Wednesdays I go to jail! Yep, I get locked up for about an hour each week. And I love it. It's an opportunity to share the Word with about 15 people who can't get to church, most of whom have made a series of wrong choices that landed them on the wrong side of the law. Often, as I look around the table, I wonder how many of those I'm teaching will be back in custody within weeks or months of their release from jail. Statistics show that many people, once in the justice system, keep going back for many reasons - some the result of bad choices, some the result of the huge challenge of rejoining society as a productive citizen. Those who are in jail need a transforming experience, not a reforming experience! Just like you and me.
While motivation and planning are important components of building a new life on the 'outside,' I realize that those men and women I am teaching behind bars need to meet Jesus! And so do those of us who have never been locked up. The only hope any of has of pleasing God is to be changed - inside out - by the Holy Spirit. Jesus named the Spirit -"the Paraclete." Yes, it's a Bible word, a title. Jesus, speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper, said: "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7, NIV) The Holy Spirit is now the active member of the Godhead in our lives. He is our Paraclete! The word, drawn from NT Greek, is one for which translators use various words showing the difficulty of capturing the true meaning. 'Parakletos' is translated as "Comforter, Friend, Counselor, Advocate, and Helper" in various English Bibles. The word was one used to describe the person who came to your side to plead your case to another. Ah, you're thinking, a Heavenly lawyer of sorts. (Could there be such a thing?) Actually, the function of the 'Parakletos' was greater than simply lawyering. As the various translations indicate, a Paraclete was a friend, coach, and aide!
One of the great gifts of God's love is the availability of the Spirit. He is 'on call' 24/7! (In case you're not up on the slang, that means all day, everyday!) Jesus promises us that the Holy Spirit will not just be with us; He will live in us! "I will ask the Father, and he 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)
Believer, are you drawing on the advantages that the Paraclete offers to you?
Or are you attempting to live the Christian life by your wits and wisdom, by grit and guts, by resolve and rationale?
Yes, it is important that we determine to serve God's purposes. Yes, it is important that we are courageous and that we take up the challenge of serving God today. Yes, it is important to set goals and to align our lives to the principles of the Scripture. BUT, if we are focused on our abilities, on our own resources, if we think we can say enough prayers, or discipline ourselves, or get an accountability partner (all of which are good choices) and that will keep us holy, we're sadly deceived. No matter how smart or well-intentioned, we will fail! If we want to live a holy life, if we want to stay out of trouble, We must 'fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.' (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)
How do we stay in the place where Heaven's Life Coach can transform us from people who keep failing and falling, into holy ones who succeed at serving God and bringing honor to Him?
First, we need a LOVE REVELATION! God loves us, right where we are, in the middle of the mess. The word rhapsodizes about the wonder of His love. "We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us!" (Ephesians 2:3-5, The Message) The foundational truth for transformation the depth and breadth of God's love.
Second, we must allow the Spirit to convict us deeply, giving us a true sense of need. When I feel myself becoming apathetic towards God, I pray, "Lord, break me down. Show me the depth of my sin." Which brings that which I wrote about above back into focus. My need - His love. It's a liberating combination. Until we have faced up to the persistent power of our sinful nature and realized that, apart from the daily intercessions of our Lord, we are desperate sinners; we will not open up to the Spirit.
Then, we need to practice the disciplines of the Spirit. "But, Jerry, doesn't that give the lie to what you're writing about today?" No way. We don't pray, read our Bible, meditate, confess our need, and connect with other Christians to prove that we are good Christians! We do these things because as we do, we open up channels in our lives through which the Spirit flows into us to empower us. The disciplines are the moments when we pull up to God's table and receive the food of the soul which He is ready to provide according to our need that moment, that day.
Today, invite God to show you how much He loves you. Then, be prepared to be surprised!
Confess your need, your sins freely, openly, authentically. Don't just make up a couple to impress Him. Let God shine the light on your heart and show you that you desperately need Him. There is grace in Christ Jesus. Our sins are not so great that He cannot forgive and cleanse. He doesn't follow the 'three strikes and you're out' principle.
Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, to renew you. Your Life Coach, the Paraclete, is ready to keep you safe in the Way. Are you cooperating with Him?
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)
Friday, September 08, 2006
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Today matters.
It's hard to convince a 25 year old that putting away $50 a week can add up to a significant amount. But if he does just that, assuming a 6% average return on his investment, he will have around $500, 000 in his account at age 65! OK, I'm not an investment counselor and my point is not really about dollars but about the power of small, but consistent choices that are made over time.
A life lived well is an accumulation of days lived well! It isn't the single stellar moment that makes a life. Rather it is the consistent choices, made day after day, that add up to a life worth remembering. Are you waiting for your 'big break?' Are you letting one day after another slip away into history while you sit on the sidelines waiting for something to happen? That is the tragedy of many lives. Instead of taking the opportunities that are available to do something good, people wait.... and wait ... and wait. Little do they realize that, like the blink of an eye, 25 years will disappear over the horizon of time. Then, too, there are those who choose to waste the present. They're going to do something different, 'tomorrow.' So they spend week after week, watching the same boring TV, avoiding responsibility as much as possible, waiting for tomorrow, which never comes. In contrast are those who set goals, who determine to use their days to make a difference. They keep investing themselves in life on a daily basis, creating a memorable life in the process.
The film, Saving Private Ryan, released in 1998, open with a scene of a old man walking slowly across a field of white crosses marking graves of soldiers. When he finds that of Captain Miller, he falls to his knees and remembers the captain's dying words spoken years ago at the end of a desperate firefight. As Miller died, he challenged Ryan to live in an honorable way so that the sacrifices of those who saved him would matter. The old man, James Ryan, turns to his wife and wonders aloud if he is a good man, if he's lived well.
Sooner than you or I realize, we will be nearing the end of this earthly stay. Like the fictional James Ryan we will wonder, "Did it count? Have I lived well?" How we answer that will depend on two things - would we choose as the measure of success and our daily choices. Hugh Hefner, he of Playboy fame, turned 80 this year. He's spent his life in pursuit of sex and money. A succession of blondes whose attention was purchased with his fortune have shared his bed. Many silly men envy the life he's built on exploitation of women. I wonder what Hugh thinks? I wonder if he ever realizes that he's accumulated a treasure of fool's gold? He, too, came to the place in life he now occupies, one choice at time, beginning more than 50 years ago. Even if he feels little regret now as a result of a scarred conscience, he will face God not too far into the future and answer for his hedonism.
There's another famous man who decided to take a very different road in life right around the same time as Hefner, near the same place in America, the city of Chicago. That man decided to give away his life to tell a simple life-changing story, again and again, to as many people as possible around the world. Billy Graham, the renowned evangelist, whose is now in his mid-80's, started talking about Jesus. His team, which he kept around him for decades, committed themselves to each other and their lives to integrity. They remained faithful to their spouses and chose to handle the fame and wealth that came their way responsibly and with integrity - day after day. Best of all, they stayed faithful to Christ Jesus.
Today matters! The old cliché reminds us that 'today is the first day of the rest of your life.' It may be clichéd but it's true.
So make a difference, starting today. With the counsel of the Spirit and the Scripture, choose the path of the righteous, and then walk it - consistently, day after day. I can make this guarantee - you'll never live to regret it!
Here's a word from the Word for today. "This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. " (2 Timothy 4:7-8, The Message)
A life lived well is an accumulation of days lived well! It isn't the single stellar moment that makes a life. Rather it is the consistent choices, made day after day, that add up to a life worth remembering. Are you waiting for your 'big break?' Are you letting one day after another slip away into history while you sit on the sidelines waiting for something to happen? That is the tragedy of many lives. Instead of taking the opportunities that are available to do something good, people wait.... and wait ... and wait. Little do they realize that, like the blink of an eye, 25 years will disappear over the horizon of time. Then, too, there are those who choose to waste the present. They're going to do something different, 'tomorrow.' So they spend week after week, watching the same boring TV, avoiding responsibility as much as possible, waiting for tomorrow, which never comes. In contrast are those who set goals, who determine to use their days to make a difference. They keep investing themselves in life on a daily basis, creating a memorable life in the process.
