Make those tears count

My Dad, a good guy, impressed a kind of masculinity on me that included being ‘tough,’ brushing off pain and getting back up when knocked down.  As he aged, Dad became more sentimental and cried more readily. But, I cannot recall seeing my father sob except for the day his father died. Seeing that man, who I thought of as a rock, fall apart emotionally left me shaken!  Now, 35 years later, I am the one sobbing, not just crying, but stricken with terrible sorrow. Yesterday, as I was going through Bev’s desk, while alone and tired, I was overcome by such a torrent of grief it actually felt as if I might die!  The depth of my emotion brought on a full-fledged panic attack – complete with breathlessness, pounding heart, and irrational fear!  Thankfully, my daughter answered her phone and talked her old Dad back to terra firma.

The Word teaches me that those tears are not without purpose. They are, of course, the overflow my heart, and help to release the emotions inside of me and they can be even more significant. Peter says, "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world." (1 Peter 4:12-13, NLT) Remember Jesus’ words about the impossibility of a rich man entering the Kingdom of God? He was stating that when we are living with the illusion that we have life under control, our nature human tendency is to live with a nod towards God, but not with a desperate hunger for His Presence.  It is not that we are terrible people, or evil, or even rebellious – we just do not have the same kind of need.

Since my heart was crushed by Bev’s illness and death, I have lived very near the Heart of God. I awaken to simple prayers that call for the Spirit to come with comfort like a little child who calls for his mother at midnight! I have a nearly endless conversation with the Lord throughout the day, imploring His to keep me together. The words of Scripture, stored in my memory, are stabilizing truths, never far from my conscious thought. I am much more tender with others, patiently hearing their words, as one of the Kingdom ought to be!  Yes, this grief has driven me, already a Christian and a person of some devotion, to become a “partner in His suffering!” Some part of me hopes that the change is life-long, that I never forget what I am learning of Him in this awful and dark misery.  Don’t read me wrong. I am no hero or saint. I hate the tears, sometimes even resenting the emotions that grab me when I least want them to come.  But, I am learning to let this thing do God’s work in me.

Peter continues his teaching telling us that as suffering opens our heart to Christ’s Presence, breaking our independence and helping us to enter more fully into the Kingdom, we can anticipate a great result. When Christ’s kingdom is fully revealed, we will be standing with Him in triumph, sharing the victory over sin. Those things that broke our hearts and open our fingers so we could let go of our trinkets and toys will be of great value then because we will see that they were full of purpose and meaning.

On the shore of the lake where Peter had lived most of his life, Jesus found him fishing one morning after the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Peter had gone back to what he knew, trying to solace in something he understood.  He could not sort out his emotions, could not make sense of the gruesome death of his Friend and then the subsequent appearance of the Lord on several occasions. His mind and heart were so ripped up, he just went home.  John tells us that Jesus found him there and confronted him with a question: “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15, NLT)  In those moments, Peter got it right. His desperation was met with God’s grace and he realized Who and what he loved most.  He never went home again!  He became the powerful rock of the first century Church.

God uses suffering to challenge us, too. In it all, He asks – What/Who do you love most? Will you lose yourself in the pursuit of lesser loves or will you turn to Me?

May we find grace and seize the kind of faith that helps us to choose Him.

Here is a word from the Word. Lord, help us to love You most. “The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.”  Judas (not Iscariot) said, “Master, why is it that you are about to make yourself plain to us but not to the world?”

“Because a loveless world,” said Jesus, “is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we’ll move right into the neighborhood!
Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn’t mine. It’s the message of the Father who sent me.

 “I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you.
 I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.  
“You’ve heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away, and I’m coming back.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I’m on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life.”  (John 14:21-28, Message)

____________

Lovest Thou Me

Modern times have brought us many comforts,

People live in wealth and luxury.

But the Master still asks this question,

“Lovest thou Me, lovest thou Me, more than these?”

I love Thee more than this old world can offer,

All sinful follies I deny for Thee,

My love, my life, my all I pledge Thee.

I love Thee, Lord; I love Thee, Lord; more than these.

Lovest thou Me, more than these, My child?

What will your answer be?

O precious Lord,

I love Thee more than all of these;

More than fame, more than wealth,

More than the world.

William J. Gaither

© 1962, 1989 William J. Gaither, Inc. (Admin. by Gaither Copyright Management)

CCLI License # 810055

Life on hold?

I wish I had found and known a text in Jeremiah about 40 years ago! I made some short-sighted decisions at that time based on the expectation of the Lord’s Second Coming. I was so sure of ‘the future,’ I failed to live in the present. Jeremiah, God’s spokesman to His people, lived through a time of terrible chaos, a wave of invasions, with friends and neighbors carried off to Babylon to serve that empire.  

 Hearing from the Lord that the captivity would last for 70 years, the prophet sent a letter to those who were exiles reminding them to make good choices and to get on with life. "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have." (Jeremiah 29:3-8, NIV)

Lying prophets were telling those exiles that the Lord would surely intervene and that they would be back in Jerusalem in a short time. The lies were attractive and comforting to those who were struggling in a new land, living among pagans, lonely, and afraid. Jeremiah told them the truth – “You are not coming home. Your grandchildren will return so you have to get on with life there, full of hope, but not empty dreams!”

