Living in the Mediocre Middle?

Any parent can tell you that there are two kinds of obedience – one is a grudging compliance, the other is wholehearted engagement.  My sons, Sean and Jay, were on the ‘lawn crew,’ when they were teens at home.  At first they did the minimum to comply with my requests. It showed in the results.  The corners were left uncut, the areas around trees untrimmed, the cut ragged from driving the tractor too fast. Then, as they matured, they began to take pride in their work and their obedience changed.  The lawns were neatly done; completely.

Christians choose duty or delight, too.  Some just try to get by while others fully engage. The immature disciple asks, “Can I do that and still call myself a Christian?”  What kind of obedience does the Lord get from you?  Is it just a dutiful, grim, ‘get it done,’ kind of thing; shaped around meeting bare minimums?  Or, do you take delight in doing what He commands so that your life will display the beauty of His will?

The Psalmist sings, "Your decrees are my treasure; they are truly my heart’s delight." (Psalm 119:111, NLT)

The disciple who tries for minimal compliance robs himself of joy.  He cannot enjoy the sins of his world  because of a guilty conscience, but he finds no joy in the things of God because his heart is corrupt.  His is a miserable existence between two worlds!  The prophet Elijah threw down a challenge to ancient Israel.  We need to consider it for ourselves! “How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent." (1 Kings 18:21, NLT)

We need to make up our minds about serving God, then go for it; without reservation, without excuse. It’s the only way to find the joy of the Lord promised in the Scripture.  If we choose to live in the mediocre middle,  we consign ourselves to blah and bland; no beauty, no joy!

Before you rush on today, take a few minutes to prayerfully absorb the principle that Jesus gives in these two illustrations.
 "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:43-46, NIV)

_____________

Abba, let me see the treasure of Your will and
embrace it with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Many temptations allure me, seeming to offer satisfaction.

Daily life pulls me from awareness of You,
blinds me to the real joy to be found in unreserved obedience.

Forgive me for my short-sightedness,

My love for this present world.

Open my eyes, capture my heart, break my will to Yours.

Give me delight in You and Your ways so that

The beauty of Jesus will be seen in me.

Amen.

No aspirin for this pain

A guilty conscience? Hurts, doesn't it? The pain of shame and guilt that follow doing wrong are as common as a cold. In a moment when our resolve is weak, we make a fateful choice. A cruel word can be uttered, an immoral choice made in just a moment’s time, but the memory is indelibly burned into our mind.
“Why did I do it?” we ask; “What was I thinking?” 

Not far behind those thoughts comes the fear of discovery. “If I’m found out, what then?” Have you ever experienced that kind of torment? It takes away sleep at night, robs us of the ability to appreciate the most beautiful day, makes song like scraping of fingernails on a chalkboard in our ears.

King David, a man who loved God and he became an adulterous murderer! Even before his sin was exposed, he was tormented. "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer." (Psalm 32:3-4, NIV)

Guilt is God’s gift that calls on us to come back to right living. There is false guilt. Our conscience can be damaged, made too sensitive by constant criticism or scarred into uselessness by constant abuse. But, if our conscience is functioning in a healthy way; if it is responsive to the Holy Spirit of God and informed by the truth, we should thank the Lord for the pain that comes after we sin against others and/or Him.

 

That ache that David felt was only relieved when he made another important decision. "Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.” Suddenly the pressure was gone— my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared. These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray; when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts we’ll be on high ground, untouched." (Psalm 32:5-6, The Message) 

Confession is so hard, yet so liberating! It opens our heart to God’s forgiveness. Often sincere confession will also win the forgiveness of another person, even those we have wronged in the most serious way.

Confession must be followed by something that seems largely absent in our culture of tolerance and relative standards: repentance. I find that many desire the release from guilt and even regret their actions because of the negative consequences, but they feel little need to change their ways! The ancient people of God disobeyed the Lord, knew they were estranged from Him, confessed, but often failed to turn back to Him! They only wanted release from the consequences of their sins. They had no hunger for righteousness, no appetite for real holiness.

