Inviting discipline?

I just spent a most delightful couple of days with my adult kids. I am a man most blessed as I see the choices they are making, the way they are investing their lives in good things, loving God and loving people! Jay, my oldest son, and his wife, Lindsay, have two sons. Gavin, who is 3, is a delight; but, he's old enough to express his will. He has no illusions that he can 'win' in a confrontation with his Dad, but he regularly gives it a try anyway. When he determines he wants to have his own way, it is obvious a confrontation is brewing. Even though he knows better, he decides to 'steal' a toy his little brother is playing with happily. A squeal of protest goes up from Payton. His Dad says, "Gavin, give it back." A look of defiance comes over his face and he pretends not to hear. Dad repeats the directive a bit louder, with emphasis in his tone that says, 'now!' Usually he complies, but occasionally, mysteriously, he decides to wait until his Dad rises to walk to where he is before obeying. Sometimes, even then, he decides that trying to hold onto his own will is more important than risking the discipline of his father. Hopefully, you know what's next. No Grandfather likes to watch his 3 year old grandson being disciplined and the tears that follow are wrenching to my heart, but I am so glad that Jay and Lindsay understand the importance of loving, consistent discipline, for they are laying a foundation of respect and obedience that will pay off when Gavin arrives at the teen years that lie ahead. (Hey, parents out there. Isn't God good to let us see our kids have to work through discipline of their own children so they understand what they put us through? - smile.)

Many of us are a lot like Gavin in our relationship with our Heavenly Father! We know what's right. We have no illusions that we can win at our rebellion, but for reasons mysterious we often choose to do our own thing, even as the Spirit says, "Don't go there. Don't do that!"

Not you? Well, I must confess that I do sin willfully sometimes. It's not that I am proud of the fact. I just have to be honest about that. There have been too many moments in my life to count when the Spirit has called me to change course and I have persisted in disobedience. The alienation that results is terrible. In the moments that follow such willfulness I start to get a glimpse of what the writer of Hebrews refers to when he says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (10:31, NKJV) I feel the discipline of God that starts with the broken fellowship, the sense that the Spirit's peace has lifted. It's not that He no longer loves me! Of course he does. When Gavin's Daddy sends him into his room for a 'time-out' he is not saying, "I don't love you and you're not a part of the family." He's saying, "You need to be separate for a while so you can think over your actions and make a different choice." So it is with God. He removes the sweet comfort of the Spirit's presence and lets us feel alone for a while so we will realize that we need to get in line with His will.

There is a mistaken notion of God's grace that is alive and well among Christians that says, "God love us so much, it doesn't matter to Him what we do or how we live." Wrong! God loves us so much that it matters very much to Him that we live in a way that maximizes our ability to enjoy His blessings, His presence, and an abundant life. Jay could choose to just let things slide with his 3 year son. After all, Gavin's choices for disobedience today are not really very big deals. He doesn't rob banks, kill people, or burglarize houses! He just takes his brother's toys, resists sitting at the table until dinner is over, and hates naps! But, Jay loves Gavin enough to go through the conflict, to help him to understand the importance of obedience now, so when he is old enough to do 'really bad things' he won't because he will have developed self-control, an understanding of rules, and a loving respect for authority. And thus, will enjoy life so much better than those who have run-in's with the law, who blow off relationships, and who are constantly in rebellion.

Here's a word from the Word to ponder today.
Are you doing through a tough time with your Heavenly Father?
Perhaps it is His loving discipline.

"And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, “My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined?
If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all.

Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs." (Hebrews 12:5-12, NLT)

Solid as a rock!

About ten years ago, the acronym, WWJD, became part of our cultural lexicon. Remember it? What Would Jesus Do. The intent is to get people to integrate the message of Jesus Christ into their daily decisions. It is easy to begin to think, "this is for Sunday, that is for Monday." Some things we naturally think of as 'spiritual,' others as 'secular.' Just because it happens so naturally doesn't make it right. God is just as concerned about your financial decisions as He is in the relationships you have with others.

Does the name Bernie Ebbers mean anything to you? In March he was convicted of fraud in the WorldCom financial collapse. Ebbers is a church-going, Sunday School teaching guy at a Bible believing church. Yet, somehow he allowed himself to be part very questionable, and ultimately illegal business practices. How did that happen? Well, my guess is that in Ebber's mind there came to be a division between what he heard in church and the decisions he made in the board room. Perhaps it was a conscious choice, but more likely, he just compartmentalized Monday from Sunday without much thought at all.

