Tested, found Strong

A metal railroad bridge in Western Pennsylvania that stood for over a century failed when a tornado swept through.  Engineers who worked to discover the reason for the collapse found that when the bridge was re-built decades ago, using steel in place of the iron, the original iron anchor bolts were left in place, considered too expensive to remove and replace. Steel accepts much higher loads than iron, allowing for flex before failure, where iron suddenly snaps. When 100 MPH winds created side stress, rather than weight pressing down, those older rusted iron anchors cracked and the bridge turned to ruin in a few moments time. (Bridge Fails)

One thing I know for certain – tests come to us all!  They arrive in many ways. Illness, disappointment, death, economic issues, depression, temptation … are just some of the ways we are tested.

How will we respond to those storms? Will the old anchor points of life snap and cause a collapse? Will we turn into a fearful, angry person? Will we abandon faith, turning on God? OR, will we stand, in courage, renewing our commitment to faith, leaning on the Word, even when to do so seems like folly?

In Matthew’s Gospel, we read of a miracle moment at the Jordan at the end of chapter 3. Jesus goes to John, the Baptist, and asks to be baptized, even though He is perfect, not needing the washing of repentance. The Holy Spirit descends and the voice of the Father thunders from above, announcing His delight in His Son. There is glory all around. If I had written the plan, Jesus would have gone straight that from that moment of blessing to Jerusalem to announce the Kingdom! We tend to think that way, believing that one season of blessing should always be followed by another, don't we?

Here is how God allowed the plan to unfold. "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ”‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him." (Matthew 4:1-11, NIV)

He was ‘led by the Spirit’ to be tested. What a revelation. Jesus did not stumble into a bad time. He did not create His own problems with poor decision-making. The Father allowed Him to be tested! We could guess at a hundred reasons why, but the inspired author offers no explanation. He just tells us what happened. Jesus, left weak by an extended fast, is invited to misuse the power of God to satisfy His own appetite. He hears Satan telling Him that He should expect God to send angels to rescue Him if He put Himself into danger. He is offered a short-cut to ‘success’ in His mission, in only He will abandon His singular love of God. 

In each situation, Jesus does not rely on His own strength, nor does He engage in lengthy debate with the Devil.  He goes to the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy, inspired Word, that He, the Living Word, knew was the revealed will of God. He speaks God’s Word in the moment of testing and that anchor holds Him in the storm.

Tests in our lives bring temptation in many guises.  Why do they come? We sometimes make wrong choices that lead us into hard places. We sometimes choose to live in Self-will rather than God’s will and find ourselves in a mess! But, sometimes God, for purposes beyond our grasp, allows us to walk in deep valleys where the Light of His Presence is hidden. What then? Will our anchor bolts snap leading to a collapse, or will we lean hard on faith, even when it appears irrational?  Faith does not discard reason, but sometimes it goes beyond it, trusting God for that which can only been seen with vision informed by the Spirit.

Know God’s Word and commit that truth to memory. Grow beyond ‘folk religion’ that rests on slogans, mottos, and assumptions. Become a disciple, a true follower of Christ, who ‘works out’ the implications of His salvation in all aspects of life. And, when the tests come, you will stand!

Mediate today on this word from the Word. Make this the guiding Truth for life – for the glory days and the testing times.

“Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.  “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.”  - (Hebrews 10:34)  

"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up." (Hebrews 12:2-3, NLT)

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Build My Life

(Will you build your life on Jesus?)

Worthy of ev’ry song we could ever sing

Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

Jesus the name above ev’ry other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

We live for You

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Elizabeth Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Martin, Karl Andrew (Admin. by Arkyard Music Services Limited)

Kaple Music (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing)

Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

Fire Baptized!

In recent years we have witnessed mega-fires in the West, that have destroyed thousands of acres of forest and cost $billions in property destruction. In addition to climate change, experts now realize that fire suppression methods that protected property and landscapes over the last half of the 20^th century actually created the conditions that now feed these huge fires. In the past, fires would burn the undergrowth, but not reach the canopy of larger trees, a natural process of thinning the forest for the healthiest trees to grow. But, those fires were not allowed to burn and dense growth accumulated, fuel for fires that rage out of control. Allowing smaller managed fires that clear out brush is one method of preventing even more catastrophic, canopy-killing fires from breaking out.

Fighting fire with fire. The idea seems to go against reason, at first.

God sometimes uses fiery trials in our lives, friend! If you are in the middle of a difficult situation, if you are feeling the heat of life, ask God to give you strength to endure.  In the loving hands of our Father, those experiences can actually help to clear out the clutter and encourage us to mature in faith.

John, the Baptist, offered this shocking statement to the people who came to hear him preach down at the Jordan River.  “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John." (Matthew 3:11-13, NIV)

John realized that his baptism, which focused on the act of being ‘sorry,’ of turning back to God was incomplete. Real maturity in faith required something more, and he knew that More was coming in the Person of Jesus who would fill us with the Spirit and, if we let Him, He will use the Spirit’s fire will burn away the distractions, the accumulated weight of other sins. Such fiery baptism is costly to us in terms of comfort. But, in John’s metaphor, it is a means of clearing away the chaff, the outer hull of the grain that is worthless.

