Christians wear crosses and usually decorate their sacred places with crosses. Ironic, when you remember that the cross was an instrument of execution, a brutal, cruel one that brought terrible suffering and gruesome death. The Christ who died there imbued the cross with Glory! Among some Christians it is now fashionable to keep the cross out of sight. Symbols that replace it include rainbows, angels, or doves. I will glory in the cross! A rainbow speaks of hope. Angels bring a measure of comfort and strength. Doves certainly are a Biblical image that evoke the hovering Presence of the Spirit. But, only the Cross restores me to my Father's covenant love.
What a glorious thought: Christ suffered for ME, willingly, because He loves ME! I wish it had never been necessary for Him to become the Lamb of God, offered for my sin, but that is not the case. I am a sinner, a wretch, through and through: hopeless, broken, alone, dying - apart from the Cross where Life flowed down to ME!
I read through some of the hymns of the Cross again this morning. Read these lines thoughtfully, prayerfully. Let Watts and Crosby lead you to contemplate the wonder of Jesus' offering of Himself to meet your desperate need --
Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary's mountain.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever.
‘Till my raptured soul shall find,
Rest beyond the river.
______________
Alas and did my Savior bleed,
And did my sov'reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head,
For such a worm as I?
But drops of grief can ne'er repay,
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself to Thee,
'Tis all that I can do!
At the cross, at the cross,
Where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away;
It was there by faith,
I received my sight
And now I am happy all the day!
______________
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Tow'ring o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
gathers round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o'ertake me,
hopes deceive and fears annoy;
Never shall the cross forsake me,
Lo! it glows with peace and joy.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
by the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that thro' all time abide.
_______________
It is the Christ of the Cross that makes us holy and free. Don't 'rush' to the Resurrection this week. That is a grand Truth, and we love to tell it again and again. The empty tomb is the ultimate! But, the road to new life leads through the Cross. Think on His suffering. Don't distance yourself. Worship Him that He died for you, for me! Don't be swept up by those who would teach you that you can save yourself from God's judgment by religion, goodness, or martyrdom. God's love flows from the Cross, so let's glory in the Christ who showed us the depth of His love by dying there.
“For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate." (Galatians 6:13-14, The Message)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Are you coveting your neighbor's wife?
The 10th commandment forbids a sin many do not even understand. The Bible says, “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17, NLT) Coveting is an epidemic in America. Mostly, we are convinced that there is someone, or someplace, or something that will finally bring us a sense of wholeness. “If only I had ____ , then I would be happy." It breaks marriages. Coveting another man’s wife happens when we begin to believe we need someone smarter, richer, taller, thinner, or more exciting. Coveting causes people to go deeply into debt to buy things they really don't need. The constant messages of advertising drives the idea that “it’ will be found in a new house, another car, or an exotic vacation. Discontent can fester in people who move from church to church coveting a spiritual experience that will let them live above the trials of life.
Mindy Caliguire, head of Soul Care Ministries, suggests that we ask ourselves four questions to diagnose the sickness of discontent-
1. Do I feel overwhelmed by options?
2. Do I feel burdened by impossible demands?
3. Do I often buy more than I can afford?
4. Do I frequently desire to be more than I am? - Leadership, Winter, 2008
Options are as American as apple pie! We like big supermarkets that let choose from 28 brands of ketchup! On the ‘auto mile’ there are a dozen dealerships offering 20 kinds of automobiles, differing little except in style. Having so many options from which to choose is a source of real stress. There is a spiritual discipline that restores sanity! It is called simplicity. This discipline teaches us to live contentedly, not complacently, which keeps us from the sin of coveting.
Simplicity is the conscious choice to be the person who prays to know who God has made us and focusing on that. It is the decision to pray to become contented with who we are, what we have, and where we are. What does this mean practically?
We stop looking at others and comparing ourselves.
We refuse to buy things we don't want to impress people we don't like.
We give away stuff we no longer use, instead of renting storage space to keep it until we die and our kids throw it away.
We give thanks for what we have instead of begging God for more.
We receive the gift(s) of the Spirit He's given to us and to do what we can, right where we are, today!
We simplify our menu, unclutter our closet, and learn that saying 'no' to yet another appeal is just fine.
We refuse debt, financial and emotional, choosing to live in what we can afford, and not borrowing against tomorrow.
Here's what Jesus said. "Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:22-24, NLT)
Is your vision clear, fixed on truth, and focused around the goodness of God? Or are you looking around frantic to find something to own, certain it will bring you the peace you crave?
