Boiling Over?

I walked away from the stove for a moment to check on something and forgot that I had the burner turned up high. When I heard the sizzling sound of liquid meeting flame I quickly returned to find a mess, the contents boiled over onto the hot stove. It was not easy to remove cooked on food from the range. As I scrubbed, I realized that my little incident was a kind of parable for life. When we turn up our anger and emotions boil over, the result is always a mess! Cleanup, even if possible, is never easy.

Americans are feeling desperate. Our candidates and their surrogates stoke our fears about the future. The economy is stalled. The media feeds us a constant diet of terror and war. Change, good and bad, makes us wonder about the shape of the future. Desperate people often go from fear into anger, and with little encouragement – to rage!  Yes, the world is full of angry people. I’ll admit that when I watch too much ‘news’ I get angry, too. Drive a little too slowly and anger will come your way, horns and yells. Start chatting over the break table at work and most likely there will be angry words: disappointment with a spouse, kids that have gone ‘bad,’ lousy bosses that don’t care. The pot in our nation is at full boil, as I see it.

Is that a problem?  Yes, it is. Wrath, Rage, and Anger are a toxic brew. Don’t believe me? How about looking God’s wisdom about letting our anger loose.

• "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. " (Proverbs 16:32, NKJV)
• "People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs." (Proverbs 19:11 NLT)
• "Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes." (Proverbs 14:29, NLT)\

Paul addresses the disciples of Christ and instructs us not to “sin by letting anger gain control over you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27, NLT) Out of control anger is a spiritual issue.

Anger is not a sinful emotion. It can be a powerful motivator for change - in ourselves, in our family, in our world. When we see a weaker person being abused by someone stronger we should rightly feel indignant. When we see evidence of authority being used to exploit or oppress others -- anger is a legitimate response. Jesus was angered by the abuse that the religious leadership pressed on the people in God's name! The OT prophets passionately declared God's anger with those who were oppressing the poor and/or the weak. 

When we feel that emotion rising, we must focus it, govern it, inform it. If we just ‘turn up the heat’ feeding anger with slogans, only reinforcing our outrage with people who talk and think like us, we will likely just start shouting, adding to confusion. When we couple anger to truth, matching our feeling that ‘things must be better’ with real acts of service, we become a force for good. Our prayers grow more passionate, our hearts grow more tender, and people come into view instead of causes.  

Know this – whatever the cause of anger, the emotion releases some powerful chemicals in our brains that are addictive!  Rage addiction is not just psychobabble! If we feed that addiction with outbursts of rage, we are said to ‘get mad.’ Why? Because a person in full rage has temporarily lost his grip on reason. In a rage, a father is capable of beating a child; a man of killing his wife; a friend of destroying a relationship with his oldest companion. That is why the Word says “keep a leash on anger!”  Use anger sparingly. Ask yourself, “Why am I so ready to take offense? Why do I personalize each and every situation and turn it into issue of respect and/or dignity?” 

The real cure for wrath and rage is a profound experience of God's love. When we are loved powerfully, we need no longer rise quickly to anger in self-defense. God, the Spirit, enlarges our spirit in a way that removes the need to resort to anger over petty issues.  Oh yes, I confess, that I feel the sting of regret and shame when I remember when I have given free rein to anger over inconsequential matters. When the pot boiled over, there was no good result, only disgrace of the Name of my gentle Lord.  Got an anger problem?  Many do, but won’t admit. Anger is one of those ‘safe’ sins many of us excuse and even tolerate.

How do we conquer rage?

1. We start with confession of our addiction to anger and name as sin! No justifications and/or excuses allowed. Don't blame your heritage, your spouse, or your life situation. Only a fool says, "They make me so mad!" Nobody makes anybody mad. We choose to be angry! When you give vent to rage and/or wrath, confess it to God and to the one against whom you have raged. Accept forgiveness from Him.
2. Then, we possess the truth of God’s amazing love and pray for a deep revelation of the depth of it for ourselves.  Want to really know God’s love? The paradox is that His love is better known when we are broken than when we are blessed.  We are most open to God's love when we are out of options, beyond self-help, shattered by life. It is then we are prepared to accept the wonderful love of God that heals us from the inside out.

Here’s the word from the Word. As you head off to an angry world, pray with me that the Spirit will make this a life principle.
"Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.

But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:8-11, NKJV)   Amen

“Where’s my robe? I’m taking the bench!”

