Does it own YOU?

 

MacKenzie Scott, once married to Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, gave away $4 billion to various groups that are working to help people who are economically disadvantaged. She wrote that she was responding to the fact that “This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling.”  Among the beneficiaries are 36 colleges that primarily educate students from lower-income families. Ms.Scott is the number 60 on the list of wealth in the world with a fortune that grew by over $23billion this year alone! 

Reading of this in the New York Times today, there were two thoughts that immediately came to mind -  First, good for her! Second, what would I do with that kind of wealth?  Then I realized that God asks ME to be faithful with what He has given to me!

So, what’s your treasure?  Those of us accustomed to a life that includes internet, cars, cell phones, abundant food, and plenty of clean water hold fairly tightly to our material goods. We treasure the good life. Most of us are convinced that IF we had wealth like Ms. Scott we would certainly be generous but how can we give away our treasure if we have less? Or, we are convinced if we had more stuff we would find greater happiness.   

Luke records a story of a wealthy man who came to Jesus inquiring about gaining eternal life.  The meaning of that story eludes many people who wrongly conclude that Jesus was condemning wealth and demanding poverty of us all.  But, was He? " A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:18-27, NIV)

The thing that stood between that earnest young man and God was not the wealth with which he was privileged. It was the illusion of self-sufficiency that the wealth created! When asked about his moral choices, he was able to point to a record of stellar accomplishment, honesty, and honoring his parents.  The fact that Jesus let his answer stand without challenge tells me that the young man was truthful about these things.   

So, if it was not a lack of morality that stood in the way of a relationship with God, what was it?  It was his desire to own his life. Jesus went to the heart of the matter when He told that man, “Go sell everything, then come and follow me!”  That rich young man would not do it.  His wealth was his security. 

Jesus reveals an issue for every person who has enough money to feel in control of life:  “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

Why? Does God hate wealth? Not at all.  

Money can give the ability to temporarily satisfy the soul hunger with things, creating personal comfort, and even gaining admiration numbing our soul hunger, hindering our desire for the life of the Spirit.  Money can trick us into thinking that we can ‘buy our way’ through life even our reconciliation to our Father.  In these choices wealth turns into a god to us.  That is why Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters … he will hate the one and love the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Luke 6:24)

So, Christian, where is YOUR treasure?
Do the things you claim to own in reality own YOU?
Does the status that comes along with your stuff give your life its purpose?

By the way, if you’re reading this and thinking that His words are only for those with $billions, think again! Yes, there is surely hardship in America, but the fact is that the vast majority of s enjoy a standard of life that is far better than much of the rest of the world’s population. Do NOT feel guilty about having resources. Rather see them for what they are, a sacred trust that God has given you. Instead of serving your stuff, let your ‘stuff’ work for Him. The Word says "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2, NIV)

The word from the Word is a familiar passage. As we near the end of 2020, it is a good time to consider what we are holding onto and what we are willing to give way.

Allow the Holy Spirit to help you to see beyond Jesus’ words, that He would turn them into living truth.
"Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them.
Your heart will always be where your treasure is. …
I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? …

Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well." (Matthew 6, CEV)

____________

Build My Life

(a song about true worship)

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

CCLI License # 810055

God’s Timing

 

Time matters to me.  I keep a schedule, show up for appointments, and finish projects on time. Knowing how to meet deadlines, keep appointments, and pay bills on time are important IF a person wants a life that works. We are a ‘time conscious’ culture.  An article in Discover, described some of the habits of timely people.

1. When it’s time to get up, they get up. 

2. They plan breakfast at dinner.

3. They end tasks on time.

4. They recognize patterns, and correct them.

5. They embrace downtime.

6. They’re immune to “Just One More Thing” syndrome.

7. They schedule built-in overflow time.

8.  They’ve mastered the skill of calculation.

9. They know when they do their best work.

By that list, I must be a clock. How did you do?   Let’s get to my spiritual thought today.

A phrase in Galatians fascinates me. Paul speaks of Jesus coming and connects ‘timeliness’ with our eternal (timeless) God!  "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 4:5, KJV)   In another passage, he says it this way: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6, NIV)

God was/is ‘on time.’  After eons of time, a blink of an eye in His eternal existence, so to speak, He sent His Son. Why then, why not earlier or later?

