Acting Like a Perpetual Teenager?

Teens have an extraordinarily high rate of self-inflicted injuries resulting from risky behaviors.  Why?  Research discovered that the areas of the human brain that acts to control impulses is still continuing to develop well into the 20’s. In the teen years the brain’s capacity to learn is near peak but the ability to appreciate consequences is not yet fully operational.  That explains a lot, doesn’t it? When we hand him the keys to the car, we are confident in his ability to operate the automobile's controls, but our doubts about his good judgment are justified!  This quote makes me smile - "It is one thing to drive safely when you look in the rearview mirror and see a policeman. That is external feedback. It is another thing to drive safely when you're out on the road by yourself. That is maturity." (Integrity, Henry Cloud)

Spiritually, are you acting like a perpetual teenager?  
Are you still in the grip of your emotions and impulses long after you should have grown up and gained wisdom  to match your knowledge?

Is your life strewn with debris resulting from indulging emotions and letting appetites rage out of control?  
Are you unwilling to override your feelings so you can step up to the inconvenient or the difficult choices today that would produce a better outcome tomorrow?

God challenges us to maturity.  He says,  "...be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. ...we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, ... Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. … they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. But that isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes." (Ephesians 4:13-23, NLT)

Do you see the road to maturity revealed in that passage?

There is vision.
Look at Christ. Study His life and measure yourself by Him! We won't grow up if we are content to use lesser standards.
There is truth.

Know the truth, accept the truth, and relentlessly insist on living in the truth - even when it's not pleasant.
There is choice.

Understand that there is right and there is wrong! Then choose.

Note the strong action phrase, "throw off your old evil nature."
If we want to grow up, we cannot just be passive, waiting for someone to do the hard work for us. We must take the old ways off like old dirty clothes and toss them aside in the trash!

Then the same passage says this - "...put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:24, NIV) The Word is not telling us to 'put on' as in pretending to be someone we are not, as an actor 'puts on' a costume or makeup to change his appearance. Rather we are to take Christ and put the life He gives us in place in our life!

As we are still in the beginning of 2015, let’s embrace God’s call to maturity. Let’s stop using those old worn excuses.  Let’s refuse to act childishly, hoping that someone else will keep us from hurting ourselves.  I encourage you to 'grow up!'    Yes, even grown- ups make mistakes. Maturity alone cannot defeat the sinful nature in us, but we take giant strides when we face the truth, accept responsibility, and gather the resource we need to change from the inside out. Maturity proactively leads us to choose God's will and acceptable standards, without waiting to  be policed, having to be threatened with punishment, or monitored constantly.  The one who is mature owns his choices without shifting blame.

Maturity doesn't mean, "I can do it all myself." It means that we say “I take charge of me and seek whatever the help  I need – from others and from the Lord- to become the person that God planned for me to be.”  Tell yourself, "I am 'in charge' of Me!"  Prayerfully seek a new vision of who God wants you to be. "Put on" Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to practice the disciplines of grace that create openings into your soul where you are changed from the inside out.  "So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ.
The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; ... let's get on with it." (Hebrews 6:1, 3 The Message)

There is a beautiful, whole, rich life prepared for those who are mature in the Lord.  Here’s the word from the Word - "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done." (Colossians 2:6-7, NLT)

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Lions, Bears, Leopards, and Ten Horns!

The Pats play the Ravens this weekend. Nobody knows the outcome of that game.  On ESPN, the analysts look at stats, charts, and past performance to make a prediction, but it’s just that – a prediction. Some will be wrong. Some will be right. I just my team shows up in Foxboro ready to play to win!  Yes, it’s just a game and knowing the outcome is not of great consequence.  But, how would you like to know the outcome of life? How would you like to know what’s in store for this world?

Someone does know the outcome of history and He’s revealed it  to us.  Daniel calls Him “the Ancient of Days.”  Yes, God has a plan for human history and time is marching to the finale at His Throne!  Daniel, that wise and godly prophet in exile in Babylon, was privileged to see glimpses of the future. He saw the empires that would rise and fall – Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman – in his visions.  

And, then he saw a terrifying development for the end of human history.  Arising out of the ashes of the Roman Empire, another rule arose, ruthless, lawless, and hating God and His people.  