“What an idiot!” How many times have you dismissed another with that kind of assessment? “I just don’t know how anybody in her right mind could do that!”  With those kinds of dismissive words, we judge; often without really knowing more than a few facts. Too many I have choked on regret after I allowed myself to form a pre-mature judgment about the actions of another. How easy it was for me to think that I knew why someone was acting in a way that I thought wrong though I had no actual knowledge of their thought process or unique circumstances.

I know that delaying a response to a ‘problem’ can often change my perspective yet I still have the tendency to act too quickly! I think that I "know" the why behind the what, that I have discerned a nefarious intent. Too late, I sometimes discover that they are acting out of fear, or they are unaware of options, or they were simply overcome by life. In this I sin by judging instead of loving! Why do we do judge others so harshly, so quickly? Prejudice, ignorance, stupidity, arrogance; and fear are several reasons I've done it. How about you? Let’s complete the thought. Jesus did not tell us to suspend good sense in our relationships or to drop all standards of right and wrong.  Yes, we are to be people of mercy and love. And, we must also be able to discern and choose what is right.  We can lovingly, firmly, and from a place alongside of, not above another, say - "We need to talk, because the choices you are making are not right. They do not please God. They are harmful to others and to yourself."

We need judges who can discern guilt and innocence, who can cut through all the words and make a decision about another’s fate. But, Jesus says that you and I are not called to that office! Bluntly, He says,  "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged." He creates an absurd picture to drive home the point - “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye." (Matthew 7:1-5, NLT) In another situation where some men had dragged a sinful woman to Jesus for judgment, He heard them and then said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” (John 8:7).

A person who is not making the right choices needs an advocate before he needs a Judge! An advocate will take time to listen, will be patient while they work their way to a place of wholeness. A rush to judgment shuts down dialogue and potentially destroys relationships. When we are working with those who are erring, we must act to restore, not to punish!  Grace looks for a way to save, not to destroy. This is the heart of our Father.

Are you ‘fed up’ with somebody who just keeps making poor choices? Are you ready to walk off and leave some sinner lying the dirt because you have concluded that they are no longer worth your time? Think again. Yes, there is a time to ‘shake the dust off our feet’ and move on.  Jesus also taught that. In the same chapter were we are told not to judge we read these startling words - “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6, NIV)  Yes, not everyone is just ‘making mistakes.’ Some are cruel, evil, and malicious – like a wild dogs. They will not accept kindness, will destroy you given an opportunity. In those rare situations, Jesus tells us to move on.  But, we do not have to go calling them names or calling down Heaven’s judgment! We can step away with a broken heart, praying earnestly for the Spirit to overwhelm them, to pierce the darkness with Light.

A judge, or an advocate? What will you be today?

Here is a word from the Word. Speak, Lord, to our angry hearts! "Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28, NLT)  He came to die and save first. He will come to Judge.

Be still, my heart!

Emotions… are presently my close companions, coming from my wounded heart, that still bleeds.  Since Bev’s death sorrow has been just a smell, a song, a memory away.  But, truthfully, so is joy. I look out this morning over the beautiful green of my little acre, dappled with bright sunny spots, and feel a sense of peace. I know that peace may be fleeting, that in a moment, my eyes may be wet with tears.  Sometimes fear comes to visit, as do feelings of hope, and so it goes. But, I am not ruled by those emotions. They enrich my life, but they are not in charge. Life is wonderful when the feelings I have align with the facts of the world I live in. Maturity teaches me that I can choose to override my feelings, that Christ in me gives me strength to say “Yes,” to things that my heart resists!

Is your faith totally dependent on feelings?
Do you pray only when you are in a certain state of mind?
Do you somehow think that your relationship with the Lord is directly tied to the chemicals that ebb and flow inside your cranium?

Such a flimsy foundation is insufficient for Christian faith! Eugene Peterson, one of my favorite authors, writes: "My feelings tell me next to nothing about God or my relationship to Him. My security comes from who God is, not from how I feel. Discipleship is a decision to live by what I know about God, not by what I feel about Him or myself or my neighbors." (A Long Obedience)

David, the Psalmist, who knew something of stormy, sometimes out of control emotions, speaks to himself - "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." (Psalm 62:5-8, NIV) Rock, fortress, refuge! Those are strong words, expressing faith that is not here today and gone under the stress that comes tomorrow!

