Lost in a fantasy?

James Thurber gave us the short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  A man with a most mundane life drives his wife into town for her weekly shopping and visit to the beauty parlor.  He slips into a daydream with five episodes, in each he is a fantastic hero!  He is a pilot of a U.S. Navy flying boat in a storm.  He is surgeon performing a life-saving procedure. He is an assassin and then a Royal Air Force pilot on a suicide mission. At the end, Mitty imagines himself facing a firing squad. A man lacking in courage in real life, imagines himself as an entirely different individual.  Originally written in 1938, the story is being made into a movie to be released at the end of this year.

Living in fantasy is not just the stuff of stories or movies. This morning’s newspaper reported on a 25 year old man arrested yesterday in a local hospital wearing an officer’s badge around his neck and an air gun revolver in a holster at his waist!  He admitted to doing ‘something stupid,’  because he got caught up in a dream. How easily we become taken up with a daydream that allows to escape the drudgery of our reality.  Rather than dealing with life as it, we can, and many do, build imaginary lives.  The lack of substance and/or accomplishment leads some to escape into pretense, to live a lie. There is a tragic result.  The “Walter Mitty’s” in this world never finds out who they really are or what they are capable of doing. They miss the joy of being who God created them to be, joyfully filling the place in this world for their gifts, experiences, and opportunities.

Here's the direct question - are you a living in the moment, submitting yourself to Christ, allowing Him to grow your destiny in the fertile soil of your present situation?  Or, are you imagining yourself  as some celebrity, pretending you’re some great Christian, talking a much better game than you actually play? The Bible says - "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God’s messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you." (Romans 12:2-3, NLT)

God loves YOU, friend. He won't love you more if you learn to imitate Mother Theresa or Franklin Graham. If you take that route, you will offend Him! He wants you to be you, a unique person with unique preparations to fill a unique place in this world. Self-acceptance can be difficult. Looking in the mirror- physically and spiritually - reveals reality which isn't always what we want it to be. But, we are worthless to God and ourselves until we face the facts and accept His grace to deal with them, the power of His Spirit to change into the image of Christ.  We are not stuck with what we see! Remember this: God doesn't do 'make-overs.' He does transformations. You and I can be authentic saints! God can take the raw material that is you and do amazing things to create a person full of love, of the beauty of Jesus Christ. Why not start the transformation process right now?

Are you living as a fraud, a pretender?  Tell God that you done chasing an image.  Give up the fake for the real thing. Give him yourself- body and spirit - and ask Him to forgive you for the mistakes, the wrongs that have marred your life and displeased Him. Then, accept His transformational power.  It is a process. We are becomers!  There will be blunders along the way, but - if we are committed to Him and to being authentic- we can be sure that His promise - "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)- will be true!

Live authentically today!

_________

I've been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me,
Until Your love broke through.

All my life I've been searching for that crazy missing part,
And with one touch, You just rolled away the stone that held my heart.
And now I see that the answer was as easy, as just asking You in,
And I am so sure I could never doubt Your gentle touch again.
It's like the power of the wind.

Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed,
Until Your love broke through.
I've been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me,
Until Your love, until Your love broke through.

-          Copyright Keith Green, Todd Fishking and Randy Stonehill

Listen to Your Love Broke Through - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lMHxS3Kv5vg

Painting by numbers or making a masterpiece?

Painting by numbers or making a masterpiece?

Over the years I've read dozens of self-help books.  Andy Stanley teaches me how to be a visionary leader.  James Dobson informs me about being a good parent.  Dozens of writers offer suggestions for leading a church.  Many rehash the obvious.  Some seem to think that their experience is the one we all should re-package.  A few are truly helpful.  7 Habits of Highly Successful People, by the late Stephen Covey, is one of the latter. "Think Win-Win," or "Seek first to Understand, then to be Understood," “Sharpen the saw”  are timeless, universal, and true principles for life! However,  becoming the best person I can be will never be the result of 'self-help' alone! In fact, the brokenness of my human nature goes so deep that despite my best and highest intentions, I fail to reach the lofty goals to which I aspire.  Self-help, is a lot like painting by numbers. God’s power makes masterpieces of us!

