Are you spending so much time avoiding risk that you’re failing to experience life at it’s best? I’m not talking about being stupid. Yes, it is prudent to wear your seat-belt when you drive. But, it’s tragic if you won’t drive more than 100 miles from home! It’s a good idea to floss your teeth and eat a balanced diet. It’s sad if you never allow yourself a piece of chocolate or a cheeseburger. Does every decision have to be driven by fear? I know people in their 50’s who won’t go out to dinner or take a vacation because they are afraid they won’t have enough money set aside for retirement. Some never let themselves fall in love because they are afraid of getting their heart broken. Others never have children because they are afraid their kids might turn out to be criminals. Each of these choices are ‘safe,’ but also limit the experience of a rich life.
If you choose to live as a totally committed follower of Jesus Christ, you will have to let go of the safety ropes! A life of faith involves a kind of risk. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1, NIV) Use your imagination as you read these words: "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:18-20, NIV) “At once” these men responded. They did not question the compensation package. They did not talk it over with their advisers. They heard the Call, responded in faith, and ignored the cost.
Let’s be clear. Their decision opened up possibilities they could not have imagined, but it did not lead them into endless days of bliss. The faith choice did not exempt them from discouragement, from difficult moments, from struggle, or even from sorrow. In fact, every one of them found a life of much more danger than they would have known if they had remained with their fishing boats in Galilee! AND, they found life to the full, eternal life, living in the center of the will of God.
In the ‘faith chapter’ – Hebrews 11 - Moses is an example. We read that "By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff." (Hebrews 11:24-27, The Message)
Fear is life’s worst motivator! Don’t let your decisions be formed by ‘what-if’ and ‘could be’ and ‘limiting exposure to risk!’ Listen for the call of God. Love with your whole heart. Get out of the house and do something creative today. Any attempt to live by faith includes the risk of failure. You might get it wrong if you try. You might go broke, fall on your face, and have to endure some ridicule. But, you will have really lived in the process.
There is an important footnote to all of this. I am not writing about selfishness or ‘just being yourself!’ Ignoring the cost of your actions to others, causing pain to your friends and/or family by your foolish desire to break all the rules or fulfill all your fantasies, is not at all what the fore-going words were intended to encourage. I am writing about a life of total submission! Yes, it is not unfettered Self that leads to the best life, but complete surrender to the mastery of Jesus Christ, letting Him lead. That choice is never safe, but always wise!
I want to leave you with this thought -
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the Unites States
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wise, or just smart?
Watching my daughter parent her two little ones during their visit in our home has been a delight. Maribel is focusing on teaching Devin and Adelina about character. It’s the little things she does – like reminding them to be thankful, causing them to understand the importance of respect, encouraging them to take care of themselves and their surroundings. She is laying the foundation of life for them by training them in something one author calls “intellectual virtue.” Michael Austin (Wise Stewards) says that intellectual virtue is an excellence of the mind that “enables a person to reason well for the purpose of living well.” (CT, January, 2010)
I believe that a major failure of American parents is that they seek to make their children smart by providing them the best education while ignoring the virtues that are the basis of true wisdom which governs the way of life. The emphasis is too often placed on what our children are able to do rather than on who they are equipped to become. Bereft of the ability to understand the real meaning of their existence because they are trained to think Scripturally, with God and His will as the roadmap for life, they chase after fulfillment in job titles, beauty, fame, celebrity, or materialism. In truth, genuine joy in life is much less related to what a person owns or his place in this world than it is in who he is on the inside. Even that cannot be accomplished simply by stuffing a little head with Bible verses! He must be turned toward the Son, his mind opened to the Spirit, from Whom he will receive Light and Life.
Moses directed the people of the Lord to parent with a view to more than future salary or success. “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8, NLT) Let me summarize that passage – “Love the Lord and integrate that love into your everyday life!”
If you’re a parent, I encourage you to make ‘intellectual virtue’ a primary goal. And that’s not just for kids, either!
Let me ask you, disciple: Are you just smart or are you truly wise? Are you simply equipped with facts but lacking the wisdom to make choices that produce the best long-term results, the highest joys, and ultimately will allow you to receive the Lord’s commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant!”? Be you 4, 40, or 84 – it’s never too late to turn your heart and mind to obedience to the Lord. As you kneel at the Cross, there is salvation, transformation, and restoration to full destiny available in Christ’s great grace.
Here’s a word from the Word. Meditate on the truth of it.
"I’m single-minded in pursuit of you; don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt." (Psalm 119:10-11, The Message)
"By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path." (Psalm 119:105, The Message)
_____________
Be Thou my Vision,
O Lord of my heart;
Nought be all else to me,
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought,
By day or by night,
Waking or sleeping,
Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom,
And Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee
And Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father,
I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling,
And I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not,
Nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance,
Now and always:
Thou and Thou only,
First in my heart,
High King of heaven,
My Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven,
My victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys,
O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart,
Whatever befall,
Still be my Vision,
O Ruler of all.
Be Thou My Vision
Hull, Eleanor / Byrne, Mary E.
© Public Domain
I believe that a major failure of American parents is that they seek to make their children smart by providing them the best education while ignoring the virtues that are the basis of true wisdom which governs the way of life. The emphasis is too often placed on what our children are able to do rather than on who they are equipped to become. Bereft of the ability to understand the real meaning of their existence because they are trained to think Scripturally, with God and His will as the roadmap for life, they chase after fulfillment in job titles, beauty, fame, celebrity, or materialism. In truth, genuine joy in life is much less related to what a person owns or his place in this world than it is in who he is on the inside. Even that cannot be accomplished simply by stuffing a little head with Bible verses! He must be turned toward the Son, his mind opened to the Spirit, from Whom he will receive Light and Life.
Moses directed the people of the Lord to parent with a view to more than future salary or success. “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8, NLT) Let me summarize that passage – “Love the Lord and integrate that love into your everyday life!”
If you’re a parent, I encourage you to make ‘intellectual virtue’ a primary goal. And that’s not just for kids, either!
Let me ask you, disciple: Are you just smart or are you truly wise? Are you simply equipped with facts but lacking the wisdom to make choices that produce the best long-term results, the highest joys, and ultimately will allow you to receive the Lord’s commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant!”? Be you 4, 40, or 84 – it’s never too late to turn your heart and mind to obedience to the Lord. As you kneel at the Cross, there is salvation, transformation, and restoration to full destiny available in Christ’s great grace.
Here’s a word from the Word. Meditate on the truth of it.
"I’m single-minded in pursuit of you; don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt." (Psalm 119:10-11, The Message)
"By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path." (Psalm 119:105, The Message)
_____________
Be Thou my Vision,
O Lord of my heart;
Nought be all else to me,
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought,
By day or by night,
Waking or sleeping,
Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom,
And Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee
And Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father,
I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling,
And I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not,
Nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance,
Now and always:
Thou and Thou only,
First in my heart,
High King of heaven,
My Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven,
My victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys,
O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart,
Whatever befall,
Still be my Vision,
O Ruler of all.
Be Thou My Vision
Hull, Eleanor / Byrne, Mary E.
© Public Domain
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Scarecrow in a melon patch
Today there is one organizing principle that stands way above every other thing in my life: the will of my God! It is the standard by which I will measure everything else. You will do it, too. Everybody does. We choose to buy this, to say that, to go there, to stay here – not as randomly as we might think. We are serving something or somebody. The question is not ‘will I serve my God?’ for we are designed for that purpose and fulfill it. The primary inquiry should be – Who is my God? The worshipper takes on the character of his god.
Jeremiah preached about the choice of gods sarcastically chastising his audience for their silly decision to serve idols.
“Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. … Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”
No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. …
But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King." (Jeremiah 10:2-10, NIV)
“Your gods,” he mocks, “are like scarecrows – can’t walk, can’t talk; can’t hurt, can’t help!” He goes to point out that because they serve fraudulent gods, they are “senseless and foolish.” Now you might thinking, “Jerry, this doesn’t apply to me. I’m far beyond carving a god and carrying it around for good luck.” Probably true, but have you made a god of Chase Bank, or the US Government, or your best friend, or your Self? Gods come in many forms. If your hope for the future relies on an increase in your net worth- your god is money! Whatever you’re organizing your life around, giving your best energies and resources to, and drawing your security from – is your god!
A god of gold will make a worshipper of greed.
A god of sensual pleasure will make a worshipper of gluttony or lust.
A god of reputation will make a hypocrite obsessed with social conformity.
The Lord of Glory will make a worshipper of who is filled with "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)
Jesus told us to carefully evaluate our words against our actions when it comes to declaring our God. Singing the right songs on Sunday does not make the Lord our God, He says. Getting involved with a missions project does not mean we love the Lord. Take a look. “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’ " (Matthew 7:21-23, The Message)
Who is your God?
It’s an important question with consequence in this life and eternity.
"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." (Isaiah 25:1, NIV) "You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. " (Isaiah 25:4, NIV)
_______________________
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a construction worker working on a home
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome
You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks
You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody’s mistress, may be somebody’s heir
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Gotta Serve Somebody
Bob Dylan
Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music
Jeremiah preached about the choice of gods sarcastically chastising his audience for their silly decision to serve idols.
“Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. … Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”
No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. …
But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King." (Jeremiah 10:2-10, NIV)
“Your gods,” he mocks, “are like scarecrows – can’t walk, can’t talk; can’t hurt, can’t help!” He goes to point out that because they serve fraudulent gods, they are “senseless and foolish.” Now you might thinking, “Jerry, this doesn’t apply to me. I’m far beyond carving a god and carrying it around for good luck.” Probably true, but have you made a god of Chase Bank, or the US Government, or your best friend, or your Self? Gods come in many forms. If your hope for the future relies on an increase in your net worth- your god is money! Whatever you’re organizing your life around, giving your best energies and resources to, and drawing your security from – is your god!