Those who enjoy a deep and life-governing love of Christ are those who choose daily to practice the disciplines that open both their heart and their mind to the Truth of God and the work of the Spirit. There are days when Self is screaming like a toddler throwing a tantrum, emotions at full throttle, when saying “yes” to God’s ways is incredibly difficult. That is one reason that before the testing comes, we need to set God above all other parts of our lives – higher than family, higher than demands at work, higher than our desires, higher than our emotions.  We guard our heart from the fickle emotions that would rule it by faithfully opening the Scripture, by committing ourselves to worship in the Body of Christ and in the privacy of our home, by faithfully offering prayers, and by investing time to meditate where we can listen for the Spirit’s voice.

"Jerry, that sounds like duty."  So, is that a problem? There is nothing wrong with things done because they are the right things to do. Mature people know how to choose to deny the impulse to be selfish or sinful, and they make the choice sometimes more from duty than delight. Truth will guide us past the shoals of our own emotions in such times. If we only walk with God when our heart is stirred by good feelings, our discipleship will be shallow, our lives without any evidence of spiritual life.

The paradox is this: the person who consistently makes the choice to do what God desires of him –regardless of his feelings– almost certainly will develop a deeper, richer intimacy with God over time! He learns what it means to `walk with God' and knows that He is equally present in the dark valley and the mountaintop. It is like the person who moves past infatuation to make the covenant pledge of marriage. His choice for commitment lays a foundation for discovery of a deeper relationship, one he could never find in a series of relationships based only on attraction.

Disciple, exercise the God-given ability to choose!  Don't float with the current. You'll drift away from God, never to Him. Don't walk with the crowd. They will never lead you to the King of Glory! Take Joshua's challenge – "Choose today whom you will serve!"

Here's the word from the Word.
"Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!

Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."  (Colossians 3:15-17, The Message)

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He's my Rock, my Sword, my Shield!He's my Wheel in the middle of the wheel!He's my Lily of the Valley,He's my Bright and Morning Star!

Makes no difference what you say,I'm going on my knees and pray,I'm gonna wait right here for Jesus `till He comes.

- Public domain

Anybody but me, God

Living successfully in 2016 requires multiple sets of skills. Recently an elderly couple bought a new car. The switches and buttons that control the various features confused them. The technology that is a blessing to me is a challenge to them. A tidal wave of information waves over us requiring us to sort through it with the wisdom to know what to discard, what to ignore, what to digest, and what to trust.  Many are overwhelmed and as a result, scams abound and junk ‘news’ misleads millions! We live under a complex set of laws. One man only half-jokingly declared that the heavy weight of the law has made every one of us a criminal. Too many get tangled in the web of the law and find their lives changed, not by intent. The complexity of life has led to legions of ‘specialists’ who provide services to us – keeping our technology devices functioning, maintaining our cars, monitoring our health, managing our money, and advising us.

Do you ever feel incompetent?
Do you ever ask yourself, will I be able to complete this task successfully, manage to lead my children into adulthood so that they can live normal, well-adjusted lives, finish my life with a legacy of good, leaving a blessing for the next generation?  

 My greatest desire is to live in such a way that God is honored, that my life causes others to want to know Him. It is not a simple thing and can make me feel incompetent. Thankfully, the Scripture shows me that others have felt the same way.

Moses, when called by God to bring Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land, offered up one excuse after another for his incompetence. Basically, he said "Anybody but me, Lord." God persisted in the call, reminding Moses that he did not go in his own strength, that there would be others who would be with him and that He, the great “I AM,” would empower him for the job. A man who had dropped out of life for forty years to tend a small flock of sheep in the desert became the father of the nation, the Law-giver.

Joshua, called to take Moses’ place at the head of the nation, felt too small for the job. God asked him to look beyond himself. "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go." (Joshua 1:5-7, NIV)

Gideon, the farmer, was asked to lead Israel in war against her enemies. He met God’s call by declaring that he was the lowest man, from an undistinguished family, from the smallest tribe. But, the Lord promised to be with him and to provide all that he needed to do the work. 

There are more, many more, people in the Scripture whose stories are amazing, who did great things, not because they were great but because their faith was set beyond their own skills on the Person of the Living God. Consider this, Christian. "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." (Hebrews 11:1, The Message) Will YOU trust God for wisdom, for strength, for competence?  That’s not an excuse for laziness, for failure to learn all that we can, or to set aside self-discipline.  God calls us to diligence, to the work of the Kingdom. Jesus promises that "I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, NLT)

As you face life today, as complex as it may be, with all the questions that you may have, take up the Sword, the Truth of the Word, and the Shield of Faith! Stand, listen, look, and follow Him to a life of victory.   Here is a word from the Word.  "We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:4-6, NLT)

______________

You Make Me Brave

 I stand before You now,

The greatness of Your renown

I have heard of the majesty and wonder of You,

King of Heaven, in humility I bow.

