John Newton penned the now familiar line - "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!" Newton knew the depths of wretchedness. In his youth, he had gone to sea and over time became a captain, but not of noble ships. He plied the slave trade, carrying human cargo from their African homes to lands far away. Those ships were islands of misery and death with sick and suffering humans chained below decks in unimaginable squalor. Over this ugliness, Newton presided until he met Christ and experienced transforming grace, becoming a minister of the Church of England.
Some churches have taken to changing one word - 'wretch' - to 'soul.' I prefer to hold onto the 'wretch' word because it makes God's grace all that more amazing! What is a 'wretch?' My dictionary defines it as 'a deplorably unhappy person of base or despicable character.' No wonder some hymnals are taking the word out of the song. We moderns don't like to think of ourselves as wretched. We don't sin anymore, we just make mistakes. Wrong! Inside of every person lives a wretched sinful nature, which is inherited from Adam, the first in a line of wretches. Paul knew of the wretched state of humanity first hand, too. He spent years pursuing Christians to bring them, with whatever means necessary back to their senses. He even stood at the murder of Stephen, watching him die as stones thrown by hate-filled men pummeled that young saint's body. Then, he too, met Christ and experienced amazing, transforming grace.
Paul never forgot that his sinful nature was ready to make a re-appearance if given the least chance. He wrote, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24, NKJV) Then, praise pours from his being at the demise of the wretch and the appearance of the glorious man - "The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. " (Romans 7:25, The Message)
I awakened today with a strange mixture of wonder and revulsion in my heart - the dark outlines of the wretchedness at the edges of my life repulse me, but against that dark backdrop, there is glory all around, for am no longer just a wretch, but a saint saved by grace! I rejoice that the God of the ages, through Christ Jesus, would liberate me from wretchedness, not because of anything good thing I've done, but because He is so good and His grace so amazing.
Have you bowed your heard, and humbled your heart, recognizing your wretchedness? There is no need to remain in that unhappy state.
There is a Savior who gives new hearts and fresh starts to those who receive His amazing grace. He accepts wretchs and work a wonderful renewal of heart, soul, and mind!Yes, you and I will, from time to time, slip back into our wretchedness when we take our eyes off of Jesus. The sinful nature waits to assert the wretch in us.
But we need not wallow in the shame of our sins. Instead, we turn back to our God, and like the lost son, find the open arms of the Waiting Father.
Here's a word from the Word-
"We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory,
are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)
Shine brighter as you live in His amazing grace.
_________________________
Something Beautiful
If there ever were dreams
that were lofty and noble,
They were my dreams at the start.
And the hopes for life's best,
Were the hopes that I harbored,
Down deep in my heart.
But my dreams turned to ashes,
My castles all crumbled,
My fortune turned to loss.
So I wrapped it all in the rags of my life,
And laid it at the cross.
Something beautiful, something good;
All my confusion He understood.
All I had to offer Him
Was brokenness and strife,
But He made something beautiful of my life.
© 1971 William J. Gaither, Inc. ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management - CCLI License No. 810055
Friday, September 29, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Praying like you mean it
At a meeting I attended this week, we spent the first hour in politeness. It was like a carefully choreographed dance of formal introductions, following the agenda, shielding ourselves. Then, as we became better acquainted, the room thawed. People expressed themselves; there were little chuckles, side exchanges between people, and smiles. As I work with that group, our effectiveness will continue to grow as we gain more knowledge of one another. The better I know someone, the more honest I am willing to be with them. With Bev, my wife of 31 years, I can drop the polite niceties of conversation and get to the gut level stuff of communication. If I don't like something, I can tell her. If I'm sad or happy, fearful or confident, buoyant or depressed - I can share it with her knowing that she loves me.
When you pray, does God get to see your true heart's feelings or are you very polite and nice?
Philip Yancey, in his most recent book, Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?, says that his study of Biblical prayer reveals a much different kind of approach to God than is evident in most Sunday morning worship services in our churches or even in our personal prayer lives. He writes, "The church I attend reserves a time in which people in the pews can voice aloud their prayers. Over the years, I have hard hundreds of these prayers and with very few exceptions, the word polite applies. One, however, stand out in my memory because of it's raw emotion. In a clear, but wavering, voice a young woman began with the words, "God, I hated you after the rape! How could you let this happen to me?" The congregation abruptly fell silent; no more rustling of paper, or shifting in their seats. "And I hated the people in the church who tried to comfort me. I didn't want comfort, I wanted revenge. I wanted to hurt back, I thank you God that you didn't give up on me, and neither did some of these people. You kept after me until I came back to you. Now I ask that you heal the scars in my soul." - {Christianity Today, October, 2006, page 101}
As I read the Bible, I find that those who knew God best prayed some very honest prayers, arguing and demanding a response from God. Moses, who was given the arduous task of shaping a slave people into a nation that would be the people of God, grew angry with their constant complaints and rebellion. At one point this man of God was frustrated beyond measure. He went to prayer and said, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so miserably? What did I do to deserve the burden of a people like this? Are they my children? Am I their father? Is that why you have told me to carry them in my arms—like a nurse carries a baby—to the land you swore to give their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep complaining and saying, ‘Give us meat!’ I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! I’d rather you killed me than treat me like this. Please spare me this misery!” (Numbers 11:10-15, NLT)
Abraham, when he heard of God's plan to destroy Sodom, prays in a way most of us would find curious at best, and more likely offensive. He starts haggling with God. "Would you spare the city if I can find 50 righteous people in it? How about 40, maybe 30?" “I know I’m trying your patience, Master, but how about for twenty?” “I won’t destroy it for twenty.”" (Genesis 18:31, The Message)
Jesus, in the garden the night before His crucifixion, begged the Father, "Is there another way? Please let this cup pass from me!"
God wants to know us and I am convinced that we do not honor Him by concealing our true feelings and playing nice in prayer! We need to take Jesus' counsel and get alone with God where we can, like Jacob, wrestle with Him! He'll win, but oh, what we'll learn in the process - about ourselves and about Him. He's not intimidated by our hard questions. We only sin if we dismiss God from our lives with an arrogant, "I can do it myself" kind of prayer. There is no sin in asking boldly, in praying honestly, in telling our Lord we're not on the same page, singing from the same hymnal, as He is. Here's the truth - He knows what's hidden in the corners of our mind! When we pray nice and polite prayers the only one being spared the truth is us!
Raw emotions are terrifying, mostly to those of us feeling them. They threaten our sense of control. But, I can say from my own experiences of prayer, when I let go and let myself get angry with God, angry enough to physically tremble, I get up from my face knowing that He's touched me. When I let my sorrow over the sinful and broken lives that I minister to daily turn into a flood of tears while I lay on my face in the sanctuary, I go out with a renewed sense of His comfort. Anyone who saw me or heard me praying in those moments, might well conclude I'd taken leave of my sanity, but God - who knows me better than anyone in the world, loves me through the stormy prayers.
Pray with intensity. Love God by sharing your true heart; with all its sins and grief and joy, with Him. He will love you for it. Here's a word from the Word to meditate on today - "since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16, NIV)
When you pray, does God get to see your true heart's feelings or are you very polite and nice?
Philip Yancey, in his most recent book, Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?, says that his study of Biblical prayer reveals a much different kind of approach to God than is evident in most Sunday morning worship services in our churches or even in our personal prayer lives. He writes, "The church I attend reserves a time in which people in the pews can voice aloud their prayers. Over the years, I have hard hundreds of these prayers and with very few exceptions, the word polite applies. One, however, stand out in my memory because of it's raw emotion. In a clear, but wavering, voice a young woman began with the words, "God, I hated you after the rape! How could you let this happen to me?" The congregation abruptly fell silent; no more rustling of paper, or shifting in their seats. "And I hated the people in the church who tried to comfort me. I didn't want comfort, I wanted revenge. I wanted to hurt back, I thank you God that you didn't give up on me, and neither did some of these people. You kept after me until I came back to you. Now I ask that you heal the scars in my soul." - {Christianity Today, October, 2006, page 101}
As I read the Bible, I find that those who knew God best prayed some very honest prayers, arguing and demanding a response from God. Moses, who was given the arduous task of shaping a slave people into a nation that would be the people of God, grew angry with their constant complaints and rebellion. At one point this man of God was frustrated beyond measure. He went to prayer and said, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so miserably? What did I do to deserve the burden of a people like this? Are they my children? Am I their father? Is that why you have told me to carry them in my arms—like a nurse carries a baby—to the land you swore to give their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep complaining and saying, ‘Give us meat!’ I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! I’d rather you killed me than treat me like this. Please spare me this misery!” (Numbers 11:10-15, NLT)
Abraham, when he heard of God's plan to destroy Sodom, prays in a way most of us would find curious at best, and more likely offensive. He starts haggling with God. "Would you spare the city if I can find 50 righteous people in it? How about 40, maybe 30?" “I know I’m trying your patience, Master, but how about for twenty?” “I won’t destroy it for twenty.”" (Genesis 18:31, The Message)
Jesus, in the garden the night before His crucifixion, begged the Father, "Is there another way? Please let this cup pass from me!"
God wants to know us and I am convinced that we do not honor Him by concealing our true feelings and playing nice in prayer! We need to take Jesus' counsel and get alone with God where we can, like Jacob, wrestle with Him! He'll win, but oh, what we'll learn in the process - about ourselves and about Him. He's not intimidated by our hard questions. We only sin if we dismiss God from our lives with an arrogant, "I can do it myself" kind of prayer. There is no sin in asking boldly, in praying honestly, in telling our Lord we're not on the same page, singing from the same hymnal, as He is. Here's the truth - He knows what's hidden in the corners of our mind! When we pray nice and polite prayers the only one being spared the truth is us!
Raw emotions are terrifying, mostly to those of us feeling them. They threaten our sense of control. But, I can say from my own experiences of prayer, when I let go and let myself get angry with God, angry enough to physically tremble, I get up from my face knowing that He's touched me. When I let my sorrow over the sinful and broken lives that I minister to daily turn into a flood of tears while I lay on my face in the sanctuary, I go out with a renewed sense of His comfort. Anyone who saw me or heard me praying in those moments, might well conclude I'd taken leave of my sanity, but God - who knows me better than anyone in the world, loves me through the stormy prayers.
Pray with intensity. Love God by sharing your true heart; with all its sins and grief and joy, with Him. He will love you for it. Here's a word from the Word to meditate on today - "since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16, NIV)
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The "Huh?" passages
Reading Numbers for our study group has made me wonder a few times, 'what's that all about?' One of the more strange (at least to my modern mind) passages has to do with suspicion of marital unfaithfulness. In the 5th chapter there is a lengthy passage about the ritual of mixing a foul beverage made of holy water and dust from the Tabernacle floor which the priest compels the wife under suspicion to drink. He then prays a curse of infertility that will only take effect if the woman is guilty. It makes me say, "Huh?" I don't recall ever hearing anybody preach from that passage. For me, at least, it defies broad application to the Christian life and violates the principle of respect for women that is so prominent in the New Testament.
When I come to passages like that I am tempted to just dismiss it as ancient superstition and would, except for two things, I have a high view of the Scripture as the inspired word of God; and the passage begins with this claim, "The Lord said to Moses..." There is a big step between saying, "I just don't get it," and outright rejection of the passage as so much hokum. The fact is that I don't have the same context as the Israelites who received it and thus I do not understand it in a full way the way that they understood that passage. So, I must step back and admit my ignorance of the meaning, give myself room to wonder, and move on to the passages which do speak to my life.
Some people seem to delight in tearing up the Bible because of obscure and difficult passages like that one. Ignoring the beauty of much of the Holy Scripture- the prayers and meditations of the Psalms, the accounts of God's love and provision for His people, the amazing revelations of the grace of God in Jesus Christ - they go to passages like Numbers 5 and say, "That's your Bible?" Yes, I answer, that is a part of my Bible, a part that I honestly admit I do not understand. But I do understand, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NLT)
I take seriously the command to "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV) That includes the "huh" passages as well as those that yield easily to my mind and that feed me with Truth. I come to the Bible with humility. I cannot assume to be its judge. It judges me! Yet, at the same time, I am not gullible, nor do I give up my mind to simplistic, overly literal methods of interpretation of the Scripture. I remain submitted to the God who gave the Word to us. Based on the whole revelation of the Scripture, I don't plan to start to subject women whose husbands are suspicious of their fidelity to drink a mixture of holy water and church floor dust, but I'm also not going to throw away the Bible as unreliable because there is a chapter here and there that offend my sensibilities.
Are you a student of the whole Bible?
Do you read the words with reverence and love, praying for the Spirit to guide you into all Truth?
"Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.
Your laws are fair, and I have given my word to respect them all." (Psalm 119:105-106, CEV)
When I come to passages like that I am tempted to just dismiss it as ancient superstition and would, except for two things, I have a high view of the Scripture as the inspired word of God; and the passage begins with this claim, "The Lord said to Moses..." There is a big step between saying, "I just don't get it," and outright rejection of the passage as so much hokum. The fact is that I don't have the same context as the Israelites who received it and thus I do not understand it in a full way the way that they understood that passage. So, I must step back and admit my ignorance of the meaning, give myself room to wonder, and move on to the passages which do speak to my life.
