You'll Never Figure Him Out!

People tell me I am a complex person. I think that’s just a nice way to say, “hard to get along with.” I can be brusque and yet I find my heart broken over the pain others feel. I like plain authenticity, yet I insist on excellence almost to perfectionism. I value high level performance but despise any effort that appears to be overdone for the purpose of impressing others. I’m told that I appear confident to the point of arrogance, yet I often feel insecure. Did I say I am complex? Bev, my wife, after 35 years of dealing with me, understands me (and loves me, anyway)! How did she get to know me in this way? We have lived together, wept together, laughed together, worshipped together, raised 4 kids together, argued, loved, and endured. Her knowledge of me came with a price tag – time and intimacy!

I am frequently asked, “Pastor, how can really know Jesus Christ?” In many cases, I discern that the inquirer is looking for a way to figure Him out! They want to define Him, reduce Him to their level of understanding, and learn how to use Him. It’s impossible! He’s knowable, yet mysterious. Our finite minds can never expand enough to understand Him, and yet He invites us to know Him. Such knowledge, however, comes with the same cost as any deep relationship- time and intimacy. We cannot know even the smallest part of Who He is if the only time we are truly aware of His Presence is in church or in the occasional moment of inspiration.

Paul challenges us with his penned words of aspiration. At one time, he was climbing to the heights of his religion, working hard to gain the awards that come from piety and good works. He says, "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:7-11, NLT)

Do you want to know Christ, and in that revelation discover life that is without end? Then, give yourself to Him, without reservation. Invite Him to become Master of each moment, and walk with Him. Let Him lead you through sunshine and rain, glad days and sad ones, too. Trust Him when all is well and equally when nothing makes sense. The Holy Spirit will reveal more and more our Lord of Glory to you, though you’ll never figure Him out. He will become the dearest Friend to you.

S.M. Lockridge delivered a tribute to the King he knew. If you have a few moments, I invite you to watch it.
May his words inspire you to know Him better.

S.M. Lockridge – That’s My King http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z15FlTONVo

A grain of salt...

It’s been an ugly electoral season, hasn’t it? Negative campaign ads are a real turn-off to me. The media (Left and Right) is so biased it makes us all skeptical about the veracity of the information we’re receiving. Some of us might be thinking about staying home from the polls next Tuesday. You may be tempted to think think it does not really matter if you vote. Please re-consider! The truth is that one vote is important. Being part of choosing those who govern is not just a privilege, it’s a responsibility.

So, some of you are probably thinking, "Jerry, isn't the mission of this daily email about encouraging spiritual development?" It is! Followers of Christ must fulfill the charge of bringing a godly influence in our society. One way is with our ballot. Pray about your vote. Paul urged the Believers living in pagan societies of his time to bear public witness. He said, "Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone." (Colossians 4:5-6, NLT)

Know why you're voting for that person to whom you give your support. Research the candidate's positions, and vote wisely, not simply emotionally. Look past personal charisma and rhetorical skills. Support those who are thoughtful and wise. Look at their record, at specific votes, at what various advocacy groups have to say about their positions. With a little digging, information is available.

No candidate will perfectly conform to your ideals. Selecting the person you support will involve prioritizing issues that you consider to be important and then choosing the candidate that reflects the values you list highest on your list. I would encourage you not to be single issue voter. Consider the totality of a candidate's positions. And I repeat, pray about your vote! I would suggest these questions as a starting point for your evaluation:

• Does this candidate have a consistent position on the sacredness of all human life?

• Does this candidate seek ways to provide justice to all people- rich, poor, black, and white?

• Is this candidate actively concerned about economic opportunity for all people?

• Does this candidate show a genuine respect for God's creation, balancing the need for development with environmental preservation?

• Is this candidate’s character worthy of trust of leadership?

