Fire Baptized!

In recent years we have witnessed mega-fires in the West, that have destroyed thousands of acres of forest and cost $billions in property destruction. In addition to climate change, experts now realize that fire suppression methods that protected property and landscapes over the last half of the 20^th century actually created the conditions that now feed these huge fires. In the past, fires would burn the undergrowth, but not reach the canopy of larger trees, a natural process of thinning the forest for the healthiest trees to grow. But, those fires were not allowed to burn and dense growth accumulated, fuel for fires that rage out of control. Allowing smaller managed fires that clear out brush is one method of preventing even more catastrophic, canopy-killing fires from breaking out.

Fighting fire with fire. The idea seems to go against reason, at first.

God sometimes uses fiery trials in our lives, friend! If you are in the middle of a difficult situation, if you are feeling the heat of life, ask God to give you strength to endure.  In the loving hands of our Father, those experiences can actually help to clear out the clutter and encourage us to mature in faith.

John, the Baptist, offered this shocking statement to the people who came to hear him preach down at the Jordan River.  “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John." (Matthew 3:11-13, NIV)

John realized that his baptism, which focused on the act of being ‘sorry,’ of turning back to God was incomplete. Real maturity in faith required something more, and he knew that More was coming in the Person of Jesus who would fill us with the Spirit and, if we let Him, He will use the Spirit’s fire will burn away the distractions, the accumulated weight of other sins. Such fiery baptism is costly to us in terms of comfort. But, in John’s metaphor, it is a means of clearing away the chaff, the outer hull of the grain that is worthless.

Before we become fatalists and just accept all trials as ‘God’s will,’ we must realize that often we create our own troubles with foolish, or short-sighted, or sinful choices. We create the conditions for wild fires in our own life. It is wrong to blame God for those. However, He can use those things to cause us to reach the end of Self and turn to Him. When we do, He is our ‘ever present help in time of trouble.’  

So, here at the beginning of this new year, I want to ask you if you are living just in repentance, constantly going back to God asking forgiveness, seeking renewal? 

Or, have you been Spirit-baptized by Jesus, made clean by the fire, with fruitfulness in character, and growing to greater maturity?

This word from the Word will inspire. Let it grip your heart and mind today. "You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. . . So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words.  . . . Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!" (Hebrews 12:24-29, The Message)

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Abba, I humbly place my heart, my mind, my life at Your disposal.

Keep me from just saying words unmatched with desire for You.

If there are things that need to be torched in my life,

Steady me in faith through the fire!

Let me emerge, 

Not embittered, but empowered;

Not empty, but full of grace;

Not scorched, but cleansed.

And, help my hope to be found in Jesus,

All other loves lesser, love for You greater.

Amen

Dream BIG!

Do you have any crazy dreams about what life could be? Are you willing to let yourself think about change? Some of our dreams are naïve, some nothing more than fantasy. A few are downright wrong and deserve no more thought. There are nightmares- dreams that terrify. Then, there are those dreams that turn into vision which, when matched with action and resources, create a new reality! Most of us cannot imagine a world without a smartphone in our pocket, but a little more than a decade ago, they were just an idea.

In his most famous speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of a dream about something far more important than a tech device. He ‘saw’ a new kind of world. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. … I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”  His dream, though partially fulfilled, is still yet to be fully realized in our nation.

On this final day of 2019, let me ask you again – Do you allow yourself to dream? I say that we must dream or die.

Consider this word of God, spoken by Jeremiah to the Jews at one of the lowest points in their history. He was inspired to remind them that God calls us to hope. They are words for us! “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’" (Jeremiah 33:2-3, NIV) The Message says it like this: "Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own."

Are you dreams God-sized? Are they God-honoring?
Are they worthy of prayer and investment of your precious time?

Too often our dreams are exclusively about a life of greater comfort, more money, or increased influence. We turn our dreams turn into schemes about how we can use God’s power to further our agenda.

“God give me the money I think I need for that new project.”

“God, make my spouse love me in a way that makes me a happier person.”

“Lord, make sure my job remains secure this year.”

“Heal me… comfort me… give me more…” are common lines in our prayers.

It is not wrong to ask God for our needs, to share our heart’s desire with Him. He invites us to do that with confidence. James teaches us to  “Tell God what you need.”   We balance that with the fact that He is a Good Father, and He knows our need better than we do.  By faith, we surrender to His will trusting that what He allows us to experience are ‘good and perfect’ gifts that shape us for His glory, which is our ultimate purpose for existence.

From personal experience I will tell you that your dreams and God’s plans do not always follow the same path. The decade that is closing today has brought me grief I could not have imagined as it began. My father, my mother, my wife, my brother, many friends – have died in this time. Ah, yes, death is a part of the life-cycle and I recognize that reality. Then, too, in my pastoral work, I have experienced some wonderful moments with the people in my care, and I have known the worst disappointments of my entire ministry. Through it all, God has taught me to love Him and others more humbly and hopefully, with deeper faith.