Some people seem to delight in tearing up the Bible because of obscure and difficult passages like that one. Ignoring the beauty of much of the Holy Scripture- the prayers and meditations of the Psalms, the accounts of God's love and provision for His people, the amazing revelations of the grace of God in Jesus Christ - they go to passages like Numbers 5 and say, "That's your Bible?" Yes, I answer, that is a part of my Bible, a part that I honestly admit I do not understand. But I do understand, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NLT)
I take seriously the command to "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV) That includes the "huh" passages as well as those that yield easily to my mind and that feed me with Truth. I come to the Bible with humility. I cannot assume to be its judge. It judges me! Yet, at the same time, I am not gullible, nor do I give up my mind to simplistic, overly literal methods of interpretation of the Scripture. I remain submitted to the God who gave the Word to us. Based on the whole revelation of the Scripture, I don't plan to start to subject women whose husbands are suspicious of their fidelity to drink a mixture of holy water and church floor dust, but I'm also not going to throw away the Bible as unreliable because there is a chapter here and there that offend my sensibilities.
Are you a student of the whole Bible?
Do you read the words with reverence and love, praying for the Spirit to guide you into all Truth?
"Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.
Your laws are fair, and I have given my word to respect them all." (Psalm 119:105-106, CEV)
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Free to be holy!
A Christian man once said to me, "Pastor, I dread the Summer time. Women show so much more skin and lust overtakes me!" I did appreciate his honesty, but also realized he had no idea that he could actually begin a transformational process to change his 'natural' responses. This man had already 'surrendered' to the temptation because he thought that sin is like gravity, uncontrollable and irresistible. He was chained to the sinful nature because he was still thinking like a slave!
Is there something that happens in your life, some way that you sense you are living beneath God's purposes? Temper, greed, dishonesty, selfishness, pornography, abuse of drugs or alcohol, failure to genuinely love other people are just a few things that are the work of the old sinful nature. Will you change? Will serve God well and with holiness today? Maybe you're reluctant to answer because you, like my friend, think that wrong choices are inevitable, like gravity. If you believe that, you are in the grip of a lie! Yes, it is true that the impulses of the sinful nature are powerful. Our old habits are reinforced by long practice, and we are subjected to the pressures of an ungodly world around us. However, we need to know that we sin because we quietly surrender ourselves to do so. In Romans 13:14 we are urged to: "let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires." The KJV says, "make no provision for the flesh!" One way to grasp that challenge is to restate it like this: "Don't store up food to feed sin so it gets strong. Starve it, instead!"Don't read me wrong today. I am not suggesting that any of us will every reach a place on this earth where we live completely without failure and sin. Wouldn't that be heaven? Yes, matter of fact, it would! And yet while we wait for our final perfection, the Bible calls on us to be: "transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." {2 Corinthians 3:18}
So, how are we transformed to be like Jesus?
The influence of evil and self has been defeated through Jesus Christ. He gave His life on the Cross and was raised from the dead, accomplishing a spiritual work that now makes a holy life possible for all Believers! That is the first fact to accept! Satan maintains his powerful influence over us by lying and illusion. Fear and ignorance provide him a place to do his infernal work. So first, we believe the Truth - that Christ has defeated sin and accept Jesus' proclamation of our freedom from sin's dominance.
Then, we invite the Presence of the Holy Spirit to become our Counselor and Friend, who lead us through situations that provide opportunities for growth. You can trust God in that process. He'll never allow you to be overwhelmed by life. One day and one situation at at time we own Christ's victory and implement new ways to respond to life. We make choices to facilitate His work in us. Note the interplay of personal responsibility and the power of the Spirit that is pointed out in Philippians 2:12-14 -- NIV "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Many Christians with wonderful intentions, keep on failing and falling because they believe in the myth that somewhere they will find an overwhelming, 'life completely changed in an instant' experience. They wander in search of this magical moment from prayer meeting, to wonderful worship service, looking for the ministry of some anointed preacher. Those of us taught in the Pentecostal traditions are particularly vulnerable to this misunderstanding. The Bible does promise us an empowering experience with the Holy Spirit. Baptized by His Presence, we are changed. But, we must never think that our temptations are, once and for all, taken away by His fiery Presence. We cannot become passive, waiting for a moment of deliverance for our passivity, our failure to possess the power of God will cause us to remain slaves to sin. Powerful experiences of the Holy Spirit are valuable as crisis moments in which God points us in a new direction. Lasting transformation happens through sustained spiritual work. It's a process.
Work out your salvation... let God use the ordinary situations of life to shape you, to test you, to deepen your faith in Him. Practice the disciplines - solitude, confession, worship, study, service - that create opportunities for the work of the Spirit to be accomplished.
Grow up in Christ and begin to enjoy the productivity that comes with maturity.
So, are you going to serve God whole-heartedly today? The answer -- Yes, in Christ I am free, and with the power of the Spirit, I am more than a conqueror!
Here's a word from the Word - "Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace." Romans 8:5-6
Is there something that happens in your life, some way that you sense you are living beneath God's purposes? Temper, greed, dishonesty, selfishness, pornography, abuse of drugs or alcohol, failure to genuinely love other people are just a few things that are the work of the old sinful nature. Will you change? Will serve God well and with holiness today? Maybe you're reluctant to answer because you, like my friend, think that wrong choices are inevitable, like gravity. If you believe that, you are in the grip of a lie! Yes, it is true that the impulses of the sinful nature are powerful. Our old habits are reinforced by long practice, and we are subjected to the pressures of an ungodly world around us. However, we need to know that we sin because we quietly surrender ourselves to do so. In Romans 13:14 we are urged to: "let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires." The KJV says, "make no provision for the flesh!" One way to grasp that challenge is to restate it like this: "Don't store up food to feed sin so it gets strong. Starve it, instead!"Don't read me wrong today. I am not suggesting that any of us will every reach a place on this earth where we live completely without failure and sin. Wouldn't that be heaven? Yes, matter of fact, it would! And yet while we wait for our final perfection, the Bible calls on us to be: "transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." {2 Corinthians 3:18}
So, how are we transformed to be like Jesus?
The influence of evil and self has been defeated through Jesus Christ. He gave His life on the Cross and was raised from the dead, accomplishing a spiritual work that now makes a holy life possible for all Believers! That is the first fact to accept! Satan maintains his powerful influence over us by lying and illusion. Fear and ignorance provide him a place to do his infernal work. So first, we believe the Truth - that Christ has defeated sin and accept Jesus' proclamation of our freedom from sin's dominance.
Then, we invite the Presence of the Holy Spirit to become our Counselor and Friend, who lead us through situations that provide opportunities for growth. You can trust God in that process. He'll never allow you to be overwhelmed by life. One day and one situation at at time we own Christ's victory and implement new ways to respond to life. We make choices to facilitate His work in us. Note the interplay of personal responsibility and the power of the Spirit that is pointed out in Philippians 2:12-14 -- NIV "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Many Christians with wonderful intentions, keep on failing and falling because they believe in the myth that somewhere they will find an overwhelming, 'life completely changed in an instant' experience. They wander in search of this magical moment from prayer meeting, to wonderful worship service, looking for the ministry of some anointed preacher. Those of us taught in the Pentecostal traditions are particularly vulnerable to this misunderstanding. The Bible does promise us an empowering experience with the Holy Spirit. Baptized by His Presence, we are changed. But, we must never think that our temptations are, once and for all, taken away by His fiery Presence. We cannot become passive, waiting for a moment of deliverance for our passivity, our failure to possess the power of God will cause us to remain slaves to sin. Powerful experiences of the Holy Spirit are valuable as crisis moments in which God points us in a new direction. Lasting transformation happens through sustained spiritual work. It's a process.
Work out your salvation... let God use the ordinary situations of life to shape you, to test you, to deepen your faith in Him. Practice the disciplines - solitude, confession, worship, study, service - that create opportunities for the work of the Spirit to be accomplished.
Grow up in Christ and begin to enjoy the productivity that comes with maturity.
So, are you going to serve God whole-heartedly today? The answer -- Yes, in Christ I am free, and with the power of the Spirit, I am more than a conqueror!
Here's a word from the Word - "Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace." Romans 8:5-6
Monday, September 25, 2006
Life's Meaning
I stood on the edge of the little knot of younger men, not really in the conversation, just listening to them talk. They boasted about their golf scores, comparing skills and experiences on this course or that one. They talked about the new Xbox games they played. Of course, there were the comments about their jobs, mostly negative. They were loud, profane, and having a good time. Their enthusiasm for life was infectious and overflowing. One could have concluded they did not have a care in the world, and perhaps, given the optimism of the young, they don't. But, there was a gap in all the chatter. The spiritual dimension of life was missing from the conversation. I'd like to have asked, "Are you making time for the care of your soul? Is God included in all of these things you're enjoying?"
Don't read me wrong today. There's not a thing wrong with enjoying a great game of golf, playing a great round of Madden 7 on your Xbox, or seeking success in the workplace. Solomon, the wise, agrees - "I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God." (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19, NIV) But, that's not the whole of life!
The reference point from which our pleasure and work takes meaning is God. Solomon, the wise king, started his life with God, but wandered into pursuits of so many other things - women, wealth, fame, great accomplishments. He lost touch with the Lord and when he did, he also lost his way. He was like an explorer without a compass. But, with age, he found his way back to God, though with many regrets now part of his unchangeable history. He shares with us the conclusions he came to, albeit too late:
"Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living.
It will be too late then to remember him, when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds. ...
Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." (Ecclesiastes 12:1-14, NLT)
In Christ Jesus, life is made meaningful. To many that sounds like a command to spend all of life singing hymns and going to church, but that's so far from the truth! Knowing the Lord as the center of one's life, makes the sunrise brighter, the colors of life more vibrant, the experiences of life more exciting. Religion will steal the joy of life with all its regulations of human behavior, attempts at curbing the excesses of our sensual appetites. The Word exposes the futility of that substitute for a relationship with God - “Don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch.” Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires." (Colossians 2:21-23, NLT)
But then the passage goes on to call us to love Christ and from our love of Him to discover a rich, full life. "So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective." (Colossians 3:1-2, The Message) As we know Him, living with a heart and mind that seek His will, He guides us away from empty pursuits, helps us avoid the dead ends that sin leads us into, and opens up opportunities for life that is amazingly creative, and eternally rewarding.
Steve Green sings -
To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission,
the spring from which our service overflows.
Across the street or around the world,
the mission's still the same;
proclaim and live the truth in Jesus' name!
______________________
Lord God, be the Center of my life.
Holy Spirit fill me up with Your Presence,
so that I will love purely, take joy from service,
live creatively, and be protected from sin's deceptions.
I pray, Lord Jesus, that I will find loving You
the treasure of my life - and express that love
by serving, working, playing - all for the glory of God.
Amen.
Don't read me wrong today. There's not a thing wrong with enjoying a great game of golf, playing a great round of Madden 7 on your Xbox, or seeking success in the workplace. Solomon, the wise, agrees - "I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God." (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19, NIV) But, that's not the whole of life!
The reference point from which our pleasure and work takes meaning is God. Solomon, the wise king, started his life with God, but wandered into pursuits of so many other things - women, wealth, fame, great accomplishments. He lost touch with the Lord and when he did, he also lost his way. He was like an explorer without a compass. But, with age, he found his way back to God, though with many regrets now part of his unchangeable history. He shares with us the conclusions he came to, albeit too late:
"Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living.
It will be too late then to remember him, when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds. ...
Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." (Ecclesiastes 12:1-14, NLT)
In Christ Jesus, life is made meaningful. To many that sounds like a command to spend all of life singing hymns and going to church, but that's so far from the truth! Knowing the Lord as the center of one's life, makes the sunrise brighter, the colors of life more vibrant, the experiences of life more exciting. Religion will steal the joy of life with all its regulations of human behavior, attempts at curbing the excesses of our sensual appetites. The Word exposes the futility of that substitute for a relationship with God - “Don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch.” Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires." (Colossians 2:21-23, NLT)
But then the passage goes on to call us to love Christ and from our love of Him to discover a rich, full life. "So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective." (Colossians 3:1-2, The Message) As we know Him, living with a heart and mind that seek His will, He guides us away from empty pursuits, helps us avoid the dead ends that sin leads us into, and opens up opportunities for life that is amazingly creative, and eternally rewarding.
Steve Green sings -
To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission,
the spring from which our service overflows.
Across the street or around the world,
the mission's still the same;
proclaim and live the truth in Jesus' name!
______________________
Lord God, be the Center of my life.
Holy Spirit fill me up with Your Presence,
so that I will love purely, take joy from service,
live creatively, and be protected from sin's deceptions.
I pray, Lord Jesus, that I will find loving You
the treasure of my life - and express that love
by serving, working, playing - all for the glory of God.
Amen.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Doing it right!
Yesterday's headline blared - "Priest accused of stealing $600K over 4 years." Today's says, "Priest says ill-gotten money went to school." Father Bob, to all accounts, is a great guy, with a big heart, who wanted to have a parochial school in his parish. He was single-mindedly persistent in making it happen. But somewhere along the way, it appears that he adopted a mentality that let him believe that doing things unethically was all right because he was trying to accomplish something good. The priest doesn't deny that he re-directed funds and issued phony checks. He insists he did not do so for personal benefit. His primary defense appears to be the old line - "The end justifies the means!" He tried a short-term solution to a problem that proved to be a long-term disaster. Setting aside principles and making decisions based on expediency in the moment will always come 'round to a bad end.