We can be the best person possible only when we accept the love of God in Christ Jesus which produces spiritual transformation. That goes so much deeper than changing some behavior traits or learning some principles of life.  Do not confuse the miracle of salvation from sin with being religious or church-going. Plenty of miserable people live far below their God-given potential in spite of the fact that they sit through church services week after week, year after year.  They are untouched by the majesty of the message of Christ!   Then, too, let’s not confuse an authentic love for God with becoming a religious fanatic who quotes Bible verses and beats up those ‘sinners’ with whom he lives.  Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.”  To say that we love God while we continue to please ourselves is the height of hypocrisy. True love invites the Spirit to do the work of heart change – faithfully walking through trials that transform, obeying the Spirit when He nudges us to confession, choosing a life of worship.

The Word of God describes what happened to me (and to millions more!) by the grace of God. Here are excerpts. "You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. ... By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that ... he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ... So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. ... For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:1-10, NLT)

Spiritual health emerges in us when we receive God's grace and practice the disciplines of the Spirit that lead us to the pathway of becoming:  yes, the best God purposes for us to be!  You can be a forgiving, gentle, loving parent and spouse.  In a world of despair, you can be full of hope.  When Christ saves us and the Spirit lives in us, we are intimately connected to the Creator of the Universe Who promises to use us to pour His Living Water onto a dry, dying world.  Yes, through the Spirit, self-help is set aside in favor of being empowered;  enjoying the ability to say "no," to a life formed around sensual appetites and "yes" to the Spirit's way.

Receive this prayer from Scripture today-
"I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength— that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in.
And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love.
Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19, The Message)

Begin to thank God for the potential He's given you. Ask Him to inspire you to be the best you can be in His grace. Never just settle for what is easy, or natural!  Don’t live your life just painting by numbers.  Instead, let God teach you how to make a masterpiece of humanity in you. Then others will say, "Thank God!" and the world will be improved by your existence. Is there anything truly better than that?

___________

The Potter's Hand

Beautiful Lord,

Wonderful Savior,

I know for sure,

All of my days

Are held in Your hand,

Crafted into Your perfect plan.

I'm captured by Your holy calling,

Set me apart, I know You're drawing

Me to Yourself.

Lead me, Lord, I pray.

Take me! Mould me!

Use me! Fill me!

I give my life

To the Potter's hand.

Call me! Guide me!

Lead me! Walk beside me!

I give my life

To the Potter's hand.

Darlene Zschech

© 1997 Wondrous Worship (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

The Devil's Celebration

Today we remember hatred and zealotry for an evil cause.  9/11/01 is a day of death and destruction from which began a cycle of the same.  Who’s celebrating?  The Evil One who hates you, and me, and life, and light!  This day of sorrow is often chalked up to political and/or religious aims of some young Islamic men.  In fact, it was part of a larger conspiracy that has stretched through human history, the work of a spiritual being of great power who is determined to oppose and destroy all that is good and godly. Only about 50% of Americans believe in either the Devil or the Holy Spirit, dismissing them as superstitions left over from a time of lesser knowledge. I don’t!  

In the 12th chapter of the Revelation, John uses ‘sign language’ to tell his readers about God’s plan to save His Creation from the Devil. John’s words help me to understand the way the world works and to see what’s really going on in the invisible realm that is as real as the one I perceive with my five senses. He saw an ‘enormous red dragon’ (a picture language symbol) who was poised to destroy the Messiah at his birth, who rebelled against the order of Heaven, who was kicked out of the Presence of God, and who now has "had a great fall; He’s wild and raging with anger; he hasn’t much time and he knows it." (Revelation 12:12, The Message) Evil has a name and a personality! "This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels." (Revelation 12:9, NLT)

