Thanks, Mom

Sunday is Mother’s Day. Some scoff that it is just another ‘Hallmark’ holiday, an opportunity for merchants of cards and flowers to make money.  Well, yes there is that, but I am still glad that we are reminded to honor our Moms.  The day is not all joy.  Some women who cannot bear children find the day an intolerable reminder of life’s disappointment.  Some, like me, whose mother has died, will feel the sting of loss renewed. For millions, however, the day is a welcomed opportunity to honor a person who deserves thanks.

Nearly 2 years ago, in the closing months of her life, I came to know my Mom in a new way. Confined by illness, living in our home, we found time to talk about her life, her marriage, her hopes, her disappointments.  For most of my life I knew her only as a parent and as the woman who stood alongside of Dad, sharing his ministry, caring for her family.  Those final months allowed me to know her as a friend.  She confided in me telling me, “your Dad was not an easy man to live with.”  Who knew that the loyal wife was frustrated by the restless visions of my Dad?  She laughed with me about the pictures in her high school yearbook and her friends’ predictions that she would be an airline stewardess. Remember she was a teenager in the early 1950’s when that was a glamorous job. We read the first letter my Dad ever sent to her and she cried as she remembered his boyish profession of love!  Best of all, we prayed and shared her hope of eternal life through Christ Jesus, who was her Lord.

My Mom’s legacy is her children. Her greatest desire for each of us was that we know and love the Lord.  She lived this command - "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (Deuteronomy 6:5-8, NIV)  She loved him!  My enduring memory is seeing her, in her sick bed, with hands extended to Heaven, deep in prayer. Her Bible shaped her view of life.   And, she passed her love of the Scripture along – reading it to us, taking us to church to learn and worship, and disciplining us to follow it!

So, thank you, Mom. I would love to share a cup of coffee with you!

The Scripture commands us “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12, NIV)  It’s not a suggestion! It is a directive that comes from our Creator.  The Hebrew word we translate ‘honor’ is the same word that speaks of the ‘glory’ of God.  It  means to have weight or substance, to give respect, to fill up.  The honor we give to our parents is similar to the honor we give to God.  It is not shallow. It is more than a few words. It is assigning a place of worth and esteem.  Not all parents are easy to honor. Some are selfish or terribly sinful. Some are abusive.  In those situations, we honor them with forgiveness as Jesus taught. 

Honor your Mom!  If you’re a Mom, my prayer is that you will have a Happy Mother’s Day!

"Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!"

(Proverbs 31:30-31, The Message)

So you did it all by yourself?

Thousands of people will go through commencement exercises in the next few weeks, leaving high school, college, or even grad school to begin a new stage in life. Many will congratulate themselves on their achievement: “I did it!”  Certainly, they did play a major part. Those diplomas and degrees also belong to parents who kept them on track, mentors who encouraged them along the way, spouses who supported them, and yes; even the Lord who is the Source of life.  Kevin Durant gets this!  Did you see the story about his acceptance speech when he was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player? (He won an overwhelming 119 votes out of 125 cast!)  Durant did not puff out his chest and point to his many skills.  He thanked many, and closed with a moving tribute to his mother who he said was the ‘real MVP!’  (Click here to watch the clip. I dare you not to cry.)

Gratitude is a sign of humility and maturity.  Growing disciples will be thankful. Gratitude will overflow, spilling out onto all those with whom they interact each day.  They will know that they are not a ‘solo’ act.  They will stay connected to the Vine (John 15),  love being in the Body,  treasure the network of the Spirit that contextualizes their gift in a manner that maximizes the benefit to all.

Who has helped you to reach this place?  Have they heard a word of gratitude from you?  Jesus healed ten men of a dread disease. The Bible says that only the Samaritan, the one least expected to show gratitude, returned to give thanks! "Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19, NKJV)  Are you the one who returns to give thanks? 

Praise is the protocol that the Scripture establishes for our entry into the Presence of God.  This is not a suggestion! "Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods." (Psalm 95:1-3, NIV)  You might not feel much gratitude today. Perhaps things are difficult.  Then, thank Him for His goodness, for His gifts, for His grace – as you make a sacrifice of praise.  "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands." (Psalm 63:3-4, NIV)  

Quiet your heart and mind in the Presence of God for a few moments – right now.  Let humility take control and begin to think of those who have made a difference for you.  Thank God for them!  Then, turn your thoughts to Him. Thank Him for grace, for the Cross, for the Promise of eternal life, for the Spirit.  

Psalm 136:1-4 (NLT)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

²      Give thanks to the God of gods.

His faithful love endures forever.

³      Give thanks to the Lord of lords.