There's a lot of the same kind of thinking that deceived Father Bob in our world today. Instead of asking, "is it right?" many only focus on the question - "Does it work?" What produces quick results for today is not the best course of action if it requires setting aside principles of morality or ethics! Sometimes the choice between right and wrong is obvious. For example, the husband who is presented with an opportunity for a sexual affair on a business trip versus fidelity to his wife does not really have to ponder the morality of the choices that are there before him. Short term, the rendezvous will return an evening's pleasure, but the cost potentially is his self-respect and his marriage. It's want we call a 'no-brainer!" Other decisions are much less clear. The manager who realizes he can improve his profit margin with a small, nearly imperceptible, reduction in the quality of his product is presented with more difficult choice, especially if his competitor is willing to make that cut and take away his business.
Ethics are increasingly shaped by utilitarianism. It's a big word that means we determine what is right by choosing the course of action we think will produce the most good for the greatest number of people. So, what's wrong with that? Ask the parent of a child with developmental challenges. It costs society a lot of money to care for those who with special needs. If one adopts a utilitarian ethic, the needs of the handicapped child slide way down the list of priorities! Another example - as our society ages, utilitarian thinking will bring us 'round to deciding that it's time for Grandma to go, 'cause her care is costing the family too much money! The Proverbs tell us - "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." (14:12, NLT) I do not mean to imply that right and wrong are always crystal clear or that the choices to be made are simple or even easy. Living morally and ethically involves hard choice and demands great wisdom!
This I can say, with certainty - Ignoring Biblical principles and values will always cost more long-term that doing it right the first time.
Believer, choose wisely! How?
First, go ask God! Take James' advice. "If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking." (James 1:5, CEV)
Second, seek counsel! "Victory depends on having many counselors." (Proverbs 24:6, NLT) Don't try to be the Lone Ranger. Live a life that is connected to others that are marked by wisdom and let them mentor you, helping you to uncover the right way.
Third, consider experience! There is a kind of conceit that causes us to think that we are the first generation ever to be confronted with choices. While it is true that our situations may be unique, the basic questions of life are the same. That is why we look to the experiences of those who have gone before us. We learn from them, we glean wisdom from their successes and mistakes.
Here's a promise. Take it to heart and let it guide you as you make the choices of life.
"The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like complete darkness. Those who follow it have no idea what they are stumbling over." (Proverbs 4:18-19, NLT)
There's a lot of the same kind of thinking that deceived Father Bob in our world today. Instead of asking, "is it right?" many only focus on the question - "Does it work?" What produces quick results for today is not the best course of action if it requires setting aside principles of morality or ethics! Sometimes the choice between right and wrong is obvious. For example, the husband who is presented with an opportunity for a sexual affair on a business trip versus fidelity to his wife does not really have to ponder the morality of the choices that are there before him. Short term, the rendezvous will return an evening's pleasure, but the cost potentially is his self-respect and his marriage. It's want we call a 'no-brainer!" Other decisions are much less clear. The manager who realizes he can improve his profit margin with a small, nearly imperceptible, reduction in the quality of his product is presented with more difficult choice, especially if his competitor is willing to make that cut and take away his business.
Ethics are increasingly shaped by utilitarianism. It's a big word that means we determine what is right by choosing the course of action we think will produce the most good for the greatest number of people. So, what's wrong with that? Ask the parent of a child with developmental challenges. It costs society a lot of money to care for those who with special needs. If one adopts a utilitarian ethic, the needs of the handicapped child slide way down the list of priorities! Another example - as our society ages, utilitarian thinking will bring us 'round to deciding that it's time for Grandma to go, 'cause her care is costing the family too much money! The Proverbs tell us - "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." (14:12, NLT) I do not mean to imply that right and wrong are always crystal clear or that the choices to be made are simple or even easy. Living morally and ethically involves hard choice and demands great wisdom!
This I can say, with certainty - Ignoring Biblical principles and values will always cost more long-term that doing it right the first time.
Believer, choose wisely! How?
First, go ask God! Take James' advice. "If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking." (James 1:5, CEV)
Second, seek counsel! "Victory depends on having many counselors." (Proverbs 24:6, NLT) Don't try to be the Lone Ranger. Live a life that is connected to others that are marked by wisdom and let them mentor you, helping you to uncover the right way.
Third, consider experience! There is a kind of conceit that causes us to think that we are the first generation ever to be confronted with choices. While it is true that our situations may be unique, the basic questions of life are the same. That is why we look to the experiences of those who have gone before us. We learn from them, we glean wisdom from their successes and mistakes.
Here's a promise. Take it to heart and let it guide you as you make the choices of life.
"The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like complete darkness. Those who follow it have no idea what they are stumbling over." (Proverbs 4:18-19, NLT)
Thursday, September 21, 2006
A Better Way
A Better Way
Our Bible study group is doing a year-long survey of the Bible. The goal is to step back to see the Bible as a unified revelation of God, to understand the themes of entire books, rather than the content of short, isolated passages. This week we were flying through Leviticus. It's not an easy read, especially for us, removed so far from the culture and time into which the book was written! Some of the more obscure passages remain mysterious to us as to the reason for them and/or the way we can apply them to our lives as Christian Believers. Long detailed passages describe ritual sacrifices, preparation of priests for ministry, and the laws governing the lives of the Israeli nation. But, as I read the book this week, on the whole I was inspired. That's right! In the middle of those passages about blood sacrifices and ritual purity, I caught a renewed glimpse of the "other-ness" of God, of His transcendence. The Law was rigorous, reflecting the holiness of Yahweh. He is not a God to be trifled with, or to be treated contemptuously. He is not the 'Big Guy in the Sky,' as irreverently referred to by some in ignorance. One study participant told me, "I've never read it before!" I loved her response to the book - "They had it hard. I am glad I am a Christian!" Me, too!
The book of Hebrews compares the Law of Moses with the new Covenant centered on Christ. We are urged to rejoice in the grace of God, expressed in Christ Jesus! I'll let it speak for itself. "Here is the main point: Our High Priest sat down in the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. There he ministers in the sacred tent, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law of Moses. They serve in a place of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the design I have shown you here on the mountain.” But our High Priest has been given a ministry that is far superior to the ministry of those who serve under the old laws, for he is the one who guarantees for us a better covenant with God, based on better promises. " (Hebrews 8:1-8, NLT)
The Law was detailed and specific, but it did not change the human heart. It brought condemnation as those who lived under it realized the widening gap between God's requirements and their performance. So, the faithful among them came to the priests with their sacrificial offerings seeking forgiveness. But even those offerings did not take away their sin, they only covered them! In Christ, we find our sins removed, our hearts and minds transformed so that we are 'becomers,' changing into the likeness of our Savior by the internal work of the Spirit! It makes me want to shout and jump for joy. We are not constrained by law and threatened with penalty, but called by promise and offered spiritual power.
But, will we accept the calling? Will we wed truth and faith, so that a holy response to our amazing God is evident in our lives?
The inspired writer of Hebrews offers Believers this challenge - "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him," (Hebrews 2:1-3, NKJV) ... "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." (Hebrews 3:12-14, NLT)
Look to Jesus! Come and see His beauty. Be captivated by the indescribable grace that makes it possible for ornery, ordinary sinners to become gentle, precious saints!
God is the same. His majesty, His holiness has not changed, nor will it ever. But He has opened up a new and better way for you and me - offering His Son as our 'once for all time' sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Our Bible study group is doing a year-long survey of the Bible. The goal is to step back to see the Bible as a unified revelation of God, to understand the themes of entire books, rather than the content of short, isolated passages. This week we were flying through Leviticus. It's not an easy read, especially for us, removed so far from the culture and time into which the book was written! Some of the more obscure passages remain mysterious to us as to the reason for them and/or the way we can apply them to our lives as Christian Believers. Long detailed passages describe ritual sacrifices, preparation of priests for ministry, and the laws governing the lives of the Israeli nation. But, as I read the book this week, on the whole I was inspired. That's right! In the middle of those passages about blood sacrifices and ritual purity, I caught a renewed glimpse of the "other-ness" of God, of His transcendence. The Law was rigorous, reflecting the holiness of Yahweh. He is not a God to be trifled with, or to be treated contemptuously. He is not the 'Big Guy in the Sky,' as irreverently referred to by some in ignorance. One study participant told me, "I've never read it before!" I loved her response to the book - "They had it hard. I am glad I am a Christian!" Me, too!
The book of Hebrews compares the Law of Moses with the new Covenant centered on Christ. We are urged to rejoice in the grace of God, expressed in Christ Jesus! I'll let it speak for itself. "Here is the main point: Our High Priest sat down in the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. There he ministers in the sacred tent, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law of Moses. They serve in a place of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the design I have shown you here on the mountain.” But our High Priest has been given a ministry that is far superior to the ministry of those who serve under the old laws, for he is the one who guarantees for us a better covenant with God, based on better promises. " (Hebrews 8:1-8, NLT)
The Law was detailed and specific, but it did not change the human heart. It brought condemnation as those who lived under it realized the widening gap between God's requirements and their performance. So, the faithful among them came to the priests with their sacrificial offerings seeking forgiveness. But even those offerings did not take away their sin, they only covered them! In Christ, we find our sins removed, our hearts and minds transformed so that we are 'becomers,' changing into the likeness of our Savior by the internal work of the Spirit! It makes me want to shout and jump for joy. We are not constrained by law and threatened with penalty, but called by promise and offered spiritual power.
But, will we accept the calling? Will we wed truth and faith, so that a holy response to our amazing God is evident in our lives?
The inspired writer of Hebrews offers Believers this challenge - "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him," (Hebrews 2:1-3, NKJV) ... "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." (Hebrews 3:12-14, NLT)
Look to Jesus! Come and see His beauty. Be captivated by the indescribable grace that makes it possible for ornery, ordinary sinners to become gentle, precious saints!
God is the same. His majesty, His holiness has not changed, nor will it ever. But He has opened up a new and better way for you and me - offering His Son as our 'once for all time' sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
"Honest to me, honest to you"
Jim McGreevy, former Governor of NJ, appeared on Oprah yesterday to promote his new book about his sordid, sorry, selfish life. He was working hard convince the TV audience that he was some kind of victim. The truth is that this man chose a life of deceit because he wanted it all - his pleasure, his self-expression, and a family, a political career, and the respect of the public. Yes, it had to be harder than I can imagine to be an adolescent boy dealing with homosexual desires in a world that had only terrible words to say about those sexual feelings. However, the promiscuity of his adult life and the pain he caused for everyone in his life including two ex-wives and his children, left me disgusted. McGreevey says that his greatest failure was not being authentic. I'd say it was trying to have life two ways - being a fraud and a cheat!
It's easy to throw stones at the very public sins of Gov. McGreevey, but each one of us needs to keep a humble heart in the face of the word that best characterizes his life - The word is hypocrisy! And it's a word that stalks everyone of our lives. Every one of us is less than authentic at some time, in some way, during the course of our life, aren't we? My kids, when they were teens, would refer to someone who was obviously projecting a fake image with the dismissive phrase - "What a poser!" Yet, we all strike a pose to impress, now and then. The news reports bring stories of people who get jobs with a resume that includes a fake degree or two. We hear about a man with two families, one on each coast, and wonder how he could keep such a secret. And, too, we meet people who are in the depths of deception, who don't even know themselves.
But, the most serious hypocrisy is that of the spirit. Jesus was amazingly harsh with religious leaders of his time who worked hard to project an image of devotion and piety to their world. They wore the prescribed clothing, went faithfully to the synagogues, prayed eloquent public prayers, and separated themselves from the ordinary people who they considered 'sinners.' Read a portion of Jesus' stunning tirade against these frauds.
“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel!
“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! Blind Pharisees! First wash the inside of the cup, and then the outside will become clean, too.
“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. You try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:23-28, NLT)
Hypocrisy is one of those sins that feeds on itself. Pretense piles on top of pretense, deepening the deception and creating a tangle of lies from which it becomes harder and harder to escape. Ah, friend - that is why you and I must run to the arms of Our Heavenly Father who knows us inside and out to experience the amazing grace He offers. We are set free by His healing love to live authentically, honestly, and confessionally.
The old phrase, "what you see is what you get," comes off as arrogant to some, but for me it is an aspiration! I want to live a transparent life that is no more and no less than reality. I aspire to accept the place in life that God has prepared for me with no overweening desire for acclaim or recognition.
We must not use authenticity as an excuse to remain in our sinful state! That's a mistake I've observed in some, too. Like Popeye, some insist, "I yam what I yam!" They will not let the Spirit of God touch their lives with His transforming Presence. They are honest about their failures perhaps, but too proud to admit the need to become like Christ. My confession is that of Paul who understood that he was a 'becomer,' a saint under construction.
"I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." (Philippians 3:12-14, NLT)
Make that your aim, to admit that you're not all you should be, but that you're focused on becoming all God wants you to be.
____________________________________
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one rascal less in the world. -- Carlyle.
It's easy to throw stones at the very public sins of Gov. McGreevey, but each one of us needs to keep a humble heart in the face of the word that best characterizes his life - The word is hypocrisy! And it's a word that stalks everyone of our lives. Every one of us is less than authentic at some time, in some way, during the course of our life, aren't we? My kids, when they were teens, would refer to someone who was obviously projecting a fake image with the dismissive phrase - "What a poser!" Yet, we all strike a pose to impress, now and then. The news reports bring stories of people who get jobs with a resume that includes a fake degree or two. We hear about a man with two families, one on each coast, and wonder how he could keep such a secret. And, too, we meet people who are in the depths of deception, who don't even know themselves.
But, the most serious hypocrisy is that of the spirit. Jesus was amazingly harsh with religious leaders of his time who worked hard to project an image of devotion and piety to their world. They wore the prescribed clothing, went faithfully to the synagogues, prayed eloquent public prayers, and separated themselves from the ordinary people who they considered 'sinners.' Read a portion of Jesus' stunning tirade against these frauds.