If you think that all of the suffering in this world comes only from ignorance, poverty, religion, or pride;  consider this. The Bible presents us with the fact that Evil is an organized conspiracy, orchestrated by the Devil, who works through the demon spirits, with the ultimate goal of destroying all that God has created and loves. Hitler, Pol Pot, wife-beating husbands, and rebellious teens who hate their parents share a common inspiration – the Devil!  When a man cheats on his wife, he isn’t just led astray by an excess of testosterone; he is deceived by lying spirits who exploit his desires, to light a fire that will reduce his life to ashes.  If we fail to understand this, we risk fighting the wrong battles, trying to solve problems by focusing only on symptoms rather than the real disease. As important as education, eradication of poverty, and behavior modification might be in the effort to make the world a better place in which to live; their ability to change a human heart is limited. Only Christ Jesus can set us free from slavery to Satan and depravity. Only the Holy Spirit can transform our minds and hearts so that we are able to live whole and holy lives.

I do not fear Satan or his demons because I live under the authority of Christ who defeated evil at the Cross, and ultimately triumphed at the Resurrection.  But,  I have real respect for the power of evil, and so should you.  Christ Jesus restores my identity as a ‘child of God’ and the Spirit of God live in me. I am secure. John says of Believers, "they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony."  (Revelation 12:11, NLT) He alludes to the Exodus story, where the Israeli people who obediently responded in faith by putting the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts escaped the death angel’s judgment.  Christ is our Passover, our Protector from spiritual destruction.  And yet, we face the attacks of the Devil.  He (and his forces – spiritual and human) come at us. We walk in a world ‘with devils filled,’ that ‘threatens to undo us, we will not fear for God has willed His truth to triumph through us.’ (Martin Luther)

Here’s a word from the Word. Meditate on it. Let the Truth give insight into your behavior and that of those who are around you, then pray to be holy and to be part of the Divine Conspiracy to save Creation!
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.

This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."  (1 John 4:4-8, NIV)

____________

Jesus Shall Reign

Jesus shall reign where'er the sun,

Does His successive journeys run.

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore

‘Till moons shall rise and set no more.

To Him shall endless prayer be made

And princes throng to crown His head.

His name like sweet perfume shall rise

With every morning sacrifice.

Blessings abound wherever He reigns,

The prisoner leaps to lose His chains.

The weary find eternal rest

And all the sons of want are blest.

Let every creature rise and bring,

The highest honours to our King!

Angels descend with songs again

And earth repeats the loud Amen.

Isaac Watts | John C. Hatton

Public Domain

Being a 'sticker'

Americans are notoriously footloose. They restlessly seek a new place, a new opportunity. “Elbow room,” says Daniel Boone as he moves on, so goes the story.  The average American family moves every 5 to 7 years, looking for a better life.  The Christian people I know, with rare exception, have been in and out of several churches, even while living in the same area, in a search for a spiritual high, better worship, or different preaching.  Even the covenant of marriage is abrogated in the search for a partner who will be more suitable to our current desires.

The Word lauds a quality of character- steadfastness. This describes those who, because of faith in the call of God and trust in His design, choose to stay put, work out the will of their Father, and find joy in the present rather than chasing it somewhere else. They are ‘stickers.’  “In the words of Wendell Berry, a student of Stegner's, stickers are people who "settle, and love the life they have made and the place they have made it in." America's first great theologian, Jonathan Edwards, spent much of his life serving in a single small parish. Presbyterian theologian B. B. Warfield spent nearly his entire adult life in Princeton, New Jersey, where he taught at the university and cared for his sick wife. The late Dallas Willard taught and ministered in the same philosophy department for nearly five decades.”  (Jake Meador, Christianity Today, September, 2013)

In his famed Psalm of confession, David prayed "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10, NIV) His restlessness led to an affair, a pregnancy, a conspiracy, and the proxy murder of his friend!  Certainly his wandering eye created a lot of drama. Now, he prays for God’s help to settle down and live rightly.  In the 112^th Psalm, we read of the reward of those who are steadfast. "Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. … He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes." (Psalm 112:1, 7-8, NIV)  Yes, there is a security found in radical faith, a willingness to trust the Lord in the present, rather than running off for some new situation.

