The Hard Edge of Truth

Recently someone I care deeply about said, “You’re a workaholic!” Was it true? Am I addicted to my work, using it to try to soothe my soul in the same way an alcoholic uses booze to avoid dealing with real issues in life? Saying that to me wasn’t very nice. It certainly was not comforting, but if true, it was the right thing to do! Confronted with the indictment, I took time to evaluate it for truthfulness. Encountering the hard edge of the truth was painful.

Are you afraid to tell the truth, afraid to face the truth? Many of us are. We would rather live in the land of “warm fuzzies” where ‘seldom is heard a discouraging word.’ Most of us think that is the same as being a loving person. Is it really? If your friend stood at a 3rd floor window convinced that he could step out and fly away like a bird, would it be the most loving thing to encourage him to follow his bliss, knowing that the moment he left the window he would plunge to the ground and to serious injury or death? Of course not. If you genuinely cared for him, you would restrain him, no matter how angry he became when you disturbed his dream!

Ezekiel was called by God to be a watchman. His ministry was about telling the truth, and so is ours. Take a look. "I’ve made you a watchman for Israel. The minute you hear a message from me, warn them. If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked man, wicked woman, you’re on the fast track to death!’ and you don’t speak up and warn the wicked to change their ways, the wicked will die unwarned in their sins and I’ll hold you responsible for their bloodshed. But if you warn the wicked to change their ways and they don’t do it, they’ll die in their sins well-warned and at least you will have saved your own life." (Ezekiel 33:7-9, The Message)

Disciple of Christ, we live in a world filled with people living a lie, deceived by evil, heading for sure destruction. What are we going to do about it? Are we going to need to be loved so much that we won’t tell them the truth? Is their approval so important to us that we will tacitly approve their choice with our silence? Or will we take up God’s call to tell the truth, to sound the alarm?

There are a couple of very important issues surrounding truth-telling.

First, make sure you are telling the truth, not merely spreading your preferences! It’s easy to confuse our opinion with God’s Truth. Know the Scripture well and seek the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

Second, check your attitude! If you love to confront, you shouldn’t. An old preacher once told me that I should never preach on Hell unless it made tears flow down my cheeks to do so. That’s sound advice. If we enjoy making people squirm, we’re simply on a power trip, using the truth as a bludgeon.

Third, love, love, love. "Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ." (Ephesians 4:15, NLT) The truth lovingly spoken is healing. We should use it like a skillful surgeon uses a scalpel. He cuts, but only to heal!

Fourth, speak only what you live! Few things bring more discredit to Christ and His Church than hypocrites who love to tell the truth while living in sinful deception. Jesus used a humorous illustration about getting the fencepost out of your own eye before moving in to remove the splinter from your friend’s eye! Relentless apply the truth to yourself, first.

We should never be afraid of the truth. It sets us free. The person who knows the truth, loves the truth, and lives in the truth is amazingly blessed, strong in the face of troubles, and easy to love because you never have to question who he actually is. The truth makes us right with God when we face it and then go to Him to receive the gift of salvation in Christ. Jesus promised, "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." (John 16:13, The Message) Then, He prayed, "Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. " (John 17:17, The Message)

______________

It never ends! (oh, but it will!)

During WWII, the phrase 'battle fatigue' was coined to describe the emotional state of those soldiers who were mentally broken by the stresses of warfare. It would show up in different ways - loss of sight, hearing, paralysis. Excessive anxiety and irritability were often in evidence too. Soldiers suffering battle fatigue were usually not able to recover even though they were sent to rest and when they returned to their unit they generally could not fight effectively.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by life’s battles? We struggle to keep the boss happy, to deal with family demands, to keep our homes in good repair, to do the right thing, with temptation … to the point of exhaustion. The person who is committed to making a difference in the name of Christ Jesus - in her own life, in her extended family, and in her world - faces a daily struggle! The Bible points out that the godly person fights on three fronts simultaneously. He must contend with 'the flesh,' the sinful nature within himself that resists the work of God. He must overcome 'the world,' the "evil in the machine," that turns good things like government into tools of oppression and evil. He must wrestle with the Devil's forces, those demons that work to frustrate God's plans and purposes. Sounds ominous, doesn't it? It is!