“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel!
“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! Blind Pharisees! First wash the inside of the cup, and then the outside will become clean, too.
“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. You try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:23-28, NLT)
Hypocrisy is one of those sins that feeds on itself. Pretense piles on top of pretense, deepening the deception and creating a tangle of lies from which it becomes harder and harder to escape. Ah, friend - that is why you and I must run to the arms of Our Heavenly Father who knows us inside and out to experience the amazing grace He offers. We are set free by His healing love to live authentically, honestly, and confessionally.
The old phrase, "what you see is what you get," comes off as arrogant to some, but for me it is an aspiration! I want to live a transparent life that is no more and no less than reality. I aspire to accept the place in life that God has prepared for me with no overweening desire for acclaim or recognition.
We must not use authenticity as an excuse to remain in our sinful state! That's a mistake I've observed in some, too. Like Popeye, some insist, "I yam what I yam!" They will not let the Spirit of God touch their lives with His transforming Presence. They are honest about their failures perhaps, but too proud to admit the need to become like Christ. My confession is that of Paul who understood that he was a 'becomer,' a saint under construction.
"I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." (Philippians 3:12-14, NLT)
Make that your aim, to admit that you're not all you should be, but that you're focused on becoming all God wants you to be.
____________________________________
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one rascal less in the world. -- Carlyle.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
A broad and generous vision
Human beings easily 'see' the world through lens distorted by pre-conceptions and assumptions. We all do it! Friedman, in his insightful book, The World is Flat, (Farrar, 2005) writes about the radical Muslim clerics in the Middle East who hate America because they see only the Britney Spears, Hollywood, and MTV side of our culture. Seeing only the decadent and the worst, they cannot grasp that in an open and democratic society that allows music and entertainment that is so repugnant, there is also a free 'give and take' of ideas that allows a mosque, a synagogue, and a church to be built in the same town. They cannot grasp that openness creates opportunities for good and evil. The radical Muslim agenda, boundaried with a very narrow vision, is to seek to destroy us all, instead of embrace the best of what we bring to this world.
Another example of failed vision is our Congress that is in a deadlock. Republicans refuse to see a single good idea in the Democratic agenda. Democrats, likewise, cannot see anything but the worst excesses of the Republicans. The result is wasted time, failed leadership, and we are robbed of the best solutions to our pressing national needs.
Now, let me bring this concept of vision in an application to our lives. I know more than a few Christians who look at the world we live in and see only the awful, the terrible, and the sinful. To those who have such limited vision the whole world is so bad, so terrible, that the only answer is to separate from it and wait for the End of Days. I believe that perspective ignores some wonderful things about our time, blinds us to some of our great blessings and opportunities, and that 'woe is me' talk becomes self-fulfilling prophecy.
For example, there is the Internet. Some Christians bemoan the development of this technology and regard the wired world as nothing more than a vehicle for pornography and gambling. But consider this, the same Internet that brings all kinds of evil stuff to our doorstep, flows the other way, too! By means of the Internet, the Gospel can reach behind locked doors, into closed societies, and to the far reaches of the globe. In response to vile content of movies and music, some Christians mistakenly clamor for restrictive laws to close the doors of free expression and bring on censorship. But they fail to see that the same freedom of speech that allows the rapper to spew his filth also allows the evangelist to tell the Gospel story without restraint.
I take great comfort from this declaration - "where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5.20 NIV) I believe that the Christian Church still has great days ahead of her, IF she will enlarge her vision to see the opportunities presented to her in this age. Are these the Last Days? I honestly do not know. All I know for sure, is that these are my last days. I have only 20-30 more years on earth to be about the Lord's work, so I cannot waste time debating the day of the dawn of the Great Tribulation. We cannot allow ourselves to retreat into Apocalyptic visions that let us detach from a needy world while we pray for the Rapture to rescue us!
You may well be thinking - "Jerry, how can you deny us the promise of the Blessed Hope of the Church, the Second Coming of the Lord?" I am not doing that. My ultimate hope for this world is in the return of Christ, the King. I believe that when He comes, as He promises, all of the visions of the prophets will be fulfilled. Who cannot long for the words of Malachi to come to pass? "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 4:2-3, NLT) But, for me the promise of His coming, is not an escapist vision borne out of fear and loathing of this world. It is the ultimate realization of a way of life that I have already embraced. I am, here and now, living in the Kingdom of God. I have already taken His Promises and accepted His life. I will not wait for the Lord to appear in the sky to be about the King's business. Instead, I want to be about His work of salvation in my world right now.
I take seriously the teaching story that Jesus told in Luke 19. It opens like this -- "While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once." (Luke 19:11, NIV) Then, He went on to tell about three servants who were each entrusted with a part of a king's treasure to manage while he was away. Each one received an amount appropriate to his skills and abilities. When the king returned, after a long time, he called the servants in to give an accounting. Here's part of the story. “Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ ”‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’" (Luke 19:15-17, NIV) But the last servant, the one only given one share, came in with nothing to report. This servant was in the grip of a pinched, narrow vision that did not see the opportunities. His fear made him a failure! “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth." (Luke 19:20, NIV) The king did not commend him! He roared his angry disapproval.
When my king returns, I want to stand before Him to report, "I gave the utmost, prayed for large vision, and used the grace gifts You invested in me for your glory. Lord, I have, by the Spirit's help, left the world a bit better than I found it." How about you?
Here's a word from the Word. It is set in the context of Jesus' visit to Samaria, which many of his fellow Jews regarded as a land and people beyond God's reach. His challenge to his disciple to take a second look is a challenge to us as we gaze on our world today -
"I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! “The Harvester isn’t waiting. He’s taking his pay, gathering in this grain that’s ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant. That’s the truth of the saying, ‘This one sows, that one harvests.’ I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others.” Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!”" (John 4:35-39, The Message)
Another example of failed vision is our Congress that is in a deadlock. Republicans refuse to see a single good idea in the Democratic agenda. Democrats, likewise, cannot see anything but the worst excesses of the Republicans. The result is wasted time, failed leadership, and we are robbed of the best solutions to our pressing national needs.
Now, let me bring this concept of vision in an application to our lives. I know more than a few Christians who look at the world we live in and see only the awful, the terrible, and the sinful. To those who have such limited vision the whole world is so bad, so terrible, that the only answer is to separate from it and wait for the End of Days. I believe that perspective ignores some wonderful things about our time, blinds us to some of our great blessings and opportunities, and that 'woe is me' talk becomes self-fulfilling prophecy.
For example, there is the Internet. Some Christians bemoan the development of this technology and regard the wired world as nothing more than a vehicle for pornography and gambling. But consider this, the same Internet that brings all kinds of evil stuff to our doorstep, flows the other way, too! By means of the Internet, the Gospel can reach behind locked doors, into closed societies, and to the far reaches of the globe. In response to vile content of movies and music, some Christians mistakenly clamor for restrictive laws to close the doors of free expression and bring on censorship. But they fail to see that the same freedom of speech that allows the rapper to spew his filth also allows the evangelist to tell the Gospel story without restraint.
I take great comfort from this declaration - "where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5.20 NIV) I believe that the Christian Church still has great days ahead of her, IF she will enlarge her vision to see the opportunities presented to her in this age. Are these the Last Days? I honestly do not know. All I know for sure, is that these are my last days. I have only 20-30 more years on earth to be about the Lord's work, so I cannot waste time debating the day of the dawn of the Great Tribulation. We cannot allow ourselves to retreat into Apocalyptic visions that let us detach from a needy world while we pray for the Rapture to rescue us!
You may well be thinking - "Jerry, how can you deny us the promise of the Blessed Hope of the Church, the Second Coming of the Lord?" I am not doing that. My ultimate hope for this world is in the return of Christ, the King. I believe that when He comes, as He promises, all of the visions of the prophets will be fulfilled. Who cannot long for the words of Malachi to come to pass? "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 4:2-3, NLT) But, for me the promise of His coming, is not an escapist vision borne out of fear and loathing of this world. It is the ultimate realization of a way of life that I have already embraced. I am, here and now, living in the Kingdom of God. I have already taken His Promises and accepted His life. I will not wait for the Lord to appear in the sky to be about the King's business. Instead, I want to be about His work of salvation in my world right now.
I take seriously the teaching story that Jesus told in Luke 19. It opens like this -- "While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once." (Luke 19:11, NIV) Then, He went on to tell about three servants who were each entrusted with a part of a king's treasure to manage while he was away. Each one received an amount appropriate to his skills and abilities. When the king returned, after a long time, he called the servants in to give an accounting. Here's part of the story. “Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ ”‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’" (Luke 19:15-17, NIV) But the last servant, the one only given one share, came in with nothing to report. This servant was in the grip of a pinched, narrow vision that did not see the opportunities. His fear made him a failure! “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth." (Luke 19:20, NIV) The king did not commend him! He roared his angry disapproval.
When my king returns, I want to stand before Him to report, "I gave the utmost, prayed for large vision, and used the grace gifts You invested in me for your glory. Lord, I have, by the Spirit's help, left the world a bit better than I found it." How about you?
Here's a word from the Word. It is set in the context of Jesus' visit to Samaria, which many of his fellow Jews regarded as a land and people beyond God's reach. His challenge to his disciple to take a second look is a challenge to us as we gaze on our world today -
"I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! “The Harvester isn’t waiting. He’s taking his pay, gathering in this grain that’s ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant. That’s the truth of the saying, ‘This one sows, that one harvests.’ I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others.” Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!”" (John 4:35-39, The Message)
Monday, September 18, 2006
Will you regret it?
60 Minutes ran a story about Bill Romanowski, the NFL linebacker who played mean, vicious football for 16 seasons with four different teams. Romo was not a nice man and for a long time was proud of that fact. He fueled his on field performance with rage and $millions of pills, legal and illegal. Now, 40 years of age, with brain damage caused by repeated concussions sustained in hard hits on the field, he weeps at the memory of what he was willing to do to keep his job and to hear the fans chant, "Romo, Romo, Romo," when he took the field. His most painful memory, however, is stated in his own words - “The embarrassment to my family, and friends, to teammates, team owners and the league, that hurt. And ultimately a little boy that looks up to his dad, and he said, ‘Dad, do you do drugs?’ And that one hurt me more than anything,” (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/13/60minutes/main941102_page2.shtml) Romanowski says that if he had not taken up professional football, he would have been a dairy farmer! I hope that he has another 40 years on this earth to life a different kind of life that isn't about hurting opponents and abusing his body.
I want to put a couple of hard questions to us today.
They are not pleasant questions and many of you may stop reading this TFTD, disturbed at me for even asking them, but here goes...
I want to put a couple of hard questions to us today.
They are not pleasant questions and many of you may stop reading this TFTD, disturbed at me for even asking them, but here goes...
- Can you project your thoughts into the future, 10 years, 20 years down the road of life, asking yourself - "Will I be full of regret?"
- What kind of legacy are you creating and how would you be remembered if God called you into eternity today?
Jesus puts the question to us like this: "how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Matthew 16:26, NLT) Jesus not so gently is telling us that there is a way to live that can bring us all the earthly rewards we want but the cost of getting those things is our life! No, not our physical life, but rather our spiritual life - our eternal life. There are all kinds of soul poison available to us.
The love of money is chosen by millions of Americans. The glitter of wealth tempts us to sell our self-respect, to sacrifice our families. The Bible holds out this wisdom -'the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.' (1 Tim. 6.10) Drink from that cup and there will a day when you weep with regret over years wasted. "Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. " (1 Timothy 6:10, The Message)
The worship of the body captivates millions of us. We spend inordinate amounts of time and money in a desperate attempt to hold onto the beauty of youth, valuing firm muscles and sensual beauty above all things. The underlying myth is that sexuality is the name of the game, the meaning of life. Entire industries are devoted to creating the illusion of immortality for us. This poison tastes sweet for a time, but the aftertaste is bitterness beyond imagining.
The lure of fame and/or influence is the cup chosen by some. To gain power they will trample on anyone in their way. They will exploit those who can advance them and then discard these 'friends' when they are no longer useful. The poison of power is so corrosive, it eats away the heart of those who seek it.
God makes an offer that we should not refuse.
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. " (Isaiah 55:1-3, NIV)
Choose life for your soul today! Walk with God, in the light of His love and with the wisdom of the Spirit.
It's the road of no regret, that leads to a life that has no end. Yes, we will die, but if we have lived in the Spirit here and now,
our death is only a transition into the life that is really life!
___________________
"Lord God, I come to You today to confess that I live in a world that offers me many things that part of me wants to own.
I am torn by temptation when offered the cup of money, sensuality, or power. Their lure is strong for me.
I ask for Spirit-enabled eyes that see beyond tomorrow, for vision that allows me to choose the road of long obedience that leads to life that is really life.
Let me drink deeply from the cup of life, to be satisfied and filled with the rich food found at Your table.
I pray this in the Name of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."
Friday, September 15, 2006
Don't you know who I am?
An incident from about thirty years ago still makes me smile with amusement at the arrogance that gripped me back then. (Hopefully, it's moderated some by time and the Spirit's influence.) The family and I were headed home from Sunday worship at the church where I was the newly minted Associate Pastor, very impressed with my new position and title. I took pleasure in signing everything - Rev. Jerry Scott! I pulled out of the church parking lot and accelerated much too fast for the residential street. Seconds later, I saw the flashing lights of a police cruiser in the rearview mirror. When the young officer stepped up to my window, I said, "Don't you know who I am?" I'd heard about 'clergy courtesy' and figured I deserved it! He didn't care if I was the Princes of Wales and handed me a speeding ticket, as he should have.