A single minded focus on Christ and His love allows us to live freely, soberly, and with contentment. Say 'yes' to worship, deep and intimate worship of the Lord, our God. Learn to revel in the beauty of a bird's song, the giggle of a child, the grace He promises 'just for today.' You will, in these choices, break the power of the conspiracy of self and Satan to make you a slave to reputation, stuff, and activities. Find others who are at peace with themselves, who are refusing the lie of more. Then, you will discover the blessing of less.
Mindy Caliguire, head of Soul Care Ministries, suggests that we ask ourselves four questions to diagnose the sickness of discontent-
1. Do I feel overwhelmed by options?
2. Do I feel burdened by impossible demands?
3. Do I often buy more than I can afford?
4. Do I frequently desire to be more than I am? - Leadership, Winter, 2008
Options are as American as apple pie! We like big supermarkets that let choose from 28 brands of ketchup! On the ‘auto mile’ there are a dozen dealerships offering 20 kinds of automobiles, differing little except in style. Having so many options from which to choose is a source of real stress. There is a spiritual discipline that restores sanity! It is called simplicity. This discipline teaches us to live contentedly, not complacently, which keeps us from the sin of coveting.
Simplicity is the conscious choice to be the person who prays to know who God has made us and focusing on that. It is the decision to pray to become contented with who we are, what we have, and where we are. What does this mean practically?
We stop looking at others and comparing ourselves.
We refuse to buy things we don't want to impress people we don't like.
We give away stuff we no longer use, instead of renting storage space to keep it until we die and our kids throw it away.
We give thanks for what we have instead of begging God for more.
We receive the gift(s) of the Spirit He's given to us and to do what we can, right where we are, today!
We simplify our menu, unclutter our closet, and learn that saying 'no' to yet another appeal is just fine.
We refuse debt, financial and emotional, choosing to live in what we can afford, and not borrowing against tomorrow.
Here's what Jesus said. "Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:22-24, NLT)
Is your vision clear, fixed on truth, and focused around the goodness of God? Or are you looking around frantic to find something to own, certain it will bring you the peace you crave?
A single minded focus on Christ and His love allows us to live freely, soberly, and with contentment. Say 'yes' to worship, deep and intimate worship of the Lord, our God. Learn to revel in the beauty of a bird's song, the giggle of a child, the grace He promises 'just for today.' You will, in these choices, break the power of the conspiracy of self and Satan to make you a slave to reputation, stuff, and activities. Find others who are at peace with themselves, who are refusing the lie of more. Then, you will discover the blessing of less.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
“Pick me, pick me!”
In the movie, “Shrek” there is a funny scene when Donkey jumps up and down, yelling, “Pick me. Oh, I know. Pick me.” Even though it’s a cartoon, we identify with his desperation. Whether we admit it or not, we like to be ‘picked,’ to be made to feel valued by another. Feeling inconsequential is common to every one of us. Watch little boys strut their stuff as they try to make somebody notice them. Many adolescent girls go through a time when they are at grave risk because they will do almost anything thing to get boys to pay attention to them. Having a ‘boyfriend’ makes them ‘somebody.’ Grown-ups want to matter, too. A little self-disclosure would be healthy here. I try not to let the size of the Sunday crowd effect how I feel about myself, but it does! Strange, isn’t it, that we attach so much importance to such passing things, even when we ought to know better?
Christina Kelly, an editor of magazines for young women, wrote a revealing essay. “Why do we crave celebrities? Here’s my theory. To be human is to feel inconsequential. So we worship celebrities and we seek to look like them. All the great things they have done we identify with in order to escape our own inconsequential lives. But, it’s so dumb. … doing it makes us feel even worse. We make them stars but then their fame makes us feel insignificant.” (as quoted in King’s Cross, 2011) A title, a tiara, an award, another degree, a front-page photo, a bigger paycheck: these are the things we are told will make us people who matter. They don’t!
All kinds of self-destructive behaviors grow out of the feelings of worthlessness that stalk us in the dark of our soul. Some find that alcohol or chemicals numb the pain. Of course, they also rob life itself! Others choose promiscuity, willing to trade their dignity for a few moments of fraudulent intimacy. Others become excessively religious, attempting to erase the uncleanness of sin through pious acts. Some become driven to succeed, in the memorable phrase of Charles Colson, willing to ‘run over their own grandmother’ to win the race for position or money. Some give up hope and their cynicism turns them into a pit of misery and self-loathing.
God has picked you! Read this familiar text without rushing through it. Let the amazing message sink in. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son." (John 3:16-18, NLT) You’re valued because you exist, not because of what you achieve. Before you ever did a thing, God loved you!