The conflict is real and we are front-line soldiers called to establish and defend the kingdom of Heaven. The more devoted a person is to the cause of Christ, the more intense the fight becomes. Martin Luther's famous hymn has this line: "this world with devil's filled, should threaten to undo us!" If we are focused on our own strength, if we try to live on our own terms, we may well become 'undone.' That hymn goes on to say, "we will not fear for God has willed, His Truth to triumph through us."

Battle fatigue can set in unless we follow the wisdom of our General. Peter speaks to the battle and how we can stand strong through it all. Meditate on these words from the Word today. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:6-10, NIV)

Did you note the way the truth unfolds?

First, be humble. God has no supermen in His army, none of us can discard our fellow soldiers, or go off to do our own thing. The soldier who would stand in the face of the Enemy, must first kneel before God!

Second, consciously off-load the stress onto His shoulders. Specifically pray about your concerns, seeking His comfort. Remember, Jesus said, "I will never leave you, never forsake you."

Third, stay aware of your needs and the threats you face - internal and external. Don't be dumb! We can bury our pain under diversions of work or pleasure, but it’s still there and will collect at the most unexpected moment. We can ignore the battle that rages just outside of our consciousness for a time, but we do so to our peril.

Fourth, adopt a defensive posture from a secure place of faith! Your ultimate security comes from trusting in the Lord. Note the promise again: "God, (who has) called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, ....will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." (1 Peter 5:10, NLT)

Are you weary?
Make time to be quiet in His Presence.
Breath in the renewal of spirit that comes by means of God's Holy Spirit. The hurry-up pace of life quickens even more around this time of year, doesn't it? Tragically, if we don't take charge of our schedule, what should be a celebration of Light and Life, can become the occasion for more fatigue, deeper despair.

________________________


In the presence of Jehovah,
God Almighty, Prince of Peace,
Troubles vanish, hearts are mended,
In the presence of the King.

In The Presence Of Jehovah
Davis, Geron / Davis, Becky

EMI Christian Music Publishing

© 1983,1985 Meadowgreen Music Company (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) / Songchannel Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License No. 810055

Garbage dump or gathering place?

On those occasions when I take trash to the disposal site, I don’t find people sitting around sipping coffee. The ugly mounds of refuse, the smells of rotting garbage, and blowing debris do not create an inviting place for gathering. The dump is where we take cast-offs and then leave, quickly. In contrast, there are homes and shops that are purposely made to be inviting places, peaceful oases in the world. When you step into our home, our desire is that you find it ordered and presentable; inviting you in. It’s always been that way, even when we shared it with four active kids and their friends! We intentionally work at making our little house a home, a place we and others enjoy, a gathering in kind of place.

Which place does your life resemble more: the garbage dump or an inviting home?
Is it your desire to be the kind of person that invites others to enjoy your company and, even more importantly, to feel the kiss of God’s Presence when you pass by? That happens when we purposefully prepare ourselves to be a habitation of the Holy Spirit. When He is ‘at home’ in us, there a quality to our life that others, even those who are not Believers, will sense. An inviting life need not be full of worldly accomplishments, nor is a resume chock full of degrees or recognition necessary. The most common person can, with the help of the Spirit and some willingness to learn discipline, can have a beautiful and orderly heart that is a home to the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Where He is present, others will see a winsome beauty.

Here’s a word from the Word. These verse are excerpted from 2 Corinthians 3, a chapter that compares the ugliness of mere religiosity and the beauty of the Spirit-filled life. May they challenge each of us to seek to reflect His beauty through hearts and minds that are made beautiful through the saving, healing work of Jesus Christ; ordered in the way of holiness.

"We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:4-6, NLT)

"Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?" (2 Corinthians 3:8, NLT)

"For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NLT)

_____________

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me;
All His wonderful passion and purity.
O my Savior divine, all my being refine,
‘Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me!

-Albert Orbson

Public Domain

Staring at the dark, knowing He is there

I know God is active and present! I don't always KNOW what God is doing! We like to believe we are wise and well-prepared for life’s developments. God smiles at our naiveté. When circumstances spin outside of our plan, sometimes the Tempter tries to tell us that He is not there, or that He has forgotten us. Yet, He's a patient Father that keeps working out His purposes – sometimes with our cooperation, sometimes in spite of us. I think it’s fine with the Lord if we ask, "Why?” We might even cry out, “What purpose did that serve?" The dangerous place to go is into faithless rebellion, refusing to walk with Him in total trust.

