What does Jesus Christ look like to you? Yes, you most certainly have created an image of Him in your mind. We all do! Usually, that image looks like an idealized version of ourselves. Living in a media age, we may think He looks like James Caviziel, the actor who played the part in “The Passion of the Christ.” He may resemble one of those pictures we saw in our Sunday School papers when we were impressionable children. I fairly certain He doesn’t look at all like the last portrait of Him that we read in the Bible.
Take a look. "Standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance." (Revelation 1:13-16, NLT)
You can admit it. That’s really a frightening picture, isn’t it? John, who saw this Jesus was totally freaked by the vision so much so that he says, "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last." (Revelation 1:17, NLT) He was so afraid, he fainted! We need a vision of Jesus Christ that includes that kind of majestic, awful ‘AllMightyness.’
If we conceive of Jesus Christ as a weak, but nice, Man; or a wandering hippie who occasionally did neat tricks like feeding a lot of people with a kid’s lunch; or as an enigmatic figure who spoke in riddles that nobody really understood; or as an ‘out of touch’ holy man who lived with his head in the clouds- we will not seek His wisdom to guide us nor trust Him to keep us. As much as I like nice, kind people when it comes to being led, I want someone who is smart, powerful, and wise out front! Because I live in a complex world, full of sin and suffering, with huge problems, I want to see Jesus like John saw Him – in majesty, in power – in a way that compels me to fall in my face and worship Him! Only then, I will stand up and follow Him with confidence. If my vision of Him is too wimpy or incomplete, I will not be able to abandon myself to His leadership.
The Christian message is full of Jesus’ love, as it should be, but that love is too often unmatched by His majesty. There is a reason that the New Covenant begins with the Gospels that show us the humanity of our Savior and that it closes with the Revelation of Jesus Christ that lets us see Him in His majesty. The first helps us to love Him; the second to follow Him to the ends of the earth. John saw terrible visions of the trials of the Church because of the wickedness of men and the attacks of the Devil, but those visions were matched with this near the end of the book: "Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress." (Revelation 19:11-15, NLT)
So, is your vision of Jesus Christ complete?
______________
Be Thou my Vision,
O Lord of my heart;
Nought be all else to me,
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought,
By day or by night,
Waking or sleeping,
Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom,
And Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee
And Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father,
I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling,
And I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not,
Nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance,
Now and always:
Thou and Thou only,
First in my heart,
High King of heaven,
My Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven,
My victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys,
O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart,
Whatever befall,
Still be my Vision,
O Ruler of all.
Be Thou my shield
And my sword for the fight,
Be Thou my dignity,
Be Thou my might.
Thou my soul's shelter
And Thou my high tow'r,
Raise Thou me heav'nward
O Pow'r of my pow'r.
Be Thou My Vision
Hull, Eleanor / Byrne, Mary E.© Public Domain
CCLI License No. 810055
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The “Impossible!”
Just 60 days ago, I wondered if the dismal economy and changing ideals about Christian education was going to force a change in our school, Good Shepherd Christian Academy. Re-enrollment was slow and it did not appear that new students were coming our way. I asked the Lord to make His will plain. “Give me faith and courage to wait to see how You will provide. If You have plans for a new season of new ministry, then show me plainly, Lord!” At first, it seemed Heaven was silent. I have always believed in the absence of clear divine guidance, it is best to maintain course, so that’s what we did! Opening day for GSCA is next Tuesday. It will be the best opening day we have seen in several years in terms of total numbers of students. This is a credit to the Lord’s goodness and to many faithful people who believed, trusted, waited, prayed, and perspired in preparation!
