A River whose streams make glad!

"It's a holy moment!" There’s nothing like those moments when I feel the Presence of the Spirit fill my heart. It happens in the strangest places to me; while I’m driving and praying, when I hear a child pray with such an enviably simply faith, etc. Usually, when the Lord comes near, I cannot stop the tears that well up and spill from my eyes as though to wash the dust of doubt from my vision! I love those 'holy moments.' Each time I experience one, I long for Him more.


When the sorrows of our broken lives leave us dry and thirsty for Him, when we see the barrenness of this world’s promise and we realize that the things we thought would bring us such satisfaction are nothing more than a mirage, the Spirit asks us to look to Him. When we fall down in broken humility asking only for His comfort, we open the door of our lives to an inflow. "Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone." (Psalm 33:22, NLT)

Life surely has its quota (and maybe more) of problems and challenges. When we feel that we are about to be overwhelmed by fatigue or fear, we must look up. He will be there; and in His Presence, there will be a fresh flow of life to renew us in mind, body, and spirit.
A beautiful Psalm calls us to Him.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. (46:1-4)
Do you see the contrasts in that passage?
The endless ebb and surge of the ocean’s waves are a symbol of the discontent and lack of rest that are so common in life. The sea's fearsome power cannot be contained when high tides and storms bring the waves crashing over the beaches. Humanity's sin creates chaos and destruction. There is great tumult in the crashing waves of war, economic dislocation, and personal sin that are stirred by the devil. But there is also a River. Rivers are sources of renewal. Where they flow there are ribbons of life, a fact that was especially noticeable in the acrid climate of Israel. God's mercy and His Spirit, flow into our lives and bring life. If He is invited to make His home in us, the river of His grace will create gladness.

Disciple, do you need ‘a holy moment’ just now? Is your life as chaotic as a tempest-tossed ocean? Turn off the radio. Set aside the computer. Shut off the TV. And, ask the Spirit to come, like a river, bringing the renewal of His Presence, the hope of life everlasting.

Here is a word from the Word. Let’s be among those who ‘delight in the Lord!’
"Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or
stand in the way of sinners or
sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers." (Psalm 1:1-3, NIV)

_______________________________

There is a river that flows from deep within.
There is a fountain, that frees the soul from sin.
Come to the water,
There is a vast supply.
There is a river that never shall run dry.

There came a sound from heaven
As a rushing mighty wind.
It filled their hearts with singing,
And gave them peace within.
The prophet gave this promise,
The Spirit will descend.
And from your inner being a river with no end.

There Is A River
Sapp, David / Sapp, Max
© 1969 David Sapp Ministries CCLI License No. 810055

The sin of passivity

“I’m so weary of it all, I just don’t care,” she sighed. The woman was really tired. Kids, job, home had each brought demands to her life. Now, the struggle with temptation was piling on, too, and she was ready to cave in, give up, go with the flow. Could I fault her decision? Naturally, no; spiritually, yes! Passivity is a kind of sin. If we just ‘give up,’ the results are never good. The Bible warns about deadly ‘drift’ that carries us from the Way.

Paul wrote to his ‘son’ in the Lord, Timothy, to urge him not to settle for a passive, tepid faith. Reading his letters, we can discern that Timothy was by nature a timid man and weakened by physical problems. He was a prime candidate for passivity, just letting life happen. So, his ‘father’ writes "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:11-12, NIV)

Let me offer an interpretation of that passage: “Man up, Tim! Turn and run TO the things of God! Run hard for the finish line! Tighten your grip on things that really matter.”

Disciple, I urge that same choice for you today. Make choices! There are situations from which we need to flee, temptations that need to be left behind, cut off without recourse. Even more importantly, we need to renew our pursuit of God. Nobody drifts effortlessly into a holy life. Christ’s rule in this world, the defeat of those who are evil-doers, never happens just because we hope for it, dream about it, or talk about it in committee. Significantly, when Paul urges Timothy to ‘fight the good fight,’ he is not speaking in a military metaphor. Rather, he is using a term for an athletic contest! “Get in the race and run hard!” is more the intent of his encouragement.

I know what weary means. Even as write this to encourage you, I am soul weary. I am tempted to ask for an easier place, to shrug off responsibilities to the shoulders of another, to refuse to see places of service. The devil whispers in my ear of the futility of life urging me to just let it go. Is he whispering to you, too? Entire days can be lost if we allow ourselves to sleepwalk through life, with eyes open but unseeing! The world offers a thousand diversions that, like a narcotic, numb us to the reality that demands our engagement. We can forget life as we live vicariously through the TV stories. We can feel a kind of temporary satisfaction when we seek yet another novel food or experience that stills the cry of soul, our true need for God.