The Bible says that some people have a mistaken notion that when they come before the Lord in the Judgment, they will be exempt from accountability because of their religious reputation. Take a look. Jesus said, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" (Matthew 7:21-23, NIV) Amazing and sobering, isn't it? Religious practices won't exempt you or me from the Lord's judgment. The fact that we knew the right words, or even that we did some of the right things, won't cause the Lord of Glory to hand us the key to His house. "But, Lord, don't you know who I am? I'm the guy who got the perfect attendance award from Sunday School when I was a kid. I gave $thousands to charities. I served on the church board for years." He'll be unimpressed, because it is possible to do all those right things for all the wrong reasons.
Jesus Christ wants to know you and me, to walk with us, to shape our lives by His daily Presence. There is a story from the book of the Acts where Peter and John were hauled into a court to answer for their teaching of Christ as Lord. These men, who had no seminary degrees, who were unsophisticated, offered an amazing defense of their doctrine. The Council sent them out of the room and conferred, coming to this conclusion - "they took note that they had been with Jesus!" (4.13) The difference was the relationship. Yes, Believer, that still is the remarkable difference. Those who are full of religion may accomplish much, driven by the need to prove their goodness or even by a keen sense of humanitarian concern, but they will not have the fragrance of the Lord's Presence about them. They will not ultimately find themselves in God's graces, either. When they ask, "Don't You know who I am?" Jesus will honestly have to say, "No. You never spent anytime with me."
Ah, friend, do you know Him? The question is not - do you know about Him?
How long has it been since you just spent time loving Him, not doing anything, not working, not singing, not serving ... just loving Him?
Yes, it is true, that when we love Him, we will serve Him. Our devotion to Christ will find expression in the ways we serve others. BUT, we must not make the mistake of trusting in our own goodness, in our long list of church accomplishments as proof of our acceptability to God. If we do, we will become pious frauds or worse. Let God love you today. Invite the Spirit to come close and receive the grace of God!
Here's a word from the Word. Pray for the Spirit's wisdom to understand it. And then, revel in the Love of Christ which makes you holy and acceptable in the sight of God.
"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus.
And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:4-10, NLT)
If you have believed, received, and lived in love for Him - you will never have to ask, "Do You know who I am?" Instead, when it comes your time to 'go home,' you will be met by the angels of Glory who will usher you into the Presence of your beloved Lord, who will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your Master's happiness." (Matthew 25:21)
The Bible says that some people have a mistaken notion that when they come before the Lord in the Judgment, they will be exempt from accountability because of their religious reputation. Take a look. Jesus said, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" (Matthew 7:21-23, NIV) Amazing and sobering, isn't it? Religious practices won't exempt you or me from the Lord's judgment. The fact that we knew the right words, or even that we did some of the right things, won't cause the Lord of Glory to hand us the key to His house. "But, Lord, don't you know who I am? I'm the guy who got the perfect attendance award from Sunday School when I was a kid. I gave $thousands to charities. I served on the church board for years." He'll be unimpressed, because it is possible to do all those right things for all the wrong reasons.
Jesus Christ wants to know you and me, to walk with us, to shape our lives by His daily Presence. There is a story from the book of the Acts where Peter and John were hauled into a court to answer for their teaching of Christ as Lord. These men, who had no seminary degrees, who were unsophisticated, offered an amazing defense of their doctrine. The Council sent them out of the room and conferred, coming to this conclusion - "they took note that they had been with Jesus!" (4.13) The difference was the relationship. Yes, Believer, that still is the remarkable difference. Those who are full of religion may accomplish much, driven by the need to prove their goodness or even by a keen sense of humanitarian concern, but they will not have the fragrance of the Lord's Presence about them. They will not ultimately find themselves in God's graces, either. When they ask, "Don't You know who I am?" Jesus will honestly have to say, "No. You never spent anytime with me."
Ah, friend, do you know Him? The question is not - do you know about Him?
How long has it been since you just spent time loving Him, not doing anything, not working, not singing, not serving ... just loving Him?
Yes, it is true, that when we love Him, we will serve Him. Our devotion to Christ will find expression in the ways we serve others. BUT, we must not make the mistake of trusting in our own goodness, in our long list of church accomplishments as proof of our acceptability to God. If we do, we will become pious frauds or worse. Let God love you today. Invite the Spirit to come close and receive the grace of God!
Here's a word from the Word. Pray for the Spirit's wisdom to understand it. And then, revel in the Love of Christ which makes you holy and acceptable in the sight of God.
"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus.
And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:4-10, NLT)
If you have believed, received, and lived in love for Him - you will never have to ask, "Do You know who I am?" Instead, when it comes your time to 'go home,' you will be met by the angels of Glory who will usher you into the Presence of your beloved Lord, who will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your Master's happiness." (Matthew 25:21)
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Making the connection
Some subjects make for an interesting conversation, and that's all. You know, the great issues of life like:
Should the English monarchy continue to be supported by the government?
Will Oprah ever marry Stedman?
What are the primary colors for Fall fashions?
Will the Patriots make the play-offs this year and defeat Pittsburgh?
You're laughing, I hope. My point is that there are things we simply chat about that have little consequence in our daily lives.
Believer, I am concerned that for some Christianity falls into that same category: conversation without consequence. Endless talk will sideline us from the core issues of discipleship into endless discussions about End Times scenarios, debates about interpretations of Genesis, and the authorship of the book of Hebrews. Will you spend more time analyzing the style in which the Sunday sermon was delivered than you spend in application of its content? Will you spend more thought on the tone of voice used by the reader of the Scripture than understanding the words of truth she reads?
I sometimes ask myself, "How is it that this person has been attending church and 'studying' the Bible for so long and yet shows so little evidence of genuine Christ-likeness?" Perhaps part of the answer is that they dabble constantly in secondary issues and seldom let the Word speak directly to the issues of life! James warns about not letting the Bible work on us. He says, "remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:22-25, NLT) People who turn the Bible into a source of conversation only, are as foolish as a person with a big splotch of dirt on their face who see it in the mirror, but walk away forgetting to wipe it off! Gaze intently into the mirror of the Word and ask the Spirit to help you to understand what you're seeing. The result will be a transformed life that is God-approved.
As I was teaching a Bible study on love and forgiveness in a prison recently, I saw the power of the Word in action! Several of those in attendance became very quiet, then tears formed in their eyes as the Spirit used His Word to pierce their hearts with conviction. One of the things I love about prison Bible Class is the honest reaction. One man blurted out, "If I actually started to live like that, people would think I was weak and I'd get beat up and taken advantage of in this place." Another woman became agitated, convicted by the Spirit I'm sure, and literally turned her back on me for the rest of the study, refusing to make eye contact. These men and women were taking it seriously and God's Spirit was driving the Truth deep into their lives. They didn't turn it into an intellectual and/or theoretical debate. It was the stuff of life and they were dealing with the Truth.
Do you read and hear God's Word as the stuff of life?
When you come upon a passage that shakes up your world view or that makes you acutely uncomfortable, what's your reaction, if any?
Watch out for a response like that of the religion scholar who came to Jesus with a question: “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” Good question, right? One we all need to ask.
Jesus answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.”
Now, take special note of the scholar's next question. Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?”" (Luke 10:25-29, The Message) Jesus responded with a pointed story about the Samaritan who involved himself in costly care of a Jewish man who had been beaten and robbed, even when a priest and a scholar wouldn't! I don't think that religion scholar succeeded in diverting the conversation into a fruitless debate! Was he changed? Only Heaven knows.
Here's a word from the Word on which to meditate today - "With God as your witness, you must warn them not to argue about words. These arguments don’t help anyone. In fact, they ruin everyone who listens to them. Do your best to win God’s approval as a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message. Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God." (2 Timothy 2:14-16, CEV)
______________________
Should the English monarchy continue to be supported by the government?
Will Oprah ever marry Stedman?
What are the primary colors for Fall fashions?
Will the Patriots make the play-offs this year and defeat Pittsburgh?
You're laughing, I hope. My point is that there are things we simply chat about that have little consequence in our daily lives.
Believer, I am concerned that for some Christianity falls into that same category: conversation without consequence. Endless talk will sideline us from the core issues of discipleship into endless discussions about End Times scenarios, debates about interpretations of Genesis, and the authorship of the book of Hebrews. Will you spend more time analyzing the style in which the Sunday sermon was delivered than you spend in application of its content? Will you spend more thought on the tone of voice used by the reader of the Scripture than understanding the words of truth she reads?
I sometimes ask myself, "How is it that this person has been attending church and 'studying' the Bible for so long and yet shows so little evidence of genuine Christ-likeness?" Perhaps part of the answer is that they dabble constantly in secondary issues and seldom let the Word speak directly to the issues of life! James warns about not letting the Bible work on us. He says, "remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:22-25, NLT) People who turn the Bible into a source of conversation only, are as foolish as a person with a big splotch of dirt on their face who see it in the mirror, but walk away forgetting to wipe it off! Gaze intently into the mirror of the Word and ask the Spirit to help you to understand what you're seeing. The result will be a transformed life that is God-approved.
As I was teaching a Bible study on love and forgiveness in a prison recently, I saw the power of the Word in action! Several of those in attendance became very quiet, then tears formed in their eyes as the Spirit used His Word to pierce their hearts with conviction. One of the things I love about prison Bible Class is the honest reaction. One man blurted out, "If I actually started to live like that, people would think I was weak and I'd get beat up and taken advantage of in this place." Another woman became agitated, convicted by the Spirit I'm sure, and literally turned her back on me for the rest of the study, refusing to make eye contact. These men and women were taking it seriously and God's Spirit was driving the Truth deep into their lives. They didn't turn it into an intellectual and/or theoretical debate. It was the stuff of life and they were dealing with the Truth.
Do you read and hear God's Word as the stuff of life?
When you come upon a passage that shakes up your world view or that makes you acutely uncomfortable, what's your reaction, if any?
Watch out for a response like that of the religion scholar who came to Jesus with a question: “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” Good question, right? One we all need to ask.
Jesus answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.”
Now, take special note of the scholar's next question. Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?”" (Luke 10:25-29, The Message) Jesus responded with a pointed story about the Samaritan who involved himself in costly care of a Jewish man who had been beaten and robbed, even when a priest and a scholar wouldn't! I don't think that religion scholar succeeded in diverting the conversation into a fruitless debate! Was he changed? Only Heaven knows.
Here's a word from the Word on which to meditate today - "With God as your witness, you must warn them not to argue about words. These arguments don’t help anyone. In fact, they ruin everyone who listens to them. Do your best to win God’s approval as a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message. Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God." (2 Timothy 2:14-16, CEV)
______________________
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
In the grip of pride?
The conversation bordered on the bizarre as the person insisted that his whole family was his enemy. It is a sad scenario in which he has become increasingly committed to his perceptions, no matter who tries to help him grasp the realities of his situation. This person is not mentally ill, functions well in his place of work, but in this one area - he has become willfully blind to the truth. His mind is made up. As he sees it, he is being persecuted - and it is his 'truth.' Have you ever tried to dialogue with someone who is committed to their version of the 'facts,' who is completely unwilling to consider the possibility that they could be getting it wrong? It is frustrating, to say the least.
When we close our mind on a subject, we begin to interpret all the data that flows our way in a way that supports our conclusions. The results can sometimes be hilarious and often tragic! I have a friend who refuses to believe that American astronauts ever walked on the moon. With a straight face, he'll tell you that all the videos and pictures from the moon explorations were fabricated by the government. His mind is closed! One of the more loony conspiracy theories that keeps making its way around these days is that the US Government brought down the World Trade Center on 9/11! The fringe who propagates that idea is committed to it despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
So, are you in the grip of a closed mind (an expression of pride), unwilling and/or unable to see the facts and deal with the truth?
If you are, it is unlikely you will admit it! And so the delusions deepen.
As a Christian Believer, I personally walk the line between two competing ideals -
being committed to the Truth of Christ and the Holy Scripture, and
remaining open to instruction that allows for correction.
From the Scriptures, I learn facts that are unchanging - God is the Creator; Jesus Christ is the Savior; the Holy Spirit is present, at work in the world now. The Gospels inform me that love of God and fellow man are God's basic requirement of all people, at all times, in every place. I am a committed Christian who believes in the exclusive Truth claim made by Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6, NKJV)
But I am wary of pride that would keep me from hearing the correcting voices that would keep me from slipping into a world of illusions born of my own twisted understandings of the 'facts.' There are no more frightening people in the world to me than those who proudly announce - "We are the 'true' people of God, for we possess 'all' the truth." When the sin of pride is wedded to the power of 'truth' - the results are terrifying! That is one reason I am so reluctant to ever make the claim that "God told me to tell you...." It is much different to say, "I believe that the Lord wants me to share this with you." The second statement allows for the real possibility that the 'prophet' got it wrong! Pride is a singular sin that feeds itself and keeps us from God and the Truth, regardless of our religiosity or lack thereof. Pride is a form of idolatry, a love of self that excludes God and good.
C.S. Lewis, in his book, Mere Christianity, writes this about pride.
"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves.. . . There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility. You may remember, when I was talking about sexual morality, I warned you that the centre of Christian morals did not lie there. Well, now, we have come to the centre. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."
Later in the same chapter, he writes -
"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people: that is, they pay a pennyworth of imaginary humility to Him and get out of it a pound's worth of Pride towards their fellowmen.
