Spiritual Health?

A physician examines us- weight, blood pressure, heart rate – determining if we are in good health.  He will make recommendations based on his observations.  “Stop smoking.”  “Start a regular exercise regimen.” “Change your diet.”  “Lower your stress levels.”  His advice is sound, but it is up to you and me to put it into practice. We can, and many of us do, walk out of our annual physical exam and go right back to our old habits. Often we know we ought to make different choices.  We might even feel the impact of an unhealthy lifestyle,  but a kind of inertia keeps us in the same old patterns until . . .  the first heart attack!

Spiritual health demands choices of us.  If we believe that we will become people who love, who live joyfully, who are growing a deep faith, who consistently serve others, who hear, know and listen to the voice of the Spirit simply by accident or good luck we are playing games with ourselves. A few superficial adjustments to life will not make us mature followers of Christ, either.  Just going to church a couple of times a month, keeping a Bible on your coffee table in the living room, or saying a quick prayer before drifting off to sleep is not the stuff of a vital Christian experience. Jesus issues an invitation. “Come, follow Me,” He says. “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life." (Mark 8:34-35, NLT)

The most basic issue is determining Who is god in your life.  Are YOU god or is there an Eternal, Almighty Being to be served?  That may sound silly to you, but it is the question. Joshua put it in these terms when he was speaking for the last time to God’s people: "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. … But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:13-15, NIV)

A person can ignore God altogether or practice a superficial kind of Christianity for decades with little observable consequence just as a person can abuse his physical body, year after year, with no discernable health problems. But, sooner or later, the harvest comes. The irrefutable law of that harvest is this - "What a person plants, he will harvest.”   The Word goes on to explain – “The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8, The Message)

Some days the disciplines of the Christian life will seem pointless. The path of least resistance will call you seeming to offer so many rewards. But, the promise of the Father is that those who walk with Him will find life to the full.   Here’s the word from the Word.  I pray that the Living Spirit will give us ears to hear the invitation to spiritual health.  We "always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, NIV)  "But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance." (2 Thessalonians 3:3-5, NIV)

Choose life! Choose joy! Choose to live in love and with the love of the Father!

Jerry D. Scott, Pastor

FAITH DISCOVERY CHURCH

www.FaithDiscovery.com

More video, less audio

I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;

I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.

The eye is a better pupil, more willing than the ear;

Fine counsel is confusing, but example is always clear,

And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,

For to see a good put in action is what everybody needs.  - Edgar Guest

Christians are to ‘embody’ the faith.  Our lives become the Message, or at least they should.  James urges us to make sure that our ‘faith’ has a discernable effect on the way we live.  "What’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” I say, “I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds.” (James 2:14-18, NLT)

It is important to query ourselves often asking, “Does my professed faith in Jesus show in my actions and attitudes?  Am I loving or hating, holding grudges or forgiving, generous or selfish?     Fairly or not, the number one criticism of Christians is that they are hypocritical.  Those outside of the Church hear lofty sentiment about love and compassion, and ask ‘where is it?’  James uses our relationship with the poor to illustrate this. In America today the Church must enter the dialogue about justice, about discrimination, about the role of power.

Real love is never simple nor cheap. It does not allow slogans to replace conversation.  The Spirit says that "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out." (1 Corinthians 13:4-6, NLT)  Think about living that way all of the time and our need for the ongoing transformative work of God’s Spirit in us becomes obvious!

Love is the core of Jesus' teaching, and yet many who claim to be His followers are carrying around terrible anger over unresolved conflicts.   How many of us, even as we say we love God and are loved by Him, at the same time, continue to harbor bitterness against a neighbor, or a family member, or a church leader? How can this be?   Can we really have experienced the reality of God's love and remain hateful?   Not according to Scripture.  "If we love our brothers, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another Christian is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them." (1 John 3:14-15, NLT) That hits kind of close to home, doesn't it?   Since conflict is the number one issue for most American churches, I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions about the reality of the genuineness of the spiritual experience of many who claim to be followers of Christ!    My prayer is for the Holy Spirit to help me to close the gap between my words and actions, to make my faith real and observable to those among whom I work and play; yes, a lot more video and less audio!

Let’s make faith real. Let’s commit to ‘working out our salvation’  becoming disciples of Christ in the real world, with the Spirit's help, on a daily basis. John says, "My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality." (1 John 3:18-19, The Message)     Here's a 50 cent phrase to remember -  Orthodoxy will produce orthopraxy.    In simpler terms, understanding and embracing the Truth in our mind will lead to living the Truth visibly.

So, it's Christmas.   There's a ton of sentimentality attached to this holiday.   Let me encourage you to go beyond that little tear in the corner of your eye, that catch in your throat, to do the tough work of

applying the Story to life.   If you believe that Jesus is really Emmanuel, God with us, then invite Him to live in you.    Think through what it means to embrace Him as both Savior and Lord – and let it show- for the glory of God.

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O come, O come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns  in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

O come,  thou Rod of Jesse free,

Thine own from  Satan's tyranny

From depths of hell  thy people save

And give them victory  o'er the grave

O come,  thou Dayspring,  come and cheer
Our spirits by  Thine advent here;
And drive away the  shades of night,
And pierce the  clouds and bring us light.

O come,  thou Key of David, come,

And open wide  our heavenly home.

Make safe the way  that leads on high,

And close the path  to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee,  O Israel!

