This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

The digital ‘conversation’ for the last 48 hours is about a guy who thinks that a national coffee chain is terrible because the cups they are using this Christmas are just red with no “Christmas” designs on them.  One of the guys running for President picked up on the theme and declared that when he is President, “We will all say ‘Merry Christmas’ again!”  Oh, my dear Christian friends, with all the sin and suffering in the world, is the design of a coffee cup or even the fact that a company refuses to have employees say “Merry Christmas” the thing on which we should ‘take a stand?’  Terrorists are killing people. Refugees are living in squalor. Sex slaves are being traded around the world, including in these United States. Racism is making a resurgence. Corruption is creating injustice. 

And, God has entrusted the Gospel of Christ to us. This Gospel has the power to transform people and cultures, but it is not about coffee cups or Christmas greetings. It is about the Cross of Christ that invites us to ‘die to Self,’ and to serve as He did; sacrificially, without any regard to His own comfort or ‘respect.’

Christians are confusing what they find comfortable within the cultural framework with what is 'right' in the eyes of God. Daniel Williams, writing in Christianity Today (9/2007)  wisely reminds us that - "if the cleanliness of our home is more important than housing needy children, or if we follow the dictates of our career over the covenant of our marriage.  Regarding things as more important than they are is what leads to obsessiveness, possessiveness, or oppressiveness."   Do you see his parable? Can you grasp it?

Let’s pray humbly making this our request – “God, break my heart with those things that break Yours.”  Let us seek God for a real spiritual reawakening that starts in us, making us forget ourselves, that leads us to radically serve, to love others so intensely that Jesus radiates from our lives as we care for those who are least, as we visit the aged, as we love those who are confused, as we give our stuff to those who are in need, and quietly drink our coffee from red cups that have no reindeer printed on them as we give thanks for our privileged existence that allows us to pay $4 for a cup of coffee.

Please, dear Christian, let us spend a long time pondering, prayerfully, our response to ‘the world’ lest we make fools of ourselves (and not in the best way) by majoring on minors!  If the Devil cannot tempt us with gross sin, he will settle for making us totally ineffective in the Lord's work by getting us sidetracked into personal crusades that reflect our prejudices and preferences.  Causes worthy of intense debate are few!  Why is it that those outside of the Church can see our obsession, but so many of us cannot?

Here is a word from the Word. With my whole heart I plead with you to read it slowly, prayerfully, asking God for insight and acceptance.

"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NIV)  "We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God." (2 Corinthians 6:3-7, NIV)

The universal Rule Jesus laid down for all Believers is two-fold and yet encompasses everything we do: 
"Love God whole-heartedly, and

love others intensely!" May His grace preserve us from debates about things that matter so little.  Amen.

Monday’s Thankful Choice

It was a joyful weekend. Our son, Sean, came to spend a couple of days with his Mom and me.  Sunday we celebrated baptism at Faith Discovery Church. What an awesome privilege to immerse  individuals in the water where they were “buried with Christ and raised to new life!” Now, it is Monday and a new work week is just starting.  And, I choose thankfulness. How about you? The second week of the challenge starts today!  Who have you thanked so far? Are you going to do what the Bible says?  "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

One of the primary enemies of thankfulness is discontent brought on by comparisons. If you start to look around yourself, you will inevitably find someone who is apparently better off than you! Unless your name is Bill Gates, somebody else has more money.  There are those who have won the ‘looks lottery’ who are thin, tall, with a full head of hair. (This from a bald guy!)  Many will have opportunities that I did not have. Some will enjoy pleasures that are not mine. If we decide that happiness and gratitude are circumstantial, achieved only when we arrive at some state of perfection, the curse of ingratitude and misery will wrap itself around us like chains of slavery.

Richard Carlson wisely observes that “Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It’s absolutely true that “Wherever you go, there you are.”  (Don't Sweat the Small Stuff)

The serenity that comes with true gratitude blesses both the thankful person and all those around him. When I let my heart fill up with complaint, I feel miserable and so do all those people who have to deal with me while I am in that sorry state. But, what a difference when I choose, and yes, it is a choice, to meet life with thanksgiving.  Our gratitude does not simply rest on a positivel mental attitude. That’s a great start, but the reality of life sometimes is too brutal to overcome with a smile or “happy talk.”

