Not Ashamed!

Will (not his real name) was in the grip of alcohol, so much so that he jeopardized the safety of his children, nearly destroyed his health, and came close to losing his marriage – then he met Jesus. He told me about his baptism in a river in which he saw a vision of dirty water flowing away from him, his old life gone. The man I know now loves God and others, is gentle, and is free of the slavery. He is one of hundreds that I have known who found new life in Christ; some with similar dramatic change, others with a more subtle shift from serving Self to loving God. That is why I am a person committed to making Christ known, to preaching the Good News of transformation.

With Paul, I make this declaration - "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17, NIV)  Mock the simplicity of inviting others to ‘come to Jesus’ if you will, but I have no reluctance to share His offer of life!

I know that something powerful happens to us when we receive Him, by faith, as Lord and Savior. Beyond therapy, which can be valuable; beyond learning new patterns of life in discipleship, which is important to growth – everyone of us can have an encounter with the living Christ, acknowledging that we are lost, confessing our alienation from our Creator, and accepting the gift of transformation from death to life that comes through Him.

Paul writes about ‘salvation’ and does not intend that we think of that as a single moment of prayer, at the end of a church service or with a friend who has presented us with Christ’s truth. Conversion, that moment when we are, in Jesus’ words, “born again,” is an amazing change in direction. Salvation is a way of life, resulting from the powerful life of the Holy Spirit Who takes up residence in us, leading us to wholeness, to restoration of our relationship with God, our Father. We are both ‘saved,’ in an eternal transaction and we are ‘being saved’ as an ongoing experience.

In the transformation that comes from receiving the Gospel of Christ we become participants in God’s very nature, knowing something called ‘righteousness.’  Let’s not allow old caricatures block our understanding. To be righteous does not mean that we lose our ability to laugh, to know joy, that we must become staid, buttoned-down, uptight religious zealots. Through Christ Jesus we are declared ‘righteous’ – acceptable to God who is perfect and holy because He extends His mercy to us – and becoming whole and holy as we grow in His grace so that old ways are replaced.

Let’s not lose sight of a critical phrase that comes next – ‘by faith, from first to last!’ We cannot focus on our own perfection, hoping to change ourselves. The sinful nature trips us up every time we think we are smart enough, mature enough, to please God.  The life of the Spirit is poured into us when we respond to His invitation with faith, believing and receiving, what God provides in Christ. What joy! What power! What transformation!

Are you living the Gospel? Don’t confuse the question with being religious. Just trying to be nice, going to church, and attempting basic morality may be admirable but those things cannot make you or me right with God, and to the extent that we attempt to live the ‘Christian’ life in our own strength, we will likely end up only feeling more guilt.  The Gospel (Good News!) is that Christ Jesus came to save us – offering us new life, releasing us from the old ways, inviting us to become participants with Him in the divine life.

Here is a word from the Word. Lord, use it to inspire us to greater faith and deeper transformation. Amen.

" It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. …  immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! … Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. " (Ephesians 2:1, 4-5, 8-10, The Message)

_____

Who You Say I Am

Who am I that the highest King

Would welcome me

I was lost but He brought me in

Oh His love for me

Oh His love for me

Who the Son sets free

Oh is free indeed

I'm a child of God

Yes I am

Free at last

He has ransomed me

His grace runs deep

While I was a slave to sin

Jesus died for me

Yes He died for me

In my Father's house

There's a place for me

I'm a child of God

Yes I am

I am chosen not forsaken

I am who You say I am

You are for me not against me

I am who You say I am

I am who You say I am

Ben Fielding | Reuben Morgan

© 2017 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Remember and reflect!

 

9/11/01 - 19 men full of hatred for 'the Great Satan' - America – set out on missions of destruction. 3000 people died and this country was changed. They killed in the name of Allah, their hatred and rage fueled by religious fanaticism and fear. It is not just fringe adherents of Islam that practice hatred in the name of God! We do well to remember, to reflect, and to resist the radical fringe of haters.