The prophet Joel tells us that we need to let ourselves feel sorrow for our sins and then to make real change in our lives. Read his call. "Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; …  (Joel 1:13, NIV) “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." (Joel 2:12-13, NIV)

Is guilt over sins past plaguing you?

Are you alienated from the Lord who gives you peace, from His church that is your home?

Spend some time truly mourning your disobedience, but do not stay there! Go and own up to your sins, without excuse, without self-justification. Accept forgiveness, then take the steps that will produce real change of repentance. "God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel: “Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me. " (Isaiah 30:15, The Message)

_________________

We bow our hearts,

We bend our knees.

Oh Spirit, come make

Us humble.

We turn our eyes

From evil things,

Oh Lord, we cast down

Our idols.

Give us clean hands,

Give us pure hearts.

Let us not lift

Our souls to another.

Give us clean hands,

Give us pure hearts.

Let us not lift

Our souls to another.

Oh God, let us be

The generation that seeks,

Who seeks Your face,

Oh God of Jacob.

Oh God, let us be

The generation that seeks,

Who seeks Your face,

Oh God of Jacob.

Give Us Clean Hands

Hall, Charlie

© 1997 Generation Productions

CCLI License No. 810055

Descending into another Dark Age?

The Dark Ages, that time in Europe from the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Enlightenment, describes a millennium of violence. (500 to 1500 A.D.) With the disappearing of the authority of the Roman Empire, a brutal chaos erupted that destroyed urban life, made commerce nearly impossible, and reduced life to a struggle for survival.  In the absence of the rule of law, those with the sharpest sword, those without regard for human life, held sway. The only bright spots in Europe were the monasteries that kept education and faith alive. The renewal of faith in Christ Jesus, made personal and presented as transformative in the Reformation, ultimately brought about the way of life most of us take for granted in the West today. 

We live in a terribly violent world where power is the currency of greatest value.  Nations of great power are quite willing to drop bombs, to send drones with deadly missiles, and to starve people into submission with economic sanctions to get their way in the world.  People who have little power are willing to blow themselves and/or others to bits in public places, are willing to shoot children in schools, or commandeer airplanes to bring buildings crashing down to attempt to bring about their agenda. We find abundant cruelty in most every kind of human relationship. The Church has fallen strangely silent in all this, many Christians even complicit with violent schemes to maintain their place of privilege.

There are abundant calls in the New Testament that Christ’s followers are to be people of peace. We are reconciled to our Father in Heaven and our mission in our world is to build bridges of reconciliation. Jesus tells us that when we are peacemakers we are known as ‘children of God.’   The Word commands-  "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." (Romans 14:19, NIV)  "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." (Romans 15:1-2, NIV)   But, a life of peace is the foundation necessary if we desire to call others to peace. 

Would you agree that we are, by and large, angry people?  When our desire for personal pleasure or comfort is hindered – by a slow driver, by a thoughtless clerk, or a life-altering situation;  it is common for us to slip into anger, even rage.  This must not be true of those who claim Christ as Lord. James instructs us: "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:19-21, NKJV)  Sure, there are plenty of things that could potentially make us angry – rude people, unjust authorities, uncooperative kids, selfish spouses – but Christ, the Lord of peace, makes it possible for us to live gently, to forgive, and to pursue peace!  Will we radically TRUST Him and give away our demand to be served?  (A confession is in order here. It is much easier to write about this serenity than it is to live in it.)

If we persist in our demand to own more, to control more;  we will give in to violence.  No we won’t all build bombs or buy guns, but we will arm our tongue and fire away. James says it is ‘full of deadly poison,” or as the Message puts it, “wild, a wanton killer.”  (3:8)  Our ability to change the world rests on love.  No, we don’t have to gather ‘round the campfire to sing “Kum Ba Yah.”  We do have to gather with other Christians and worship the One who makes us free from evil, then we go out as messengers who invite the world to live in peace and at peace.  If we do not, I we will plunge into yet another Dark Age, a time of escalating violence that destroys life’s beauty. 