I suppose it was of those people Christ was thinking when He said that some would preach about Him and cast out devils in His name, only to be told at the end of the world that He had never known them. And any of us may at any moment be in this death-trap. Luckily, we have a test. Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good --above all, that we are better than someone else -- I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil. The real test of being in presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether."
Choose the discipline of service, which will open pathways for the Spirit to work humility into your character. Choose to associate with people unlike yourself. Listen, really listen, to those with whom you differ. Pray for the grace of humility, and when God lets life disappoint you, allow Him to use it to accomplish His work of humiliation.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today - "Jesus called a small child over to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:2-4, NLT)
When we close our mind on a subject, we begin to interpret all the data that flows our way in a way that supports our conclusions. The results can sometimes be hilarious and often tragic! I have a friend who refuses to believe that American astronauts ever walked on the moon. With a straight face, he'll tell you that all the videos and pictures from the moon explorations were fabricated by the government. His mind is closed! One of the more loony conspiracy theories that keeps making its way around these days is that the US Government brought down the World Trade Center on 9/11! The fringe who propagates that idea is committed to it despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
So, are you in the grip of a closed mind (an expression of pride), unwilling and/or unable to see the facts and deal with the truth?
If you are, it is unlikely you will admit it! And so the delusions deepen.
As a Christian Believer, I personally walk the line between two competing ideals -
being committed to the Truth of Christ and the Holy Scripture, and
remaining open to instruction that allows for correction.
From the Scriptures, I learn facts that are unchanging - God is the Creator; Jesus Christ is the Savior; the Holy Spirit is present, at work in the world now. The Gospels inform me that love of God and fellow man are God's basic requirement of all people, at all times, in every place. I am a committed Christian who believes in the exclusive Truth claim made by Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6, NKJV)
But I am wary of pride that would keep me from hearing the correcting voices that would keep me from slipping into a world of illusions born of my own twisted understandings of the 'facts.' There are no more frightening people in the world to me than those who proudly announce - "We are the 'true' people of God, for we possess 'all' the truth." When the sin of pride is wedded to the power of 'truth' - the results are terrifying! That is one reason I am so reluctant to ever make the claim that "God told me to tell you...." It is much different to say, "I believe that the Lord wants me to share this with you." The second statement allows for the real possibility that the 'prophet' got it wrong! Pride is a singular sin that feeds itself and keeps us from God and the Truth, regardless of our religiosity or lack thereof. Pride is a form of idolatry, a love of self that excludes God and good.
C.S. Lewis, in his book, Mere Christianity, writes this about pride.
"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves.. . . There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility. You may remember, when I was talking about sexual morality, I warned you that the centre of Christian morals did not lie there. Well, now, we have come to the centre. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."
Later in the same chapter, he writes -
"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people: that is, they pay a pennyworth of imaginary humility to Him and get out of it a pound's worth of Pride towards their fellowmen.
I suppose it was of those people Christ was thinking when He said that some would preach about Him and cast out devils in His name, only to be told at the end of the world that He had never known them. And any of us may at any moment be in this death-trap. Luckily, we have a test. Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good --above all, that we are better than someone else -- I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil. The real test of being in presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether."
Choose the discipline of service, which will open pathways for the Spirit to work humility into your character. Choose to associate with people unlike yourself. Listen, really listen, to those with whom you differ. Pray for the grace of humility, and when God lets life disappoint you, allow Him to use it to accomplish His work of humiliation.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today - "Jesus called a small child over to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:2-4, NLT)
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
God's Wonderful People
Lanny Wolfe penned a song in the 1970's called "God's Wonderful People." Part of the lyrics say, "There's no place I'd rather be, than with the ones who've been set free, I'm so glad I'm in God's great big family." It's not the language of Shakespeare, but the sentiment is one I share. Sunday evening at the annual meeting of our church, each ministry presented their report for the fiscal year which ended June 30. We celebrated a good year of effective service done in the name of Jesus, our Lord. What really touched my heart was the amount of work that a relatively small group of people accomplishes! Thousands of dollars and thousands of hours of service are invested by those who volunteer - teaching classes, mowing the lawns, leading worship, doing community service - to build the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Yes, our church is a big family, in every sense of the word. We care about each other, pray for each other, and work together. And, we bicker and squabble and criticize, too! I don't want to create a false picture as though we've established utopia in Washington, NJ. But, we are drawn together by a shared vision of a different world that is possible because of the Good News of Jesus Christ. That shared love for the Lord and a common vision produces a community that actually works - God's wonderful people- "the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—" (1 Peter 2:9, The Message)
At the beginning of the year, I preached a series of messages to define the kind of people that I believe God wants us to be.
First of all, God wants His people to be real- Authentic. It's not for this congregation to embrace a superficial religiosity that is a thin veneer laid over top of unchanged lives. Integrity is our desire. We pray that the Holy Spirit will disturb us, pulling us from apathy.
Second, we believe that God wants us to be loving - Accepting. Our love will not be feigned, nor will it thrive just in rhetoric. We will pray for a love like that of Jesus - sacrificial and deep.
Third, our community is committed to the work of encouraging growth- Accelerating. It is not part of our culture here to be content with yesterday's success. We are not threatened by excellence, nor are we so in love with tradition that we resist innovation.
Yes, the annual meeting, far from being just a recitation of stats and figures, was a celebration of service done for the glory of God. Much remains to be done! Jesus challenges those who follow Him to "go and tell the Good News." We go out as teachers, warriors (with weapons of love!) that defeat evil, and servants to all.
Are you part of His wonderful people?
If not, join up today. Membership comes through faith in Christ, our King.
The Bible says, "you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you." (Galatians 3:26-29, NLT)
____________________
Do you hear them coming brother,
Thronging up the steeps of light,
Clad in glorious shining garments,
Blood washed garments pure and white?
'Tis a glorious church, Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb;
'Tis a glorious church, Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Do you hear the stirring anthems
Filling all the earth and sky?
'Tis a grand, victorious army,
Lift its banner up on high!
Never fear the clouds of sorrow,
Never fear the storms of sin.
We shall triumph on the morrow,
Even now our joys begin.
Wave the banner, shout His praises,
For our victory is nigh!
We shall join our conqu'ring Savior,
We shall reign with Him on high!
-- A Glorious Church Hudson, Ralph E.CCLI Administration Account© Public Domain CCLI License No. 810055
Yes, our church is a big family, in every sense of the word. We care about each other, pray for each other, and work together. And, we bicker and squabble and criticize, too! I don't want to create a false picture as though we've established utopia in Washington, NJ. But, we are drawn together by a shared vision of a different world that is possible because of the Good News of Jesus Christ. That shared love for the Lord and a common vision produces a community that actually works - God's wonderful people- "the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—" (1 Peter 2:9, The Message)
At the beginning of the year, I preached a series of messages to define the kind of people that I believe God wants us to be.
First of all, God wants His people to be real- Authentic. It's not for this congregation to embrace a superficial religiosity that is a thin veneer laid over top of unchanged lives. Integrity is our desire. We pray that the Holy Spirit will disturb us, pulling us from apathy.
Second, we believe that God wants us to be loving - Accepting. Our love will not be feigned, nor will it thrive just in rhetoric. We will pray for a love like that of Jesus - sacrificial and deep.
Third, our community is committed to the work of encouraging growth- Accelerating. It is not part of our culture here to be content with yesterday's success. We are not threatened by excellence, nor are we so in love with tradition that we resist innovation.
Yes, the annual meeting, far from being just a recitation of stats and figures, was a celebration of service done for the glory of God. Much remains to be done! Jesus challenges those who follow Him to "go and tell the Good News." We go out as teachers, warriors (with weapons of love!) that defeat evil, and servants to all.
Are you part of His wonderful people?
If not, join up today. Membership comes through faith in Christ, our King.
The Bible says, "you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you." (Galatians 3:26-29, NLT)
____________________
Do you hear them coming brother,
Thronging up the steeps of light,
Clad in glorious shining garments,
Blood washed garments pure and white?
'Tis a glorious church, Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb;
'Tis a glorious church, Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Do you hear the stirring anthems
Filling all the earth and sky?
'Tis a grand, victorious army,
Lift its banner up on high!
Never fear the clouds of sorrow,
Never fear the storms of sin.
We shall triumph on the morrow,
Even now our joys begin.
Wave the banner, shout His praises,
For our victory is nigh!
We shall join our conqu'ring Savior,
We shall reign with Him on high!
-- A Glorious Church Hudson, Ralph E.CCLI Administration Account© Public Domain CCLI License No. 810055
Monday, September 11, 2006
Hatred in the name of God
Five years ago today, 19 men full of hatred for 'the Great Satan' - America - hijacked 4 airliners and turned them into flying bombs. By Noon that day, 3000 people had died, billions of dollars in property damage was done, and America was changed. Those young men acted in the name of Allah, their hatred and rage fueled by religious fervor, born in fear. I am no expert on Islam, but I am told that theirs is a twisted interpretation of that religion and I certainly hope that is true. It is not just fringe adherents to Islam that practice hatred in the name of God! Christianity has a radical fringe of haters, as well.
Where does religious hatred come from?
It grows in a very fertile soil called -fear: fear of a changing world, fear of those who are 'different,' fear that what we value is being destroyed. When people perceive that their way of life is threatened, they grow fearful. Questions arise about the very meaning of life, the kind of world our children will live in, about the most precious things to us being torn away. The natural human reaction to that kind of threat is to become protective and belligerent. I have heard and/or read sermons delivered by Christian preachers who are filled with fear about the world. They focus their fear on dozens of different targets - homosexuals, doctors who perform abortions, 'liberals,' evolutionists, people of color, Jews, Hollywood, rock music - and the list could go on and on. I've heard some of those same preachers move beyond condemning their targets and moving into outright hatred! For example, in the name of God some advocate bombing clinics where abortions are done or shooting doctors that perform those abortions. Often the hatred is contained in discriminatory words that stops short of advocating outright violence. I have even sat through prayer gatherings where sincere Believers caught up in their fears have prayed prayers that are packed with hateful venom poured out in the most holy moments.
Jesus speaks directly to those who follow Him and He forbids hatred! He says, "Judge not!" “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own." (Matthew 7:1-3, The Message) We read His words about the the two Great Commandments - "Love God with your whole being, and love others as you love yourselves!" There is no room for hating in those commands, is there? Only God can judge and condemn, for only He has the full knowledge of the motives and ways of those who do evil.
So you might ask, "Jerry, when we see the reality of sin and evil, we must respond to it, right?" Yes, absolutely. We would be fools to pretend that we are living in a world that welcomes the ways of Jesus Christ. Sin abounds around us. It is true that there is a real Enemy of God who actively resists all that is good. The Evil One is sowing his seeds of destruction. But we cannot overcome him by using the tactics of hatred and violence. Our response must be different. (I speak to each of us personally. This TFTD is not about national politics. The debate about 'just war' is for another time.)
What did Jesus command of us?
Ponder these words, so often forgotten or laid aside in moments of fear.
“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it.’ But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. ...
You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too." (Matthew 5:38-45, NLT)
So, how can we act in such an unnatural way?
By being secure in the Love of God for us. We believe the promises of God that He will never leave, nor forsake us.
We hold to His declaration that His Kingdom cannot fall, and we then live confidently. As Martin Luther wrote,
And though this world with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear for God hath willed,
His truth to triumph through us! (A Mighty Fortress)
Apart from being deeply loved by God, and living in His promises, there is no other way we can be kept from fear, especially in our time of rapid change and perceived threat to all that we hold dear. We cannot win over evil by becoming evil. We cannot defeat those who hate us because of Christ, by hating them in return. We overcome evil with Good, hatred with love. Let God love you! When you begin to fear, reach out to Jesus and ask Him to grant you peace. When the future looks dark, pray for eyes to see the Glory that is promised to those who are in Christ. Then, go live in love.
________________
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 power 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 power of Your love!
Lord unveil my eyes,
Let me see You face to face,
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me.
And Lord renew my mind
As Your will unfolds in my life,
In living every day
By the power of Your love!
-- The Power of Your Love- by Geoff Bullocks
Where does religious hatred come from?
It grows in a very fertile soil called -fear: fear of a changing world, fear of those who are 'different,' fear that what we value is being destroyed. When people perceive that their way of life is threatened, they grow fearful. Questions arise about the very meaning of life, the kind of world our children will live in, about the most precious things to us being torn away. The natural human reaction to that kind of threat is to become protective and belligerent. I have heard and/or read sermons delivered by Christian preachers who are filled with fear about the world. They focus their fear on dozens of different targets - homosexuals, doctors who perform abortions, 'liberals,' evolutionists, people of color, Jews, Hollywood, rock music - and the list could go on and on. I've heard some of those same preachers move beyond condemning their targets and moving into outright hatred! For example, in the name of God some advocate bombing clinics where abortions are done or shooting doctors that perform those abortions. Often the hatred is contained in discriminatory words that stops short of advocating outright violence. I have even sat through prayer gatherings where sincere Believers caught up in their fears have prayed prayers that are packed with hateful venom poured out in the most holy moments.
Jesus speaks directly to those who follow Him and He forbids hatred! He says, "Judge not!" “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own." (Matthew 7:1-3, The Message) We read His words about the the two Great Commandments - "Love God with your whole being, and love others as you love yourselves!" There is no room for hating in those commands, is there? Only God can judge and condemn, for only He has the full knowledge of the motives and ways of those who do evil.
