Change the oil!

Change the oil!

The car engine was making an abnormal ticking sound that I associate with low oil. I asked the young man who owns it, “Have you had the oil changed recently, or checked it?”  He laughed. “No, I never think of it.” A few weeks later the engine seized and his car was worthless. Neglect of a $29.95 basic maintenance item caused him a big loss that he could not afford. Regular oil changes can easily be overlooked and the engine won't stop immediately.  An engine will run when it is 3 quarts low, but eventually the neglect will bring on failure.  So many things in life are like that. Preventative maintenance is easy to overlook. Given time; there is a price to pay. 

Regular involvement with a local congregation of Christians is like that. Yes, of course, you can be a Christian without regularly going to church. You won't be as effective but you can know saving faith. You can read your Bible, pray, trust Christ, and make Sunday a play day: golfing, fishing, and picnicking with family.  I’ll even allow that in the short term you won't see much impact on your spiritual life. You might even feel some relief about ridding yourself of another obligation on Sunday AM.  

But, (here it comes, you knew it) God knows that we need the encouragement of other Christians. He knows we need the corrective of the Word.  He knows that there is a steadiness, a strength, a maturity that comes from the discipline of corporate worship and prayers with others, so He directs us to "consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV)  Your car came with an owner’s manual that specifies optimal maintenance schedules. God gave us the Scripture that teach us the paths to a healthy soul!

If we ignore His wisdom, there will be a subtle erosion of spiritual health. Gradually, the edge will go out of your faith. Without teaching that helps you to apply the unchanging Word to an ever-changing world your spiritual understanding will stagnate.  From your example, your kids will conclude that church is just one of life's options, and as young adults, they will all most certainly discard church attendance all together, along with saving faith.

·         Neglecting to read the Scripture on a daily basis won't cause you to immediately descend into gross immorality.

·         Failure to engage in generous giving won't turn you into a greedy man next week.

·         Failure to pray today won't turn you into an atheist tomorrow!

But... long term a failure to practice these things will bring on spiritual flab. Your spiritual ears will miss the 'still, small voice of God.' Your spiritual eyes will not perceive His hand at work. Your short prayers will turn into childish whimpers and whines... 'bless me, give me, help me.'

Change the oil according to the maintenance schedule! Go to church. Read the Word. Get into a small group. Here is wisdom from the Word. If you make the investment in doing the small things, the big things will fall into place, God promises that! "Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. This is true, and everyone should accept it." (1 Timothy 4:7-9, NLT)

_______________

My eyes are dry,

my faith is old.

My heart is hard

my prayers are cold.

And I know how

I ought to be,

Alive in You, and

dead to me!

Oh, what can be done

For an old heart like mine?

Soften it up with oil and wine.

The oil is You,

Your Spirit of love;

Please wash me anew

In the wine of Your blood.

My Eyes Are Dry

© 1978 Birdwing Music | Ears To Hear | BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)ü(Admin. by BMG Music Publishing) | (Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)ü(Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) | (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)ü(Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)

Keith Green

CCLI License No. 810055

 

"Here are your gods"

“I have made You too small in my eyes,” is a line from a worship song. (full text at end) Have you ever done that? Recently while praying in preparation for Sunday services, the Spirit spoke into my heart.  “Stop, Jerry! Put yourself in my service instead of asking me to empower and bless your work.”  In obedience my prayers changed from “Lord, bless this … do that … come here,”  to “Here I am, Father, at the ready to do whatever You desire.”  Waiting on God, listening for His direction, requires more of me than rushing off to do something even as I ask for Him to go with me and to bless what I am doing.  When I slip into that pattern, I take His place!  I become the primary actor, He is made a supporting cast member. Yes, that is wrong!  Most of the time when I get into that frame of mind, it is because I am trying to do well, to be expedient.

Jeroboam became the king of the newly formed nation of Israel, after the revolution provoked by young King Rehoboam’s arrogant demands on the people. The northern half of the kingdom split away, leaving Solomon’s son ruling over Judah and the city of Jerusalem.  Jerusalem was home to the Temple. The holy site drew Jews from the whole region to an annual pilgrimage.  Jeroboam was fearful that if the people of his kingdom traveled to the Temple they would return their allegiance to Rehoboam, so he choose a course of expedience that ignored the commands of the Lord. "So on the advice of his counselors, the king made two gold calves. He said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” He placed these calf idols at the southern and northern ends of Israel—in Bethel and in Dan." (1 Kings 12:27-29, NLT)  From that moment, the northern kingdom was set on a course of idolatry that led to her eventual destruction.