A god of gold will make a worshipper of greed.
A god of sensual pleasure will make a worshipper of gluttony or lust.
A god of reputation will make a hypocrite obsessed with social conformity.
The Lord of Glory will make a worshipper of who is filled with "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)
Jesus told us to carefully evaluate our words against our actions when it comes to declaring our God. Singing the right songs on Sunday does not make the Lord our God, He says. Getting involved with a missions project does not mean we love the Lord. Take a look. “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’ " (Matthew 7:21-23, The Message)
Who is your God?
It’s an important question with consequence in this life and eternity.
"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." (Isaiah 25:1, NIV) "You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. " (Isaiah 25:4, NIV)
_______________________
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a construction worker working on a home
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome
You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks
You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody’s mistress, may be somebody’s heir
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Gotta Serve Somebody
Bob Dylan
Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music
Monday, January 24, 2011
Purity is not just for pruds!
Bev and I went to see “The King’s Speech” and sat through the preview for “No Strings Attached” a film about two single professional adults who are sleeping together as the title suggests without any obligation. Their immorality is a source of much hilarity according to the trailer. Also over the weekend, media reported on a new MTV show that has been an instant hit among teens called “Skins,” which celebrates the party culture, including uninhibited sexuality, of American urban high school students. All restraint is gone. Sex is god in our de-spiritualized culture.
Even Christian teens are heavily 'sexualized.’ Most consume the media and entertainment of our culture with few filters. It should not be a source of amazement to us that our teens cannot understand the Bible's call to sexual purity. The message of the culture obliterates the truth of the Word. It isn't just teens that are effected, either. Pornography and sexually explicit material has invaded all of our lives. When I did computer consulting work from 1997-2000, I found evidence of pornography access on computers in every business to which I was called! Barna Research found that 38% of Christians in America think that there isn't really anything wrong with pornography as long as it doesn't involve children. Many call it ‘dirty’ but don’t think it’s really sinful. They fail to understand that pornography exacts a heavy price from ALL who become consumers. It is not a harmless diversion. Pornography drains away our wholeness - spiritual and emotional - one little bit at a time.
The Word tells us "There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others.
In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body." (1 Corinthians 6:16-21, The Message)
The answer to the flood of sensuality that surrounds us is not a retreat into prudery where all sex is dirty and/or hidden away. Nor is the answer to impose dress codes that laud yesterday's fashion. The answer is to know the truth about sex. Sex is God's gift to us for pleasure and to bond us to our spouse for life in an intimacy that mirrors our love for Him! Sexuality is not something Christians should avoid like a sickness, it is something we should celebrate, lifting it out of the filth of the street by our celebration of this gift of God.
What messages about sex are filling your mind, your home?
Are you becoming a victim of the porn culture- unaware of the destruction it creates in your soul - like the proverbial 'frog in the kettle?'
I strongly advise you to evaluate ALL of your entertainment consumption habits. Put filters in place that keep you sensitive to purity. Choose wisely what you consume! The fact that you're reading this means you have Internet access. Are you computers monitored to protect the kids in your home? Are you monitoring your own online patterns? Offer yourself - including your sexuality - to God and pray that the wholeness that is found in His ways will make your life a light in a world of darkness.
Here's a word from the Word. I pray you will conform your life to it today:
"You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world. So why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch." Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. ...
Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. ...
now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. ...for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.
In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. (Colossians 2:20- 3:10, NLT)
Even Christian teens are heavily 'sexualized.’ Most consume the media and entertainment of our culture with few filters. It should not be a source of amazement to us that our teens cannot understand the Bible's call to sexual purity. The message of the culture obliterates the truth of the Word. It isn't just teens that are effected, either. Pornography and sexually explicit material has invaded all of our lives. When I did computer consulting work from 1997-2000, I found evidence of pornography access on computers in every business to which I was called! Barna Research found that 38% of Christians in America think that there isn't really anything wrong with pornography as long as it doesn't involve children. Many call it ‘dirty’ but don’t think it’s really sinful. They fail to understand that pornography exacts a heavy price from ALL who become consumers. It is not a harmless diversion. Pornography drains away our wholeness - spiritual and emotional - one little bit at a time.
The Word tells us "There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others.
In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body." (1 Corinthians 6:16-21, The Message)
The answer to the flood of sensuality that surrounds us is not a retreat into prudery where all sex is dirty and/or hidden away. Nor is the answer to impose dress codes that laud yesterday's fashion. The answer is to know the truth about sex. Sex is God's gift to us for pleasure and to bond us to our spouse for life in an intimacy that mirrors our love for Him! Sexuality is not something Christians should avoid like a sickness, it is something we should celebrate, lifting it out of the filth of the street by our celebration of this gift of God.
What messages about sex are filling your mind, your home?
Are you becoming a victim of the porn culture- unaware of the destruction it creates in your soul - like the proverbial 'frog in the kettle?'
I strongly advise you to evaluate ALL of your entertainment consumption habits. Put filters in place that keep you sensitive to purity. Choose wisely what you consume! The fact that you're reading this means you have Internet access. Are you computers monitored to protect the kids in your home? Are you monitoring your own online patterns? Offer yourself - including your sexuality - to God and pray that the wholeness that is found in His ways will make your life a light in a world of darkness.
Here's a word from the Word. I pray you will conform your life to it today:
"You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world. So why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch." Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. ...
Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. ...
now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. ...for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.
In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. (Colossians 2:20- 3:10, NLT)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Who Do You Look Like?
I looked into the face of my grandson and saw the face of his Mom when she was 5! Her DNA was giving shape to that little face. In a sense, he bore her image. His relationship to her is unmistakable. Now let me ask, who do you look like? There’s a line in a Christmas carol that poetically describes the mission of the Christ: “Adam’s likeness now efface, stamp Thine image in its place.” God created us to bear His image. Think of that. He comes to our lives, broken and deformed by a sinful nature, heals us, infuses us with new Spirit-life, and transforms our appearance!
In ancient times, the king would set up an image (TSELEM) of himself in every corner of his empire so people would know whose kingdom they were in. Just in case you think we’re past that kind of thing, take note that politicians still hang their picture in public buildings! For the same reason that a king places images of himself around so people would know who was ruling, God wants to stamp His image in you and me to show Himself and His reign to this world! N.T. Wright observes that ‘God has placed his own image, human beings, into his world so that the world can see who its ruler is.'
This is what God reveals in Genesis when He inspired this passage: “Then God said, "let us make human beings in our image; in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish..." So God created human beings in his own image, In the image of God he created them; Male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) This is single most world-changing truth about human dignity and equality ever recorded. Imagine what it did to the heart of peasants and slaves when they heard that not just kings but EVERY human being was made in the divine image.
The fact that you were made in the image of God tells you not just about your worth, but also about your destiny. The main point of ‘image of God' language in scripture is not about some ability or trait we share with God, it is about the mission He has given us. God's plan was to graciously share His power through Spirit-breathed little dust bunnies. Through our learning, our work, our culture, our relationships, technology, the arts, medicine; we are- with humility - to add goodness and beauty to families and societies and creation so that God's whole project becomes a glorious delight to all who see it; “For the earth will be filled with the glory of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14) (Before you read on, go back and re-read that paragraph!)
Your destiny is to be contribute more creative God-given goodness to the earth than you can currently imagine; and to offer more earthy joy and gratitude to God than you can currently contain. Tom Wright has a beautiful picture of the IMAGO DEI. “Imagine God up above, the earth below. In between them, human beings are set at a 45 degree angle with a mirror.” Our job, our destiny, is to reflect the holy reign of God down on to the earth-to care for all of creation and particularly human beings the way God would want you to; and then to gather up all the goodness and delight of the earth and put it into words and offer it to God in worship.
The Bibles' language for this is: “you will be a king; you will be a priest.” Peter calls us ‘a royal priesthood… that you may declare the praises of Him who called you!’ This is not a solo act. We are to do this in community- a KINGDOM of PRIESTS.
• Are you letting the Holy Spirit do His work of the formation of the inner character—the spiritual formation— that lets the image of God (IMAGO DEI) be stamped in place of the sinful, broken likeness of Adam?
• Are you regularly and faithfully opening up your heart and mind to the Spirit in prayer, in Scripture intake, in worship (both solo and in church), in service to others, in meditation, in confession? We cannot make ourselves look like God, but we must be willing to let Him work deeply in us.
The ultimate destiny our Father has planned for us is revealed in this line from the Revelation: “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the new city, and his servants will worship him...and they will reign forever and ever.” (22:3-5) And, we can start now, by leaving our old slave lives behind and letting Him raise us up to be seated in heavenly places.
(Today’s CoffeeBreak is a re-write of an article authored by John Ortberg, teaching pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church)
____________________
Make me more like You,
Jesus, make me more like You.
Give me a heart that filled with Love,
And make me more like You.
In ancient times, the king would set up an image (TSELEM) of himself in every corner of his empire so people would know whose kingdom they were in. Just in case you think we’re past that kind of thing, take note that politicians still hang their picture in public buildings! For the same reason that a king places images of himself around so people would know who was ruling, God wants to stamp His image in you and me to show Himself and His reign to this world! N.T. Wright observes that ‘God has placed his own image, human beings, into his world so that the world can see who its ruler is.'