So you might ask, "Jerry, when we see the reality of sin and evil, we must respond to it, right?" Yes, absolutely. We would be fools to pretend that we are living in a world that welcomes the ways of Jesus Christ. Sin abounds around us. It is true that there is a real Enemy of God who actively resists all that is good. The Evil One is sowing his seeds of destruction. But we cannot overcome him by using the tactics of hatred and violence. Our response must be different. (I speak to each of us personally. This TFTD is not about national politics. The debate about 'just war' is for another time.)
What did Jesus command of us?
Ponder these words, so often forgotten or laid aside in moments of fear.
“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it.’ But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. ...
You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too." (Matthew 5:38-45, NLT)
So, how can we act in such an unnatural way?
By being secure in the Love of God for us. We believe the promises of God that He will never leave, nor forsake us.
We hold to His declaration that His Kingdom cannot fall, and we then live confidently. As Martin Luther wrote,
And though this world with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear for God hath willed,
His truth to triumph through us! (A Mighty Fortress)
Apart from being deeply loved by God, and living in His promises, there is no other way we can be kept from fear, especially in our time of rapid change and perceived threat to all that we hold dear. We cannot win over evil by becoming evil. We cannot defeat those who hate us because of Christ, by hating them in return. We overcome evil with Good, hatred with love. Let God love you! When you begin to fear, reach out to Jesus and ask Him to grant you peace. When the future looks dark, pray for eyes to see the Glory that is promised to those who are in Christ. Then, go live in love.
________________
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 power 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 power of Your love!
Lord unveil my eyes,
Let me see You face to face,
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me.
And Lord renew my mind
As Your will unfolds in my life,
In living every day
By the power of Your love!
-- The Power of Your Love- by Geoff Bullocks
Friday, September 08, 2006
Transforming love, daily grace, amazing change!
Wednesdays I go to jail! Yep, I get locked up for about an hour each week. And I love it. It's an opportunity to share the Word with about 15 people who can't get to church, most of whom have made a series of wrong choices that landed them on the wrong side of the law. Often, as I look around the table, I wonder how many of those I'm teaching will be back in custody within weeks or months of their release from jail. Statistics show that many people, once in the justice system, keep going back for many reasons - some the result of bad choices, some the result of the huge challenge of rejoining society as a productive citizen. Those who are in jail need a transforming experience, not a reforming experience! Just like you and me.
While motivation and planning are important components of building a new life on the 'outside,' I realize that those men and women I am teaching behind bars need to meet Jesus! And so do those of us who have never been locked up. The only hope any of has of pleasing God is to be changed - inside out - by the Holy Spirit. Jesus named the Spirit -"the Paraclete." Yes, it's a Bible word, a title. Jesus, speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper, said: "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7, NIV) The Holy Spirit is now the active member of the Godhead in our lives. He is our Paraclete! The word, drawn from NT Greek, is one for which translators use various words showing the difficulty of capturing the true meaning. 'Parakletos' is translated as "Comforter, Friend, Counselor, Advocate, and Helper" in various English Bibles. The word was one used to describe the person who came to your side to plead your case to another. Ah, you're thinking, a Heavenly lawyer of sorts. (Could there be such a thing?) Actually, the function of the 'Parakletos' was greater than simply lawyering. As the various translations indicate, a Paraclete was a friend, coach, and aide!
One of the great gifts of God's love is the availability of the Spirit. He is 'on call' 24/7! (In case you're not up on the slang, that means all day, everyday!) Jesus promises us that the Holy Spirit will not just be with us; He will live in us! "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17, NIV)
Believer, are you drawing on the advantages that the Paraclete offers to you?
Or are you attempting to live the Christian life by your wits and wisdom, by grit and guts, by resolve and rationale?
Yes, it is important that we determine to serve God's purposes. Yes, it is important that we are courageous and that we take up the challenge of serving God today. Yes, it is important to set goals and to align our lives to the principles of the Scripture. BUT, if we are focused on our abilities, on our own resources, if we think we can say enough prayers, or discipline ourselves, or get an accountability partner (all of which are good choices) and that will keep us holy, we're sadly deceived. No matter how smart or well-intentioned, we will fail! If we want to live a holy life, if we want to stay out of trouble, We must 'fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.' (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)
How do we stay in the place where Heaven's Life Coach can transform us from people who keep failing and falling, into holy ones who succeed at serving God and bringing honor to Him?
First, we need a LOVE REVELATION! God loves us, right where we are, in the middle of the mess. The word rhapsodizes about the wonder of His love. "We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us!" (Ephesians 2:3-5, The Message) The foundational truth for transformation the depth and breadth of God's love.
Second, we must allow the Spirit to convict us deeply, giving us a true sense of need. When I feel myself becoming apathetic towards God, I pray, "Lord, break me down. Show me the depth of my sin." Which brings that which I wrote about above back into focus. My need - His love. It's a liberating combination. Until we have faced up to the persistent power of our sinful nature and realized that, apart from the daily intercessions of our Lord, we are desperate sinners; we will not open up to the Spirit.
Then, we need to practice the disciplines of the Spirit. "But, Jerry, doesn't that give the lie to what you're writing about today?" No way. We don't pray, read our Bible, meditate, confess our need, and connect with other Christians to prove that we are good Christians! We do these things because as we do, we open up channels in our lives through which the Spirit flows into us to empower us. The disciplines are the moments when we pull up to God's table and receive the food of the soul which He is ready to provide according to our need that moment, that day.
Today, invite God to show you how much He loves you. Then, be prepared to be surprised!
Confess your need, your sins freely, openly, authentically. Don't just make up a couple to impress Him. Let God shine the light on your heart and show you that you desperately need Him. There is grace in Christ Jesus. Our sins are not so great that He cannot forgive and cleanse. He doesn't follow the 'three strikes and you're out' principle.
Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, to renew you. Your Life Coach, the Paraclete, is ready to keep you safe in the Way. Are you cooperating with Him?
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)
While motivation and planning are important components of building a new life on the 'outside,' I realize that those men and women I am teaching behind bars need to meet Jesus! And so do those of us who have never been locked up. The only hope any of has of pleasing God is to be changed - inside out - by the Holy Spirit. Jesus named the Spirit -"the Paraclete." Yes, it's a Bible word, a title. Jesus, speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper, said: "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7, NIV) The Holy Spirit is now the active member of the Godhead in our lives. He is our Paraclete! The word, drawn from NT Greek, is one for which translators use various words showing the difficulty of capturing the true meaning. 'Parakletos' is translated as "Comforter, Friend, Counselor, Advocate, and Helper" in various English Bibles. The word was one used to describe the person who came to your side to plead your case to another. Ah, you're thinking, a Heavenly lawyer of sorts. (Could there be such a thing?) Actually, the function of the 'Parakletos' was greater than simply lawyering. As the various translations indicate, a Paraclete was a friend, coach, and aide!
One of the great gifts of God's love is the availability of the Spirit. He is 'on call' 24/7! (In case you're not up on the slang, that means all day, everyday!) Jesus promises us that the Holy Spirit will not just be with us; He will live in us! "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17, NIV)
Believer, are you drawing on the advantages that the Paraclete offers to you?
Or are you attempting to live the Christian life by your wits and wisdom, by grit and guts, by resolve and rationale?
Yes, it is important that we determine to serve God's purposes. Yes, it is important that we are courageous and that we take up the challenge of serving God today. Yes, it is important to set goals and to align our lives to the principles of the Scripture. BUT, if we are focused on our abilities, on our own resources, if we think we can say enough prayers, or discipline ourselves, or get an accountability partner (all of which are good choices) and that will keep us holy, we're sadly deceived. No matter how smart or well-intentioned, we will fail! If we want to live a holy life, if we want to stay out of trouble, We must 'fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.' (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)
How do we stay in the place where Heaven's Life Coach can transform us from people who keep failing and falling, into holy ones who succeed at serving God and bringing honor to Him?
First, we need a LOVE REVELATION! God loves us, right where we are, in the middle of the mess. The word rhapsodizes about the wonder of His love. "We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us!" (Ephesians 2:3-5, The Message) The foundational truth for transformation the depth and breadth of God's love.
Second, we must allow the Spirit to convict us deeply, giving us a true sense of need. When I feel myself becoming apathetic towards God, I pray, "Lord, break me down. Show me the depth of my sin." Which brings that which I wrote about above back into focus. My need - His love. It's a liberating combination. Until we have faced up to the persistent power of our sinful nature and realized that, apart from the daily intercessions of our Lord, we are desperate sinners; we will not open up to the Spirit.
Then, we need to practice the disciplines of the Spirit. "But, Jerry, doesn't that give the lie to what you're writing about today?" No way. We don't pray, read our Bible, meditate, confess our need, and connect with other Christians to prove that we are good Christians! We do these things because as we do, we open up channels in our lives through which the Spirit flows into us to empower us. The disciplines are the moments when we pull up to God's table and receive the food of the soul which He is ready to provide according to our need that moment, that day.
Today, invite God to show you how much He loves you. Then, be prepared to be surprised!
Confess your need, your sins freely, openly, authentically. Don't just make up a couple to impress Him. Let God shine the light on your heart and show you that you desperately need Him. There is grace in Christ Jesus. Our sins are not so great that He cannot forgive and cleanse. He doesn't follow the 'three strikes and you're out' principle.
Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, to renew you. Your Life Coach, the Paraclete, is ready to keep you safe in the Way. Are you cooperating with Him?
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Today matters.
It's hard to convince a 25 year old that putting away $50 a week can add up to a significant amount. But if he does just that, assuming a 6% average return on his investment, he will have around $500, 000 in his account at age 65! OK, I'm not an investment counselor and my point is not really about dollars but about the power of small, but consistent choices that are made over time.
A life lived well is an accumulation of days lived well! It isn't the single stellar moment that makes a life. Rather it is the consistent choices, made day after day, that add up to a life worth remembering. Are you waiting for your 'big break?' Are you letting one day after another slip away into history while you sit on the sidelines waiting for something to happen? That is the tragedy of many lives. Instead of taking the opportunities that are available to do something good, people wait.... and wait ... and wait. Little do they realize that, like the blink of an eye, 25 years will disappear over the horizon of time. Then, too, there are those who choose to waste the present. They're going to do something different, 'tomorrow.' So they spend week after week, watching the same boring TV, avoiding responsibility as much as possible, waiting for tomorrow, which never comes. In contrast are those who set goals, who determine to use their days to make a difference. They keep investing themselves in life on a daily basis, creating a memorable life in the process.
The film, Saving Private Ryan, released in 1998, open with a scene of a old man walking slowly across a field of white crosses marking graves of soldiers. When he finds that of Captain Miller, he falls to his knees and remembers the captain's dying words spoken years ago at the end of a desperate firefight. As Miller died, he challenged Ryan to live in an honorable way so that the sacrifices of those who saved him would matter. The old man, James Ryan, turns to his wife and wonders aloud if he is a good man, if he's lived well.
Sooner than you or I realize, we will be nearing the end of this earthly stay. Like the fictional James Ryan we will wonder, "Did it count? Have I lived well?" How we answer that will depend on two things - would we choose as the measure of success and our daily choices. Hugh Hefner, he of Playboy fame, turned 80 this year. He's spent his life in pursuit of sex and money. A succession of blondes whose attention was purchased with his fortune have shared his bed. Many silly men envy the life he's built on exploitation of women. I wonder what Hugh thinks? I wonder if he ever realizes that he's accumulated a treasure of fool's gold? He, too, came to the place in life he now occupies, one choice at time, beginning more than 50 years ago. Even if he feels little regret now as a result of a scarred conscience, he will face God not too far into the future and answer for his hedonism.
There's another famous man who decided to take a very different road in life right around the same time as Hefner, near the same place in America, the city of Chicago. That man decided to give away his life to tell a simple life-changing story, again and again, to as many people as possible around the world. Billy Graham, the renowned evangelist, whose is now in his mid-80's, started talking about Jesus. His team, which he kept around him for decades, committed themselves to each other and their lives to integrity. They remained faithful to their spouses and chose to handle the fame and wealth that came their way responsibly and with integrity - day after day. Best of all, they stayed faithful to Christ Jesus.
Today matters! The old cliché reminds us that 'today is the first day of the rest of your life.' It may be clichéd but it's true.
So make a difference, starting today. With the counsel of the Spirit and the Scripture, choose the path of the righteous, and then walk it - consistently, day after day. I can make this guarantee - you'll never live to regret it!
Here's a word from the Word for today. "This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. " (2 Timothy 4:7-8, The Message)
A life lived well is an accumulation of days lived well! It isn't the single stellar moment that makes a life. Rather it is the consistent choices, made day after day, that add up to a life worth remembering. Are you waiting for your 'big break?' Are you letting one day after another slip away into history while you sit on the sidelines waiting for something to happen? That is the tragedy of many lives. Instead of taking the opportunities that are available to do something good, people wait.... and wait ... and wait. Little do they realize that, like the blink of an eye, 25 years will disappear over the horizon of time. Then, too, there are those who choose to waste the present. They're going to do something different, 'tomorrow.' So they spend week after week, watching the same boring TV, avoiding responsibility as much as possible, waiting for tomorrow, which never comes. In contrast are those who set goals, who determine to use their days to make a difference. They keep investing themselves in life on a daily basis, creating a memorable life in the process.
The film, Saving Private Ryan, released in 1998, open with a scene of a old man walking slowly across a field of white crosses marking graves of soldiers. When he finds that of Captain Miller, he falls to his knees and remembers the captain's dying words spoken years ago at the end of a desperate firefight. As Miller died, he challenged Ryan to live in an honorable way so that the sacrifices of those who saved him would matter. The old man, James Ryan, turns to his wife and wonders aloud if he is a good man, if he's lived well.
