Prayer baffles me and comforts me all at the same time! Some prayers are answered directly in amazing ways. More often, I pray in faith, without seeing immediate results. In days long past, my prayers were often childish - “Lord, give me; do this; provide for me.” My prayers showed my lack of contentment in His provision and confidence in His wisdom! Now, most of my prayers are just ‘being with’ the Lord, aware of His Presence, knowing that there is Somebody bigger than I am that is in charge of this thing called, life.
Oh, yes, I still ask directly for He invites me to do so. For example, yesterday, I mentioned the name of a friend far away who was going through a difficult surgery in prayer many times through the day. Did God need a reminder of Robin’s condition? No, He is all-knowing, and yet, He directs us to pray for one another, so I did!
There is a form of prayer we call intercession that must not be neglected. An intercessor is one who stands before God on behalf of another. It is a priestly role that all disciples can perform for others.
A story from Abraham’s experience, told in the 18th chapter of Genesis, teaches us something of this kind of prayer. The Lord revealed to Abraham that He planned to destroy Sodom because “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous." (Genesis 18:20, NIV) Abraham steps up on behalf of the city and engages the Lord in a conversation that looks like bargaining. " Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:23, NIV) “Will you destroy the city if there are 50 righteous in it?” And so it goes, until Abraham reaches the number 10! Boldly he appeals to the Lord on behalf of the righteous in the city. While there is much mystery in the whole interaction, we learn that there is a valid role for us in praying for those who are under the judgment decrees of God!
We cannot shrug our shoulders and simply leave the world to its fate! Somehow God wants us to get involved prayerfully. One of the by-products of genuine intercession is what it produces in us. When we are actively praying for a nation, a city, or even our family - not ritual prayers, not tired prayers - it creates concern, love, and engagement. We become people who work to make a difference. The seeds we sow, change the harvest! Yes, too, somehow our loving, sincere prayers offered on behalf of those who are ignorant or apathetic towards Christ, makes a difference in Heaven. I don’t understand how, but I know what the Scripture teaches and reveals!
Are you a faithful intercessor?
Be a priest on behalf of your world!
When you go before the Lord, bring them to Him, seeking His gracious mercy. Amazing things can happen.
Here’s a word from the Word. May the Spirit make it a call to action for each of us.
"Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice. “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land.
I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.
So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” (Ezekiel 22:29-31, NLT)
Let’s stand in the gap!
_______________
I have a Savior,
He's pleading in glory,
A dear, loving Savior,
Though earth friends be few;
And now He is watching
In tenderness o'er me,
And oh, that my Savior
Were your Savior, too!
I have a Father:
To me He has given
A hope for eternity,
Blessed and true;
And soon will He call me
To meet Him in heaven,
But oh, that He'd let me
Bring you with me, too!
I have a robe
'Tis resplendent in whiteness
Awaiting in glory
My wondering view;
Oh, when I receive it all
Shining in brightness,
Dear friends, could I see you
Receiving one, too!
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
I'm praying for you.
I Am Praying For You
Cluff, Samuel O'Malley / Sankey, Ira D.
© Public Domain
Friday, January 08, 2010
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Invisible no longer
Do you see what’s going on around you? Are you observant, insightful, aware of the people in your life? It’s amazing how some become invisible people that are present but whom we do not see. Like that guy who took your money at the convenience store this morning, your eyes saw him, but can you remember his face? Perhaps it is that elderly person who attends your church that you ‘see’ each week, but to whom you have never spoken. Maybe it’s your spouse who shares your house, but not your heart; or a son who needs you to see more than his grades or performance, who wants you to see his heart!
Human beings respond to notice. When we take time to engage with another person, to really see them, we give value to them. A thank you note that expresses appreciation for the person, a conversation that goes beyond “Cold outside, isn’t it? How ‘bout them Jets?” and into the place where we learn about another’s life shows a different level of awareness than is common among those of us who live busy, often self-absorbed lives.
One of the tragedies of this world are the people who become invisible to the rest of the world, who slide out of view because of aging, illness, or disability. Maybe you’re feeling invisible today! Perhaps you feel like a ghost, moving through life and nobody seems to really see you, to care if you’re there, to engage with you. You want to scream, “Hey, I’m here. I count. See me!” There is One who does. His name is “El Roi, The God who sees.”
We meet Him in Genesis 16, in the moving story of Hagar. She was a serving girl, probably a slave, though we don't know that for certain. She served Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who was advancing in years and still childless. As was the custom of the time, Sarah used Hagar as a surrogate, giving her to her husband in the hope that she would become pregnant, which she did. The younger woman became contemptuous of her mistress, leading to strife in their household! Sarah responded with cruel abuse. She went to her husband and demanded that the woman be thrown out, leaving her to a life of misery as she tried to survive. The servant girl was disposable, an inconvenient reminder of faithlessness. The Bible says, “Abram replied, "Since she is your servant, you may deal with her as you see fit." So Sarai treated her harshly, and Hagar ran away. The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a desert spring along the road to Shur... Thereafter, Hagar referred to the Lord, who had spoken to her, as "the God who sees me, (El Roi) for she said, "I have seen the One who sees me!" - Genesis 16:7,13 NLT
"The God who sees me!" Do you know that HE knows YOU? Yes, He does. It’s a double-edged truth; comforting and keeping us accountable. He sees right into your most secret places. He knows your dreams, your hopes, your sins, your past, and your future. He loves YOU. In these opening days of 2010, grab hold to the wonderful fact of our Lord's Omnipresence. Let this great truth inspire you. Our God is truly El Roi, the God who sees. "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." (Proverbs 15:3, NIV)
Here’s a comforting word from the Word. May it bring comfort to you today as you deepen your faith in ‘the God who sees.’
"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. … even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. … "Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
(Psalm 139:1-4, 12, 24, NLT)
Human beings respond to notice. When we take time to engage with another person, to really see them, we give value to them. A thank you note that expresses appreciation for the person, a conversation that goes beyond “Cold outside, isn’t it? How ‘bout them Jets?” and into the place where we learn about another’s life shows a different level of awareness than is common among those of us who live busy, often self-absorbed lives.
One of the tragedies of this world are the people who become invisible to the rest of the world, who slide out of view because of aging, illness, or disability. Maybe you’re feeling invisible today! Perhaps you feel like a ghost, moving through life and nobody seems to really see you, to care if you’re there, to engage with you. You want to scream, “Hey, I’m here. I count. See me!” There is One who does. His name is “El Roi, The God who sees.”
We meet Him in Genesis 16, in the moving story of Hagar. She was a serving girl, probably a slave, though we don't know that for certain. She served Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who was advancing in years and still childless. As was the custom of the time, Sarah used Hagar as a surrogate, giving her to her husband in the hope that she would become pregnant, which she did. The younger woman became contemptuous of her mistress, leading to strife in their household! Sarah responded with cruel abuse. She went to her husband and demanded that the woman be thrown out, leaving her to a life of misery as she tried to survive. The servant girl was disposable, an inconvenient reminder of faithlessness. The Bible says, “Abram replied, "Since she is your servant, you may deal with her as you see fit." So Sarai treated her harshly, and Hagar ran away. The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a desert spring along the road to Shur... Thereafter, Hagar referred to the Lord, who had spoken to her, as "the God who sees me, (El Roi) for she said, "I have seen the One who sees me!" - Genesis 16:7,13 NLT
"The God who sees me!" Do you know that HE knows YOU? Yes, He does. It’s a double-edged truth; comforting and keeping us accountable. He sees right into your most secret places. He knows your dreams, your hopes, your sins, your past, and your future. He loves YOU. In these opening days of 2010, grab hold to the wonderful fact of our Lord's Omnipresence. Let this great truth inspire you. Our God is truly El Roi, the God who sees. "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." (Proverbs 15:3, NIV)
Here’s a comforting word from the Word. May it bring comfort to you today as you deepen your faith in ‘the God who sees.’
"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. … even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. … "Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
(Psalm 139:1-4, 12, 24, NLT)
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Graceful sinners?
Perfection! I long for it, not in others, but in myself. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get it right all the time? I sin against God and others too frequently and too easily. I let doubt and fear take over my mind and grow anxious. Envy makes the grass look much greener on the other side of the fence. Anger that has nothing to do with righteousness flares into hurtful words. OK, you’re convinced; I still have a long way to go on the highway of holiness. But, that is part of what makes God’s grace such an amazing gift. Knowing that I am a work in progress, He does not demand perfection, even as He patiently disciplines me to produce the character He desires in me.
Abram heard the voice of God and was graciously blessed by Him – and still sometimes failed miserably and spectacularly! Genesis 12, which records the story of Abram’s trip to Egypt, reveals his sinfulness in a ludicrous episode. He knows that Sarah, his wife, is a beautiful woman. He assumes that Pharaoh will take an interest in having her in his harem. This man who has trusted God with his whole life suddenly gets a bad case of fear and greed which turns him into a selfish sinful idiot! He tells his wife to lie about her relationship to him. "When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” (Genesis 12:12-13, NLT) This righteous man was willing to compromise his wife’s honor and integrity to save his own skin! His scheme temporarily succeeded. Sarah was noticed, taken into the harem, and Abram got showered with wealth. But, God was not pleased and judged the household of Pharaoh. "Pharaoh called for Abram, “What’s this that you’ve done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she’s your wife? Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister’ so that I’d take her as my wife? Here’s your wife back—take her and get out!” (Genesis 12:18-19, The Message)
Abram did not escape unscathed either. The very next story in the saga of the patriarch involves the selfishness of his nephew, Lot, who became greedy and selfish, destroying the relationship with his uncle and choosing the best part of the land with no consideration for the needs of the man who had loved and saved him. Do you think that Abram’s self-serving example in Egypt just might have become a model for the younger man?
Sin always has a consequence, often unseen and unanticipated, down the road of life. We can find forgiveness in the grace of God, but the harvest of the seeds planted during our failure will come, sooner or later. God’s grace does not make Him deaf or blind, nor does it break the laws of harvest. In a warning to Christians, the Word says, "Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit." (Galatians 6:6-8, NLT)
Disciple, realize that perfection waits for the completion of our salvation, but make no excuse for sin! Peter urges us to keep growing. If we fall, and we will, we can recover with repentance and confession. And, always, we look up and forward, with a desire to grow! "We are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. … you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:13-15, 18, NLT)
_______________
Father, fill me with the Spirit.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,”
I pray as You taught, for I know all too well the power of sin.
Make me a grace-filled man today.
Teach me to leave the failures behind,
To anticipate new growth of character.
Help me to accept Your discipline which comes my way
‘for my good, that I may share Your holiness.’
Be honored in my thoughts, words, and actions
As is fitting for a graced sinner.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Abram heard the voice of God and was graciously blessed by Him – and still sometimes failed miserably and spectacularly! Genesis 12, which records the story of Abram’s trip to Egypt, reveals his sinfulness in a ludicrous episode. He knows that Sarah, his wife, is a beautiful woman. He assumes that Pharaoh will take an interest in having her in his harem. This man who has trusted God with his whole life suddenly gets a bad case of fear and greed which turns him into a selfish sinful idiot! He tells his wife to lie about her relationship to him. "When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” (Genesis 12:12-13, NLT) This righteous man was willing to compromise his wife’s honor and integrity to save his own skin! His scheme temporarily succeeded. Sarah was noticed, taken into the harem, and Abram got showered with wealth. But, God was not pleased and judged the household of Pharaoh. "Pharaoh called for Abram, “What’s this that you’ve done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she’s your wife? Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister’ so that I’d take her as my wife? Here’s your wife back—take her and get out!” (Genesis 12:18-19, The Message)
Abram did not escape unscathed either. The very next story in the saga of the patriarch involves the selfishness of his nephew, Lot, who became greedy and selfish, destroying the relationship with his uncle and choosing the best part of the land with no consideration for the needs of the man who had loved and saved him. Do you think that Abram’s self-serving example in Egypt just might have become a model for the younger man?