This is what God reveals in Genesis when He inspired this passage: “Then God said, "let us make human beings in our image; in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish..." So God created human beings in his own image, In the image of God he created them; Male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) This is single most world-changing truth about human dignity and equality ever recorded. Imagine what it did to the heart of peasants and slaves when they heard that not just kings but EVERY human being was made in the divine image.
The fact that you were made in the image of God tells you not just about your worth, but also about your destiny. The main point of ‘image of God' language in scripture is not about some ability or trait we share with God, it is about the mission He has given us. God's plan was to graciously share His power through Spirit-breathed little dust bunnies. Through our learning, our work, our culture, our relationships, technology, the arts, medicine; we are- with humility - to add goodness and beauty to families and societies and creation so that God's whole project becomes a glorious delight to all who see it; “For the earth will be filled with the glory of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14) (Before you read on, go back and re-read that paragraph!)
Your destiny is to be contribute more creative God-given goodness to the earth than you can currently imagine; and to offer more earthy joy and gratitude to God than you can currently contain. Tom Wright has a beautiful picture of the IMAGO DEI. “Imagine God up above, the earth below. In between them, human beings are set at a 45 degree angle with a mirror.” Our job, our destiny, is to reflect the holy reign of God down on to the earth-to care for all of creation and particularly human beings the way God would want you to; and then to gather up all the goodness and delight of the earth and put it into words and offer it to God in worship.
The Bibles' language for this is: “you will be a king; you will be a priest.” Peter calls us ‘a royal priesthood… that you may declare the praises of Him who called you!’ This is not a solo act. We are to do this in community- a KINGDOM of PRIESTS.
• Are you letting the Holy Spirit do His work of the formation of the inner character—the spiritual formation— that lets the image of God (IMAGO DEI) be stamped in place of the sinful, broken likeness of Adam?
• Are you regularly and faithfully opening up your heart and mind to the Spirit in prayer, in Scripture intake, in worship (both solo and in church), in service to others, in meditation, in confession? We cannot make ourselves look like God, but we must be willing to let Him work deeply in us.
The ultimate destiny our Father has planned for us is revealed in this line from the Revelation: “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the new city, and his servants will worship him...and they will reign forever and ever.” (22:3-5) And, we can start now, by leaving our old slave lives behind and letting Him raise us up to be seated in heavenly places.
(Today’s CoffeeBreak is a re-write of an article authored by John Ortberg, teaching pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church)
____________________
Make me more like You,
Jesus, make me more like You.
Give me a heart that filled with Love,
And make me more like You.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
True assurance
When life gets downright gritty, down to the basics, on what will you stand? If you have not been there already, a time will come that tests everything you claim to believe. It may tragedy, it may success beyond your wildest dreams. It may be fiery criticism, it may be the applause of thousands. And, in the depth of your heart you will need an unshakeable assurance. What will it be? Some trust their intellect. Some trust their morality. Some trust their money, others their social status.
When the prophet Jeremiah delivered his sermons of judgment to God’s people warning them that God was done with their unfaithfulness, that He was going to let the armies of Assyria come down to reduce their cities to rubble, they responded with impatience, insisting that it could never happen to Jerusalem because it was the city of God, His symbolic dwelling place on the earth. Jeremiah said, "Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” (Jeremiah 7:4, NIV) History tells us that he was right! The city was destroyed, the Temple was razed!
Our Christian hope, our true foundation, is Christ Jesus and the salvation provided by His Cross and secured by His Resurrection! It is not our church membership. It is not the good vibes we feel in our worship experience. It is not our ministry or our service to others. In our humanity we like to hold onto tangible tokens that help us to feel secure. “Look at my good works!” we say, just like the Jews of old who pointed the Temple in the center of the city! “I’m indispensable to the work of God,” we think, “so how could He allow bad things into my life?” If this is what we think when everything shakes, when circumstances come that strip away our illusions and/or pretensions, we are stunned, left hopeless and dismayed. But, if our hope is in Christ alone, we stand secure though all crumbles around us.
Here’s how Jesus taught this Truth: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-28, NLT) Paul, a man with much of which to boast in terms of heritage and religion said that he tossed all that aside. In terms of assuring his relationship with God he said it had the same value as dung! And he writes, "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14, NKJV)
Are you defined by the Love that Christ has for you?
When troubles come, when success beckons you sin in pride, are you holding only to the One who loves you?
That is true assurance.
_______________
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song!
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground;
Firm, through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ Alone
Townsend
© King's Way - Thank You
CCLI License No. 810055
When the prophet Jeremiah delivered his sermons of judgment to God’s people warning them that God was done with their unfaithfulness, that He was going to let the armies of Assyria come down to reduce their cities to rubble, they responded with impatience, insisting that it could never happen to Jerusalem because it was the city of God, His symbolic dwelling place on the earth. Jeremiah said, "Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” (Jeremiah 7:4, NIV) History tells us that he was right! The city was destroyed, the Temple was razed!
Our Christian hope, our true foundation, is Christ Jesus and the salvation provided by His Cross and secured by His Resurrection! It is not our church membership. It is not the good vibes we feel in our worship experience. It is not our ministry or our service to others. In our humanity we like to hold onto tangible tokens that help us to feel secure. “Look at my good works!” we say, just like the Jews of old who pointed the Temple in the center of the city! “I’m indispensable to the work of God,” we think, “so how could He allow bad things into my life?” If this is what we think when everything shakes, when circumstances come that strip away our illusions and/or pretensions, we are stunned, left hopeless and dismayed. But, if our hope is in Christ alone, we stand secure though all crumbles around us.
Here’s how Jesus taught this Truth: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-28, NLT) Paul, a man with much of which to boast in terms of heritage and religion said that he tossed all that aside. In terms of assuring his relationship with God he said it had the same value as dung! And he writes, "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14, NKJV)
Are you defined by the Love that Christ has for you?
When troubles come, when success beckons you sin in pride, are you holding only to the One who loves you?
That is true assurance.
_______________
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song!
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground;
Firm, through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ Alone
Townsend
© King's Way - Thank You
CCLI License No. 810055
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Backsliding?
Have you ever been guilty of ‘backsliding?’ It is exactly as it sounds, sliding backwards from some higher goal. For example, I’ve backslidden on a dozen diets! With determination to shed that 20 pounds, I eliminate cakes, ice cream, and potato chips from my menu. I do my daily walk faithfully … for a couple of weeks. You know how it goes. More seriously, there have been habits I know are not consistent with my love for God. In some moment of conviction, I swear that I will change; and I do… for a few days or weeks. Alas, I confess that sometimes I slide back into the old ways. What then? Must I live in guilty fear, ashamed, loving God, but from a distance?
Let’s learn from an old story of amazing love! The Lord pled with His people to return to Him. “I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land— the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me.
But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel! You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel! You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains, the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people. For they have chosen crooked paths and have forgotten the Lord their God. “My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” “Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the Lord our God." (Jeremiah 3:19-22, NLT)
Again that final thought- “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” “Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God." (Jeremiah 3:22, NIV)
Spiritual fidelity cannot be sustained with raw determination or even behavior modification techniques. Every natural impulse tells us to get our act together and then to come and present ourselves to God. But, that is wrong. We bring our mess, our sin, our guilt, our shame to Him! Yes, that is the way to be cured of backsliding. The Cross of Christ does not offer grace to the whole and holy. There God opened the way into His holy presence for sinners, even for backsliders. John’s familiar words are often addressed as though they were an invitation to those outside of the faith, but a closer reading shows them to be words for Believers, wonderful words of promise.
"If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, 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. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God. I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s." (1 John 1:8-2:2, The Message)
To whom does John write? “We” meaning himself and those in the Church that would read his letter. It’s an offer to backsliders! “Come home. Own your failure.” In that response of faith, the Spirit is given access to lead us forward. It’s so counter-intuitive to the way we normally attempt change, which is focused on trying harder. The Lord not only forgives, He coaches us into maturity and intimate love.
Do not misunderstand. Our backsliding has consequence and invites the Lord’s judgment. One only has to read the prophecies of Jeremiah to know that sin brings judgment. However, He is a gracious God, who loves us. "God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel: “Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me— The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do." (Isaiah 30:15, The Message)
_____________
Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddest me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome pardon cleanse relieve.
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God I come I come.
Just As I Am
Elliott, Charlotte / Bradbury, William B.
© Public Domain
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Fool’s Gold
Pyrite is the classic "Fool's Gold". Pyrite is so common in the earth’s crust that it is found nearly everywhere. It’s golden look, however, has made more than a few people think they’ve stumbled onto a rich vein of gold! Iron sulfide is often found near actual gold deposits which compounded the confusion of early prospectors.
How easily we can be tricked by the fool’s gold of life! I’m not talking about the obvious glitter and glam of wealth or celebrity. God offers us a rich life, deeply satisfying; His gift to those who will walk in His ways and make Him their true God. Self offers us another kind of satisfaction when we make it our god. Feeding our desires can provide satisfaction, too; and often one that is more easily and quickly available than the satisfaction that comes from Christ. But like pyrite, what we think is worth our great effort, proves to be worthless. The great tragedy is that many do not realize that they are buying fool’s gold until their treasure is all spent.
Jeremiah challenged God’s people to reflect on their lives. “My people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:11-14, NIV)
"Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty." (Jeremiah 2:19, NIV)
Think today.
Have you mistaken speaking positive words for genuine faith in God?
Do you think you can find peace with God through being morally upright and somewhat nicer than the average person instead of through receiving the grace of Jesus Christ?
