Prepared to live, or just to die?

99% of the time I love my vocation which is to serve a local congregation as their pastor.  Nobody has to bribe me to get me to work.  No one has to threaten me to get me to produce.  If I could, I would do what I do without being paid.  Why?  Because my heart is in this;   it's my life.   I believe in the Church, that she holds the key to making a better world and the answer to the spiritual hunger of every human being.  I have a passion for the Gospel of Christ.  If you talk with me for more than a few moments,  you're going to hear about two things- my family and the church!   Because those loves are deep in my heart, they surface quickly in my conversation.    By way of contrast. I know many who dread going to work every morning, dragging their feet all the way and living for the weekend.  They work just for the money!   I do hope that your daily work is about something you love and believe in, but that's not the main point of this TFTD. 

• Why are you a Christian?  
• How do you serve Christ and His kingdom?

Some people's Christianity is primarily focused on getting to Heaven and keeping out of trouble with God.  Dallas Willard says, "Some Christians are better prepared to die than they are to live!"    Their faith is not shaped around loving Jesus Christ nor do they really have a heart-deep conviction that the purpose of life is found in knowing Jesus.   But they do believe that Eternity is real and that God exists so.... they participate in Christianity at a minimal level hoping to appease God and escape Judgment.   The tragic truth about this kind of spirituality is that it robs that person of joy in both worlds!   They do not get to enjoy making money, seeking pleasure, and feeding their sensual appetites because they afraid of offending the Lord,  and they don't enjoy a close walk with the Spirit of God because they are unwilling to completely surrender to Him.

 

More than once I have counseled with those who are torn between the desire to do their own thing and their knowledge of God's way.   They try desperately to keep a foot in each world, living sinfully and sensually and then pleading with God for forgiveness.   The roller coaster of guilt and relief nearly drives them mad!   My advice is simple - "Choose now!"    Get your heart into one place or the other, but do not attempt to straddle the fence! That's what Joshua advised the nation of Israel, too.   “Honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”" (Joshua 24:14-15, NLT)

 

This challenge to choose is one that recurs again and again in the Bible.   Moses, in his final address to Israel, laid out the 'blessings' and 'curses.'   That sermon which is recorded in the ending chapters of Deuteronomy are an interesting study in choice and consequence!   Elijah stood before the king and leaders of Israel at Mt. Carmel and threw down this challenge - “How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal (a god worshipped by the Canaanite people), follow him. Make up your minds!” (1 Kings 18:21, The Message)

 

Believer, get your heart into it.   Choose God.   Make Him first - in your affections, in your priorities of time use, in your finances.   Love for God is not just about warm, fuzzy emotions that we feel in those occasional times of high worship, or at a beautiful sunset, or... whatever.   Love for God is about our daily choices.    Our hearts will follow our choice.   IF we choose Him, place our affections on Him, we will find great joy in the offering of ourselves.   His love will grow in us.

 

Here's a word from the Word to ponder today - Jesus says, “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." (Revelation 3:20, NLT)   What's your choice?

__________________________

 

This is the air I breathe,
This is the air I breathe,
Your Holy Presence living in me.

This is my Daily Bread,
This is my Daily Bread,
Your very word spoken to me.

And I, I'm desp'rate for You.
And I, I'm lost without You.

© 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)   CCLI License No. 810055

Great Christians are not accidents!

There is a misconception widespread that becoming a disciple whose life is filled with the character of Jesus Christ is something that just sort of happens if you happen to be fortunate (blessed?) enough to have the right kind of parents and the right kind of church. Then, too, we seem to believe that failure and moral collapse results from some kind of bad luck, too. We speak of someone 'falling into sin' as though we have no idea how or why it happened, as though it is a a fluke of fate. You can become a great Christian, or you can hang around sin until you fall. It's your choice!

