"I, in awesome wonder, consider all"

The aardvark napped; an orangutan frolicked. Peacocks strutted, hippos floated. The gawky giraffe appears to have been designed by a dysfunctional committee! Yes, the family and I were at the Philly Zoo. Payton, my 18 month old grandson, pressed up to the fences, his little mouth forming an "o" of silent amazement as he looked at birds and beasts. Gavin was captivated by the monkey antics. The wonder of it all was sensory overload, even for me.

I kept thinking of God's charge to us, "fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over (it.)" (Genesis 1:28, NIV) "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (Genesis 2:15, NIV) A central part of God's purpose for us is the stewardship of the earth, and what a treasure He's entrusted to our care! The Scripture never hints that we should worship the natural world as many do, but we are told to take care of it as a sacred trust.

Once, I foolishly failed to listen to those who expressed concern for the earth, dismissing the whole ecology movement as the work of 'tree huggers.' In my view it was an either/or proposition- development or conservation. That's a false dichotomy, as many are discovering. We don't have to worship the earth to care for it with reverence for it as the work of God. Certainly, like all reactionary movements, environmentalism has been characterized by excesses to which many Christians, including yours truly, responded as the stuff of New Age nuts.

Carl Weiland, wrote in Creation - "environmentalism seems like a substitute religion, with an established dogma; ‘plastic is bad, recycling is virtuous, forests are sacred sites, developers are satanical’. And much environmentalism is fanned by evolutionary pantheism. ‘Mother Earth’ is the creative goddess, who must be protected and pacified. But in any issue, we should be prepared to think carefully, and not let our reaction to extremists goad us into overlooking any Biblical principles that apply." As those who will give account to God for how we managed His garden we need to apply our minds to find solutions that allow for us to enjoy the world and her bounty, while taking steps to keep it whole and beautiful as the Creator made it. Weiland also observes - "Determining the boundary between use and abuse, between responsible resource management and rapacious plunder, is obviously a complex ‘wisdom’ issue, not one with a single Biblical answer that fits all cases."

To care for the earth is an act of worship - for Him, the Creator. I am convinced that when we give account to the Lord, it won't just be our tithe and a positive balance in our checkbook that matters when He discusses our stewardship. He will ask about how well we took care of His Treasure, how we engaged in exercising dominion (rule) over His earth.

Here's a word from the Word. Note the wonder about Creation! Need a wonder-infusion? Take a trip to the Zoo!
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" Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. ....

He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. ...

How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. ...

May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works—...I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD. ...Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD." (Psalm 104, NIV)

The Discipline of Joy

Discipline and joy - that is an incongruous linkage of words. In our Weds. Bible Study, we are studying John Ortberg's Life You've Always Wanted. The first discipline he writes about is celebration, practicing the habit of joy! I must be honest and admit (confess is probably a better word) that I am the "Chief Drudge" and that I do not celebrate well. That is not a good thing. Christianity is to be characterized by incredible joy, among other things. Ortberg challenged me by pointing out some key truths.

First is this-- God is joyful! That was a new idea for me. God is love, yes. God is holy, of course. God is good, always. But, God is joyful? Think about it. When He created, how did He summarize His work? "And God saw all that He had made, and it was very good!" He was delighted by His creativity. Isaiah uses a great metaphor about God's joy -- "as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you." (Isaiah 62:5, NIV) God is as giddy about loving us as a young man is about his new wife!

Second -- Jesus' goal was to give us 'abundant life' that we might 'share the full measure of His joy.' Jesus laughed! I know it's much more common for us to think of Him as a suffering Savior, but between the lines, we see a joyful Man. Children liked him, sought Him out. Kids don't climb onto the laps of cranky guys! Buried in His teaching are remarks designed to spark laughter. We don't always 'get it' because of the gap in culture and time, but they are there. He poked fun at the Pharisees who were so scrupulous about external holiness. His audience probably roared when He said, "you strain the gnats out of your drinks but swallow camels."

Third -- Paul commands us to rejoice! "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4, NIV) If joy were simply the result of uncontrollable circumstances as many of us think, then this command would be unfair or impossible. Joy is a choice for the Believer, regardless of the 'happiness content' of the day.

So, how do we practice joyfulness? Ortberg suggests 7 things...

1. Begin NOW! Stop waiting for joy to make it's way to you, or waiting for something you hope for to happen. Believe what the Word declares, that "This is the day the LORD has made" ... and when you believe that... then go on to the next step..."let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24, NIV)

2. Find a 'joy' mentor. Experiencing joy is a learned response. Griping and complaining comes naturally to the sinful nature. So let somebody who's grasped the joy of the Lord coach you.

3. Set aside a day a week to celebrate. It's not BAD to have pleasurable experiences. Eat ice cream! In moderation, it won't hurt you a bit. Revel in beauty. It is a gift to appreciate a sunset, a work of art, a musical composition. So, make sure you celebrate regularly to break out of the monotony of life.

4. Unplug from the steady stream of 'bad news' from the world for a week. Depression is an epidemic among us. Might it be because we are trying to deal with the ugliness, the sin, the suffering of the whole world everyday? Those 24/7 news channels might keep you informed, but they may also be a great hindrance to joy as you find yourself confronted with terror, tragedy, and woe from the four corners of the earth.

5. Discipline your mind to see life from the Biblical perspective. Today is not IT! You and I are not all that we will ever be. Change is happening, that is the assurance of the Word. "...we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. " (2 Corinthians 3:18, The Message) Not happy with who you are, what you're like today? Work with God and He'll change you. And live 'eschatologically' with an eye to the coming Kingdom! That will keep the disappointment and sorrows of this day from overwhelming you.

6. Pray for the fruit of the Holy Spirit (the evidence of His life) to be created in you. What is that fruit? "Love, JOY...." Yes, second on the list is JOY! "Oh, God, teach me to celebrate, to live joyfully, because You live in me."

7. Practice joyfulness. Yes, when you hear yourself joining in with complaining, when you're chafing against situations, when you are ungrateful- make a choice, by the power of the Spirit, to go in a different direction. Look up, not down. Speak with faith, not from fear. Thank God for what He's given you, instead of complaining about what you perceive that you lack.

"Lord, thank you for being You and for being Joyful over us.
Wherever we are, in whatever state we find ourselves today,
may our response to you be gratefulness for your faithfulness.
When our hearts are broken by real suffering, by hurt visited on us by cruel people,
heal us and hold us close.
When we are selfish, touchy, and full of irritability -
convict us and help us to listen when you say, "Get your heart right!"
Do the work of transformation in us, so that the
joy of the Lord will be evident in us.
In this you will be honored and the world will know
that we are people of faith.
Jesus, we pray this in your holy name.
Amen."

Hand in hand

Gavin, my grandson who is 3, and I walked, holding hands. It was a wonderful moment that left me full of emotion. When a large vehicle approached, his little hand tightened on mine as if to say, "Keep me safe, Grandpa." At one point as we walked past some mud on the side of the road, I felt his grip loosen and knew his intent in a second, so I gently held on and pulled him back, sparing him some very muddy sneakers and a scolding from his Dad. We got to a dead-end side street and I said, "you can run ahead if you wish." He dropped my hand and danced a funny little wiggle around me, laughing in his 'independence' but even then stayed fairly close. When I asked him why he didn't run ahead, he replied, "because I don't know where your house is."

And God whispered to me, "I delight even more in you than you do in this little boy!"