That answer is hidden in the mind of God. Only He knows why He chose to send the Savior to this world about 2,000 years ago, but it was, the ‘fullness,’ the complete and perfect, time. It was the ‘right time.’

And today is our time to receive His gift!  Not tomorrow, but now.  "As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:1-2, NIV) 

Why would you wait to accept the Lord as your Savior?  Think He’ll cramp your style? Yes, He will change your life, but for the better. The guilt of the past will be gone, replaced by the acceptance known by those who let Jesus take away the shame! The hopelessness of yesterday is replaced with His promises that extend into ‘forever!’ The sense of futility, life’s emptiness, is erased with an invitation to a life of purpose in serving God. Why wait?

Oh yes, there will be things that happen to you, as they have to me, and you will question His timing. Five years ago, He decided that Bev’s earthly life was complete and took her home on December 29.  I chose to trust His wisdom, though it was a struggle. Faith tells me He knows ‘the right time.’ Though I am convinced of this, I still feel grief, but not despair.  You may be wondering about some ‘why’ in your life, something that seems untimely.  He reminds us that “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)  

Will you trust His timing?
Will you humble yourself before Him and let God, be God? 
There’s peace to be found in that acceptance.

Here is a word from the Word.
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Celebrate this with worship - when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.

_____________

Go Tell It On The Mountain

(Zac Williams- Enjoy!)

Go tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and ev'rywhere

Go tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is born

 

The shepherds feared and trembled

When lo above the earth

Rang out the angel chorus

That hailed the Savior's birth

Down in a lowly manger

The humble Christ was born

And God sent us salvation

That blessed Christmas morn

 

When I was a seeker

I sought both night and day

I asked the LORD to help me

He showed me the way

He made me a watchman

Upon the city wall

And if I am a Christian

I am the least of all

 

John W. Work Jr.

© Words: Public Domain 

What are you chasing?

She is a woman who pursues her work diligently. Her goals are clear and she is undeterred by the obstacles, unwilling to let other things distract her. I admire her focus that has brought her some amazing success in life. In contrast, I know another person of talent and intelligence who has left those gifts undeveloped, drifting from place to place, professing to be happy but living a difficult life. Both people are of similar backgrounds, spiritual heritage, and ability. Both have known opportunity and hardship in similar ways. One tenaciously works to shape the life she desires, the other is letting the currents carry her.

Do you know that the best Christian life demands much of you? 
Salvation, being right with God, is a gift, beyond our ability to earn.
Discipleship is our choice, requiring focus, purpose, and commitment.

After warning Timothy about the distractions of material things, the lure of the ‘love of money,’  Paul speaks of a different set of priorities.  "But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:11-12, NLT)   In that short passage there are principles for us.

Some things must be left behind.

Life offers us many distractions and/or temporary comforts.  The television screen will fill endless hours with images and conversations of little consequence. Alcohol will ease the anxiety. A bowl of ice cream can soothe a soul. Pornography will provide false intimacy, for a moment.  Not all of those choices have equal consequence, but each one can become a substitute for living an engaged life.  Will we listen to our desires or will we turn our back?

The Way must be pursued.

No one drifts into a beautiful Christian life, filled with the fruit of the Spirit.  We must actively choose to love Christ, beyond our words, in more than a song on Sunday.  We gain sight of what it means to belong to Him, then with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness we follow Him, day by day.  ‘Easy Believism’ is a captivating lie that teaches us that we are loved by God and need not strive to become who He wants us to be. Like most half-truths it goes down well. But, there is no real spiritual growth without discipline.

The struggle is real.

The call of Christ sets us at odds with the world in which we live, creates a tension with our old sinful nature, and is opposed by the Evil One.  We are not ‘bad Christians’ if we are tempted. Godly people are tempted to hate, to lust, to crave pleasure!  If we are dedicated to Christ Jesus, He said we should expect to be rejected, perhaps even persecuted.  The world hated Him and if we are His followers we too will be hated.  We do not go looking for trouble. We do not seek to be offensive. But, we accept that we are aliens in a foreign land, citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom.