Christian, take care that you do not make Him too small, choosing expedience over obedience.  Proverbs warns "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12, NIV)  God’s way can be difficult. Jesus called it the way of the ‘narrow gate.’  It may require sacrifice, hard choices, and abandoning our own plans.  Those who live a truly godly life must be focused on goals that stretch beyond tomorrow.  And, in that responsiveness, the Spirit can do amazing things for us and with us. I love this promise: "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble." (Proverbs 4:18-19, NIV)

Listen. Learn. Choose to obey, walking to the Light!

_____________

Be Magnified

I have made You too small in my eyes,

O Lord, forgive me.

And I have believed in a lie

That You were unable to help me.

But now, O Lord, I see my wrong.

Heal my heart and show Yourself strong

And in my eyes and with my song

O Lord, be magnified.

O Lord, be magnified.

Be magnified, O Lord,

You are highly exalted!

And there is nothing You can't do,

O Lord, my eyes are on You.

Be magnified, O Lord.

Be magnified.

I have leaned on the wisdom of men,

O Lord, forgive me.

And I have responded to them

Instead of Your light and Your mercy.

But now, O Lord, I see my wrong,

Heal my heart and show Yourself strong

And in my eyes, and with my song,

O Lord, be magnified.

O Lord be magnified.

Lynn DeShazo

© 1991 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

HUPOMONE - Don't Quit

Don't Quit!  (a CWTW from the archives) HUPOMONE  -- I just get a kick out of saying that word - (hoop·om·on·ay). Go ahead, say it again! Hupomone! (hoop·om·on·ay) I've taken leave of my senses, maybe writing in tongues (a new gift?) you think? Actually, I just got you to say a word of Greek from the New Testament. It's a compound word of a prefix meaning 'under' and a root meaning 'remain.'   Here's the context... "since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance (hupomone) the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1, NKJV) The writer of Hebrews calls for us to take a look at the distance runner as an example of how to live as a Christian. Unlike a sprinter who explodes from the starting block, pouring everything he has into a 100 meter dash, we are called to set a pace that we can maintain, steadily and consistently, living for Jesus- with patience, with endurance, (hupomone)! The idea is holding steady even under intense pressure! All around us we can find examples of people who start something with gusto- only to collapse in the backstretch!  Marriages begin with great romance and fireworks, but too often, fizzle under the strain of kids and bills. People head into new jobs with the intent of being the 'next best' only to become a place holder, a burnt out functionary, instead of an inspiring performer.  Students go off to college intending to make the Dean's list and too easily get sidetracked into the three day weekend party life style. And.... yes, people invite Jesus Christ to become Lord and begin their Believer's journey with enthusiasm (interesting word, by the way, that comes from a compound word meaning to be full of God). When Believers gather in church or Bible class they are discovering God's will and purpose and cheerfully becoming conformed to Christ Jesus. When they pray, it is with childlike simplicity and earnest faith. Then, too often, over time the joy evaporates under the heat of temptation and pressure and they turn into pew warmers, preacher critics, with a 'form of godliness that denies the real Power.' Their Christianity becomes more of a habit than a source of joyful life. Hupomone is not about a BIG start, it's about a faithful finish! Are you a finisher?  Do you take time to think about commitments, praying for guidance - and only embrace those that you will see through to completion? Jesus told a teaching story about this.  "Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: `He started something he couldn't finish.' Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can't, won't he send an emissary and work out a truce?" (Luke 14:28-32, The Message) The implied conclusion is - FINISH what you start! That means - hupomone! Remember that it isn't "all guts, no glory." Finishers enjoy what mere starters never find: the satisfaction of a job well done, a life well lived, a victor's crown!  Need a boost to stay in the race today? Here's the way, the follow up verse to the one where we started today- "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed-that exhilarating finish in and with God -he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God."  (Hebrews 12:2, The Message) HUPOMONE! Say through the day. People will think you're nuts. If they ask, just tell'em you're practicing a little Biblical Greek language! Have fun.

Loving you enough to be truthful?