Sin always has a consequence, often unseen and unanticipated, down the road of life. We can find forgiveness in the grace of God, but the harvest of the seeds planted during our failure will come, sooner or later. God’s grace does not make Him deaf or blind, nor does it break the laws of harvest. In a warning to Christians, the Word says, "Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit." (Galatians 6:6-8, NLT)
Disciple, realize that perfection waits for the completion of our salvation, but make no excuse for sin! Peter urges us to keep growing. If we fall, and we will, we can recover with repentance and confession. And, always, we look up and forward, with a desire to grow! "We are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. … you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:13-15, 18, NLT)
_______________
Father, fill me with the Spirit.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,”
I pray as You taught, for I know all too well the power of sin.
Make me a grace-filled man today.
Teach me to leave the failures behind,
To anticipate new growth of character.
Help me to accept Your discipline which comes my way
‘for my good, that I may share Your holiness.’
Be honored in my thoughts, words, and actions
As is fitting for a graced sinner.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Come on now, grow up!
When I get in a silly mood it usually ends with Bev being irritated. After enduring an extended session of dumb statements and general foolishness, her face gets tense and she says, “Just grow up!” Of course, then I act like I am really offended by her demand. “What’d ah do?” I ask with eyes wide with fake innocence in my best Bill Clintonesque voice. Maturity is an important choice! Being silly is just a distraction. Really being ‘grown up’ involves wisdom to know the difference between what I need and what I want, having the ability to discern the motives of my heart and say yes to the truth, and being faithful to my responsibilities even when I just don’t feel like it.
The grace of God brings us His righteousness, puts us on the right path, and makes it possible for us to please Him. Developing the mature holy character of a saint requires effort on our part. Note the interplay of God’s grace and our efforts in this passage from the Scripture.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall." (2 Peter 1:3-10, NIV)
God’s power is actively leading us towards transformation. He has broken the grip that the sinful nature held over us. He has opened our eyes to the truth about right and wrong. These are gifts of grace we could not earn, that are ours to receive. Then He says, “Grow up!”
Make the choice that leads to good works.
Develop your mind so you can see what’s really going on around you.
Make hard choices by being ‘in charge’ of yourself.
Hang in there when the going gets rough.
Be kind even to the idiots in the world around you.
Live in love. And… keep growing deeper in these things. "The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:8, NLT) A child loves to play, is easily distracted, and demands constant supervision. A mature person knows how to get to work, stays focused, and is productive.
Disciple, has the grace of God led you to become a productive mature person who makes a noticeable difference in the world for the Kingdom of God? (Go back and re-read that question, please.) Or, are you one of those Believers who is taking advantage of ‘cheap grace,’ comforting yourself in your immaturity by focusing only on the love of God and ignoring the inevitability of accountability to Him? Few things bring more disgrace on the Lord Jesus Christ than immature, silly, stupidly living Believers who refuse to deal with their sins. They are an ongoing contradiction whose lives give an excuse for many to reject the call of the Spirit. What a tragedy!
As you focus on the love of God given to you in Christ Jesus, take His grace and grow up. Make the daily discipleship choices that allow the beauty of His holiness to shine, with ever increasing glory, from your life. Come on now, grow up, for God’s sake!
_____________________
I'm pressing on the upward way,
New heights I'm gaining every day.
Still praying as I'm onward bound.
"Lord plant my feet on higher ground!"
I want to live above the world
Though Satan's darts at me are hurled.
For faith has caught the joyful sound
The song of saints on higher ground.
I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright.
But still I'll pray 'til heaven I've found
"Lord lead me on to higher ground!"
Lord lift me up and let me stand
By faith on heaven's tableland.
A higher plain than I have found
Lord plant my feet on higher ground!
Higher Ground
© Public Domain
Charles Hutchison Gabriel
The grace of God brings us His righteousness, puts us on the right path, and makes it possible for us to please Him. Developing the mature holy character of a saint requires effort on our part. Note the interplay of God’s grace and our efforts in this passage from the Scripture.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall." (2 Peter 1:3-10, NIV)
God’s power is actively leading us towards transformation. He has broken the grip that the sinful nature held over us. He has opened our eyes to the truth about right and wrong. These are gifts of grace we could not earn, that are ours to receive. Then He says, “Grow up!”
Make the choice that leads to good works.
Develop your mind so you can see what’s really going on around you.
Make hard choices by being ‘in charge’ of yourself.
Hang in there when the going gets rough.
Be kind even to the idiots in the world around you.
Live in love. And… keep growing deeper in these things. "The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:8, NLT) A child loves to play, is easily distracted, and demands constant supervision. A mature person knows how to get to work, stays focused, and is productive.
Disciple, has the grace of God led you to become a productive mature person who makes a noticeable difference in the world for the Kingdom of God? (Go back and re-read that question, please.) Or, are you one of those Believers who is taking advantage of ‘cheap grace,’ comforting yourself in your immaturity by focusing only on the love of God and ignoring the inevitability of accountability to Him? Few things bring more disgrace on the Lord Jesus Christ than immature, silly, stupidly living Believers who refuse to deal with their sins. They are an ongoing contradiction whose lives give an excuse for many to reject the call of the Spirit. What a tragedy!
As you focus on the love of God given to you in Christ Jesus, take His grace and grow up. Make the daily discipleship choices that allow the beauty of His holiness to shine, with ever increasing glory, from your life. Come on now, grow up, for God’s sake!
_____________________
I'm pressing on the upward way,
New heights I'm gaining every day.
Still praying as I'm onward bound.
"Lord plant my feet on higher ground!"
I want to live above the world
Though Satan's darts at me are hurled.
For faith has caught the joyful sound
The song of saints on higher ground.
I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright.
But still I'll pray 'til heaven I've found
"Lord lead me on to higher ground!"
Lord lift me up and let me stand
By faith on heaven's tableland.
A higher plain than I have found
Lord plant my feet on higher ground!
Higher Ground
© Public Domain
Charles Hutchison Gabriel
Monday, January 04, 2010
Credit for what?
Usually we have to earn credits, don’t we? If we want a college degree, we have to put in the time, go to class, do the work and when we have piled up 126 credits, we are given what we’ve earned. If we want a promotion, we have to show up on time, do the work assigned us, and show initiative. Approval is usually tied to performance. Reward follows diligence. That’s how life works. We learn the drill from the time we are little children.
And then we encounter God’s amazing grace! In the first book of the Bible, we meet a man named Abram. Called from his city of Ur, he was given many promises. Did the Lord offer them to him because he was smarter, taller, or more devout than any other man in the world? No, He chose him by His own will, asking only that Abram, later renamed Abraham, have faith to receive the promise. Now ponder this wonderful revelation! "Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6, NIV) This man left everything he knew, went on a life-long journey, basing his entire life on the promise of God which he received by faith, even though there was no evidence of fulfillment of that promise for years and years!
Disciple, if you’re trying to earn God’s favor, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you think you can do enough to enjoy peace with God, if you think you can avoid sin by self-discipline alone, if you attempt to keep yourself on the right track by determination and/or gritted teeth, prepare for disappointment! Instead, trust God and accept the right standing with Him that is fully and freely offered through Jesus Christ. Grace makes the difference between religion that deals in Hell and death and relationship that produces life and hope of Heaven! The Word amplifies the call to faith found in Genesis, explaining to us that "Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe." (Romans 4:13-16, NLT)
Jesus’ gracious acceptance of social rejects and ‘sinners’ brought scorn to Him. "The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story. “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’" (Luke 15:2-6, The Message) Do you see the promise in that passage? If we’re lost (and we are!) God seeks to save us, not because we are worthy or because we did anything to attract His attention. Because of loving grace, He goes to find us and bring us home! Our only part is to surrender to His embrace.
True grace is deeply transformative. Sinners who had dinner with Jesus were changed from the inside out. So, too, we are transformed by grace. When we experience the incredible, scandalous love of God, it causes us to change course, with a new vision drawing us higher. If we respond to God’s invitation with faith, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. "When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him." (Ephesians 1:13-14, NLT)
At the beginning of 2010, renew your faith; not in yourself, not in a religious system, but in the Person of Christ Jesus. Receive His grace anew! "God saved you by his grace 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 we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NLT) Now, that is grace that is amazing.
_______________
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss.
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty Cross.
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Johnston, Julia H. / Towner, Daniel Brink
© Public Domain
And then we encounter God’s amazing grace! In the first book of the Bible, we meet a man named Abram. Called from his city of Ur, he was given many promises. Did the Lord offer them to him because he was smarter, taller, or more devout than any other man in the world? No, He chose him by His own will, asking only that Abram, later renamed Abraham, have faith to receive the promise. Now ponder this wonderful revelation! "Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6, NIV) This man left everything he knew, went on a life-long journey, basing his entire life on the promise of God which he received by faith, even though there was no evidence of fulfillment of that promise for years and years!
Disciple, if you’re trying to earn God’s favor, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you think you can do enough to enjoy peace with God, if you think you can avoid sin by self-discipline alone, if you attempt to keep yourself on the right track by determination and/or gritted teeth, prepare for disappointment! Instead, trust God and accept the right standing with Him that is fully and freely offered through Jesus Christ. Grace makes the difference between religion that deals in Hell and death and relationship that produces life and hope of Heaven! The Word amplifies the call to faith found in Genesis, explaining to us that "Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe." (Romans 4:13-16, NLT)
Jesus’ gracious acceptance of social rejects and ‘sinners’ brought scorn to Him. "The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story. “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’" (Luke 15:2-6, The Message) Do you see the promise in that passage? If we’re lost (and we are!) God seeks to save us, not because we are worthy or because we did anything to attract His attention. Because of loving grace, He goes to find us and bring us home! Our only part is to surrender to His embrace.
True grace is deeply transformative. Sinners who had dinner with Jesus were changed from the inside out. So, too, we are transformed by grace. When we experience the incredible, scandalous love of God, it causes us to change course, with a new vision drawing us higher. If we respond to God’s invitation with faith, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. "When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him." (Ephesians 1:13-14, NLT)
At the beginning of 2010, renew your faith; not in yourself, not in a religious system, but in the Person of Christ Jesus. Receive His grace anew! "God saved you by his grace 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 we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NLT) Now, that is grace that is amazing.
_______________
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss.
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty Cross.
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Johnston, Julia H. / Towner, Daniel Brink
© Public Domain
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
A wonderfully privileged life!
Last week I prayed about my kids finding a parking place at the long-term lot at the airport since they are often full to overflowing during the holiday travel rush. This morning I prayed for several people who are going through tough times in their marriages. I prayed for wisdom to lead the church that God has entrusted to my pastoral care. I prayed praise-filled prayers about the myriad joys of my life. Sometimes I pray while playing the piano and singing ‘made up’ songs to God. Sometimes I pray in the Spirit as I drive to share the goodness of the Lord with someone in sad circumstances.
Here’s the thing some might find strange; I seldom pray by getting down on my knees, clasping my hands, and turning my head towards the sky in prayer! I never put together long monologues addressed to the “One who filleth our lives with blessed beneficence, Whose Majesty we implore to rest mightily upon us.” I don’t agonize about finding the right words, posture, or time. I just talk with One Who loves me! I pray about most everything, just about all the time.
Our Father invites us to a continual conversation with Him. My adult kids were around for a few days and just listening to their discussions brought me such joy. Hearing them talk about their lives, their dreams, their disappointments, their successes and having the occasion opportunity to offer some advice made me happy. When they were in my care, they took my love for them and the fact that I would protect them and provide for them for granted, rightly so. They did not need to plead, bargain, or manipulate – though they sometimes did! They just had to demonstrate a real need and it was met!
In His sermon that is recorded in Matthew, Jesus spoke much of prayer. He did not create formulas that ‘guarantee results’ as I’ve heard some preachers do. He did not teach a method to ‘get what you want from God.’ He urged a lifestyle that included real relationship with the Father that sets us up to enjoy constant communication (prayer!) with Dad. He specifically warned about making prayer into a show. “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?" (Matthew 6:5, The Message) He warned about turning prayer into a rote recitation or empty ritual. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again." (Matthew 6:7, NLT) He also connected our relationship with people with our ability to speak to God. If we are hateful or unforgiving, we sever the connection that lets us pray from our hearts. Two times in those short chapters he tells of the importance of letting go of the offenses of others which frees us to approach God without the weight of hate!