Are you living in a Dark Age, the light of love hidden behind fear, rage, hate?  Come into the Light! Invite Jesus to be Lord of your life and begin to rest in His peace.

Take this word from the Word to heart.  Start now, at home, in your life, and spread the Word. "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:18-23, NIV)

___________

Wonderful Peace

Peace, peace, wonderful peace;

Coming down from the Father above.

Sweep over my spirit, forever, I pray;

In fathomless billows of love.

I am resting this day in this wonderful peace,

Resting sweetly in Jesus' control.

For I'm kept from all danger by night and by day

And His glory is flooding my soul.

Ah, soul are you here without comfort and rest,

Marching down the rough pathway of time?

Make Jesus your friend ere the shadows grow dark,

O accept this sweet peace so sublime.

W. George Cooper | Warren D. Cornell

Public Domain

Who is Whispering in Your Ear?

"You keep your son away from mine. He's a bad influence." No parent wants to hear those words. "I am impressed at the positive impact your son had on mine."  Now that we like, right? Peer influence IS strong - for good, for ill, and a parent who is not working to stay aware of his child's choice of friends is foolish. The Proverb says, "Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces." (Proverbs 13:20, The Message)  

Many teens live in isolation from parental influence. They are be physically present in our house and yet; because of messaging, Facebook, texting, email, online gaming; their need for social interaction is met entirely without us. As a result they grow up in a echo chamber filled with their friends' voices,  a place where uninformed, sometimes silly, opinions are amplified. Without corrective input, they are robbed of the wisdom that allows them to evaluate the inexperienced advice of peers.

And, it's not just kids who are influenced by peers! Every one of us, regardless of age or maturity, values the opinions of others. This pity comment from a Union General during the Civil War might well be engraved in our memory: "We have more to fear from the opinions of our friends than the bayonets of our enemies." - Nathaniel Banks

Do you use the power of peer influence for good? People can lift us up! That's one of the reasons God calls Christians into His Church. The connections we form with those who are pursuing His ways, who love Him and His kingdom, sustain us when we hit those inevitable hard times. The Spirit says, "Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT) If those with whom you are practicing your faith are not helping you to grow in faith and obedience, it is time to ask yourself if you're among the right kind of people.

Scott Williams, a speaker and executive at Nxt Level Solutions, offers the B.E.C.C. pattern for our peer relationships. It's a way each of us take the lead among those with whom we serve, work, and live.

B - Believe in them no matter what.

           E - Encourage them to do more.

           C - Challenge them to do it better.

           C - Correct them when they are off.

At the beginning of this week, let me encourage you to give yourself to the Spirit. Let Him own your heart, control your mind.  We become what we think!  

The Bible teaches us to let the Spirit transform us from the inside out, because "those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." (Romans 8:5-7, NIV)  Connected with God, the Spirit, strengthen ties to those who love Him. Encourage and be encouraged.

Here's a short word from the Word. Is it true of you? "I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts." (Psalm 119:63, NIV)

____________

We Will Stand

Sometimes it's hard for me to understand,

Why we pull away from each other so easily,

Even though we're all walking the same road.

Yet, we build dividing walls

Between our brothers and ourselves.

You're my brother, you're my sister,

So take me by the hand.

Together we will work until He comes.

There's no foe that can defeat us

When we're walking side by side.

As long as there is love

We will stand.

The day will come when we will be as one

And with a mighty voice

Together we will proclaim that -
Jesus, Jesus is King!

It will echo through the earth,

It will shake the nations,

And the world will see

See that

You're my brother, you're my sister,

So take me by the hand.

Together we will work until He comes.

There's no foe that can defeat us

When we're walking side by side.

As long as there is love

We will stand.

James Hollihan | Russ Taff | Tori Taff

© 1983 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055