Are you chasing after a ‘spiritual’ experience that is nothing more than an emotional high, confusing the work of the Spirit with mere exhilaration?
Have you allowed yourself to remake God in your image and likeness (fool’s gold!) or are you humbly inviting the Holy Spirit to work a transformation of character in you – though it cost you dearly of the things most valued by others?
Follow the way of Christ. It is true treasure.
"The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God is plenty and honor and a satisfying life." (Proverbs 22:4, The Message)
______________
How easily we can be tricked by the fool’s gold of life! I’m not talking about the obvious glitter and glam of wealth or celebrity. God offers us a rich life, deeply satisfying; His gift to those who will walk in His ways and make Him their true God. Self offers us another kind of satisfaction when we make it our god. Feeding our desires can provide satisfaction, too; and often one that is more easily and quickly available than the satisfaction that comes from Christ. But like pyrite, what we think is worth our great effort, proves to be worthless. The great tragedy is that many do not realize that they are buying fool’s gold until their treasure is all spent.
Jeremiah challenged God’s people to reflect on their lives. “My people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:11-14, NIV)
"Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty." (Jeremiah 2:19, NIV)
Think today.
Have you mistaken speaking positive words for genuine faith in God?
Do you think you can find peace with God through being morally upright and somewhat nicer than the average person instead of through receiving the grace of Jesus Christ?
Are you chasing after a ‘spiritual’ experience that is nothing more than an emotional high, confusing the work of the Spirit with mere exhilaration?
Have you allowed yourself to remake God in your image and likeness (fool’s gold!) or are you humbly inviting the Holy Spirit to work a transformation of character in you – though it cost you dearly of the things most valued by others?
Follow the way of Christ. It is true treasure.
"The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God is plenty and honor and a satisfying life." (Proverbs 22:4, The Message)
______________
Friday, January 14, 2011
Onward, Christian Soldiers
The Tucson tragedy of last Saturday fills the news. A loner who apparently lost touch with reality shot 20 people, 6 of whom died, including a sweet child. As happens with all of these tragedies, the blame game is being played out in the public square. Some point at the guy’s parents who failed. The Dems tried to make it about over-heated political rhetoric from the Repubs that drove the murderer to his desperation. Others have decried the lack of strict gun laws that let him buy a deadly weapon. What I know is that God weeps along with us. At the root of this tragedy is the same evil that causes a billion people to lie down in sorrow each night!
Evil is real, friend. We ignore it to our peril. When we fail to name sin and evil for what it is, when we think it can be defeated with more laws, more spending on government programs, more education or economic opportunity, we are only kidding ourselves. It is the Gospel of Christ that changes individual people from sinners to saints, and it is those saints who bring the rule of Christ to this world, pushing back the borders of evil with the power of the Spirit who fills us with love. If we turn the Church of Jesus Christ into a “bless-me” holy huddle, a kind of religious country club where we can be isolated from the ugly realities of the world, we are failing and are saying to our world, though perhaps unknowingly and unconsciously, “Go to Hell!”
In recent years, many have rejected the old militant songs like “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” Too war-like, they say. Perhaps we need a refresher course in Jesus’ words that are quite clear about the true nature of our mission – the defeat of evil by the establishment of His reign. His kingdom is one of love; but it is not a ‘soft lights, violin music’ kind of love! It’s a bold love that advances against evil. We don’t attack people. That’s wrong. We bring Light to dark places, we love the unlovely, we sacrifice Self to serve the least, the lost, and the lonely that they might come to know the One who cares for their soul. We teach a Biblical world view that runs directly counter to the materialism that shapes the thoughts of most. By telling The Story that we learn in the Scripture, we defeat the sensuality that is the spirit of the age. Where Christians do the work of Christ, evil is curbed.
Take time to re-read these familiar words. I pray that they will create a sense of mission in us, that the Church of Jesus Christ will renew her commitment to the true work of building His Kingdom, defeating the powers of evil.
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Matthew 7:15-20, NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27, NLT)
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT)
______________
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See His banners go!
At the sign of triumph,
Satan's host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver
At the shouts of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise!
Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading
Where the Saints have trod.
We are not divided,
All one body we:
One in hope and doctrine,
One in charity.
Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the church of Jesus
Constant will remain.
Gates of Hell can never
'Gainst the church prevail;
We have Christ's own promise,
And that cannot fail.
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Onward Christian Soldiers
Baring-Gould, Sabine / Sullivan, Arthur Seymour
© Public Domain
Evil is real, friend. We ignore it to our peril. When we fail to name sin and evil for what it is, when we think it can be defeated with more laws, more spending on government programs, more education or economic opportunity, we are only kidding ourselves. It is the Gospel of Christ that changes individual people from sinners to saints, and it is those saints who bring the rule of Christ to this world, pushing back the borders of evil with the power of the Spirit who fills us with love. If we turn the Church of Jesus Christ into a “bless-me” holy huddle, a kind of religious country club where we can be isolated from the ugly realities of the world, we are failing and are saying to our world, though perhaps unknowingly and unconsciously, “Go to Hell!”
In recent years, many have rejected the old militant songs like “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” Too war-like, they say. Perhaps we need a refresher course in Jesus’ words that are quite clear about the true nature of our mission – the defeat of evil by the establishment of His reign. His kingdom is one of love; but it is not a ‘soft lights, violin music’ kind of love! It’s a bold love that advances against evil. We don’t attack people. That’s wrong. We bring Light to dark places, we love the unlovely, we sacrifice Self to serve the least, the lost, and the lonely that they might come to know the One who cares for their soul. We teach a Biblical world view that runs directly counter to the materialism that shapes the thoughts of most. By telling The Story that we learn in the Scripture, we defeat the sensuality that is the spirit of the age. Where Christians do the work of Christ, evil is curbed.
Take time to re-read these familiar words. I pray that they will create a sense of mission in us, that the Church of Jesus Christ will renew her commitment to the true work of building His Kingdom, defeating the powers of evil.
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Matthew 7:15-20, NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27, NLT)
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT)
______________
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See His banners go!
At the sign of triumph,
Satan's host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver
At the shouts of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise!
Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading
Where the Saints have trod.
We are not divided,
All one body we:
One in hope and doctrine,
One in charity.
Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the church of Jesus
Constant will remain.
Gates of Hell can never
'Gainst the church prevail;
We have Christ's own promise,
And that cannot fail.
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Onward Christian Soldiers
Baring-Gould, Sabine / Sullivan, Arthur Seymour
© Public Domain
Thursday, January 13, 2011
And Joseph wept . . .
Forgiveness is a precious gift and one that brings joy to both the forgiver and the forgiven. There are not many choices we can make that will return as rich a reward to us as the choice to release others with forgiveness. Holding a grudge requires constant investment of emotional energy and locks us into a fixed state that prevents growth. No wonder Jesus urges us to forgive those who trespass against us.
A Christian who has been forgiven by his Heavenly Father must likewise forgive if he would live in the fullness of grace that is offered by the Lord to him. That is why the Word urges us to "never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink." (Romans 12:19-20, NLT)
In the story of Joseph, there is a sad footnote about forgiveness. He brought his whole family, including the brothers who had treated him so terribly in his youth, to Egypt. After 17 years, Jacob died. Even though Joseph had been kind to them, showing no inclination towards revenge, those men lived in fear that he had not truly forgiven them. The Bible says they cooked up a lie and went to their now powerful brother. “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?" (Genesis 50:16-19, NLT)
Lacking the godly heart of their brother, these men acted to protect themselves. Their failure to understand or accept Joseph’s forgiveness does not provoke him. Instead we read that ‘he broke down and wept.’ He felt sorry for the brothers who were still locked into a prison of fear and guilt by their failure to receive forgiveness and to forgive themselves! He shows us the true heart of a forgiver when he says that final justice belongs to God!
Disciple, are you hanging onto a grudge?
Are you trapped by some old debt, unwilling to either extend forgiveness or to receive it?
It’s time to change that. In Christ, we find complete forgiveness of our sins. The Word says, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:10-12, NIV) Knowing that kind of mercy and grace, we are then enabled to release those who have sinned against us into His hands, fully forgiving them. Will you? It’s a great gift to others and to ourselves!
Here’s a word from the Word. Receive it with faith and live in the joy promised. "But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25, NLT)
_______________
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.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.
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!
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 Greater Than Our Sin
Johnston, Julia H. / Towner, Daniel Brink
© Public Domain
A Christian who has been forgiven by his Heavenly Father must likewise forgive if he would live in the fullness of grace that is offered by the Lord to him. That is why the Word urges us to "never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink." (Romans 12:19-20, NLT)
In the story of Joseph, there is a sad footnote about forgiveness. He brought his whole family, including the brothers who had treated him so terribly in his youth, to Egypt. After 17 years, Jacob died. Even though Joseph had been kind to them, showing no inclination towards revenge, those men lived in fear that he had not truly forgiven them. The Bible says they cooked up a lie and went to their now powerful brother. “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?" (Genesis 50:16-19, NLT)
Lacking the godly heart of their brother, these men acted to protect themselves. Their failure to understand or accept Joseph’s forgiveness does not provoke him. Instead we read that ‘he broke down and wept.’ He felt sorry for the brothers who were still locked into a prison of fear and guilt by their failure to receive forgiveness and to forgive themselves! He shows us the true heart of a forgiver when he says that final justice belongs to God!
Disciple, are you hanging onto a grudge?
Are you trapped by some old debt, unwilling to either extend forgiveness or to receive it?