In words that are misunderstood too literally as a legal contract, He taught us to expect God to answer in the same way a beloved child expects the care of a parent. "For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." (Matthew 7:8-11, NLT) He doesn’t promise that we get everything we want. That would be a disaster, given our short-sightedness, selfishness, and frequently foolish prayers! He invites us to be aligned with our Heavenly Dad’s heart, to ask freely and accept faithfully all that He provides.
Do I understand everything about prayer? No, and that is as it should be. God is God, I am not. He is infinite, I am not. He is all-wise, I am not. He asks only that I stay in right relationship with Him by being obedient to His Word and Spirit. He asks for a profound faith that trusts Him without question.
As we begin a New Year, my desire is that we learn to pray better prayers – not longer, not more eloquent, but truer to our heart, and consistent with what is happening in our lives. I hope that we will really converse with the Lord – crying with Him when our hearts are broken, pouring out our praise to Him when life is working for us, presenting our needs and requests to Him at His invitation, and most of all; resting in His promise to love us through it all!
"I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. (Ephesians 1:16-19, NLT)
"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21, NLT)
Here’s the thing some might find strange; I seldom pray by getting down on my knees, clasping my hands, and turning my head towards the sky in prayer! I never put together long monologues addressed to the “One who filleth our lives with blessed beneficence, Whose Majesty we implore to rest mightily upon us.” I don’t agonize about finding the right words, posture, or time. I just talk with One Who loves me! I pray about most everything, just about all the time.
Our Father invites us to a continual conversation with Him. My adult kids were around for a few days and just listening to their discussions brought me such joy. Hearing them talk about their lives, their dreams, their disappointments, their successes and having the occasion opportunity to offer some advice made me happy. When they were in my care, they took my love for them and the fact that I would protect them and provide for them for granted, rightly so. They did not need to plead, bargain, or manipulate – though they sometimes did! They just had to demonstrate a real need and it was met!
In His sermon that is recorded in Matthew, Jesus spoke much of prayer. He did not create formulas that ‘guarantee results’ as I’ve heard some preachers do. He did not teach a method to ‘get what you want from God.’ He urged a lifestyle that included real relationship with the Father that sets us up to enjoy constant communication (prayer!) with Dad. He specifically warned about making prayer into a show. “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?" (Matthew 6:5, The Message) He warned about turning prayer into a rote recitation or empty ritual. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again." (Matthew 6:7, NLT) He also connected our relationship with people with our ability to speak to God. If we are hateful or unforgiving, we sever the connection that lets us pray from our hearts. Two times in those short chapters he tells of the importance of letting go of the offenses of others which frees us to approach God without the weight of hate!
In words that are misunderstood too literally as a legal contract, He taught us to expect God to answer in the same way a beloved child expects the care of a parent. "For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." (Matthew 7:8-11, NLT) He doesn’t promise that we get everything we want. That would be a disaster, given our short-sightedness, selfishness, and frequently foolish prayers! He invites us to be aligned with our Heavenly Dad’s heart, to ask freely and accept faithfully all that He provides.
Do I understand everything about prayer? No, and that is as it should be. God is God, I am not. He is infinite, I am not. He is all-wise, I am not. He asks only that I stay in right relationship with Him by being obedient to His Word and Spirit. He asks for a profound faith that trusts Him without question.
As we begin a New Year, my desire is that we learn to pray better prayers – not longer, not more eloquent, but truer to our heart, and consistent with what is happening in our lives. I hope that we will really converse with the Lord – crying with Him when our hearts are broken, pouring out our praise to Him when life is working for us, presenting our needs and requests to Him at His invitation, and most of all; resting in His promise to love us through it all!
"I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. (Ephesians 1:16-19, NLT)
"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21, NLT)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
May you be greatly disturbed!
Following the lead of angels who announced the birth of Jesus with well-known words about “peace to men on whom God’s favor rests,” there will be many Christmas messages built around the theme. The preachers proclaim, “Peace with God.” Singers laud “Peace on Earth.” I am grateful, deeply so, that Christ brought us reconciliation with our Father. But, His birth also caused consternation! When the Magi showed up at the royal palace asking about a new-born King, Matthew tells us that "King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem." (Matthew 2:3, NLT)
The most natural thing in the world for us humans is to settle into ruts of routine that keep us snug our comfortable cubbies of complacency. The troubles of the world are shut out, needs ignored, responsibility shunted aside. And this, we call ‘peace.’ Like Herod of old, preserving our position can become our paramount priority. This is not the ‘peace’ that Jesus left Heaven to bring to you and me! He did not come to help us be indulged, self-satisfied, or smug. He came to make peace with God, to call us back to our Father and into His mission of the restoration of all Creation.
Yesterday I knocked on the door of a motel room where a young woman, a single mother of two toddlers, has been housed by the local welfare office. She called the church to tell us that she had no gifts for her little ones. Thankful for the generosity of our congregation that provides resources for such situations, I took some things to her including a small Christmas tree, hoping to make the holiday a bit brighter for her. Her face was full of gratitude when I handed the gifts and money to her. Her little girl giggled and offered her little hand to me for a high-five of thanks. But, it wasn’t a Hallmark moment. It was disturbing! As much as I was glad to provide a moment of joy for that little family, she became the symbol of all things broken in this world for me. Driving away, I wept, knowing that her real need is much greater than a few bucks for the holidays. She needs to be loved and helped to find a way out of the cycle of poverty, physical and spiritual, that has become her life. I am greatly disturbed by the brokenness of the world around me!
When shocked out of complacency by some epiphany of human suffering, the knee-jerk reaction of many is simply to throw money at the need and then to go home and to try to forget about it. “I can’t think about it. It’s just so sad. But, what can I do? I’m just one person.” God disturb us!
Keep the living hell of little girls who are sex slaves to men enslaved by their lusts before us.
Keep the hopelessness of those trapped in our inner cities, in endless cycles of bad choices in our minds. Keep the fear of those dying without hope, without knowing God’s promise of eternal life in our consciousness. LORD, DISTURB US in our palaces!
No real change comes to the lives of those most in need unless we get involved, surrender ourselves, share our homes and lives, and let the messes that the unloved and unlovely bring with them into our hearts. We cannot allow ourselves to think that we can turn sinners into saints by singing them a sweet song of salvation. We must be like Jesus. The Bible tells us that "He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." (Philippians 2:6-8, The Message) That is disturbing!
Disciple, you will not experience the deep peace of God until you are fully aligned with the purposes of God. No amount of festive celebration can replace the high call of love which we hear when we receive the love of the Savior. He reconciles us to our Father and "he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19, NIV) The words of Jim Elliott, a young intelligent man with a promising future, who died a martyr in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956, are my message to you this Christmas.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Read all of the words in this carol. Full of promise, their fulfillment will be disturbing. Merry Christmas!
__________________
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Christ, by highest heav'n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail, the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Come, Desire of nations, come!
Fix in us Thy humble home.
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head;
Adam's likeness now efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Wesley, Charles / Mendelssohn, Felix
© Public Domain
The most natural thing in the world for us humans is to settle into ruts of routine that keep us snug our comfortable cubbies of complacency. The troubles of the world are shut out, needs ignored, responsibility shunted aside. And this, we call ‘peace.’ Like Herod of old, preserving our position can become our paramount priority. This is not the ‘peace’ that Jesus left Heaven to bring to you and me! He did not come to help us be indulged, self-satisfied, or smug. He came to make peace with God, to call us back to our Father and into His mission of the restoration of all Creation.
Yesterday I knocked on the door of a motel room where a young woman, a single mother of two toddlers, has been housed by the local welfare office. She called the church to tell us that she had no gifts for her little ones. Thankful for the generosity of our congregation that provides resources for such situations, I took some things to her including a small Christmas tree, hoping to make the holiday a bit brighter for her. Her face was full of gratitude when I handed the gifts and money to her. Her little girl giggled and offered her little hand to me for a high-five of thanks. But, it wasn’t a Hallmark moment. It was disturbing! As much as I was glad to provide a moment of joy for that little family, she became the symbol of all things broken in this world for me. Driving away, I wept, knowing that her real need is much greater than a few bucks for the holidays. She needs to be loved and helped to find a way out of the cycle of poverty, physical and spiritual, that has become her life. I am greatly disturbed by the brokenness of the world around me!
When shocked out of complacency by some epiphany of human suffering, the knee-jerk reaction of many is simply to throw money at the need and then to go home and to try to forget about it. “I can’t think about it. It’s just so sad. But, what can I do? I’m just one person.” God disturb us!
Keep the living hell of little girls who are sex slaves to men enslaved by their lusts before us.
Keep the hopelessness of those trapped in our inner cities, in endless cycles of bad choices in our minds. Keep the fear of those dying without hope, without knowing God’s promise of eternal life in our consciousness. LORD, DISTURB US in our palaces!
No real change comes to the lives of those most in need unless we get involved, surrender ourselves, share our homes and lives, and let the messes that the unloved and unlovely bring with them into our hearts. We cannot allow ourselves to think that we can turn sinners into saints by singing them a sweet song of salvation. We must be like Jesus. The Bible tells us that "He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." (Philippians 2:6-8, The Message) That is disturbing!
Disciple, you will not experience the deep peace of God until you are fully aligned with the purposes of God. No amount of festive celebration can replace the high call of love which we hear when we receive the love of the Savior. He reconciles us to our Father and "he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19, NIV) The words of Jim Elliott, a young intelligent man with a promising future, who died a martyr in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956, are my message to you this Christmas.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Read all of the words in this carol. Full of promise, their fulfillment will be disturbing. Merry Christmas!
__________________
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Christ, by highest heav'n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail, the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Come, Desire of nations, come!
Fix in us Thy humble home.
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head;
Adam's likeness now efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Wesley, Charles / Mendelssohn, Felix
© Public Domain
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Lord, what will I do?
I was awake for a couple of hours early this morning thinking and praying about a tough decision that is confronting me. It’s time to decide! There’s no easy or right answer for this situation as both options carry both reward and risk. Choices confront us every day. How we make them reveals much about our character, commitment, and core values! The easy ones, for me anyway, are those that are clearly black and white issues, the right and wrong ones starkly defined. Millions of people find an excuse for choosing the wrong one anyway. The choices much more difficult to make are the ones involving equally good outcomes. For example, a person with a good job that adequately meets his needs is offered a new position requiring relocation but with a promise of greater responsibility in the future. Does he stay where he’s happy or make the choice for growth?
Jesus spoke of choices and reminds us that the choice that offers Self the most comfort is also the choice for death. "The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:13-14, NLT) Depravity and sin see to it that default settings of this world lead to destruction. If you slip and slide through life, letting decisions be made for you by others or refusing to challenge your impulses, you will not succeed in building a life pleasing to God or that blesses others. That’s a certainty! Right choices usually go against the flow requiring that we resist temptation.
The Bible says, "If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way." (James 4:4, The Message) As we choose, we need to be honest about our true motives. Recently, as I sought the counsel of a trusted friend, I explained the options in front of me. Then, I told him, “Here is a complicating factor that is part of the background. I know I’m emotionally attracted to this idea.” Why did I reveal something that seemingly was unrelated to the decision of the moment? Because I don’t trust myself! I need to be transparent, to give others permission to point out flawed motives that could corrupt my decision making process. Over the course of my pastoral ministry, I have heard people rationalize thousands of wrong and/or sinful choices because they refused to admit that they were flirting with the world or just being selfish! The worst excuse? “God told me I could…” Don’t misuse His Name in this way!
Though we are ultimately responsible to God for our own choices, the truly wise person makes his decisions as he considers the advice of others. Proverbs promises that "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established." (Proverbs 15:22, NKJV) Even then, there is a choice! What kind of counsel will we seek? Will we look for those we know will agree with us, or will we look for those known for honest, tough counsel? The Word lauds good counsel. "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." (Psalm 1:1-3, NLT)
As we near the end of 2009, there are choices to be made. Choose rightly and wisely. As I thought about my choice today, I was reminded of two promises Jesus made to us. As you meditate on them, give thanks and invite the Lord of life to lead you to the right way.
First is the promise of the Holy Spirit Who lives in us! "When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (John 16:13, NIV)
Second is the promise of fellowship with Christ Himself! "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20, NIV)
____________
Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy pow'rful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.
Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my strength and shield;
Be Thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Bear me thro' the swelling current,
Land me safe on Canaan's side.