Where does religious hatred come from? It grows in a very fertile soil -fear - of a changing world, of those who are 'different,' that what we value is being destroyed. All of experience some level of angst when the world around us changes, don’t we?  We wonder about what we have given our lives to. We ponder the kind of world our children will live in. Sometimes it seems like the most precious things to us are being ripped from us. When we stoke those fears, feeding them with endless bad news, conspiracy theories, and mix in political and/or religious rhetoric, we risk becoming belligerent; hateful!

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

But, "Jerry, when we see the reality of sin and evil, we must respond to it, right?" Yes, absolutely. We would be fools to pretend that we are living in a world that welcomes the ways of Jesus Christ. God is ignored by many, with godless choices shaping our nation. There is a real Enemy of God who actively resists all that is good. The Evil One is sowing his seeds of destruction. But we will not overcome him by using the tactics of hatred and violence. Our response must be different. We can boldly speak to sinful behavior, while holding out the hope of redemption through the love of Jesus!

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

There is but one thing that allows Christians to overcome their fears, that gives them the ability to ‘turn the other cheek’ in the face of hostility. It is knowing the complete security of God’s love, that nothing in this world, no one, at all, can separate us from the promise of God to save and keep.

9/11 changed America – and not necessarily for the good. Christian, it is our call to resist the fear, to unite where there are divisions, to encourage and to be people of hope. On this anniversary of an attack fueled by religious hatred, let’s renew our commitment to change the world with the profound message of God's love shown us through Christ Jesus.

Our word from the Word is anchoring Truth that lets us do the work of the Kingdom of God.

"No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39, NLT)

______________

The Power Of Your Love

Lord I come to You

Let my heart be changed renewed

Flowing from the grace

That I found in You

And Lord I've come to know

The weaknesses I see in me

Will be stripped away

By the pow'r of Your love

Hold me close

Let Your love surround me

Bring me near

Draw me to Your side

And as I wait

I'll rise up like the eagle

And I will soar with You

Your Spirit leads me on

In the pow'r of Your love

Lord unveil my eyes

Let me see You face to face

The knowledge of Your love

As You live in me

Lord renew my mind

As Your will unfolds in my life

In living ev'ry day

By the pow'r of Your love

Geoff Bullock

© 1992 Geoff Bullock Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

Let me tell you …

Did you hear about that meeting? Can you believe what she said? Do you know what happened to him?  Gossip is as old as human speech, as common as dust. It is not unique to rich or poor, male or female. We all let it happen, some less obviously, but nearly all of us talk about other people, some of the time. People share gossip for many reasons – to enhance their own social status, to gain attention from others, to subtly let others know their opinions, out of boredom, to get even with another. The fact that ‘everybody does it’ does not make it right.

A few days ago someone shared a morsel of gossip with me that she heard about my supposed pending retirement from ministry. There were a few shreds of truth in what was said but what was alleged about my motives and decisions was complete fabrication. I laughed it off, but wondered if anyone believed it? Most likely it got started in a conversation of speculation and after a few repeats somebody’s ‘theory’ turned into ‘facts.’  (By the way, just to set the record straight, I have no plans to retire anytime soon, nor have I asked for a pay-out from the church.)

Words, even idle gossip, are powerful, capable of bringing pain and trouble to others. On school playgrounds kids chant, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!" But that isn't not true. Words can hurt, badly. You know that, and so do I.

What kinds of words flow from your lips? The wisdom of the Word teaches us these things –

Proverbs 16:28 - A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

Proverbs 18:8 - Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly?

Proverbs 26:20 - When you run out of wood, the fire goes out; when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.

Paul sets a goal for each one of us in the use of our words. He corrects some feuding Christians - “So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words.” (Romans 14:19)

The answer to gossip and critical speech is not a padlock on the lips; it is confession of sin which allows the Holy Spirit to transform our mind. If we want to replace negative, critical, destructive words with encouraging, positive, and life-giving ones, we must have a genuine change of heart, an inner work of the Spirit. Jesus reminds us that the words we say flow out of our inner-most person. What we think, what we value, who we really are – is revealed by what we say.  