Abraham was told by God that he would be fathers of nations, whose descendants would be innumerable. Then, nothing happened for years! At age 84 he had no son with his primary wife, Sarah, who was also well past child-bearing years. It comforts me to know that his faith wavered. He chose, with Sarah’s agreement, to take a surrogate wife, Hagar, in an attempt to help the LORD keep His promise. The son born to that union was Ishmael, who caused no small trouble for Abraham in years to come. In one of the Bible’s great faith stories, we learn that Abe and Sally had a son when they were old enough to be in an extended care facility! "It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them." (Hebrews 11:11-12, NLT)
Eugene Petersen diagnoses spiritual disease that causes us to try to help God to keep His word: “irreligiosa sollicitudo pro Deo; a blasphemous anxiety to do God’s work for Him.” (The Gift, Zondervan) We need to take note of an important sub-text in Abraham’s story that instructs us well in our own walk of faith!
Abe didn’t try to ‘make God give him a son!’ He heard a promise that God made and then waited in expectant faith. His faith was not in himself or his own dreams. It was fixed on the word of Yahweh, the Lord. The key to great faith is not screaming at God in the moment of desperation, but in listening to God. When the unexplainable, the unfathomable, the unexpected comes our way, the best first response is attentive silence. When he was puzzled by the circumstances around him, young Samuel was coached by the old prophet to open his ears with this simple prayer: “Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10, NLT) When we hear God’s word of promise, sweet peace results even in the middle of the storm. He doesn’t always say what we want to hear. His will is always best.
If you’re up against a wall, try fasting; and I’m not talking food. Try fasting words, complaint, even demands. Quiet your heart, take authority over your emotions, and wait! Meditate on the Word, especially Psalms of promise and hope like the 37th and the 40th. Go contemplate the works of God. Meditate on the Cross.
Stressed out today? Here’s a word from the Word for your meditations.
"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength." (Isaiah 30:15, NIV)
______________
Someone said that in each life
Some rain is bound to fall.
Each one sheds his share of tears
And trouble troubles us all;
But the hurt can’t hurt forever,
And the tears will surely dry!
And it won’t rain always,
The clouds will soon be gone.
The sun that they’ve been hiding
Has been there along.
And it won’t rain always,
God’s promises are true.
The sun’s gonna shine, in God’s own good time
And He will see you through;
The sun’s gonna shine in God’s own good time
And He will see you through!
It Won’t Rain Always
Copyright Allison Durham Speer
Abraham was told by God that he would be fathers of nations, whose descendants would be innumerable. Then, nothing happened for years! At age 84 he had no son with his primary wife, Sarah, who was also well past child-bearing years. It comforts me to know that his faith wavered. He chose, with Sarah’s agreement, to take a surrogate wife, Hagar, in an attempt to help the LORD keep His promise. The son born to that union was Ishmael, who caused no small trouble for Abraham in years to come. In one of the Bible’s great faith stories, we learn that Abe and Sally had a son when they were old enough to be in an extended care facility! "It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them." (Hebrews 11:11-12, NLT)
Eugene Petersen diagnoses spiritual disease that causes us to try to help God to keep His word: “irreligiosa sollicitudo pro Deo; a blasphemous anxiety to do God’s work for Him.” (The Gift, Zondervan) We need to take note of an important sub-text in Abraham’s story that instructs us well in our own walk of faith!
Abe didn’t try to ‘make God give him a son!’ He heard a promise that God made and then waited in expectant faith. His faith was not in himself or his own dreams. It was fixed on the word of Yahweh, the Lord. The key to great faith is not screaming at God in the moment of desperation, but in listening to God. When the unexplainable, the unfathomable, the unexpected comes our way, the best first response is attentive silence. When he was puzzled by the circumstances around him, young Samuel was coached by the old prophet to open his ears with this simple prayer: “Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10, NLT) When we hear God’s word of promise, sweet peace results even in the middle of the storm. He doesn’t always say what we want to hear. His will is always best.
If you’re up against a wall, try fasting; and I’m not talking food. Try fasting words, complaint, even demands. Quiet your heart, take authority over your emotions, and wait! Meditate on the Word, especially Psalms of promise and hope like the 37th and the 40th. Go contemplate the works of God. Meditate on the Cross.
Stressed out today? Here’s a word from the Word for your meditations.
"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength." (Isaiah 30:15, NIV)
______________
Someone said that in each life
Some rain is bound to fall.