Songs and praises, songs and praises,
I will ever give to Thee;
I will ever give to Thee.
Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
Williams, William / Fosdick, Harry E. / Hughes, John / William, Peter
© Public Domain
Jesus spoke of choices and reminds us that the choice that offers Self the most comfort is also the choice for death. "The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:13-14, NLT) Depravity and sin see to it that default settings of this world lead to destruction. If you slip and slide through life, letting decisions be made for you by others or refusing to challenge your impulses, you will not succeed in building a life pleasing to God or that blesses others. That’s a certainty! Right choices usually go against the flow requiring that we resist temptation.
The Bible says, "If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way." (James 4:4, The Message) As we choose, we need to be honest about our true motives. Recently, as I sought the counsel of a trusted friend, I explained the options in front of me. Then, I told him, “Here is a complicating factor that is part of the background. I know I’m emotionally attracted to this idea.” Why did I reveal something that seemingly was unrelated to the decision of the moment? Because I don’t trust myself! I need to be transparent, to give others permission to point out flawed motives that could corrupt my decision making process. Over the course of my pastoral ministry, I have heard people rationalize thousands of wrong and/or sinful choices because they refused to admit that they were flirting with the world or just being selfish! The worst excuse? “God told me I could…” Don’t misuse His Name in this way!
Though we are ultimately responsible to God for our own choices, the truly wise person makes his decisions as he considers the advice of others. Proverbs promises that "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established." (Proverbs 15:22, NKJV) Even then, there is a choice! What kind of counsel will we seek? Will we look for those we know will agree with us, or will we look for those known for honest, tough counsel? The Word lauds good counsel. "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." (Psalm 1:1-3, NLT)
As we near the end of 2009, there are choices to be made. Choose rightly and wisely. As I thought about my choice today, I was reminded of two promises Jesus made to us. As you meditate on them, give thanks and invite the Lord of life to lead you to the right way.
First is the promise of the Holy Spirit Who lives in us! "When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (John 16:13, NIV)
Second is the promise of fellowship with Christ Himself! "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20, NIV)
____________
Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy pow'rful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.
Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my strength and shield;
Be Thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Bear me thro' the swelling current,
Land me safe on Canaan's side.
Songs and praises, songs and praises,
I will ever give to Thee;
I will ever give to Thee.
Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
Williams, William / Fosdick, Harry E. / Hughes, John / William, Peter
© Public Domain
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Life at the beach
Many years ago, I was at the Jersey shore, enjoying a day at the ocean. I was 11 or 12 years of age and carefree as kids are. Playing in water that was about waist deep, I suddenly found myself in the grip of a hidden force that pulled me off my feet. Frantically, I watched the safety of the sandy beach grow further away. Coughing and choking, it seemed like I would drown until the father of the family I was with appeared next to me and told me to hang onto him. 20 seconds of sheer terror is how I remember that day. Later I learned it was called a ‘riptide.’ It’s like a river in the ocean that causes a strong, narrow current that flows directly away from the shoreline. Most ocean drowning deaths are caused by rip currents, hidden and very dangerous.
We all get caught in rip currents that drag us into deep water from time to time, don’t we? A phone call announces a crisis, the boss hands us a lay-off notice, a child becomes ill, war breaks out, the economy fails, emotions go haywire, faith disappears into the fog of doubt – that list goes on and on! People ‘die’ in those kinds of situations; perhaps not physically, but some just give up hope and become the living dead. Some decide to hid in a some substance that lets them escape, if only for a few hours at a time. Some make self-destructive choices, losing integrity in the process.
Rip currents are one of the reasons why I am so thankful for the Church, the Body of Christ! IF she is functioning as she is designed, a lifeguard will appear offering the one in the rip current a rescue, pulling him to safety, or at least helping him stay afloat until the current gives out. Disciple, that is why you need to be networked into a local church, building and protecting strong ties to others who will see your distress and come alongside of you with more than platitudes or condemnation. An authentic church is not a place where neatly dressed people with beautifully ordered lives show up for a couple of hours a week to boast about their accomplishments or to sneer at people whose lives are ‘such a mess.’ It’s a place where real people celebrate God’s goodness and hang onto each other for dear life. It’s a ‘family’ where hurting people are re-connected to the healing Presence of the Spirit. It’s a spiritual hospital where sinful people find a Savior who restores them to the wholeness that God created them to enjoy.
Have we forgotten what the announcement of Jesus’ birth was about? It was not about a coronation! "An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, NIV)
If you’re enjoying a sunny day at the beach in your life right now (figuratively speaking), give thanks! If you’re caught in a rip current that is dragging you down, YELL- to God, to a trusted disciple. A simple prayer will suffice – “Lord, help me!” There’s hope in Him. The teenage girl who became the mother of Jesus, found her life turned upside by a divine visitation that seemed more like a riptide than a blessing, at first. Tucked into the story of her encounter is a phrase I want to leave with you today. "Mary said to the angel, “But how? … His reply, “Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:34, 37, The Message)
Hang on to hope today! A Savior has been born. He is Christ, the Lord!
_______________
Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus lover of my soul!
Friends may fail me, foes assail me;
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
Tempted tried and sometimes failing,
He, my strength my victory wins.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! I do now receive Him;
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness;
I am His and He is mine.
Our Great Savior
Chapman, J. Wilbur / Prichard, Rowland H.
© Public Domain
We all get caught in rip currents that drag us into deep water from time to time, don’t we? A phone call announces a crisis, the boss hands us a lay-off notice, a child becomes ill, war breaks out, the economy fails, emotions go haywire, faith disappears into the fog of doubt – that list goes on and on! People ‘die’ in those kinds of situations; perhaps not physically, but some just give up hope and become the living dead. Some decide to hid in a some substance that lets them escape, if only for a few hours at a time. Some make self-destructive choices, losing integrity in the process.
Rip currents are one of the reasons why I am so thankful for the Church, the Body of Christ! IF she is functioning as she is designed, a lifeguard will appear offering the one in the rip current a rescue, pulling him to safety, or at least helping him stay afloat until the current gives out. Disciple, that is why you need to be networked into a local church, building and protecting strong ties to others who will see your distress and come alongside of you with more than platitudes or condemnation. An authentic church is not a place where neatly dressed people with beautifully ordered lives show up for a couple of hours a week to boast about their accomplishments or to sneer at people whose lives are ‘such a mess.’ It’s a place where real people celebrate God’s goodness and hang onto each other for dear life. It’s a ‘family’ where hurting people are re-connected to the healing Presence of the Spirit. It’s a spiritual hospital where sinful people find a Savior who restores them to the wholeness that God created them to enjoy.
Have we forgotten what the announcement of Jesus’ birth was about? It was not about a coronation! "An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, NIV)
If you’re enjoying a sunny day at the beach in your life right now (figuratively speaking), give thanks! If you’re caught in a rip current that is dragging you down, YELL- to God, to a trusted disciple. A simple prayer will suffice – “Lord, help me!” There’s hope in Him. The teenage girl who became the mother of Jesus, found her life turned upside by a divine visitation that seemed more like a riptide than a blessing, at first. Tucked into the story of her encounter is a phrase I want to leave with you today. "Mary said to the angel, “But how? … His reply, “Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:34, 37, The Message)
Hang on to hope today! A Savior has been born. He is Christ, the Lord!
_______________
Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus lover of my soul!
Friends may fail me, foes assail me;
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
Tempted tried and sometimes failing,
He, my strength my victory wins.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! I do now receive Him;
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness;
I am His and He is mine.
Our Great Savior
Chapman, J. Wilbur / Prichard, Rowland H.
© Public Domain
Monday, December 21, 2009
Going “Primal”
The word means ‘of first importance, original.’ In a book simply titled Primal, (Multnomah, 2009) Mark Batterson leads his readers to reconsider the basics of being a disciple of Christ. On page 2, we learn about his tour of the Church of San Clemente in Rome, where he descends below the existing church to the catacombs that lay beneath several layers of civilizations. There Christians worshipped during Roman persecutions. “I was overcome by the fact that I was standing in a place where my spiritual ancestors risked everything, even their lives, to worship God. … I couldn’t help but wonder if we have diluted the truths of Christianity and settled for superficialities.”
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30, NIV) The author breaks down his call to basic faith by using that primal call of Jesus. We can load up our walk of faith with bells and whistles of our preferences, add our trinkets of religious traditions, but if we are serious disciples nothing replaces loving God first and others second. Batterson reminded me, with his stories, that love is an action verb, engaged with the real world where each one of us live. He reminds me that “God loves the smell of your sweat. Your sweat is sacred incense God loves it when we break a sweat serving His purposes.”
I urge you to think long and hard about what you’re pouring yourself into, to whom you’re giving the rapidly disappearing days of your life. If the foundation from which you build is solid, the structure will be too. If you want a book to help you start 2010 with some fresh thoughts about getting back to basics, Primal, would be good choice. Buy it at: http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Quest-Lost-Soul-Christianity/dp/1601421311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261396677&sr=1-1
Mark Batterson is the lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife and three children.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30, NIV) The author breaks down his call to basic faith by using that primal call of Jesus. We can load up our walk of faith with bells and whistles of our preferences, add our trinkets of religious traditions, but if we are serious disciples nothing replaces loving God first and others second. Batterson reminded me, with his stories, that love is an action verb, engaged with the real world where each one of us live. He reminds me that “God loves the smell of your sweat. Your sweat is sacred incense God loves it when we break a sweat serving His purposes.”
I urge you to think long and hard about what you’re pouring yourself into, to whom you’re giving the rapidly disappearing days of your life. If the foundation from which you build is solid, the structure will be too. If you want a book to help you start 2010 with some fresh thoughts about getting back to basics, Primal, would be good choice. Buy it at: http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Quest-Lost-Soul-Christianity/dp/1601421311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261396677&sr=1-1
Mark Batterson is the lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife and three children.
Friday, December 18, 2009
You can do it!
Some days I wake up thinking, “can I do this another day?” I think most of us do. We tire of the constant struggle to make life work, to overcome sin, to get relationships right, to do our job well, to steer our kids away from delinquency, to …. Well, I think you’re getting my drift. We live against the flow, resisting the tendency to decay that is part of this world. It’s everywhere! Our houses don’t clean themselves. Our cars require constant maintenance. Keeping our marriage healthy demands our daily attention. Even our spiritual life goes cold as a cup of coffee left on the countertop without continual refreshing in worship and wonder!
Sound like a lot of work? It is!
A life of peace, beauty, and holiness does not just happen. We must do spiritual disciplines, resist the Devil’s work, and return often to God. And we know this: we are not in the struggle all by ourselves. The Spirit of God is our Ally, our Source, our Strength! At the end of Romans 11 and into chapter 12, the Word exults about God’s work. Take a look at the passage from The Message –
"Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice?
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:
Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (Romans 11:33-12:2)
There is no reason for sin to run rampant in our lives any longer. The depravity that once held us captive has been replaced with a new nature, one alive to the will of God, one that rejoices in truth and love. Feed that nature today with worship, with the Word, with cultivated awareness of the Spirit's Presence. And may the beauty of Jesus been seen in you!
Dear Father, please "let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wonderful passion and purity; O, Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, 'til the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
In the name of my Savior I pray. Amen. (from the song by Albert W.T. Orsbom)
Sound like a lot of work? It is!
A life of peace, beauty, and holiness does not just happen. We must do spiritual disciplines, resist the Devil’s work, and return often to God. And we know this: we are not in the struggle all by ourselves. The Spirit of God is our Ally, our Source, our Strength! At the end of Romans 11 and into chapter 12, the Word exults about God’s work. Take a look at the passage from The Message –
"Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice?
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:
Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (Romans 11:33-12:2)
There is no reason for sin to run rampant in our lives any longer. The depravity that once held us captive has been replaced with a new nature, one alive to the will of God, one that rejoices in truth and love. Feed that nature today with worship, with the Word, with cultivated awareness of the Spirit's Presence. And may the beauty of Jesus been seen in you!
