Every generation has 'marker' days, days on which an event that changed the course of history occurred. My generation will always remember September 11, 2001 simply as "9/11" the day that terrorists brought their hatred to the United States - killing thousands. My grandparents' generation remember December 7, 1941 as "Pearl Harbor Day." This was the day that brought American public support around for entering World War 2 and war was declared a few days later. Tragically, the deaths of thousands of sailors could have been avoided IF the commanders of the Naval bases there on Hawaii had been vigilant, but they did not take the threat of Japanese hostility seriously. The common assumption was that the Japanese navy simply could not cross thousands of miles of open ocean to attack U.S. bases without being detected. But, they did; and that beautiful Sunday morning, in 1941, thousands died and our Pacific fleet was almost completely destroyed.
Amazingly, most marker days in history have to do with death and destruction, sorrow and loss! Christians are in the Season of Advent preparing to celebrate a marker day that is different, very different. Christmas (yes, I'm aware that 12/25 is not really the day of Jesus' birth, but rather a day chosen for the celebration!) is a marker day that is about LIFE! A devout old man named Simeon captures the importance of the event. He met Joseph and Mary at the Temple days after Jesus' birth and held the baby boy in his arms. The Holy Spirit revealed the identity of the infant to this old man who declared, “Lord, now I can die in peace! As you promised me, I have seen the Savior you have given to all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” (Luke 2:29-32, NLT)
The significance of the event is of such importance that even our Western calendar dating system is built around the birth of Jesus Christ! We live in 2005 Anno Domine (A.D.) which is a Latin phrase meaning, "year of our Lord." Those who might think that the birth of Jesus is just a day of importance to Christians, or that it is just a day of sentimental significance, need to be reminded that the birth of Jesus is the event that changed history. His teaching about the value of individual persons, about compassion, about God's gracious love form the basis of our Western culture! This fact is largely forgotten as our society becomes increasingly secular, blind to the impact that the eternal and spiritual has on the temporal world.
The passing of time blurs our grasp of facts, sometimes even erases our memory. We forget the events that caused the shape of current cultural, moral, political, and spiritual concepts and practices. The costs, often terrible and bloody, of radical change, are forgotten as subsequent generations enjoy the benefits that come from the sacrifices of those who went before them.
So, let me wrap up this TFTD with a two-fold appeal:
a. Remember Pearl Harbor Day, and those men and women who endured the terrible war that followed, out of which grew the present world order which has provided us with great freedom and prosperity.
b. Remember Christmas! Yes, remember, with joy, the baby in the Manger, the song of the angels, the visit of the Magi. Take stock of the hope and peace that you know as result of knowing Jesus as your Savior. But, remember, too, the wide ranging impact that His Life has had on the world in which we live.
_____________________________________
"Father, thank you for sending Light into a dark world.
Help me to keep the Light blazing.
Don't let me forget-
the love of Jesus who came to earth,
at great cost to Himself.
Don't let me forget the sacrifice of those who kept the faith alive
through hundreds of years,
so I could know of Your love today.
As I remember your Gift, let me receive Him anew,
and change me from the inside out,
from sinner to saint,
by the power of the Spirit.
Then, make me a person of transformation,
who make a difference...
to my friends, my family; yes, Lord,
to the world of which I am such a small part.
In the Name of the Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
VNP or VEP?
Joy in serving?
Groundhog Day, a 1993 comedy, is a parable. Seen it? Bill Murray plays the role of Phil Connors, a TV reporter who finds himself in a time loop, reliving Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, PA, over and over again. At first Phil responds with frustration to being trapped. Then, he decides to live selfishly, eating all he wants, stealing, and taking advantage of women. He selfishness leads him into suicidal despair! Finally, he realizes that since he knows exactly what is going to happen in this town on the day he lives again and again, he can step in and serve, helping to change lives. He becomes a hero by serving others, accidentally finding joy in a situation that he would not had chosen for himself.
Fantasy? Of course, but sometimes life feels like an endless loop, doesn't it? We awaken to meet the same responsibilities, to go through the same chores, in the same ritual - day after day. Many of us respond to life in much the same way as Phil Connors! We grumble and complain about our place, our position, and our possessions. We look for diversions that are expressions of selfishness, believing we will find happiness in a new toy, an escape to some vacation spot. Do we? Yes, there is a temporary emotional lift, but does it last? Apparently not! Depression is America's most common mental health issue. On average, we're richer, more traveled, and more well fed than any previous generation but it doesn't seem to me that we are happier.
Here's God's wisdom. Joy is found in finding our God-given purpose and fulfilling that calling faithfully, day by day. Purpose, not indulgence, is the path to satisfaction, because satisfaction comes from sensing God's approval. That's the Jesus model! When some of the men who lived with him, learning from him, asked for privileged positions in the kingdom of God which they thought he was about to establish, he reminded them of the true nature of his calling -- "For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”" (Matthew 20:28, NLT) His purpose was to give away his life, on the cross. And why did he do it? Hebrews says, "for the joy that was set before Him... he endured the cross!"
People live on a scale that has as its ends - VNP's (Very Needy People) who drain energy and life from others and VEP's (Very Encouraging People) who pour energy into others. Depending on the circumstances in which we find ourselves from time to time, we slide toward one end of the scale or the other. At times, when we're knocked off our feet by tragedy or storms, we really do need to be carried by others ! However, I find that the cluster tends to be larger toward the VNP end of the scale all of the time. Why? Because our sinful nature leads to self-centeredness.
"Feed me! Take care of me! Help me! Notice me!"- is the infantile cry of many who continue to live as VNP's though they should have long ago become helpers, mature, and capable of drawing on the resources of the Holy Spirit for themselves. We need to grow up in Christ. After receiving, by faith, the new life of the Spirit, we need to learn the principles of the Word. As mature Christians who have accepted the Spirit's work that heals our hurts and makes us wise, we begin to be VEP's that pour life into others, that bring light to dark places. Believe it or not, that kind of service is the way of joy!
During this Season of Advent, make it your prayer that God will help you to live on the VEP end of the scale! Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of the opportunities to make a difference that exist around you. Prayerfully, overthrow self. When you're tempted to tear down, to criticize, to whine, or to demand that somebody comfort you and meet your need, choose to be mature. Serve, not dutifully, but joyfully! Keep a journal and then let me know how you're feeling about life right after January 1. I know it works - it's the Jesus model for a life of joy!
Groundhog Day, a 1993 comedy, is a parable. Seen it? Bill Murray plays the role of Phil Connors, a TV reporter who finds himself in a time loop, reliving Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, PA, over and over again. At first Phil responds with frustration to being trapped. Then, he decides to live selfishly, eating all he wants, stealing, and taking advantage of women. He selfishness leads him into suicidal despair! Finally, he realizes that since he knows exactly what is going to happen in this town on the day he lives again and again, he can step in and serve, helping to change lives. He becomes a hero by serving others, accidentally finding joy in a situation that he would not had chosen for himself.
Fantasy? Of course, but sometimes life feels like an endless loop, doesn't it? We awaken to meet the same responsibilities, to go through the same chores, in the same ritual - day after day. Many of us respond to life in much the same way as Phil Connors! We grumble and complain about our place, our position, and our possessions. We look for diversions that are expressions of selfishness, believing we will find happiness in a new toy, an escape to some vacation spot. Do we? Yes, there is a temporary emotional lift, but does it last? Apparently not! Depression is America's most common mental health issue. On average, we're richer, more traveled, and more well fed than any previous generation but it doesn't seem to me that we are happier.
Here's God's wisdom. Joy is found in finding our God-given purpose and fulfilling that calling faithfully, day by day. Purpose, not indulgence, is the path to satisfaction, because satisfaction comes from sensing God's approval. That's the Jesus model! When some of the men who lived with him, learning from him, asked for privileged positions in the kingdom of God which they thought he was about to establish, he reminded them of the true nature of his calling -- "For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”" (Matthew 20:28, NLT) His purpose was to give away his life, on the cross. And why did he do it? Hebrews says, "for the joy that was set before Him... he endured the cross!"
People live on a scale that has as its ends - VNP's (Very Needy People) who drain energy and life from others and VEP's (Very Encouraging People) who pour energy into others. Depending on the circumstances in which we find ourselves from time to time, we slide toward one end of the scale or the other. At times, when we're knocked off our feet by tragedy or storms, we really do need to be carried by others ! However, I find that the cluster tends to be larger toward the VNP end of the scale all of the time. Why? Because our sinful nature leads to self-centeredness.
"Feed me! Take care of me! Help me! Notice me!"- is the infantile cry of many who continue to live as VNP's though they should have long ago become helpers, mature, and capable of drawing on the resources of the Holy Spirit for themselves. We need to grow up in Christ. After receiving, by faith, the new life of the Spirit, we need to learn the principles of the Word. As mature Christians who have accepted the Spirit's work that heals our hurts and makes us wise, we begin to be VEP's that pour life into others, that bring light to dark places. Believe it or not, that kind of service is the way of joy!
