I’d like you to meet … introductions

When we bring a friend into a group we go through introductions.  “Pete, meet my friend, Joe.”  We proceed to share a little about each one helping to make a connection. Meeting a group of people whom I do not know is so much easier when there is someone who can introduce me.  When a speaker is invited to address a group someone is assigned to introduce him.  It’s the responsibility of that person to give the group a reason to listen!

There is an appointment in my future at which I will be introduced by none other than Jesus!  At the Throne of God, He will say, “Father, let’s welcome Jerry home!”  If sounds presumptuous to you, let me add that it’s not my goodness, desirability , or accomplishments on which my assurance rests. It is His grace and promise.  Jesus’ story about the Waiting Father lays the foundation our understanding of that glorious entrance. 

Luke 15 records a story that I believe Jesus told many times.  A son, arrogant and ungrateful, demands his part of his inheritance before his father has died and takes off to have a good time. And, party hearty he does!  When the money was gone, and all his ‘friends’ along with it, he finds himself at the bottom, broken in more ways than one.  He remembers his Dad’s good heart and plans to go home and make a deal to just live as a ‘hired hand.’

"So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20, NIV)  The father through a party, publicly welcomed his son home, and put it back in full favor as his son with access to the family’s resources!  What a welcome.  Did the son deserve it?  Was the old man crazy? We might think so, but this is the scandalous story of God’s grace.

Jesus came to wipe out our sins and to give us complete assurance of our welcome.  He will make the introductions, covering us with His grace. Yes, the Lord did soberly remind us that when He calls us into His family, we are to carry His Name with honor.  If we are ashamed of Him, if we are unwilling to identify ourselves with His suffering, He will have to include those sad details in our eternal introduction.  My desire is to enter the Throne Room covered with grace and ready to meet my Father with joy, with no regrets.  I know that will happen because I trust in Him and His power to keep me.

I leave you with the words of Jude that form the benediction at many worship gatherings. Note Who keeps us, Who introduces, Who welcomes us.

Mediate on this promise and then start making some introductions of your own!  Yes, tell others, in ways that are Spirit-led and reflect the very best of grace:  “I’d like you to meet Jesus.”

"To him who is able to keep you from falling
and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—
to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 24-25, NIV)

God’s puppets?

While watching an old episode of “West Wing,” I noted the use of a phrase by a White House staffer – “I serve at the pleasure of the President.” Interesting turn of words, isn’t it?  It does not mean that those appointed by the President are there to fill his day with laughs and fun! They work to carry out his agenda, not their own. They serve his will and implement his policies.  Very bright, well educated people, agree to ‘serve at the pleasure of the President’ when they accept a position and, to the extent that they understand that, the executive branch of government functions well.

“I serve at the Lord’s pleasure.”  Yes, Christian, we all do. No, we are not God’s puppets. He does not rob us of our thoughts or reason, but He asks us to surrender our will to His, to conform our mind to the wisdom of Heaven.  Jesus was impressed by the faith of a Roman centurion who recognized the authority of Heaven.  The officer said  "I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “In all of Israel I’ve never found anyone with this much faith!” (Luke 7:8-9, CEV)

Let’s pray for faith that is so strong, for trust that goes so deep, that we will offer ourselves freely and joyfully to the service of the Lord.  Serving at His pleasure, since He is loving, perfect, and wise, is nothing to fear. We will have moments when His will crosses ours.  Self will scream in protest. In those moments we can say, “I serve at the Lord’s pleasure!”  We can see that through a lens that makes it seem constricting and hard. If we do, our surrender will be reluctant.  Better that we pray to embrace His will with no reservations, eagerly anticipating what He can do in us and through us.

Ponder this word today. I use The Message to cause you to reflect on a familiar passage.  The truth here is both deeply challenging and tremendously freeing.  Read on . . .

"Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning.  … Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God." (Philippians 2:4-12, The Message)

“I serve at the Lord’s pleasure” joyfully! Amen.

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Here I Am To Worship

Light of the world,

You stepped down into darkness,

Opened my eyes, let me see.

Beauty that made

This heart adore You,

Hope of a life spent with You.

King of all days,

Oh, so highly exalted,

Glorious, in heaven above.

Humbly You came

To the earth You created

All for love's sake became poor.

So, here I am to worship.

Here I am to bow down.

Here I am to say that You're my God.

And You're altogether lovely,

Altogether worthy,

Altogether wonderful to me!

Tim Hughes

© 2000 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

The blessings of doubt

I smiled when he asked if I ever felt uncertainties about the Lord and His ways. He wanted to know if I ever wondered: 

Does God care for us?

Is He active?

Does He answer prayer?

These questions are common! Hearing the pastor preach with conviction, we start to believe that if we were a ‘better Christian’ all our doubts would evaporate. Think again. The deeper a person delves into faith, the more he chooses (note that word) to walk in faith, the more he exposes himself to the possibility of doubt. The choice to live by faith leads us past the common, the safe, and the tested. Real faith goes to work when we are involved with the impossible, the impractical-  ‘walking in the Spirit.’

Paul wondered if God was going to bring him through a rough time. "We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.”  Doesn’t that sound like a moment of doubt? He continues  “In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, NLT)

Faith needs to grow and gradually replace our doubts. But, doubt is not necessarily a bad thing. It should lead us to an examined faith, one we own not just one we learned from others. Pastor Tim Keller says that “a faith without some doubt is like a human body without any antibodies in it.  People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic.”  (Reason for God, Riverhead, 2008)  I love that analogy to antibodies. We can live without them, but we are much more resistant to sickness because of them.  Each time our bodies fight off some virus, we gain strength for the next assault.