As Your love, in wave after wave,

Crashes over me, crashes over me.

For You are for us, You are not against us,

Champion of Heaven.

You made a way for all to enter in (to Your love).

I have heard You calling my name,

I have heard the song of love that You sing.

So I will let You draw me out beyond the shore

Into Your grace.

You make me brave!

You make me brave!

You call me out beyond the shore, into the waves,

You make me brave!

You make me brave!

No fear can hinder now the Love that made a way,

You make me brave!

You make me brave!

No fear can hinder now the promises You've made.

Because of love, in wave after wave,

Crashes over me, crashes over me.

For You are for us, You are not against us,

Champion of Heaven, You made a way!

Amanda Cook

© 2013 Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

Blinded By Bitterness?

I remarked to a friend, “I wonder what I did to God?” It was supposed to be a joke, but in speaking the words, a little too much of my authentic emotions crept into the words and they were not funny at all. My anger at the disappointments I have known were too obvious for laughter at that moment.  My head tells me that I should be thankful, that I must let go of my demands about life!  I know that in acceptance, not resignation, there is peace and joy.  Sometimes that I just refuse to go there. Yet, God, the Holy Spirit patiently deals with me and leads me to a place where I will surrender myself.  Will Jesus or Self be Lord? It is a universal question that we answer – not just with words – everyday.  

In this new week, here on a Monday morning, when the songs of church are past echoes, when there are choices to be made, will our practice match our profession? Will we translate the creeds of belief into actions born of faith? Yes, faith is critical.  Can we deny that doing what we want to do right now will not return an immediate reward?  Hebrews 11, the ‘faith’ chapter includes a summary of the life of Moses. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:24-27, NIV)  

He refused short-term pleasure because he could see, with eyes of faith, the promises of God! Our prayer must not simply be to be kept from sin, but for a vision to see His face! Walking God’s path is not all misery. Let’s not believe that lie. There is joy in the journey.  But true faithfulness hangs onto the eternal, primarily shaped around things as yet unseen, on rewards anticipated only by promises!

"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see … So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. … It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise. Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." (Hebrews 11:1, 6, 8-10, NLT)

Here’s the paradox.  We do not will ourselves to believe. We cannot create faith simply by commanding ourselves – “Believe!”  Faith is the gift of God, given to us at the point of our desperation. Like that young father who saw his tormented son and was nearly overwhelmed by the impossibility of his condition, we cry out, “Lord, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) There is no need to pretend to be other than we are, when we rush into the Father’s Presence.  We take our conflicted self and lay it before Him, confessing what we want, who we are, the terrible pull of our temptation.  And, there we receive the gift of faith to give ourselves away. Only then can we find the joy that is possible when Self dies.

Yesterday, my ‘joke’ revealed that somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I was allowing myself to believe a lie about my Abba.  Toxic thoughts that formed around the idea that “God is mean. He takes away happiness.He crushes the life out of His people,” had settled in.  As I lay down to rest in the darkness last night, I confessed those faithless thoughts to Him, with earnest entreaties that truth would transform me -from the inside out.  

It would a nice ‘wrap’ to the story to write that a flash of revelation came, that all the sorrow was instantly erased. But, the truth is that the Spirit did come, but more like a Friend to remind me to push on, to go steady while I wait for the fullness. And that is enough for this day.

Together, Christian friend, we wait for the rise of the Spirit, for the joy will come.  It most likely will be a joy that we cannot even conceive at the moment of the testing. Here is the word from the Word. May the Lord use it to plant a new seed in our minds and hearts from which strong faith grows. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, 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. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3, NIV) "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices" (Colossians 3:9, NIV)  "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:12-13, NIV)  "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17, NIV)

___________________

Eye Of The Storm

When the solid ground is falling outFrom underneath my feetBetween the black skies and my red eyesI can barely seeWhen I realize I've been sold outBy my friends and my familyI can feel the rain reminding me

 In the eye of the stormYou remain in controlIn the middle of the warYou guard my soulYou alone are the anchorWhen my sails are tornYour love surrounds me(In the eye of the storm)

 When my hopes and dreams are far from meAnd I'm runnin' out of faithI see the future I pictureSlowly fade awayAnd when the tears of pain and heartacheAre pouring down my faceI find my peace in Jesus' name

 Oh in the eye of,Lord, in the eye of the stormI know You're watchin' me yeah 

Bryan Fowler | Ryan Dale Stevenson © Songs Of Emack (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055