A World on Fire

When All is dark, what then?

This day dawned with personal sorrow.  Today is Bev’s birthday, but she is no longer celebrating them, having joined the saints of all the ages in the home of our Eternal Father a few weeks ago. Obviously, much of my sadness is related to that loss. I am also feeling the pain of my broken world. The problems in the world are multiplying like rabbits!

·         Since January, ISIS has brought terrorism and death to multiple locations, bringing down an airliner over the Sinai, bombing in cities from Turkey to Kenya to France to this US of A; and just yesterday, in Belgium. Their brand of religion creates a fanaticism that defies our imagination, attracting thousands zealots ready to die for the cause.

·         Old racial tensions have rekindled in America stoked by politics of fear and division. In my entire life I have never observed the kind of hatred and anger that is simmering in this nation. It does not bode well for the future that so many are ready to choose a leader who specializes hate, who acts like a spoiled boy, who threatens those who criticize him.

·         Americans are accustomed to a lifestyle that simply cannot be sustained as our economy flattens and our population ages, growing less productive. Our health care system, our justice system, and our educational systems are collapsing before our eyes under the weight of entitlement, thoughtless policies, and unrestrained selfishness.  And, there is no real leadership in sight to help us re-chart our course.

·         Our culture is a cesspool of filth, injustice, greed, and unfaithfulness. Porn merchants fill the Internet with sexual perversion, produced by men who destroy lives with no remorse.  Wall Street grows richer at the expense of a growing underclass.  Political power is largely used protect the privileged, with no discernable real concern for change.  Families are devastated by failure of to keep the covenant.

Through it all, Christ’s Church is fumbling to find her voice, to find words that people can understand.  She has become more interested in maintaining social position than with speaking truth and is taken up with trivialities nobody cares about. The very Body that is entrusted with the Spirit and the Gospel, is mostly self-absorbed, talking about traditions of little consequence. The Gospel is often twisted into a recreation of the “American dream,” more about personal fulfillment and prosperity than finding delight in the love of Christ.

With a broken heart, struggling with personal sorrow, I feel the weight of the world today.  I would love to say that I face these things with great courage and optimism, but that would be a lie. Yet . . .

Despite these things and more, I have hope! Why?

Because I know that God reigns; that the Empty Tomb is on the far side of the Blood-stained Cross!  Our Christian hope is found in our secure place in the Kingdom of God, a place from which we reach into the troubled world to minister God's grace, to speak His wisdom, and to offer His salvation. We realize that even death itself cannot destroy us because it did not destroy our Lord, who died and lives again.

Walking with Jesus through Jerusalem, during what we call the Passion week, the disciples pointed out the grand buildings, admiring them as symbols of what they thought was an indestructible city. Jesus brought them to reality. His words probably frightened them. He was not wildly optimistic. He told the truth about the toll of evil! “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:4-13, NLT) Jesus was telling His disciples that this world would go off the rails again and again. This is the way of evil and sin. Nothing of this world - governments, social systems, or grand buildings - can resist the inevitable advance of decay. False religions, wars, and natural disasters will be cyclic, throughout history, He warned, "but the end won't follow immediately."

Some Christians see the sin-sickness of their world as reason to withdraw from it, to abandon it to evil, and/or to create escapist prophetic scenarios.  But, what does Jesus ask of us? "Stand steady against the onslaught of evil! Don't compromise and slide into spiritual apathy." Those of us who know the Eternal God, who live in His purposes, who have accepted the promise of Resurrection Life are equipped to wage war against the evil around us - a war of love that holds out the hope of redemption and salvation to all who believe in the One who came to 'save us from our sins.'

Difficult times provide great opportunities for the advance of the Gospel of Christ. The cost is high, the reward inestimable.

Here's a word from the Word to take to heart today. "So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.  In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. " (Ephesians 6:11-18, The Message)

__________

Happy Birthday in Heaven, sweet Bev.
You now know the promise that we long for – peace and joy in the Father’s house.

Recognized or Known? A real question for you

Acquaintance, friend, confidante, partner, lover – there are so many ways to know others. One of the joys of life is forming a friendship that matures into a deep, lasting bond. But, those kinds of relationships do not ‘just happen.’ We must invest ourselves in that person, asking questions, listening, living through ups and downs, forgiving, adapting, learning. Among my richest blessings are those in my life of whom I can say- "I really ‘know’ him."  Those people share more than recognition of name or face!