His faithful love endures forever.

⁴      Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.

His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 136:23-25 (NLT)

²³      He remembered us in our weakness.

His faithful love endures forever.

²⁴      He saved us from our enemies.

His faithful love endures forever.

²⁵      He gives food to every living thing.

His faithful love endures forever.

Losing your faith

Sam (not his real name) was a spiritual leader in the past. His life demonstrated a real experience of God and His Spirit. The Sam I know is a miserable man who denies the very existence of God! I asked him what happened and he told me in a straightforward way: “I lost my faith.”  

He told his story. His life took a turn into disappointment and loss due to poor choices he made and because of the sinful actions of others. He isolated himself, licked his wounds, and let his sadness turn into bitterness. While he was broken, he looked for solace to a woman other than his wife. When confronted with his sin and the need to repent, he refused, angrily justifying himself. So, did Sam lose his faith? No, he abandoned it.

These next few lines are not about seeking your compassion. I write for illustration. In the last 6 months, I have felt the deep pain of rejection, been falsely accused of things I did not do, and my wife has become seriously ill and faces a long, long road through treatment on the pathway to recovery. My faith was and is severely tested! My sorrow is so intense some days, that I cannot sense His Presence. Some mornings I do not even want to pray a simple prayer of thanks for my breakfast! I have felt the temptation to think that the God I loved and served for a half century has betrayed me. Have I lost faith? Not at all. What I lost is confidence in myself! God’s gift to me is a faith that rests on Him, that is anchored outside of my experience in His eternal promise. I understand Paul’s words in a whole new way when he speaks of a greater hope outside of this present life- “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21, NIV)
What I have found is another kind of faith – one that submits to the mystery of life, that trusts in God’s love against all evidence. Is that irrational? It would be if there was not the wisdom of Scripture and the experience of godly people. The Bible’s great faith chapter recounts the choices of many who lived with “the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen;” who had that faith supported “assurance about things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT)
Faith is both a gift of God and a choice we make. Neither part can exist without the other. God, the Holy Spirit stirs faith in us. We choose to accept and live in it. Mark’s Gospel records an incident in which Jesus cursed a fig tree. The next day when the disciples were passing by they saw it withered and were astonished. “How did that happen?” they wondered. Listen to what Jesus told them. “Have faith in God!” (Mark 11:22, NIV) The Lord used an imperative voice that places responsibility for faith on the disciples. “You see this thing,” He said, “so exercise faith and believe.”
Faith must be nurtured by something more than what we see in this moment. Vital faith in God must be fed with the Truth, strengthened by prayer and meditation, and grown in obedience. The Word reminds us that “faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” (Romans 10:17, NLT)  We build faith if we trust the Lord in ever increasing ways. Many of the decisions that I make at this point in my life are grounded in a faith that would have been beyond me 25 years ago. I saw Christians of great, mature faith who stood without wavering and fearlessly moved ahead and I wanted to do what they. No amount of `wanting’ made it real! Faith has grown deeper and stronger through the tests and choices to trust the Lord, each new day.
You won’t just `lose your faith!’ God is faithful, even when we are faithless. But, you can abandon it, neglect it, and let it go dormant; OR, you can feed faith, pray for increased faith and let God lead you to a mature ability to trust Him `come Hell or high water.’
Here’s a word from the Word. Ponder it, pray it, live it!
“But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.” (Psalm 73:2, NLT) “Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.” (Psalm 73:13-14, NLT) “Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.” (Psalm 73:17-18, NLT)
“I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” (Psalm 73:22-26, NLT)
_____________
Near To The Heart Of God
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
Cleland Boyd McAfee | Liz Wagley
© Words: Public Domain

Dig deep, push on!

Yesterday, my son, Sean, who is visiting in our home, was running, doing sit-ups, stretching, sweating. Yes, the exercise routine was his way of putting stress on his body, to keep it conditioned and functioning. When he is at home, he regularly visits a gym where he pushes his body to its limits. He says this activity is ‘fun,’ something I find incomprehensible.

Do you know that stress serves a good purpose?

Challenges, be they physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual; create possibilities for growth. We tend to believe that things that create stress are enemies. Think again! Kids who grow up indulged and pampered will lack the resources to deal with life. Christians who avoid situations that try their faith will never discover the depths of God’s grace. Would be athletes who won’t sweat won’t become competitors.

What’s stressing you today? In conversations I’ve had with people in my pastoral care recently I heard about these kinds of stress.