Doubts are disturbing! But, they also can help us to clarify our beliefs which, in turn, deepens our ability to trust God. Doubt and faith need not be adversaries. When we grow troubled it is critically important to respond by recognizing our limitations of knowledge, insight, and judgment. If we demand iron-clad proofs, if we insist that we must see, touch, smell, or hear; then doubt will become destructive.  If we admit that there are many things we simply cannot reduce to the simplicity of our own understanding, then we can come to a place where we are prepared to discard doubt and choose to trust God.  It is painful a process that we would to force to end NOW, but if we stop wrestling with doubts prematurely, we will not gain greater faith.

In my life, doubt is ultimately defeated by building from the broad issues of faith to the more defined ones.  The existence of God is not a question for me. The balance of evidence pointed to a Supreme Being, a Creator.  Examination of the evidence and Scripture brought me to the choice to trust that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this world to reveal His grace and Himself to us.  That is why I am a Christian. Learning of the way of life He taught and seeing how genuine discipleship brought such benefit to this world, I chose to respond to His offer of grace and follow Him as a disciple. Do you see the pattern?

John closes his Gospel, which is a long argument for Christian faith, with a story of doubt overcome.  As you read it, take note that Jesus did not condemn the doubter. Instead, he invited him to examine the evidence and make a choice!

"Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;
blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples,
which are not recorded in this book.
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:27-31, NIV)

Are you doubting?  Keep it honest. Ask the questions, not as accusations but as real inquiries.
Allow for mystery as you ponder, wonder, and wait.  Be a good student of the world, the Scripture, and yourself.  And, listen for the Spirit’s invitation to faith.

"The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. …

It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6, The Message)

___________________

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

You call me out upon the waters,

The great unknown, where feet may fail.

And there I find You in the mystery,

In oceans deep, my faith will stand.

And I will call upon Your name,

And keep my eyes above the waves.

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace,

For I am Yours, and You are mine.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters,

Your sov'reign hand will be my guide.

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed and You won't start now.

Oh and You are mine oh

Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders,

Let me walk upon the waters,

Wherever You would call me.

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander,

And my faith will be made stronger,

In the presence of my Savior.

I will call upon Your name,

Keep my eyes above the waves.

My soul will rest in Your embrace,

I am Yours and You are mine.

Joel Houston | Matt Crocker | Salomon Ligthelm

© 2012 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Trying too hard?

Temptation is as old as Eden and as common as a penny.  The call of the couch tempts us to just ‘let it do until tomorrow’ which often never comes. The frig beckons us to eat more without regard for the growing waistline. Money, sex, pleasure, and power hold out their exciting offers. The thing that tempts me may have no allure for you, but none of us escapes the lure away from God and good. 

The most subtle temptation is not to outright evil, but rather the misuse of good things.  While many like to blame the Devil for their sins, James says that the greater problem is ‘us!’ "Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." (James 1:14-15, NKJV)

The response to temptation is usually some form of restraint or regulation. We build walls that we hope will protect us. We develop strategies to avoid places or situations where we know we are weak. We invite accountability partners to question us to keep us honest.  These may be part of the answer, but they are not the solution to the problem.  Paul acknowledges the limits of self-regulation when he writes that all the rules we write for ourselves and others " are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (Colossians 2:22-23, NIV)

Toddler or mature adult – we are likely to forget ‘the rules’ if we think we can avoid the consequences of being caught!  That’s why Paul goes on to tell us to "set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2, NIV)  As we love God, not sentimentally, but whole-heartedly, He fills us up and displaces the sinful nature.  Just as light replaces darkness, so the Spirit replaces the sinful nature.  The principle is clear - "if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:13-14, NIV)

Let me illustrate from marriage. How does a person guard the fidelity of his vows?  Rules about who he spends time with and for how long and where are fine, but easily circumvented if the desire to wander exists. However, the husband who is fully engaged with loving his wife, who works at building healthy intimacy at home, displaces the temptation.  His affections are owned by his wife and temptation, when it visits, finds no place to stay.

Most of the time, temptation is an expression of lack.  Like pain, it signals a need for change. A binge of over-eating is probably less about food than stress.  A desire to escape into pleasure probably reveals some anxiety or fatigue from an imbalanced life.  That is why the Word says, we must ‘keep in step with the Spirit.’  He will lead us to wholeness and fullness.

Tempted today? Don’t beat yourself up.  Wrestling with something that you know is wrong, but it seems so right?  Don’t lie to yourself or try too hard to manage it with tighter controls. Instead, RUN to Jesus! Tell Him the story, open your heart to Him.  Ask Him to reveal the real need. And, pray for a new vision of the Holy God, one that captivates you -  heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Here’s the word from the Word. It’s the story of Isaiah’s vision. Note that when he saw the Lord, it brought his sinfulness to the forefront of his mind, and then take note of what happens.

"It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
(Isaiah 6:1-8, NLT)

______________

Fill All My Vision

Fill all my vision, Savior, I pray,

Let me see only Jesus today.

Though thro' the valley Thou leadest me,

Give me Thy glory and beauty to see.

Fill all my vision, let naught of sin,

Shadow the brightness shining within.

Let me see only Thy blessed face,

Feasting my soul on Thy infinite grace.

Fill all my vision, Savior, divine,

'Til with Thy glory my spirit shall shine.

Fill all my vision that all may see,

Thy holy image reflected in me.

Avis Marguerite Burgeson Christiansen | Homer A. Hammontree

© 1940 John T. Benson Publishing Company (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055