On this Tuesday of Holy Week, let me ask you to think about this question: Who is Jesus to you?  “When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."  (Matthew 21:11, NIV) The crowds of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover feast saw Jesus and they recognized Him. It is likely that many remembered Zechariah’s prophecy about the Messiah’s arrival on a donkey! (9.9) Still Jerusalem’s subsequent actions reveal an ignorance of His true identity. He had fed thousands with a boy's lunch. He preached the Kingdom come in their synagogues. He performed astonishing miracles. Yet, when asked who He was, they said, "Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth." He was their Messiah, God's Anointed One, sent to save them from their sins, but they could not or would not see that transforming truth.  Yes, they recognized Him, but yet did not know Him.

On Easter Sunday, people will stream into churches to recognize our Risen Lord, but will they know Him? 

• Who is Jesus to you, friend?
• It He "my wife's Savior" or "my parent's Lord"?
• Is He the "great Teacher"?
• Or, is He your Savior, Lord, Hope, and King?

You can know Him. When we seek Him, we find Him. When we hunger for Him, He satisfies us. When we follow Him, we become “friends of God!” He says, "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." (Revelation 3:20, NLT) One of the delights of life is discovering that Jesus is so much more than we imagine, at first. He will challenge us to examine our lives, disturb our assumptions, change us with His Presence. And, we will find, in Him, a richness of life that is simply not found in any other place.

Ponder this word from the Word today. "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." (Philippians 3:8-12, NKJV)

Don’t settle for a mere acquaintance with Jesus. Know Him, growing deeper in your love for Him, starting today.

_______________

All I once held dear, 
Built my life upon,
 All this world reveres,
 And wars to own, 
All I once thought gain
 I have counted loss;
 Spent and worthless now,
 Compared to this.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You,
There is no greater thing.You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,And I love You, Lord.

 Now my heart's desire 
Is to know You more,
 To be found in You,
 And known as Yours,
 To possess by faith
 What I could not earn; 
All surpassing gift of righteousness.

 Oh to know the power of Your risen life, 
And to know You in Your sufferings,
 To become like You 
In Your death, my Lord; 
So with You to live, and never die.

 Knowing You
Kendrick, Graham © 1993 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055

The process of healing

I write “CoffeeBreak” each morning sitting at my kitchen table, looking out over the hillside behind my home.  It would interesting to have a time lapse record of the changes. Right now the earth is slowing awakening from winter, each week bringing more green into the picture.

Last week tiny flowers poked through the bed next to the garage. This morning I noticed green buds on the branches of the plants near the pond. Imperceptible in the day, the change of season is sure!

Bev died 12 weeks ago and my heart is healing, slowly. This week the stone will be set at her grave, another visible marker along this pathway of grief. On Wednesday, I will remember her on what would have been her 62^nd birthday. It will be a painful day. Sometimes I wish for a fast forward in time, a way to ‘rush the process,’ but I know that working through the stages of grief, letting the wound heal is a necessary thing. I am thankful for faith in a God who assures me of His purposes. He told His people whose land had been destroyed by invaders, the best carried off to be slaves, that He would restore them, that their experiences were not hidden from His view. "I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT)  He knows my life, too, and is leading me through a process that will result in glory for Him, if I walk it out faithfully letting the Spirit lead.

Quick fixes and instant cures are offered for everything from cancer to character flaws, from disappointment to disgust, from sin to sainthood. Don’t buy them! People are not machines that can be fixed with a turn of a wrench or the replacement of a bolt. We are complex; a mixture of motives, each with a past, wrestling with our pain, problems, and the promises of God.  God’s grace can transform us into creatures of beauty, but only as we accept it and in turn learn to give it away.  The Word urges us to "imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (Hebrews 6:12, NIV) "Farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong." (James 5:7-8, The Message)

Are you waiting for your heart to heal?

Are you longing for victory over some debilitating habit?

Are you praying for a son or daughter to find their way to the Light?

This is the word from the Word for those who are in process:

"We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. … 

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. …

 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 6:11, 11:1,6 NIV)

__________________

When the valley is deep,

When the mountain is steep,

When the body is weary,

When we stumble and fall.

When the choices are hard,

When we're battered and scarred,

When we've spent our resources,

When we've given our all.

In Jesus' name, we press on!

In Jesus' name, we press on!

Dear Lord, with the prize-

Clear before our eyes-

We find the strength to press on.

PRESS ON

Dan Burgess

© 1983 Good Life Publications, Inc. (Admin. by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.)