• I spoke with students who are feeling the pressure of end of the year project deadlines and final exams.
• There was a person who is managing a project who’s supervisor is asking him to do what seems impossible.
• A Mom facing overflowing laundry baskets, trips to Little League and dance classes, and boredom of the household routine shared her frustration, compounded by feelings of guilt, with me.
• Our home is stressed with severe illness at this time.
  
  Added to those kinds of stress, there are the critics who, though they have never lived in our shoes, are so certain they could do better! (Don’t you love the unsolicited advice that people freely offer to you?)

Stress pushes us to rethink our assumptions, makes us go deeper spiritually, and relieves us of our illusions of self-sufficiency so that we will build strong relationships. But, if we don’t respond to it in a healthy way, stress can damage our emotions, break our health, or drive us to depression. IF we remember we have a Resource to whom we can turn, One who will not leave us without hope, our stresses will build great faith and deep character in Christ. In James 1:2-3 (The Message) we are taught by the Holy Spirit to think about the stresses of life this way. “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
Paul says, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.” (2 Corinthians 1:8-10. NIV)

The sustained stress that has been part of my life over the last year is without equal in my experience. It is also true that there has not been a time when I have enjoyed a more sustained time of growth in Christ and faith. It’s not easy, nor would voluntarily choose to walk this road. I am human and I cry and complain from time to time. Sometimes I wish for different circumstances. Yet, as I reflect on the stress of involved in my present situation, I am thankful that I am led by the Spirit to rely on God.

Are you stressed? Take your cares to the One who cares for you today. Instead of just praying for relief, ask for courage! Thank the Lord that He knows you and as your perfect Father is working to make you the best you possible. Even as you cry and pray, ask Him what He desires instead of why He is allowing these things to happen to you. Thank Him that He knows exactly what you need, exactly how much you can take. His goal is to make His beauty shine through you and to lead you to real and eternal life.

In Hebrews, the writer uses the picture of a race. God, the Holy Spirit, is trackside calling out encouragement. So, “let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.” (Hebrews 12: 1-3)

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:26-27, NIV)
_________

10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning.
It’s time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes.

You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger,
Your name is great and Your heart is kind.
For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing,
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name.
Sing like never before,
O my soul,
I’ll worship Your holy name.

And on that day when my strength is failing,
The end draws near and my time has come,
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending,
Ten thousand years and then forevermore!

Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman
© 2011 Said And Done Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
SHOUT! Music Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License # 810055

Equally faithful in the lion’s den or the palace

Daniel is one of my favorite Bible characters. What impresses me  most is his steadiness -- in the palace and in the lion's den; in  times of being lifted up and in the times when he was ignored! From the beginning, we would have understood any bitterness in  him. After all, as a young teen he was carried off from Judah by an invading army to a foreign city hundreds of miles from home and forced into service to the conquering regime! His choice? Find a way to serve God wherever he was.

In Daniel 2, he goes to Nebuchadnezzar to interpret the king's dream and, by the Spirit of God, does so brilliantly. The king's  response? v. 46 "Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed to the ground before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him." Think Daniel, the slave-captive, might have been tempted to exploit his new celebrity to get rich or to get even? Maybe, for a moment.  But, did he? No! You know the rest of the famous story line.

In a short time, the palace intrigue turned on him and he was forced into a situation that threatened his life -- the famed lions' den. What an overnight accommodation!  Once there he trusted God's sovereign power. When the king, another emperor named Darius, came to check  on him the next morning, Daniel conversation is a marvel of peaceful  assurance . . . "My God sent his angel to shut the  lions' mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found  innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your  Majesty." (Daniel 6:22)

The fact that the emperor would even go to check on  Daniel speaks volumes about his testimony and faith. Why would the emperor go to the lion's den if he didn't hope to find Daniel still  alive by the power of God?

The stories of this amazing life – from captive, to clerk, to advisors of emperors-  are great faith-builders for ALL of us! The prophet/scholar/politician is a worthy model for the people of God who would live Christ-honoring lives.

To me his life shouts: "STEADY ON!"
In the lion's den, I wonder if Daniel sang David's song recorded  for us in Psalm 108:1-3. It's likely he knew it!
My heart is confident in you, O God;
no wonder I can sing your praises!
wake up, my soul!
Wake up, O harp and lyre!
I will waken the dawn with my song.
I will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations.

Feeling down this Monday morning? Look past the momentary troubles.
Riding high on applause after some great achievement? Don't be distracted by the adulation.

Up and down – our hope is in the Lord.
Stay confident in HIM as your Source in life, in sunshine and rain, Summer and Winter.
Yes, our motto needs to be: steady on – as we practice consistent in faith fitting for a child of the Eternal Father.

1 Peter 5:10-11
In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a  firm foundation. All power is his forever and ever. Amen.