Dear Father, please "let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wonderful passion and purity; O, Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, 'til the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
In the name of my Savior I pray. Amen. (from the song by Albert W.T. Orsbom)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
An Enormous Red Dragon
Somebody hates you! Isn’t that a warm, fuzzy thought? It isn’t and yet, it’s true! In the 12th chapter of the Revelation, John uses ‘sign language’ to tell his readers about God’s plan to save His Creation from an evil one who is determined to oppose and destroy all that is good and godly. Many refuse to take John’s vision seriously, dismissing the story as a superstitious tale of a man steeped in the myths of his time. I don’t. John’s words help me to understand the way the world works and to see what’s really going on in the invisible realm that is as real as the one I perceive with my five senses.
John saw an ‘enormous red dragon’ (a picture language symbol) who was poised to destroy the Messiah at his birth, who rebelled against the order of Heaven and was defeated by Michael, the archangel, who was kicked out of the Presence of God, and who now has "had a great fall; He’s wild and raging with anger; he hasn’t much time and he knows it." (Revelation 12:12, The Message) Evil has a name and a personality! "This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels." (Revelation 12:9, NLT)
If you think that all the suffering in this world results just from ignorance or human pride, think again. Evil is an organized conspiracy, orchestrated by the Devil, who works through the demon spirits, whose ultimate goal is death and destruction. The Hitlers, Pol Pots, wife-beating husbands, and rebellious teens who hate their parents share a common inspiration – the Devil! When Tiger Woods cheated on his wife, he wasn’t just led astray by an excess of testosterone; he was deceived by lying spirits whose cackles are now heard as his life is in ashes. If we fail to understand this, we risk fighting the wrong battles, trying to solve problems by focusing only on symptoms rather than the real disease. As important as education, eradication of poverty, and behavior modification are in making the world a better place in which to live; they can only accomplish so much. Only Christ Jesus can set us free from slavery to Satan and depravity. Only the Holy Spirit can transform our minds and hearts so that we are able to live whole and holy lives.
While I do not fear Satan or his demons, I have great respect for their power, and so should you. I know that I am safe only because of the sacrifice of Christ that erases my sinfulness and lets the Spirit of God live in me. John says of Believers, "they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony." (Revelation 12:11, NLT) He alludes to the Exodus story, where the Israeli people who obediently responded in faith by putting the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts escaped the death angel’s judgment. We receive Christ, by faith, and His sacrifice covers us.
Even then, we face the attacks of evil that comes at us through ‘the world, the flesh, and the Devil.’ But, we have a promise of victory! Though we walk in a world ‘with devils filled,’ that ‘threatens to undo us, we will not fear for God has willed His truth to triumph through us.’ (Martin Luther) Here’s a word from the Word. Meditate on it. Let the Truth give you insight into your own behavior and that of those who are around you, then pray to be holy and to be part of the Divine Conspiracy to save Creation!
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
(1 John 4:4-8, NIV)
_______________
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Come, Desire of nations, come!
Fix in us Thy humble home.
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head;
Adam's likeness now efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Wesley, Charles © Public Domain
John saw an ‘enormous red dragon’ (a picture language symbol) who was poised to destroy the Messiah at his birth, who rebelled against the order of Heaven and was defeated by Michael, the archangel, who was kicked out of the Presence of God, and who now has "had a great fall; He’s wild and raging with anger; he hasn’t much time and he knows it." (Revelation 12:12, The Message) Evil has a name and a personality! "This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels." (Revelation 12:9, NLT)
If you think that all the suffering in this world results just from ignorance or human pride, think again. Evil is an organized conspiracy, orchestrated by the Devil, who works through the demon spirits, whose ultimate goal is death and destruction. The Hitlers, Pol Pots, wife-beating husbands, and rebellious teens who hate their parents share a common inspiration – the Devil! When Tiger Woods cheated on his wife, he wasn’t just led astray by an excess of testosterone; he was deceived by lying spirits whose cackles are now heard as his life is in ashes. If we fail to understand this, we risk fighting the wrong battles, trying to solve problems by focusing only on symptoms rather than the real disease. As important as education, eradication of poverty, and behavior modification are in making the world a better place in which to live; they can only accomplish so much. Only Christ Jesus can set us free from slavery to Satan and depravity. Only the Holy Spirit can transform our minds and hearts so that we are able to live whole and holy lives.
While I do not fear Satan or his demons, I have great respect for their power, and so should you. I know that I am safe only because of the sacrifice of Christ that erases my sinfulness and lets the Spirit of God live in me. John says of Believers, "they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony." (Revelation 12:11, NLT) He alludes to the Exodus story, where the Israeli people who obediently responded in faith by putting the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts escaped the death angel’s judgment. We receive Christ, by faith, and His sacrifice covers us.
Even then, we face the attacks of evil that comes at us through ‘the world, the flesh, and the Devil.’ But, we have a promise of victory! Though we walk in a world ‘with devils filled,’ that ‘threatens to undo us, we will not fear for God has willed His truth to triumph through us.’ (Martin Luther) Here’s a word from the Word. Meditate on it. Let the Truth give you insight into your own behavior and that of those who are around you, then pray to be holy and to be part of the Divine Conspiracy to save Creation!
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
(1 John 4:4-8, NIV)
_______________
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Come, Desire of nations, come!
Fix in us Thy humble home.
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head;
Adam's likeness now efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Wesley, Charles © Public Domain
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Who's Leading You?
Before he entered vocational ministry at the age of 30, my father had a livestock company. Each summer, he traveled to Wyoming to buy lambs for resale to East coast markets. When I was about 6 years old, he took me with him to Wyoming, to a remote area, where we visited shepherds tending huge flocks of sheep! Yes, it's true. There in the mountains near Buffalo, WY, were men who lived alone in little houses on wheels, caring for their sheep 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They were Basque immigrants, from an ancient culture in the Pyrenees Mountains on the border of Spain and France. Their people had a long tradition of being outstanding shepherds. These men, helped only by their amazing dogs, made certain that the sheep in their care were kept safe and provided with pasture. Their constant presence caused those sheep to respond even to their voice! I watched as a single shepherd called his flock, sent his dog to round up stragglers, and moved hundreds of sheep from place to place in open range. It is an amazing memory still vivid in my mind a half century later!
Perhaps you do not know that sheep if left alone on the open range without a shepherd will come to a terrible end! Predators will kill them off, one by one. They will stay in one area, over-grazing the land, until they have exhausted their food supply. Only a well-shepherded flock thrives. People are much like those sheep. We need to be led! Without care, we die. Even if we have all we need right now, without guidance we will get stuck and fail to move ahead in life. Jesus saw the need of the people that he lived with observed, "they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36, NIV) Perhaps that is how you feel today.
Our world is full of people who would ‘shepherd’ us. They call to us, inviting us to follow them.
There are dictators that demand much of us, but return nothing, wanting only to selfishly take from us.
There are deceivers that want to mislead us into destruction, their plans shaped by twisted purposes of evil.
There are those who just yell at us, issuing a confusing lot of directions, noises that leaves us in a whirl of confusion if we try to follow them.
And, there is One Voice that invites us to - "Come, follow me. ... I am the Good Shepherd."
Jesus says, "I am the Gate for the sheep. ... Anyone who goes through me will be cared for-will freely go in and out, and find pasture. ... I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary." (John 10:7-11, The Message) Go back and read that passage again.
"Come, follow me." Will you take Jesus up on His invitation? It's an invitation to adventure, to life that is purposeful and meaningful, and - best of all - to a relationship! He promises that if we follow Him, He will never leave us. He does not promise that we will never be attacked by wolves, go through violent storms, or experience difficult days! But, He promises we won't face those challenges alone. "I'll be there," He says, "caring for you."
Follow the Good Shepherd. Serve Him. Worship Him. Listen to Him. And, you will 'have real and eternal life, more and better life than you ever dreamed.' That's the truth.
Here’s a familiar word from the Word. Don’t rush through it! Savor the promise.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23, NIV)
_____________________
Savior, like a Shepherd lead us;
Much we need Thy tender care.
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us;
For our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us; Thine we are.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
We are Thine; do Thou befriend us;
Be the Guardian of our way.
Keep Thy flock; from sin defend us;
Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear thy children when they pray;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear Thy children when they pray.
Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us
Thrupp, Dorothy A. / Bradbury, William B.
© Public Domain
Perhaps you do not know that sheep if left alone on the open range without a shepherd will come to a terrible end! Predators will kill them off, one by one. They will stay in one area, over-grazing the land, until they have exhausted their food supply. Only a well-shepherded flock thrives. People are much like those sheep. We need to be led! Without care, we die. Even if we have all we need right now, without guidance we will get stuck and fail to move ahead in life. Jesus saw the need of the people that he lived with observed, "they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36, NIV) Perhaps that is how you feel today.
Our world is full of people who would ‘shepherd’ us. They call to us, inviting us to follow them.
There are dictators that demand much of us, but return nothing, wanting only to selfishly take from us.
There are deceivers that want to mislead us into destruction, their plans shaped by twisted purposes of evil.
There are those who just yell at us, issuing a confusing lot of directions, noises that leaves us in a whirl of confusion if we try to follow them.
And, there is One Voice that invites us to - "Come, follow me. ... I am the Good Shepherd."
Jesus says, "I am the Gate for the sheep. ... Anyone who goes through me will be cared for-will freely go in and out, and find pasture. ... I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary." (John 10:7-11, The Message) Go back and read that passage again.
"Come, follow me." Will you take Jesus up on His invitation? It's an invitation to adventure, to life that is purposeful and meaningful, and - best of all - to a relationship! He promises that if we follow Him, He will never leave us. He does not promise that we will never be attacked by wolves, go through violent storms, or experience difficult days! But, He promises we won't face those challenges alone. "I'll be there," He says, "caring for you."
Follow the Good Shepherd. Serve Him. Worship Him. Listen to Him. And, you will 'have real and eternal life, more and better life than you ever dreamed.' That's the truth.
Here’s a familiar word from the Word. Don’t rush through it! Savor the promise.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23, NIV)
_____________________
Savior, like a Shepherd lead us;
Much we need Thy tender care.
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us;
For our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us; Thine we are.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
We are Thine; do Thou befriend us;
Be the Guardian of our way.
Keep Thy flock; from sin defend us;
Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear thy children when they pray;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear Thy children when they pray.
Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us
Thrupp, Dorothy A. / Bradbury, William B.
© Public Domain
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Needed – a Prince of Peace
Conflict never really stops, does it? With age, my tolerance for conflict has diminished. In the past, I was ready to argue my point strenuously when I thought it necessary. Today, not so much. My inner voice says so often, “Can’t we just get along?” Apparently, we (all human beings) cannot! After 35 years of marriage, Bev and I still occasionally have disagreements over the silliest stuff, though neither of us is willing to fight the way we did 20 years ago! Within the church that I serve there are always simmering issues to be dealt with, some important, some insignificant, but all loaded with the potential to explode into destructive words and actions if not properly resolved and/or managed.
Our American politics are so loaded with conflict, the major parties so polarized that the idea of building consensus is abandoned in favor of raw power plays. Our President, in his speech at the acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize last week, acknowledged his resignation to the concept of the necessity of ‘just’ war, saying that “the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another - that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy.”
Christmas renews our longing for peace and the promise that there will come a day when wars will cease, when hate-filled words will no longer fill the air, when cooperation will emerge from the perfect justice of a righteous King. Isaiah said that One will come who will be called the “Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace.” (9.6)
Conflict among us, be it personal or international, is commonly resolved with power; the one with the most money, soldiers, or leverage, applies pressure and forces compliance to his will. Resolved is not the best word to use. Suppressed would be better. When the vanquished have had time to heal their wounds and gather new allies, conflict resurfaces.
Christ Jesus calls us to peace and to actively work for peace. Are we naïve to hope for it, pray for it, long for it? No! Jesus taught us to pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10, NIV) His kingdom is one of peace announced by angels who said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14, NIV) Jesus’ mission was one of peace; first reconciling us to God through the offering of Himself, and then calling us to be reconciled to one another through death to Self!
What we fail to understand is that peace is costly. It is purchased with sacrifice, not in battle, but in surrender of Self! That is not the peace message most want to hear. They want a peace with preferential treatment. We all want a peace; be it at home, at work, or for our nation, that protects our privilege and/or our point of view. But, godly peace, true peace is not about winning our way, but gaining the heart and love of another. This is a hard word, isn’t it? We cannot aspire to real peace without a deep assurance that we are held in the hands of a God who is perfectly just, who will bring us into His home where there is peace forevermore.