During this Season of Advent, make it your prayer that God will help you to live on the VEP end of the scale! Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of the opportunities to make a difference that exist around you. Prayerfully, overthrow self. When you're tempted to tear down, to criticize, to whine, or to demand that somebody comfort you and meet your need, choose to be mature. Serve, not dutifully, but joyfully! Keep a journal and then let me know how you're feeling about life right after January 1. I know it works - it's the Jesus model for a life of joy!
Monday, December 05, 2005
Peace on earth
I long for peace; not peace merely expressed as in the absence of conflict, but the peace that is described by the Hebrew word, "shalom." Shalom, translated most often as 'peace,' has a richer meaning including wholeness, completeness, prosperity, settledness of mind and heart! When the Hebrew Scripture promises us a "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9.6) - the promise is about more than a Man who will blow the whistle and make the noise stop for a while! Jesus Christ is the One who is promised to bring us 'shalom.'
What is it about humans that makes us so 'un-peaceful?' Conflict is everywhere. Nations war. Families feud. Spouses battle. Sibling spar. Even we Christians, who claim to be led by the Peace-maker, fight frightfully for foolish frivolities! Congregations are destroyed by wars of words over the tempo of the music used in worship, the color of the carpet, and such matters of eternal importance. Relationships that are supposed an expression of the bond of the Spirit die because of a moment of hasty words leading to hurt feelings.
It is the lack of internal peace that is most painful, and the cause of most of our external conflicts as well. When a man has not anchored his soul in Christ, when he has not answered, in Him, the question of why he exists and for what purpose he walks the face of the earth, living in peace is an impossible dream! This person is constantly evaluating his accomplishments, the amount of his possessions, his position in the pecking order against those of his neighbors. The inevitable result of this insecurity is envy and jealousy and from that, says James, comes 'every evil work!' (James 3.16)
Isaiah writes, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!" (Isaiah 9:6-7, NLT) What a glorious promise! But before we apply it to the nations, we need to apply to our heart!
The Messiah, God's Messenger of Peace, came to be our 'shalom.' He came to bridge the gap between the Father and us, restoring us from the dis-inherited state into which our disobedience has sold us. He came to establish the rule of the Spirit, our Mighty God, so that we would not continue as slaves of sin. He came to be our Counselor, so we could know how to live wisely and purposefully, with insight to discern the way of Truth! Yes, He is our Peace.
Are you conflicted today?
Do you want more -- respect, things, possessions, power, comfort, pleasure, control -- because you think that such things will finally let you feel 'at rest?'
Dear friend, that is a mirage! If you should get that desire, the shimmering waters that promise refreshing would still be on the horizon.
Peace, true settledness and wholeness, comes through Jesus Christ. "Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices." Yes, they chanted this birth announcement from the skies over Bethlehem - “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14, NIV)
___________________
O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt His worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born!
O night divine! O night, O night divine!
Truly he taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name
Fall on your knees!
Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born!
O night divine! O night, O night divine!
What is it about humans that makes us so 'un-peaceful?' Conflict is everywhere. Nations war. Families feud. Spouses battle. Sibling spar. Even we Christians, who claim to be led by the Peace-maker, fight frightfully for foolish frivolities! Congregations are destroyed by wars of words over the tempo of the music used in worship, the color of the carpet, and such matters of eternal importance. Relationships that are supposed an expression of the bond of the Spirit die because of a moment of hasty words leading to hurt feelings.
It is the lack of internal peace that is most painful, and the cause of most of our external conflicts as well. When a man has not anchored his soul in Christ, when he has not answered, in Him, the question of why he exists and for what purpose he walks the face of the earth, living in peace is an impossible dream! This person is constantly evaluating his accomplishments, the amount of his possessions, his position in the pecking order against those of his neighbors. The inevitable result of this insecurity is envy and jealousy and from that, says James, comes 'every evil work!' (James 3.16)
Isaiah writes, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!" (Isaiah 9:6-7, NLT) What a glorious promise! But before we apply it to the nations, we need to apply to our heart!
The Messiah, God's Messenger of Peace, came to be our 'shalom.' He came to bridge the gap between the Father and us, restoring us from the dis-inherited state into which our disobedience has sold us. He came to establish the rule of the Spirit, our Mighty God, so that we would not continue as slaves of sin. He came to be our Counselor, so we could know how to live wisely and purposefully, with insight to discern the way of Truth! Yes, He is our Peace.
Are you conflicted today?
Do you want more -- respect, things, possessions, power, comfort, pleasure, control -- because you think that such things will finally let you feel 'at rest?'
Dear friend, that is a mirage! If you should get that desire, the shimmering waters that promise refreshing would still be on the horizon.
Peace, true settledness and wholeness, comes through Jesus Christ. "Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices." Yes, they chanted this birth announcement from the skies over Bethlehem - “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14, NIV)
___________________
O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt His worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born!
O night divine! O night, O night divine!
Truly he taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name
Fall on your knees!
Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born!
O night divine! O night, O night divine!
Friday, December 02, 2005
There is room for You!
Those 'personalized' letters that come from some far-off credit card company that open with 'Dear Jerry,' as though they came from a friend, make me laugh out loud. The marketers that work to create the illusion of personalization recognize a real need that exists in our world- to be known and accepted. They know that most of us are left empty by the impersonal nature of our hurry-up world. We want to be 'connected' to others. So, they create fake 'personalized' letters that appeal to that hunger.
Yesterday, I went to the deli where I stop a couple of morning during the week to get a cup of coffee and where I pick up lunch every now and then. The man who owns that deli always greets me with a smile. When I stepped up to the counter to order a sandwich, before I could say anything, he said, "It will be a 'Slam,' no tomato, with mayo, right?" He knew a little part of my preferences and I appreciated his effort to remember! It feels good when someone remembers my name. I'll admit it. No, it's not because I'm egotistical, it's just that I want to feel human, not like a machine.
When the Son of God was born, He came to a world that didn't recognize Him. Joseph and his very pregnant wife arrived in Bethlehem to find themselves on the outside, their needs unmet. According to Luke, they went to settle down in the place where the animals were kept 'because there was no room for them in the inn.' (2.7) John says, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." (John 1:10-11, NIV)
Why didn't people recognize Mary's pregnancy and make room for her and for her baby?
Why did Jesus live among people who talked much about their desire for God's Deliverer, the Messiah, but yet did not recognize Him?
Most likely He went unrecognized for the same reasons that we fail to 'know' the people that surround us. Often, it isn't open hostility or intentional disregard. We just get pre-occupied with life, busy with our 'stuff,' intent on meeting our own agenda, don't we?
One of the greatest gifts we can give to those around us is the gift of warmth, compassion - of being loving. That sounds so simple, doesn't it?
Yet, we fail at it so often. I think I know, at least partially, why. We fail at love for others because we fail to love God! When we make it a priority to love God, to carve out time from our schedules to pray, to meditate, to be in His Presence - His love settles over us, bringing a serenity to our heart and mind. From that centeredness, that serenity, comes a sense of purposefulness. Instead of living frantically, rushing around trying to become 'somebody,' trying to secure our place in the world, worrying about having enough; we live in the care of the Father who knows our needs before we even ask Him about them! We gain a sense that He knows our name! We are not alone. We are no longer insecure in an impersonal world. We are God's sons and daughters. Loved, we become more loving.
Don't let this Season of Celebration of God's love gift be robbed of the most important part - making room for God, and for others! For what good it is if our house is wonderfully decorated, if the gifts are beautifully wrapped, if the dinner is astonishingly delicious - but our life is full of stress and confusion as a result of all our 'busy-ness?'
Love God! Focus on Jesus, making room in your life, your heart, for Him. Then, as you experience His love, go love Him. How?
He said, "Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40, The Message)
That's right - we make room for Jesus when we make room in our hearts for those around us!
_________________________________
Yesterday, I went to the deli where I stop a couple of morning during the week to get a cup of coffee and where I pick up lunch every now and then. The man who owns that deli always greets me with a smile. When I stepped up to the counter to order a sandwich, before I could say anything, he said, "It will be a 'Slam,' no tomato, with mayo, right?" He knew a little part of my preferences and I appreciated his effort to remember! It feels good when someone remembers my name. I'll admit it. No, it's not because I'm egotistical, it's just that I want to feel human, not like a machine.
When the Son of God was born, He came to a world that didn't recognize Him. Joseph and his very pregnant wife arrived in Bethlehem to find themselves on the outside, their needs unmet. According to Luke, they went to settle down in the place where the animals were kept 'because there was no room for them in the inn.' (2.7) John says, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." (John 1:10-11, NIV)
Why didn't people recognize Mary's pregnancy and make room for her and for her baby?
Why did Jesus live among people who talked much about their desire for God's Deliverer, the Messiah, but yet did not recognize Him?
Most likely He went unrecognized for the same reasons that we fail to 'know' the people that surround us. Often, it isn't open hostility or intentional disregard. We just get pre-occupied with life, busy with our 'stuff,' intent on meeting our own agenda, don't we?
One of the greatest gifts we can give to those around us is the gift of warmth, compassion - of being loving. That sounds so simple, doesn't it?