Today, Monday morning, I want to leave you with this statement from the Word.  "Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe." (Hebrews 12:28, NLT)  Go back and read that passage aloud to yourself.  Do you get it?  The world shakes around us. Terrorists blew an airplane out of the Egyptian sky last week. The stock market goes up and down as the Fed ponders raising interest rates. Wars rage on.  Friends report divorce and cancer.  These things happen to Christians of great faith just as they do to those who do not know the living Lord.  But, there is difference.  Those who are in Christ possess an inheritance "that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (1 Peter 1:4-6, NIV)

Our gratitude, our thankfulness, is anchored to the rock solid assurance that our God reigns!  Pause right now and thank God for the hope of life eternal that is yours (unquestionably!) because of Christ Jesus.  Now thank Him for that last breath you just took. Yes, life is a gift.  And, be thankful throughout this day, for God’s sake.

"Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.

Thank the God of all gods,

His love never quits.

Thank the Lord of all lords.

His love never quits.

Thank the miracle-working God,

His love never quits. " (Psalm 136:1-4, The Message)

"God remembered us when we were down,

His love never quits.

Rescued us from the trampling boot,

His love never quits.

Takes care of everyone in time of need.

His love never quits.

Thank God, who did it all!

His love never quits!" (Psalm 136:23-26, The Message)

The 21 Day Gratitude Challenge, continues

Who cares? What is the use of it all?

Heaving a deep sigh, I say, "What's the use of it all?" In the middle of the work day, the whisper comes insisting that it is all just a puff of wind, spit in the ocean! Useless! Or there is the feeling that a real life waits somewhere other than where I am.  Do you ever feel that way?   Are you tempted by spiritual apathy, wanting to say, "Who cares? Let's just float along." 

A couple of days ago when I was wondering about the meaning of it all, a woman visited with Bev and me who told us how our love shown to her in 1984 had made all the difference in this world and the next for her.  Our love, she said, helped her to make better choices for life.  She recounted how we just kept loving her even when she tested us, rejected us, did not understand us. I felt no pride, but I did feel the blessing of God, who seemed to be saying, “And you thought it was all for nothing!”  

Disciple, apathy is perhaps a greater spiritual hazard than outright disobedience! The Spirit of the Lord invites us to actively pursue His plans, His path laid out before us. That road is not always marked with excitement or full of sunshine. Weeks go by when we walk by faith. 

Over and over again,  the holy Scripture reminds you and me about the importance of patience and persistence. James points to the labor of the farmer to illustrate how we must meet apathy’s temptation. "Wait patiently for the Master's Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time." (James 5:7-8, The Message)

Andy Stanley writes, "The daily grind of life is hard on visions. Life is now. Bills are now. Crisis is now. Vision is later. It is easy, therefore, to lose sight of the main thing, to sacrifice the best for the good. All of us run the risk of allowing secondary issues to rob us of the joy of seeing our visions come to completion. Distractions slowly kill the vision." (Visioneering, Multnomah, 1999)

If we seek results too soon, if we insist on a continual sense of fulfillment, we will grow frustrated, or we will turn from faithfulness to look for some novel thing, and in that choice lies a real risk of making a awful mistake.  We need the ‘long view,’ the vision that Stanley wrote about.

If we work only to make money, we will feel the treadmill effect.

If we make ministry just about checking off the `completed' box each week, we will lose enthusiasm.

Today, my goal is to complete the sermon that I will bring to the congregation on Sunday. That ‘job’ can be viewed in two distinctly different ways.

I can see it as 'just getting something to say on Sunday 'cause that's what is expected of me.'  If it’s ‘just my job,’  excellence will disappear. Seeking God’s voice will be replaced with ‘get it done.’  

If, however,  I take on today’s task (and yes, it is real work!) with the knowledge that God is presenting me the opportunity to help somebody whose lost, confused, or without hope to find the Way or to stay the course, I have a vision that makes the effort required worth it.