The film, Saving Private Ryan, released in 1998, open with a scene of a old man walking slowly across a field of white crosses marking graves of soldiers. When he finds that of Captain Miller, he falls to his knees and remembers the captain's dying words spoken years ago at the end of a desperate firefight. As Miller died, he challenged Ryan to live in an honorable way so that the sacrifices of those who saved him would matter. The old man, James Ryan, turns to his wife and wonders aloud if he is a good man, if he's lived well.
Sooner than you or I realize, we will be nearing the end of this earthly stay. Like the fictional James Ryan we will wonder, "Did it count? Have I lived well?" How we answer that will depend on two things - would we choose as the measure of success and our daily choices. Hugh Hefner, he of Playboy fame, turned 80 this year. He's spent his life in pursuit of sex and money. A succession of blondes whose attention was purchased with his fortune have shared his bed. Many silly men envy the life he's built on exploitation of women. I wonder what Hugh thinks? I wonder if he ever realizes that he's accumulated a treasure of fool's gold? He, too, came to the place in life he now occupies, one choice at time, beginning more than 50 years ago. Even if he feels little regret now as a result of a scarred conscience, he will face God not too far into the future and answer for his hedonism.
There's another famous man who decided to take a very different road in life right around the same time as Hefner, near the same place in America, the city of Chicago. That man decided to give away his life to tell a simple life-changing story, again and again, to as many people as possible around the world. Billy Graham, the renowned evangelist, whose is now in his mid-80's, started talking about Jesus. His team, which he kept around him for decades, committed themselves to each other and their lives to integrity. They remained faithful to their spouses and chose to handle the fame and wealth that came their way responsibly and with integrity - day after day. Best of all, they stayed faithful to Christ Jesus.
Today matters! The old cliché reminds us that 'today is the first day of the rest of your life.' It may be clichéd but it's true.
So make a difference, starting today. With the counsel of the Spirit and the Scripture, choose the path of the righteous, and then walk it - consistently, day after day. I can make this guarantee - you'll never live to regret it!
Here's a word from the Word for today. "This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. " (2 Timothy 4:7-8, The Message)
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Watch out for pragmatism
A pragmatist makes decisions based on the practicality of the action. Does it work? Does it serve the purpose? Does it 'get the job done?' These questions are first line in the mind of the pragmatic individual. What's wrong with that? Nothing at all, in most areas. My concern is about Christianity shaped around pragmatism. For many years I lived a Christian life that was mostly built around making good choices that would produce positive results. Somehow what I heard being taught was a whole lot of 'do this and that will happen.' I did not realize that I was actually worshipping self- my true intent being creating a life of maximum benefit to myself. For example, as a teen I was that being sexually pure was an important choice for a Christian, but the reasons given for that choice were based on avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, avoiding pregnancy, etc. Those are not the most important reasons for sexual purity! The Bible points out that honoring God with our body and recognizing the covenantal nature of sex are the real reason Christians adopt the sexual ethics of purity. If a teen is taught only the pragmatic reasons for not sleeping with his girlfriend, he'll 'solve the problem' by buying a condom or getting the 'morning after' pill and then do what he wants.
Many Believers do not live a holy life precisely because they don't understand the real 'why' behind God-honoring decisions. They only see the 'what' and they find a solution to avoid the consequence, then choice to live as they wish. God, Who is to the center of life, is pushed to the periphery and Self remains enthroned. The not so subtle sub-text of a lot of contemporary preaching is how to create a pleasant life and avoid suffering, and then to get oneself into Heaven when we die.