If we belong to Christ, our identity is “Man of God!” Knowing who we are, we then turn our back on the world’s offers and “flee all this!” as the Spirit calls to us. We do not just run off in aimless chasing! We run to a life dedicated to right living, full of faith, loving, and patiently enduring difficulty.
Here’s a word from the Word. May He speak it often to us today. "I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7, NIV)

_________________

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powr's engage
To do my Master's will!

A Charge To Keep I Have
Wesley, Charles / Mason, Lowell

© Public Domain

The blame belongs to whom?

The world I see is dark with injustice, greed, sexual filth, racial hatred, corrupt leaders, and misery! I am full of uncertainty about the future, apart from my hope in God. Life, in general, is not getting better and better in every way! The Scripture says that with the passing of time, "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—" (2 Timothy 3:2-4, NIV) True, isn’t it? So, do we say to society, by our actions, if not our words, “Just go to Hell, I cannot be bothered with you as I make my way to Heaven.” Can we, in good conscience, abandon the sinful society to ever greater decadence?

If that is our choice, we fail in our primary God-given mission and we are fools to blame the world for state it is in! Should we curse the darkness when we stumble over the furniture in the house at night, or should we blame ourselves for failing to turn on the light? If we leave food on the table, should we be angry that it spoils, or accept responsibility for not taking steps to preserve it? In the same way, we (the Church) must accept some responsibility for not functioning as ‘salt and light’ in the world. Jesus Christ charges His disciples to bring light to dark places and to preserve our world from the decay of decadence. “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:13-16, NLT)

Our tendency as disciples is to gather together in the comforting warmth of the holy huddle of our churches and schools. It’s safe and sweet to stay around those who revere the Lord and love His truth in the same way that we do. But, that is not the will of our Lord. He makes us all ministers and sends us all out to live ‘in the world’ even as we maintain a distinct quality of life that spreads the influence of the Kingdom! The all too frequent tragedy is that the society in which we live swallows us up as we compromise our faith in a vain effort to get along or as we allow ourselves to fall in love with the world, making it our home.
The Spirit-filled Christian lives with a constant tension of permeating his world and remaining distinct from it! Peter’s challenge captures that tension perfectly. "I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans (those who do not know God) that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (1 Peter 2:11-12, NIV)

Disciple, we have the amazing privilege of sharing the Light and being preservative Salt until our Savior returns as King to fully restore all of Creation to the Creator’s intentions. Prayer, witness to the Truth, love, compassionate concern that compels us to get involved, and willingness to endure persecution are all part of our calling as we ‘go into all the world.’ We must never forget how our Lord finished that commission, ‘and I will be with you always!’

Here’s a word from the Word. I pray it stirs a new desire in us, not to curse the world around us for what it has become, but to stir ourselves to the work of being salt and light.

"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20, NLT)

___________________

I invite you to pray with me....
Father in Heaven, sin is rampant.
Self and Satan are having a party, destroying lives
That are lived in a headlong pursuit of hedonistic pleasure.
Lord, sometimes what I see makes me angry.

Sometimes I grow afraid for I feel a strong pull of attraction,
a desire to join the party, forgetting You.

Hold me close to Your heart.
Help me to love You more, and break my heart
for those who have yet to come to know
peace with You, through Christ Jesus.

Make me wise with the discernment of the Spirit.
Fill me with the Love of Jesus Christ.
Set Heaven in my heart.
Then, I will live as a fearless ambassador,
who takes a message of reconciliation and redemption
into my world.

All this I ask in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

The grace of generosity

Giving is fun! Really, it is! When I write a tithe check to my church, send a donation to various causes, or give to kids who are going on a missions trip; it is one of the most joyous things for me. Getting little gifts for my wife is fun, too. It’s hard for me to resist a bunch of flowers when I’m at the supermarket. Giving time away is one of the more rewarding parts of my life, too. After a long morning at my desk, doing the administrative work of the church or studying to teach, few things are more refreshing to my heart than calling somebody who is lonely, or visiting someone confined by illness, or giving counsel to someone who is struggling through life.

