Think Like Jesus!

So much of what is happening in these United States, at least as reported, quickly escalates our fears. The chaos of life unsettles us all in different ways.  In the words of Yoda (actually George Lucas) “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”  Without diminishing the real anguish that has moved millions into the streets, I am suggesting that now that we have raised consciousness, it time to sit down at the table. It is time to listen to the ‘other side.’  The intensity of the rhetoric has made otherwise reasonable people incapable of hearing with understanding. As we shout at each other we feed rage – an emotion that makes us blind and deaf.

Those of us who are in Christ need to take the lead towards real dialogue, with a genuine desire for needed change, and deep compassion for those with whom we have little shared life experience. These are acts of faith and obedience.  Whether you are old or young, rich or poor, black or white – if you are a Christian, admit that hating the ‘other side’ is an unjustifiable sin. Oh yes, despise the sin! The cruel evil of unrestrained power is intolerable. The impulse to lump people into pre-judged groups with hateful labels is a sin! Hate that, but do not hate people.

The Lords speaks to us through His Word. “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:1-4, NIV)

The Spirit starts by reminding us about God’s gift to us. We were ignoring God, doing our own thing, living without concern for His purposes.  How did He approach us?  Did He shout at us, condemn us, call us stupid, or try to use His infinite power to crush us?  Not at all. Christ Jesus loved us by setting aside His divine prerogatives, subjecting Himself to the weakness of His own creation. He offers grace to the worst, not when we were trying to be good but  ‘while we were still sinners,’ resisting Him, rejecting Him.  When we have known His love, been secured in His mercy, and made alive to God, the Spirit says that we are to be ‘like-minded.’ 

Think like Jesus! Have you been thinking like Jesus? (re-read that question)  In the same way that He was pro-active to save us, we are to move toward those with whom we live.

Jesus put our need above His comfort. Let this sink in.  “Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing.”  (Philippians 2:6 NLT) God asks us to set aside defensiveness and self-protection. Instead of being so quick to say, “I’m right!”- Christians are to work at understanding that the other guy has something important to say to us. The Spirit says, "Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." (Philippians 2:4, The Message)  That directive is not just about ‘nice people,’ or those who reciprocate with reasonable words. 

Bold, transformative, amazing love becomes possible when our fears are erased with an unshakeable love of Jesus!  “Who or what can separate us from His love?” Nothing! He asks a simple question of us “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that?”  He reminds us that “Even sinners love those who love them! … Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." (Luke 6:32-36, NLT)  His words are for us all.

It is a struggle not to retreat into the safety of our preconceptions. We may think we are doing good if we choose to ignore the voices that disturb the status quo. God asks that we move toward those with whom we differ. Put away the idea, “I know better.”  Instead, we put the concerns front and center of our minds as we choose to think like Jesus!  Think about the image of the person with whom you have the greatest difference. 

Now … pray for grace to hear him. Pray until you can get past the “Well, Lord, I guess You love him so I’ll try to be nice”  to a place where you can care about the other person, to seek the best for him.  By the way, if you do not know what that it, God does, so agree with Him.

The discovery of truth, the dawning of acceptance, comes slowly but only when we are ready to listen. Accepting another is not the same as agreeing that everything he says is true. Unity needs to be more than a slogan. So on this Friday, take the lead to listen, to create opportunities for real conversations by lowering the temperature of the rhetoric.

Here is a word from the Word says “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family." (Matthew 5:9, The Message)  God helping us – we can do it for the glory of Christ Jesus.

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Lord I Need You

(Pray with Chris Tomlin as he sings of our heart’s need)

Lord I come I confess

Bowing here I find my rest

And without You I fall apart

You're the one that guides my heart

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev'ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

So teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus You're my hope and stay

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus You're my hope and stay

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev'ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

Christy Nockels | Daniel Carson | Jesse Reeves | Kristian Stanfill | Matt Maher

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Stormy Weather

I forgot to use God’s amazing gift of choice yesterday when I allowed myself to fret and complain. I focused on the ‘what could be,’ on ‘what I’m missing right now,’ on the noise of the conflict that is raging across our land. There is no denying that there are plenty of reasons for anxious thoughts. While there may be very little I personally can do to change national policies, to restore economic fortunes, or to address long standing racial issues, I can live as a man of the Spirit who brings God’s grace, His wonderful peace, into the corner of the world where I live WHEN I remember to Whom I belong.

Let’s go to the Gospel and read a story that Luke was inspired to record for us. It is about a stormy experience that shook up Jesus’ disciples and gave them revelation. "One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. On the way across, Jesus lay down for a nap, and while he was sleeping the wind began to rise. A fierce storm developed that threatened to swamp them, and they were in real danger. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” So Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” And they were filled with awe and amazement. They said to one another, “Who is this man, that even the winds and waves obey him?”  (Luke 8:22-25, NLT)

Mark, who heard the story from Peter, adds this detail. When Jesus spoke to the storm, He said  "Peace, be still!"  Let’s not over analyze the passage so as to lose the impact. It is there for one primary reason: to show us the power of Jesus.  This same Jesus is my Lord. Is He yours?   We can trust His power for our stormy time or we can be like the disciples in their panic.  “We’re going to drown!”  they screamed as they awakened the Master. Mark tells us that Jesus challenged that panicky response.  "Why are you so afraid? Don't you have any faith?"  When I read His words they were addressed to me in 2020!  “Jerry, why are you so afraid? Don’t you have any faith?” 