In the grip of His grace there is both comfort and safety. When we hold tightly to Him, (that, at least, is the illusion. Truth is, He holds us more than we hold Him.) we sense the comfort He offers even when the questions pile up without immediate answers. Gavin had no idea where I was going and just a few minutes into our walk, if I had disappeared, he would have been lost, unable to find his way home. Once we left our house, he had to trust me. Similarly in our walk with God, we do not know where He's leading and, while He's given us our final destination, the way between here and there is often unknown.

But, we need not fear because He is a good God! I am amazed that He would want to walk with me, but He does. He promises, "I will not leave you as orphans." (John 14.18) Cynthia Clausen wrote a song that includes these lyrics,

He sees the Master plan.
He holds our future in His hands.
So don't live as those who have no hope.
All our hope is found in Him.
We walk in present knowledge,
but He sees the first and the last.
And like a tapestry, He's weaving you and me
to someday be just like Him.

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don't understand,
when you don't see His plan,
When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart.

More wonderful even is that He knows our intents and that we are prone to wander into the mud, too. If we are walking with Him, His Spirit will pull us back to spare us - if we'll listen!
I'm sure my quick tug on Gavin's hand was mysterious to him. "How could Grandpa know I wanted to get into that mud? Why won't he let me?" He didn't know that I know his little boy heart quite well. He asked, "why can't I walk over there?"
"Because it is sticky mud and it will make a mess of your shoes," I explained. All he saw was a spot of dirt that glistened with moisture inviting him to play. I saw the consequences and saved him from an unpleasant scene! Our Lord, the Bible says, "is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." That is not a threat to our joy. It is safety! He can see the consequences and, by His Spirit, warns us.

Are you walking with God?

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-7, NKJV)

The "Supreme" Court

Yesterday the US Supreme Court handed down more of those verdicts that reveal how foolish even the 'wisest' of people can be. Two cases about the public display of the Ten Commandments were decided with 140 pages of legal jargon, most of it nothing more than the preferences of one person dressed up to look like law. In one ruling, the Texas State House display was allowed as part of a 'historical' monument, while in the other the Kentucky court house was told to remove the display because it was an illegal entangling of the state and religion. There will all kinds of hand-wringing on both sides of the issues today.

Some Christians will see this as further evidence that we are living in the "End Times," and the Court will once again prove to be a handy tool for the fund-raising campaigns for various media ministries who will rally Believers to 'hold the line' against the encroachment of godless atheists in government. The People for the American Way will see this as convincing evidence that America is on the brink of a becoming a fundamentalist theocracy ruled by Baptist preachers and they, too, will raise $millions with campaigns centered around that fear!

The Court is responding to a syndrome described today by columnist George Will as "distress delight." He wrote, "Nowadays many people delight in being distressed. They cultivate exquisitely tender sensibilities and practice moral exhibitionism, waxing indignant about minor encounters with thoughts and symbols they dislike."

We followers of Jesus need to get over our sensitivity to being disrespected by those in power!

I have it on good authority that Christians being hated by the world is a normal thing, the way life works in this present world. Our Master said, “When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A servant is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you!" (John 15:18-20, NLT)

If the Church gets about the business of being the Church- feeding the hungry, proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom, loving the poor - our witness will be so powerful it won't make a bit of difference whether stones etched with the Ten Commandments stand in court house squares or not!

When we insist that the 10 Commandments hang in court houses and classrooms, I believe we are looking for a witness that is more comforting to us in its symbolism than effective in shaping our society. Yes, I am saddened by America's refusal to recognize that there is a God who makes holy demands on people, demands that are sketched out in the Decalogue. It is sad to see our country losing touch with the foundational ideas that shaped our social contracts and laws, but those values won't be preserved by keeping some displays intact! The 10 Commandments are prominently displayed in the Supreme Court in Washington, DC and don't seem to have a bit of influence over the 9 people who sit on that bench!

God's holy law must first be written on our hearts and then we can celebrate it by writing it on the walls. So, instead of being distressed and mailing off a $100 to some right wing political action committee, I'd like to suggest that you consider another response to this evidence of America's drift into secularism.... re-commit yourself to radical discipleship! Pray something like this, "Jesus Christ, you may not be recognized as the Lord of these United States, but I bow at your throne and surrender myself to You. Let my words and my life be a powerful witness to my world, directing their attention to your Kingdom and calling my world to desire your wisdom, to submit themselves to the real "Supreme" court."

Here's a word from the Word to ponder today -
Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. " (Matthew 5:14-16, The Message)

Letting Up?

I love to use "Summer time" as my excuse for not doing very well with my weight management! You know, too many snacks and too little exercise. It's a story told a million times over, right? When it's 90 degrees plus, it's hard to get motivated to put on the walking shoes and do that 20 minute exercise thing. A bowl of ice cream sounds so inviting on a Summer evening. At age 50, my body doesn't forgive me the way it used to. But, I still want to 'let up' on the discipline... it just feels so natural. The results are not so nice!

Some of us 'fall apart' spiritually in the Summer time for the same reason; we just 'let up.' Churches, historically, observe a 'summer slump' in attendance as people choose the beach, backyard BBQ's, and extra time to sleep in over getting to worship services. Bibles collect dust as daily routines are set aside, and with them, the regular intake of the Word. Time in prayer suffers as we spend more time pursuing leisure activities. As spiritual disciplines are neglected, our spirits starve and grow weak, giving the sinful nature occasion to show up and influence our thoughts, words, and actions.

Let me be positive and suggest that there are ways to 'change the pace' without abandoning our disciplines!

Here are a few suggestions--

1. Make Sunday morning special by getting up a earlier and going out for breakfast on the way to church, or even better, make plans to have a picnic lunch with another family from your church following the service.
2. Buy a new translation of the Bible and use the Summer months to read through several of those books you don't get to very often - Jeremiah, Deuteronomy, the Kings... perhaps you will read a little less in your Bible, but do some research along the way. God can use more obscure texts to feed your spirit, too!
3. Take a 'prayer walk' through your neighbor once a week, actively praying for those who live around you.
4. While on vacation, instead of just skipping out on church worship, go to a church of a very different tradition. Don't go to criticize, but rather to see how God touches people using different forms of worship. This is a really wonderful way to teach your children about the breadth of God's church!
5. Write your daily prayers for a week! You might be inspired to broaden or deepen your conversation with the Lord.

6. Meet with the Lord in a different place occasionally. Drive to the park, walk by a river, hike into the woods, sit out in your backyard late in the evening - and let Him speak to your heart in those places.

What's worked for you, helping you to stay motivated with your practice of spiritual disciplines? I'd love to know and might even write another TFTD about this!

Faithfulness to the practices the keep our hearts in touch with the Spirit is important. Be careful about being bound by the 'religious rules.' It is all too easy to confuse doing things like reading the Bible, saying prayers, and going to church with being spiritual! I do not mean to suggest, for one moment, that you should take some spiritual pride in your regular practice of these things. But, they remain vital to us as means of God's voice being heard over the noise of day to day living! Just doing these disciplines doesn't mean a thing unless we engage our heart and listen. That said, there is a place to make a choice of the will to get up and get going... just like I must do if I want to keep my body healthy. It isn't about what feels good in the moment; it is about what becomes possible because we make the right choice today- again tomorrow, and again, the day after that.

"Do you see what this means—...It means we’d better get on with it.
Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in.
Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:1-3, The Message)

Together

Five of us sat down in a small room. We talked, argued, listened, talked some more ... and prayed together. They were real prayers. Aren't all prayers real communication with God? No.