Perhaps you're wondering, "So, Jerry, what's wrong with that?" Much, I say! A careful reading of Scripture reveals that the purpose of a godly life is not health, wealth, and sweet dreams! We are called to selfless service of humanity and our Lord, regardless of personal cost and without thought of benefit to self. The pragmatic Believer finds Jesus' words about sacrificial living inscrutable. He challenges us saying - "he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:38-39, NKJV)
We must not and cannot calculate the 'cost benefit' ratio of every choice we make as a Christian. Think of it with a example - Imagine calculating something like 'how many Sundays do I have to be in church every year to stay on good terms with God?' If our true motive in corporate worship is loving God and His people, then we will eagerly set aside all other activities on the Lord's Day and be in worship because loving God is the primary call of every Believer. And after worship, we won't be asking, "What did I gain? Was it a good sermon? How was the music? Were the people friendly?" We'll be thanking God for the privilege of honoring Him with our time and attention to focused worship!
Think of the folly of pragmatic Christianity in another way. Peter was rebuked by Jesus for trying to calculate a pragmatic response to other people who offended him. “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22, NKJV) The Lord then went on to tell a story illustrating the importance of endless forgiveness, based on the model of God's grace.
Love is not the choice of a pragmatist! True love is costly, demanding, and thoughtless of benefit to self. That applies whether we're thinking of love for God or love for other people. I hope I have provoked you today to think about why you are making the choices you're making as a Christian. The truth is that everyone of us thinks about the benefits to ourselves everyday; maybe not consciously, but we're basically selfish creatures and thus, somewhere inside, we're usually calculating - 'what's in it for me?' "Jerry, you're so negative!" No, just honest! I do it all the time, without even realizing it. That's why we need the Spirit to take us to Cross again and again, as Paul says, to be 'crucified with Christ.' Self is amazingly resilient and must die daily, hence the Lord's command to pick up our Cross.
Here's a passage that is not pragmatic. May the words, though familiar, find a place in your mind today.
"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!" (1 Corinthians 13:3-12, The Message)
Many Believers do not live a holy life precisely because they don't understand the real 'why' behind God-honoring decisions. They only see the 'what' and they find a solution to avoid the consequence, then choice to live as they wish. God, Who is to the center of life, is pushed to the periphery and Self remains enthroned. The not so subtle sub-text of a lot of contemporary preaching is how to create a pleasant life and avoid suffering, and then to get oneself into Heaven when we die.
Perhaps you're wondering, "So, Jerry, what's wrong with that?" Much, I say! A careful reading of Scripture reveals that the purpose of a godly life is not health, wealth, and sweet dreams! We are called to selfless service of humanity and our Lord, regardless of personal cost and without thought of benefit to self. The pragmatic Believer finds Jesus' words about sacrificial living inscrutable. He challenges us saying - "he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:38-39, NKJV)
We must not and cannot calculate the 'cost benefit' ratio of every choice we make as a Christian. Think of it with a example - Imagine calculating something like 'how many Sundays do I have to be in church every year to stay on good terms with God?' If our true motive in corporate worship is loving God and His people, then we will eagerly set aside all other activities on the Lord's Day and be in worship because loving God is the primary call of every Believer. And after worship, we won't be asking, "What did I gain? Was it a good sermon? How was the music? Were the people friendly?" We'll be thanking God for the privilege of honoring Him with our time and attention to focused worship!
Think of the folly of pragmatic Christianity in another way. Peter was rebuked by Jesus for trying to calculate a pragmatic response to other people who offended him. “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22, NKJV) The Lord then went on to tell a story illustrating the importance of endless forgiveness, based on the model of God's grace.
Love is not the choice of a pragmatist! True love is costly, demanding, and thoughtless of benefit to self. That applies whether we're thinking of love for God or love for other people. I hope I have provoked you today to think about why you are making the choices you're making as a Christian. The truth is that everyone of us thinks about the benefits to ourselves everyday; maybe not consciously, but we're basically selfish creatures and thus, somewhere inside, we're usually calculating - 'what's in it for me?' "Jerry, you're so negative!" No, just honest! I do it all the time, without even realizing it. That's why we need the Spirit to take us to Cross again and again, as Paul says, to be 'crucified with Christ.' Self is amazingly resilient and must die daily, hence the Lord's command to pick up our Cross.