What Wealth Can Do

It’s my privilege to speak to the students at our Christian school each Thursday morning. Yesterday, I talked about ‘treasures’ with them.  The topic is tough one for those of us who live in a consumer culture, who are accustomed to a life that includes internet, cars, cell phones, abundant food, and plenty of clean water!  So, when I asked them about their treasure, I got a variety of answers including the ‘Sunday School’ answer – Jesus!  Then, we read the story of a wealthy man who came to Jesus inquiring about gaining eternal life.  The core meaning of that story eluded those students as it does many of us. They thought Jesus was condemning his wealth and demanding poverty.  But, was He?

" A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:18-27, NIV)

The one thing that stood between that earnest young man and God was not the wealth with which he was privileged. It was the self-sufficiency that the wealth created! 

This young man was accustomed to being in control and it showed in his first responses. When asked about his moral choices, he was able to point to a record of good. He never slept with his friend’s wife. He did not murder. That’s good, right?  And, he had done well with honesty and giving honor to his parents.  The fact that Jesus let his answer stand without challenge tells me that the young man was truthful about these things.  There was a major obstacle on the way to knowing God fully. It was not his morality, it was his need to control his own life. Jesus touched the nerve when He told that man, “Go sell everything, then come and follow me!”  That rich young man would not do it.  His wealth was his security.

Jesus made a comment worthy of our attention: How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Why? Does God hate wealth? Not at all. It is the byproduct of wealth – that illusion of control, the ability to manage and control so much of life when there is access to money, that creates a roadblock to knowing the Lord.  Wealth allows us to temporarily satisfy the soul hunger with fine things, with personal comfort, even with the admiration that so easily flows to those with greater resources. Jesus was uncompromising when He taught us that “No one can serve two masters … he will hate the one and love the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Luke 6:24)

So, Christian, where is YOUR treasure? 
What makes you secure, gives your life a sense of meaning? 
Is it the things you own, the position your stuff provides?  It is a tough question to answer given the amazing wealth in which we are privileged to live in here in America.  In spite of all the noise about falling wages and hardship, most of us enjoy a standard of life that is inaccessible to 90 percent of the rest of the world’s population.

The word from the Word is a familiar passage. Take a few moments to pray your way through it this morning, inviting the Holy Spirit to help you to see beyond the words, to grasp the eternal truth.

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."

 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. … What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. 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. " (Matthew 6: 19-21, 25,31-33, The Message)

_______________

 Be Thou my visionO Lord of my heartNaught be all else to meSave that Thou artThou my best thoughtBy day or by nightWaking or sleepingThy presence my light

 Riches I heed notNor man's empty praiseThou mine inheritanceNow and alwaysThou and Thou onlyBe first in my heartHigh King of heavenMy treasure Thou art

 High King of heavenWhen vict'ry is wonMay I reach heaven's joysO bright heaven's SunHeart of my own heartWhatever befallStill be my visionO Ruler of all 

Be Thou My Vision
Eleanor Henrietta Hull | Mary Elizabeth Byrne © Words: Public Domain

Who do you think you are?

“This hurts me more than it hurts you,” my dad told me when I was being disciplined. I did not believe him at the time, but repeated the same line to my children when, as an adult, I realized how hard it was to ground a teenager or take away a privilege for the purpose of bringing about change in behavior. Now I watch those grown-up children doing the same things with their own families, in their best efforts to shape the character and values of their offspring.  I wince when I see one of my grandchildren tearfully protesting a correction, when I see the “pain” that they have to endure when their Dad takes away their phone or sends them to their room! The Grandpa in me wants to say, “Ah, just it go. It’s no big deal.”  But, I am so thankful for the discipline that is a love in action.

In the Church, discipline has become all but non-existent. For many reasons – shallow relationships, an inability to agree on standards of right and wrong, mistaken understanding of grace, cowardice – we tolerate sin in the lives of our brothers and sisters without saying a word about it. Ours is an unloving kindness!  We mistakenly think that our tolerance is an expression of ‘love.’  Actually our silence is a way of saying, “Go ahead and destroy yourself!” 