Some of you are saying, "Wait a minute, Jerry, you sound like you're suggesting we can save ourselves." No, I'm not! God, the Holy Spirit, is our life and Christ Jesus the One who has reconciled us to our Heavenly Father. My point is that we are not passive, waiting around for the character of Christ to emerge in us. We are called to be active in a process of spiritual formation, that is practicing the disciplines of life that allow the character of Christ to grow in us replacing the power of sin over us. Richard Foster and Dallas Willard have taught at length on this subject. Willard writes, "Spiritual formation does not aim at controlling action." (The Great Omission, 2006, Harper Row) He goes on to point out that Christianity is not a 12 step group where we rehearse our failures and try to do better. Nor are we rigid rule-keepers that force a veneer of spirituality into place over a heart full of ugly sins and lusts. We enter joyfully into a process of transformation by loving Jesus Christ actively and change from the inside out.

God gives us the tools required for change. First among them, the Scripture's Truth. "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." (Joshua 1:8, NLT) Want to know why so many disciples are so wobbly weak, so inconsistent, so unreliable? They are on a spiritual starvation diet! They know the TV schedule better than they know the Bible. They can recite sports stats with passion but have no working knowledge of the Scripture or what it means! That word, "meditate" is very instructive when we explore the Hebrew root for it. It is alternately translated with these words: "growl, utter, muse, and mutter!" The Scripture needs to be so woven into our mind, so tangled in the thoughts of our heart, that every situation that arises causes us to mutter a passage in ourselves. When we find ourselves ready to judge, our spirit mutters, "Judge not!" When we find ourselves lusting after sex or material possessions, our spirit mutters "Flee youth lusts. Love not the things of this world."

Those who own the Scripture, need not haul out their Bible at every moment, for the Truth is at work within them. "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. ... Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:11,105, NIV)

Read the Gospels with an open heart and you will find much in the words of our Lord Jesus about intentionality.
"Choose to love right things," He says. "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:20-21, NIV)
"Live in humility and serve another," He says. "When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet." (John 13:12-14, NIV) Do you see the importance of daily choices? A great Christian becomes so not by accident but by pursuit of the Holy One, by pressing to stand near to His Lord, and putting the sinful nature to death by the power of God. A Christian who 'falls into sin' does so because the rot in his heart finally works through to the surface. Jesus says it clearly: "You are a bunch of evil snakes, so how can you say anything good? Your words show what is in your hearts. Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts." (Matthew 12:34-35, CEV)

So, we present ourselves to God. We learn the Truth and the Spirit reveals it to us. We engage with Him, letting Self die and the Spirit rule. We choose to learn, to serve, to pray, to love, to forgive, to give ... whatever He asks ... and we do so without complaint. That is the process by which God grows great Christians, and others seeing the quality of our lives give Him praise.
___________________

I am Thine O Lord; I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me.
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord,
By the power of grace divine.
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord.
To Thy precious bleeding side.

Oh the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer and with Thee my God,
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

I Am Thine, O Lord
Fanny J. Crosby © Public Domain

Got Discernment?

The Pentecostal/Charismatic wing of Christianity, of which I am part both by experience and doctrinal persuasion, is plagued by a major lack of discernment on the part of many who claim to be 'Spirit-filled.' The hunger for the 'supernatural' causes otherwise intelligent people to ignore major warnings, to run all the caution lights, as they chase after the revelations and revivals of one false prophet after another. With tiresome regularity, these men are revealed to be traversing the road of heresy, or perversion, or greed. Jude, who saw the same kind of men in the church in the first century, described them as "shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted-twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever." (Jude 12-13, NIV)

The latest discernment failures were in Orlando, Florida where Todd Bentley held forth night after night telling myriad unbelievable stories of 'supernatural' occurences to crowds who drank up his words without filters or questions. In one incident, a homeless man was alleged to have put his shoes into the offering plate, whereupon "God" was purported to have rained currency from the ceiling! The person who told me that story nearly wept with joy while I just wanted to cry at such gullibility! Then, two weeks ago the world learned that while Bentley was supposedly communing with angels in his hotel room, he was consorting with a female other than his wife. Here is the confirmed story.