Hang onto Eternity.

The life of the disciple makes no sense apart from the promise of Heaven. Paul is blunt – “If for this life alone we have hope, we are of all people most miserable.”  The full realization of what we hope for will be found when we enter God’s presence, when we hear His commendation, when we finally know Him without the limitations of this present existence.  Hold onto eternal life now with faith!

Are you trying to walk the fence, so to speak, a creature of this present world while attempting to know the life of the Spirit?  Answer the invitation of discipleship, following Jesus … leaving behind those things that distract, pursuing Him with clear focus, fighting the good fight, with eternity in sight on time’s horizon.

Here is a word from the Word. "How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." (1 Corinthians 15:57-58, NLT)

__________

O Come All Ye Faithful

O come all ye faithful

Joyful and triumphant

O come ye O come ye to Bethlehem

Come and behold Him

Born the King of angels

 

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him

Christ the Lord

 

Sing choirs of angels

Sing in exultation

O sing all ye bright

Hosts of heav'n above

Glory to God all

Glory in the highest

 

Yea Lord we greet Thee

Born this happy morning

Jesus to Thee be all glory giv'n

Word of the Father

Now in flesh appearing

 

C. Frederick Oakeley | John Francis Wade

© Words: Public Domain

 

I’ve got this! - God

One phrase makes several appearances in the Christmas story -  “Fear not!”  Whenever one of God’s messengers shows up with news, they say, “Don’t be afraid!”  God is speaking to us today and HE tells us not to fear. Some Christians are acting in very strange ways these days because of fear. Conspiracy theories abound. Irrational statements are made as if they were revealed dogma. Why? In part I believe it is because we tend to forget the end of the Story!  Ah friend, we need to remember He reigns.  (I played the Hallelujah Chorus  during my morning worship and found myself overwhelmed with joy, moved to tears!)

Spoiler alert! You see this warning in a review of a movie when there is about to be a revelation of a critical turn in the plot. If you don’t want to ruin the story for yourself, you stop reading, right?  My destiny, because of Christ Jesus, is no mystery. God told us the end of the story.  We know the assurance of eternal life. We live confidently knowing that evil will be defeated. Our hope is secure in the house of our Father, a home in Heaven.  He reveals the End in His Book. I am so glad He did! Why? Because sometimes, in the middle of this thing we call life, everything can get really overwhelming. Whether we are talking about world problems – and there are plenty of those- or our personal struggles, we are encouraged to remain faithful to Him because we have divine assurance.  Jesus said - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV)

Have you read the final lines of Romans chapter 8 recently? It’s a sort of spoiler alert for our lives, but in the best sense. Because we are called and justified in Christ, "we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. …After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun. So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? … Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. … None of this (death, demons, etc.) fazes us because Jesus loves us." (Romans 8:37, The Message)

My heart has been full of concern this Advent season for the people in my pastoral care. There are broken hearts. Some struggle with unrelenting pain. Some face a financial need. COVID has made depression as common as a cold as some many try to make sense of what seems senseless, and more. I pray with hope because I have the promise that the "Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26, NIV)  I pray with faith in the promise that He has made us ‘more than conquerors’ through Christ Who loves us.  I know the end of the story, because I have read Word of the Eternal One .

Fearful?  God is saying, “Fear not.”  In a sense HE tells us, “I’ve got this. Let me guide you through.”

Here is a word from the Word.  It is from the End of the Bible, a kind of last word.  May this Truth overcome our fear, fill us with faith, and give us vision to live for the Glory of God, now and forever.