Each one sheds his share of tears
And trouble troubles us all;
But the hurt can’t hurt forever,
And the tears will surely dry!
And it won’t rain always,
The clouds will soon be gone.
The sun that they’ve been hiding
Has been there along.
And it won’t rain always,
God’s promises are true.
The sun’s gonna shine, in God’s own good time
And He will see you through;
The sun’s gonna shine in God’s own good time
And He will see you through!
It Won’t Rain Always
Copyright Allison Durham Speer
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Goodbye, Ted!
Senator Edward Kennedy died this morning after a long year of dealing with the ravages of brain cancer. The articles that summed up his 77 years mentioned his great moments and his failures. He was a leading member of the US Senate, who was especially productive on behalf of the poor. In his youth, he had his share of forgettable episodes including getting kicked out of Harvard for cheating and leaving the scene of an accident in which a young woman died. He lived long enough to put those days behind him. Whether you liked his politics or not, you have to admit that since 1992, he had become one of America’s leaders who shaped the nation. Now, he gives account to the One whose judgment matters most.
Psalm 90 is blunt about the inevitability of our death - "’ Return to dust!’ For You, (Lord) a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours! You sweep people away like dreams that disappear or like grass that springs up in the morning." (Psalm 90:3-5, NLT) Whether we are 20 or 70, there is Scriptural precedent for pondering one's dying day! Psalm 90:12 says "... teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." (NKJV) Keeping an eye on the calendar, watching the days as they move from future, to present, to past, is a means of becoming wise. Life moves by at the same pace for us all, day by fleeting day, as the Bible says- 'like grass that springs up in the morning.' That fact should not frighten us for, in Christ, we have assurance of life beyond this terrestrial plane. However, brevity should motivate us! We are compelled to make this day matter.
Don't be one of those foolish people who thinks he can outrun death. Without being morbid, thank God for this day and let the reminders from your aching joints cause you to live well in this world and live prepared for your entrance into eternal life. Peter urges us as Believers to set our hope fully on Christ Jesus as Savior, and then to apply ourselves to godliness. He says that living well helps us to die well! "Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-12, NLT) Before you make that choice today, think! It could be your last. If your heart stopped while you saying or doing whatever it is you’re considering, would you want that thing to be the last line in your eulogy? Get your life in order.
Let the grace of Christ remove the fear of death and take the love of Christ as your guide in all things, thus transforming the choices made today. There is no better advice than this: ‘Let no debt remains outstanding.' Say the things that need to be said. Pray the prayers that are waiting to be prayed. Do what must be done. In this, there is readiness for that moment of mystery when mortal puts on immortality.
__________________________
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed,
He'll prepare for us a place.
Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.
Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we'll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open,
We shall tread the streets of gold.
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory.
When We All Get To Heaven
Hewitt, Eliza E. / Wilson, Emily D.© Public Domain
Psalm 90 is blunt about the inevitability of our death - "’ Return to dust!’ For You, (Lord) a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours! You sweep people away like dreams that disappear or like grass that springs up in the morning." (Psalm 90:3-5, NLT) Whether we are 20 or 70, there is Scriptural precedent for pondering one's dying day! Psalm 90:12 says "... teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." (NKJV) Keeping an eye on the calendar, watching the days as they move from future, to present, to past, is a means of becoming wise. Life moves by at the same pace for us all, day by fleeting day, as the Bible says- 'like grass that springs up in the morning.' That fact should not frighten us for, in Christ, we have assurance of life beyond this terrestrial plane. However, brevity should motivate us! We are compelled to make this day matter.
Don't be one of those foolish people who thinks he can outrun death. Without being morbid, thank God for this day and let the reminders from your aching joints cause you to live well in this world and live prepared for your entrance into eternal life. Peter urges us as Believers to set our hope fully on Christ Jesus as Savior, and then to apply ourselves to godliness. He says that living well helps us to die well! "Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-12, NLT) Before you make that choice today, think! It could be your last. If your heart stopped while you saying or doing whatever it is you’re considering, would you want that thing to be the last line in your eulogy? Get your life in order.
