Ed Thomas, high school football coach from Parkersburg, IA, was shot and killed on Wednesday morning by a man who formerly played on his team. Thomas, 58, was a family man, a phenomenal coach who sent several guys into the pros, and a Christian man deeply respected in Parkersburg, where he invested 37 years coaching and helping out anyone in distress. When the little town was destroyed by a tornado last year, Thomas was at the forefront of efforts to rebuild the community. Hundreds gathered to remember him at a memorial at the football field.
Michael Jackson, 50, the “king of pop music,” died yesterday at his home in Los Angeles from sudden cardiac arrest. Billions (literally!) spoke his name as news traveled ‘round the world. Major networks gave hours to coverage of his death and remembering his art. Amazingly gifted as an entertainer, his personal life was tragic, and to all appearances, he was a very lonely, troubled individual.
The contrast of these two lives occupied my mind for quite a while. One was rich, the other was not. One was famous, the other was not. Both enjoyed a kind of success, but of a very different nature. One was loved for himself, the other loved for his art. One was fulfilled and at peace with his life, the other on an endless quest for what God only knows.
Jesus asks us a pointed question. "What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? " (Mark 8:36-37, The Message)
Jackson was inarguably a man who lived an amazing life, who gained most everything that many crave. He had wealth and recognition, some saying he was known by more people around the world than other person. But, what does he leave and where did he go? He lived for this world and died a spiritual pauper.
"He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much;
who has enjoyed the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved flower, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation of Earth`s beauty or failed to express it;
who has always looked for the best in others and
given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction."
by Betty Anderson Stanley
Here’s a word from the Word. It is my prayer today. Will you make it yours?
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
(Psalm 90:12, NIV)
________________
I’m taking a couple of days off next week. CoffeeBreak will be back on Weds., 7/1.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Got what it takes?
It was reported that Judge Sotomayor, the recent nominee to the Supreme Court, has moments when she feels a sense of inadequacy for her work as a Federal Judge, not because she lacks credentials, but because she feels so human, so ordinary. This woman, born in a working class neighborhood of New York City, is not, to all appearances, in love with herself, unimpressed by her rise in power. She called herself, “an ordinary person blessed with extraordinary opportunities.”
Do you ever wonder if you’ve got what it takes to live your calling?
Does the challenge of living the life of a Christian seem impossible when you consider your capabilities?
When you compare yourself to another disciple, do you feel like a fraud, wondering if you’re even in the same league?
Left on our own, we will not live in a way that consistently honors our God and reflects His goodness to others. To those who insist on the innate goodness of human beings, I present this indictment: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9, NIV) David, praying for forgiveness after plotting the death of his friend and taking Bathsheba in adultery cries out to the Lord, "I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. … For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:3,5, NLT)
Before we can experience genuine spiritual transformation, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to bring crushing conviction of our sinfulness. Old revivalist churches had a ‘mourner’s bench.’ It was the place where those who were broken by their sins wept in contrition, made their confession, received the grace of Jesus Christ, and experienced the new birth of the Spirit. We don’t have those today! Instead we have the “boasting couch,” where we brag about our sins, to the world! “I’m OK, you’re OK,” we insist while we comfort each other in our lust, greed, and addictions. I’m all for compassion for sinners! I am one apart from God’s saving grace. I’m all for authenticity! It’s a hallmark of my ministry and I pray I’ll never forget ‘the pit from which He pulled me.’ BUT, I don’t want to leave people in their sins nor do I want to stay there!
The two passages quoted above do not end by bemoaning depravity! They also celebrate the goodness of God and His power to save! "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV)
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ... Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:10, 12, NIV)
The 2nd chapter of Ephesians reminds us that because of Christ and the Spirit, being captives of sin and Self, is a past tense experience for disciples.
"It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. … 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 picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. … Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! … No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." (Ephesians 2:1-10, The Message) WOW!
Disciple, make your prayer like the prayer that Jesus prayed on the night of His betrayal - "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. … I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." (John 17:1,4, NIV) “Glorify” is a word that means to give splendor, to make radiant. We need to be concerned that our lives are radiant, marked by the ‘glow’ of God, so that we bring glory to God! Can you or I do that on our own? To even think we can is laughable! But, God, the Holy Spirit, will live in us and His brilliance, His light will shine through us.