In the enthusiasm of youth and with more dream than caution, Bev and I moved far from home. We felt that the Lord was going to let us do a great work in our new place. So, we moved 2000 miles; with little money, no safety net, or employment. Each month brought a new trial. Local Christians were less than welcoming. Our baby boy developed critical pneumonia and spent 5 long days in the hospital. The denomination that credentialed me balked at transferring my ministerial license to another District because, due to my inexperience, I had failed to observe proper protocol. To support my little family I worked in construction from sun-up to dark.

One year later we were serving in the same position we had left. To all appearances, we made a meaningless detour in life. I now know that God sent us to on that mission, not at all for the purposes I thought. He was teaching me about His faithfulness and grace. That year was one of the most transformational times of my entire life to this point. Are you struggling through a situation that seems meaningless? Trust Him. If you’ve made a mistake, He can turn it around. If He’s got a vision far different from your dream, He asks only that you trust Him and obey Him today.

In Genesis, there is a wonderful account of a man beloved of God who stared into the dark, yet trusted the Lord. God allowed Joseph to travel from favored son into a place in slavery. The household where he served as manager became a place where he was falsely accused of sexual harassment. That to his imprisonment! Observers might have concluded that Joseph was rejected by the Lord, all his dreams stone-cold dead! But God, … was at work! Each `detour' was actually a turn in the road that led to the throne! Years later, when he was the Prince of Egypt, he wept as he told his brothers that God had used all the events, even their treachery, to ultimately accomplish His will. He said "God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt." (Genesis 45:7-8, NLT)

Does this all mean that we should become fatalists, floating down the stream of life, just bouncing off all the rocks while we shout, "hallelujah!"? No, we pursue the will of God. Choices must be made that are shaped by a God-honoring obedience. Even then, in spite of our best of intentions—there will be side trips and detours that leave us wondering, “what happened?”

Here's a word from the Word to take with you today.
"My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.


Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you …
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;  all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life." (Psalm 42:3-8, NIV)

_________________

O love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee.
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow,
May richer fuller be.

O joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee.
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O cross that lifted up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from Thee.
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red,
Life that shall endless be.
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
Matheson, George / Peace, Albert Lister

© Public Domain

Baby Becomes Lord!

Is the Second Coming reason for hope or fear? For much of my Christian experience, the focus of most prophecy preaching, at least to my ears, was fear. It seemed to be a well-worn scare tactic designed to keep Christians from wandering into sin, from becoming too ‘worldly.’ This generation has been treated to the same basic story through the “Left Behind” novels. Are they right? Do we have reason to fear? Yes and no!

Jesus Christ will return. It will be the realization of the “hopes and fears of all the years.” The Bible says, "Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen! "I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One." (Revelation 1:7-8, NLT) “The earth shall weep because of Him.” What is a proclamation of hope to those who are expecting His return will be a declaration of ultimate judgment for those who have ignored His gracious offer of life. John tells us that “every eye will see Him.” His arrival as the conquering Christ, “riding on a white horse’ in the imagery of the Revelation, captures the attention of the whole world. He will confront those who do evil, defeat those who bring suffering and oppression, will overthrow the old order and establish His kingdom of righteousness and peace.

The Christmas story argues against the humanist view that we exist only to try to ensure the survival of our DNA into the next generation. We are not wrong to reason that since He came once to save us from our sins, He will come again to receive us into His Kingdom! This is wonderful news that is, indeed, a Blessed Hope. In your prayers and meditation today, think on this: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." (Matthew 25:31-32, NLT) “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world." (Matthew 25:34, NLT)

The Incarnation and the Revelation are both part of one Story; Baby and the Revealed Lord of John's Revelation are all in the plan of the Father. Let Advent take on new meaning - not only of remembering a wonderful birth, but of hope of the King's coming again. Before His Throne where will you stand- among the blessed or with those sent away? Receive Him today, with faith that is responsive.

Kneel before the Manger to thank Him for becoming a Man;
then look up to the Cross and embrace the offer of redemption; and
then look higher to the Heavens and say, “Come, Lord Jesus. Let your Kingdom come!”

___________


O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years,
Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above;
While mortals sleep the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O, morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth;
And praises sing to God the King
And peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is giv'n;
So God imparts to human hearts,
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin;
Where meek souls will
Receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

O, holy child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels,
The great glad tidings tell;
O, come to us abide with us,
Our Lord, Emmanuel.

O Little Town Of Bethlehem

Brooks, Phillips / Redner, Lewis H.
© Public Domain