Christians there is great wisdom for us in that passage!  We are aliens and strangers here on this earth, but it is our present home, so we must carry on with life – even as we hope for the time when God takes us home.  We honor our God and bring glory to our Savior by being good citizens, industrious, and praying for our community.  If we refuse to live now because we are so focused on the Second Coming or on some anticipated event, we make a terrible mistake. 

Things will come our way that we do not like, that to all appearances could not possibly be the work of our Father.  In my case, it is the death of my beloved wife. It is hard to keep faith that God allowed her to die. She was not just my love, she was my ministry partner, my ally and confidante.  My world is upside down but I refuse to retreat into some place of irrelevance, to sit down and look for rescue. Instead, I take Jeremiah’s counsel to LIVE!   Crisis will come your way, too.  It may not be death, but there will disappointments, things that are, in the moment, so stunning that you will be tempted to just exist. Don’t do it.  Live!

Jeremiah heard a further word from the Lord that he sent on those exiles, a word of great comfort, but receiving it demanded great faith. "This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:10-14, NIV) None of what happened to them was beyond God’s purposes. His plans were in place and they were, ultimately, good plans.

Do you believe that God knows your pathway today? Can you trust Him with that thing that is hard, that brings you pain, that appears to be a dead-end?  Oh, I am no fatalist! I know that even Christians sometimes go off track and miss the perfect will of their Father. But, even then, if we turn and seek Him, He can take our sins and give us new life and renewed hope.  If you are facing dark days, keep on reminding yourself of His promise to the Jews – a promise that we can own, too - "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." (Jeremiah 29:11, The Message) Meanwhile, keep living! Make choices – spiritual, emotional, physical, and relational – that are healthy and that anticipate life for you and generations to come.

Jesus told a parable (a story that teaches a spiritual principle) to His disciples. It was about a nobleman that was going on a long trip. Before he left, he entrusted his wealth to three servants. That nobleman told them "Occupy ‘till I come." (Luke 19:13, KJV)  In other words, they were told to get on with life, to use the resources wisely and to invest them in life!  Two of them did just that and were commended for their faithful diligence. One hid the treasure, keeping it safe, but unused. That servant was condemned!  So, here is the phrase for those of us who are pilgrims, looking for a heavenly home. “Occupy ‘till I come!”

Here is a word from the Word. “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

___________

Cornerstone

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly trust in Jesus' Name.

Christ, alone, Cornerstone-

Weak made strong in the Savior's love,

Through the storm He is Lord,

Lord of all.

When darkness seems to hide His face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil,

My anchor holds within the veil.

He is Lord Lord of all

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found.

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless stand before the throne.

Edward Mote | Eric Liljero | Jonas Myrin | Reuben Morgan | William Batchelder Bradbury

© 2011 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Holding on ... Looking Higher

“All men are like grass … the grass withers and the flowers fall.”  Peter quotes Isaiah in his letter to the church as he urges them to holy lives. The words rip my emotions which are still bloody and raw after Bev’s death. Who likes to remember the brevity of life? Yet, there it is, a stark statement of the fact.  Christians need not be morbid, death-obsessed people but deep devotion will include a healthy appreciation of the brevity of life!  

A young and beautiful couple, whose wedding I performed in August, hugged me on Sunday. A twinge of envy swept through me as I remembered – it seemed only like yesterday – when we were like them; in love, eager, bursting with vitality. Their young beauty swept me into a reverie - my life flashed through my mind in a second -  we finished school, began to make a place in our world, had our babies, loved them for a moment then watched them go off to find their own lives, dealt with our parents’ deaths, watched lines etch themselves into our faces, and then… the unthinkable – death tore us apart!

Our mortality is not a cause for despair. Instead it is a reason to choose to live with a higher goal than merely finding a good meal, a moment’s pleasure, or acquiring wealth. Here is what the Spirit says to us through the pen of Peter. "For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness." (1 Peter 1:23-2:3, NLT)  "Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls." (1 Peter 2:11, NLT)

Christian, the culture in which we live tries desperately to deny the reality of time, doesn’t it?  We pretend that we can live forever, pushing the reminders of aging away with creams, potions, medicines, and surgery. We hide the dying in hospitals and make little space for grieving, preferring to hurry on to happier themes.  But, God asks us to remember that we are like the grass so that we will live lightly, “aliens and strangers” in this world, setting our affections on our True Home. The Message puts it this way: "Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul." (1 Peter 2:11)

Here is the paradox of the Christian life: those who understand death most, live most fully! Instead of chasing what is ephemeral, they build solid lives around love, worship, holiness, and devotion. Jesus says that their investment is secure!  His life investment counsel is that we should “Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” The Message (Matthew 6:20-21)

So, God helping me, I will keep holding on, looking higher.  How about you?  Most likely you have taken some time to evaluate your finances at the beginning of this new year. Take some time to evaluate and, where needed, to reinvest the true wealth of your soul in a way that is aligned with the eternal values a genuine Christian life.

Here is a word from the Word. "In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2 Peter 3:13-14, NIV)  "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18, NIV)

_______________

Jesus You Are My Life

You are my life,

Oh, precious Christ.

You are to me

The pearl of greatest price.

My love for You will never die,

Jesus, You are my life!

I come to You!

I run to You!

There's no greater joy

Than knowing You.

Oh, Holy Fire,

Love's purest light,

Burn all desires ‘till

You are my one delight.

Oh, conquering King,

Conquer my heart

And make of me

A pleasing gift to God.

My love for You will never die,

Jesus, You are my life!

Steve Fry

© 1994 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055