Isaiah reinforces the fact that true steadfastness is not merely stubbornness; it is faith in action. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." (Isaiah 26:3-4, NIV)  Peter teaches us to throw our worries on the Lord, to wait for Him expectantly. What happens? "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 5:10, NIV)

Are you struggling to find joy in your present set of circumstances?

Does it seem that a better life must be out there, somewhere, with someone new, in a bigger city, a smaller town?

Do you believe that you will be more fulfilled if only … ?

Instead of praying for a new place, how about asking the Lord for a new heart, one that is steadfast in trust in Him?  Ask for the kind of faith that lets Him lead, even if He says, “Stay put. Be steadfast. Remain faithfulness.”  With that kind of faith, buck the trend and become a ‘sticker.’ You will find His promise true: “his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."

___________

A Perfect Heart

Morning sun, light of creation.

Grassy fields, a velvet floor.

Silver clouds, a shimmering curtain.

He's designed a perfect world!

I'm amazed at His talents,

Stand in awe of One so great.

Now my soul begins to sing out,

To the source from which it came.

Bless the Lord who reigns in beauty.

Bless the Lord,

Who reigns with wisdom and with power.

Bless the Lord,

Who reigns my life with so much love,

He can make a perfect heart.

Dony McGuire | Reba Rambo

© 1981 Bud John Songs, Inc. (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Makanume Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Ooh's and Ah's Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Never Alone

Few things are worse than being alone! Every problem looks bigger when faced without a friend. Working on a task with a team makes the work much less tedious; the results so much better. At our church yesterday, I watched dozens of interactions between friends.  People laughed as they shared happy moments from the week. A few hugged as they comforted each other.  Groups worked together to make ministry happen.  Singers and musicians combined to lead us in worship.  In the afternoon, three of us went to a nursing home to sing and bring the Word to residents there. Another team led our students in worship last night.  Our kids were taught and loved by yet another team!

There are times in life when there is no other person on earth who can help lift the burden. But, yet we are never alone, if we know God. Jesus promises every Christian that the Holy Spirit is not only with us, He lives in us.  On the night before His crucifixion, the Lord gathered the twelve and prepared them for the dark days that He knew were coming their way. "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18, NIV)  When fear rises in the night, the Spirit is there. When challenges come at Noon, He is there. When you are successful and ready to celebrate, He is there, too!  When heartbreak shatters you, He is there.

He is our Counselor.  Some Bible translations say, “Comforter.” Others say, “Friend.”  In the language of the original text, Koine Greek, the word is “parakletos,” and it described a friend who showed up alongside of a person in time of need to speak on their behalf.  God, the Holy Spirit, is there, at our side, all the time. We are never alone!  Yes, having friends is a blessing and we should work to build and maintain ties with those we love and who love us.  Being on teams at work or in ministry is a blessing of inestimable value.  But, the ever-present Spirit is a treasure, a rich resource, a great comfort.  Let us never ignore Him or push Him away with our doubt or disobedience.

In the story of the ancient Jewish people, their sins had become such that God needed to bring correction. He did so with an invading army that decimated the land.  It was a terrible time, of great suffering, yet even then they were not completely forsaken.  They felt like they were. It looked like God had forgotten them, but He said otherwise. "But the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will respond instantly to the sound of your cries. Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and affliction for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes, and you will hear a voice say, “This is the way; turn around and walk here.” (Isaiah 30:18-21, NLT)

Take the principle of that passage to heart today.  Even in times of His discipline, He will not leave us alone. He is our waiting Father, calling to us, desiring our return to the embrace of His love.  Listen for the voice of the Spirit Who even today is saying, “This is the way; turn around and walk here.”

Here’s a familiar Psalm. Read it prayerfully, carefully, faithfully – then live the promise.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
(Psalm 23, NIV)

_________

Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us

Savior like a Shepherd lead us,

Much we need Thy tender care.

In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,

For our use Thy folds prepare.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,

Be the Guardian of our way.

Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,

Seek us when we go astray.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Hear thy children when they pray.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Hear Thy children when they pray.

Dorothy A. Thrupp | William Batchelder Bradbury

Public Domain