Let’s make it our goal to live in the promise. Here’s a word from the Word. I pray it both challenges and encourages you to live up to your calling today – not by your strength, but in His wonderful power! "Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:16-18, NIV)
In Him, we are all ‘ordinary people blessed with extraordinary opportunities,’ to participate in the Divine Conspiracy to save the world!
______________
Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us;
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence.
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness;
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirror'd here, may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine.
Fill this land
With the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze.
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow.
Flood the nations
With grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word,
Lord, and let there be light.
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Kendrick, Graham© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
Do you ever wonder if you’ve got what it takes to live your calling?
Does the challenge of living the life of a Christian seem impossible when you consider your capabilities?
When you compare yourself to another disciple, do you feel like a fraud, wondering if you’re even in the same league?
Left on our own, we will not live in a way that consistently honors our God and reflects His goodness to others. To those who insist on the innate goodness of human beings, I present this indictment: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9, NIV) David, praying for forgiveness after plotting the death of his friend and taking Bathsheba in adultery cries out to the Lord, "I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. … For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:3,5, NLT)
Before we can experience genuine spiritual transformation, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to bring crushing conviction of our sinfulness. Old revivalist churches had a ‘mourner’s bench.’ It was the place where those who were broken by their sins wept in contrition, made their confession, received the grace of Jesus Christ, and experienced the new birth of the Spirit. We don’t have those today! Instead we have the “boasting couch,” where we brag about our sins, to the world! “I’m OK, you’re OK,” we insist while we comfort each other in our lust, greed, and addictions. I’m all for compassion for sinners! I am one apart from God’s saving grace. I’m all for authenticity! It’s a hallmark of my ministry and I pray I’ll never forget ‘the pit from which He pulled me.’ BUT, I don’t want to leave people in their sins nor do I want to stay there!
The two passages quoted above do not end by bemoaning depravity! They also celebrate the goodness of God and His power to save! "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV)
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ... Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:10, 12, NIV)
The 2nd chapter of Ephesians reminds us that because of Christ and the Spirit, being captives of sin and Self, is a past tense experience for disciples.
"It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. … 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 picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. … Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! … No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." (Ephesians 2:1-10, The Message) WOW!
Disciple, make your prayer like the prayer that Jesus prayed on the night of His betrayal - "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. … I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." (John 17:1,4, NIV) “Glorify” is a word that means to give splendor, to make radiant. We need to be concerned that our lives are radiant, marked by the ‘glow’ of God, so that we bring glory to God! Can you or I do that on our own? To even think we can is laughable! But, God, the Holy Spirit, will live in us and His brilliance, His light will shine through us.
Let’s make it our goal to live in the promise. Here’s a word from the Word. I pray it both challenges and encourages you to live up to your calling today – not by your strength, but in His wonderful power! "Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:16-18, NIV)
In Him, we are all ‘ordinary people blessed with extraordinary opportunities,’ to participate in the Divine Conspiracy to save the world!
______________
Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us;
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence.
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness;
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirror'd here, may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine.
Fill this land
With the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze.
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow.
Flood the nations
With grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word,
Lord, and let there be light.
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Kendrick, Graham© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Throw Your Hat Over the Wall
There’s an old story (it exists in many forms on the Internet!) about two friends were walking together when they came to a high wall. It stretched into the hills on both horizons. “So, Freddy,” Pete said, “I think we’ll have to turn around. We have reached the end of our road!”
Freddy grabbed Pete’s hat, a treasure he never let out of his sight, and threw it over the wall.
Pete flung himself to the ground in despair, angrily asking, “Why did you do that? That is my favorite hat! I’ll never see it again!” “Ah, I knew it was your favorite and that is why I threw it over the wall,” Fred said, “Now we will have to find a way to get over the wall.”
More than a few times in life I have thrown my hat over a wall, creating new challenges for myself, and then wondered why! The truth is I hope I never willingly abandon my journey simply because there is a high wall that appears to block the way. Part of me hates the difficulty of new circumstances, but another part of me knows that to surrender to them is to fail! Life is not trouble-free, but often, our ‘troubles’ become the soil in which God grows new opportunities!