• Some are sermons in disguise (Lord, our Pastor needs to be more open to your Spirit's work, for we know that in Ephesians it says, ... blah, blah!).
  
  Others are gossip dressed up (And Jesus, give Al the strength he needs to overcome his awful habits, you know Lord, he drinks too much... blah, blah!).
  
  Some are news broadcasts wrapped in Old English (Father, thou knowest that my daughter hast made the Dean's list and I thankest Thee that Thou hast blest her... blah, blah!).

But we had none of that in that gathering. We were a group of guys with open hearts, yearning to touch God and be touched by His Spirit. Being together and willing to hear each other's prayers helped to keep us honest and focused.

Sometimes together is hard! Occasionally God gives us a partner for ministry who is something less than a saint - perhaps vain, or immature, or just foolish. Sometimes He puts us in groups that wander, meandering toward a decision by the longest path possible. Sometimes He places us in a group that calls us on our hypocrisy! Ouch, that one hurts - because no one likes to have his pretensions punctured with honest insight. Sometimes He places us among people with whom we have no 'chemistry' and we have to stick with them bonded by the Spirit - you know - like being the one country music lover in a group that loves rock 'n roll!

Sometimes together is blissful! The meeting starts and the problem that has not yielded an answer to us for weeks, is solved by an insightful suggestion made by someone sitting across the table. The church service begins and the songs of the saints become the Wind beneath our wings (sorry, couldn't resist that). As prayers are offered, the light touch of another Christian and the sound of her voice asking the Lord God to meet our need, can be more comforting than almost anything in this world.

Together is never optional! This passage is so familiar, you may be tempted to skim through it. Please don't! Read it carefully.
"The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ.... the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? ... In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect from the eyes of others those parts that should not be seen, while other parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other equally." (1 Corinthians 12:12,16,22-25 NLT)

So, dear Believer, choose together. Turn the 'me' in your life into choice for the 'we' of together. The Lord's command is -
"Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT)

The Message says it like this: Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do!
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I truly hope that I'll see you on Sunday, in worship, at 10 AM - as we gather TOGETHER.

A life untended, aimless days

The chaos that surrounds us demands that we impose order! Ordering your world requires that you pay attention to the details, that you mind the little things. For example, ever note a lawn that is mowed regularly, but the corners aren't trimmed, the edges along the flower beds are untouched? The details left undone make the whole job look bad. Keeping the big picture in sight is also important, but it is very unlikely that we will accomplish the BIG dreams of our lives if we live in constant chaos produced by our inattention to day to day management.

Let me illustrate my point practically--

• Does the 'big picture' of your life include a life-time marriage full of love? A spouse feels loved and cherished when you care enough to pick up your socks, clean up the kitchen, and call when you're delayed in traffic. Yes, little things, but the stuff of life. Know this: a wonderfully intimate marriage cannot be sustained on a yearly vacation and a weekend get-a-way now and then. Love is sustained by the morning kiss, the evening hug, the little things that say, "You are important to me, in this moment."
  
  
• Want to balance your checkbook and enjoy financial freedom? One author warns about the 'coffee stop' factor that ruins many a household budget. His point? You can make a cup of coffee to take for your commute to work that will cost you a few cents, or you can stop every morning at Dunkin' Donuts and spend $2. Seems like a little thing until you compute the yearly cost to discover that those cups of coffee add $500 a year to your budget! $2 here, 50 cents there... and before long you have major uncounted expenses. My Dad had a funny phrase about details -- he would say, "Mind the pennies and the mice!" It's a farmer's saying. A profitable farmer notes the little expenses and eliminates the small creatures that eat away the margin.
  
  
• What to stop living on a treadmill of frantic activity that keeps you from doing what you dream about? Buy a schedule book and learn to use it! Paradoxically, the more ordered your daily life, the more time - long term- you will discover is available to do what you really need to do. A person can save hours of time IF she will take one hour to create a plan at the beginning of the week that eliminates duplication and wasted time. Ever see a person who shows up at every meeting trailing papers, breathless from trying to make copies at the last moment, and still shuffling through folders trying to get ready? Imagine the reduction in stress IF that same individual took a hour's focused time the day before to put all the stuff together needed for the meeting.
  

Great Christians tend the little things. Major sins and failures do not happen in a moment. Lives disintegrate, one little lapse at a time. Billy Graham, whose integrity is legendary, made a simple covenant at the outset of his ministry, that spared him from having to deal with a temptation that has ruined a lot of great men. He promised his wife and ministry partners - "I won't be alone with a woman other than my wife, not riding in a car, not in a hotel room, not ever." He made the decision before a problem ever existed!

Make a priority decision to do the 'little things' that are needed- not to prove anything to God, not to comfort yourself with attention to meaningless detail, but to open your heart and mind to the flow of the Spirit.

• Put going to church high on your weekly schedule.
• Pick up your Bible every day.
• Give from the top of your paycheck, not the left-overs.
• Pray before you watch TV.
• Do ministry before you play.

OK, I can hear your objections. "Jerry, that sounds like a lot of duty, like religious exercise." Could be, if you choose to glorify the act instead of seeing those things (and others certainly) as means of discovering God's presence and purpose in your life. John Ortberg writes, "Spiritual disciplines are to Christian life, what warm-ups are to a basketball game! A player’s vigorous performance in warm-ups indicates nothing about his skills to play, but if he fails to do warm-ups, the level of his play will certainly be affected."

Here's a word from the Word - let it go deep in your mind today. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air." (1 Corinthians 9:24-26, NIV)

The Gold Standard

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How to lose your joy

Bev and I walk a circuit through our neighborhood several times each week enjoying the sunshine, and hopefully, helping ourselves stay healthy. On one of those walks last week, I took note of a very big boat next to a large, beautiful house. I heard a little voice in my head, "Don't you wish you could afford a toy like that?" I listened to the voice and soon, a chorus formed in my brain that sang about the things I didn't have, loudly and insistently. Once envy found a place to take root, it grew like a weed until I verbalized to my wife, "Sometimes I wish I had pursued a path in life that would have allowed me to give more things to you and the kids!" What a noble way to say, "I'm envious!" The truth of my sinful envy was hidden behind a screen of supposed altruism.

Apparently envy was the temptation of the week for me, because it tried to make a comeback several times - in different disguises each time. My experience with this monster proved the wisdom of Proverbs 14:30- "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." (NIV) As long as I entertained envy and the chorus of discontentment, there was no rest for my mind!

Because envy is a hidden sin (at least, at first!) we tend not to take it seriously. The Bible takes envy very seriously and Paul includes envy in the same catalog of sins as "sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness." - Galatians 5. Wow! As I entertained that voice, I was standing in not so great company, wasn't I?

What's the problem with a little envy? What does it hurt to want what someone else has? James is to the point -- "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." (James 3:16, NIV) Remember Joseph, the favored son of Jacob? His father gave him a privileged place in the family and showered him with gifts. (Not too wise, but the subject for another TFTD!) Joseph older brothers envied him and, given the opportunity, sold their brother into slavery and lied to their father that Joseph was dead. That's the kind of thing envy can produce.

Envy is a shortcut to Misery Street. It will destroy a marriage, a family, a church; yes, our joy. The old phrase tells us that the 'grass is greener on the other side of the fence.' Envy colors our vision and we are unable to see the blessings that are ours.