Sooner than you or I realize, we will be nearing the end of this earthly stay. Like the fictional James Ryan we will wonder, "Did it count? Have I lived well?" How we answer that will depend on two things - would we choose as the measure of success and our daily choices. Hugh Hefner, he of Playboy fame, turned 80 this year. He's spent his life in pursuit of sex and money. A succession of blondes whose attention was purchased with his fortune have shared his bed. Many silly men envy the life he's built on exploitation of women. I wonder what Hugh thinks? I wonder if he ever realizes that he's accumulated a treasure of fool's gold? He, too, came to the place in life he now occupies, one choice at time, beginning more than 50 years ago. Even if he feels little regret now as a result of a scarred conscience, he will face God not too far into the future and answer for his hedonism.
There's another famous man who decided to take a very different road in life right around the same time as Hefner, near the same place in America, the city of Chicago. That man decided to give away his life to tell a simple life-changing story, again and again, to as many people as possible around the world. Billy Graham, the renowned evangelist, whose is now in his mid-80's, started talking about Jesus. His team, which he kept around him for decades, committed themselves to each other and their lives to integrity. They remained faithful to their spouses and chose to handle the fame and wealth that came their way responsibly and with integrity - day after day. Best of all, they stayed faithful to Christ Jesus.
Today matters! The old cliché reminds us that 'today is the first day of the rest of your life.' It may be clichéd but it's true.
So make a difference, starting today. With the counsel of the Spirit and the Scripture, choose the path of the righteous, and then walk it - consistently, day after day. I can make this guarantee - you'll never live to regret it!
Here's a word from the Word for today. "This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. " (2 Timothy 4:7-8, The Message)
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Watch out for pragmatism
A pragmatist makes decisions based on the practicality of the action. Does it work? Does it serve the purpose? Does it 'get the job done?' These questions are first line in the mind of the pragmatic individual. What's wrong with that? Nothing at all, in most areas. My concern is about Christianity shaped around pragmatism. For many years I lived a Christian life that was mostly built around making good choices that would produce positive results. Somehow what I heard being taught was a whole lot of 'do this and that will happen.' I did not realize that I was actually worshipping self- my true intent being creating a life of maximum benefit to myself. For example, as a teen I was that being sexually pure was an important choice for a Christian, but the reasons given for that choice were based on avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, avoiding pregnancy, etc. Those are not the most important reasons for sexual purity! The Bible points out that honoring God with our body and recognizing the covenantal nature of sex are the real reason Christians adopt the sexual ethics of purity. If a teen is taught only the pragmatic reasons for not sleeping with his girlfriend, he'll 'solve the problem' by buying a condom or getting the 'morning after' pill and then do what he wants.
Many Believers do not live a holy life precisely because they don't understand the real 'why' behind God-honoring decisions. They only see the 'what' and they find a solution to avoid the consequence, then choice to live as they wish. God, Who is to the center of life, is pushed to the periphery and Self remains enthroned. The not so subtle sub-text of a lot of contemporary preaching is how to create a pleasant life and avoid suffering, and then to get oneself into Heaven when we die.
Perhaps you're wondering, "So, Jerry, what's wrong with that?" Much, I say! A careful reading of Scripture reveals that the purpose of a godly life is not health, wealth, and sweet dreams! We are called to selfless service of humanity and our Lord, regardless of personal cost and without thought of benefit to self. The pragmatic Believer finds Jesus' words about sacrificial living inscrutable. He challenges us saying - "he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:38-39, NKJV)
We must not and cannot calculate the 'cost benefit' ratio of every choice we make as a Christian. Think of it with a example - Imagine calculating something like 'how many Sundays do I have to be in church every year to stay on good terms with God?' If our true motive in corporate worship is loving God and His people, then we will eagerly set aside all other activities on the Lord's Day and be in worship because loving God is the primary call of every Believer. And after worship, we won't be asking, "What did I gain? Was it a good sermon? How was the music? Were the people friendly?" We'll be thanking God for the privilege of honoring Him with our time and attention to focused worship!
Think of the folly of pragmatic Christianity in another way. Peter was rebuked by Jesus for trying to calculate a pragmatic response to other people who offended him. “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22, NKJV) The Lord then went on to tell a story illustrating the importance of endless forgiveness, based on the model of God's grace.
Love is not the choice of a pragmatist! True love is costly, demanding, and thoughtless of benefit to self. That applies whether we're thinking of love for God or love for other people. I hope I have provoked you today to think about why you are making the choices you're making as a Christian. The truth is that everyone of us thinks about the benefits to ourselves everyday; maybe not consciously, but we're basically selfish creatures and thus, somewhere inside, we're usually calculating - 'what's in it for me?' "Jerry, you're so negative!" No, just honest! I do it all the time, without even realizing it. That's why we need the Spirit to take us to Cross again and again, as Paul says, to be 'crucified with Christ.' Self is amazingly resilient and must die daily, hence the Lord's command to pick up our Cross.
Here's a passage that is not pragmatic. May the words, though familiar, find a place in your mind today.
"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!" (1 Corinthians 13:3-12, The Message)
Many Believers do not live a holy life precisely because they don't understand the real 'why' behind God-honoring decisions. They only see the 'what' and they find a solution to avoid the consequence, then choice to live as they wish. God, Who is to the center of life, is pushed to the periphery and Self remains enthroned. The not so subtle sub-text of a lot of contemporary preaching is how to create a pleasant life and avoid suffering, and then to get oneself into Heaven when we die.
Perhaps you're wondering, "So, Jerry, what's wrong with that?" Much, I say! A careful reading of Scripture reveals that the purpose of a godly life is not health, wealth, and sweet dreams! We are called to selfless service of humanity and our Lord, regardless of personal cost and without thought of benefit to self. The pragmatic Believer finds Jesus' words about sacrificial living inscrutable. He challenges us saying - "he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:38-39, NKJV)
We must not and cannot calculate the 'cost benefit' ratio of every choice we make as a Christian. Think of it with a example - Imagine calculating something like 'how many Sundays do I have to be in church every year to stay on good terms with God?' If our true motive in corporate worship is loving God and His people, then we will eagerly set aside all other activities on the Lord's Day and be in worship because loving God is the primary call of every Believer. And after worship, we won't be asking, "What did I gain? Was it a good sermon? How was the music? Were the people friendly?" We'll be thanking God for the privilege of honoring Him with our time and attention to focused worship!
Think of the folly of pragmatic Christianity in another way. Peter was rebuked by Jesus for trying to calculate a pragmatic response to other people who offended him. “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22, NKJV) The Lord then went on to tell a story illustrating the importance of endless forgiveness, based on the model of God's grace.
Love is not the choice of a pragmatist! True love is costly, demanding, and thoughtless of benefit to self. That applies whether we're thinking of love for God or love for other people. I hope I have provoked you today to think about why you are making the choices you're making as a Christian. The truth is that everyone of us thinks about the benefits to ourselves everyday; maybe not consciously, but we're basically selfish creatures and thus, somewhere inside, we're usually calculating - 'what's in it for me?' "Jerry, you're so negative!" No, just honest! I do it all the time, without even realizing it. That's why we need the Spirit to take us to Cross again and again, as Paul says, to be 'crucified with Christ.' Self is amazingly resilient and must die daily, hence the Lord's command to pick up our Cross.
Here's a passage that is not pragmatic. May the words, though familiar, find a place in your mind today.
"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!" (1 Corinthians 13:3-12, The Message)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Gift of Beauty
While driving up the inter-state highway, I turned on my CD player. Beautiful music poured out of the speakers. God embraced me! I wish I could find words to describe the sense of His Presence, but it is indescribable. I could not speak for 20 minutes, I was so full of emotion. Some would dismiss that experience as just an 'emotional' high, or with explanations of chemicals released in my brain. I know it was the Spirit of the Lord. He used beauty to touch my soul, to tell me of His love, to remind me of His plans and purposes.
I am not the only person who has experienced God's Presence in the arts. My friend, "Doc" Edmunds has written to me more than once to tell of sensing God's Spirit while he enjoyed a classical composition. He has shared with me that it forms a context of worship for him. Chuck Colson, in his book The Good Life, writes - "When I need inspiration, I sometimes walk on a beach near my home in Naples, Florida. I've always been moved by the majesty of the oceans. The nearby Gulf of Mexico, year-round, storm or no storm, is an absolutely beautiful sight. It is particularly striking during the summer..... I experience awe and wonder and gain perspective during my walks on the beach. ... I identify with Scottish mountaineer, W. H. Murray, who described his unspeakable joy at witnessing a great mountain peak as one on of those 'fleeting glimpses of that beauty which all men who have known it have been compelled to call the truth.'"
David, the Psalmist, who had spent many nights under the stars caring for his sheep and later, waiting for a morning's battle, wrote of the glory he saw in creation's beauty. In Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT) we read:"The heavens tell of the glory of God.The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it."
Beauty should draw to think of the Person who brings order from chaos, who is the Painter of the sunset, the composer of the songs of birds and whales. A person does not need to be sophisticated to appreciate beauty. A child can recognize the wonder in a rose!
Because we live in a world marred by sin, where evil works against good, we deal with ugliness everywhere. Warfare spreads chaos and destroys the beauty of human community. Hatred tears apart people - in families, in towns and cities, religion from religion, nation against nation. Gardens quickly degenerate into weedy messes when left untended. Even the arts are marred when God is removed from them. I cannot help but note the difference between what is created by those who see the world as a place loved and created by God and those who are without a knowledge or belief in God. Much art produced by post-moderns who see the world as a product of random chance and a place without over-arching purpose is chaotic, full of noise and fury, and harsh - because that is the place from which the artist begins his work!
Are you in need of perspective?Has life overwhelmed you, problems become many while resources have diminished?Take a beauty break! Go ponder the works of God in Creation. Or, listen to some beautiful music. Or, visit a garden. Or, enjoy a work of art... and do it with a prayerful invitation to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to embrace you, to come close and to remind you that despite the destruction and chaos that the Evil One wreaks on this world, that He is the King of Kings, the Author of Life, the One who remains the Source of Hope, Life, and Beauty.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today: "...what may be known about God is plain ... because God has made it plain .... For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20, NIV)
__________________________
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art! -
Carl Boberg, a Swedish pastor, editor of a Christian newspaper, and member of the Swedish Parliament, was suddenly caught in a midday thunderstorm in 1886 while visiting a beautiful part of the coast of Sweden. The rolling thunder and flashing lightning filled him with awe. "Following the violent storm, he was inspired by the calm water, the clear brilliant sunlight, and the sweet songs of the birds. The experience prompted him to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God. He penned his experience in the poem which later became the song sung across Europe and the United States - How Great Thou Art!
I am not the only person who has experienced God's Presence in the arts. My friend, "Doc" Edmunds has written to me more than once to tell of sensing God's Spirit while he enjoyed a classical composition. He has shared with me that it forms a context of worship for him. Chuck Colson, in his book The Good Life, writes - "When I need inspiration, I sometimes walk on a beach near my home in Naples, Florida. I've always been moved by the majesty of the oceans. The nearby Gulf of Mexico, year-round, storm or no storm, is an absolutely beautiful sight. It is particularly striking during the summer..... I experience awe and wonder and gain perspective during my walks on the beach. ... I identify with Scottish mountaineer, W. H. Murray, who described his unspeakable joy at witnessing a great mountain peak as one on of those 'fleeting glimpses of that beauty which all men who have known it have been compelled to call the truth.'"
David, the Psalmist, who had spent many nights under the stars caring for his sheep and later, waiting for a morning's battle, wrote of the glory he saw in creation's beauty. In Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT) we read:"The heavens tell of the glory of God.The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it."
Beauty should draw to think of the Person who brings order from chaos, who is the Painter of the sunset, the composer of the songs of birds and whales. A person does not need to be sophisticated to appreciate beauty. A child can recognize the wonder in a rose!
Because we live in a world marred by sin, where evil works against good, we deal with ugliness everywhere. Warfare spreads chaos and destroys the beauty of human community. Hatred tears apart people - in families, in towns and cities, religion from religion, nation against nation. Gardens quickly degenerate into weedy messes when left untended. Even the arts are marred when God is removed from them. I cannot help but note the difference between what is created by those who see the world as a place loved and created by God and those who are without a knowledge or belief in God. Much art produced by post-moderns who see the world as a product of random chance and a place without over-arching purpose is chaotic, full of noise and fury, and harsh - because that is the place from which the artist begins his work!
Are you in need of perspective?Has life overwhelmed you, problems become many while resources have diminished?Take a beauty break! Go ponder the works of God in Creation. Or, listen to some beautiful music. Or, visit a garden. Or, enjoy a work of art... and do it with a prayerful invitation to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to embrace you, to come close and to remind you that despite the destruction and chaos that the Evil One wreaks on this world, that He is the King of Kings, the Author of Life, the One who remains the Source of Hope, Life, and Beauty.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today: "...what may be known about God is plain ... because God has made it plain .... For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20, NIV)
__________________________
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art! -
Carl Boberg, a Swedish pastor, editor of a Christian newspaper, and member of the Swedish Parliament, was suddenly caught in a midday thunderstorm in 1886 while visiting a beautiful part of the coast of Sweden. The rolling thunder and flashing lightning filled him with awe. "Following the violent storm, he was inspired by the calm water, the clear brilliant sunlight, and the sweet songs of the birds. The experience prompted him to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God. He penned his experience in the poem which later became the song sung across Europe and the United States - How Great Thou Art!
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