Jesus tells His disciples that they function as “the salt of the earth.” Though we primarily think of salt as a flavor, in His time, salt served a valuable function of preserving foods, particularly meat, from spoiling. Your vote is like a grain of salt, a way of preserving the political process from corruption. Individually, we are like a small grain of salt. Together, our grains of salt will make a real difference.

Here’s a word from the Word. It’s a timely reminder.
"Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens.
Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order.
It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society.
Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules.
Treat everyone you meet with dignity.
Love your spiritual family.
Revere God. Respect the government." (1 Peter 2:13-17, The Message)

Grief – the chisel of the Lord

In the semi-darkness of the elderly woman’s living room she lay weak and sick, afraid of the days ahead, grieving the loss of much of what she held dear. She does not sin in this sorrow. Who enjoys gradually slipping from vitality, from involvement, into helplessness? Among the young grief is a much different emotion than it is in the aged. A younger person weeps, mourns the loss, and moves forward into the brightness of her future. Their grief is like a thunderstorm that passes with furious turbulence and then the sun shines again. The aging experience grief and feel the pain of unrecoverable loss, their experience like a long storm that lasts for days.

Grief is the chisel of the Lord which He uses to break our tight grip on this present world so that we will reach out to take hold of Him. We cannot escape grief! It comes to all, dressed in loss of one kind or another. Many attempt to avoid it by running from unpleasant situations, hiding from reality. Others refuse it turning to alcohol or drugs to numb the pain. Still others take the road of diversion, seeking as much pleasure as can be found. The wise person endures it, learns from it, and grows through it.

Jesus says, “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you." (Matthew 5:4, The Message) You’re probably more familiar with that passage in these words, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4, NIV) Receiving those words demands deep faith! We would rather pray for a life free of things that make us grieve than to allow our hearts to be broken, wouldn’t we? Those who will not let their hearts be broken are doomed to living superficially, loving things that will slip through their fingers eventually regardless of their determination.

Put your hope in God! The Preacher tells us that there is "a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." (Ecclesiastes 3:4, NIV) When the sorrows come, let them cause you to love the things that you can never lose and the One who holds life everlasting more.

"Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. … You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (Psalm 30:4-5, 11-12, NIV)

_______________


Father, You are my portion in this life
And You are my hope and my delight.
And I love You, yes, I love You,
Lord, I love You, my delight.

Jesus, You are my treasure in this life
And You are so pure and so kind.
And I love You, yes, I love You,
Lord, I love You, my delight.

My Delight
Park, Andy
© 1987 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)

CCLI License No. 810055

Basically, it’s not simple!

In 1992, H. Ross Perot ran for the Presidency. His third party candidacy was built around “Perotisms” that were down to earth, folksy challenges to complex political thinking. He dragged his charts onto stages where he pointed to them while declaring, “It’s simple, see.” He was truthful and deceptive at the same time. His analysis was often right on target, but he never told the rest of the story; how his solutions would ripple down through the country. Much the same kind of thing is happening in political discourse this electoral cycle. Solutions are being offered for our various social challenges that sound simple, but that have far-reaching consequences that are seldom discussed!

Christians who say that our choices as Jesus’ disciples are simple are not being completely truthful, either. Discerning what is right and wrong is usually simple, but making a commitment to do the right thing consistently is much more difficult, isn’t it? We all know how to live better than we really do, don’t we? We can all identify with these words from Scripture, "I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway." (Romans 7:18-19, NLT)

So, should we just throw up our hands and ‘go with the flow’ in life? Because the choices of discipleship are hard, should we just be content with ‘doing our best and forgetting the rest’ as some suggest? Not at all! God knows the difficulties of daily discipleship and He has given us a Helper, His Holy Spirit. The Word urges us to let the Spirit set the pace: "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV) Devising rules and reducing life’s complex situations to slogans as a means of controlling actions, our own and those of others, will turn us into Pharisees. Our religion will leave us blind to our hypocrisy and others dead to God! The Bible tells us that the Lord "has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:6, NIV)

Are you working through a complex situation in your life?
Do you know the right thing to do, but don’t know how to get it done?
Are you challenged by the difficulty of applying the Truth to some set of circumstances that confront you or your family?