Yet, we fail at it so often. I think I know, at least partially, why. We fail at love for others because we fail to love God! When we make it a priority to love God, to carve out time from our schedules to pray, to meditate, to be in His Presence - His love settles over us, bringing a serenity to our heart and mind. From that centeredness, that serenity, comes a sense of purposefulness. Instead of living frantically, rushing around trying to become 'somebody,' trying to secure our place in the world, worrying about having enough; we live in the care of the Father who knows our needs before we even ask Him about them! We gain a sense that He knows our name! We are not alone. We are no longer insecure in an impersonal world. We are God's sons and daughters. Loved, we become more loving.
Don't let this Season of Celebration of God's love gift be robbed of the most important part - making room for God, and for others! For what good it is if our house is wonderfully decorated, if the gifts are beautifully wrapped, if the dinner is astonishingly delicious - but our life is full of stress and confusion as a result of all our 'busy-ness?'
Love God! Focus on Jesus, making room in your life, your heart, for Him. Then, as you experience His love, go love Him. How?
He said, "Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40, The Message)
That's right - we make room for Jesus when we make room in our hearts for those around us!
_________________________________
Thursday, December 01, 2005
God's Light
Yesterday, I was temporarily overwhelmed by human need. Everywhere I looked there were challenges, disappointments, and sins. The weight of it pressed on me as though a heavy burden was laid on my shoulders. As I conducted a Bible Study in a jail, I saw men and women with need, many of them slaves to drugs and/or alcohol. Most of those at that table have lived in a cycle of brokenness that stretches back for generations! The police called me asking for the church to assist a homeless man who had spent the night on the street in the cold rain. He was miserable, soaked to the skin, stinking, and without hope. That was just the local stuff!
The news media brought me plenty of reasons to be filled with despair! Terrorism, despite our best and expensive efforts, continues to be a potent threat in much of the world. Militant Islam is on the march. American soldiers are still on alert in Iraq, facing a shadowy foe that attacks from nowhere and fades back into the general population. It's been a year of terrible disasters that are still causing misery in various parts of the globe - the tsunami that devastated the Pacific region just after Christmas last year, the storms that raged across the Southeast United States leaving a major city in ruins and thousands of Americans living in third world conditions, the earthquakes that killed tens of thousands in Pakistan and destroyed an entire region's infrastructure.
"OK, OK, enough of that," you say, and I agree! From where comes hope?
Another man was wrestling with disappointment. His fiancé was pregnant and he knew that he wasn't the father! Into the darkness of that man's broken dreams, an angel spoke of hope. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, NLT) The angel urges that man to look past his problem to God's answer! Joseph was drawn into God's great plan to bring a Light to the World. By faith he became part of that plan, and went ahead with his marriage to Mary and extending the security of his home and love to the baby who would change history by his life.
John opens his Gospel with the declaration - "What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out." (John 1:4-5, The Message) There is HOPE for those who look to the Light.
The solution to human need begins with the transformation of the heart. That transformation is the result of a supernatural intervention- God stepped into the world, born the son of a virgin mother, to bring us Light, so that we might see our way back to our Father, to life, and to Heaven. "Jesus," the name means "God saves!" Christmas is about hope for a hopeless world. It's not a temporary lift that comes from celebrations and decorations. It about the possibility of real and lasting change for those who will look to the Light!
It begins with you and me, individually, responding to the Spirit's invitation. That weight I felt in my soul yesterday was actually God's invitation to fall to my knees and look up, past my insufficiency, to Him. I cannot change even my own life by my best efforts, so what would lead me to conclude that I could change my world? But, Jesus, the Savior, makes me a child of God, a son filled with Heaven's hope, and resources me to meet the needs that come my way. If you're beset by need, overwhelmed by life's challenges, look to the Light! Then, together, you and I and millions of others who are Light-bearers will bring the blazing brightness of His light to the darkness.
John says,
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.
1:14-15 The Message
Let the Light shine!
The news media brought me plenty of reasons to be filled with despair! Terrorism, despite our best and expensive efforts, continues to be a potent threat in much of the world. Militant Islam is on the march. American soldiers are still on alert in Iraq, facing a shadowy foe that attacks from nowhere and fades back into the general population. It's been a year of terrible disasters that are still causing misery in various parts of the globe - the tsunami that devastated the Pacific region just after Christmas last year, the storms that raged across the Southeast United States leaving a major city in ruins and thousands of Americans living in third world conditions, the earthquakes that killed tens of thousands in Pakistan and destroyed an entire region's infrastructure.
"OK, OK, enough of that," you say, and I agree! From where comes hope?
Another man was wrestling with disappointment. His fiancé was pregnant and he knew that he wasn't the father! Into the darkness of that man's broken dreams, an angel spoke of hope. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, NLT) The angel urges that man to look past his problem to God's answer! Joseph was drawn into God's great plan to bring a Light to the World. By faith he became part of that plan, and went ahead with his marriage to Mary and extending the security of his home and love to the baby who would change history by his life.
John opens his Gospel with the declaration - "What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out." (John 1:4-5, The Message) There is HOPE for those who look to the Light.
The solution to human need begins with the transformation of the heart. That transformation is the result of a supernatural intervention- God stepped into the world, born the son of a virgin mother, to bring us Light, so that we might see our way back to our Father, to life, and to Heaven. "Jesus," the name means "God saves!" Christmas is about hope for a hopeless world. It's not a temporary lift that comes from celebrations and decorations. It about the possibility of real and lasting change for those who will look to the Light!
It begins with you and me, individually, responding to the Spirit's invitation. That weight I felt in my soul yesterday was actually God's invitation to fall to my knees and look up, past my insufficiency, to Him. I cannot change even my own life by my best efforts, so what would lead me to conclude that I could change my world? But, Jesus, the Savior, makes me a child of God, a son filled with Heaven's hope, and resources me to meet the needs that come my way. If you're beset by need, overwhelmed by life's challenges, look to the Light! Then, together, you and I and millions of others who are Light-bearers will bring the blazing brightness of His light to the darkness.
John says,
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.
1:14-15 The Message
Let the Light shine!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
"I see," Oh, really?
Minkaye is a man who lived his entire life in the Amazonian jungle. Most of his life he lived just as his ancestors lived for a thousand years, with little awareness of the greater world. Then, the missionaries who lived with his people invited him to go with them to visit the United States. His attempts to tell his wife what he experienced are hilarious! He told her that the 'foreigners' are very fat because they don't hunt or plant gardens, they just sit around a lot. She scoffed, "how do they eat?" He told her that there are great food houses where people go and take piles of food in a wagon to a girl near the door who "pretends not to look at them for a while, then she looks up and smiles." "Then," Minkaye reported, "people give her a little card which she looks at and then she gives it right back and they take the food home." Interesting description of the supermarket and check out procedure, isn't it? He told her that he 'saw it very well,' meaning that he really took it in and enjoyed it. But Minkaye didn't really "see" it because he lacked the information required to interpret what he was seeing with his eyes. (from the DVD, Beyond the Gates of Splendor)
You and I can be like Minkaye when it comes to spiritual matters. As creatures of this earth, we are natural ignorant of the ways of the spiritual realm and yet we think that we understand what we see, but apart from the enlightenment that comes from the Spirit of God, we don't really 'get it!' It is possible to waste lots of resources and be frustrated in our attempts to correct problems that have deep spiritual causes with purely natural methods. Evil is active around us, trying to destroy lives! There is plenty of outward evidence of it. Hatred, racism, greed, and lust are just a few symptoms. How do we attempt to change those things in ourselves, in others? If we do not see the spiritual roots that lie beyond our ability to see with natural eyes we will surely think providing information or writing more stringent laws will be the remedies.
Then, too, a person who sees life only with his natural eyes will not grasp the joy of true worship of the living God, nor will he appreciate the richness that is found in knowing Jesus as Friend and Lord. He will believe that 'real life' can be discovered in wealth and/or pleasure. But, in truth, because we are spiritual beings, designed to know and love God, an inner emptiness will remain even when there is superficial success.
Here's the challenge for us, that we maintain 20/20 spiritual vision! It is possible to catch a glimpse of God's work and ways and then to slide back into seeing only with natural eyes. Many Christians and churches are ineffective and powerless as agents of transformation precisely for that reason. They are trying to spiritual work with natural methods and means.
Our prayer needs to be - "Lord, open our eyes! Let us see and understand." Here's a word from the Word. Before you read it, humbly ask the Holy Spirit to make the meaning plain.
"... the wisdom we speak of is the secret wisdom of God, which was hidden in former times, though he made it for our benefit before the world began....
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets. No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us." (1 Corinthians 2:7-12, NLT)
Pray for insight! Let God reveal what cannot be grasped by natural means alone - both in terms of human needs and Divine solutions.
And then, as He enlightens you, you will live in true wisdom: a mature, spiritual person who really does "see it well."
_____________________
Open Our Eyes
Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him,
And say that we love Him.
Open our ears, Lord,
And help us to listen.
Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus.