• Evangelist Bentley Stepping Down- Allie Martin
  
  Todd Bentley will step down as head of Fresh Fire Ministries, after the ministry revealed he had an "unhealthy relationship" with a female staffer. That announcement comes one week after Bentley's ministry announced he and his wife were separating. The announcement from the board of directors acknowledged that Bentley had an "unhealthy relationship" on an emotional level with the female staff member. Bentley is best known for leading a series of public meetings in Florida since April that have attracted around 300,000 people to churches and a baseball stadium. The Canadian evangelist will also cease all public meetings, including a 38-city stadium tour of U.S. cities.
  
  In a recent article in Charisma magazine on the meetings, editor Lee Grady said many of those who defended Bentley displayed a "lack of discernment," in part because of a "raw zeal for God." Grady also pointed out that Bentley had serious credibility issues from the beginning of the meetings, claiming to have talked to an angel in his hotel room, and bragging about tackling a man and knocking his tooth out during prayer. "Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs, and wonders than have a quiet Bible study," the Christian journalist wrote. "Our adolescent craving for he wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time for us to grow up." (Source: OneNewsNow.com http://www.faithnews.cc/articles.cfm?sid=9217
  

Disciple, don't fall so in love with emotions and/or 'signs and wonders' that you forget that
real discipleship is about daily choices, made in the context of life with family, friends, and neighbors. No amount of emotionalism, laying claim to fiery experiences of the 'Spirit,' singing of praise songs until a 'spiritual trance' is induced, or other excesses will make you a better disciple or give you greater power in the Kingdom.

Real power in God's work is found in holy obedience, steady endurance, and the quietly transformed life that results from a daily walk with Jesus. It's not about having a spiritual party (what many church gathering are coming to resemble) or 'getting blessed!' The life that honors Christ and really makes a difference for the Kingdom is one in which we realize the importance of being faithful, of honoring commitments, of going to work, of good stewardship of money and possessions, of governing our passions, of getting on our knees whether you feel like it or not.

There are no short-cuts to spiritual depth and authority and victory. Maturity, which brings intimacy with God, humility, and steadiness; cannot be found in a single revival experience, in a book, or in a story that makes you weep. It comes in God's school of character where we choose, daily, our way or His.

Here's a word from the Word. Let it soak into your mind and heart, then pray for the Spirit to take you past emotionalism, past the craving of your sinful nature, and into the deep holiness of God which is beautiful, fulfilling, and defeats the Enemy's schemes.

"No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love-like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

And so I insist-and God backs me up on this-that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything-and I do mean everything-connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life-a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you." -

Ephesians 4:14-24, The Message

"I'm Gellin'!" ?

Wind-driven rain blows in his face as he waits for a taxicab. A look of misery is written all over his face, then.... magically some blue gel insoles slide into his shoes and he relaxes, just as the taxicab arrives. As he reaches for the door, another man shoves him aside and jumps in the cab, but our hero doesn't mind because he saying, "I'm gellin'!" The Dr. Scholl's company makes great foot care products and those silly advertising commercials featuring a stressed individual who is suddenly strangely soothed by the amazing gel inserts for shoes that make his feet feel oh, so comfortable! Is that all we need to deal with life's pressures?

The Word offers disciples of Jesus Christ a way to live with serenity! Many of Paul's letters open with this greeting: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:2, NIV) In another passage we read that "God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13, NLT) Then there is this oft-quoted verse: "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7, NIV)

With such great and wonderful promises, why do we spend so much time anxious, worried, and at odds with those around us?

Living in the peace of God requires more than sole inserts. At issue is the state of our soul! Buddhism suggests that the road to bliss is the way of detachment. Is the peace of the Christ-follower found in detachment? No! We need not escape to a monastery, move to the mountains of Montana, or quit our job to live in the peace of Christ Jesus. The basic choice that must be made is trust, making the decision to take each day as it comes, while trusting God without question. Easier said than done, isn't it? As long as we are fighting with God for control, we will not live in peace. When we embrace Him, giving ourselves up to His care, we open the door to being filled with supernatural hope, joy, and peace.