Let the grace of Christ remove the fear of death and take the love of Christ as your guide in all things, thus transforming the choices made today. There is no better advice than this: ‘Let no debt remains outstanding.' Say the things that need to be said. Pray the prayers that are waiting to be prayed. Do what must be done. In this, there is readiness for that moment of mystery when mortal puts on immortality.
__________________________
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed,
He'll prepare for us a place.
Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.
Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we'll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open,
We shall tread the streets of gold.
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory.
When We All Get To Heaven
Hewitt, Eliza E. / Wilson, Emily D.© Public Domain
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The greatest cause of failure
For 26 long years he brought up the same subject in the Parliament. His colleagues mocked him, accusing him of losing his common sense to religious fervor. The business establishment threatened that his idealism would destroy the economy. Stress took a toll on his health and he aged far beyond his years as a result of carrying on what the majority of people at the time believed to be a fool’s crusade. But, William Wilberforce would not quit! Using wit and wisdom, he turned the issue of slave trade into the talk of England. Finally in 1807, this great Christian succeeded in getting the House of Commons to vote to end slave trade. The Crown agreed and a vile practice came to an end. This wealthy man, first elected to Parliament at age 21, nearly left politics to become a pastor but, urged by his friends, he did not quit the fight and his persistence changed history!
We each can tell stories about times when life’s difficulties became monstrous, when quitting seemed the only option. When we’re taking a beating, it may seem only reasonable to throw in the towel and end the match. “How much more can I take before I break?” we think to ourselves. I wonder if Joseph wondered if he would break under pressure anytime along his long, circuitous route to becoming Prime Minister in Egypt? His brothers sold him into slavery, motivated less by greed than hatred. The wife of his owner, Potiphar, tried to seduce him and when he resisted her, falsely accused him of rape, leading to a long prison sentence! A man he befriended and helped in prison, forgot all about him when released. But, he kept his dreams and his faith in God. He refused to become a bitter cynic. When given the ‘perfect’ opportunity to settle the score, he forgave those who hurt him the most. And, after years of disappointment, he saw God’s promises fulfilled as he provided safety for his people.
The Bible urges disciples to keep their faith.
"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." (Hebrews 10:35-36, NLT)
The greatest cause for failure is quitting too soon. Don’t confuse persistence with stubbornness! A stubborn person keeps on doing the same thing, refusing to adapt and learn, thinking himself above advice. He perpetuates his failure! A persistent one studies his plans, prays fervently, listens well – and keeps trying, and trying, and trying – until he finds a way to do what he was born to do.
Take this thought with you today and think it through.
"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
(Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV)
______________
Lord, You have shown Yourself to be
Never changing, always faithful!
Lord, You have shown Your heart for me
The loving touch of a caring Father,
In every day that passes,
And all the world's distractions,
Through seasons and life's changes,
You always remain -
Faithful to me.
With Your...
Perfect love, perfect love
casts out all fear and shows me, that every word and promise to me
Will be fulfilled, will be fulfilled.
Faithful, You are faithful!
Faithful, faithful, faithful!
Faithful - Eoghan HeaslipCCLI License No. 810055
We each can tell stories about times when life’s difficulties became monstrous, when quitting seemed the only option. When we’re taking a beating, it may seem only reasonable to throw in the towel and end the match. “How much more can I take before I break?” we think to ourselves. I wonder if Joseph wondered if he would break under pressure anytime along his long, circuitous route to becoming Prime Minister in Egypt? His brothers sold him into slavery, motivated less by greed than hatred. The wife of his owner, Potiphar, tried to seduce him and when he resisted her, falsely accused him of rape, leading to a long prison sentence! A man he befriended and helped in prison, forgot all about him when released. But, he kept his dreams and his faith in God. He refused to become a bitter cynic. When given the ‘perfect’ opportunity to settle the score, he forgave those who hurt him the most. And, after years of disappointment, he saw God’s promises fulfilled as he provided safety for his people.