18 months ago, I had no idea of the journey into sickness that my Dad was about to take, nor how his journey would involve me up until he died four months ago. But, when the situation called for it, I threw my hat over the wall and found a way to go after it! I’m so glad I did. I grew to know my Dad and my Heavenly Father in very new ways in that darkness!
When I was called to pastor my present church, I found many challenges. The easiest course of
action would have been to say, “I must have got this wrong. It’s impossible for me to serve here.” But, I knew that where God leads, God provides; that God is a way-maker!
The Word says, "The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." (Psalm 116:6-7, NIV) That word, “simplehearted” is about having a child-like faith, something akin to naivete; the willingness to attempt the impossible because it appears one doesn’t know any better! Is your faith in God so deep and strong that you will follow where He leads even when you look like a fool doing it?
So, what wall have you run into, disciple?
- Is your marriage a joyless one, with high walls standing in the way of rediscovery of your love? Will you quit or throw your hat over the wall?
- Is your faith barren of life, with high walls of doubt or fear blocking your experience of God’s presence? Again, I ask, will you quit or throw your hat over the wall?
- Is it a wall that keeps you from parenting well, from serving God with your spiritual gifts, that keeps you from giving to His work, that prevents you from regular practice of spiritual disciplines, …
There is a temptation to think that by turning away, life will become easier. It may- for a while- but then you’ll run into yet another wall! If you keep running, turning back from every challenge, the walls will close in on you! You will find yourself hemmed in by troubles, trials, doubts, and fears – perhaps even enslaved by sin – if you have refused to look for a way over that wall that stands between you and God’s highway of holiness.
The ancient Isrealites were led by God to the door of the Promised Land, but once there they believed the majority report of the scouts who told them that
“The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night." (Numbers 13:32-14:1, NLT) They refused to throw their hat over the wall and God let them wander for 40 years in the Sinai wilderness ‘til they died!
The next time they came to that moment of decision, they were inspired by the faithfilled leadership of Joshua who heard God tell him to throw his hat over the wall! “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 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 1:6-8, NLT) And they saw the Promise fulfilled!
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. … And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6, NLT)
___________
My Lord knows the way
Thro' the wilderness;
All I have to do is follow.
Strength for today
is mine always
And all I need
for tomorrow!
My Lord knows the way
Thro' the wilderness
All I have to do is follow.
My Lord Knows The Way
Cox, Sidney E.© 1951. Renewed 1979 Singspiration Music (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)
CCLI License No. 810055
Freddy grabbed Pete’s hat, a treasure he never let out of his sight, and threw it over the wall.
Pete flung himself to the ground in despair, angrily asking, “Why did you do that? That is my favorite hat! I’ll never see it again!” “Ah, I knew it was your favorite and that is why I threw it over the wall,” Fred said, “Now we will have to find a way to get over the wall.”
More than a few times in life I have thrown my hat over a wall, creating new challenges for myself, and then wondered why! The truth is I hope I never willingly abandon my journey simply because there is a high wall that appears to block the way. Part of me hates the difficulty of new circumstances, but another part of me knows that to surrender to them is to fail! Life is not trouble-free, but often, our ‘troubles’ become the soil in which God grows new opportunities!
18 months ago, I had no idea of the journey into sickness that my Dad was about to take, nor how his journey would involve me up until he died four months ago. But, when the situation called for it, I threw my hat over the wall and found a way to go after it! I’m so glad I did. I grew to know my Dad and my Heavenly Father in very new ways in that darkness!
When I was called to pastor my present church, I found many challenges. The easiest course of
action would have been to say, “I must have got this wrong. It’s impossible for me to serve here.” But, I knew that where God leads, God provides; that God is a way-maker!
The Word says, "The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." (Psalm 116:6-7, NIV) That word, “simplehearted” is about having a child-like faith, something akin to naivete; the willingness to attempt the impossible because it appears one doesn’t know any better! Is your faith in God so deep and strong that you will follow where He leads even when you look like a fool doing it?
So, what wall have you run into, disciple?
- Is your marriage a joyless one, with high walls standing in the way of rediscovery of your love? Will you quit or throw your hat over the wall?