In the church at Corinth, the message of the Gospel’s grace had been taken to an extreme. Paul heard of sin in the congregation that nobody was talking about. Look at the correction he sent to them. "I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship. Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns. Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?" (1 Corinthians 5:1-6, NLT)

“Remove him from fellowship … hand him over to Satan.”  Sounds harsh, doesn’t it?  Don’t offer this person the comfort of your fellowship, of fooling himself that he is in good standing with the Lord.  Let him taste the loneliness of being separated from the family of God and the table of Holy Communion, Paul told them.  When the Church does this today, and it does so rarely, the backlash is quick and strong. “How could they be so narrow-minded? How could they think they have a right to judge someone like that? They are so unloving.”  And, the person under that kind of discipline goes 2 miles down the road and is welcomed into another fellowship with open arms, in spite of his lack of repentance.

I make no appeal for cruel, harsh, or mean actions. There is no cause for seeking public humiliation of another person. Certainly church discipline cannot be practiced in an atmosphere of fear or favoritism. But, where there is deep love, the Church must be bold enough to say to another, “that is wrong and if you persist in your sin, you cannot fellowship here.”  Indeed, there are several steps in discipline that ought to be taken before excommunication!  Jesus says that when someone offends, we should seek a private meeting, speaking gently and loving to the errant one.  If that appeal fails, we should engage another mature Christian to join the conversation.  Only then do we take the hard step of breaking fellowship.

And always, the discipline is to be aimed at restoration, not destruction.  A father who lovingly disciplines his son does not abuse that child. If he does, he is wrong and steps are taken to correct him!  A parent aims at bringing about change for the better, basing the discipline in a loving relationship.  So it is in Christ’s church.  When we call a person to change with discipline our hope is to restore the relationship as soon as there is evidence of repentance.  In the Corinthian situation, we know that the discipline was effective, because in Paul’s second letter, he urges the church to restore the man who had sinned. "The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him." (2 Corinthians 2:6-9, NIV)

We must remember that ours is an imperfect world, filled with imperfect people, who live in less than ideal situations. Sometimes we have to face the facts that what is done cannot be undone. Our goal is not some rigid ideal of holy perfection.  We are invited to pursue Jesus, forgiven and forgiving.  Where there is an acknowledgment of sin, we come quickly alongside of the sinner and offer loving support that helps toward wholeness.

Here is a word from the Word. May the Spirit give us insight to understand the letter and the spirit of the command so that we will be the beautiful and holy Body of Christ before our world. "Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.

Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life." (Galatians 6:1-8, The Message)

___________

Father, thank you for the amazing grace of Jesus
That reaches me in my worst moments.
May that grace make me graceful!

Teach me to live in love, a bold and engaged love for Your people.
Help me to love others enough to be truthful,
But never harsh, nor condemning.
Keep my mind always aware that I am prone to sin,
Holding tightly to Your hand lest I fall.

Make Your Church a holy and beautiful one,
Marked by love and redemption.
In Jesus’ Name.   Amen

Paint and Props?

If you visit the ‘set’ where a TV show is filmed you will see ‘rooms’ that appear amazing in the production, but that are actually anything but solid!  The eye of the camera can be fooled with props and paint. What looks so ‘real’ is an illusion.  

When I was a little boy, we visited “Frontiertown.”  Capitalizing on the craze for Westerns, the place was supposed to be a recreation of a town from the Old West.  Since we were guests of the owner, we were treated to a kind of back stage pass. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the things that looked so real from the ‘Main Street’ were mostly false fronts and props. The ‘cowboys’ turned out to be college kids with summer jobs.

Let’s get serious. Is your Christianity authentic, a thing of beauty and real value?
Or, is your faith a ‘set’ constructed for appearances only, largely without function in your daily life?

A tragic truth is that many settle for a kind of discipleship that only looks good. Superficially, they look just like a real follower of Jesus, but when life presses that person, when things turn inside out and upside down, their lack of substance is revealed. By contrast, the disciple who has ‘built his house on the rock’ becomes even more beautiful in the time of trial. The darkness of trial causes the beauty of Jesus to shine even more brightly. The pressure of pain releases God’s grace like the fragrance of a crushed rose fills the room with its sweetness.

The Word reminds us that even if we fool most of the people almost all of the time, God knows what we’re really made of. This passage ought to give us pause. "Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames." (1 Corinthians 3:10-15, NLT)

It is far easier to be content with merely looking good than it is to truly be good!  
That person who wants to know Christ deeply and authentically will have to wrestle with ‘the sinful nature.’  He will have to face unpleasant facts about himself and put Self to death. He will have to learn to trust in things he cannot see, shape his hope around promises yet to be fully possessed, and serve the will of Another.  Some Christians will judge this kind of disciple as having a lesser or faulty faith because he will admit to his flaws rather than concealing them behind spiritual make-up!