What's the cure? Thankfulness, overflowing gratitude. The seductive song of envy is no match for the sweet melodies of praise. If I had answered the little voice that reminded me that I could not afford an expensive toy like that big boat with a song of praise for the grace of God which is mine in abundance, envy would have run away that day. Eventually I won the victory, by choosing to offer a sacrifice of praise. My 'thankful for' list became quite long in a short time! And my sanity returned!

Here's a word from the Word to take with you today, and to remember next time the envy monster whispers in your ear....
Then I realized how bitter I had become,
how pained I had been by all I had seen.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
23 Yet I still belong to you;
you are holding my right hand.
24 You will keep on guiding me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
-- Psalm 73:21-26 (NLT)

Good diet, healthy life

Why are some Christians more loving to others, dedicated to the things of God, consistent and faithful, generous, kind? Why are God's purposes and holiness so evident in some and invisible in others?

It's not personality! Sometimes you'll hear somebody excuse their continuing lack of spiritual growth by saying, "I'm just not that kind of person. It's harder for me." That excuse makes me smile. What is 'that kind of person?' Is there really a personality profile for better Christians. Of course not!

It's not just training. Certainly having good teachers and models helps us grow in grace, but there are those who grew up in godless homes, who attend churches where the teaching is abysmal, who become wonderful Christians.

Great Christians are made that way by the work of the Holy Spirit. "Ah," you say, "It isn't up to me, so if God wants me to become a holy, kind, loving, gentle, faithful Believer, then it will happen." True, yet not true. It is true that you and I cannot rid ourselves of traits of Adam's nature. No amount of guilt, punishment, or regulation of our behavior can produce the character of Christ in us. Most of us have tried to be better people, time and again, and ultimately failed. We succeed for a while, then we fail and the sense of guilt only deepens. God works in us to bring us the knowledge that we can live better than we do and of our failure to be who He wants us to be - in the circumstances of life, by letting us see His work in another person, by allowing tragedy to enter our lives, and many other ways. He stimulates our appetite for Himself in the most curious ways.

Creating spiritual hunger in us is God's part! How we satisfy that hunger is our choice! Too often we temporarily fill the hunger with something other than God and there are plenty of things are offered that will supposedly satisfy our needs. Ever hear the phrase, you are what you eat? Spiritually, it is true.

Yesterday I felt hungry, but I didn't feel like making a salad, or preparing a meal, so I reached for a bowl of potato chips. They were good, full of oils and salty, and - for the moment - made my hunger disappear temporarily. But, the 'junk food' did not satisfy the way a good balanced meal would. Similarly, we can temporarily turn off the sensations of our "God-hunger" with pleasure, success, materialism, sensual stimulation, achievements, and such things. These things are not necessarily evil but they are not meals that satisfy the soul. A steady diet of Desperate Housewives (a current TV hit in case you didn't know), overspending to own more things, or even reading religious books and/or watching Christian TV (an oxymoron, I think) will never make a strong Believer who is full of the Spirit and Wholesomeness of God.

But, if we will turn to God, and open up our lives to His Presence, He will feed us with real food for the soul. Jesus talked of this food saying, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:33-35, NKJV) As He feeds us, there will be a genuine transformation of character.

If we what to be changed from the inside out, we need to eat the True Bread offered to us. What does that mean?

It means responding to those inner promptings and obeying God. It means setting aside time to pray and meditate that allows His Message to penetrate deeply into us. It means forming close ties with others who are real seekers so we are encouraged. "Jerry, that sounds a lot like doing things to change myself." If self-improvement is your motive, genuine transformation will not occur. If feeding your soul hunger with God is your motive, then change is inevitable! Jesus promised, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6, NIV) The Message, a contemporary translation says, “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat." (Matthew 5:6, The Message)

Colossians points out the inter-play between God's provision for our transformation and our responsibility for creating opportunities for it to take place. Take this thought with you today....

"... your real life is hidden with Christ in God. ... So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. ... you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.
In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. ...

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ... And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. ... And always be thankful.

Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. ...
Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:3-17, NLT)

My Wonderful Lord

It was time for a break! The day was long, filled with people's needs- the sick, the deranged, those desperately needing attention pressed in to be close. So, at evening, they decided to take the boat and go across the lake. As they made the crossing, a squall kicked up that threatened to sink the little boat. The men realized the danger and looked at their leader asleep at the back of the boat. "He will be able to handle this," they reasoned among themselves, so they awakened him. He stood up and amazingly faced the wind. It was an irrational thing he did, except that it worked - "Quiet. Be still!"

The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. ...
They were in absolute awe, staggered.
“Who is this, anyway?” they asked. “Wind and sea at his beck and call!” "
(Mark 4:39-41, The Message)

Some insist that Jesus was just lucky or that He sensed the end of the storm and timed His declaration just right! These readers reject, categorically, the possibility of miracles. "Miracles," they sniff, "are for the credulous, the simple. They are the invention of those who cannot cope with life; who see what they want to see." It is true that 'miracles' are abused by charlatans seeking to sway the crowds. The healing revivalists that toured America in the middle years of the 20th century too often stooped to sleight of hand and magic tricks when they failed to produce genuine miracles on demand. In the 1990's, one 'evangelist' was caught using a radio transmitter in his ear, through which his wife prompted him about the needs and ailments of those in his audience so he could appear to be 'hearing from the Spirit.'

I believe the testimony of the Scripture, because I believe that miracles happen; not often, certainly not 'on demand.' That's why we call them - 'miracles.' Something that we can repeat, that we can measure or quantify - by definition is not a miracle! I don't miracles to sustain my faith, but I thank God when I see them.

The Gospels record Jesus' doing miracles and His miracles are believable precisely because they are so randomly done and so tangential to His message. He doesn't try to impress anybody. Truth is, often when He did something miraculous, He asked the witnesses to keep it to themselves. He didn't often call attention to His powers, preferring just to let the miracles speak for themselves. When He fed 5000 people with a couple of dried fish and 5 pieces of bread, He didn't have the story written up in the Galilee Times with a picture of Himself standing among the 12 baskets of leftovers!

What a wonderful Lord!

How's the weather 'round your boat today? Windy, with waves kicking up that seem threatening to you?
Invite Jesus into the situation. Trust Him with it and see what He does.
Sometimes He quiets the storm and sometimes He steadies the boat. But He's always near and in His presence there is peace.
____________________________

I invite you to worship at 10 am this Sunday.
I'll be continuing my series of messages - "Who is Jesus?" and I'll be talking about the Miracle Working Lord.

If you're unable to join us at the Assembly you can read and/or listen to the messages at
http://www.WashingtonAG.net/sermon.htm

A God of Abundance

God cares about your needs! God created the world as a place of abundance where every need of every person should be met. I believe that. It is a consistent theme of the Bible.

Genesis tells us that He looked over what He had made and said, "It is good!" That didn't mean OK, just about right, acceptable and we'll work out the bugs, etc. It meant that He made it perfect and provided everything that was necessary for life.

Abraham, when he experienced God's provision at a moment of 'impossibility' named Him, "Yahweh Yireh" - God, my Provider. To be sure, Abe's trust wasn't perfect and on more than one occasion he tried to take care of his own needs in his own way. The results of his attempts at self-sufficiency were always less than wonderful.

In Israel's economy, God built in protections for the poor. A poor Israelite was not be be permanently enslaved by his fellow Israeli. An economic cycle of 7 years was set and in every 7th year debt was to be canceled. On the 50th year, it was the 'year of Jubilee,' when the land of a family lost to debt was to be restored to that family. Why did God command this? He knew the importance of keeping wealth from being concentrated in the hands of a few. (see Leviticus 25:8-14) You say, that was impractical! No, the greed of the people just kept it from being implemented. Certainly the implications of this cyclic system were many, but God intent was to erase permanent poverty.