The path I walked has been so far outside of my plans, I can say without exaggeration that it is beyond my wildest imagination. Most of us read that passage I quoted and we naturally think of “wondrous things” as fun, happy, and comfortable development. Disciple, God does have a plan for you and me! Our greatest joy is found in letting Him set the pace. He is a good God; not tame, not predictable, not bound to our limited perspective; but amazingly wonderful. So, "since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV) When we invite the Spirit to take the reins, we begin to see the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy – “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” (2:28)

May our most compelling dreams be about knowing Him, loving Him, and making a difference for His kingdom as long we enjoy life on this earth.

Here’s a New Year’s blessing. Receive it as you pray for the faith to let God be God!

"I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen." (Ephesians 3:17-21, NLT)

“Joy unspeakable!

Faith unsinkable!

Love unstoppable!

Anything is possible, we were made to thrive!”

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Thrive

(Casting Crowns reminds us that
God has good things prepared for us!)

Here in this worn and weary land

Where many a dream has died

Like a tree planted by the water

We will never run dry

So living water flowing through

God we thirst for more of You

Fill our hearts and flood our souls

With one desire

Just to know You and to make You known

We lift Your name on high

Shine like the sun make darkness run and hide

We know we were made for so much more

Than ordinary lives

It's time for us to more than just survive

We were made to thrive

Into Your Word we're digging deep

To know our Father's heart

Into the world we're reaching out

To show them who You are

Joy unspeakable

Faith unsinkable

Love unstoppable

Anything is possible

We were made to thrive

Mark Hall | Matthew West

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May I come in?

 In this age of smartphones, all of us have experienced attempting a conversation with someone who is absorbed by whatever is on the little glowing screen. I would have to plead guilty to that charge, at least occasionally, as well. It’s a not so subtle way of saying, “Whatever I am doing on this device is more important to me than you are.”  Not good, right?  

 Then, there are those interactions that happen when we receive clear signals that the other person does not have the slightest interest in helping us, even when they are paid to do so. A few days ago I was in a busy supermarket. The lines were long and the check-out person was uninterested in even basic service. My greeting went unacknowledged. An inquiry was met with a blank stare. I attempted a final ‘thank you’ and he turned, without a word, to start checking out the next customer. I felt sad as I walked away, not for me, but for that person who seemed so miserable. I wondered if he was that apathetic about the rest of his life.

How does the Lord find you when He shows up, by the Spirit?

Does He find a person taken up with the present?

Does He find you unwilling to engage with Him, to listen and learn from Him?

Or do you warmly welcome Him, inviting Him in, setting aside everything to focus intently?

John heard the Lord Jesus addressing a church that had grown apathetic about knowing the Lord. Read the words of Jesus.  “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. 

So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:14-20, NIV)

Allowing ourselves to be so distracted by lesser things that we lose our spiritual passion is the most subtle of sins. It’s an old saying but still so true. We experience the tyranny of the urgent which drives out the truly important. It happens in many ways in our lives beyond the spiritual. Many marriages fail, not because of abuse or infidelity, but because two people get so busy making a living, keeping a home, parenting children that they become strangers, without intimacy. Once beautiful friendships can die not because of some awful offense, but because days turn into months that turn into years without time to renew and best friends turn into strangers.

It is not my intent to add to your guilt or time pressure! In these closing hours of 2019, I want to turn your mind and heart to truth, to encourage you to make the right choices about your priorities. None of us is rich enough in time to do all the things we think we ought to do or even the things we want to do. So, we must decide what comes first and organize our time around those things. In my understanding of the world, Jesus is first … all other things, occupation, home, even family … are lesser.  

Will you make Him a priority in the new year?  That does not mean that you have to join a monastery, throw out your TV, or attempt to spend 2 hours a day in prayer and meditation.  Radical efforts usually fail.  In most situations, change needs to be intentional and incremental. If there is no time for personal prayer, carve 15 minutes into your day, not when you are exhausted or sleepy, but when you are at your best, so you can listen.  If you have not read the Scripture at all, start with a Psalm and a chapter from the Gospel, read aloud, with real mental engagement.  And do these kinds of things faithfully, not for a few days, but one day at a time, day after day.  When you sense the Spirit leading (and you will) respond with a real obedience – forgiving, giving, confessing, serving, loving.  Growth will come.

Here are Jesus’ words. They are full of promise, anticipating that we will open our hearts to Him. “So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." 

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Living Hope
(Listen, learn, love)

How great the chasm that lay between us

How high the mountain I could not climb

In desperation I turned to heaven

And spoke Your name into the night

Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness

Tore through the shadows of my soul

The work is finished the end is written

Jesus Christ my living hope

Who could imagine so great a mercy

What heart could fathom such boundless grace

The God of ages stepped down from glory

To wear my sin and bear my shame

The cross has spoken I am forgiven

The King of kings calls me His own

Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever

Jesus Christ my living hope

Hallelujah praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There’s salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ my living hope

Then came the morning that sealed the promise

Your buried body began to breathe

Out of the silence the Roaring Lion

Declared the grave has no claim on me

(REPEAT)

Jesus Yours is the victory whoa

Jesus Christ my living hope

Oh God You are my living hope

Brian Johnson | Phil Wickham

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