years and where they will spend another 14 years. They endure loneliness, have experienced life-threatening disease. For what? To learn the language and culture of the tribal people so they can communicate the Gospel of Christ! They have yet to make a convert, but they consider their sacrifice as no great thing in the service of the God they love! Many would label them as fools. Would you? Their lives are a 'dance in honor of their God!'

There are two ways to live - in a way that seeks the best of life, here and now; or in a way that seeks God's honor. They are seldom the same path. One is lived for Self, oriented around creating a comfortable life, accumulating things, avoiding suffering - a way of life much respected in our American culture. The other is lived for God, focused on eternity. Love and service are the primary characteristics of that life. Honestly, not many of us, truly live it. We may live a form of it, but self-interest is never far from our thoughts.

May the story of David challenge us to dance with abandon, to forget ourselves in our passionate pursuit of God! When friends and family question our 'foolish' choices, we can respond, "I was dancing before the Lord!"

Ponder this passage today:
"You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.” Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said: "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What could you give to get back your soul?
Don’t be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:33-38, CEV)

A grain of salt...

Thinking about staying home from the polls tomorrow because you think it does not really matter? Consider these elections....

• In 1999, Leslie Byrne was elected to the Virginia Senate by 37 votes, less than one vote per precinct.
• Donald Sherwood was elected to the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania by a margin of 515 votes, less than one vote per precinct making this election the closest House of Representative race in 1998
  
• Loretta Sanchez was elected to Congress from California by less than 4 votes per precinct in 1996
  
• John F. Kennedy's margin of victory over Richard Nixon in 1960 was less than one vote per precinct.
  
• One vote per precinct passed woman suffrage in California in 1911.

Tomorrow Americans have a privilege that comparatively few people down through history have enjoyed - the ability to choose their leaders. Political leaders estimate that just a little more than half of those who are registered to vote will actually go to the polls on Tuesday. And only about 40% of people of voting age in the US will vote! I sincerely hope that you are not one of those who says, "what does my vote really mean, so why bother?" The truth is that one vote is powerful especially in a year like this one in which many political contests are too close to call just a day before the elections.

So, some of you are probably thinking, "Jerry, why are you writing about this in TFTD? Isn't the mission of this daily email about encouraging spiritual development?" Yes; and Believer, I am convinced that as a follower of Christ one of the ways we must practice our faith and bring a God-centered worldview into influence in our society is with the ballot. I urge you to pray about your vote. Paul urged the Believers living in pagan societies of his time to bear public witness. He said, "Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone." (Colossians 4:5-6, NLT)

Know why you're voting for that person to whom you give your support. Research the candidate's positions, and vote wisely, not simply emotionally. Have you viewed that AARP ad featuring the 'candidate' who does a great 'song and dance' routine, who smiles widely and serves up supper, but never talks about issues? It's a good one! The point of the ad is that we need to look past the personality to the position. I'm not endorsing the AARP but it is important that we not allow personal charisma or lack there of to be the reason we support a candidate. Nor can we let a candidate's rhetoric guide us alone. Look at their record, at specific votes, at what various advocacy groups have to say about their positions. With a little digging, information is available. (Don't write to me and ask me for whom you ought to vote!)

Truthfully, in very few situations will you find a candidate that perfectly conforms to your ideals. Selecting the person you support will involve prioritizing issues that you consider to be important and then choosing the candidate that reflects the values you list highest on your list. I would encourage you not to be single issue voter. Consider the totality of a candidate's positions.

Here are several issues to consider beyond the normal party affiliation:

• Does this candidate believe that life is sacred with a consistent position on all human life?
  
• Does this candidate seek ways to provide justice to all people- rich, poor, black, and white?
  
• Is this candidate actively concerned about economic opportunity for all people?
  
• Does this candidate show a genuine respect for God's creation, balancing the need for development with environmental preservation?

Jesus tells us to be the salt of the earth. Though we primarily think of salt as a flavor, in His time, salt served a much more valuable function. Since there was no refrigeration, salt was the primary means of preserving foods, particularly meat, from spoiling. Tomorrow see your ballot as a grain of salt, a way of preserving the political process from corruption. Though alone we are like a small grain of salt, our grains of salt, together, can and will make a real difference.

"Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government." (1 Peter 2:13-17, The Message)