Ultimately, God reveals that poverty is the result of sin. Oh, be careful how you apply that phrase. Don't misunderstand me as saying that you or I can look a poor person and conclude, 'he is a sinner!' That would be both unloving and wrong. It might be the sins of past generations, the sins of his nation, the sin of his extended family, or even the sin of his neighbor. But, the truth is that where people live in God's ways, prosperity is the general result!

The key to enjoying God's provisions is obedience. In Deuteronomy 15 (NLT) we read: "There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession. You will receive this blessing if you carefully obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow! You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you! Isn't that a great promise? But God also recognized that there would be those who, for one reason or another, were not blessed.

And what of them? Take a look. “But if there are any poor people in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year of release (that 7 year cycle) is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some among you who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share your resources freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need." (7-11, NLT)

I take two lessons from that passage.
The first is- God will take care of me.
I don't always live at peace in that promise, do you? But, when I center my thoughts on His Word I am able to trust Him in new ways.
The second is- if meeting humans needs is important to my Father, then it must be important to me.

Here's a passage to ponder this day: Proverbs 11:24-26 (The Message)

The world of the generous gets larger and larger;
the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.

Curses on those who drive a hard bargain!
Blessings on all who play fair and square!

The Poor are my Brothers

I once was blind, I am beginning to see

Until very recently, the plight of the world's poor people was an "Ah, that's too bad," kind of thing to me. It not like I thought of poverty as a good thing, but it wasn't really of any real concern to me. Sure, I spent some time in the mid-80's in India and had some pangs of conscience when I saw widespread poverty up close, but even then, it was their problem, not mine. It was a nice gesture to give to those in need, and I did. I have supported several missions including a home for orphans faithfully for years. From time to time, Bev and I have shared our home with those in need. But... largely the poor were invisible to me, at least in terms of my Christian faith!

What I am confessing is this: I didn't really connect my daily life-style choices to the issue of world poverty. If I could afford something honestly and in keeping with practices of good stewardship, then I bought it. Why not? After all, I was faithful with my tithing and monitored my debt carefully. So, you might be saying, what's wrong with buying what we can afford? I am beginning to see as the Lord removes the consumerism cataracts from my spiritual eyes that the question is not 'what can I afford?' but 'what should I afford?'

It's an intensely personal question, but when we give account to the Lord of Glory, our answer will be on public display! I am becoming more and more convinced that rich American Christians will stand before Jesus quite ashamed of the ways we used our incredible wealth to make our lives ever more comfortable while children starved to death. I sometimes wonder if our national epidemic of obesity is actually a wake-up call from Heaven. Could God be using our fat bodies to show us the bloated state of our lives, weighed down with so many things that are so unnecessary?

Legalism is a real risk here! That's why I want to be careful not to point at the 'toys' owned by somebody else. It would wrong for me to set a limit on the size of the house you live in, or to tell you what kind of car is 'acceptable' as a means of transportation. I take seriously the declaration of the Scripture that with regard to those issues "each one will give account of himself to God." But I am not ashamed to poke at your heart and mind, painfully perhaps, so that you will consider with me what the Lord requires of each of us. Then, too, even as I write this, I know that there is hidden hypocrisy in my life- stewardship choices that are obviously wrong in my life, but which I cannot yet see because they are so close to me. But, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I am serious about becoming more aware of what He wants from me in this area of stewardship.

James is not subtle in his demand that we take the plight of the poor to heart. He writes, "Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” I say, “I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds.”" (James 2:14-18, NLT)

Dear Believer, are you chasing 'the good life?' Then, let me ask you- "How are you defining that?"
Though you consume more, are you less satisfied with life?

The ancient prophet, Haggai, spoke to the people of God during a time of prosperity and called on them to make choices that honored their God. Read his words thoughtfully today and meditate on them through this day:
"And then a little later, God-of-the-Angel-Armies spoke out again: “Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over. You have spent a lot of money, but you haven’t much to show for it. You keep filling your plates, but you never get filled up. You keep drinking and drinking and drinking, but you’re always thirsty. You put on layer after layer of clothes, but you can’t get warm. And the people who work for you, what are they getting out of it? Not much— a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that’s what.
That’s why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: “Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over.” Then God said: “Here’s what I want you to do: Climb into the hills and cut some timber. Bring it down and rebuild the Temple. Do it just for me. Honor me. You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves, but nothing has come of it. The little you have brought to my Temple I’ve blown away—there was nothing to it.
“And why?” (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) “Because while you’ve run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins." (Haggai 1:5-9, The Message)

"I'm offended!"

Not long ago, I came to a car attempting a left hand turn across a busy highway at an intersection that was marked 'no left turn.' Thinking perhaps the other driver had not seen the sign I sounded the horn, not a blaring blast, just a gentle 'toot!' and pointed to the sign. The other driver abandoned his quest to make an illegal turn and proceeded to chase me for a few miles. I slowed to just let him pass, but he wouldn't. Instead he drove alongside of my car, waving, shouting, and making obscene gestures. I smiled, waved, and continued to drive, commenting to my wife that that man must have been having a bad day! I knocked a chip off of his shoulder, for sure.

Got a 'chip on your shoulder?' Some say this phrase dates back to medieval times when a knight would place a piece of wood on his shoulder and dare anyone brave enough to challenge him, to knock it off! Occasionally, the chip was knocked off accidentally by the jostling of a crowd but the hapless person who knocked it off was faced with the nearly impossible task of trying to explain he did not mean to provoke a fight.

In my role as a Pastor I am called to be a peace-maker. It amazes (even amuses) me, sometimes, how worked up people can get over the most minor of perceived slights. Some of us are so insecure, we walk around seeking offense - daring someone to even appear to 'diss' us (slang term for showing disrespect) so we can work up our hurt feelings and become the center of attention for a few moments, at least. I've had to work with Christians who were offended by situations such as: "He failed to greet me in church!" "She didn't extend a return invitation to dinner after I had her to dinner." "Her son called my son stupid." Yes, these are situations where courtesy failed, where someone was overlooked, but are they really a reason to call attention to yourself?

Things that set us off are often obscure or meaningless to others. When my brother, Andre', was little, about age 6, he hated to be called a 'green pig.' Of course, being 5 years older, I took delight in calling him a 'green pig,' just to hear him wail. Why did he hate that silly phrase? Who knows? I would even imagine he doesn't remember it today, but it was a sure way to offend him in 1966! Call him a 'green pig' today and he'll laugh and wonder if you're crazy. Are you letting obscure things cause offense, even when others have no idea what or why is causing your distress?

I've heard dozens of variations in the complaint over this "offense:" "I was sick and missed church for two weeks and no one called to see how I was doing." A couple of things make that complaint of offense particularly interesting - often it comes from someone who is so marginally involved, who contributes so little to the life of the church that, indeed, their presence was not missed. They could change that by becoming a participant instead of a spectator. The other factor that makes that complaint curious is that these people universally don't call to let anyone know they're in need! It would be funny, if it weren't so pathetic.