Separating Sunday's sermons from daily living is nothing new. In 1896, Charles Sheldon wrote a book that millions of Christians have read in the century since its publication. That book is called, In His Steps. The author asked people to try to think, what would Jesus do in the situations they encountered. As a entire town grasped this concept, transformation reached from top to bottom of society.

I think an even better acronym would be WWJHMD- What would Jesus have me do? Is that simple or easy? Of course not. Life is filled with complex choices that involve many layers of ethical implications. For instance, what choice does a wife and mother make about staying with a cruel and abusive husband? Believers understand that God holds us to a high level of commitment to our marriage covenant. God also wants us to forgive those who do wrong to us. And, yes, too, there is a responsibility to protect children and to lovingly confront those who do wrong. See where it gets complicated? That is true in just about every area of our lives. Simplistic thinking will often cause us to make silly decisions. Christians are often mocked, deservingly, for having easy answers and bumper sticker philosophies that ignore the complexities of the world of which they are part. We, as Kingdom Builders, will not influence the world for Christ if we live in unconscious hypocrisy, or in the grip of simplistic expressions of Scriptural truth.

We must think deeply, carefully, and lovingly about what we say, how we live. Every day we need to pray that our lives line up with what we profess to believe, as we discern the will of God for each turn. Hard? Yes! Impossible? No! The promise of God is that the Holy Spirit will work with us to help us to know how to live. Jesus promised, "...when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you." (John 16:13-14, The Message)

Paul says it in different words, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV) Here is the way that it reads in The Message: "Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives."

The person who integrates the Bible's teaching into his life finds stability that is solid as a rock. Jesus says, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me 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 rock." (Matthew 7:24-25, NLT)
__________________

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' Name.

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand.
All other ground is sinking sand.

Brevity

Pondering mortality is not the most pleasant endeavor! So, let's state the obvious, right? Yesterday's paper reported the tragic death of Thomas Herrion, a young football player with the San Francisco 49'ers, immediately following an exhibition game in Denver on Saturday. After he played hard in the final moments of the game, the lineman went into the locker room where he collapsed and died - at 23 years of age. No specific cause of death was given in the article. The demise of the young always shocks us. In old age, we are more accepting. Psalm 90 is unsparing, forcing ALL of us to confront the inevitability of our death - “Return to dust!” For You, (Lord) a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours! You sweep people away like dreams that disappear or like grass that springs up in the morning." (Psalm 90:3-5, NLT)

Perhaps I am more pensive than most, but I am prone to consider my mortality several times a month. There is Scriptural precedent for pondering one's death! Psalm 90:12 says "... teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. " (NKJV) According to this prayer of Moses, keeping one eye on the calendar, watching the days as they move from future, to present, to past, one by one, is a means of becoming wise. I am not maudlin, but I am realistic. At age 50, I know that I am in the late 3rd quarter of the game. The time to put some points on the board is now! I cannot help but think of the fleeting days, the lifetime that is 'like grass that springs up in the morning.' That stark reality does not terrorize me for I have assurance of life beyond this terrestrial plane. It does motivate me, maybe too much. I am compelled to make this day matter. Is that evidence of good stewardship or an expression of my ego, a vain attempt at immortality? Only God knows for sure! I certainly hope it is the former.

Last week Bev and I visited with her parents, both in their 7th decade of life. In one of those hard, but necessary moments, they talked with us about their health care directives, their financial plans, and their wills. It was sobering. They are 'numbering their days,' and wisely, they are preparing. Foolishly, some people will not do as Bob and Irene have done, because of an irrational fear that preparing a will or talking about death will somehow hasten the arrival of the final day. Instead of using the time that that is given to them to prepare, some choose to live as though denying the facts of life and death will keep them from being true.

Don't be one of those who will not consider the brevity of life! Let that sobering thought first cause you to live well in this world, and second, to live prepared for your entrance into eternal life. Peter urges us as Believers to set our hope fully on Christ Jesus as Savior, and then to apply ourselves to godliness. He says that living well helps us to die well! "Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-12, NLT)

Make today count! It could be your last. Frightening thought? Then, get your life in order.
Let the grace of Christ remove the fear of death and the love of Christ transform the way you live now, so that no 'debt remains outstanding' and you are ready for that appointment - be it tomorrow or decades in the future.
__________________________

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound,
time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks eternal bright and fair.
When the saints on earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder I'll be there.

And on that bright and cloudless morning
When the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When the chosen ones shall gather
To their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder I'll be there.

So let us labor for the Master from the dawn 'til setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
And when all of life is over and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder I'll be there.


When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonderI'll be there.

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