My favorite book in the Bible is Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Again and again, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he reminds us of the depth of God’s love for us. "You were dead in your transgressions and sins, … gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts … we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, … For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:1-10, NIV) Dead, worthless, destined for destruction: but God intervened! And why? Love alone.
The great lie is ‘you don’t matter.’ If I believe it, I dig deeper into sin as I try to rescue myself while I jump up and down yelling at the world, “pick me!” The grand truth is that each one of us matters so much that God sent a Savior to rescue us and to restore the glory in us for which we were created. Do you believe that?
Here’s my prayer, one of the richest in the Scripture. "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:16-19, NLT) Amen
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Christina Kelly, an editor of magazines for young women, wrote a revealing essay. “Why do we crave celebrities? Here’s my theory. To be human is to feel inconsequential. So we worship celebrities and we seek to look like them. All the great things they have done we identify with in order to escape our own inconsequential lives. But, it’s so dumb. … doing it makes us feel even worse. We make them stars but then their fame makes us feel insignificant.” (as quoted in King’s Cross, 2011) A title, a tiara, an award, another degree, a front-page photo, a bigger paycheck: these are the things we are told will make us people who matter. They don’t!
All kinds of self-destructive behaviors grow out of the feelings of worthlessness that stalk us in the dark of our soul. Some find that alcohol or chemicals numb the pain. Of course, they also rob life itself! Others choose promiscuity, willing to trade their dignity for a few moments of fraudulent intimacy. Others become excessively religious, attempting to erase the uncleanness of sin through pious acts. Some become driven to succeed, in the memorable phrase of Charles Colson, willing to ‘run over their own grandmother’ to win the race for position or money. Some give up hope and their cynicism turns them into a pit of misery and self-loathing.
God has picked you! Read this familiar text without rushing through it. Let the amazing message sink in. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son." (John 3:16-18, NLT) You’re valued because you exist, not because of what you achieve. Before you ever did a thing, God loved you!
My favorite book in the Bible is Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Again and again, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he reminds us of the depth of God’s love for us. "You were dead in your transgressions and sins, … gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts … we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, … For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:1-10, NIV) Dead, worthless, destined for destruction: but God intervened! And why? Love alone.
The great lie is ‘you don’t matter.’ If I believe it, I dig deeper into sin as I try to rescue myself while I jump up and down yelling at the world, “pick me!” The grand truth is that each one of us matters so much that God sent a Savior to rescue us and to restore the glory in us for which we were created. Do you believe that?
Here’s my prayer, one of the richest in the Scripture. "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:16-19, NLT) Amen
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Walking to the Cross
Ever faced an event with dread, knowing it will be difficult? Things like a critical interview, a big test, major surgery, a confrontation that has to happen come down the road to all of us. Some we can’t avoid, others we know we should do, but we wonder; “can I do it?” This is Passion Week. Jesus knew that the Cross was His destiny. It would be suffering unimaginable, loss of everything including His oneness with the Father. And here’s what Matthew’s Gospel tells us: "He began to be sorrowful and troubled." (Matthew 26:37, NIV) That word ‘troubled,’ is the word ‘ademoneo’ in the original language of NT, a strong word of emotion that speaks of being depressed! Jesus did not go gleefully to the Cross. He was broken-hearted, full of dread, and even prayed for release from it. “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?” (Matthew 26:39, The Message)
Obedience to the will of our heavenly Father will not always come from a heart full of joyful anticipation! Doing what God wants us to do may sometimes cause us great grief, be so overwhelming as to cause us to be depressed. What a thought. What sustained Jesus was seeing, by faith, the Glory that would be His on the other side of that awful cross. Think I’m just saying that? The Bible says that He "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV)
• Forgiving that person who has abused you so terribly may be nothing you want to do. Hating him feels so good, how could you give it up? “He doesn’t deserve forgiveness!” you scream. But your Father says you must. Will you die to yourself? It’s going to hurt.
• Letting go of that goal you know is not compatible with being a true disciple of Jesus is something you know that you have to do, but you don’t know how you will go forward in life if you turn away from it. The cost is huge, but your Father beckons.
• Facing that sinful habit and admitting it belongs to you and that it offends God is painful. For years you have blamed everyone, excused yourself, but now the Father says, “Let’s confront it and grow past it.” Hell’s fury will be unleashed when you deal with it and you know it.
• Will you let ego die? Will you take your talents, your gifts, your best hope of gaining worldly acclaim and let God use it, even if it means choosing obscurity? That is a crushing decision, isn’t it?