The Bible urges disciples to keep their faith.
"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." (Hebrews 10:35-36, NLT)
The greatest cause for failure is quitting too soon. Don’t confuse persistence with stubbornness! A stubborn person keeps on doing the same thing, refusing to adapt and learn, thinking himself above advice. He perpetuates his failure! A persistent one studies his plans, prays fervently, listens well – and keeps trying, and trying, and trying – until he finds a way to do what he was born to do.
Take this thought with you today and think it through.
"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
(Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV)
______________
Lord, You have shown Yourself to be
Never changing, always faithful!
Lord, You have shown Your heart for me
The loving touch of a caring Father,
In every day that passes,
And all the world's distractions,
Through seasons and life's changes,
You always remain -
Faithful to me.
With Your...
Perfect love, perfect love
casts out all fear and shows me, that every word and promise to me
Will be fulfilled, will be fulfilled.
Faithful, You are faithful!
Faithful, faithful, faithful!
Faithful - Eoghan HeaslipCCLI License No. 810055
Monday, August 24, 2009
The prickly nature of the truth
Last Friday, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, voted to accept homosexual men and women who are living in monogamous relationships into the ordained ministry.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082100532.html
(This blog is not about bashing homosexuals or the ELCA, so please read to the end. There’s a point in here for all of us.) Here’s the deal. I understood the compassion that spurred the action of that church assembly. Sexual identity is a complex issue that has been the source of much bigotry. Slogans like “God didn’t make Adam and Steve,” and rude “queer” jokes reveal ignorance and, when disciples of Jesus do it, it reveals a spiritual deficiency, a failure of love. But this is where it gets tough: our desire to show love for others must not lead us to reject or reinterpret the clear teaching of the Holy Scripture just to accommodate a contemporary value! I would defend the personal dignity of a person who is homosexual for that is what love compels me to do. I cannot offer support for same-sex relationships or to practicing homosexuals who wish to serve in ministry for the Scripture prevents me from doing that. “A passion for evangelism, (that is to bring people to Christ) divorced from a passion for biblical faithfulness, almost always results in the loss of the gospel. The gospel is just too “prickly.” It has too much to confront and irritate people in every culture.”
– Andy Johnson, ©9Marks. Website: www.9Marks.org.
At a conference I attended recently, a missionary spoke with me about two extremes that we Christians fall towards in our dealing with the culture that surrounds us. At one extreme we become so much a part of the culture that we become ‘syncretistic.’ Our commitment to Scripture is so diluted we no longer have a Gospel to proclaim. At the other extreme, we fail to understand how to wisely apply the Scripture’s wisdom to our culture and we fall into ‘irrelevance,’ our message and/or practice so disconnected from the world in which we live so that we cannot lead people to life in Christ Jesus.
Many of us get only part of the message about Christian love – like our Lutheran friends who are ready to ordain practicing homosexuals. Love not only involves accepting others as Jesus did. It also means we are willing to speak truthfully to those who are sinning against God, others, and themselves truthfully; as He did! In Scripture, we find truth that is timeless, that is greater than any one of us, that demands our conformity to God’s will painful or not! Of course, our proclamation of it must be firmly rooted both in other-centered love and self-effacing humility. “Turn or burn,” is hardly the tone Jesus Christ would want us to adopt. There is no place for defensiveness, nor can we just be about protecting our traditions or our personal preferences. Neither of those is necessarily the truth though many confuse them with the Truth! Discovery of truth requires that we are careful students of the Scripture who are led by the Spirit and guided by the long history of scholarship that is part of the Church’s heritage to us.
The crux of the matter, disciple, is that either we accept the full sufficiency of the Scripture to guide our lives or we don’t submit to it at all. We can’t choose the parts we accept. Wayne Grudem, author of a fine systematic theology, writes about the Holy Word: “all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.” He rightly says: “Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.”
So, let’s bring this down to you and me.
