Back to Basics

Life is complex. Problems multiply. Questions go without answers. Who has not come to that moment when it is overwhelming that a kind of mental paralysis sets in, thinking is hard, decisions are pushed aside. Or, worse, people turn reactionary, lashing out in anger, blaming others, and crippling themselves by choosing some ill-informed, short-sighted ‘answer.’  In those seasons I like to joke that I want to find a cabin on a mountain far away and retreat from it all. I never have exercised that option!

Russell Moore writes of his own experience in the Christian church. “If one looked just under the surface, one could see some awful things: bigotry, cruelty, immorality, injustice. And he started to wonder, "What if what I’ve banked my entire life on—my entire eternity ahead—just isn’t true? What then?"

In such times, I like to ‘go back to basics’ reviewing those foundational truths on which my life rests. It does not replace the need to think deeply, nor do those basic answers resolve every question. However, I do find solid footing, anchor points that keep me steady, a course that moves in the right direction.

What are the basics of my life?

God loves!
Situations develop that obscure that fact sometimes. When a plane hits the ground like a dart in Florida killing everyone on board, an arrow of doubt pierces my heart! When cancer takes another young friend despite my prayers, God seems distant and uncaring! When the culture in which I live spins crazily out of control, the issue of God’s care and guidance get a bit shaky in my mind!

I go back to the Word where I learn that “We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16, NIV) He is not ‘out to get me’ nor is He without compassion. In fact, “because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”  (Lamentations 3:22-24, NIV)

Jesus saves!
Don’t ridicule that little phrase. It is truth. Because of Jesus and the Cross there is NO reason to hide, to live with shame, to exist in the misery of guilt, or to be afraid to go boldly to prayer. When we fail to obey fully, as we all do, the Tempter whispers to us that we cannot pray, that we are outside of God’s care and love.

The Word makes it clear that we are not! "He (Jesus) has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News." (Colossians 1:22-23, NLT)

The Holy Spirit is present!
When I ask “Is God seeing? Is He here and near?” I feel orphaned and alone. All the complex theology that surrounds my faith becomes nearly meaningless in those moments. Like a child, I need my Father’s Presence near. And, He is.

Christianity that is just a systematic theology, neatly arranged in logical order, cannot be all we know. I make no argument for silly ideas or platitudes. Lord knows that modern Christians need to know more theology, able to ‘give an answer to those who ask the reason for their hope.”

Yet this I know - the heart and mind are both critical to the practice of our devotion. Paul says, “I want to know Christ!” Not just about Him, but to know Him, walk with Him, and pray with genuine faith to Him as the Intercessor and Advocate at the Father’s right hand.

Wesley spoke of a moment when his faith was stirred and his heart was ‘strangely warmed.’  These are those moments of mystery possible for each of us. Perhaps it is when we look at the night sky and feel small yet full of wonder. Maybe it’s during a worship gathering when we find our emotions shaken loose and our joy overflows in silent tears. Perhaps it is when we hold a newborn baby in a moment of amazement. Perhaps it is at the bedside of one who is dying when we sense both the frailty of our existence and the profound assurance that there is ‘more beyond.’

Jesus says "The Father … will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17, NIV)

Heaven awaits!
I suppose it comes with being an elder, now 71, but Heaven has taken on new meaning in my life. The certainty of death is no longer avoidable as it once was. Too many friends and family members have left this world for me to feel completely ‘at home’ here anymore.

I need to reaffirm the fact of Eternity and fix my hopes on the home prepared for me by my Father. Oh no, this does not mean that I stop living or that escape every present difficulty with an exclusive focus on the world to come. Our high calling is the ‘Kingdom come’ here on earth, the mission of bringing the message that sinners can become saints, that evil must be resisted, and that justice must be established remains primary.

But, on there on life’s horizon, which is much closer for me now, there is that promise that pulls me onward and upward.

I turn often to the Word to read this - "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit." (2 Corinthians 5:1-5, NLT)

Are you overwhelmed, confused, struggling with faith? Perhaps it’s time to review the basics -
God Loves!
Jesus Saves!
The Spirit is Present!
Heaven Awaits!

And, then move forward, with that firm foundation for faith in place.