O Come O Come Emmanuel -Neale, John

Beyond my strengths and abilities; and yours, too!

By the end of the day I was spiritually exhausted. The depravity of humanity  stepped up and hit me like a slap in the face.  The local paper had a headline that trumpeted a murder of a young woman for a man’s sick pleasure. Our government revealed the awful deeds done to captives after 9/11 justifying the terrible (not a strong enough word) treatment of men by pointing to the murder of our citizens.  And yes, I felt the weight of my own sinful nature as well!  We all have done things or entertained thoughts that we hope never see the light of day.

 

But, God …  yes in that Divine interruption, there is great hope. "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6, NLT)   Pause and go back to savor the declaration of that passage!  Dead, sinful, destined for sorrow and alienation, then God stepped in and opened up a whole new way to live.

This is the Gospel – that I, you, and our world can be different. Evil’s grip appears to be so strong, but the Truth is that in Christ the worst can be made clean and whole. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who saw human depravity up close, whose earthly life was snuffed out by Nazis during the 2^nd World War, wrote of hope in Christ that overcomes fear. “We should not be afraid! That is the difference between human beings and the rest of creation, that in all hopelessness, uncertainty, and guilt, they know a hope, and this hope is: ‘Thy will be done. Yes. Thy will be done…’  We call the name of the One before whom the evil in us cringes, before whom fear and anxiety must themselves be afraid, before whom they shake and take flight the name of the One who alone conquered fear, captured it and led it away in a victory parade, nailed it to the cross and banished it to nothingness; the name of the One who is the victory cry of the humanity that is redeemed from the fear of death – Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified and lives.”

In the middle of my sorrow over sin yesterday, there was a bright moment when a man shared his story with me.  Poor choices and not knowing God’s ways led him to a dead-end, ‘but God’ found him and changed his life and that of his family.  I could not stop the tears from spilling over, joyful for him, and in wonder – once again – at the power of the simple Gospel of God’s love shared with us through Christ Jesus.

Are you struggling with hopelessness;  feeling like evil is too strong to be overcome, dealing with some sin that resists your efforts to change,  living in a situation where darkness surrounds you?  Let the core message of Advent sink into your heart and mind. "Whoever did want him, whoever believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten. The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish." (John 1:12-14, The Message)  Just simply turn to Jesus with an honest cry … “Lord save me, save my world!”   This is our only hope.  He can do what education, enlightenment, and efforts of well-intentioned humanitarians cannot accomplish.

Here’s the word from the Word - "The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. … I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence." (Ephesians 1:14-23, NLT)

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Joy To The World

Joy to the world, the Lord is come.

Let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and heaven and nature sing.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground.

He comes to make His blessings flow,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove,

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders wonders of His love.

Joy, unspeakable joy.

An overflowing well,

No tongue can tell.

Joy, unspeakable joy,

It rises in my soul,

Never lets me go. (Tomlin)

George Frideric Handel | Isaac Watts

© Words: Public Domain

Excess Baggage?

4 old cellphones, one small keyboard, assorted gadgets,2 non-functional printers, and clothing I no longer wear are just some of the things I took from my clothes closet while cleaning and organizing yesterday. We collect stuff like wool pants gather lint, don’t we?  A subtle lie has been told so often we accept it as the truth without question.  That lie? “You are what you own.” 

We think we must have that degree and from a prestigious institution to be a worthy person. We display our certifications with a hope that it will relieve our sense of insecurity. Or perhaps it is a new suit, a body shaped by hours in the gym, or a house meeting Martha Stewart’s standard that will gain the admiration of others.  Surely a better vehicle will make us more respected.  So many people all around us are playing the game we forget that it is just a game.

Pope Francis is a man trusted and admired by millions who are not Roman Catholic. Why? Whatever you might think of his theology, the man’s simplicity and forthrightness are refreshing. When I see a pictures of him, his clunky black shoes under the white papal robe make me smile. No red leather ornate slippers for this humble man.  He shuns the palaces, challenges the princes of the church who spend too much, and uses plain, unadorned language.  He is grounded in Christ.

Christian, we are secured and valued because we are in Christ!  He does not love us because we are smart, degreed, certified, or beautiful. He came to us ‘while we were still sinners,’ and died for us that we might be restored in our true identity – child of God.  Jesus tells us that it is our relationship with Him – more than anything else – that makes life worth living.  Using a metaphor well understood in His time, that of a shepherd leading a flock, He said – “he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. . . . I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.  . . . whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  I am the good shepherd." (John 10:4-11, NIV)

What excess baggage are you dragging around? 
How much time or money are you investing in trying to create a life you think will make you feel more worthy, gain greater respect, or feel secure?

Advent is a time to remember the One who came to save and Who will come again with the reward paid for by His grace.  It is ours for the asking and is received by faith.  The Santa culture will try to seduce you, because it plays on the materialism lie. Don’t play that game. Got stuff? Use it, don’t love it!  Been blessed with more goods, a bigger brain, or great beauty?  Give it back to God, with thanksgiving, and let Him use the gift for His purposes.

"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. 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 3:14-19, The Message)

________________

What Child Is This

What Child is this who laid to rest

On Mary's lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ, the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing!

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The Babe. the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense gold and myrrh,

Come, peasant, king to own Him.

The King of kings salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone Him!

Raise, raise the song on high,

The Virgin sings her lullaby.

Joy, joy, for Christ is born,

The Babe the Son of Mary!

Public Domain