Author: Cull, Bob
Copyright: 1976 Maranatha! Music (Admin. by The Copyright Company)
You and I can be like Minkaye when it comes to spiritual matters. As creatures of this earth, we are natural ignorant of the ways of the spiritual realm and yet we think that we understand what we see, but apart from the enlightenment that comes from the Spirit of God, we don't really 'get it!' It is possible to waste lots of resources and be frustrated in our attempts to correct problems that have deep spiritual causes with purely natural methods. Evil is active around us, trying to destroy lives! There is plenty of outward evidence of it. Hatred, racism, greed, and lust are just a few symptoms. How do we attempt to change those things in ourselves, in others? If we do not see the spiritual roots that lie beyond our ability to see with natural eyes we will surely think providing information or writing more stringent laws will be the remedies.
Then, too, a person who sees life only with his natural eyes will not grasp the joy of true worship of the living God, nor will he appreciate the richness that is found in knowing Jesus as Friend and Lord. He will believe that 'real life' can be discovered in wealth and/or pleasure. But, in truth, because we are spiritual beings, designed to know and love God, an inner emptiness will remain even when there is superficial success.
Here's the challenge for us, that we maintain 20/20 spiritual vision! It is possible to catch a glimpse of God's work and ways and then to slide back into seeing only with natural eyes. Many Christians and churches are ineffective and powerless as agents of transformation precisely for that reason. They are trying to spiritual work with natural methods and means.
Our prayer needs to be - "Lord, open our eyes! Let us see and understand." Here's a word from the Word. Before you read it, humbly ask the Holy Spirit to make the meaning plain.
"... the wisdom we speak of is the secret wisdom of God, which was hidden in former times, though he made it for our benefit before the world began....
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets. No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us." (1 Corinthians 2:7-12, NLT)
Pray for insight! Let God reveal what cannot be grasped by natural means alone - both in terms of human needs and Divine solutions.
And then, as He enlightens you, you will live in true wisdom: a mature, spiritual person who really does "see it well."
_____________________
Open Our Eyes
Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him,
And say that we love Him.
Open our ears, Lord,
And help us to listen.
Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus.
Author: Cull, Bob
Copyright: 1976 Maranatha! Music (Admin. by The Copyright Company)
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
A worthy prince?
It is the Season called Advent, a time of preparation for Christ's coming as our King. Yesterday I wrote about preparation. The question - does my life show honor for Him, preparedness for His coming - has stayed with me. We love that phrase that says we're "King's Kids." You know what? We are! So we need to start acting like princes and princesses! There is a certain obligation that goes with belonging to the King's family and bearing His name in this world. In this Advent season. one way to honor the King is to develop a sensitive conscience that allows the Spirit to call us to greater devotion, to a more consistent holiness, in every area of our lives.
In last month's issue of Christianity Today, David Gushee wrote a most compelling article that touches on this subject. I'd recommend a careful reading of it to each of my readers. Online you can find the article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/011/27.88.html. In that essay, Gushee uses the phrase 'moral sloppiness' to describe the disarray in the lives of many who call themselves Christians.
We modern evangelical Christians are so terrified of sliding back into the legalistic traditions of a generation past that it seems many of us have lost the ability to call sins by their names! With a broad brush of 'grace' we cover even the most flagrant failures. In the the guise of love, we challenge no one, not even ourselves, to make the hard choices that being a genuine Christ-follower require. The result is a pseudo-religious experience that demands nothing from us but some sentiments expressed at appropriate moments.
"Jerry, that awfully harsh, isn't it? Do you want to turn the faith into a set of laws?" No way! I would never be an advocate for going back to a time when we judged the sincerity of another's Christian faith based on his choice of a refreshing beverage on a hot summer day, the length of her skirt, the kind of music that he loved, or whether she smoked cigarettes! Many of those unwritten rules of 'Christian' conduct were so arbitrary that they were even silly. But, when we swept them away in the name of God's grace, many of us went way too far and we lost the very Biblical concept of being God's holy people, who live in distinct ways that are worthy of our Savior and King.
For example, I believe we need to be able to exercise discipline with that Believer who will not honor his marriage vows as he chases skirts at work.
Then, too, the gossip who tears up the church with stories that are born in a fertile imagination should not get a pass because 'that's just the way she is.'
And, our teens should be taught that sex is really a gift of God and that while our culture says, 'just do it' albeit safely. A real Christian knows that sex has a component of sacredness and God put it into the loving context of marriage for very, very good reasons.
A true Christian will have a different set of values about Money. Greed is so common among Christians most of us see no moral problem with craving more, spending more, running up our debt load 'as long as we meet the minimum monthly payment.' One twisted form of American Christianity even regards conspicuous materialism as a sign of God's blessings. Jesus taught us that we don't own the stuff we care for, or the money in our bank account. We're managers of God's stuff and will give account to the Owner someday. Sobering thought, isn't it? Of course I realize that it's so easy to become legalistic, to create some arbitrary $ amount that is 'too much.' It would be a mockery of the Bible's stewardship principles to argue a Christian can only build a house of certain size or drive a Ford, but not a Lincoln! But, how about having an accountability partner with whom you pray and consult before making a major purchase, someone who will help you check motives? That's the stuff of REAL Christianity, isn't it?
Now that I'm on a roll, I'll just go ahead and jump off the cliff and write about -- church attendance. This year Christmas falls on Sunday and I've already braced myself that the majority of the people in our church will choose family and home over honoring the Lord and His Body by gathering to worship that morning. But it's not just Christmas Sunday, either. On any given Lord's Day, only a little more than one half of the people who call the Assembly their church home are actually there! We excuse this self indulgence by reminding ourselves that going to church doesn't make us a Christian, which is true enough. But, don't we show what we value by the way we divide our time? Are birthday parties, football games, or fixing up our house really the equal of corporate worship? IF we love the Lord, we will desire to be in the company of others who love Him, praising Him and hearing His Word. And... by the way, parent... if you want your child to grow up to put a high priority on serving God, one of the ways you teach them what's important is how you use your Sundays! It's a very visible, tangible demonstration of discipline, commitment, and dedication. Argue with me if you will, but it's hard to tell your child -- "Jesus is first, our Lord" -- as you're driving past the church half the Sundays of the year on your way to a family gathering, a sporting event, or while you lay in your bed "because it's been such a tough week, God will surely understand."
In the book of the Revelation of Jesus we are urged by the King- "Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there’s life in you yet. But I wouldn’t know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God’s work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God. “If you pull the covers back over your head and sleep on, oblivious to God, I’ll return when you least expect it, break into your life like a thief in the night.
Here's a promise for those who walk worthy! -- “You still have a few Christians in Sardis who haven’t ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world’s ways. They’ll walk with me on parade! They’ve proved their worth! “Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I’ll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels." (Revelation 3:2-5, The Message)
Gushee's conclusion is worthy of consideration:
"Christianity is more than an event, an experience, or a set of beliefs. It is a way of life characterized by moral seriousness and the quest for holiness."
Are you living worthy of your relationship to the King? If not, repentance is in order. And then, watch out for shallow legalism! Cultivate deep intimacy with God, from which comes authentic holiness, which is truly beautiful - in His sight, and before our world. I pray that Jesus is King of my sexuality, my possessions, my leisure time, my work habits, my thoughts, my words, my plans and goals.... so that when people spend time with me, they will say, "you certainly have a great Father, and it's obvious you love Him!"
__________________________
PS - I didn't write this specifically for you, or for any one of the other couple of hundreds of people who read TFTD on a daily basis. Please do not feel that you need to write to me with an explanation about why you weren't in church last week. This TFTD was born out of my own reflection on ways that I express my devotion to the Lord Jesus, my own desire to live in a way that is worthy of my position as a child of God. I hope you'll read it that way, too. Our Christianity is never lived, ultimately, for our Pastor, our family, or our friends. It is lived for Christ, the King. Love Him.
In last month's issue of Christianity Today, David Gushee wrote a most compelling article that touches on this subject. I'd recommend a careful reading of it to each of my readers. Online you can find the article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/011/27.88.html. In that essay, Gushee uses the phrase 'moral sloppiness' to describe the disarray in the lives of many who call themselves Christians.
We modern evangelical Christians are so terrified of sliding back into the legalistic traditions of a generation past that it seems many of us have lost the ability to call sins by their names! With a broad brush of 'grace' we cover even the most flagrant failures. In the the guise of love, we challenge no one, not even ourselves, to make the hard choices that being a genuine Christ-follower require. The result is a pseudo-religious experience that demands nothing from us but some sentiments expressed at appropriate moments.
"Jerry, that awfully harsh, isn't it? Do you want to turn the faith into a set of laws?" No way! I would never be an advocate for going back to a time when we judged the sincerity of another's Christian faith based on his choice of a refreshing beverage on a hot summer day, the length of her skirt, the kind of music that he loved, or whether she smoked cigarettes! Many of those unwritten rules of 'Christian' conduct were so arbitrary that they were even silly. But, when we swept them away in the name of God's grace, many of us went way too far and we lost the very Biblical concept of being God's holy people, who live in distinct ways that are worthy of our Savior and King.