Here's a passage that is not pragmatic. May the words, though familiar, find a place in your mind today.
"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!" (1 Corinthians 13:3-12, The Message)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Gift of Beauty
While driving up the inter-state highway, I turned on my CD player. Beautiful music poured out of the speakers. God embraced me! I wish I could find words to describe the sense of His Presence, but it is indescribable. I could not speak for 20 minutes, I was so full of emotion. Some would dismiss that experience as just an 'emotional' high, or with explanations of chemicals released in my brain. I know it was the Spirit of the Lord. He used beauty to touch my soul, to tell me of His love, to remind me of His plans and purposes.
I am not the only person who has experienced God's Presence in the arts. My friend, "Doc" Edmunds has written to me more than once to tell of sensing God's Spirit while he enjoyed a classical composition. He has shared with me that it forms a context of worship for him. Chuck Colson, in his book The Good Life, writes - "When I need inspiration, I sometimes walk on a beach near my home in Naples, Florida. I've always been moved by the majesty of the oceans. The nearby Gulf of Mexico, year-round, storm or no storm, is an absolutely beautiful sight. It is particularly striking during the summer..... I experience awe and wonder and gain perspective during my walks on the beach. ... I identify with Scottish mountaineer, W. H. Murray, who described his unspeakable joy at witnessing a great mountain peak as one on of those 'fleeting glimpses of that beauty which all men who have known it have been compelled to call the truth.'"
David, the Psalmist, who had spent many nights under the stars caring for his sheep and later, waiting for a morning's battle, wrote of the glory he saw in creation's beauty. In Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT) we read:"The heavens tell of the glory of God.The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it."
Beauty should draw to think of the Person who brings order from chaos, who is the Painter of the sunset, the composer of the songs of birds and whales. A person does not need to be sophisticated to appreciate beauty. A child can recognize the wonder in a rose!
Because we live in a world marred by sin, where evil works against good, we deal with ugliness everywhere. Warfare spreads chaos and destroys the beauty of human community. Hatred tears apart people - in families, in towns and cities, religion from religion, nation against nation. Gardens quickly degenerate into weedy messes when left untended. Even the arts are marred when God is removed from them. I cannot help but note the difference between what is created by those who see the world as a place loved and created by God and those who are without a knowledge or belief in God. Much art produced by post-moderns who see the world as a product of random chance and a place without over-arching purpose is chaotic, full of noise and fury, and harsh - because that is the place from which the artist begins his work!
Are you in need of perspective?Has life overwhelmed you, problems become many while resources have diminished?Take a beauty break! Go ponder the works of God in Creation. Or, listen to some beautiful music. Or, visit a garden. Or, enjoy a work of art... and do it with a prayerful invitation to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to embrace you, to come close and to remind you that despite the destruction and chaos that the Evil One wreaks on this world, that He is the King of Kings, the Author of Life, the One who remains the Source of Hope, Life, and Beauty.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today: "...what may be known about God is plain ... because God has made it plain .... For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20, NIV)
__________________________
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art! -
Carl Boberg, a Swedish pastor, editor of a Christian newspaper, and member of the Swedish Parliament, was suddenly caught in a midday thunderstorm in 1886 while visiting a beautiful part of the coast of Sweden. The rolling thunder and flashing lightning filled him with awe. "Following the violent storm, he was inspired by the calm water, the clear brilliant sunlight, and the sweet songs of the birds. The experience prompted him to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God. He penned his experience in the poem which later became the song sung across Europe and the United States - How Great Thou Art!
I am not the only person who has experienced God's Presence in the arts. My friend, "Doc" Edmunds has written to me more than once to tell of sensing God's Spirit while he enjoyed a classical composition. He has shared with me that it forms a context of worship for him. Chuck Colson, in his book The Good Life, writes - "When I need inspiration, I sometimes walk on a beach near my home in Naples, Florida. I've always been moved by the majesty of the oceans. The nearby Gulf of Mexico, year-round, storm or no storm, is an absolutely beautiful sight. It is particularly striking during the summer..... I experience awe and wonder and gain perspective during my walks on the beach. ... I identify with Scottish mountaineer, W. H. Murray, who described his unspeakable joy at witnessing a great mountain peak as one on of those 'fleeting glimpses of that beauty which all men who have known it have been compelled to call the truth.'"