Note that Jesus did not tell them that the storm was merely imaginary, nor did He tell them that their concern was baseless. He showed them that He is greater than storms.  

I invited Him to speak to my stormy soul, to our tempest-tossed nation, to those restless angry crowds of people who are spilling into the streets of our cities.  Jesus, speak peace!  It is not for us to tell Him what to do nor can we predict how He will care for us, but we are assured that HE is present and active.  Will you choose to trust? Oh, for grace to trust Him when the winds are blowing with hurricane force. You are not a terrible or faithless Christian if the tempest has temporarily caused you to lose your assurance of His care. 

I remind you, as He reminds me, we are not helpless victims! We can choose to meditate in His Word. We can take passages of promise and focus our thoughts. The Psalm shows us how. "I watch for your ancient landmark words, and know I’m on the right track. ... I set your instructions to music and sing them as I walk this pilgrim way. I meditate on your name all night, God, treasuring your revelation, O God." (Psalm 119:52-55, The Message) 

Has anxiety filled your mind? Is fear the pre-dominant emotion of the day? Are you letting anger cloud your reason? Make the choice to trust the LORD of the storm.

The word from the Word will help us to stay centered in God’s sustaining Presence. “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isaiah 43:1-3, NIV)  Focus today on those three words – “You are Mine!” 

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T’is So Sweet to Trust

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His word.

Just to rest upon His promise,

Just to know thus saith the Lord.

I’m so glad I learned to trust You

Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend

And I know that Thou are with me

Will be with me to the End.

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,

How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus;

O for grace to trust Him more!

-public domain

Lord, start with me.

What a week it’s been. Turbulent, frightening, thought-provoking, disturbing, enraging, sorrowful – you might want to add your own word there. I turned off the television last night after 15 minutes disgusted with the pundits of the Left and Right. Flipping from one “news” channel to the next I heard nothing but raw propaganda purposefully shaped to inflame rather than to inform. My time on Facebook was equally disturbing: hateful, biased, uninformed, blaming, and racist comments.  I went to bed troubled in heart, filled with questions, and fell asleep in prayer for insight, for wisdom, for change that starts with me.

I must pause to make this lengthy disclaimer -  There is enough self-awareness in me to realize that as a 65 year old white male with conservative leanings, I have blind spots, probably some big ones. This blog, as thoughtful as I may try to be, as prayerful as I am for the Spirit’s wisdom, will include “Jerry” – a man who distrusts government, who believes in self-reliance, who values order, who is a passionate about authenticity, who loves Christ and His Church, who loves grace and redemption, who has known life in largely rural settings, etc. Have my ideals evolved over the years? I certainly hope so, God helping me. Is there a ways to go? Yes, there is! Asking the hard questions of myself is unpleasant. Admitting to feelings that are unworthy of Christ, my Lord, is painful. I want to settle into my old comfortable ways, to ‘shut out’ the protests, to just get things back to ‘normal,’ like so many of us who have never known real discrimination.

America’s real problem is not political, it is spiritual. Before you heave a sigh and say, “Oh, yeah, here he goes. Here comes the old stuff about prayer in school, abortion on demand, and gay marriage,” let me hasten to say that it’s much more, way deeper, than those things. We have become worshipers of other gods – Money and Self our top gods.  Even many Christians do not truly ‘serve’ God, though they may say they do. Their “God” exists to serve their needs. Prayers are mostly ‘bless me’ petitions focused on personal health, wealth, and comfort.

Radical discipleship that calls for the death of Self is nearly incomprehensible to the majority of Christians, simply making no sense to us, for we love self-fulfillment, personal rights, and self-expression. We talk about God but the God of the Scripture no longer exists for most of us. He cannot command our hearts, cannot judge our actions because we have made Him too small, too trivial, peripheral to our ‘real’ life not the core of our existence, the One Who gives us life and meaning.   

Arrogantly we define God instead of God defining us. Yes, where we are as a nation is the logical outcome of our 100 year march towards the exaltation of SELF, the gradual elimination of the holy and majestic Lord from our consciousness.  He has not forsaken us, we have forsaken Him.  We proudly believed that technology would save us, that education would reform us, that laws would restrain us. And the last 3 months have revealed their empty promises.

How can we change? The basic choices we need to make include humbling ourselves, repentance ( going past regret), entering into prolonged silence, and earnestly asking God to reveal Himself to us.

Jesus told us that there are just 2 commands.”‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" (Matthew 22:37-39, NIV)  Ask the Holy Spirit to give understanding about what He meant. Ask yourself if you really love God more than life itself.  Ask if you love the ‘other’ (black, white, rich, poor, male, female) like you love yourself.  IF you come up short, and you will, because we are all sinners, there is an answer.  At the end of ourselves there is Jesus Christ. He is found in repentance and received by faith.

There is so much to say, but I will stop there today. Here is a word from the Word. Please go beyond just reading it. Spend some time with the Living Word allowing for the Scripture to transform your mind and heart.

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life." (Romans 5:6-10, NLT)

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." (Romans 12:1-2, NLT)

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Change my heart, O God,

make it ever true,

Change my heart, O God,

may I be like You.

You are the Potter,

I am the clay,

Mold me and make me,

this is what I pray.

Change my heart, O God,

may I be like You.

-- Eddy Espinosa