"And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever." (Revelation 22:1-5, NLT)

Jesus says, “See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:12-13, NLT)

_______________

 

Hallelujah Chorus

 

Hallelujah (10X)

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth

Hallelujah hallelujah

Hallelujah hallelujah

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth

Hallelujah hallelujah

Hallelujah hallelujah

The kingdom of this world is become

The kingdom of our Lord

And of His Christ

And of His Christ

 

And He shall reign forever and ever

And He shall reign forever and ever

And He shall reign forever and ever

King of kings forever and ever

And Lord of lords

Hallelujah hallelujah

Hallelujah hallelujah

Hallelujah

 

George Frideric Handel

Public Domain

Beyond Warm Fuzzies

Our celebration of Christmas has the potential of getting swallowed up by “warm fuzzies” or being ruined by the lack of them. Warm fuzzies? In case you do not know, Merriam Webster definition says that ‘warm fuzzies’ are those feelings of happiness, contentment, or sentimentality that we get when there is good news, when we are loved.  Silent Night sung on Christmas Eve in a darkened church sanctuary while we pass the light from candle to candle is a warm fuzzy moment for this pastor. Yep, the warm fuzzies overwhelm me when I talk about Christmas’s of 30 years ago when four excited kids filled our house with noise.

Relax! I am not a Grinch out to rob you of those sentimental feelings. They are wonderful. Enjoy them, savor them, let them make your life richer.

Christianity does include some warm fuzzies for most of us. I cannot tell the story of the Lost Son who found his father’s arms open wide to him when he finally decided to go home without getting teary! It is such a powerful story of restoration.  In my personal worship there are moments when the Spirit of God comes close and I feel a kind of love that breaks my heart wide open, too. But, our Christian life cannot survive on warm fuzzies. We need to engage both heart and mind with our faith to keep it alive!

James tells us to keep our faith connected to real life.  What we believe, he says, must have a discernable effect on the way we live. "What’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” I say, “I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds.” (James 2:14-18, NLT)

Yesterday I found myself angry over the politics of COVID, deeply annoyed by what I perceive as a terrible over-reach of government authority. We may well differ in our opinions, but what disturbed me, as I reflected on my words, was the way that my response was out of sync with the heart of Jesus. My anger led me to sinful wrath, to conclusions that my faith would never support.  

 A Christian faith based only on feelings would have been incapable of correcting me, but the Truth that I knew in my mind, forced me to adjust my emotions and hopefully will help me adjust my rhetoric as well.  Is your faith in Christ Jesus powerful enough to challenge your thoughts, your words, your actions? Or, is Jesus just a warm fuzzy for you?  That is a pointed question worthy of an answer.  

Love is the core of Jesus' teaching, and yet many who claim to be His followers are full of rage these days. It is not an over-statement to say that many of us ‘hate’ the ‘other guy.’ Can we actually lay claim to loving God and  hang to bitterness against a neighbor?  Can we really have experienced the reality of God's love and desire harm to come to another?   

Read God’s Word and come to your own conclusion. "If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another Christian is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them." (1 John 3:14-15, NLT)

We are not Christians simply because we once said a prayer with Billy Graham at the end of a televised service, or because we affirmed some doctrinal statement, or because we are in possession of a certificate of baptism.  We are not a Christian if we shed an occasional tear when we hear our favorite worship chorus in church. When faith is real we will be engaged in living the Gospel of Christ in the real world, with the Spirit's help, on a daily basis .  John says, "My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality." (1 John 3:18-19, The Message)    

So, it's Christmas.   There's a ton of sentimentality attached to this holiday.   Let me encourage you to go beyond that little tear in the corner of your eye, that catch in your throat, to do the tough work of applying the Story to life.   If you believe that Jesus is really “Emmanuel, God with us,” then invite Him to live in you.    Embrace Him as both Savior and Lord – in your heart and with your mind – then let it show in how you live for the glory of God.

The word from the Word is a favorite passage for me. I pray this blessing for you this Monday morning.
"And 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." (Ephesians 3:17-19, NLT)  

_________________________

O come, O come Emmanuel

O come, O come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns  in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

O come,  thou Rod of Jesse free,

Thine own from  Satan's tyranny

From depths of hell  thy people save

And give them victory  o'er the grave

 

O come,  thou Dayspring,  come and cheer
Our spirits by  Thine advent here;
And drive away the  shades of night,
And pierce the  clouds and bring us light.

 

O come,  thou Key of David, come,

And open wide  our heavenly home.

Make safe the way  that leads on high,

And close the path  to misery.

 

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel, Shall come to thee,  O Israel!

 

O Come O Come Emmanuel -Neale, John M. / Coffin, Henry S. / Helmore, Thomas © Public Domain