For whose eyes are you living, disciple?
Are you real, solid, and spending yourself to build a life that is full of treasures of grace?

Here are Jesus’ words about life construction. God, make us truly beautiful. “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”  (Matthew 7:24-27, The Message)

______________

Cornerstone

 My hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus' blood and righteousness.I dare not trust the sweetest frameBut wholly trust in Jesus' Name.

 Christ alone, cornerstone.Weak made strong in the Savior's loveThrough the storm He is Lord, Lord of all.

 When darkness seems to hide His face,I rest on His unchanging grace.In every high and stormy galeMy anchor holds within the veil.My anchor holds within the veil.

 He is Lord, Lord of all!

 When He shall come with trumpet sound,Oh, may I then in Him be found.Dressed in His righteousness aloneFaultless stand before the throne.

Edward Mote | Eric Liljero | Jonas Myrin | Reuben Morgan | William Batchelder Bradbury
© 2011 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) 

Do you 'get it?'

In a conversation I was having on Sunday, I switched topics mid-talk. As I spoke I saw the other person’s face grow puzzled. She understood my words but they made no sense because she could not see into my mind and realize that I was now onto another subject. I stopped and, after we laughed at the confusion, I explained the shift in my thinking and apologized for not telling her where I was going.  Only then did we find understanding. “Let’s try to get on the same page,” we say to someone who is in a different place, coming from another perspective. We know that our words and thoughts find meaning in their context. That is why it is important to frame what we say.

Do you have the ‘mind of Christ?’  Is God able to speak you and find that you have understanding, or are you unable to discern His ways because your thought processes lack the context of the Spirit’s wisdom? This is not about being clever, having superior intelligence, or even about eloquence! This is about living in the Presence of God, having a mind that is shaped by the Word of God.

Paul explains to us why those who are without the Spirit will not understand what we say or why we make choices that we make in life. They lack ‘context’ that gives the words meaning.  "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. . .   We speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing . . . we speak of God’s secret wisdom  . . . as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit . . . This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. . .  “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:1-17, NIV)

The passage is not about arrogance, nor is it an expression of pride! It is an appeal to think like Jesus thinks, to learn from the Spirit, so that we may live wisely and reflect God’s will and purpose in our world. The Christian, for example, ‘sees’ the reality of eternity. His choice is not just formed around what is best for today. He lives to gain a heavenly reward. Those without the Spirit will wonder about that. Why would someone sacrifice happiness today if Heaven is just an idea, a ‘could be’ thought.  They may understand the words in Jesus’ direction to “seek first the Kingdom, to lay up treasures in Heaven,” but they will not have the same kind of conviction that a Spirit-filled disciple has.

So, how do we learn to think like Jesus?

1. We must be converted, born of the Spirit, alive to God!

A learned religious leader came to Jesus with questions.  Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be ‘born again,’ in order to understand God’s ways. “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”  (John 3:5-6)  The ‘natural’ mind cannot grasp what is spiritually discerned.

2. We must walk in obedience.

If we are self-willed, obstinate people, our understanding of God and His ways will be dimmed. The people of Israel left Egypt, guided by the Presence of God.  But, over time, they became tired and angry, full of complaint. Their hearts hardened and they missed His will. When they arrived at the entry to the Promised Land, they trusted natural wisdom rather than spiritual wisdom. As a result they refused to go and possess the land. That entire generation died in the wilderness after wandering for 40 years!  Obedience is basic to knowing the voice of the Lord. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)

3. We must pray!

Prayer is not just the time we spend on our knees in some secret place, nor is only the flow of words addressed to God. Prayer is an attitude, a constant state of mind. “Pray continually,” the Word teaches. Yes, be attentive to the voice of the Lord. The Psalm paints a picture of this kind of focus: "I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal." (Psalm 123:1-2, NLT)  Lord, keep us prayerfully focused, with a heart that eagerly anticipates Your direction.

Let’s live as people of the Spirit, with context and understanding of God’s wisdom, so that our lives will shine with His goodness.  Here is a word from the Word. "People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God’s laws. If we follow our desires, we cannot please God. You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you. People who don’t have the Spirit of Christ in them don’t belong to him. But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. Yet God raised Jesus to life! God’s Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit." (Romans 8:5-11, CEV)

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Spirit Of God Descend Upon My Heart

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart,Wean it from earth, thro' all its pulses move.Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou artAnd make me love Thee as I ought to love.

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

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

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

Frederick Cook Atkinson | George Croly © Words: Public Domain