But, then, I remember times when I have allowed offense to take root in my heart over equally inconsequential things. Offense is not just a human relationship issue; it is a spiritual issue! I have realized that I am much more likely to be offended when I am not walking in close fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I am convinced that the Evil One likes nothing better than to stir controversy between people - in marriage, in ministry, in neighborhoods, in churches, even in families. Why? Because an offended person is capable of sowing chaos that can ruin good organizations, that can cause close groups to disintegrate. The Devil spotlights the failure, the lack of simple courtesy, or even the intentional digs that we deal with and we become convinced that our honor and dignity is at stake. Ironically, the more focused we become on preserving our honor, the less honorable we are! There is great dignity displayed by the person who simply refuses to take offense. The Bible says, "The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression. " (Proverbs 19:11, NKJV)

Secure your heart in the Love of God!
Let His Word convince you how much you matter to Him.
Then, learn to refuse offense. When the Evil One whispers- you're being 'dissed,' - you can silence his chatter in a moment if you know the depth of the Father's love. Learn to forgive readily, as befits one who is forgiven so much by Jesus. In this you please the Lord and become a person who creates harmony, unity, and peace to the glory of God.

And here's a word from the Word to take with you today --
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier.
Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing.
Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” (Luke 6:37-38, The Message)

More than anything?

If asked today, 'what is your life about? what do you hope to be accomplished in your living?' could you answer cogently, succinctly, readily? Would you need to scratch your head, think, fumble and perhaps come up with something by tomorrow, or could you say with conviction and certainty - 'this is why I live?' In the 1991 comedy about mid-life crisis starring Billy Crystal- "City Slickers," we met Curly Washington, the gnarly cowboy, who held up his index finger and challenged the city slickers on the cattle drive to know 'the one thing,' that life was about, enigmatically leaving that 'one thing' unspecified. It was part of the humor! We laughed at Jack Palance's portrayal of the wise cowboy who couldn't quite say what he meant.

Life is about focus, about bringing all the various parts of ourselves in line with the one thing! Too many of us live scattered or fragmented lives and, as a result, have little real impact on the world. Lacking a unifying purpose, we serve many masters and, in the process of trying to pleasing each one, satisfy none! Kierkegaard, the philosopher, observed that "to will one thing" produces purity of heart. What does he mean? We must live with the desire to love God as THE one thing that over-rides all others in our minds and hearts.

The Scripture says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8, NIV) A contemporary translation amplifies the meaning for us: "Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field." (James 4:8, The Message)

God wants to the One Love of our life, the One that we are focused on, and 'round Whom all other things are oriented. Jesus said it profoundly - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and heart." The love of which He spoke is not the sentiment of the greeting card or the warm fuzzy feeling provoked by some family picture. It is the choice to submit and serve.

At the beginning of this week, I encourage you to spend time prayerfully, thoughtfully, inviting the Holy Spirit's aid to evaluate your life in light of God's love. Be scrupulous, tough on yourself!

As you look through your daily planner, ask - does the way that I organize my time reflect that I love God more than anyone or anything else?

As you review your financial choices, look for evidence that you are demonstrating your love for God with your spending.

Sort through the attitudes of your heart and honestly review them to see if they are submitted to your love of God.

Jesus promised that God's holy commandments would be fulfilled in us completely, IF we commit ourselves to loving God as THE priority choice in life. Does the Lord sense that you are torn between two loves, that you are fragmented because you love yourself more than Him, or that you love pleasure more than Him, or that you love ___________ (what idol seduces you?) more than Him?

Fads, fashions, and trends will come and go. If we are slaves to those things, our lives will be full of instability as we shift our compass to point to the 'new true North' dictated by society. However, God's purpose never changes. His high calling is constant, steady, and consistent. Those who are oriented to His Truth, are drawn on steadily, with a course that is trued and straight.
____________________

"Father, many voices call to us from the periphery of our lives.
Many who would be our masters, ask for our loyalties.Good things and people ask us to fulfill their agendas.We need your wisdom to find the one thing that is necessary.
Speak to us clearly, patiently, yes, Lord- persistently.

And, help us, oh, help us to focus on loving You,
more than anything or anyone else.
As we live with competing demands of
home, family, church, and business;
become the One Unifying focus for us and in us.
Be the Lord of Life,
not merely in the words of our worship songs,
but in the work of our hands.
in the Name of Jesus, we pray. Amen."

Identified with the Poor

Who is my neighbor? What responsibility do I have, if any, for people who are on the other side of town, or in a ghetto across the state, or locked into poverty in some developing nation? The issue it addresses isn't one we can settle in a moment. It goes to the very core of our lifestyle and daily choices. To be honest, it's an issue I do not like to think about because I know there is much to change in me! I pray as you read this today, it will get under your skin and drive you to thoughtful prayer- and real action.

(The next three paragraphs were inspired by a message written by Leonard Sweet. I have edited the content for space and clarity.)

• Living High and Letting Die: Our Illusion of Innocence (Peter Unger, Oxford UP, 1997) has been called the state-of-the-art treatment of "how much the well off should sacrifice for the world's most needy" by one reviewer. Unger argues that the world's most serious moral problem is poverty. He claims that in our world 20 million people starve to death each year and one billion live in impoverished conditions where hunger, sickness, and early death are daily companions. And, he says, we (who have more) are morally obligated to work to help those in desperate situations.
  
  Most of us have received those envelopes in the mail that appeal to us to give to an aid agency. With a contribution equivalent to the cost of one meal at an expensive restaurant ($100), the agency will buy vaccines, food or oral hydration therapy which will save the lives of many children. Unger says that getting that envelope is much like driving along the road and seeing a child drowning in a shallow pond. At that moment, you have two options -- drive on, or wade in to save the child. However, if you go in after the child, you ruin the clothes you're wearing. But, what good person would even think about the cost of a set of clothes when a child's life is at stake? Most of us would give up a meal at our favorite restaurant, or even two, to please God by saving a child's life, wouldn't we? And yet, we casually toss the appeal into the trash- 'driving by' the dying children, in essence.
  
  But Unger pushes the case farther: You're driving along a deserted country road in a vintage car that you have lovingly and painstakingly restored. Suddenly you come upon a man who has ripped open his leg on a rusty barbed wire fence and is bleeding profusely. If you do not stop, the likelihood is that he will die. What do you do? Do you pick him up in your mint-condition, restored beauty, put him on those leather seats, knowing that they will now be ruined? Or do you go on hoping someone else will rescue him because 'it is not your problem.' The morality of the case is clear to all but the most calloused. If morality requires us to ruin our suit or the interior of our car to aid someone in distress who is immediate to us, why don't most of us feel similarly morally obliged to aid starving people who live far from us?

There are a host of reasons that we use to excuse our lack of concern for the poor, especially the poor far from us.

There are so many of them that we begin to think that helping a few makes no difference. The nameless, faceless masses are less compelling to us emotionally than one child. Is saving one really less important if we cannot save a million?

Then, too, if we cannot see our funds being used, and we know of corruption and greed in so many places, we decide that we will not get involved. Does the real fact that some resources will be mis-appropriated, wasted, or stolen let us off the hook so we can keep them in our own savings account?

We have learned to reason (wrongly, I should add) that the poor somehow 'deserve' their fate, either because of irresponsibility or immorality or perhaps even, God's judgment. Such ideas are seldom voiced because they sound so much worse when we actually say them, than they do when we think them! But, there are people who believe that their wealth, status, or privilege is a sign of God's approval/blessing and thus, need not be shared!

In the context of spiritual knowledge Jesus said, “Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." (Luke 12:48, NLT) We do not wrongly mis-use the Word by applying this principle to our wealth or privilege. The more that is entrusted to us, the more accountable we to God for the way in which we dispose of it.