Are we prepared to allow the Scripture to judge our actions, choosing to respond in obedience while fully trusting the wisdom and Truth of it? "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey." (Hebrews 4:12, The Message) That’s for you and me, right where we’ll live today! IF we are willing to say, “I know what the Bible says, but…” and choose our own way over God’s way, we are a terrible spiritual condition. We have turned ourselves into the judges of Scripture which will quickly cause us to become morally adrift.
Here’s a word from the Word for your ponderings. Let it live in your mind and heart today and make it your prayer.
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.
You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands.
As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should!
I will obey your decrees.
Please don’t give up on me!
Psalm 119:1-8 NLT
Amen
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082100532.html
(This blog is not about bashing homosexuals or the ELCA, so please read to the end. There’s a point in here for all of us.) Here’s the deal. I understood the compassion that spurred the action of that church assembly. Sexual identity is a complex issue that has been the source of much bigotry. Slogans like “God didn’t make Adam and Steve,” and rude “queer” jokes reveal ignorance and, when disciples of Jesus do it, it reveals a spiritual deficiency, a failure of love. But this is where it gets tough: our desire to show love for others must not lead us to reject or reinterpret the clear teaching of the Holy Scripture just to accommodate a contemporary value! I would defend the personal dignity of a person who is homosexual for that is what love compels me to do. I cannot offer support for same-sex relationships or to practicing homosexuals who wish to serve in ministry for the Scripture prevents me from doing that. “A passion for evangelism, (that is to bring people to Christ) divorced from a passion for biblical faithfulness, almost always results in the loss of the gospel. The gospel is just too “prickly.” It has too much to confront and irritate people in every culture.”
– Andy Johnson, ©9Marks. Website: www.9Marks.org.
At a conference I attended recently, a missionary spoke with me about two extremes that we Christians fall towards in our dealing with the culture that surrounds us. At one extreme we become so much a part of the culture that we become ‘syncretistic.’ Our commitment to Scripture is so diluted we no longer have a Gospel to proclaim. At the other extreme, we fail to understand how to wisely apply the Scripture’s wisdom to our culture and we fall into ‘irrelevance,’ our message and/or practice so disconnected from the world in which we live so that we cannot lead people to life in Christ Jesus.
Many of us get only part of the message about Christian love – like our Lutheran friends who are ready to ordain practicing homosexuals. Love not only involves accepting others as Jesus did. It also means we are willing to speak truthfully to those who are sinning against God, others, and themselves truthfully; as He did! In Scripture, we find truth that is timeless, that is greater than any one of us, that demands our conformity to God’s will painful or not! Of course, our proclamation of it must be firmly rooted both in other-centered love and self-effacing humility. “Turn or burn,” is hardly the tone Jesus Christ would want us to adopt. There is no place for defensiveness, nor can we just be about protecting our traditions or our personal preferences. Neither of those is necessarily the truth though many confuse them with the Truth! Discovery of truth requires that we are careful students of the Scripture who are led by the Spirit and guided by the long history of scholarship that is part of the Church’s heritage to us.
The crux of the matter, disciple, is that either we accept the full sufficiency of the Scripture to guide our lives or we don’t submit to it at all. We can’t choose the parts we accept. Wayne Grudem, author of a fine systematic theology, writes about the Holy Word: “all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.” He rightly says: “Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.”
So, let’s bring this down to you and me.
Are we prepared to allow the Scripture to judge our actions, choosing to respond in obedience while fully trusting the wisdom and Truth of it? "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey." (Hebrews 4:12, The Message) That’s for you and me, right where we’ll live today! IF we are willing to say, “I know what the Bible says, but…” and choose our own way over God’s way, we are a terrible spiritual condition. We have turned ourselves into the judges of Scripture which will quickly cause us to become morally adrift.
Here’s a word from the Word for your ponderings. Let it live in your mind and heart today and make it your prayer.
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.
You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands.
As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should!
I will obey your decrees.
Please don’t give up on me!
Psalm 119:1-8 NLT
Amen
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