It’s time to change that. In Christ, we find complete forgiveness of our sins. The Word says, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:10-12, NIV) Knowing that kind of mercy and grace, we are then enabled to release those who have sinned against us into His hands, fully forgiving them. Will you? It’s a great gift to others and to ourselves!
Here’s a word from the Word. Receive it with faith and live in the joy promised. "But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25, NLT)
_______________
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.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.
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!
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 Greater Than Our Sin
Johnston, Julia H. / Towner, Daniel Brink
© Public Domain
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Human nature is persistent.
“Pastor, pray that …” and what follows is often a request for some change in life. I should not say this, but often my prayer is tinged with a suspicion that nothing will come of our entreaty. Why? Do I doubt God’s power? Not at all. The Spirit of God does transform the human heart, but not without some cooperation on our part. What produces my doubt is the knowledge that many people want God to do a magic trick for them. They seek to own the treasure of faith and/or character without any effort on their part. In those moments I feel like the alchemists of old of whom kings demanded lead turned into gold!
In the story of Joseph there is a little line that made me smile as I read it today. After his glorious reunion with his brothers, after the Pharaoh loaded them up with money and an invitation to come back and live on the ‘best of all Egypt,’ Joseph sent them away with this caution: as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” (Genesis 45:24, NIV) Their actions over the previous several months as he had tested them revealed they were still selfish, sinful men!
They had grown older but they had not matured into wise men spiritually! How sad, but too often true of so many of us. Joseph, by contrast, had lived through terrible testing, the kind of experiences that destroy most people, and emerged with a stellar character, amazing wisdom, and deep faith.
Disciple are you just growing older in the faith or are you growing deeper and stronger, too? A long record of church attendance is no indicator of spiritual maturity. Are you still dealing with the same sins and habits that you wrestled with 20 years ago? Are you still crying out to God for a magic trick of deliverance, instead of working with Him for deep transformation of character into a person of steady faith, integrity, and humility?
The twin rails of spiritual change are prayer and practical choices! Without the intervention of Christ and the power of the Spirit, we remain in our sin, slaves- the Bible says – of a sinful nature that cannot change! So pray and accept the freedom provided by Jesus. And then, make the choices necessary. “Choose today whom you will serve,” was the challenge put before God’s people by an old man named Joshua whose life was a model of faithfulness for them.
Meditate for a few moments on this passage. Then, let God defeat the persistence of sin in your nature revealing the nature of Christ in you.
"Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (Romans 5:1-5, NLT)
___________
Change my heart, oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like You.
You are the potter,
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.
Change My Heart Oh God
Espinosa, Eddie
© 1982 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
In the story of Joseph there is a little line that made me smile as I read it today. After his glorious reunion with his brothers, after the Pharaoh loaded them up with money and an invitation to come back and live on the ‘best of all Egypt,’ Joseph sent them away with this caution: as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” (Genesis 45:24, NIV) Their actions over the previous several months as he had tested them revealed they were still selfish, sinful men!
They had grown older but they had not matured into wise men spiritually! How sad, but too often true of so many of us. Joseph, by contrast, had lived through terrible testing, the kind of experiences that destroy most people, and emerged with a stellar character, amazing wisdom, and deep faith.
Disciple are you just growing older in the faith or are you growing deeper and stronger, too? A long record of church attendance is no indicator of spiritual maturity. Are you still dealing with the same sins and habits that you wrestled with 20 years ago? Are you still crying out to God for a magic trick of deliverance, instead of working with Him for deep transformation of character into a person of steady faith, integrity, and humility?
The twin rails of spiritual change are prayer and practical choices! Without the intervention of Christ and the power of the Spirit, we remain in our sin, slaves- the Bible says – of a sinful nature that cannot change! So pray and accept the freedom provided by Jesus. And then, make the choices necessary. “Choose today whom you will serve,” was the challenge put before God’s people by an old man named Joshua whose life was a model of faithfulness for them.
Meditate for a few moments on this passage. Then, let God defeat the persistence of sin in your nature revealing the nature of Christ in you.
"Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (Romans 5:1-5, NLT)
___________
Change my heart, oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like You.
You are the potter,
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.
Change My Heart Oh God
Espinosa, Eddie
© 1982 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
He sent me here!
The Lord can use even the unjust actions of evil people to accomplish His purposes in our lives. I believe that whole-heartedly, but living it out can be such a challenge. My natural response when someone takes advantage of me, or when they accuse me unfairly, or when they fail to keep the promise to me is to rise up in self-defense. If the situation is critical enough I might even start to grumble about what seems like the Lord’s failure to ‘take care of me.’
Many years ago, an egotistical, power hungry man I’ll just call Will entered the congregation I was pastoring. He challenged my teaching, worked hard to gather a following, and created all kinds of problems in the church. I prayed earnestly about how to preserve the flock from his harm. Finally the Lord spoke into my heart about some repentance that needed to happen in my own life with the promise that when I obeyed, He would take care of Will! I did, and He did!
Was God the author of Will’s sinfulness? Not at all, but He was using him to reveal a flaw in me. Once I was aligned to His plan, I could see clearly how to proceed and saw His provision for my situation at the time.
Joseph, the patriarch whose story is told in the latter part of Genesis, was cruelly treated by his brothers, rejected because he was prideful and favored by their father, Jacob. When they found an opportunity to be rid of their little brother, they sold him into slavery and he was carried off to Egypt. Years later, Joseph had become the Prime Minister of the empire and his brothers found themselves in his court. When they finally realized that the powerful man standing before them was the brother they sent to a living death, they trembled, waiting for retaliation. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping." (Genesis 45:4-6, NIV) God was working, all the time, in every situation.
Have others broken your heart, blocked your way, sinned against God and harmed you?
Are you ready to respond with hatred?
Are you tempted to abandon the Lord’s will and do your own thing to even the score?
Don’t do it!
Take a lesson from Joseph and do the right thing even in the most trying of circumstances. "Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon." (Psalm 37:5-6, The Message) That’s not fatalism. That is true faith that waits on the Lord.
In time, you will see, like Joseph (though he waited two decades!) that God is greater, that His purposes prevail, that He is Lord of all.
Here’s a word from the Word. Pray it today! Learn it, own it, live it.
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare." (Psalm 40:1-5, NIV)
Many years ago, an egotistical, power hungry man I’ll just call Will entered the congregation I was pastoring. He challenged my teaching, worked hard to gather a following, and created all kinds of problems in the church. I prayed earnestly about how to preserve the flock from his harm. Finally the Lord spoke into my heart about some repentance that needed to happen in my own life with the promise that when I obeyed, He would take care of Will! I did, and He did!
Was God the author of Will’s sinfulness? Not at all, but He was using him to reveal a flaw in me. Once I was aligned to His plan, I could see clearly how to proceed and saw His provision for my situation at the time.
Joseph, the patriarch whose story is told in the latter part of Genesis, was cruelly treated by his brothers, rejected because he was prideful and favored by their father, Jacob. When they found an opportunity to be rid of their little brother, they sold him into slavery and he was carried off to Egypt. Years later, Joseph had become the Prime Minister of the empire and his brothers found themselves in his court. When they finally realized that the powerful man standing before them was the brother they sent to a living death, they trembled, waiting for retaliation. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping." (Genesis 45:4-6, NIV) God was working, all the time, in every situation.
Have others broken your heart, blocked your way, sinned against God and harmed you?
Are you ready to respond with hatred?
Are you tempted to abandon the Lord’s will and do your own thing to even the score?
Don’t do it!
Take a lesson from Joseph and do the right thing even in the most trying of circumstances. "Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon." (Psalm 37:5-6, The Message) That’s not fatalism. That is true faith that waits on the Lord.
In time, you will see, like Joseph (though he waited two decades!) that God is greater, that His purposes prevail, that He is Lord of all.
Here’s a word from the Word. Pray it today! Learn it, own it, live it.
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare." (Psalm 40:1-5, NIV)
Monday, January 10, 2011
I love you, Bev!
Today we mark our 36th wedding anniversary. Bev is the best thing that ever happened to me, my best friend, my partner. We share a ministry calling, four great kids, a ton ‘o memories, and love for Christ Jesus. We were just kids when we married - 19 and 20 years of age – but from the first we gave ourselves to Him first, and that has been the key to the endurance of our love. We know firsthand the truth that "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour." (Ecclesiastes 4:9, KJV) "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12, KJV)
We sailed some rough waters over these years. Bev endured living with a head-strong young husband who mistaken thought that being head of the home gave him the divine right of a king! A year and a half into our marriage, she followed me, without complaint, across the country in pursuit of my dreams of changing the world, and today our Wyoming chapter, as we call it, is one of our treasured shared experiences! I waded through a decade of emotional upheaval as Bev struggled with the stresses of being 'Mommy' to four energetic kids. Of course, like most young husbands, I overflowed with compassion and empathy. (OK, I just lied!)
As we entered the second decade of our marriage a major change in career plans and financial situation left me fighting with depression. Bev stood alongside of me through it all, and was my most faithful advocate before the Lord. All four of our children were teenagers at the same time. To those who are parents, need I say more? Our innate styles of parenting were so different, we spent as much feuding with each other as we did guiding our kids, or so it seemed at the time. But, today we are friends with them all and proud of the people they have become.
The truth is I would not be who I am today with her. Our lives are completely interdependent, both of us stronger together than we could possibly be apart. So, here we stand at #36- so very thankful for the faithful care of the One who has led us all this way! I confess that sometimes I wonder what lies ahead in this thing called – life! Through it all, we have loved and laughed as our love grew mature. Yet, still it sparkles with the same kind of passion and excitement we felt as two kids. I love Bev today in ways that were incomprehensible to me 36 years ago.