Years ago, at Creation Festival, I heard Tony Campolo speak. He told of a young man who was in a couple of his classes who was brilliant and gifted. He planned to become a medical doctor so he could use the skills to heal the sick in some poor country. As Campolo tracked the young man's progress, he watched him reach the goal of getting his medical degree, then complete his residency; but curiously this bright doctor lost sight of serving and was trained in a lucrative practice of plastic surgery, doing body enhancements! He used the brilliance, the skills, the education to produce wealth for himself by making wealthy people more beautiful. In the way that only Tony Campolo can do it, he summed up his story by asking a question that was both humorous and yet so provoking that it has lingered in my mind all these years....

" Can you imagine being that man standing before Christ someday to give account for the way he used what God gave to him in the way of advantages, skills, and talents and having to say, 'Well, Lord, I used the gifts you gave me to give rich women bigger breasts!'?"

When I stand before Jesus, I want to hold my head up because I have used the gifts He gave to me, to lift up another. I leave you with this word from the Word today.
May it pierce our minds and hearts and become the catalysts for revolutionary compassion....
__________________________

Matthew 25:33-40 (The Message)-

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father!
Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom.
It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation.

And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say,

‘Master, what are you talking about?
When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink?
And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’

Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth:
Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
___________________________

Want some additional food for thought? See www.one.org for an interesting initiative.

The Mark

During a conversation yesterday a mature Believer and I were musing about the general levels of commitment within the Church. A widely accepted statistic is that about a third of Americans claim to be disciples of Jesus who believe the Bible is the Truth. That stat has to wrong! I am convinced that if 33% of Americans were serious about their faith and communing with the Spirit of God on a daily basis, most of our national problems would have disappeared. My assumption is that there is too much 'head' faith and not nearly enough 'heart' faith. As our talk continued, the man asked, "How many in our congregation would you say are really walking with Jesus?" I couldn't get away from the question for the rest of the afternoon. Because the next logical one, at least for me, is - "How do you measure that? How do you quantify 'good Christian?'"

The easy way is to take the road of the Pharisees, who earned scathing rebukes from Jesus for their faith practices. They measured another's spirituality by how well they kept the Law of Moses (or at least the Law as they interpreted it). If you attended synagogue, gave your tithe, were faithful in your marriage, observed the Sabbath rules, etc. - you were 'good.' Hey, that works for me, too. What's not to like about a person who goes to church, gives in the offering, and goes home to their wife every night?

Don't misunderstand, Jesus didn't condemn those things! What He pointed out - time after time - was that a person could live a moral, scrupulously outwardly respectable life and still be full of self, ignoring both God and other people! He said, "You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." Matthew 23:24-26 NIV

Oh, that hurts! Looking good on the outside, while still filthy on the inside. Saying all the right words, but not really doing the work of letting those words do the spiritual work of transforming our hearts and renewing our minds is a first level grievance to God. If I may extrapolate a lesson from what Jesus says, one might this-- "It's none of my business to judge who is a 'good' Christian because I can't see the heart which is what matters most."

But Jesus did say that there would be a mark that is visible! Yes, it is true. So, what visibly marks a 'good' Christian if not the religious works that are so commonly accepted as indicators of spiritual transformation? Jesus said it was love.

A good Christian loves God more than anything in the world -- more than his wealth, more than his reputation, more than his family, more than himself! "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."

And, a good Christian loves people as deeply as he loves himself. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Truely right living will take care of itself IF we let God's Spirit work out the demands of these loves in our lives. What may seem a simple directive becomes a powerful life guide when we think through its implications. In fact the whole of God's demands on us will be satisfied, Jesus said, if we love God and others genuinely. -- All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22:37-40 "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35 NLT)

I'm going to leave the question hanging today - "Are you a good Christian?" Make sure you use Jesus' evaluation standard when you start to answer. Your temptation will be to point out your goodness, your morality, your faithfulness -- and to ignore your failures, your sins, and the disappointments. If you do that, you may well polish the outside of the cup to a gleaming brilliance, but the inside will still be "maggoty with your greed and gluttony. ... Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something." MSG
______________________
Power Of Your Love- Bullock, Geoff

Lord, I come to You,
Let my heart be changed, renewed;
Flowing from the grace
That I've found in You;
And Lord, I've come to know,
The weaknesses I see in me,
Will be stripped away
By the 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
In 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.

© 1992 Word Music, Inc.
(Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.) / Maranatha! Music (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.) CCLI License No. 810055

Zonked?

"Doonesbury" is one of my daily stops along the way through the newspaper. One of the inhabitants of the comic strip is Zonker Harris, who once described college as 'nine of the best years of my life.' Ironically, he does his best to be the proto-typical loser, resisting the challenge of being a productive member of the human race, focusing all of his skills on 'important' things like getting the most uniform suntan in Malibu. In a recent series, Zonker attempted to hold a real job but found the challenge of busing tables at a restaurant beyond his stamina.

I am the anti-Zonker! It is tough for me to take a whole day off, never mind focusing on something as trivial as shooting in the low-80's on the golf course! My work-aholism is not necessarily admirable; but I am glad that my life has a higher purpose. I am engaged in a life and death struggle to build the kingdom of God. Sounds dramatic, doesn't it? It isn't! It is very pedestrian, a war that is primarily waged in my choices to do the right thing, moment by moment, in my heart, my home, my marriage, my ministry. Most of the time, this isn't about epic battles and headline grabbing moments that change the course of world history. Truthfully, in my quest to do God's will, on some days I am more successful than others. I am determined, however, to live for the ultimate win, by God's grace.

Paul urges all of us to get a grasp of the eternal issues that are involved in 'ordinary' daily decisions, to see our lives as the field where God meets evil, and to choose to be a winner for Him. Read his words slowly, with understanding.... "Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." He asks the Corinthians, "Have you been down to the stadium and watched the athletes there?" Drawing on that metaphor, he states, "They put themselves through all kinds of rigorous exercise to win a prize that last just a season. We are pursuing a prize that will last into Eternity."

That means getting serious about life. And how does Paul do that? Take a look... "Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:23-27, NIV) What a phrase! "I beat my body!" Sounds a little twisted, doesn't it? No, not really. He acknowledges that to push for the eternal win, the appetites of the body will have to be subjugated to the work of the Spirit. Our bodies whine and whimper, demanding that we coddle and comfort them, that we indulge their desires for food, sex, pleasure, and sleep.

Don't go off the deep end yet. There's nothing wrong with keeping well-fed, making love to your spouse, or getting a good night's rest. I don't think that the medieval ascetics who lived in bug-infested, cold rooms without bathing were on the right track towards spiritual victory, either! But, creature comforts aren't the highest goals in life. In Zonker's world, which is where a lot of people live, they are the meaning of life. For the Believer, they are secondary to doing God's will so that the Kingdom of God prevails.

Are living for the real win or are you Zonked, avoiding the hard issues by losing yourself in trivial pursuits?

"Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.
I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line.
I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me!
I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. "(1 Corinthians 9:24-27, The Message)

Learning to say, "No!"

Tell a toddler firmly, "no!" and watch the tears flow. Is he sad? Probably not, just frustrated. By age 2, self-will has taken root deep in his heart so that he wants to do what he wants! I raised 4 children and I loved being able to say, "yes," to their desires, however, as one charged with looking out for their best interests, from time to time, I had to say, "No." That was fun (not!) when they were 16 and determined to have their way. Living with pouting, sulking, and/or silence isn't very enjoyable. Sometimes I knew they understood the need for a 'no' but they lacked the resolve and/or maturity to make the right decision on their own, so I had to help them say it.