For example, I believe we need to be able to exercise discipline with that Believer who will not honor his marriage vows as he chases skirts at work.
Then, too, the gossip who tears up the church with stories that are born in a fertile imagination should not get a pass because 'that's just the way she is.'
And, our teens should be taught that sex is really a gift of God and that while our culture says, 'just do it' albeit safely. A real Christian knows that sex has a component of sacredness and God put it into the loving context of marriage for very, very good reasons.
A true Christian will have a different set of values about Money. Greed is so common among Christians most of us see no moral problem with craving more, spending more, running up our debt load 'as long as we meet the minimum monthly payment.' One twisted form of American Christianity even regards conspicuous materialism as a sign of God's blessings. Jesus taught us that we don't own the stuff we care for, or the money in our bank account. We're managers of God's stuff and will give account to the Owner someday. Sobering thought, isn't it? Of course I realize that it's so easy to become legalistic, to create some arbitrary $ amount that is 'too much.' It would be a mockery of the Bible's stewardship principles to argue a Christian can only build a house of certain size or drive a Ford, but not a Lincoln! But, how about having an accountability partner with whom you pray and consult before making a major purchase, someone who will help you check motives? That's the stuff of REAL Christianity, isn't it?
Now that I'm on a roll, I'll just go ahead and jump off the cliff and write about -- church attendance. This year Christmas falls on Sunday and I've already braced myself that the majority of the people in our church will choose family and home over honoring the Lord and His Body by gathering to worship that morning. But it's not just Christmas Sunday, either. On any given Lord's Day, only a little more than one half of the people who call the Assembly their church home are actually there! We excuse this self indulgence by reminding ourselves that going to church doesn't make us a Christian, which is true enough. But, don't we show what we value by the way we divide our time? Are birthday parties, football games, or fixing up our house really the equal of corporate worship? IF we love the Lord, we will desire to be in the company of others who love Him, praising Him and hearing His Word. And... by the way, parent... if you want your child to grow up to put a high priority on serving God, one of the ways you teach them what's important is how you use your Sundays! It's a very visible, tangible demonstration of discipline, commitment, and dedication. Argue with me if you will, but it's hard to tell your child -- "Jesus is first, our Lord" -- as you're driving past the church half the Sundays of the year on your way to a family gathering, a sporting event, or while you lay in your bed "because it's been such a tough week, God will surely understand."
In the book of the Revelation of Jesus we are urged by the King- "Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there’s life in you yet. But I wouldn’t know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God’s work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God. “If you pull the covers back over your head and sleep on, oblivious to God, I’ll return when you least expect it, break into your life like a thief in the night.
Here's a promise for those who walk worthy! -- “You still have a few Christians in Sardis who haven’t ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world’s ways. They’ll walk with me on parade! They’ve proved their worth! “Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I’ll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels." (Revelation 3:2-5, The Message)
Gushee's conclusion is worthy of consideration:
"Christianity is more than an event, an experience, or a set of beliefs. It is a way of life characterized by moral seriousness and the quest for holiness."
Are you living worthy of your relationship to the King? If not, repentance is in order. And then, watch out for shallow legalism! Cultivate deep intimacy with God, from which comes authentic holiness, which is truly beautiful - in His sight, and before our world. I pray that Jesus is King of my sexuality, my possessions, my leisure time, my work habits, my thoughts, my words, my plans and goals.... so that when people spend time with me, they will say, "you certainly have a great Father, and it's obvious you love Him!"
__________________________
PS - I didn't write this specifically for you, or for any one of the other couple of hundreds of people who read TFTD on a daily basis. Please do not feel that you need to write to me with an explanation about why you weren't in church last week. This TFTD was born out of my own reflection on ways that I express my devotion to the Lord Jesus, my own desire to live in a way that is worthy of my position as a child of God. I hope you'll read it that way, too. Our Christianity is never lived, ultimately, for our Pastor, our family, or our friends. It is lived for Christ, the King. Love Him.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Preparations made?
When a very important person (VIP) is coming to your town, there are preparations made. The streets are cleaned, bright banners are hung, and high school bands are tuned up so that that person is welcomed in a manner appropriate to his status! If that VIP is the President of the United States of America the preparations are even more extensive because of security concerns. I've read that even the manhole covers in the street are welded shut and the mailboxes removed along his parade route. Imagine that.
Christians just entered the season of Advent, a time of preparation. Four weeks before Christmas, the church calendar calls us to renewed focus on the great promise of our King's return. As He came once, He will come again. Isn't that wonderful promise? You haven't really thought about it? Many of us do not! We are busy with our lives: working to meet deadlines, keep things in order, make the wheels of progress turn. It is good to be productive, but... we must not forget our devotion to the most important Person so that all the other things are kept in their proper place in our list of priorities.
The ancient Church decreed that Christians had a holy obligation to attend worship services on each of the 4 Sundays before Christmas. The intent of this rule was that this would prepare Christians to begin the new year with a renewed devotion to Christ. Of course, the good intent of such a regulation was soon lost and so as we observe Advent we set aside those kinds of rules. But I hope we keep the intention! My prayer is that the carols playing in public places, the decorations that fill our homes, offices, and streets, and even the excesses of commercialism will be turned to good purpose. Make them a reminder of your devotion to your King! And consciously connect the Coming of Jesus, the Baby of Bethlehem with the promise of the Coming of the Lord of Glory!
Zechariah proclaims - "Rejoice greatly, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—even on a donkey’s colt. I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and I will destroy all the weapons used in battle. Your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon." (9:9-11, NLT)
I don't pretend to understand all the intricacies of End Time prophecy. I am not all that caught up in theories of Rapture and Tribulation, a la - the Left Behind series. But I live in the hope of the King's return! When storms sweep across the earth, when earthquakes shatter the nations, when tsunamis roar ashore, when the rumble of war fills the news, when threats of pandemics are announced - I weep for those who suffer, but I find comfort in the promise that the King will restore this broken world. When sin raises its ugly presence in my life, reminding me of my fallen nature and my tendency to fail my Lord, sadness fills my heart for I have failed my Savior, but I rejoice that He is the King- even of my heart - and will free me, and all who await His coming, from this body of death someday.
Once, when I did not understand the magnificence of His grace, the return of the King struck terror in my heart. I was fearful that He would come and find me unprepared. Now I know the wonder of His sufficient grace, the power of His Spirit and so this phrase - The King is coming! - is my hope. I am drawn to live a prepared life, not so that I will be left behind, but so that I will welcome Him in a manner appropriate to His majesty!
It is Advent- the time of preparation. Take the call of the Psalm with you today and let each 'Christmas' decoration or song cause you to renew your preparation to welcome the King of Glory....
"Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors! A
nd the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory." (Psalm 24:7-10, NKJV)
Christians just entered the season of Advent, a time of preparation. Four weeks before Christmas, the church calendar calls us to renewed focus on the great promise of our King's return. As He came once, He will come again. Isn't that wonderful promise? You haven't really thought about it? Many of us do not! We are busy with our lives: working to meet deadlines, keep things in order, make the wheels of progress turn. It is good to be productive, but... we must not forget our devotion to the most important Person so that all the other things are kept in their proper place in our list of priorities.
The ancient Church decreed that Christians had a holy obligation to attend worship services on each of the 4 Sundays before Christmas. The intent of this rule was that this would prepare Christians to begin the new year with a renewed devotion to Christ. Of course, the good intent of such a regulation was soon lost and so as we observe Advent we set aside those kinds of rules. But I hope we keep the intention! My prayer is that the carols playing in public places, the decorations that fill our homes, offices, and streets, and even the excesses of commercialism will be turned to good purpose. Make them a reminder of your devotion to your King! And consciously connect the Coming of Jesus, the Baby of Bethlehem with the promise of the Coming of the Lord of Glory!
Zechariah proclaims - "Rejoice greatly, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—even on a donkey’s colt. I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and I will destroy all the weapons used in battle. Your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon." (9:9-11, NLT)
I don't pretend to understand all the intricacies of End Time prophecy. I am not all that caught up in theories of Rapture and Tribulation, a la - the Left Behind series. But I live in the hope of the King's return! When storms sweep across the earth, when earthquakes shatter the nations, when tsunamis roar ashore, when the rumble of war fills the news, when threats of pandemics are announced - I weep for those who suffer, but I find comfort in the promise that the King will restore this broken world. When sin raises its ugly presence in my life, reminding me of my fallen nature and my tendency to fail my Lord, sadness fills my heart for I have failed my Savior, but I rejoice that He is the King- even of my heart - and will free me, and all who await His coming, from this body of death someday.
Once, when I did not understand the magnificence of His grace, the return of the King struck terror in my heart. I was fearful that He would come and find me unprepared. Now I know the wonder of His sufficient grace, the power of His Spirit and so this phrase - The King is coming! - is my hope. I am drawn to live a prepared life, not so that I will be left behind, but so that I will welcome Him in a manner appropriate to His majesty!
It is Advent- the time of preparation. Take the call of the Psalm with you today and let each 'Christmas' decoration or song cause you to renew your preparation to welcome the King of Glory....
"Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors! A
nd the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory." (Psalm 24:7-10, NKJV)
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Thank you, Lord
Do you feel entitled, that is, having the feeling that something is your right, that it is owed to you? The entitlement mentality creeps up on us stealthily and becomes an ugly blot of darkness in us. When we don't get what we feel that we are entitled to receive, we become miserable.
"The government owes me that check."
"I deserve to be paid better than I am by that stingy boss."
"My kids owe me some gratitude after all I gave up to raise them." And on the list goes....
Many is the marriage that suffers under the weight of entitlement, for example. Each of us brings certain expectations into our marriage- that our spouse will always be supportive, that our spouse will be warmly affectionate, that he will always remember to be romantic and thoughtful. Those are not bad things, are they? But if they are demanded, if no thanks is expressed to our spouse when she meets our expectation, something wonderful is lost in the relationship! The truth is that her kindness, his thoughtfulness - while admirable - are a gift and as such, should be appreciated.
Do you believe that God owes you - blessings, healing, salvation, peace, joy? Many Christians do! They twist God's rich and wonderful promises into entitlement contracts and their prayers are more like legal briefs that present demands for actions than conversations with a Friend. These Believers turn faith into a 'gimme' system that says, "God, you promised; now, pay up!" How tragic, how misguided. Our Father in Heaven loves to bless and He does, but He owes you and me NOTHING. His gifts are based in grace, not merit.
One day Jesus was traveling and came upon ten men who suffered one of the worst fates in that time. They were lepers. When leprosy became evident on a person's skin, he was immediately separated from the community, as a means of keeping the spread of the disease to a minimum. No more living in his home, no more meals with his family, none of life's pleasures were available. Instead, the wretch lived as a beggar outside of town, usually near the dump from which he scavenged the scraps that kept him alive! When the ten lepers realized who was approaching, they yelled - "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, their leprosy disappeared. Luke 17:14 (NLT) Imagine their joy when they saw their skin clearing, all evidence of their leprous condition gone, given the desperate situation that they lived in because of it! Now, here's the part of the story that I want to emphasize today. "One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God, I’m healed!” He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?" (Luke 17:15-17, NLT)
If we think that we are entitled to the blessing of God, we will not even think of thankfulness! Instead, we'll simply believe that God paid up, made good on the deal. The downside of that line of thinking is that when things go badly, when life falls apart, we will beat ourselves up wondering what we did that brought such grief on our heads. Mercy is God's method. The Psalmist reminds us - "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." (Psalm 103:9-14, NIV)
Are you grateful today?
Does thankfulness overflow from you?
Or is God asking, "where is the gratitude, where is the recognition of My mercy?"
Let's not be AWOL when it comes to returning thanks. In this season of Thanksgiving, check your heart for areas where entitlement has taken up residence. Get rid of it and realize, anew, the gifts of kindness and mercy that come your way. Then, liberally give thanks - to God, to friends, to family.
___________________
There will be a Testimony and Thanksgiving service, celebrated with Communion, at the Assembly tonight at 7. You're invited.
TFTD will be back in your inbox next Monday - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
and -- Thanks for reading along day by day. I do count it a privilege to be invited into your life via TFTD!
"The government owes me that check."
"I deserve to be paid better than I am by that stingy boss."
"My kids owe me some gratitude after all I gave up to raise them." And on the list goes....
Many is the marriage that suffers under the weight of entitlement, for example. Each of us brings certain expectations into our marriage- that our spouse will always be supportive, that our spouse will be warmly affectionate, that he will always remember to be romantic and thoughtful. Those are not bad things, are they? But if they are demanded, if no thanks is expressed to our spouse when she meets our expectation, something wonderful is lost in the relationship! The truth is that her kindness, his thoughtfulness - while admirable - are a gift and as such, should be appreciated.
Do you believe that God owes you - blessings, healing, salvation, peace, joy? Many Christians do! They twist God's rich and wonderful promises into entitlement contracts and their prayers are more like legal briefs that present demands for actions than conversations with a Friend. These Believers turn faith into a 'gimme' system that says, "God, you promised; now, pay up!" How tragic, how misguided. Our Father in Heaven loves to bless and He does, but He owes you and me NOTHING. His gifts are based in grace, not merit.
One day Jesus was traveling and came upon ten men who suffered one of the worst fates in that time. They were lepers. When leprosy became evident on a person's skin, he was immediately separated from the community, as a means of keeping the spread of the disease to a minimum. No more living in his home, no more meals with his family, none of life's pleasures were available. Instead, the wretch lived as a beggar outside of town, usually near the dump from which he scavenged the scraps that kept him alive! When the ten lepers realized who was approaching, they yelled - "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, their leprosy disappeared. Luke 17:14 (NLT) Imagine their joy when they saw their skin clearing, all evidence of their leprous condition gone, given the desperate situation that they lived in because of it! Now, here's the part of the story that I want to emphasize today. "One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God, I’m healed!” He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?" (Luke 17:15-17, NLT)
If we think that we are entitled to the blessing of God, we will not even think of thankfulness! Instead, we'll simply believe that God paid up, made good on the deal. The downside of that line of thinking is that when things go badly, when life falls apart, we will beat ourselves up wondering what we did that brought such grief on our heads. Mercy is God's method. The Psalmist reminds us - "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." (Psalm 103:9-14, NIV)
Are you grateful today?
Does thankfulness overflow from you?
Or is God asking, "where is the gratitude, where is the recognition of My mercy?"
Let's not be AWOL when it comes to returning thanks. In this season of Thanksgiving, check your heart for areas where entitlement has taken up residence. Get rid of it and realize, anew, the gifts of kindness and mercy that come your way. Then, liberally give thanks - to God, to friends, to family.
___________________
There will be a Testimony and Thanksgiving service, celebrated with Communion, at the Assembly tonight at 7. You're invited.
TFTD will be back in your inbox next Monday - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
and -- Thanks for reading along day by day. I do count it a privilege to be invited into your life via TFTD!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
"I believe in you!"
When I was a very young preacher, I worked with a man for several months who was an encourager. Dave saw past the foolishness of immaturity and encouraged me to develop the ministry gifts God gave to me. There was much in me he could have criticized, but he choose a different course. That's not to say he didn't correct me. He did, from time to time, with painfully honest words, but I always felt that even his corrections were designed to produce a better man, not to destroy me. Thirty plus years later, I still can feel the warmth of his affirmation, which he expressed even when my zeal outran my good sense!
The world is full of critics! Sadly, I have too often allowed myself to be one of them! One of the more amusing instances is during Sunday afternoon football. What I really know about football could be summed up in a very short essay, but as I watch teams play, I'll say things like, "What a dumb play! Why did that coach go for the field goal? They could have run the ball in for a TD." And so it goes! From my comfy perch in my big recliner, safely ensconced in my living room, I'm a 'big man' critic of the professionals who devote their entire lives to the game!
We criticize our politicians, our pastors, our neighbors, our kids, our wives, our co-workers, our kid's teachers... seeing their perceived failures and missing, too often, the real and wonderfully unique person we might otherwise know so much more deeply. Critics are dangerous, and thus, we avoid them, leaving them to wonder why they feel so alone, so alienated from their world; but encouragers are seldom lonely! We are drawn to people who call the best from us, who forgive us for our failures, who love us enough to tell us, "I believe in you!"
Are you a critic or an encourager? Please do not confuse flattery or empty praise with encouragement. Encouraging words are honest, without ulterior motive, unselfish, and from the heart. The Bible urges us to offer strength and encouragement to each other. Take a look at the wisdom of the Word. "Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT)
I cannot think of a better way to mark Thanksgiving week than to cultivate an encouraging spirit.
Let me leave these thoughts from the Proverbs with you today. Meditate on the wisdom they contain and then - encourage!
Proverbs 11:25-30 (NLT)
The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed....
If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!...
The godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise.
___________________________
Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad.
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.
Make me a blessing,
Make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today
Make Me A Blessing
Wilson, Ira B. / Schuler, George S.Copyright: 1924.
Renewed 1952 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.).
The world is full of critics! Sadly, I have too often allowed myself to be one of them! One of the more amusing instances is during Sunday afternoon football. What I really know about football could be summed up in a very short essay, but as I watch teams play, I'll say things like, "What a dumb play! Why did that coach go for the field goal? They could have run the ball in for a TD." And so it goes! From my comfy perch in my big recliner, safely ensconced in my living room, I'm a 'big man' critic of the professionals who devote their entire lives to the game!
We criticize our politicians, our pastors, our neighbors, our kids, our wives, our co-workers, our kid's teachers... seeing their perceived failures and missing, too often, the real and wonderfully unique person we might otherwise know so much more deeply. Critics are dangerous, and thus, we avoid them, leaving them to wonder why they feel so alone, so alienated from their world; but encouragers are seldom lonely! We are drawn to people who call the best from us, who forgive us for our failures, who love us enough to tell us, "I believe in you!"