Amen

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Video at https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

When Joy Eludes Your Grasp

Joy slipped away from me this week. Heavy sighs were heard often! 
A friend’s health turned quickly and this morning he is dying. 
A young woman is struggling to live after a catastrophic health event. 
I am dealing with my own health issues, though not serious, enough to create some anxiety. 
Beyond that that, there is the awful chaos of our election season, the uncertainty about the stability of the world, etc!

It’s not a naturally joyful season for Jerry. I am not whining, nor do I believe myself to be going through anything that is outside the course of normal human experience. We all have days when things including brain chemistry, fatigue, disappointment, and even spiritual opposition hide the sun from our eyes.

But I also know that without the joy of the Lord I will not reflect the goodness of God to others in the way He desires. Knowing that, I am tempted to slip into a kind of religious duty, saying and doing the right things, just because … risking hypocrisy! Dutiful people can look admirable and godly with all their commitment to responsibility. Here is what I truly know – there is JOY in Jesus if we will keep our focus on Him, waiting out the stormy times.

Evidence of the Life of God’s Spirit in us is joy which is not to be confused with happiness, silliness, or mirth. Real joy rests on the assurance that God is truly God and will prepare for us all that we need. A joyless Christian (that was me this week) is not just going through an emotional crisis, he also has a spiritual issue with which he must deal. When Jesus taught about His intimate life-giving connection to us, using the metaphor of the vine and branches, He said that from Him we will draw life and "you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!" (John 15:11, NLT)

Jesus was "a man acquainted with grief, a man of sorrows." He did weep with those who were broken by disappointment, death, and disease. But He was never in despair. Life has many moments that are filled with sorrow. Death, divorce, sickness, poverty, rejection … it’s a long list of woes. Jesus says that He is with us in those moments as much as in the sunny days when all is well. Will we accept the gift of JOY?

A factor in experiencing joy is giving away the need to control outcomes. If I attempt to be ‘god’ insisting that I write the script for life, frustration will grow and joy will evaporate.

So, how do we live in His joy?

Worship!
"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11, NIV) If we are focused only on the needs, the duties, and pressing responsibilities – it is likely that Solomon’s lament – “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” will become our song.

Worship lifts our face to Heaven and allows us to regain a view of God's glorious works. No wonder the Scripture urges us to "Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." (Psalm 95:1-2, NIV)

Serve!
The paradox of joy is that it never discovered in an endless pursuit of pleasure. Selfishness cuts us off from God's approval which is our greatest reason for joy! Jesus told a story about men who were entrusted with responsibility. Two of the three were diligent and obedient in their service. Note their commendation: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful . . . Enter into the joy of your lord." (Matthew 25:23, NKJV) Faithful service allows us to enter God’s joy.

Accept!  
Nothing is a greater joy-killer than becoming convinced that happiness lies in being someone else, somewhere else. God is where you are. Joy cannot be found outside of ourselves. It flows from inside of our heart. Jesus told a thirsty woman what I and you need to hear: "the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (John 4:14, NLT)  

Will we pray to be fully alive in our current situation, accepting His grace; or will we remain restless and joyless in our discontent. Those who are His beloved children can turn to Him and find help, strength, and resources. He gives grace for the journey. Accept it and there will be joy even in the trials of life. joy.

Here's a word from the Word, our reminder of joy in the Lord.
"He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols."  (Psalm 40:2-4, NLT)
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I thought of an older song that has encouraged me in the past. May this help us to find joy today.

Mourning Into Dancing

You have turned my mourning into dancing, Lord
Now my feet are filled with your praise
You have clothed my spirit with a robe of joy
You’ve cast my sorrow away

For Your anger last but a moment, Lord
And my tears endure for the night
But Your favor lasts for a lifetime, Lord
My joy returns with the morning light
For . . .

You have turned my mourning into dancing, Lord
Now my feet are filled with your praise
You have clothed my spirit with a robe of joy
You’ve cast my sorrow away

All my foes lose heart when they hear my voice
For I speak in Jesus’ Name
They turn back in fear at the sound of praise
I’ll not keep silent, I must proclaim
That . . .

You have turned my mourning into dancing, Lord
Now my feet are filled with your praise
You have clothed my spirit with a robe of joy
You’ve cast my sorrow away

Words and music by John G. Elliott
Copyright 1989 LCS Songs (a div. of Lorenz Creative Services)
/Charlie Monk Music. All rights reserved.