 A slanderer, a gossip, is telling the world – “My heart is empty, without the positive, inspired qualities of the Spirit."  I know this personally! When I am exhausted or discouraged, when I do not make the choice to be renewed in prayerful conversation with the Holy Spirit, the overflow of my lips becomes faithless, negative, and too often, critical.  And yes, when I walk with the Spirit, renewed in Him, in the same kinds of situations, He makes me capable of being encouraging, of speaking honestly, lovingly building up others.

Let’s call gossip what it is – harmful, destructive, and ungodly. No more excusing it as ‘being human’ or ‘just that thing that happens.’  When we find ourselves falling into it may we have the courage to apologize and to repent! Gossip is a sin against God and others. Treat it as such. Pray instead that God will transform your words. Pray that it will be life, not death, that results from your conversations.

The word from the Word is a bit lengthy today, coming to us from the practical letter of James.

"We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. 

So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?" (James 3:2-11, NLT)

________

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing;

Out of my life, may Jesus shine.

Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray;

Make me a blessing to someone today.

-Public Domain

Solitary

The cell was stark, nothing but a narrow bunk. It was called “Solitary.”  It was the place where inmates were placed for disciplinary reasons, or occasionally, for their own protection.  I toured a prison museum while vacationing last week. (Don’t laugh, it was interesting.)  When gets busy and responsibilities multiply, we may sometimes wish for a little time alone, but taking a break from our day to day responsibilities, which is what I did last week with a vacation, is entirely different from being cut off from all human interaction, locked into a cell without windows or glimpse of the world. It is an awful kind of punishment.

Circumstances may leave you feeling like you’ve been put into solitary confinement, abandoned even, but let me remind you, Christian, that you are never truly alone!  Moses spoke to God’s people and to Joshua when he was about to take on the leadership of the nation - "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. … The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:6,8, NIV)  The repetition is a way of driving home the point to us!

We are never ‘in solitary’ even when we are alone. The Presence of God knows no barriers. The Spirit is with us, living in us. We can commune with Him, know His peace; anytime, anywhere. David speaks of times in his life when he felt abandoned, overwhelmed, alone. When he reflects on his heritage, belonging to God, he sings- "Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let the smile of your face shine on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine. I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." (Psalm 4:6-8, NLT)  

There is a key to experiencing God’s presence, stillness. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV) The power of the text is sometimes lost to us. Where the Word tells us to ‘be still’ the Hebrew text is about more than just turning down the noise of life. It is an active word that implies weakness, falling down in exhaustion. We might translate that line, “let it go!” Yes, to experience God’s Presence in His fullness, we must be willing to release our grasp on things, on expectations, on our own dreams and hopes. Is that difficult? Yes, because God’s Presence involves ‘things unseen.’ 

If you are feeling alone, wondering if the Lord has placed you in solitary confinement- ‘be still.’  Hit the pause button, step away, sink down, let go. … of what you think you need so that you are able to take hold of Who He offers to be in your life. We can become so convinced that we know how life should be, what others must do, the things we absolutely need to find contentment and peace, that we cut ourselves off from the best gifts that are found in Him. That’s not theory for me, I know it first-hand. In great loss I have found Him nearer, even when my heart aches. But, the price of knowing His peace is  surrender of my demanding, becoming still before as I honestly confess that He is Lord. In surrender, He finds us and lets us know His joy.

Feeling abandoned today?  Meditate on the eternal truth of the Word, from Paul who was inspired by the Spirit.  Speaking of his own accomplishments and religious achievements, he says - "I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him.” (Philippians 3:7-9, NLT)

__________

One by one He took them from me,

All the things I valued most.

'Til I was empty-handed,

Every glittering toy was lost.

And I walked earth's highways, grieving,

In my rags and poverty.

Until I heard His voice inviting,

"Lift those empty hands to Me!"

Then I turned my hands toward heaven,

And He filled them with a store

Of His own transcendent riches,

'Til they could contain no more.

And at last I comprehended,

With my stupid mind, and dull,

That God cannot pour His riches

Into hands already full.

-Martha Snell Nicholson