So, let’s pray for peace and let it begin in me, today.
____________________
O come, O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go.
O come, thou Root of Jesse's tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.
O come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home.
The captives from their prison free,
And conquer death's deep misery.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thy justice here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel,
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O Come O Come Emmanuel
Neale, John M. / Coffin, Henry S. / Helmore, Thomas
© Public Domain
Our American politics are so loaded with conflict, the major parties so polarized that the idea of building consensus is abandoned in favor of raw power plays. Our President, in his speech at the acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize last week, acknowledged his resignation to the concept of the necessity of ‘just’ war, saying that “the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another - that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy.”
Christmas renews our longing for peace and the promise that there will come a day when wars will cease, when hate-filled words will no longer fill the air, when cooperation will emerge from the perfect justice of a righteous King. Isaiah said that One will come who will be called the “Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace.” (9.6)
Conflict among us, be it personal or international, is commonly resolved with power; the one with the most money, soldiers, or leverage, applies pressure and forces compliance to his will. Resolved is not the best word to use. Suppressed would be better. When the vanquished have had time to heal their wounds and gather new allies, conflict resurfaces.
Christ Jesus calls us to peace and to actively work for peace. Are we naïve to hope for it, pray for it, long for it? No! Jesus taught us to pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10, NIV) His kingdom is one of peace announced by angels who said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14, NIV) Jesus’ mission was one of peace; first reconciling us to God through the offering of Himself, and then calling us to be reconciled to one another through death to Self!
What we fail to understand is that peace is costly. It is purchased with sacrifice, not in battle, but in surrender of Self! That is not the peace message most want to hear. They want a peace with preferential treatment. We all want a peace; be it at home, at work, or for our nation, that protects our privilege and/or our point of view. But, godly peace, true peace is not about winning our way, but gaining the heart and love of another. This is a hard word, isn’t it? We cannot aspire to real peace without a deep assurance that we are held in the hands of a God who is perfectly just, who will bring us into His home where there is peace forevermore.
So, let’s pray for peace and let it begin in me, today.
____________________
O come, O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go.
O come, thou Root of Jesse's tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.
O come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home.
The captives from their prison free,
And conquer death's deep misery.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thy justice here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel,
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O Come O Come Emmanuel
Neale, John M. / Coffin, Henry S. / Helmore, Thomas
© Public Domain
Monday, December 14, 2009
Did you hear the one about two ministers and a rabbi?
On Saturday, I enjoyed the opportunity, a first in my life, to join with a Methodist pastor and a Jewish Rabbi to conduct a wedding! Rabbi Josh is an amazing man, reaching far out the norm and beyond his comfort zone to help a Jewish dad and mom deal with the emotions surrounding their daughter’s choices; first to be baptized as a Christian and them, to marry a Christian man. At their wedding which we celebrated on Saturday, peace and joy reigned during the God-honoring ceremony. And, best of all, I am certain I sensed the smile of my Heavenly Father!
In earlier communications, Rabbi Josh mentioned that many within his tradition are very disparaging of his willingness to reach out in this way. I’m certain that not a few of my own colleagues may consider me misguided in my willingness to do this wedding, too. But, integrity was paramount on Saturday. Instead of each of us diluting his own tradition to try to find some ‘common’ ground, as is so often done in well-intentioned searches for unity; we each held our faith high. I prayed in Jesus’ Name, not be to insensitive, but to remain true to my convictions. Rabbi Josh prayed in Hebrew and read from the Song of Songs, as he wore his prayer shawl. And, yes, I am certain that the Lord smiled!
Might we have found a little way to practice what God speaks of in Psalm 133? There we read,
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore." (Psalm 133, NIV)
The key is peace – be it in religion or family – is ACCEPTANCE, which is not the same as APPROVAL! Do I approve of every tradition of Judaism? Of course not, for I am a Christian. Does Rabbi Josh approve of everything that I believe? Of course not, for he is Jewish. But, we share a common love of humanity and a desire for peace, which allows us to be different and yet to work together to bring joy to a family that is wrestling with change. I don’t have all the answers to the questions raised by this effort, but I know what I felt in that Methodist church was the work of the Spirit of the Lord!
Jesus said that peace-makers would be blessed for they would be called the children of God! (Matthew 5:9) In The Message it reads: “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family."
Mark Batterson, in his new book, Primal, Multnomah, 2009, writes that “Christianity has a perception problem. … The simple fact is that Christians are more known for what we’re against than what we are for. … We’re quick to point out what’s wrong with our culture.” If we are constantly in a combative position, we will find ourselves walled in, unable to reach out to our friends and family with the Great News about the love of Jesus Christ. Are you building walls or bridges?
This Christmas Season, as your extended family gathers, when the goofy uncle shows up, or the parent who stresses you calls to announce her arrival, pray for the gift of making peace, the ability to get past your personal desires, to be a builder of bridges between people. When you feel the urge to criticize or correct, think twice; pray three times, before opening your mouth once! It may be what is needed is a great deal of ACCEPTANCE, that affirms the worth of the person before you attempt to correct what you believe is wrong about them.
Make peace-making a priority: and, if you do this, I believe you will sense the smile of God! Here’s a word from the Word that is our holy calling.
"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (made us peace-makers!)
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:16-20, NIV)
In earlier communications, Rabbi Josh mentioned that many within his tradition are very disparaging of his willingness to reach out in this way. I’m certain that not a few of my own colleagues may consider me misguided in my willingness to do this wedding, too. But, integrity was paramount on Saturday. Instead of each of us diluting his own tradition to try to find some ‘common’ ground, as is so often done in well-intentioned searches for unity; we each held our faith high. I prayed in Jesus’ Name, not be to insensitive, but to remain true to my convictions. Rabbi Josh prayed in Hebrew and read from the Song of Songs, as he wore his prayer shawl. And, yes, I am certain that the Lord smiled!
Might we have found a little way to practice what God speaks of in Psalm 133? There we read,
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore." (Psalm 133, NIV)
The key is peace – be it in religion or family – is ACCEPTANCE, which is not the same as APPROVAL! Do I approve of every tradition of Judaism? Of course not, for I am a Christian. Does Rabbi Josh approve of everything that I believe? Of course not, for he is Jewish. But, we share a common love of humanity and a desire for peace, which allows us to be different and yet to work together to bring joy to a family that is wrestling with change. I don’t have all the answers to the questions raised by this effort, but I know what I felt in that Methodist church was the work of the Spirit of the Lord!
Jesus said that peace-makers would be blessed for they would be called the children of God! (Matthew 5:9) In The Message it reads: “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family."
Mark Batterson, in his new book, Primal, Multnomah, 2009, writes that “Christianity has a perception problem. … The simple fact is that Christians are more known for what we’re against than what we are for. … We’re quick to point out what’s wrong with our culture.” If we are constantly in a combative position, we will find ourselves walled in, unable to reach out to our friends and family with the Great News about the love of Jesus Christ. Are you building walls or bridges?
This Christmas Season, as your extended family gathers, when the goofy uncle shows up, or the parent who stresses you calls to announce her arrival, pray for the gift of making peace, the ability to get past your personal desires, to be a builder of bridges between people. When you feel the urge to criticize or correct, think twice; pray three times, before opening your mouth once! It may be what is needed is a great deal of ACCEPTANCE, that affirms the worth of the person before you attempt to correct what you believe is wrong about them.
Make peace-making a priority: and, if you do this, I believe you will sense the smile of God! Here’s a word from the Word that is our holy calling.
"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (made us peace-makers!)
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:16-20, NIV)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Do your ears itch?
As noted in CoffeeBreak yesterday, many Christians are ready to dilute the true Gospel of Jesus Christ with silly superstitions, angel stories, and bizarre worship practices. A lifetime of ministry has allowed me to see fads come and go in the church. I've seen many doctrinal aberrations that time has corrected. The current issue of syncretism (mixing religions) is the most serious problem I have seen. Even so-called “Spirit-filled” disciples are turning to strange doctrine and weird practices because many no longer trust the absolute sufficiency of the Scripture for life and godliness.
Part of this grows out of our celebrity culture. The fact that someone can sing or dance or act does not mean they have anything authoritative to say about politics, climate science, or religious truth. Yet, we are regularly exposed to the pontifications of those like Kanye West, Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen. Are they experts? On their art, yes! On other issues? Not in my understanding. The same celebrity worship happens in the Church. An athlete who comes to faith in Christ from a life full of dysfunction is put on the stage in front of thousands of teens within months of his conversion, held up as a role model before the water of his baptism has dried.
There many Christian musicians whose passion for worship is unquestioned but whose Scriptural depth and understanding are frequently slim to non-existent. But, because they enjoy celebrity status in church circles, they have a more profound influence than pastors who carefully study the Word and teach from long hours of preparation. The result is shallow Christians with faith built on experience alone, their focus shifted from the Awesomeness of a Holy God to subjective feelings celebrated by the song writer. That is not to say that all musicians are shallow! Some write and lead out of a life dedicated equally to study of truth and excellence of their craft. Then, too, we cannot ignore the huge influence of media speakers whose words fill up books, who take the stage at conferences, using human interest stories and Oprah-like psycho-babble to explain life to us. Frequently their message is without much Bible content or any theological anchors.
Then, too, some are ‘bored’ by steady, solid, life-changing Truth of the Word, and become fascinated by demons, angels, and psychic phenomena rather than the Word of God. Deep reverence for the Presence of Yahweh is insufficient and all manner of hype is invited into the Church to replace the genuine move of the Spirit. This is not new, but it is a growing trend with nothing but terrible consequences for the health of the Church. The Word speaks of this: "The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4, NIV)
Disciple, love the Truth!
Seek out leaders whose lives show integrity.
Commit yourself to a church that is more than a ‘show,’ that is Word-centered even as it is innovative, looking for ways to bring the unchanging Truth to the culture in which we live.
As we celebrate Advent, I urge you to go back to the Gospels.
Read the “Jesus story” told in Matthew and Luke and let the amazing facts of God’s intervention in history wash over you.
Read from John 1 and begin to understand the amazing fact that God became a Man! It’s called ‘the Incarnation!’ God, the Creator, mysteriously and wondrously, moved by love entered this world and was born a baby, lived among us teaching us, died to save us from our sins, and rose again to declare His triumph over sin, death, and Hell.
Hallelujah, what a Savior.
"I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
it is enough that Jesus died,
and that He died for me."
"My heart is leaning on the Word,
the written Word of God.
Salvation by my Savior's name,
salvation through His blood."
Part of this grows out of our celebrity culture. The fact that someone can sing or dance or act does not mean they have anything authoritative to say about politics, climate science, or religious truth. Yet, we are regularly exposed to the pontifications of those like Kanye West, Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen. Are they experts? On their art, yes! On other issues? Not in my understanding. The same celebrity worship happens in the Church. An athlete who comes to faith in Christ from a life full of dysfunction is put on the stage in front of thousands of teens within months of his conversion, held up as a role model before the water of his baptism has dried.
There many Christian musicians whose passion for worship is unquestioned but whose Scriptural depth and understanding are frequently slim to non-existent. But, because they enjoy celebrity status in church circles, they have a more profound influence than pastors who carefully study the Word and teach from long hours of preparation. The result is shallow Christians with faith built on experience alone, their focus shifted from the Awesomeness of a Holy God to subjective feelings celebrated by the song writer. That is not to say that all musicians are shallow! Some write and lead out of a life dedicated equally to study of truth and excellence of their craft. Then, too, we cannot ignore the huge influence of media speakers whose words fill up books, who take the stage at conferences, using human interest stories and Oprah-like psycho-babble to explain life to us. Frequently their message is without much Bible content or any theological anchors.
Then, too, some are ‘bored’ by steady, solid, life-changing Truth of the Word, and become fascinated by demons, angels, and psychic phenomena rather than the Word of God. Deep reverence for the Presence of Yahweh is insufficient and all manner of hype is invited into the Church to replace the genuine move of the Spirit. This is not new, but it is a growing trend with nothing but terrible consequences for the health of the Church. The Word speaks of this: "The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4, NIV)
Disciple, love the Truth!