Living in peace also means choosing to obey Him. If we refuse to conform our thoughts and actions to His commands, the Holy Spirit cannot live in us as promised. When His Presence lifts from us, we feel orphaned and alone. Be careful on this point. Do not make your own perfection the focus of your efforts. That will rob you of peace, too. Instead, seek to stay connected to the Lord, to love Him and listen to the Spirit as He leads you. When He asks you to forgive another, do it! When He prompts you to hold your tongue, do it! When He urges you to put another's interests over your own, do it!

Living in the peace of God will mean that you learn how to order the priorities of your life. We define ourselves by what we do! 21st century Americans are addicted to noise and activity. Our brains are so over-stimulated that we actually grow agitated when things quiet down. We live at full speed for much of each day and even well into the evening. Our TV's blare from the corner of the room. Our cell phones, computers, and Blackberries never cool down. No wonder the peace of God escapes us. The Shepherd's voice, calling us to lie down in green pastures, is obliterated by the noise! Don't tell me that you have no control over this. Certainly there are days when things are hectic, but with discipline and the ability to say, "No" to the good for the sake of the best, we can find a place near the heart of God.

Gel sole inserts won't produce peace. Medication can grant a kind of 'peace,' but it's not the heart-deep, soul transforming, sweet rest promised by Christ. You knew that, and so did I. Disciple, I challenge you to consider your ways and your days. If there is no peace, then something is awry in your relationship with God.

Take this word from the Word as God's Word to you today:
"Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts." (2 Timothy 2:22, NLT)

"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together (at peace!) —spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23, The Message)
_______________________

Far away in the depths
Of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial-like strains
It unceasingly falls
O'er my soul like an infinite calm.

What a treasure I have
In this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away
While the years of eternity roll.

Ah soul, are you here
Without comfort or rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your friend
Ere the shadows grow dark.
Oh accept this sweet peace so sublime.

Peace, Peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above.
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,
In fathomless billows of love.

Wonderful Peace
Cornell, Warren D. / Cooper, W. George © Public Domain

The Impact of Storms!

Hurricane Gustav is hours from the Louisiana coast and millions of people's lives have changed course as a result of this storm. The city of New Orleans was evacuated, residents fleeing early fearing of another flood like Katrina. All of that destruction and misery is still a vivid memory. The script of the Republican convention in Minnesota, carefully planned for months, was torn up by winds blowing a thousand miles away. Those politicians decided that the pictures of the glitz of a national convention would be unseemly in juxtaposition with scenes from a hurricane's furious winds in one of America's major cities. Even the President of the United States changed his plans when this storm blew in from the Atlantic this week.

Hurricanes are not the only storms that change plans. A storm blew into my Dad's life in January that changed the course of his life, my Mom's life, my life, and lives of so many more. Plans carefully made were rewritten by rogue cells in his body. So, what storms are blowing into your life, dear friend? It's not a matter of 'if,' but rather 'when!' In a famous parable about foundations, Jesus Christ tells us to build a life house that rests solidly on His Words and wisdom. "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash." (Matthew 7:24-27, NLT) Storms will come at us from time to time that will shake us to the core. "What then," He asks? "Will you come through with your life intact, even though your plans are rewritten?"

There is one thing that allows me to face the storms of life with confidence: God knows the forecast! He is never caught unprepared. He is never reacting to the unexpected. The Psalmist exults in the Omniscience of the Lord saying, "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!" (Psalm 139:1-6, NLT) He concludes with words of wonder: "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God." (Psalm 139:16-17, NLT)

Disciple, know this: those who serve the Lord go through storms. Saints are not exempt from hurricanes, cancer, or national recessions! But, we go through them with quiet confidence in the One who knew the storm's approach. So, build your life on the solid foundation of His loving wisdom. Obey Him today.

When the wind blows furiously through your life, you will be secure in the one fact that nothing can change: the enduring love of God and His promise to bring you to His eternal home! Hallelujah!
_______________

" Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
Romans 11:33-36, NIV