Happy Anniversary, Bev – I love you!
______________________________
"Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:10-12, NLT)
"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.
She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.
Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise." (Proverbs 31:25-31, NLT)
We sailed some rough waters over these years. Bev endured living with a head-strong young husband who mistaken thought that being head of the home gave him the divine right of a king! A year and a half into our marriage, she followed me, without complaint, across the country in pursuit of my dreams of changing the world, and today our Wyoming chapter, as we call it, is one of our treasured shared experiences! I waded through a decade of emotional upheaval as Bev struggled with the stresses of being 'Mommy' to four energetic kids. Of course, like most young husbands, I overflowed with compassion and empathy. (OK, I just lied!)
As we entered the second decade of our marriage a major change in career plans and financial situation left me fighting with depression. Bev stood alongside of me through it all, and was my most faithful advocate before the Lord. All four of our children were teenagers at the same time. To those who are parents, need I say more? Our innate styles of parenting were so different, we spent as much feuding with each other as we did guiding our kids, or so it seemed at the time. But, today we are friends with them all and proud of the people they have become.
The truth is I would not be who I am today with her. Our lives are completely interdependent, both of us stronger together than we could possibly be apart. So, here we stand at #36- so very thankful for the faithful care of the One who has led us all this way! I confess that sometimes I wonder what lies ahead in this thing called – life! Through it all, we have loved and laughed as our love grew mature. Yet, still it sparkles with the same kind of passion and excitement we felt as two kids. I love Bev today in ways that were incomprehensible to me 36 years ago.
Happy Anniversary, Bev – I love you!
______________________________
"Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:10-12, NLT)
"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.
She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.
Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise." (Proverbs 31:25-31, NLT)
Friday, January 07, 2011
Part of an unseen reality!
It is easy to make fun of Christianity if you’re on the outside looking in. I’m not talking about the obviously kooky people who sometimes hang around church or even about those who are mentally unbalanced who seize Christian jargon and add it to their confused grasp of reality. Ordinary Christians, those who are sincere, are easy targets for mockers. What sense does it make to forgive others? It’s much more natural to ‘make’m pay!’ How logical is it to contribute to the needs of the poor? Just take care of yourself and your family and forget ‘em! Studying an ancient collection of writings and letting the words in them become a guide for living in the 21st century is … well, you’re getting my point, I hope.
\But, for those who know Christ and in whom lives the Spirit of God, the secret of a rich, full life is found in forgiveness, generosity, and the principles of the Word. What is foolishness to those without the Spirit is the wisdom of God to those who know and love Him. But why do Christians make such choices? It goes beyond a lifestyle choice. They are not just ‘trying to be religious.’ In Christ, they are made entirely new, a different kind of person, with a undeniable reality though they are part of a world unseen with human eyes.
I am not big on the word ‘mystical,’ but it’s the one I will use. I cannot explain how a person once consumed by selfishness, or once held in the grip of lust or greed or addiction, or full of hatred can be transformed into a loving, gentle, pure person – but I have seen it happen, again and again, when that person acknowledges his spiritual bankruptcy, his total inability to live in a way that is good or pure; and then invites Christ Jesus to be his Savior, a mystical transformation begins. It’s real! Jesus likened the change to the growth of a seed. It germinates hidden away in the soil, but in time produces a visible crop that is many times larger than the first seed!
So, the question for you, reader is this – are you merely religious, or is there an undeniable reality about your faith in Christ? Pay no attention to the mockers. They stood at the Cross of Christ and have stood on the periphery of the Church for two millennia. Sometimes their mockery points out hypocrisy and is deserved. However, often their derision is rooted in their ignorance of Who Jesus is and what He can do in those who love and serve Him.
Let me leave you with a word from the Word. "God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. … And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ." (Colossians 1:25-28, NLT)
___________________
Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us;
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence.
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness;
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirror'd here, may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine.
Fill this land with the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze.
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow.
Flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word,
Lord, and let there be light.
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Kendrick, Graham
© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
\But, for those who know Christ and in whom lives the Spirit of God, the secret of a rich, full life is found in forgiveness, generosity, and the principles of the Word. What is foolishness to those without the Spirit is the wisdom of God to those who know and love Him. But why do Christians make such choices? It goes beyond a lifestyle choice. They are not just ‘trying to be religious.’ In Christ, they are made entirely new, a different kind of person, with a undeniable reality though they are part of a world unseen with human eyes.
I am not big on the word ‘mystical,’ but it’s the one I will use. I cannot explain how a person once consumed by selfishness, or once held in the grip of lust or greed or addiction, or full of hatred can be transformed into a loving, gentle, pure person – but I have seen it happen, again and again, when that person acknowledges his spiritual bankruptcy, his total inability to live in a way that is good or pure; and then invites Christ Jesus to be his Savior, a mystical transformation begins. It’s real! Jesus likened the change to the growth of a seed. It germinates hidden away in the soil, but in time produces a visible crop that is many times larger than the first seed!
So, the question for you, reader is this – are you merely religious, or is there an undeniable reality about your faith in Christ? Pay no attention to the mockers. They stood at the Cross of Christ and have stood on the periphery of the Church for two millennia. Sometimes their mockery points out hypocrisy and is deserved. However, often their derision is rooted in their ignorance of Who Jesus is and what He can do in those who love and serve Him.
Let me leave you with a word from the Word. "God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. … And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ." (Colossians 1:25-28, NLT)
___________________
Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us;
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence.
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness;
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirror'd here, may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine.
Fill this land with the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze.
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow.
Flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word,
Lord, and let there be light.
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Kendrick, Graham
© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Authentic Christianity 4 – Unimpeachable Integrity
My Dad often reminisced about the days (50+ years ago) when he was in business and closed large deals on a handshake. He bought and sold thousands of dollars worth of livestock without written contracts or lawyers. His word was good enough, backed by his reputation of integrity. I miss those days! When Bev and I bought our home, we signed a stack of documents that was at least 2 inches tall, just for one sale. Even our church has to have a lawyer on retainer to help us negotiate our way through a society that now insists on every transaction being signed, notarized, and doubly witnessed.
The late Ray Stedman says that the fourth mark of the authentic Christian is an unimpeachable integrity that comes from knowing our lives are open to God’s eyes that miss nothing. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, NIV)
Are your daily actions sincere? That word comes from a Latin phrase, "sine cera" which means 'without wax.' Seems that it came from the potters and sculptors of the ancient world. If you had spent time molding and firing a pot only to discover cracks that marred its usefulness, you could quickly make the pot marketable by heating some wax and pressing it into the cracks before finishing the item. Goofed on an expensive block of marble? Mix a little marble dust into some wax and cover your mistake. Initially, no one would know that the item was flawed. However, craftsman who was in business for the long haul, who wanted repeat customers, advertised that his products were 'sine cera!' - without wax.
Authentic Christians are not content with superficial words, with shallow devotions, and unexamined motives. They are passionate about being the same in secret as they are in church, about making sure that what they do aligns with what they claim to believe. They allow the Spirit of God to use the powerful Word to surgically correct the flaws in character, so that they are people of integrity – the same all the way through! "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)
Integrity allows the disciple to live transparently, a liberating fact. He does not need two vocabularies- one for church and one for work. He does not worry about anyone accessing his computer’s browsing history. He never needs to worry that he is in a place where he thinks - “I hope no one sees me here.” When he is going through struggles and/or temptation, he has no need to pretend to be better than he is and freely asks for support and advice. He is a person of integrity – the same inside and out; not perfect, but honest to man and God.
Here’s a word from the Word. In it, we are directed to act consistently with our prayers, to make the choices that reflect our beliefs. Remembering, believing is more than thinking something is true. It is acting in a way that is consistent with our faith.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (James 1:5-8, NIV) If we lack integrity, saying we believe one thing, but living as though we believe another, we are robbed of the steady, stable life promised to those who live wholly holy before the Lord.
______________
Father in Heaven,
I live in a word of image and impression.
I am tempted to take my cue from the culture,
to pretend and to ‘dress up’ to hide my insecurities and my sins.
Help me to be a man of integrity-
Honest before You and those with whom I live.
Thank You for the wonderful promise that
You know me best and love me most!
Let me know the security that comes from Your
amazing grace; and from that rock,
learn to live without fear, sincerely –
A life of integrity that honors You.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen.
The late Ray Stedman says that the fourth mark of the authentic Christian is an unimpeachable integrity that comes from knowing our lives are open to God’s eyes that miss nothing. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, NIV)
Are your daily actions sincere? That word comes from a Latin phrase, "sine cera" which means 'without wax.' Seems that it came from the potters and sculptors of the ancient world. If you had spent time molding and firing a pot only to discover cracks that marred its usefulness, you could quickly make the pot marketable by heating some wax and pressing it into the cracks before finishing the item. Goofed on an expensive block of marble? Mix a little marble dust into some wax and cover your mistake. Initially, no one would know that the item was flawed. However, craftsman who was in business for the long haul, who wanted repeat customers, advertised that his products were 'sine cera!' - without wax.
Authentic Christians are not content with superficial words, with shallow devotions, and unexamined motives. They are passionate about being the same in secret as they are in church, about making sure that what they do aligns with what they claim to believe. They allow the Spirit of God to use the powerful Word to surgically correct the flaws in character, so that they are people of integrity – the same all the way through! "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)
Integrity allows the disciple to live transparently, a liberating fact. He does not need two vocabularies- one for church and one for work. He does not worry about anyone accessing his computer’s browsing history. He never needs to worry that he is in a place where he thinks - “I hope no one sees me here.” When he is going through struggles and/or temptation, he has no need to pretend to be better than he is and freely asks for support and advice. He is a person of integrity – the same inside and out; not perfect, but honest to man and God.