Seek the Spirit’s guidance! Listen carefully to His voice and make the choice to obey today. The very first generation of Christians was given a mandate that was impossible then and remains impossible even today. Jesus told them and He tells us -“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel, making disciples.” In one way, it’s a simple command. But doing it effectively, producing lasting spiritual results, is terribly difficult. But, we are not left to our own wits. We are not just practicing a religion. We are given the Holy Spirit Who lives in us and guides us into all Truth. After commissioning His disciples with a tough task, Jesus told them “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before." (Acts 1:4, NLT) Are we ready to wait for Heaven’s lead?

Here’s a word from the Word. Live it today. "But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you." (John 16:13-14, The Message)

_________________

There's a wind blowin',
All across the land.
Fragrant breeze of heaven
Blowin' once again.
Don't know where it comes from,
Don't know where it goes,
But let it blow over me.
Oh, sweet wind,
Come and blow over me.

There's a rain a pourin',
Showers from above.
Mercy drops are comin',
Mercy drops of love.
Turn your face to heaven,
Let the water pour,
Well let it pour over me.
Oh, sweet rain,
Come and pour over me.

There's a fire burnin',
Fallin' from the sky.
Awesome tongues of fire
Consuming you and I.
Can you feel it burnin',
Burn the sacrifice,
Well let it burn over me.
Oh, sweet fire,
Come and burn over me.

Sweet Wind
Ruis, David

© 1994 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)

CCLI License No. 810055

Living at Mt. Sinai or Mt. Zion?

My human nature is one of melancholy, but I am a person full of thankful joy! Is it because I experience perpetual good fortune, a life of unbroken bliss? Not at all. Through the years I have known successes and failures, tragedies and triumphs. My joy is not borne of luck, but from the Lord Who enriches me with love, faith, hope, healing, and purpose. From knowing Him I draw life! God is not a Judge on the periphery of life of Whom I am afraid, Whose approach fills me with dread. He is my Father, my Friend. My holy place is one of celebration.

Some disciples seem to know Him primarily as a God who waits for them to fail so He can lower the boom, an angry Deity that they must appease with their goodness, hoping He will look on them with favor. Their holy place is one of fear. Which person are you?

The Scripture teaches that we who are ‘in Christ,’ need not live in fear, trembling before God, as the Israelites did at the foot of Mt. Sinai where the Law was given to Moses. Instead, we are invited to a holy procession to Mt. Zion, the city of our God, where we rejoice in His loving kindness. Read it for yourself.
"You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, … The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”


But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, …" (Hebrews 12:18-24, NIV)

Disciple, are you secure in Him today?
Do you trust Him with your financial circumstances, your children, your future, your health, your spouse, your emotional stability, your eternal salvation?

You can! In the up’s and down’s, the sorrow of death and the exultation of birth, the uncertainty of human plans, He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29, NIV) He does not invite us to go live on a beach resort for the rest of our days. He invites us into the yoke with Him, a place of service and productivity, that lets us experience real ‘rest,’ a sense of satisfaction rather than endless longing for fulfillment!

A religion can never do that. A religion designed to appease Him demands more and more of us. A relationship renews us. Christian religion (an oxymoron!) lives at the foot of the smoking mountain hearing the fearful rumbling of coming judgment! Christians who know Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord live in joyous procession to the Throne of God, even as they walk a route that descends into the valleys and climbs to the heights along the way.

"Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp.
For the Lord delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory."
(Psalm 149:1-4, NLT)

________________

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song!
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground;
Firm, through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.


No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the pow'r of Christ in me!
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till he returns or calls me home,
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand!

In Christ Alone
Townsend
© King's Way - Thank You

CCLI License No. 810055