Seek out leaders whose lives show integrity.
Commit yourself to a church that is more than a ‘show,’ that is Word-centered even as it is innovative, looking for ways to bring the unchanging Truth to the culture in which we live.
As we celebrate Advent, I urge you to go back to the Gospels.
Read the “Jesus story” told in Matthew and Luke and let the amazing facts of God’s intervention in history wash over you.
Read from John 1 and begin to understand the amazing fact that God became a Man! It’s called ‘the Incarnation!’ God, the Creator, mysteriously and wondrously, moved by love entered this world and was born a baby, lived among us teaching us, died to save us from our sins, and rose again to declare His triumph over sin, death, and Hell.
Hallelujah, what a Savior.
"I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
it is enough that Jesus died,
and that He died for me."
"My heart is leaning on the Word,
the written Word of God.
Salvation by my Savior's name,
salvation through His blood."
Thursday, December 10, 2009
I’ll take mine, Jesus Lite, with a splash of Buddha
The Associated Press started an article today with this line: “When it comes to religion, many Americans like the mix-and-match, build-your-own approach.” This is the finding of a report issued on 12/9/09 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. This ‘pick and choose’ method of constructing personal faith doesn’t just mean that Christians decide to blend some Presbyterian and Episcopalian traditions. A quarter of those who are traditionally Christian claim to believe in reincarnation, a belief adopted from Eastern religions. One in five American Christians also delve into alternative spirituality. They practice yoga, look for energy from crystals, or blend aspects of nature worship into their lives. About a third say they have communicated with someone who has died and half of us claim to have had a religious or mystical experience, a sharp increase from the previous generation. So, is this good news or bad news?
The good news is that life without God was tried and found wanting. Spirituality is back. The bad news is that Christianity, as practiced in America, was found so anemic, so incapable of addressing the deepest longings of our hearts, that people decided to look elsewhere for meaning in life. Most of those who have an eclectic faith are ignorant of Christian doctrine and without understanding of the incoherent inconsistency of their beliefs. Several trends contributed to the present state; a rejection of dogma by free-thinking people, a low view of Scriptural authority among members of the clergy, and exposure to many cultures and religions as the world grew smaller in the 20th century. The same article includes this observation: "Pop culture and the Internet are probably more powerful teachers than Sunday school teachers." Scott Thumma is a sociologist at the Hartford Institute of Religion Research.
I find it amazing that faith and religion which profoundly shape who we are, what we hope for, and how we live should be so casually approached by otherwise intelligent, educated people. Imagine if we trained our children at school in the same way that we do in religion, encouraging them to adopt as true whatever was most appealing at the moment. The facts of science and math that lead to understanding the way that our world operates, that allow us to create machines, medicine, and live more safely and longer are taught with insistence on mastery of that which is true and tested. Yet, in matters of faith, we say, “Find your own way.” No wonder we live in such a muddled mess – morally and ethically! In the Proverbs we read that "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." (Proverbs 14:12, NLT) Jesus, who claimed to the Truth, said that “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NLT)
Are you tempted by a spirituality that is Jesus Lite, with a splash of Buddha?
Do you reject the mind only to follow emotion in matters of faith?
If so, then prepare to wander, to drift from point in life, and to come to a place without hope.
Discipleship is about knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and includes a healthy component of experience of the love of God. It also requires study and understanding that leads to mature faith that encompasses all of this life and points the way to our eternal home with the Father.
Here’s a word from Scripture for your meditation today. I pray that it will be true in your pursuit of God. "You have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:15-20, NIV)
___________________
O Lord our Lord,
How majestic is Your name.
Your words are true,
Your mercy does not change.
All Your promises are precious,
Reviving our faith.
Every one of them
Will be fulfilled one day.
Oh all Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus.
Your promises are true.
All Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" Lord Jesus,
We'll keep running after You.
We will run,
We'll run and not grow weary.
We will rise upon the eagle's wings.
In the presence of the Lord,
Our spirits will soar,
Till we one day gaze upon our King.
But my foot had almost slipped,
O Lord, I'd almost lost my way,
'Til I entered the house of the Lord
And heard Your sweet Spirit say,
Oh all Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus.
Your promises are true.
All Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" Lord Jesus,
We'll keep running after You.
All Your Promises
Smith, Andrew © 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
The good news is that life without God was tried and found wanting. Spirituality is back. The bad news is that Christianity, as practiced in America, was found so anemic, so incapable of addressing the deepest longings of our hearts, that people decided to look elsewhere for meaning in life. Most of those who have an eclectic faith are ignorant of Christian doctrine and without understanding of the incoherent inconsistency of their beliefs. Several trends contributed to the present state; a rejection of dogma by free-thinking people, a low view of Scriptural authority among members of the clergy, and exposure to many cultures and religions as the world grew smaller in the 20th century. The same article includes this observation: "Pop culture and the Internet are probably more powerful teachers than Sunday school teachers." Scott Thumma is a sociologist at the Hartford Institute of Religion Research.
I find it amazing that faith and religion which profoundly shape who we are, what we hope for, and how we live should be so casually approached by otherwise intelligent, educated people. Imagine if we trained our children at school in the same way that we do in religion, encouraging them to adopt as true whatever was most appealing at the moment. The facts of science and math that lead to understanding the way that our world operates, that allow us to create machines, medicine, and live more safely and longer are taught with insistence on mastery of that which is true and tested. Yet, in matters of faith, we say, “Find your own way.” No wonder we live in such a muddled mess – morally and ethically! In the Proverbs we read that "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." (Proverbs 14:12, NLT) Jesus, who claimed to the Truth, said that “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NLT)
Are you tempted by a spirituality that is Jesus Lite, with a splash of Buddha?
Do you reject the mind only to follow emotion in matters of faith?
If so, then prepare to wander, to drift from point in life, and to come to a place without hope.
Discipleship is about knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and includes a healthy component of experience of the love of God. It also requires study and understanding that leads to mature faith that encompasses all of this life and points the way to our eternal home with the Father.
Here’s a word from Scripture for your meditation today. I pray that it will be true in your pursuit of God. "You have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:15-20, NIV)
___________________
O Lord our Lord,
How majestic is Your name.
Your words are true,
Your mercy does not change.
All Your promises are precious,
Reviving our faith.
Every one of them
Will be fulfilled one day.
Oh all Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus.
Your promises are true.
All Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" Lord Jesus,
We'll keep running after You.
We will run,
We'll run and not grow weary.
We will rise upon the eagle's wings.
In the presence of the Lord,
Our spirits will soar,
Till we one day gaze upon our King.
But my foot had almost slipped,
O Lord, I'd almost lost my way,
'Til I entered the house of the Lord
And heard Your sweet Spirit say,
Oh all Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus.
Your promises are true.
All Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" Lord Jesus,
We'll keep running after You.
All Your Promises
Smith, Andrew © 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Burnt plows!
In June, 1974, I first saw the girl who would become my wife. After a fun Summer of dating, we were engaged, and married in January, 1975. Recently I found an old cassette tape that contained an audio recording of our wedding. I was reminded that the covenant we made before the Lord that day had no escape hatches. We did not create a prenuptial agreement, ‘just in case.’ (Not that either of us had any assets to protect. We were poorer than poor, but did not know it.) For us, the part about being faithful 'til death do us part, so help me God' was more than words. Some days I am a better husband than others, but the feelings of the moment do not change the covenant made on January 10, 1975.
I've only made one other promise like that, my commitment to Jesus Christ. He is my Lord. I must admit that some days I am a better disciple than others. My commitment to Him is not always as obvious as it could be, but even when I am faithless He is faithful. My up’s and down’s don't change the fact of His Lordship of my life.
Statements of irrevocable commitment are sobering, aren't they? A commitment can be comforting and it can be suffocating. Commitment ends selfishness. When we make a covenant, we surrender our autonomy. On the positive side, remember that commitment makes great things possible!
-A bank will loan us money for a major purchase if our credit score indicates we have regularly met our financial responsibilities.
-A well tended marriage brings tremendous stability and support to a couple’s shared lives.
-Serving Christ faithfully gives life a meaning and purpose that cannot be found IN ANY OTHER choice.
-Forming strong, deep partnerships with others at work or in ministry, creates the possibilities of amazing results. The Bible says, "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." (Eccl. 4.12)
A story of radical commitment found in 1 Kings 19:19-21. Elijah, the old prophet, is nearing the end of his leadership in Israel. God tells him it is time to recruit the man who will succeed him in the prophetic office. “So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.
Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?"
So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.”
He slaughtered his oxen and burned his plow! What a way to make a commitment. Elisha destroyed the tools of his former life in a sacrificial offering. There was NO going back when that was done, no 'I think I changed my mind' was possible.
When it comes to serving the Lord, are you hanging onto a contingency plan that will allow you to escape if you change your mind? What, if anything, have you held in reserve from His mastery? Only those who are irrevocably committed to Christ and His kingdom, only those with ‘burnt plows,’ know and enjoy the greatest blessings of a life of faith. Disciple, make the choice to give yourself – wholeheartedly and without reserve- to the Lord Jesus Christ. Give Him your past and leave it. Commit your future to Him to be guided into it. One of the best examples of commitment in the Bible is Joshua, the man who followed Moses in leading Israel. As he came to the end of his life, he called the nation’s leaders together and challenged them to burn their plows, so to speak. Take a look.
"So honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. . . .But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14-15
___________________
This is the air I breathe!
This is the air I breathe!
Your holy presence living in me,
And I I'm desperate for You,
And I I'm lost without You!
This is my daily bread!
This is my daily bread!
Your very word spoken to me,
And I I'm desperate for You,
And I I'm lost without You!
Breathe © 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
Marie Barnett
CCLI License No. 810055
I've only made one other promise like that, my commitment to Jesus Christ. He is my Lord. I must admit that some days I am a better disciple than others. My commitment to Him is not always as obvious as it could be, but even when I am faithless He is faithful. My up’s and down’s don't change the fact of His Lordship of my life.
Statements of irrevocable commitment are sobering, aren't they? A commitment can be comforting and it can be suffocating. Commitment ends selfishness. When we make a covenant, we surrender our autonomy. On the positive side, remember that commitment makes great things possible!
-A bank will loan us money for a major purchase if our credit score indicates we have regularly met our financial responsibilities.
-A well tended marriage brings tremendous stability and support to a couple’s shared lives.
-Serving Christ faithfully gives life a meaning and purpose that cannot be found IN ANY OTHER choice.
-Forming strong, deep partnerships with others at work or in ministry, creates the possibilities of amazing results. The Bible says, "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." (Eccl. 4.12)
A story of radical commitment found in 1 Kings 19:19-21. Elijah, the old prophet, is nearing the end of his leadership in Israel. God tells him it is time to recruit the man who will succeed him in the prophetic office. “So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.
Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?"
So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.”
He slaughtered his oxen and burned his plow! What a way to make a commitment. Elisha destroyed the tools of his former life in a sacrificial offering. There was NO going back when that was done, no 'I think I changed my mind' was possible.
When it comes to serving the Lord, are you hanging onto a contingency plan that will allow you to escape if you change your mind? What, if anything, have you held in reserve from His mastery? Only those who are irrevocably committed to Christ and His kingdom, only those with ‘burnt plows,’ know and enjoy the greatest blessings of a life of faith. Disciple, make the choice to give yourself – wholeheartedly and without reserve- to the Lord Jesus Christ. Give Him your past and leave it. Commit your future to Him to be guided into it. One of the best examples of commitment in the Bible is Joshua, the man who followed Moses in leading Israel. As he came to the end of his life, he called the nation’s leaders together and challenged them to burn their plows, so to speak. Take a look.
"So honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. . . .But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14-15
___________________
This is the air I breathe!
This is the air I breathe!
Your holy presence living in me,
And I I'm desperate for You,
And I I'm lost without You!
This is my daily bread!
This is my daily bread!
Your very word spoken to me,
And I I'm desperate for You,
And I I'm lost without You!