 

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Video at https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

Making Politics Into Religious Devotion

In the 1980’s, the time of the birth of the so-called "Moral Majority," I took interest in the world of politics for the first time in my life. Previous to that time, most of the conservative Christians that I knew avoided that world, considering it a dirty business to be avoided. Reagan entered the scene and began to actively speak a kind of language I understood and in a brief time I was seduced by the promise of a national renewal that would emerge from the halls of Congress.

40 years later I am aghast at the deception that so many Christ-followers have allowed. Awful and cruel policies of naked discrimination, leaders who lie without accountability and are supported without question, and fires of division stoked by apocalyptic and hateful words are the new normal. Politics has become the new religion. The expressions of devotion and the statements of dread reflect a kind of absolutism once reserved for convictions about the nature of God Himself!

Without apology I will say that politics are fool’s gold in any discussion about spiritual revival. Laws of men can never replace the Gospel of Christ and the power of the Spirit in the work of bringing God’s reign to the world.

Russell Moore wrote that “the most important lesson we should learn is that the church must stand against the way politics has become a religion, and religion has become politics.”  Christians need to be more than Republican or Democrat, conservative or progressive!

We are first and foremost citizens of Heaven
and disciples of Christ. Our best life is not found
in a party but in His Church!

What a horror it is to me to know that our convictions about health care, immigration, the care of the poor, human rights, or gender politics separate those who are called to be children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. It has been said in my presence more than once, “He could not possibly be a Christian. Look at who he supports.”  Come now, friend. Is that really true? Does support for the temporal agenda of some political party disqualify a person from knowing and loving Jesus Christ? Since when some national policy turn into a test to determine who is actually ‘in Christ?’

When we elevate the political process and misplace our hope in the power of legislation to save and transform the world, we have given ourselves to a false god and we have been seduced by an empty hope! The old cliché reminds us that we “cannot legislate morality. That is not to say that we have no interest in public policy and how it shapes the world in which we live. Christians, just like everyone else, have ideals that they would like to see written into law. (And, just like everyone else, they will think differently about many things.)

In truth, our highest and most holy calling is not to write better laws but rather to bring salvation to the nations through the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ! We transform our world by changing human hearts and minds. From changed hearts and minds flows the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, and such things. IF Christians are as divided as the culture in which they live and as religiously devoted to the relatively petty processes of politics, they will lose the unique and high calling of bringing Hope to the world.

We are to “maintain a prophetic clarity that is willing to call to repentance everything that is unjust and anti-Christ, whether that is the abortion culture, the divorce culture, or the racism/nativism culture.”  (Russell Moore)  

We must be people who wrestle with clarity, who will tell the truth, whether it helps or hurts our so-called ‘allies’ or our so-called ‘enemies.’”  A prophet speaks on God’s behalf with holy authority born of her intimate relationship with God.

I will pointedly ask –
when you make those ripping statements on Facebook,
when you hurl hateful comments at the ‘other’ side,
when you seethe with rage about some defeat of legislation or
exult with something akin to religious ecstasy over the majority of one party or the other–
is that the result of time before the Throne of Heaven and a profound experience of the Holy, or is it an expression of the preferences of Self?

Many Christians are like Esau of old, selling their souls for a pot of soup! As I stated in the opening of this essay, I made that mistake a long time ago when I was enthralled with the siren song of the Moral Majority of the 1980’s.  It is not one I will make again. Right or Left in our convictions, we cannot afford to become so closely aligned with one party’s agenda that we lose our ability to represent the One who is the Hope of the World. I am a Christian first, an American second, and my political affiliation comes in a distant third. How about you? Are you my brother or my sister in His family?

The word from the Word is a reminder of our true identity. I am His, He is mine.
In Christ, “You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.”  (1 Peter 2:9-11)

Father God, preserve us in this time of change.
Call us into Your holy Presence.
As we kneel humbly and gain the assurance of
The salvation and Your love shown us in Christ Jesus,
Help us to rise to love others to wholeness.

Forgive us for making our politics into a religion,
For giving devotion and fervor rightly reserved for You
To lesser things.

Make Your Church beautiful, a place of clear vision,
A people of hope, full of amazing, courageous, and bold love.
Jesus shine brightly in us and through us. Amen

 

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Video at https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55