Here’s how Daniel saw it. "I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, and it trampled what was left beneath its feet. I also asked about the ten horns on the fourth beast’s head and the little horn that came up afterward and destroyed three of the other horns. This was the horn that seemed greater than the others and had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and was defeating them, until the Ancient One came and judged in favor of the holy people of the Most High. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom." (Daniel 7:19-22, NLT)

The increasing godlessness of this world will lead to the emergence of a ‘horn,’ (Biblical symbol of power) who will do amazing, yet terrible things, when he takes control. His influence will extend world-wide, the Bible teaches. John nicknames him, “Anti-Christ.”  (the adversary of Christ)  His rule will produce a time of ungodliness without precedent in history.  He will appear to destroy the Church, attempting to erase the name of Christ from the earth.  But, Daniel ‘saw’ the whole story!  It did not end with the rise of the Anti-Christ. "As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14, NLT)  The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, comes!  God speaks!  “Then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. They will rule forever, and all rulers will serve and obey them.” (Daniel 7:26-27, NLT)

The sum of all this mystery is that no matter how bad things appear, God wins!  We are invited to enter into His Kingdom, right here, right now. The benefits of the blessings of eternal life, of total assurance in the face of earth’s great uncertainties, belong to us who are children of the Ancient of Days through faith in His Son, Christ Jesus.  Christians who think that knowing Him is only about a marginally better life for this day, about gaining a few trinkets in their possession, are missing the point.  Christ brings us LIFE, eternal and glorious, and brings us into the favor of the Living God.  Oh, we need a bigger vision.

Daniel’s life of solid commitment, faithful service, and excellence in all things is a model for all those who would live godly lives.  Though he lived his whole life in exile, his hope never wavered. Why? Because he looked beyond the end of this world and glimpsed the world that exists outside of time, beyond the reach of sin and suffering, in the Presence of the Father.  My prayer is that the Lord will give us a vision that powerful!  And, having caught sight of Heaven, we will, like the old prophet, stand steady, give ourselves to the Kingdom, and prepare for our appearance at the Throne of the Ancient of Days.

Here’s the word from the Word.  Keep the faith!

"Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16, The Message)

"God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours." (Hebrews 11:40, The Message)

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Come Ye Sinners Poor And Needy

Come ye sinners poor and needy,

Weak and wounded, sick and sore.

Jesus, ready, stands to save you,

Full of pity, love, and power.

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms.

In the arms of my dear Savior,

O there are ten thousand charms.

Come ye thirsty, come and welcome,

God's free bounty, glorify.

True belief and true repentance,

Every grace that brings you nigh.

Come ye weary, heavy laden,

Lost and ruined by the Fall.

If you tarry ‘till you're better,

You will never come at all.

Let not conscience make you linger,

Nor of fitness fondly dream.

All the fitness He requires,

Is to feel your need of Him.

CCLI Song # 1783576

Joseph Hart | Royce Eckhardt

© Words: Public Domain

CCLI License # 810055

Praise the Lord - anyway!

“You’re feeling overwhelmed, aren’t you?” Bev asked me.  I just looked at her mute because  even talking required too much effort at that moment given the various frustrating and difficult challenges that were weighing on my mind. Later as we lay down to sleep, she took the lead and committed the cares of life to the One who cares for us.  I joined her in prayer, handing my Father the problems and promptly fell into sound sleep.  I still must apply myself to finding solutions and helping people through their crises, but I am not alone, nor will I live in despair.

Are you juggling multiple responsibilities, wrestling with life’s issues, wondering if you want to ‘do life’ today?  Maybe it is not some huge crisis that is weighing on you. Instead you are feeling the pressure of the ordinary stuff of living – finding resources to pay the bills, another thing that needs repaired, a conflict that just will not find resolution, disappointment.  The long, dark, cold days of winter always tend to amplify the voice inside of me that whispers  about fear and failure.  If you are burdened, if you are tempted to listen to that voice of doubt, there is a better choice:  praise, singing songs in the night.  It is not just happy talk or positive thinking.   

We find joy when praise changes our perspective.

Peter, a man who knew about failure, who led the Church in a time of many troubles, reminds us to hang in there!  “Praise the Lord anyhow,” he says, “because Heaven is assured and all this stuff has a purpose.”  Well, he is much more eloquent than that.  Read the passage slowly.  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-9, NIV)

We offer a sacrifice of praise, sincerely grateful for the gifts that sustain us in our trials. What are they?

New Birth.  We are no longer dead men walking, headed for destruction. We are alive in the Spirit.

Living Hope.  We look at the Resurrection and realize anew that we are eternal beings, on our way Home.

An inheritance that is incorruptible.  Nobody and nothing can steal or ruin what God has prepared for you and me.

A shield of faith.  We do not save ourselves! God’s power is working on our behalf, right now.

Peter says that when we bring these things to mind and choose to praise Him, our faith grows and the trials take new meaning.  They refine us, making our lives truly beautiful, beings of great worth that will make the angels sing in awe when Jesus brings His Kingdom into full revelation.  And, last, but not least, we need not just try to make it through the day.  Instead, because of Christ’s power and promise, we " love him … though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy." (1 Peter 1:8, NLT)

So, what are you going to do today? Praise the Lord, anyway!

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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.

Worship Your holy name,

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name.

CCLI Song # 6016351

Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman

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