Americans are deeply in debt and a large of percentage of us are overweight. Why? Because we can't say no effectively to ourselves. There are certainly exceptions in both cases, but mostly we are what we are because we consume too much- financially and physically. (Please keep reading.) This has a spiritual effect in our lives. Because we are so accustomed to saying, "yes" to ourselves, because have so confused our true needs with our wants; we have little tolerance for inconvenience or difficulty that often accompanies knowing and doing God's will. In order to please God by saying, "yes" to Him, we will have to learn to say, "no" to our self will and our craving for pleasure. We cannot have it all; choices must be made.

We say, "I can't afford to tithe, to care for the poor, or support world missions. I have no extra money." (Please don't stop reading yet.) Most of the time what that really means is, "I've already committed my finances to my own needs and I won't say, 'No' to myself so I can say, 'Yes' to God." Bev and I learned the joy of tithing when we were poor. We gave God the first 10% of our income from the beginning of our marriage, committing to tithe first, and then to live on what was left. There were times when we wanted a new car, a vacation, or a college fund for the kids that simply was out of reach in our budget. The commitment of a substantial part of income stream to the Lord was a tempting place to do a reallocation, but that option was quickly rejected with "no" because we had already said a prior, "yes" that was inviolable.

We say, "I can't take on responsibility for some work of service or ministry, my schedule is simply too full." Again, that is usually translated, "I've already filled up my leisure time with things I want to do and I won't say 'no' to any of those things so I can use the spiritual gifts I have to glorify God." It's easy to insist that nearly everyday is full, but the people I talk to have time to watch TV, engage in sports activities, etc. There's nothing wrong with either of those things, but IF a Believer says, "I can't serve," and yet has time to watch TV several hours a week or play sports for hours each week, he's simply not being honest with himself about his true priorities. (Please keep reading.)

Modern Christians have mostly discarded a spiritual discipline - Fasting. We say that fasting is too legalistic, too rule-bound, too focused on religious acts. It can be. Like any good discipline, fasting can be turned into a show of 'spirituality' to earn the ooh's and aah's of others. Some people crave this kind of comment- "Look at how thin, he is. He is on day 30 of a 40 day fast. Wow, he's so spiritual." Others think that fasting a day a week proves to God how much they love Him or gives them some kind of leverage in their prayers. "Look, God, I go hungry for a full 24 hours every week, just for you." He doesn't care!

Fasting isn't for others and it's not for God, it's for us. When we fast, we teach ourselves that we won't die because we deprive ourselves of some food, some pleasure, or some creature comfort. Fasting helps us to say 'no' more effectively to ourselves so we are more readily able to say a joyful 'yes' to God! Because fasting a discipline that is primarily for ourselves, Jesus told us to keep it private! He said, “when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will suspect you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in secret. And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you." (Matthew 6:16-18, NLT) Note, His words were not, "If you fast," but rather, "when you fast." We desperately need this discipline today.

Realize that fasting touches many areas of life beyond food. (Hey, I see you're still reading. Thanks.) We can apply fasting to our entertainment. For example, we can commit to turning off our TV for day a week. We can commit to a week without sugary desserts. We can make a choice not to buy something we can afford, just for the sake of discipline, choosing instead to give that money to God's work. Real maturity is shown in the ability to delay gratification. I knew my children were ready to take on more responsibility for their own choices when I saw them able to make choices that involved a long-term goal. And that maturity gained them new freedom!

IF you and I learn to say 'no' to ourselves, it may look like a terrible thing, but actually we are gaining freedom! A person who has figured out that he will live without that fat treat, is free to live in a more healthy way. A person who has learned to say 'no' to his cravings and lusts, has gained the freedom to embrace the will of God joyfully. Here's a word from the Word to take with you today -- "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," (Titus 2:11-13, NIV)

Bursting into flame

Fire may smolder, hidden away, with just barely enough heat to cause a few fibers to burn in a slow, smoky, almost imperceptible way. But when the glowing embers burn to the surface, uncovering a source of oxygen, a spectacular burst of fire springs up almost instantaneously! Anger hidden the human heart is just like that.

Recently I spoke with a man whose heart smolders with resentment against his wife. She, likewise, carries deep-seated anger that is just below the surface even admitting to me that she 'hates' him, but at the same time she says, "I'm not really angry. I'm just hurt." They occupy the same house, but speak only in curt tones, cutting each other down when given the opportunity. The slow burn of resentment grows a little every day, assuring that there will almost certainly be be a 'fire' that destroys their lives. When the conflagration comes, they'll will say, "It just burst over us, coming from nowhere!" The truth is that the embers are growing hotter right now, but they will not admit they are angry! If they did, they would be compelled to follow through and seek a solution, which neither is ready to do -yet. Tragically, the fire could be quenched now, but once it rages out of control, their marriage and lives will likely be consumed.

Anger is one of the emotions that people deny most often. We relabel it, refer it, excuse it ... anything but face it. "I'm not angry, just upset," one woman told me during a counseling session in which she alternated between tears of frustration and rage so intense it made her incoherent! "I'm indignant," another person told me when describing how their adult son repeatedly took advantage of his mother. Both people were angry, deeply so, but because anger is a frightening emotion, and usually regarded as 'bad,' these people would not admit to the obvious.

Anger is a legitimate human emotion. A person who is incapable of anger is pathetic, a victim for everybody that comes along life's road. Anger helps us gather the courage to make change, to right wrongs, to seek justice. Anger is an emotion that is close to love. Surprised? We get angry only about situations that involve things or people we care about. Apathy literally means without feelings and leaves us half-dead! Ungodly anger is destructive exactly because it is selfish, a twisted expression of self-love that explodes when we feel inconvenienced or when our will is frustrated. Last Saturday I grew angry because my expensive eyeglasses were missing. My anger reflected the fact that I valued the item, but it was totally misfocused because I was ready to blame anyone but myself for misplacing the object!!

Deeply godly men and women will become passionately angry when the weak are abused, when others are oppressed or robbed of their dignity. Actions that diminish God's honor or that potentially harm those He loves will cause His people to rise up with anger to take corrective anger-- and rightly so! However, the Bible warns us of the potential for danger that accompanies anger. The Scripture says, ...“don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry. (Ephesians 4:26, NLT) Two things are emphasized - we must not lose rational control over anger, for then it flows into rage which is always destructive! And anger must have limits. We can't just 'stay mad' for days on end for that kind of unresolved anger eats away at us - body and soul.

Do you love God enough to grow angry at sin- in yourself and in the world - enough to work hard for change, to weep genuine tears of repentance, to humbly seek the powerful Presence of the Spirit for transformation?
Do you love other enough to get involved, to rise above apathy, even to the extent of feeling angry?
That's good! Now, use that anger to motivate you towards good ends.

Got anger smoldering just below the surface of your life? Are you trying to deny it, or call it something other than what it really is?
Get honest, now. Sure it's not easy facing up to the fact that you're angry at God over some situation in your life which you do not like or over which you feel little control. Admitting that you are really angry with that spouse or child isn't much fun either. Once you admit to it, you will have to do something to resolve the conflict or to move to acceptance - which might mean 'dying to self.' Ugh, nobody enjoys that!

Here's a word to think on today: "Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity."
(Proverbs 14:29, The Message)