- Is your faith barren of life, with high walls of doubt or fear blocking your experience of God’s presence? Again, I ask, will you quit or throw your hat over the wall?
- Is it a wall that keeps you from parenting well, from serving God with your spiritual gifts, that keeps you from giving to His work, that prevents you from regular practice of spiritual disciplines, …
There is a temptation to think that by turning away, life will become easier. It may- for a while- but then you’ll run into yet another wall! If you keep running, turning back from every challenge, the walls will close in on you! You will find yourself hemmed in by troubles, trials, doubts, and fears – perhaps even enslaved by sin – if you have refused to look for a way over that wall that stands between you and God’s highway of holiness.
The ancient Isrealites were led by God to the door of the Promised Land, but once there they believed the majority report of the scouts who told them that
“The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night." (Numbers 13:32-14:1, NLT) They refused to throw their hat over the wall and God let them wander for 40 years in the Sinai wilderness ‘til they died!
The next time they came to that moment of decision, they were inspired by the faithfilled leadership of Joshua who heard God tell him to throw his hat over the wall! “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 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 1:6-8, NLT) And they saw the Promise fulfilled!
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. … And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6, NLT)
___________
My Lord knows the way
Thro' the wilderness;
All I have to do is follow.
Strength for today
is mine always
And all I need
for tomorrow!
My Lord knows the way
Thro' the wilderness
All I have to do is follow.
My Lord Knows The Way
Cox, Sidney E.© 1951. Renewed 1979 Singspiration Music (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)
CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The K.I.S.S. Principle
It just all got to me today. Church ministry budgets that don’t balance, human needs for which I have no quick fix, a crazy mixed up world that seems to be getting more upside down recently – these things pressed in on me. “Why can’t it just be easy?” I whined to myself. Then the Spirit whispered, “Jerry, come back to your center. Simplify!” That center? “I am a beloved son of the Heavenly Father and with Him on my side, nothing is too hard.”
Do you know the K.I.S.S. principle? I'm not sure where it originated, but the concept is a GREAT! It's abrupt, maybe even rude. But, what the Spirit whispered to me was an expression of the that principle. K.I.S.S.
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Our Christian life gets awfully confused if we turn it into long debates about doctrines, slogs through philosophical ideas, or doing enough for God in ministry, whatever that is.
Am belittling doctrine or wrestling with ideas to find the truth? Not at all.
Am I saying that serving God faithfully in our ministry for His kingdom is unnecessary? No, again!
I am reminding you and me that that the heart of the Christ life is relationship -- with God and with others. I have that on the best authority! Jesus Himself said, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’" (Matthew 22:36-39, The Message)
The Beatles (anybody remember them these days?) wrote a simple song, one their earliest, that proclaimed, “All you need is love!” They were on to something. I wonder if John Lennon, who penned those lyrics, ever read the Gospels? The song was a hit, but it only touched one plane of love - people’s love for people – which quickly fails without the primary love – loving and being loved by God!
The writer of the book of Hebrews spends 12 chapters presenting the superiority of the Gospel with carefully reasoned arguments and then under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he circles ‘round to to the K.I.S.S. principle in the last chapter: (13.1) "Keep on loving each other!" All our fine theology must change the way we live from selfishness to love. If we reduce our Christian faith to a set of ideas that conform to orthodoxy, but fail to love- it's all a waste! 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us, "Without love, your preaching is as edifying as a gong or noisy cymbal. The ability to speak lofty theology, the insight to grasp spiritual mysteries, even a mountain-moving faith -- is worthless!"
Those unbalanced budgets are still there. Questions about my competence are still nagging at me. But, there is one certainty born of the K.I.S.S. principle: I love God and He loves me! From that centering Truth, I gain steady footing that lets me deal with my life, ministry, and the tests that will keep coming my way until I am received into His Presence for Eternity. Friend, if you know that, you, too, can deal with the rest of the stuff! So, keep it simple today, OK?
Jesus loves me this I know,
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones (and big people, too) to Him belong,
when they are weak,
He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible (and the Spirit in my heart) tells me so!
Do you know the K.I.S.S. principle? I'm not sure where it originated, but the concept is a GREAT! It's abrupt, maybe even rude. But, what the Spirit whispered to me was an expression of the that principle. K.I.S.S.