Are you a critic or an encourager? Please do not confuse flattery or empty praise with encouragement. Encouraging words are honest, without ulterior motive, unselfish, and from the heart. The Bible urges us to offer strength and encouragement to each other. Take a look at the wisdom of the Word. "Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT)
I cannot think of a better way to mark Thanksgiving week than to cultivate an encouraging spirit.
Let me leave these thoughts from the Proverbs with you today. Meditate on the wisdom they contain and then - encourage!
Proverbs 11:25-30 (NLT)
The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed....
If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!...
The godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise.
___________________________
Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad.
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.
Make me a blessing,
Make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today
Make Me A Blessing
Wilson, Ira B. / Schuler, George S.Copyright: 1924.
Renewed 1952 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.).
Monday, November 21, 2005
God, as an accessory.
The Ten Commandments begin this way: "I am the Lord, your God, ... worship no other gods; and do not make idols of any kind!" We think that means creating a new religion or carving a little figure and praying to it. Those words could be read that way, but in the context of my life - they speak to a tendency to make Ego my god, to give my strength and resources to my own plans instead of His.
Does God serve you or do you serve God? Let me ask it another way - is your life arranged around God's purposes or do you require that He fit into your plans? Yes, of course, the Lord is never subservient to you or me, nor does He ever really take a second place in the universe. He is First, Pre-eminent, and Sovereign. But, I find that in the business of life, He get pushed aside; my focus on His will replaced with my own desires. In my life, this is not an intentional choice, nor does it happen because I declare a rebellion. I simply get distracted and my focus gradually shifts from the Spirit to Self!
Even good things can be done for the wrong reasons. Let me illustrate. What could be more godly than becoming involved in a ministry; shall we say - collecting and distributing food to those who are in need? God Himself directs us to show concern for the poor so that would have to be a God-centered activity, right? No! If the person engaged in that service does it to gain attention, to prove he is a 'good Christian,' or to as a means of gaining power - it is idol worship; the god truly served being Self.
God asks for all of our resources, imposes His will on us, and makes demands. Those are His godly prerogatives. If we have given Him first place in our minds and hearts, we will not respond to His will with complaint, or by thinking He is unfair, or that He has showed up in a time that is 'inconvenient.' We will obey gladly, finding joy in knowing that we are obedient children of the Heavenly Father.
Jesus asks a question that I hope needs no answer in my life, nor in yours. "Why do you call me ‘Lord,’ when you won’t obey me?"
He continues by explaining the reward of God-centered life and the folly of making God an accessory. Read His words thoughtfully -- "I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me. It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins." (Luke 6:46-49, NLT)
As we begin Thanksgiving week, I encourage you to prayerfully, thoughtfully evaluate your relationships, your leisure activities, your ministry and worship, your heart attitudes, your fiscal decisions -- yes, all of your life -- in light of this question -- Is He truly God of all?
Unless He is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Our words of worship and songs of praise will be hollow, if they are offered when our hearts are divided, following another god.
_______________________
Let My Words Be Few
You are God in Heaven
and here am I on earth,
So I'll let my words be few,
Jesus, I am so in love with You.
And I'll stand in awe of You
Yes, I'll stand in awe of You
and I'll let my words be few,
Jesus, I am so in love with You.
Author: Matt Redman, © 2000 Kingsway
Does God serve you or do you serve God? Let me ask it another way - is your life arranged around God's purposes or do you require that He fit into your plans? Yes, of course, the Lord is never subservient to you or me, nor does He ever really take a second place in the universe. He is First, Pre-eminent, and Sovereign. But, I find that in the business of life, He get pushed aside; my focus on His will replaced with my own desires. In my life, this is not an intentional choice, nor does it happen because I declare a rebellion. I simply get distracted and my focus gradually shifts from the Spirit to Self!
Even good things can be done for the wrong reasons. Let me illustrate. What could be more godly than becoming involved in a ministry; shall we say - collecting and distributing food to those who are in need? God Himself directs us to show concern for the poor so that would have to be a God-centered activity, right? No! If the person engaged in that service does it to gain attention, to prove he is a 'good Christian,' or to as a means of gaining power - it is idol worship; the god truly served being Self.
God asks for all of our resources, imposes His will on us, and makes demands. Those are His godly prerogatives. If we have given Him first place in our minds and hearts, we will not respond to His will with complaint, or by thinking He is unfair, or that He has showed up in a time that is 'inconvenient.' We will obey gladly, finding joy in knowing that we are obedient children of the Heavenly Father.
Jesus asks a question that I hope needs no answer in my life, nor in yours. "Why do you call me ‘Lord,’ when you won’t obey me?"
He continues by explaining the reward of God-centered life and the folly of making God an accessory. Read His words thoughtfully -- "I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me. It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins." (Luke 6:46-49, NLT)
As we begin Thanksgiving week, I encourage you to prayerfully, thoughtfully evaluate your relationships, your leisure activities, your ministry and worship, your heart attitudes, your fiscal decisions -- yes, all of your life -- in light of this question -- Is He truly God of all?
Unless He is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Our words of worship and songs of praise will be hollow, if they are offered when our hearts are divided, following another god.
_______________________
Let My Words Be Few
You are God in Heaven
and here am I on earth,
So I'll let my words be few,
Jesus, I am so in love with You.
And I'll stand in awe of You
Yes, I'll stand in awe of You
and I'll let my words be few,
Jesus, I am so in love with You.
Author: Matt Redman, © 2000 Kingsway
Friday, November 18, 2005
Bridges or Walls?
OK, I'm going to state the obvious - bridges and walls are both necessary and both serve very different purposes. Walls divide. Bridges unite! In 1964, our family lived on Staten Island, NY. It was an exciting time for that borough of New York City. The Verrazzano Narrows bridge was finished, and for the first time, those living on the Island felt like they were a part of the city. The multiple lanes on two wide decks of that world famous bridge turned a 30+ minute ferry ride into a two minute drive. The new connection brought development (a good thing?) and Staten Island changed, almost overnight. At the same time, I saw the effect of walls. The people who moved into our neighborhood from Brooklyn thought they had moved onto country estates, despite having postage stamp sized lots. Standing on our back porch, one could see a crazy quilt of fences - stockade, picket, split rail - built around tiny backyards, fences that declared- "this is my space!"
Are you a bridge-builder or a wall-builder? Are you forming connections with others, or shutting them out?
My experience tells me that people are much more inclined to erect walls that define 'their space' than they are to build bridges. Those walls bear political names - Republican, Democrat. Those walls bear ethnic/racial names. Those walls, tragically, bear religious names. How did the best bridge-builder in history - Jesus Christ - become an excuse for people to build such high walls? I ask that question again and again. How is it that we become so attached to our backyard, "I'm a Baptist, I'm a Pentecostal, I'm Reformed, I'm Independent...." that we fail to understand that our walls that seems to shut out those who differ also lock us in from the rich fellowship we might otherwise enjoy?
Some of you are starting to feel unsettled by this line of thought, aren't you? "Why does Jerry say that? Doesn't he know we must be committed to the truth?" Yes, I value truth, but would you agree that we are all too inclined to turn our preference into a 'truth'? For a long time in my life, I thought that 'real' Christians believed in one fixed way - the way I was taught. I just assumed that to be a 'real Christian' a person had to come from the same holiness church I came from, had to sing the same songs, and had to worship in the same manner. I honestly thought that the only way to come to know Jesus was to respond to an altar call, to kneel and pray 'the sinner's prayer.' I was really surprised when I learned that both those ideas only came into being less than one hundred years ago! I was surprised, yes really I was, when I found people from very different Christian traditions talking about Jesus with genuine love, who served Him as fervently - even more fervently - than many of the people in 'my' church did. As I built bridges into their lives I was not in any way diminished. I became richer! I discovered the amazing beauty of ancient liturgies. I found myself anchored and steadied by the recitation of the Church's creeds. Those were alien concepts to a boy raised in the fiery, emotional worship style of the Pentecostal church.
Jesus told us that God's demands of us are summed up in two commandments. "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”" (Mark 12:30-31, NLT) Sounds like a bridge-builder to me, how about you? Was He downplaying the need for orthodoxy, for truth? No! He prefaced those remarks with a quotation of the 'heart' of the revelation of God's Person. "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord." (Mark 12:29, NLT) Not all gods are truly God.
In our desire to build bridges to others we cannot affirm all 'truth' as being true. However, we don't have to be so quick to confront others with our dogma and a challenge to choose, do we? As I read the Gospels the only people that I find Jesus throwing down a truth challenge to are those who should have known the truth- the religious teachers and leaders! To ordinary sinners, He showed love. He built a bridge into their lives and that bridge became the means for God's grace to become evident. Once He touched them with love, He called them to Truth. Something we need to understand clearly is that acceptance is not the same as affirmation! IF we are like Jesus, we will accept those who are a sinful mess, who lack understanding, who disagree with us. Once we have established a connection heart to heart, we will be able to reason together.