David, the Psalmist, who had spent many nights under the stars caring for his sheep and later, waiting for a morning's battle, wrote of the glory he saw in creation's beauty. In Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT) we read:"The heavens tell of the glory of God.The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it."
Beauty should draw to think of the Person who brings order from chaos, who is the Painter of the sunset, the composer of the songs of birds and whales. A person does not need to be sophisticated to appreciate beauty. A child can recognize the wonder in a rose!
Because we live in a world marred by sin, where evil works against good, we deal with ugliness everywhere. Warfare spreads chaos and destroys the beauty of human community. Hatred tears apart people - in families, in towns and cities, religion from religion, nation against nation. Gardens quickly degenerate into weedy messes when left untended. Even the arts are marred when God is removed from them. I cannot help but note the difference between what is created by those who see the world as a place loved and created by God and those who are without a knowledge or belief in God. Much art produced by post-moderns who see the world as a product of random chance and a place without over-arching purpose is chaotic, full of noise and fury, and harsh - because that is the place from which the artist begins his work!
Are you in need of perspective?Has life overwhelmed you, problems become many while resources have diminished?Take a beauty break! Go ponder the works of God in Creation. Or, listen to some beautiful music. Or, visit a garden. Or, enjoy a work of art... and do it with a prayerful invitation to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to embrace you, to come close and to remind you that despite the destruction and chaos that the Evil One wreaks on this world, that He is the King of Kings, the Author of Life, the One who remains the Source of Hope, Life, and Beauty.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today: "...what may be known about God is plain ... because God has made it plain .... For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20, NIV)
__________________________
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art! -
Carl Boberg, a Swedish pastor, editor of a Christian newspaper, and member of the Swedish Parliament, was suddenly caught in a midday thunderstorm in 1886 while visiting a beautiful part of the coast of Sweden. The rolling thunder and flashing lightning filled him with awe. "Following the violent storm, he was inspired by the calm water, the clear brilliant sunlight, and the sweet songs of the birds. The experience prompted him to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God. He penned his experience in the poem which later became the song sung across Europe and the United States - How Great Thou Art!
Monday, September 04, 2006
Confidence in the Lord
There are always challenges in life! When we get through one set of problems, a new one comes along, or at least that is my experience. Our daughter called yesterday to update us on her life. She's been a student for 6 years, college, then graduate school. While she was in school, she juggled being a wife, a student, and holding a job. She was eager to get into a job working in her field, thinking that she would finally get past the stresses of multiple responsibilities. Now she is working for a college as she desired, and has discovered that her position has presented her with a whole new set of challenges! There is no utopia this side of heaven, regardless of the age, the place, or the situation we find ourselves in in life.
Every life stage, every job, every season comes with its own problems. However, for every Believer there is the promise of the peace of God in the middle of the mess! That is one of the facts I've learned with maturity. I cannot avoid problems. In fact, if I try, I will retreat into an ineffective, lazy lifestyle that still has problems. But I can live with quiet confidence in the middle of the battles and struggles. There is no better example of this than Paul, the Apostle. As he engaged in his calling, he found opposition everywhere. "I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I’ve had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather. And that’s not the half of it, when you throw in the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:23-28, The Message) What a life! Some of us might have been tempted to counsel Paul to find another line of work, to take an early retirement, right? But he saw these problems as a part of fulfilling the calling of God, and accepted them. Near the end of his life, while he was imprisoned in Rome, he sent a final letter to Timothy and, even then, his words have the pulse of confidence: "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV)
So, how do we face life with confidence and peace?