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Our Christian life gets awfully confused if we turn it into long debates about doctrines, slogs through philosophical ideas, or doing enough for God in ministry, whatever that is.
Am belittling doctrine or wrestling with ideas to find the truth? Not at all.
Am I saying that serving God faithfully in our ministry for His kingdom is unnecessary? No, again!
I am reminding you and me that that the heart of the Christ life is relationship -- with God and with others. I have that on the best authority! Jesus Himself said, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’" (Matthew 22:36-39, The Message)
The Beatles (anybody remember them these days?) wrote a simple song, one their earliest, that proclaimed, “All you need is love!” They were on to something. I wonder if John Lennon, who penned those lyrics, ever read the Gospels? The song was a hit, but it only touched one plane of love - people’s love for people – which quickly fails without the primary love – loving and being loved by God!
The writer of the book of Hebrews spends 12 chapters presenting the superiority of the Gospel with carefully reasoned arguments and then under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he circles ‘round to to the K.I.S.S. principle in the last chapter: (13.1) "Keep on loving each other!" All our fine theology must change the way we live from selfishness to love. If we reduce our Christian faith to a set of ideas that conform to orthodoxy, but fail to love- it's all a waste! 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us, "Without love, your preaching is as edifying as a gong or noisy cymbal. The ability to speak lofty theology, the insight to grasp spiritual mysteries, even a mountain-moving faith -- is worthless!"
Those unbalanced budgets are still there. Questions about my competence are still nagging at me. But, there is one certainty born of the K.I.S.S. principle: I love God and He loves me! From that centering Truth, I gain steady footing that lets me deal with my life, ministry, and the tests that will keep coming my way until I am received into His Presence for Eternity. Friend, if you know that, you, too, can deal with the rest of the stuff! So, keep it simple today, OK?
Jesus loves me this I know,
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones (and big people, too) to Him belong,
when they are weak,
He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible (and the Spirit in my heart) tells me so!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wimps for Jesus?
From certain points of view, a person could conclude that Christianity is a religion for wimps, that church is a gathering spot for the whiners and the weak. There are those congregations organized around bland programs that promote ‘nice,’ governed by committees of kind ladies whose life purpose is to have a nice church dinner with pretty centerpieces, and led by pastors whose highest goal is to find the lowest common denominator in pursuit of ‘non-offense’ in all proclamations. Prayers, if one could call them that, in that kind of church are all about Aunt Tilly’s infected toe and Uncle Joe’s latest bout with gout. Somewhere in that church, you will likely find that ubiquitous portrait of Jesus Christ that portrays Him as an effeminate man smiling wanly as if life is about to overwhelm Him.
Don’t get me wrong! Churches should promote harmony, be concerned with those marginalized by society, and care for the sick! But, that’s not all we do, nor does such a mission begin to define the true nature of the powerful faith given to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ! Your faith and mine is given to us for more than making us nice people who live quietly comfortable lives that intentionally avoid seeing the needs of the world, sated by endless pleasure seeking.
We are called into the service of the Lord of Heaven and Earth, commissioned to engage Evil, equipped with the armor of the Spirit and sent out to change the world by giving our lives for the Call. I’m not ready to die for a committee organizing church suppers, but I am ready to give myself to the One Who can use me to rescue men and women from death and Hell, that will stand up to tyrants, that will fight for those who are enslaved by the Devil and those who do his terrible work here.
We need to re-read the Gospels without our ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild,’ filters in place. Yes, He was a loving Man, who blessed children, and fed multitudes. And, He was a powerful Man who compelled sinners to consider their ways, who took on the powerful hypocrites that had turned faith into a money-making scheme, who walked courageously to the Cross to offer Himself as the Sacrifice for the sins of the world. His prayers were not little poems to inspire. In them He met with God and wrestled with the Devil and sweat blood! He was not timidly suggesting that those who wanted to follow Him should set aside 15 minutes a day to think happy thoughts and gather, if it was convenient, once a week for an hour or so for a nice program!