Breathe © 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
Marie Barnett
CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Pleasure, God’s gift
Many Christians almost instinctively recoil from the word, “pleasure,” as though anything enjoyable or fun must be sinful, too. Then, too, many equate pleasure with drunkenness or immorality forgetting the pure pleasure that can be found in a well prepared meal, an exquisite cup of coffee, a tender touch, or a well-told story. Gary Thomas has written a book that addresses our pleasure phobia, titled, Pure Pleasure. (Zondervan, 2009) He challenges disciples of Christ to rethink their prejudice against pleasure. The foundation of his argument is not new. He reminds us that trying to scare ourselves holy is impossible! Only a deep love for God, a soul-satisfying passion for Who He is and what He calls us to, can keep us from wandering into the pits of decadence. He writes, “We can build lives of true, lasting pleasure and so fortify ourselves against evil because evil has lost much of its allure — or we can try, with an iron will, to “scare” ourselves away from evil while still, deep in our hearts, truly longing for it.”
The allure of asceticism (rejection of pleasure) is that it feeds our pride! When we fast, there is a strong temptation to feel vastly superior to those who are unable to resist the need for food and drink. When we manage to corral our sexual urges and keep them hidden behind our foreheads, we can express our spiritual contempt for those who embrace another lover. A thousand years ago, the idea that rejecting all creature comforts and pleasure was the path to spiritual maturity took hold. Monks rejected marriage, wore rough clothing, ate only simple fare, did not bathe, and slept in cold cells in pursuit of spiritual depth. Mostly, they created misery for themselves with little to gain in mastery of sin! An idea persists that the pathway to spirituality lies through agonizingly long prayer meetings and endless hours of perusal of holy Scripture. Really?
Thomas pokes at our religious pretensions by reminding us that “prohibitionist Christians squeeze all the joy out of life — an obscene effect, because when you squeeze the joy out of life, you also end up squeezing part of God out of life. You close yourself off to a glorious, beautiful, and all-inviting side of Him.”
Thomas suggests that God must love pleasure. He equipped us with rich senses, created a world full of color, texture, and smells; made us with sensory receptors that cause us to enjoy the touch of another. Why would He make us with the ability to enjoy the world in which He placed us and then forbid us from taking pleasure from it? Jesus assures us that God, like a good father, delights in giving us good gifts! Indeed, the Savior was mocked for His ability to enjoy a good meal and hearty laughter by the Pharisees who thought such things beneath their spirituality. Jesus explained: "A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. " (John 10:10, The Message)
Thomas recognizes the danger in lauding the benefit of pleasure. He writes, “As Christians, we have an awful tendency to “overcorrect.” We see our error (“Oh, so maybe I can legitimately accept and even cultivate pleasure. I see how I’ve endangered myself and dishonored God with a prohibitionist mind-set”) and then rush to the other extreme to get away from that error, only to create a new one (“I want to ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ for the rest of my life!”). Writing or reading a book like this presents exactly that grave danger.
Today’s church, frankly, has not earned a reputation for intellectual sophistication. Instead of holding things in a healthy balance, we tend to bounce back and forth between dangerous extremes.” Ain’t that the truth!? And yet, we cannot shrink from telling the truth just because some foolishly abuse the freedom found in it.
We enjoy pleasure, but we don’t worship it.
We take pleasure from the places where God creates opportunities for it, but we know that there are times when His call will trump our desire and we will forego pleasure to do His will.
We rejoice in the things He provides even as we hope for Eternity where we know "You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11, NIV)
Here’s a passage for your thoughts today. May He fill you up with His joy as you remember the richness of His mercy shown us in the coming of Jesus, the Savior.
"Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp.
For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds." (Psalm 149:1-5, NLT)
The allure of asceticism (rejection of pleasure) is that it feeds our pride! When we fast, there is a strong temptation to feel vastly superior to those who are unable to resist the need for food and drink. When we manage to corral our sexual urges and keep them hidden behind our foreheads, we can express our spiritual contempt for those who embrace another lover. A thousand years ago, the idea that rejecting all creature comforts and pleasure was the path to spiritual maturity took hold. Monks rejected marriage, wore rough clothing, ate only simple fare, did not bathe, and slept in cold cells in pursuit of spiritual depth. Mostly, they created misery for themselves with little to gain in mastery of sin! An idea persists that the pathway to spirituality lies through agonizingly long prayer meetings and endless hours of perusal of holy Scripture. Really?
Thomas pokes at our religious pretensions by reminding us that “prohibitionist Christians squeeze all the joy out of life — an obscene effect, because when you squeeze the joy out of life, you also end up squeezing part of God out of life. You close yourself off to a glorious, beautiful, and all-inviting side of Him.”
Thomas suggests that God must love pleasure. He equipped us with rich senses, created a world full of color, texture, and smells; made us with sensory receptors that cause us to enjoy the touch of another. Why would He make us with the ability to enjoy the world in which He placed us and then forbid us from taking pleasure from it? Jesus assures us that God, like a good father, delights in giving us good gifts! Indeed, the Savior was mocked for His ability to enjoy a good meal and hearty laughter by the Pharisees who thought such things beneath their spirituality. Jesus explained: "A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. " (John 10:10, The Message)
Thomas recognizes the danger in lauding the benefit of pleasure. He writes, “As Christians, we have an awful tendency to “overcorrect.” We see our error (“Oh, so maybe I can legitimately accept and even cultivate pleasure. I see how I’ve endangered myself and dishonored God with a prohibitionist mind-set”) and then rush to the other extreme to get away from that error, only to create a new one (“I want to ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ for the rest of my life!”). Writing or reading a book like this presents exactly that grave danger.
Today’s church, frankly, has not earned a reputation for intellectual sophistication. Instead of holding things in a healthy balance, we tend to bounce back and forth between dangerous extremes.” Ain’t that the truth!? And yet, we cannot shrink from telling the truth just because some foolishly abuse the freedom found in it.
We enjoy pleasure, but we don’t worship it.
We take pleasure from the places where God creates opportunities for it, but we know that there are times when His call will trump our desire and we will forego pleasure to do His will.
We rejoice in the things He provides even as we hope for Eternity where we know "You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11, NIV)
Here’s a passage for your thoughts today. May He fill you up with His joy as you remember the richness of His mercy shown us in the coming of Jesus, the Savior.
"Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp.
For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds." (Psalm 149:1-5, NLT)
Monday, December 07, 2009
Stains, Schedules, and Sin
Just as I was ready to slip into a dress shirt from my closet I noticed a couple of stains on it. About 99.5% of the shirt was clean and free of wrinkles, but the two spots smaller than a penny stood out, grabbing my attention. Blemishes are like that, aren’t they?
A well-known pastor who is a successful author of several popular Christian books, who leads a growing, innovative church in Washington, DC, reported on his blog that he was ‘mortified,’ by his failure to remember a scheduled wedding this weekend. Only after a phone call did he realize and then showed up more than 2 hours late! His reaction? I quote- “The ceremony was actually a beautiful ceremony. But my ego is fractured, bruised and black and blue. Still kicking myself. Still can't believe it.” (http://evotional.com/2009/12/mortified.html) One moment of failure eclipsed his successes. Mark will recover but the memory, I’m sure, will always make him feel regret.
When someone falls flat on his face, what shows up first in his obituary? His failure, of course. The years of success, the thousands of acts of kindness, the hard work of their lives always follows the lead which is about their sinful moment! Mention the famed preachers - Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, or Ted Haggard - and see what people remember first. It won’t be the best things these fallen men have done; the ministries and churches they built, the books they wrote, or the lives their messages changed. Their moment of moral collapse will be the one thing that eclipses everything else about them. The stain screams for our attention, rivets our eyes.
Today I am not trying to convince us that stains, forgotten appointments, or sins don’t matter. They do! I didn’t put on that stained shirt. I took it down to the laundry pile and applied some stain lifter to the spots. Mark, the pastor who forgot the wedding, acknowledged his forgetfulness and will most certainly be doubly diligent about checking his schedule. It isn’t just the famous ‘sinners’ who need redemption, is it? There are a few chapters in my life story that I’m glad have not been reported on “60 Minutes.” If you’re honest, you have made some decisions that you would not reported either.
The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!” The Message says it this way: "We’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us." (Romans 3:23, The Message)
Perhaps your failure isn’t as spectacular as that of another, but it’s still a stain. At least two know about it- God and you! All sin separates us from God; dramatic and public, ordinary and secret – alike! But that does not need to be the end of the story. Let me put that damning passage I just quoted into context where we learn of new possibilities. "Now a righteousness from God, apart from law, … (comes) from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26, NIV)
Jesus Christ came into this world, John tells us, not to trumpet our sins, nor to point out our predicament. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” "God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." (John 3:17, The Message)
Stained by sin? Shamed by failure? Guilty and afraid? Don’t run and hide. Look up and acknowledge what’s been done. Here’s the promise. Believe it, receive it, and live it.
"If we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin. … If we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing." (1 John 1:7,9, The Message)
________________
I was once a sinner, but I came
Pardon to receive from my Lord.
This was freely given, and I found
That He always kept His word.
There's a new name written down in glory,
And it's mine. O yes, it's mine!
And the white-robed angels sing the story,
"A sinner has come home."
For there's a new name written down in glory,
And it's mine, O yes it's mine.
With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven,
Nevermore to roam.
In the Book 'tis written
"Saved by grace."
O the joy that came to my soul!
Now I am forgiven and I know,
By the blood I am made whole.
A New Name In Glory
Miles, C. Austin
© Public Domain
A well-known pastor who is a successful author of several popular Christian books, who leads a growing, innovative church in Washington, DC, reported on his blog that he was ‘mortified,’ by his failure to remember a scheduled wedding this weekend. Only after a phone call did he realize and then showed up more than 2 hours late! His reaction? I quote- “The ceremony was actually a beautiful ceremony. But my ego is fractured, bruised and black and blue. Still kicking myself. Still can't believe it.” (http://evotional.com/2009/12/mortified.html) One moment of failure eclipsed his successes. Mark will recover but the memory, I’m sure, will always make him feel regret.
When someone falls flat on his face, what shows up first in his obituary? His failure, of course. The years of success, the thousands of acts of kindness, the hard work of their lives always follows the lead which is about their sinful moment! Mention the famed preachers - Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, or Ted Haggard - and see what people remember first. It won’t be the best things these fallen men have done; the ministries and churches they built, the books they wrote, or the lives their messages changed. Their moment of moral collapse will be the one thing that eclipses everything else about them. The stain screams for our attention, rivets our eyes.
Today I am not trying to convince us that stains, forgotten appointments, or sins don’t matter. They do! I didn’t put on that stained shirt. I took it down to the laundry pile and applied some stain lifter to the spots. Mark, the pastor who forgot the wedding, acknowledged his forgetfulness and will most certainly be doubly diligent about checking his schedule. It isn’t just the famous ‘sinners’ who need redemption, is it? There are a few chapters in my life story that I’m glad have not been reported on “60 Minutes.” If you’re honest, you have made some decisions that you would not reported either.
The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!” The Message says it this way: "We’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us." (Romans 3:23, The Message)
Perhaps your failure isn’t as spectacular as that of another, but it’s still a stain. At least two know about it- God and you! All sin separates us from God; dramatic and public, ordinary and secret – alike! But that does not need to be the end of the story. Let me put that damning passage I just quoted into context where we learn of new possibilities. "Now a righteousness from God, apart from law, … (comes) from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26, NIV)
Jesus Christ came into this world, John tells us, not to trumpet our sins, nor to point out our predicament. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” "God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." (John 3:17, The Message)
Stained by sin? Shamed by failure? Guilty and afraid? Don’t run and hide. Look up and acknowledge what’s been done. Here’s the promise. Believe it, receive it, and live it.
"If we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin. … If we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing." (1 John 1:7,9, The Message)
________________
I was once a sinner, but I came
Pardon to receive from my Lord.
This was freely given, and I found
That He always kept His word.
There's a new name written down in glory,
And it's mine. O yes, it's mine!
And the white-robed angels sing the story,
"A sinner has come home."
For there's a new name written down in glory,
And it's mine, O yes it's mine.
With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven,
Nevermore to roam.
In the Book 'tis written
"Saved by grace."
O the joy that came to my soul!
Now I am forgiven and I know,
By the blood I am made whole.
A New Name In Glory
Miles, C. Austin
© Public Domain
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