There’s a man in our church who has discovered the joy of generosity. He’s given thousands of dollars to projects and people during the years that I have known him. He does so without fanfare or recognition, often slipping the money to me in a plain envelope with instructions about delivering it. Another woman, not a wealthy one either, sends several hundreds of dollars to the church every month to give to a family in need. Recently she wrote to me to say how much it meant to her to be able to bless others in that way despite the fact that her giving is done in secret and without acknowledgment.

I know others who are generous in spirit refusing offense, seldom speaking critically, offering encouragement. Even when they are misunderstood or maligned, their magnanimous heart absorbs the blow and returns a blessing!

Take a look at this passage from the Bible, as translated in The Message: “God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-11)
\
Have you discovered the joy of generosity? It’s a way of life that flows out of an abundance mentality. Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, borrowed a Biblical concept and coined that phrase, “abundance mentality.” He says that it is a way of thinking that believes there are enough resources to share with others that leads to a life of generosity. He insists that generosity multiplies our resources rather than diminishing them. Jesus Christ said it first - "Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” (Luke 6:38, The Message)

Here’s a word from the Word. As you read it, do not read it only as being about money. Let it speak to every part of your life. "Just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. … For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:7,9, NIV) That word, ‘grace,’ comes from the NT Greek word, ‘charis,’ which describes any act or quality that brings pleasure, joy, benefit, or delight. Our generosity is a grace, a gift designed to bring joy, that is modeled on the generosity of Jesus Christ, whose grace brought life to us!

I hope you find many ways to grace your world today, leaving a trail of people touched by joy, blessed by your generous spirit, to the glory of the One who first loved us! Amen.

________________

Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad.
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.

Give as 'twas given to you in your need;
Love as the Master loved you.
Be to the helpless a helper indeed;
Unto your mission be true.

Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today.

Make Me A Blessing
Wilson, Ira B. / Schuler, George S.
Word Music Group, Inc.

© 1924. Renewed 1952 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

CCLI License No. 810055

Are you in the company of the committed?

“Strategic default” is the name of the game according to “60 Minutes.” Millions of American families whose homes are now worth less than the mortgages they took out at the height of the property boom 3 years, sometimes by 30 to 40%. And, millions are walking away, handing the keys to the house to the bank and abandoning their mortgage, even though they can afford the payments. They do the math and decide to let the bank take the loss. Is it the right choice? That was the question that Morley Safer asked of several homeowners in the program. Most justified their decision to renege on their mortgage contract with an argument of expedience; “Everybody’s doing it.”

Americans have less and less of a sense of commitment to most things other than their self-interest these days.

A college professor told me recently than up to 25% of his students don’t show up for classes, some even so bold as to email him in advance to ask if he will be teaching ‘anything important’ that day!

More than half of couples married this year will abandon their marriage vows when the going gets tough.

The corporate culture in the US is broken by self-interest, too. Neither company nor employee feel bound by any higher allegiance than to the almighty dollar. The ideas that a person should invest his life in building the company or that he can expect the company to keep him employed through lean times are quaint relics of another time.

Lack of commitment has found its way into the church, too. One of the more frustrating things about being a pastor of a local church is the ‘take or leave it’ attitude about church attendance which makes building a strong, serving Body a herculean task. On any given Sunday only about one half of those who call our church home, actually show up for worship. The ‘ties that bind’ are weak and growing weaker through this neglect of the Body.

Everyone of us is confronted with choices, big and small, everyday about commitment. Will we do the right thing, even when it is inconvenient or costly; or will we do what we believe is ‘in our best interest’ in the moment? A person of integrity keeps his word, even when it hurts. Proverbs asks the question: "Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man? The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him." (Proverbs 20:6-7, NKJV)

Disciple, are you part of the company of the committed?
Are you daily decisions guided by principles larger than self-interest, that cause you to do the right thing even when it seems that ‘everybody’ is doing their own thing?
The faithful trust God wholeheartedly, looking forward to the Day when He will set right all things.
Here’s a word from the Word. May it challenge us to be faithful, trust-worthy people, who are committed to doing the right thing.
"Jesus went on to make these comments:
If you’re honest in small things, you’ll be honest in big things;
If you’re a crook in small things, you’ll be a crook in big things.
If you’re not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store? "
(Luke 16:10-12, The Message)

_________________

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 ev'ry 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 ev'ry word and promise to me
Will be fulfilled, will be fulfilled!

Faithful, You are faithful!
Faithful, faithful, faithful!
Faithful, You are faithful!

Faithful © 2000 Song Solutions Daybreak (Admin. in the US & Canada by Integrity Music, Inc.)
Eoghan Heaslip
CCLI License No. 810055