The depth of deception and dysfunction in the person’s life was astonishing.  Choices he had made were bringing terrible problems into his life.  As we talked, he wanted me to tell him he was fine, that he could continue to do what he liked to do.  I thought, “If I am honest with him, if I call his choices what they are, will he hear me? Will he feel judged and cut off from me?   "You Christians are so judgmental!" is an accusation frequently heard these days.  "Why can't you just accept people for who they are and let them alone?"   The questions are not really questions at all. They are hurled as indictments against Christ’s church.  As a result I find myself wondering, ‘What should I say?’  Do you wonder about that, too?

David Kinnaman, author of UnChristian, writes that his research confirms that many people outside of the Church, especially those who are young, view the Church's positions as condemning.   For some, the answer is to stop being truthful.  But, is that the right one?  Kinnaman say, "Some Christians respond to outsider's negativity by promoting a less offensive faith.   The more unpopular parts of Christian teaching are omitted or deemphasized.  They hijack the image of Jesus by portraying Him as an open-minded, big-hearted, and never-offended-anyone moral teacher.  That is an entirely wrong idea about Jesus.  He taught remarkably tough truths about human beings and about sin....   Softening the message of the Gospel is an utterly wrong response to the objections that people raise." - UnChristian, Baker, 2007    We do no favor to those who are slaves of greed, promiscuity, or selfishness if we comfort them with silence. Jesus says that the Truth sets us free.   He told the Truth and He ran headlong into hatred as a result.  Why do we think that we should be different?

There are two things that we sometimes do that are offensive.   

We offend if we are quick to point an accusing finger at  others without authentically dealing with our own sins!  The Pharisees loved to name the sins that they saw.  Jesus looked deeper and saw that they used their indignation to avoid dealing with their own sins.  Though less obvious than theft, adultery, or blasphemy, the Pharisee’s pride, greed, and self-righteousness were equally offensive to a holy God.  Jesus challenged them to deal with their own hearts.  "Don't just clean the outside of the cup," He said, "wash the inside, too."   If we hide our own failures behind righteous rhetoric we will find ourselves also condemned by the Lord! 

We offend if we are quick to indict people in their sin without offering hope for forgiveness and/or transformation.   In the 1980's when the issue of abortion was at full boil in the Christian church, I saw too much hatred and fear allowed into the discussion.  Pro-lifers went for the sensational, using incendiary words like ‘baby-killer’  or  ‘murderer.’  Grisly pictures were used to shock.  I  was then, and I continue to be convinced that abortion is a terrible evil, the taking of the life of an innocent and defenseless person, an act that is abhorrent in the eyes of God.   However, I refused to join the attacks on women.  Instead, I joined forces with several like-minded Christians to create a center where women could find answers, help, and practical care that would encourage them to obey God and choose life for their unborn child.   We forbade our staff from using manipulative tactics based in condemnation of fear.  Instead, we made an offer of life, based squarely on the truth.  I am convinced that when we are bold to speak truth, we must complete the story by offering the hope of redemption through Christ Jesus.

The Bible says,   "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’" From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:14-17, NIV)   Did you notice a phrase that repeats twice?   It is this one:  "Grace and Truth."   Moses brought the Law, which told the Truth.  With the Law came the knowledge of sin and guilt that separated people from God.   Jesus did not set aside the holy requirements of the Law, but He brought Grace that gives forgiveness and creates the possibility of transformation from the inside out.   Only by His grace are we restored to our Father, from Whom we receive the Spirit who empowers us to be holy.

As we represent the Lord to others,  we will inevitably run head-long into sin.  Called to be God’s voice, we cannot fall mute.  May our message include liberal amounts of the grace that is greater than all our sin.    Ponder this today.  This is the word from the Word. "God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?"  (Romans 5:20-6:2, NLT)

______________

Miracle In My Heart

We are called

To be prophets to this nation,

To be the word of God,

In ev'ry situation,

Change my heart,

Change my heart today.

Who'll be the salt,

If the salt should lose its flavor?

Who'll be the salt,

If the salt should lose its flavor?

Change my heart,

Change my heart today.

Lord, loose the chains of oppression.

Lord, set the captives free.

Lord, fill my heart with compassion.

Shine Your light, shine Your light,

Shine Your light through me!

Work a miracle in my heart!

Work a miracle in my heart!

Work a miracle in my heart!

O Lord, today.

Lord, take all my lies

And all of my greed,

Let me be a sacrifice

For those who are in need.

Change my heart,

Change my heart today!

Lord, without Your power,

It's all just good intentions.

Lord, without Your grace

Who could find redemption?

Change my heart,

Change my heart today.

Brian Houston

© 1998, 1999 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055