Here’s a word from the Word. In it, we are directed to act consistently with our prayers, to make the choices that reflect our beliefs. Remembering, believing is more than thinking something is true. It is acting in a way that is consistent with our faith.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (James 1:5-8, NIV) If we lack integrity, saying we believe one thing, but living as though we believe another, we are robbed of the steady, stable life promised to those who live wholly holy before the Lord.
______________
Father in Heaven,
I live in a word of image and impression.
I am tempted to take my cue from the culture,
to pretend and to ‘dress up’ to hide my insecurities and my sins.
Help me to be a man of integrity-
Honest before You and those with whom I live.
Thank You for the wonderful promise that
You know me best and love me most!
Let me know the security that comes from Your
amazing grace; and from that rock,
learn to live without fear, sincerely –
A life of integrity that honors You.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Authentic Christian 3 - Unforgettable Impact
When I think of a meaningless, vapid life two names come to mind: Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton. Both are pretty women whose faces are (or were) frequently in the news, but neither has made any kind of actual contribution to the world. Despite advantages of wealth and beauty, their lives appear to be wasted on frivolous pursuits of pleasure and lack substance. Many people are existing in that same kind of state though not to the notable extremes of Lohan and Paris. Forgettable people are adrift in the world, avoiding hard choices, watching TV late into the night, keeping themselves entertained, and making barely a trace as they pass through!
The late Ray Stedman says that the third mark of the authentic Christian is unforgettable impact that the Presence of Christ in us creates in this world. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, NIV)
It is interesting that Paul chooses to illustrate the unforgettable impact of a genuine Christian’s life using fragrance, but he is right on with what we know about our sense of smell. Though many of are unaware of how we use our noses, what we smell and the memories we associate with certain scents evoke powerful emotions. We identify people, in part, by scent though most of us don’t consciously do it. We are attracted to some, repelled from others, by scent and not just powerful ones like perfumes or body odor, but the more subtle scents that are unique to each of us. Science suggests that memories of scents persist in our brain for years!
Paul says that as the authentic Christian moves through his world he gives off the smell of Jesus’ Presence! But not all find it a pleasant scent. Some are reminded only of their sin and their alienation from God. Others are reminded of the love of their Father! “To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”
Are you living a life that is engaged with God, that wrestles with the tough issues of the world in which you walk, that is robust in faith? Does your Christianity cause you to break a sweat, figuratively speaking? Or, is what you call ‘being Christian’ a tame experience of sitting on a church pew, comforted by soothing words, promised Heaven at the end of a life that valued ease and pleasure above all else?
Pastor Stedman wrote: “Authentic Christianity leaves a lingering fragrance to God of Jesus Christ, no matter what--but to human beings, it is either a fragrance of death to death or of life to life. But what about phony Christianity? That's another matter altogether--it just a bad smell! You've certainly heard the only one-liner--"Old fishermen never die--they only smell that way." The same can be said for false Christianity. It never dies; it only smells that way.”
Get sweaty for God! Get so close to Jesus that His scent rubs off on you! Be authentic!
The late Ray Stedman says that the third mark of the authentic Christian is unforgettable impact that the Presence of Christ in us creates in this world. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, NIV)
It is interesting that Paul chooses to illustrate the unforgettable impact of a genuine Christian’s life using fragrance, but he is right on with what we know about our sense of smell. Though many of are unaware of how we use our noses, what we smell and the memories we associate with certain scents evoke powerful emotions. We identify people, in part, by scent though most of us don’t consciously do it. We are attracted to some, repelled from others, by scent and not just powerful ones like perfumes or body odor, but the more subtle scents that are unique to each of us. Science suggests that memories of scents persist in our brain for years!
Paul says that as the authentic Christian moves through his world he gives off the smell of Jesus’ Presence! But not all find it a pleasant scent. Some are reminded only of their sin and their alienation from God. Others are reminded of the love of their Father! “To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”
Are you living a life that is engaged with God, that wrestles with the tough issues of the world in which you walk, that is robust in faith? Does your Christianity cause you to break a sweat, figuratively speaking? Or, is what you call ‘being Christian’ a tame experience of sitting on a church pew, comforted by soothing words, promised Heaven at the end of a life that valued ease and pleasure above all else?
Pastor Stedman wrote: “Authentic Christianity leaves a lingering fragrance to God of Jesus Christ, no matter what--but to human beings, it is either a fragrance of death to death or of life to life. But what about phony Christianity? That's another matter altogether--it just a bad smell! You've certainly heard the only one-liner--"Old fishermen never die--they only smell that way." The same can be said for false Christianity. It never dies; it only smells that way.”
Get sweaty for God! Get so close to Jesus that His scent rubs off on you! Be authentic!
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Authentic Christian 2 - Unvarying Success
Being 55 is not all that great, given the aches and the diminished stamina of aging. There is one thing however that is wonderful about this stage of life- experience! Situations that could flummox me when I was 30 don’t anymore. I’ve learned that God always has a plan, even when I don’t; that His purposes will prevail even when from my perspective I have hit a brick wall. Indeed, though it seems a cliché, I must say that the largest gains have come in times of greatest pain! I am not a fatalist for I know that my choices can both help and hinder the work of God’s kingdom. But, I am convinced that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28, NLT)
The late Ray Stedman said that the second mark of the authentic Christian was unvarying success that comes to those who are led by Christ Jesus. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, NIV)
Stedman writes, “We must remember that these high-sounding words of Paul's are not mere evangelical pep talk. They were not uttered by a well-paid, highly respected pastor to a well-dressed suburban congregation in a modern American mega-church. These words were not given to thrill and entertain the Sunday morning audience, but to embolden and encourage those who were literally risking their lives and their families' lives for the cause of Christ on a daily basis. These words were written by a man who bore on his body the wounds of a servant of Jesus.” Speaking out of his own experience, Paul encourages us to trust God ALL of the time, not just when things are going our way. He tells us to stay steady even when every circumstance would seem to indicate God has forgotten us. Writing of his trials, he says, "I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. … And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear." (Philippians 1:14, NLT)
Two thousand years of church history, even with some incredibly dark chapters of awful corruption, even with all the foibles and failures of men and their schemes, only proves that God is supreme and that His will stands. Personalize that today, disciple! As we stand on the edge of this new year, renew your faith. Surrender yourself to the will of the Lord and tell Him openly and often that you desire to be led by His hand. Then, trust Him to ‘lead in triumphal procession!’ That doesn’t mean that you’ll get rich, always enjoy ‘good luck,’ or even become famous! You will live a solid life of assurance, with a deep peace, a worthy life of integrity, that enjoys the trust of others, and the benediction of Heaven!
Take this incredible promise, a word from the Word, with you today.
"It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. … Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:13-18, NIV)
_____________
The late Ray Stedman said that the second mark of the authentic Christian was unvarying success that comes to those who are led by Christ Jesus. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, NIV)
Stedman writes, “We must remember that these high-sounding words of Paul's are not mere evangelical pep talk. They were not uttered by a well-paid, highly respected pastor to a well-dressed suburban congregation in a modern American mega-church. These words were not given to thrill and entertain the Sunday morning audience, but to embolden and encourage those who were literally risking their lives and their families' lives for the cause of Christ on a daily basis. These words were written by a man who bore on his body the wounds of a servant of Jesus.” Speaking out of his own experience, Paul encourages us to trust God ALL of the time, not just when things are going our way. He tells us to stay steady even when every circumstance would seem to indicate God has forgotten us. Writing of his trials, he says, "I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. … And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear." (Philippians 1:14, NLT)
Two thousand years of church history, even with some incredibly dark chapters of awful corruption, even with all the foibles and failures of men and their schemes, only proves that God is supreme and that His will stands. Personalize that today, disciple! As we stand on the edge of this new year, renew your faith. Surrender yourself to the will of the Lord and tell Him openly and often that you desire to be led by His hand. Then, trust Him to ‘lead in triumphal procession!’ That doesn’t mean that you’ll get rich, always enjoy ‘good luck,’ or even become famous! You will live a solid life of assurance, with a deep peace, a worthy life of integrity, that enjoys the trust of others, and the benediction of Heaven!
Take this incredible promise, a word from the Word, with you today.
"It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. … Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:13-18, NIV)
_____________
Monday, January 03, 2011
Authentic Christian 1 - Unquenchable Optimism
The world we live in is full of difficulties and disappointments. Mom gets cancer. The person who heads the company makes an ill-advised decision that bankrupts it and costs us our job. Weeds grow in the lawn even in drought. It’s easy to get flabby and out of shape, hard to stay healthy and fit. The curse of sin is much in evidence! But, I am not in despair over it all. I have found the secret that motivates me to swim against the current, to work for a brighter day, to live purposefully where others may want to surrender to fate.
The late Ray Stedman, writing on the text I’m about to quote, said that one of the marks of the authentic Christian is his unquenchable optimism born of faith that makes it’s foundation the eternal promises of Christ Jesus. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, NIV)
“Thanks be to God, who always leads us.” Could there be greater reason for hope than that? Don’t misunderstand. An authentic Christian does not avoid dealing with reality, does not pretend that all is well. He sees the pain and suffering that sin and Satan stir up all around with injustice, disease, hatred, prejudice, greed and such things. And, he looks higher to see the hand of God working in his life and through his life. He is thankful, in faith, that God can transform even the most painful circumstances and use them to produce a Kingdom result.