Live close to the Lord and trust Him to lead! Paul did not say, "Tim, I've finally figured it all out and now I'm at peace." He didn't have an inside contact that was going to fix it for him. He knew the One in whom he had put his trust and his confidence was set on God's ability to keep him, here or in heaven. That is the only way to live at peace in a world where wars break out that we cannot control, where the vagaries of the economic situation can bring our job to an end, where our bodies break down with age, where people disappoint us or worse, turn against us ... the ordinary stuff of life. We can focus on the troubles and grow fearful or cynical OR we can focus on God's great grace, and remain at peace. The Scripture reminds us that the godly live by this principle - “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. " (Zechariah 4:6, NKJV)
The reason that many do not enjoy God's peace is that they do not live for Him, or with an awareness of His Presence, until some crisis breaks! I don't even mean that they are living in evil ways. They may good people, doing good things, but they are not worshipful. They do not pray, nor do they seek God's will. For years they manage to overcome the problems and challenges that come their way. Then comes that mountain that is too high to climb, that river that is too wide to cross... and what then? We must walk with God now! We must pray and worship and love Him now. Then, we problems come (and don't believe those who tell you that the godly are exempt from problems!) we can draw on our long-standing friendship with God and know that He will make a way for us.
"My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (Psalm 62:1-2, NIV) _____________________________
Calm Faith Ian White
A prayer from the inner heart we bring to You,
for deep unspoken cries are breaking thru;
for You love us like no other can,
for You know us like no other can.
We’re asking for calm faith.
We’re asking for burning love.
We’re asking for bright hope,
and a deep compassion for souls.
We know that what we stand for stays the same,
and ‘til the end of time Your love remains;
for You love us like no other can,
for You know us like no other can.
Every life stage, every job, every season comes with its own problems. However, for every Believer there is the promise of the peace of God in the middle of the mess! That is one of the facts I've learned with maturity. I cannot avoid problems. In fact, if I try, I will retreat into an ineffective, lazy lifestyle that still has problems. But I can live with quiet confidence in the middle of the battles and struggles. There is no better example of this than Paul, the Apostle. As he engaged in his calling, he found opposition everywhere. "I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I’ve had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather. And that’s not the half of it, when you throw in the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:23-28, The Message) What a life! Some of us might have been tempted to counsel Paul to find another line of work, to take an early retirement, right? But he saw these problems as a part of fulfilling the calling of God, and accepted them. Near the end of his life, while he was imprisoned in Rome, he sent a final letter to Timothy and, even then, his words have the pulse of confidence: "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV)
So, how do we face life with confidence and peace?
Live close to the Lord and trust Him to lead! Paul did not say, "Tim, I've finally figured it all out and now I'm at peace." He didn't have an inside contact that was going to fix it for him. He knew the One in whom he had put his trust and his confidence was set on God's ability to keep him, here or in heaven. That is the only way to live at peace in a world where wars break out that we cannot control, where the vagaries of the economic situation can bring our job to an end, where our bodies break down with age, where people disappoint us or worse, turn against us ... the ordinary stuff of life. We can focus on the troubles and grow fearful or cynical OR we can focus on God's great grace, and remain at peace. The Scripture reminds us that the godly live by this principle - “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. " (Zechariah 4:6, NKJV)
The reason that many do not enjoy God's peace is that they do not live for Him, or with an awareness of His Presence, until some crisis breaks! I don't even mean that they are living in evil ways. They may good people, doing good things, but they are not worshipful. They do not pray, nor do they seek God's will. For years they manage to overcome the problems and challenges that come their way. Then comes that mountain that is too high to climb, that river that is too wide to cross... and what then? We must walk with God now! We must pray and worship and love Him now. Then, we problems come (and don't believe those who tell you that the godly are exempt from problems!) we can draw on our long-standing friendship with God and know that He will make a way for us.
"My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (Psalm 62:1-2, NIV) _____________________________
Calm Faith Ian White
A prayer from the inner heart we bring to You,
for deep unspoken cries are breaking thru;
for You love us like no other can,
for You know us like no other can.
We’re asking for calm faith.
We’re asking for burning love.
We’re asking for bright hope,
and a deep compassion for souls.
We know that what we stand for stays the same,
and ‘til the end of time Your love remains;
for You love us like no other can,
for You know us like no other can.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)