He demanded that they give up their lives for Him. In fact, one day when He was explaining that He must give His life, Peter tried to speak up and earned this rebuke from the Master. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” He followed up with this challenge – that we need to hear again and again! Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:22-26, NIV)
Christianity is the hope of the world. For two millennia, this Gospel has transformed individuals and entire cultures wherever it was preached by fearless men and women who were captivated by the beauty of the Lord, whose love for Him was not romanticized, but deep and compelling. Wimps for Jesus will not have a voice in this present darkness. Only those prepared to die (perhaps not literally, but certainly to their own purposes and pleasures) will.
Rich Mullins penned the song, “Awesome God,” in which he captured something of the true nature of our God. May his words stir you today.
When He rolls up His sleeves,
He ain't just puttin' on the ritz.
Our God is an awesome God.
There is thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists.
Our God is an awesome God.
And the Lord wasn't jokin'
When He kicked 'em out of Eden.
It wasn't for no reason
That He shed His blood.
His return is very close,
And so you better be believin'
That our God is an awesome God.
When the sky was starless
In the void of the night,
Our God is an awesome God.
He spoke into the darkness
And created the light,
Our God is an awesome God
The judgment and wrath
He poured out on Sodom;
The mercy and grace
He gave us at the cross.
I hope that we have not
Too quickly forgotten
That our God is an awesome God.
Our God is an awesome God.
He reigns from heaven above;
With wisdom, pow'r and love,
Our God is an awesome God.
Awesome God
Mullins, Rich© 1988 BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
Don’t get me wrong! Churches should promote harmony, be concerned with those marginalized by society, and care for the sick! But, that’s not all we do, nor does such a mission begin to define the true nature of the powerful faith given to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ! Your faith and mine is given to us for more than making us nice people who live quietly comfortable lives that intentionally avoid seeing the needs of the world, sated by endless pleasure seeking.
We are called into the service of the Lord of Heaven and Earth, commissioned to engage Evil, equipped with the armor of the Spirit and sent out to change the world by giving our lives for the Call. I’m not ready to die for a committee organizing church suppers, but I am ready to give myself to the One Who can use me to rescue men and women from death and Hell, that will stand up to tyrants, that will fight for those who are enslaved by the Devil and those who do his terrible work here.
We need to re-read the Gospels without our ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild,’ filters in place. Yes, He was a loving Man, who blessed children, and fed multitudes. And, He was a powerful Man who compelled sinners to consider their ways, who took on the powerful hypocrites that had turned faith into a money-making scheme, who walked courageously to the Cross to offer Himself as the Sacrifice for the sins of the world. His prayers were not little poems to inspire. In them He met with God and wrestled with the Devil and sweat blood! He was not timidly suggesting that those who wanted to follow Him should set aside 15 minutes a day to think happy thoughts and gather, if it was convenient, once a week for an hour or so for a nice program!
He demanded that they give up their lives for Him. In fact, one day when He was explaining that He must give His life, Peter tried to speak up and earned this rebuke from the Master. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” He followed up with this challenge – that we need to hear again and again! Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:22-26, NIV)
Christianity is the hope of the world. For two millennia, this Gospel has transformed individuals and entire cultures wherever it was preached by fearless men and women who were captivated by the beauty of the Lord, whose love for Him was not romanticized, but deep and compelling. Wimps for Jesus will not have a voice in this present darkness. Only those prepared to die (perhaps not literally, but certainly to their own purposes and pleasures) will.
Rich Mullins penned the song, “Awesome God,” in which he captured something of the true nature of our God. May his words stir you today.
When He rolls up His sleeves,
He ain't just puttin' on the ritz.
Our God is an awesome God.
There is thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists.
Our God is an awesome God.
And the Lord wasn't jokin'
When He kicked 'em out of Eden.
It wasn't for no reason
That He shed His blood.
His return is very close,
And so you better be believin'
That our God is an awesome God.
When the sky was starless
In the void of the night,
Our God is an awesome God.
He spoke into the darkness
And created the light,
Our God is an awesome God
The judgment and wrath
He poured out on Sodom;
The mercy and grace
He gave us at the cross.
I hope that we have not
Too quickly forgotten
That our God is an awesome God.
Our God is an awesome God.
He reigns from heaven above;
With wisdom, pow'r and love,
Our God is an awesome God.
Awesome God
Mullins, Rich© 1988 BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
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