Paul and Silas set a girl free from slavery to an evil spirit in Philippi. For their kindness, they were beaten, thrown into stocks in the inner dungeon, and left to groan. But, they sang instead, not silly songs that were meant to distract them from their plight, but hymns of thanksgiving to God that they trusted to work to make His plan known! And, the earth shook, the doors came open, the jailor was converted, becoming one of the founders of the church in that city. (Acts 16) That’s authentic Christianity that knows unquenchable optimism rooted in faith in the Lord.
What circumstance frustrates you today?
Is there someone who is resisting the purpose of God and trying to make you miserable?
Does the future look bleak?
Make the choice of an authentic Christian. Have faith in God! Sing a song that strengthens your hope in Him. Give up your need to define how the future must look and let Him lead you to a place unimaginable in human understanding. "No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him. But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along." (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, The Message) That is the place from which the authentic Christian gets his unquenchable optimism.
(Tomorrow – the second mark of the authentic Christian)
__________________________
God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way,
He works in ways we cannot see,
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side,
With love and strength
For each new day,
He will make a way,
He will make a way.
By a roadway in the wilderness
He'll lead me,
And rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain,
He will do something new today.
God Will Make A Way
Moen, Don
© 1990 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
The late Ray Stedman, writing on the text I’m about to quote, said that one of the marks of the authentic Christian is his unquenchable optimism born of faith that makes it’s foundation the eternal promises of Christ Jesus. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, NIV)
“Thanks be to God, who always leads us.” Could there be greater reason for hope than that? Don’t misunderstand. An authentic Christian does not avoid dealing with reality, does not pretend that all is well. He sees the pain and suffering that sin and Satan stir up all around with injustice, disease, hatred, prejudice, greed and such things. And, he looks higher to see the hand of God working in his life and through his life. He is thankful, in faith, that God can transform even the most painful circumstances and use them to produce a Kingdom result.
Paul and Silas set a girl free from slavery to an evil spirit in Philippi. For their kindness, they were beaten, thrown into stocks in the inner dungeon, and left to groan. But, they sang instead, not silly songs that were meant to distract them from their plight, but hymns of thanksgiving to God that they trusted to work to make His plan known! And, the earth shook, the doors came open, the jailor was converted, becoming one of the founders of the church in that city. (Acts 16) That’s authentic Christianity that knows unquenchable optimism rooted in faith in the Lord.
What circumstance frustrates you today?
Is there someone who is resisting the purpose of God and trying to make you miserable?
Does the future look bleak?
Make the choice of an authentic Christian. Have faith in God! Sing a song that strengthens your hope in Him. Give up your need to define how the future must look and let Him lead you to a place unimaginable in human understanding. "No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him. But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along." (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, The Message) That is the place from which the authentic Christian gets his unquenchable optimism.
(Tomorrow – the second mark of the authentic Christian)
__________________________
God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way,
He works in ways we cannot see,
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side,
With love and strength
For each new day,
He will make a way,
He will make a way.
By a roadway in the wilderness
He'll lead me,
And rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain,
He will do something new today.
God Will Make A Way
Moen, Don
© 1990 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Friday, December 31, 2010
The Road to Peace
It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? The uncertainty that grips America only grows, it seems to me. The election in November indicated the fear that runs deep among us. In 2008, the mantra that drove a political earthquake was ‘change.’ Two years later, the people abruptly reversed course. Nobody is predicting good times for us any time soon. A decade of war has not produced any kind of security. If anything, the rumbling of the war machines has increased in volume.
Here on the edge of a brand new year, I want to take you to a promise that is a prescription for peace, a reminder for those who love God that He is greater than economic cycles, than men of evil intentions, than disease, than famine and drought. We can choose to live peacefully even in troubled times. No, we are NOT detached from this life, escaping to some retreat in the mountains or hiding in front of our television from the real world. We do not find our peace in denying what is going on around us or even in us. Our serenity comes from faith that is anchored in the eternal love of our Father.
The prince of prophets, Isaiah, who saw the Kingdom of God, who was moved by the Holy Spirit, gives us a word for a New Year.
"Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. …
Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. …
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." (Isaiah 35:3,5 8-10, NIV)
Here’s what I hold onto from that passage:
God comes to those who love Him.
God restores and renews.
God makes a Way, secure and blessed, for us to go Home!
That, disciple, is the road to peace.
Are you walking the highway of Holiness?
If so, then trust and be at peace.
If not, then take the on ramp through Christ and set your course for Zion, our eternal home!
_______________
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Through this world
Of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord,
None but Thee.
When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er,
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
© Public Domain
Here on the edge of a brand new year, I want to take you to a promise that is a prescription for peace, a reminder for those who love God that He is greater than economic cycles, than men of evil intentions, than disease, than famine and drought. We can choose to live peacefully even in troubled times. No, we are NOT detached from this life, escaping to some retreat in the mountains or hiding in front of our television from the real world. We do not find our peace in denying what is going on around us or even in us. Our serenity comes from faith that is anchored in the eternal love of our Father.
The prince of prophets, Isaiah, who saw the Kingdom of God, who was moved by the Holy Spirit, gives us a word for a New Year.
"Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. …
Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. …
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." (Isaiah 35:3,5 8-10, NIV)
Here’s what I hold onto from that passage:
God comes to those who love Him.
God restores and renews.
God makes a Way, secure and blessed, for us to go Home!
That, disciple, is the road to peace.
Are you walking the highway of Holiness?
If so, then trust and be at peace.
If not, then take the on ramp through Christ and set your course for Zion, our eternal home!
_______________
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Through this world
Of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord,
None but Thee.
When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er,
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
© Public Domain
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Dead or Alive?
He is a walking dead man. Truth is nothing to him, lying a way of life. He is a parasite who used people simply to survive. He craves acceptance but lives so self-centeredly that others turn away. He is an illustration of the Scripture: "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die...” and that death does not wait until they put a corpse in the ground! Here’s the rest of the story; … "but, if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:13-14, NIV) What joy to know that because of the transforming power of the Gospel of Christ, we who were once the walking dead, can be made alive, and not just survivors, but actually turned into noble people who are lovely and beautiful- children of God!
We are mistaken if we think knowing Christ and His salvation is only for Heaven. When we experience His grace and begin to live ‘in Him;’ informed by His Word, empowered by His Spirit, and part of His Community, the Church; we are changed. The Scripture trumpets the wonder of it all - "Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." (2 Corinthians 3:18, The Message)
Mere religion cannot accomplish this. Baptism and church membership cannot do what the Spirit does when He is invited into our hearts. There are many, many people who call themselves “Christian” who remain mean and miserable. How so? Perhaps by some effort they have curbed the grosser sins of human nature, but essentially they still the walking dead. When pressed, their true Self asserts control and, like a threatened dog, they snarl and snap to protect themselves. But, then there are those who have been converted, who are full of the Spirit. Because their very nature has been changed, they are full of light and love.
What is true of you?
Are you a walking dead man or a son of God?
It’s not a rhetorical question. It demands an answer, especially if you claim to be a follower of Christ. Look at the way you live. What is revealed about the true nature, the core person?
Here’s a word from the Word. Let the Spirit speak to you through it today and be converted – from death to life. "Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God." (Romans 8:5-11, NLT)
_______________
I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me;
Now safe am I.
All my heart to Him I give;
Ever to Him I'll cling,
In His blessed presence live,
Ever His praises sing.
Love so mighty and so true
Merits my soul's best songs;
Faithful, loving service, too,
To Him belongs.
Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me.
Souls in danger, look above;
Jesus completely saves.
He will lift you by His love
Out of the angry waves.
He's the Master of the sea,
Billows His will obey.
He your Savior wants to be,
Be saved today.
Love Lifted Me
Rowe, James / Smith, Howard E.
© Public Domain
We are mistaken if we think knowing Christ and His salvation is only for Heaven. When we experience His grace and begin to live ‘in Him;’ informed by His Word, empowered by His Spirit, and part of His Community, the Church; we are changed. The Scripture trumpets the wonder of it all - "Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." (2 Corinthians 3:18, The Message)
Mere religion cannot accomplish this. Baptism and church membership cannot do what the Spirit does when He is invited into our hearts. There are many, many people who call themselves “Christian” who remain mean and miserable. How so? Perhaps by some effort they have curbed the grosser sins of human nature, but essentially they still the walking dead. When pressed, their true Self asserts control and, like a threatened dog, they snarl and snap to protect themselves. But, then there are those who have been converted, who are full of the Spirit. Because their very nature has been changed, they are full of light and love.
What is true of you?
Are you a walking dead man or a son of God?
It’s not a rhetorical question. It demands an answer, especially if you claim to be a follower of Christ. Look at the way you live. What is revealed about the true nature, the core person?
Here’s a word from the Word. Let the Spirit speak to you through it today and be converted – from death to life. "Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God." (Romans 8:5-11, NLT)
_______________
I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me;
Now safe am I.
All my heart to Him I give;
Ever to Him I'll cling,
In His blessed presence live,
Ever His praises sing.
Love so mighty and so true
Merits my soul's best songs;
Faithful, loving service, too,
To Him belongs.
Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me.
Souls in danger, look above;
Jesus completely saves.
He will lift you by His love
Out of the angry waves.
He's the Master of the sea,
Billows His will obey.
He your Savior wants to be,
Be saved today.
Love Lifted Me
Rowe, James / Smith, Howard E.
© Public Domain
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