Before we become fatalists and just accept all trials as ‘God’s will,’ we must realize that often we create our own troubles with foolish, or short-sighted, or sinful choices. We create the conditions for wild fires in our own life. It is wrong to blame God for those. However, He can use those things to cause us to reach the end of Self and turn to Him. When we do, He is our ‘ever present help in time of trouble.’  

So, here at the beginning of this new year, I want to ask you if you are living just in repentance, constantly going back to God asking forgiveness, seeking renewal? 

Or, have you been Spirit-baptized by Jesus, made clean by the fire, with fruitfulness in character, and growing to greater maturity?

This word from the Word will inspire. Let it grip your heart and mind today. "You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. . . So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words.  . . . Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!" (Hebrews 12:24-29, The Message)

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Abba, I humbly place my heart, my mind, my life at Your disposal.

Keep me from just saying words unmatched with desire for You.

If there are things that need to be torched in my life,

Steady me in faith through the fire!

Let me emerge, 

Not embittered, but empowered;

Not empty, but full of grace;

Not scorched, but cleansed.

And, help my hope to be found in Jesus,

All other loves lesser, love for You greater.

Amen

Dream BIG!

Do you have any crazy dreams about what life could be? Are you willing to let yourself think about change? Some of our dreams are naïve, some nothing more than fantasy. A few are downright wrong and deserve no more thought. There are nightmares- dreams that terrify. Then, there are those dreams that turn into vision which, when matched with action and resources, create a new reality! Most of us cannot imagine a world without a smartphone in our pocket, but a little more than a decade ago, they were just an idea.

In his most famous speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of a dream about something far more important than a tech device. He ‘saw’ a new kind of world. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. … I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”  His dream, though partially fulfilled, is still yet to be fully realized in our nation.

On this final day of 2019, let me ask you again – Do you allow yourself to dream? I say that we must dream or die.

Consider this word of God, spoken by Jeremiah to the Jews at one of the lowest points in their history. He was inspired to remind them that God calls us to hope. They are words for us! “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’" (Jeremiah 33:2-3, NIV) The Message says it like this: "Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own."

Are you dreams God-sized? Are they God-honoring?
Are they worthy of prayer and investment of your precious time?

Too often our dreams are exclusively about a life of greater comfort, more money, or increased influence. We turn our dreams turn into schemes about how we can use God’s power to further our agenda.

“God give me the money I think I need for that new project.”

“God, make my spouse love me in a way that makes me a happier person.”

“Lord, make sure my job remains secure this year.”

“Heal me… comfort me… give me more…” are common lines in our prayers.

It is not wrong to ask God for our needs, to share our heart’s desire with Him. He invites us to do that with confidence. James teaches us to  “Tell God what you need.”   We balance that with the fact that He is a Good Father, and He knows our need better than we do.  By faith, we surrender to His will trusting that what He allows us to experience are ‘good and perfect’ gifts that shape us for His glory, which is our ultimate purpose for existence.

From personal experience I will tell you that your dreams and God’s plans do not always follow the same path. The decade that is closing today has brought me grief I could not have imagined as it began. My father, my mother, my wife, my brother, many friends – have died in this time. Ah, yes, death is a part of the life-cycle and I recognize that reality. Then, too, in my pastoral work, I have experienced some wonderful moments with the people in my care, and I have known the worst disappointments of my entire ministry. Through it all, God has taught me to love Him and others more humbly and hopefully, with deeper faith.

The path I walked has been so far outside of my plans, I can say without exaggeration that it is beyond my wildest imagination. Most of us read that passage I quoted and we naturally think of “wondrous things” as fun, happy, and comfortable development. Disciple, God does have a plan for you and me! Our greatest joy is found in letting Him set the pace. He is a good God; not tame, not predictable, not bound to our limited perspective; but amazingly wonderful. So, "since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV) When we invite the Spirit to take the reins, we begin to see the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy – “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” (2:28)

May our most compelling dreams be about knowing Him, loving Him, and making a difference for His kingdom as long we enjoy life on this earth.

Here’s a New Year’s blessing. Receive it as you pray for the faith to let God be God!

"I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen." (Ephesians 3:17-21, NLT)

“Joy unspeakable!

Faith unsinkable!

Love unstoppable!

Anything is possible, we were made to thrive!”

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Thrive

(Casting Crowns reminds us that
God has good things prepared for us!)

Here in this worn and weary land

Where many a dream has died

Like a tree planted by the water

We will never run dry

So living water flowing through

God we thirst for more of You

Fill our hearts and flood our souls

With one desire

Just to know You and to make You known

We lift Your name on high

Shine like the sun make darkness run and hide

We know we were made for so much more

Than ordinary lives

It's time for us to more than just survive

We were made to thrive

Into Your Word we're digging deep

To know our Father's heart

Into the world we're reaching out

To show them who You are

Joy unspeakable

Faith unsinkable

Love unstoppable

Anything is possible

We were made to thrive

Mark Hall | Matthew West

© 2014 Atlas Holdings (Admin. by Atlas Music Publishing)

Highly Combustible Music (Admin. by Atlas Music Publishing)

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