Never lose sight of the `why' behind the `what.' Don't allow the lie that tells us every day should be exciting, that each task should sparkle with significance, that ‘things should be easier’ to overtake you today. Take a few moments right now to re-focus and to set the tasks that await you into a larger context of vision.  Paul pointed out the real way to keep on, keeping on is to keep Jesus in front of our eyes.  To servants (and that’s what we are) he wrote,  “Don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ.” The Message (Col 3:22-24).

Don’t give up or surrender to apathy! Look higher, praying for renewed vision.

Here is a word from the Word.

"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.

Remember the great reward it brings you!

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will.

Then you will receive all that he has promised.

"For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

And my righteous ones will live by faith.

But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away." (Hebrews 10:35-38, NLT)

Are you who they think you are?

From the outside he looked like a great guy.  Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz volunteered his time in a youth program that encouraged teens to choose law enforcement. He was a family man, respected by the community. He was a training officer for new police personnel. In September, when it appeared he had been ambushed by three criminals and killed, he was given a hero’s welcome.  But yesterday, the image he carefully maintained was stripped away.  His death was a staged suicide. He had stolen funds from the program he led to pay for trips and unsavory personal habits.  Knowing that reality was nothing like the image, he took his life. What a tragedy– for Lt. Gliniewicz, for his family, and for his fellow cops.

Let’s get real this morning.  Is the person you know in mirror the same one that your family and friends know?
Are you who they think you are or is there a growing gap between the image and the reality?

To some degree we all adjust our outward choices to meet the expectations of others.  We like being known as one of the ‘good guys,’ don’t we?  Image building is a dangerous game to play. Self-deception can, and often does, quickly take over. We can, any many do,  lose sight of who we really are.  God can meet our needs, help us through our troubles, and even forgive our sins – only when we are honest about who we are, where we are, and what we need.

Jeremiah was sent by God to the door of the newly renovated Temple in Jerusalem. The people of the city took great pride in the place.  They took comfort from going there, listening to the rituals of worship, and seeing the priests offering up the sacrifices to God.  They were convinced that having “God’s House” right there among them was a guarantee that they would never suffer the same disaster that had overtaken their cousins to the north, the invasion by Assyria, that destroyed Israel.  Judah would different, they told themselves, because of ‘the Temple of the Lord.’  There was a problem that God saw from His home:  their ‘worship’ was disconnected from their daily lives. They maintained an image as God’s holy people but lived as though He did not exist.

“Listen, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship God. God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, has this to say to you: “ ‘Clean up your act—the way you live, the things you do—so I can make my home with you in this place. Don’t for a minute believe the lies being spoken here—“This is God’s Temple, God’s Temple, God’s Temple!” Total nonsense!

Only if you clean up your act (the way you live, the things you do), only if you do a total spring cleaning on the way you live and treat your neighbors, only if you quit exploiting the street people and orphans and widows, no longer taking advantage of innocent people on this very site and no longer destroying your souls by using this Temple as a front for other gods— only then will I move into your neighborhood. Only then will this country I gave your ancestors be my permanent home, my Temple. “ ‘Get smart! Your leaders are handing you a pack of lies, and you’re swallowing them! Use your heads!

Do you think you can rob and murder, have sex with the neighborhood wives, tell lies nonstop, worship the local gods, and buy every novel religious commodity on the market’—and then march into this Temple, set apart for my worship, and say, “We’re safe!” thinking that the place itself gives you a license to go on with all this outrageous sacrilege? “ (Jeremiah 7:2-9, The Message)

Is there secret sin in your life, Christian?
Are you failing to repent, taking comfort from the fact that you go to church, give your tithe, own 10 Bibles, or had a godly mother?  Stop!

The only way to know an ongoing, sweet, empowering experience with the Lord is to ‘walk with Him’ in open honesty, to let Him deal with sin with forgiveness. Discipleship is not just about words or heritage, it is about living in loving obedience.  Jesus says “When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love.” (John 15:10, NLT)

Here is a word from the Word. “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” (Isaiah 29:13, NIV) “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” (Isaiah 29:15, NIV)

“He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:6-8, NIV)

________________

Change My Heart, Oh God

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.

Eddie Espinosa

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Jerry Scott
http://www.FaithDiscovery.com