Things like that can make us feel the same kind of depression that Jesus felt as He looked toward the Cross, but He took courage from the promises of His Father. He prayed His way to the Cross. He drew on the strength of the Spirit and leaned on His friends, who failed Him in the end! And, on the other side of the pain, the loss, the blood, the groans, the cries – there is the glory of the Resurrection morning. He is the prototypical New Man and we know that ‘because He lives, we will live also.’
Are you walking to a cross? It is all right with the Lord if you weep. You are not a spiritual failure if embracing His will makes you weep. Just learn this passage and let the same kind of submission fill your life. The path to greater glory follows the way of the Cross. "He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." (Philippians 2:8-10, NLT)
_____________
Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)
One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin;
Dwelt among men, my example is He.
The Word became flesh,
And the light shined among us,
His glory revealed
Living He loved me, dying He saved me,
Buried He carried my sins far away.
Rising, He justified; freely forever!
One day He's coming;
O glorious day!
O glorious day.
One day they led Him up Calv'ry's mountain,
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree,
Suffering anguish despised and rejected,
Bearing our sins my Redeemer is He!
The hand that healed nations,
Stretched out on a tree,
And took the nails from me,
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door,
Then He arose over death He had conquered,
Now is ascended my Lord evermore.
Death could not hold Him,
The grave could not keep Him,
From rising again (rising again).
Living He loved me, dying He saved me,
Buried He carried my sins far away.
Rising, He justified; freely forever!
One day He's coming;
O glorious day!
O glorious day.
© 2009 Word Music, LLC
My Refuge Music
Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
(Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
(Admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC)
J. Wilbur Chapman
Mark Hall
Michael Bleecker
CCLI License No. 810055
Obedience to the will of our heavenly Father will not always come from a heart full of joyful anticipation! Doing what God wants us to do may sometimes cause us great grief, be so overwhelming as to cause us to be depressed. What a thought. What sustained Jesus was seeing, by faith, the Glory that would be His on the other side of that awful cross. Think I’m just saying that? The Bible says that He "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV)
• Forgiving that person who has abused you so terribly may be nothing you want to do. Hating him feels so good, how could you give it up? “He doesn’t deserve forgiveness!” you scream. But your Father says you must. Will you die to yourself? It’s going to hurt.
• Letting go of that goal you know is not compatible with being a true disciple of Jesus is something you know that you have to do, but you don’t know how you will go forward in life if you turn away from it. The cost is huge, but your Father beckons.
• Facing that sinful habit and admitting it belongs to you and that it offends God is painful. For years you have blamed everyone, excused yourself, but now the Father says, “Let’s confront it and grow past it.” Hell’s fury will be unleashed when you deal with it and you know it.
• Will you let ego die? Will you take your talents, your gifts, your best hope of gaining worldly acclaim and let God use it, even if it means choosing obscurity? That is a crushing decision, isn’t it?
Things like that can make us feel the same kind of depression that Jesus felt as He looked toward the Cross, but He took courage from the promises of His Father. He prayed His way to the Cross. He drew on the strength of the Spirit and leaned on His friends, who failed Him in the end! And, on the other side of the pain, the loss, the blood, the groans, the cries – there is the glory of the Resurrection morning. He is the prototypical New Man and we know that ‘because He lives, we will live also.’
Are you walking to a cross? It is all right with the Lord if you weep. You are not a spiritual failure if embracing His will makes you weep. Just learn this passage and let the same kind of submission fill your life. The path to greater glory follows the way of the Cross. "He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." (Philippians 2:8-10, NLT)
_____________
Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)
One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin;
Dwelt among men, my example is He.
The Word became flesh,
And the light shined among us,
His glory revealed
Living He loved me, dying He saved me,
Buried He carried my sins far away.
Rising, He justified; freely forever!
One day He's coming;
O glorious day!
O glorious day.
One day they led Him up Calv'ry's mountain,
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree,
Suffering anguish despised and rejected,
Bearing our sins my Redeemer is He!
The hand that healed nations,
Stretched out on a tree,
And took the nails from me,
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door,
Then He arose over death He had conquered,
Now is ascended my Lord evermore.
Death could not hold Him,
The grave could not keep Him,
From rising again (rising again).
Living He loved me, dying He saved me,
Buried He carried my sins far away.
Rising, He justified; freely forever!
One day He's coming;
O glorious day!
O glorious day.
© 2009 Word Music, LLC
My Refuge Music
Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
(Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
(Admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC)
J. Wilbur Chapman
Mark Hall
Michael Bleecker
CCLI License No. 810055
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