Peter faced a problem in the first century church. Women who came to faith in Christ began to browbeat their husbands who were not yet Believers about their need of Jesus' love. Now remember this was happening in a culture were women did not enjoy rights, where they were considered property of their husbands. So some men started to resent Christianity as being destructive of their homes and families. Here's what the Spirit inspired Peter to write to those wives who were frustrated by their husband's refusal of the faith. "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." (1 Peter 3:1-2, NIV) My point isn't about the role of women! It is about the power of practice, of loving behavior. This model of a woman with a pagan husband accepting him and loving him in a way that caused him to see the reality of Christ is a pattern for ALL of us in our relationship with others.
Win their hearts without words, then use that credibility to speak the truth!
______________________________________
Are you a bridge-builder or a wall-builder? Are you forming connections with others, or shutting them out?
My experience tells me that people are much more inclined to erect walls that define 'their space' than they are to build bridges. Those walls bear political names - Republican, Democrat. Those walls bear ethnic/racial names. Those walls, tragically, bear religious names. How did the best bridge-builder in history - Jesus Christ - become an excuse for people to build such high walls? I ask that question again and again. How is it that we become so attached to our backyard, "I'm a Baptist, I'm a Pentecostal, I'm Reformed, I'm Independent...." that we fail to understand that our walls that seems to shut out those who differ also lock us in from the rich fellowship we might otherwise enjoy?
Some of you are starting to feel unsettled by this line of thought, aren't you? "Why does Jerry say that? Doesn't he know we must be committed to the truth?" Yes, I value truth, but would you agree that we are all too inclined to turn our preference into a 'truth'? For a long time in my life, I thought that 'real' Christians believed in one fixed way - the way I was taught. I just assumed that to be a 'real Christian' a person had to come from the same holiness church I came from, had to sing the same songs, and had to worship in the same manner. I honestly thought that the only way to come to know Jesus was to respond to an altar call, to kneel and pray 'the sinner's prayer.' I was really surprised when I learned that both those ideas only came into being less than one hundred years ago! I was surprised, yes really I was, when I found people from very different Christian traditions talking about Jesus with genuine love, who served Him as fervently - even more fervently - than many of the people in 'my' church did. As I built bridges into their lives I was not in any way diminished. I became richer! I discovered the amazing beauty of ancient liturgies. I found myself anchored and steadied by the recitation of the Church's creeds. Those were alien concepts to a boy raised in the fiery, emotional worship style of the Pentecostal church.
Jesus told us that God's demands of us are summed up in two commandments. "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”" (Mark 12:30-31, NLT) Sounds like a bridge-builder to me, how about you? Was He downplaying the need for orthodoxy, for truth? No! He prefaced those remarks with a quotation of the 'heart' of the revelation of God's Person. "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord." (Mark 12:29, NLT) Not all gods are truly God.
In our desire to build bridges to others we cannot affirm all 'truth' as being true. However, we don't have to be so quick to confront others with our dogma and a challenge to choose, do we? As I read the Gospels the only people that I find Jesus throwing down a truth challenge to are those who should have known the truth- the religious teachers and leaders! To ordinary sinners, He showed love. He built a bridge into their lives and that bridge became the means for God's grace to become evident. Once He touched them with love, He called them to Truth. Something we need to understand clearly is that acceptance is not the same as affirmation! IF we are like Jesus, we will accept those who are a sinful mess, who lack understanding, who disagree with us. Once we have established a connection heart to heart, we will be able to reason together.
Peter faced a problem in the first century church. Women who came to faith in Christ began to browbeat their husbands who were not yet Believers about their need of Jesus' love. Now remember this was happening in a culture were women did not enjoy rights, where they were considered property of their husbands. So some men started to resent Christianity as being destructive of their homes and families. Here's what the Spirit inspired Peter to write to those wives who were frustrated by their husband's refusal of the faith. "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." (1 Peter 3:1-2, NIV) My point isn't about the role of women! It is about the power of practice, of loving behavior. This model of a woman with a pagan husband accepting him and loving him in a way that caused him to see the reality of Christ is a pattern for ALL of us in our relationship with others.
Win their hearts without words, then use that credibility to speak the truth!
______________________________________
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Our security and hope
Sometimes I feel insecure! I find myself wondering, "What does he think of me?" or "Am I doing a good job?" In a situation where I am surrounded by people I do not know, I look for a corner in the room where I can stand aside and watch others, deciding how I fit in! Sometimes I foolishly measure myself using superficial standards to try to overcome a nagging sense that I am not 'good enough.' And, sometimes I avoid situations for no better reason than to avoid the feelings of insecurity that might come over me.
Insecurity is a common feeling. Why not? This world is full of reasons for fear! Hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes tear through neighborhoods. The machines of war spread death and destruction. Friends turn fickle. Our own bodies betray us with disease and aging. Despite our best intentions we often disappoint ourselves by saying and/or doing things we should not say or do! We need not live long to realize our relative weakness - physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually- in the face of the threats that surround us, threats both real and imagined. Our fears demand relief and we find many ways to cover our insecurities. Some of our choices are certainly better than others, but all those focused on ourselves, fail to achieve the desired end. For example:
We bluff and bluster with boastful words.
We criticize others, somehow thinking that noting their flaws hides our own.
We drink too much or party too heartily.
We seek endless diversions in pleasure.
We work to gain degrees, awards, and certificates that 'prove' our worth and our significance.
We build financial portfolios to guarantee our future.
We diet and exercise trying to beat back the evidence of aging.
We learn to speak, dress, and act in ways that project an air of confidence, a cultivated image of acceptability.
We may even use our religion as a security blanket, wrapping ourselves in familiar rituals and words that help us to feel comfort.
True security can be found! It is not resident in you and me, but in Another. Consider this instruction given to God's people. "Don’t be fearful... don’t turn your back on God. Worship and serve him heart and soul! Don’t chase after ghost-gods. There’s nothing to them. They can’t help you. They’re nothing but ghost-gods! God, simply because of who he is, is not going to walk off and leave his people. God took delight in making you into his very own people. ... fear God and worship him honestly and heartily. You’ve seen how greatly he has worked among you!" (1 Samuel 12:20-24, The Message)
We are beloved of God - not because of who we are, not because of what we have done, but because it is His Nature to love! His declaration is: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." (Jeremiah 31:3, NIV) Paul points us toward the facts - contrasting our flaws and God's faithfulness when he writes: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another." I can identify, how about you? Are you feeling insecure? Read on! "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior," (Titus 3:3-6, NIV)
When insecurity creeps up on you, don't look around.
Look up! Thank God for your eternal security that is anchored in His unchanging character and overflowing love.
Let Him be your Rock, then LIVE confidently - not in self-confidence, but in God-confidence.
________________
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
A mighty Fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world,
With devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear,
For God hath willed,
His will to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure,
For, lo, his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours,
Through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also.
The body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still.
His kingdom is forever.
--Luther, Martin; Copyright: Public Domain
Insecurity is a common feeling. Why not? This world is full of reasons for fear! Hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes tear through neighborhoods. The machines of war spread death and destruction. Friends turn fickle. Our own bodies betray us with disease and aging. Despite our best intentions we often disappoint ourselves by saying and/or doing things we should not say or do! We need not live long to realize our relative weakness - physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually- in the face of the threats that surround us, threats both real and imagined. Our fears demand relief and we find many ways to cover our insecurities. Some of our choices are certainly better than others, but all those focused on ourselves, fail to achieve the desired end. For example:
We bluff and bluster with boastful words.
We criticize others, somehow thinking that noting their flaws hides our own.
We drink too much or party too heartily.
We seek endless diversions in pleasure.
We work to gain degrees, awards, and certificates that 'prove' our worth and our significance.
We build financial portfolios to guarantee our future.
We diet and exercise trying to beat back the evidence of aging.
We learn to speak, dress, and act in ways that project an air of confidence, a cultivated image of acceptability.
We may even use our religion as a security blanket, wrapping ourselves in familiar rituals and words that help us to feel comfort.
True security can be found! It is not resident in you and me, but in Another. Consider this instruction given to God's people. "Don’t be fearful... don’t turn your back on God. Worship and serve him heart and soul! Don’t chase after ghost-gods. There’s nothing to them. They can’t help you. They’re nothing but ghost-gods! God, simply because of who he is, is not going to walk off and leave his people. God took delight in making you into his very own people. ... fear God and worship him honestly and heartily. You’ve seen how greatly he has worked among you!" (1 Samuel 12:20-24, The Message)
We are beloved of God - not because of who we are, not because of what we have done, but because it is His Nature to love! His declaration is: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." (Jeremiah 31:3, NIV) Paul points us toward the facts - contrasting our flaws and God's faithfulness when he writes: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another." I can identify, how about you? Are you feeling insecure? Read on! "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior," (Titus 3:3-6, NIV)
When insecurity creeps up on you, don't look around.
Look up! Thank God for your eternal security that is anchored in His unchanging character and overflowing love.
Let Him be your Rock, then LIVE confidently - not in self-confidence, but in God-confidence.
________________
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
A mighty Fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world,
With devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear,
For God hath willed,
His will to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure,
For, lo, his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours,
Through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also.
The body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still.
His kingdom is forever.
--Luther, Martin; Copyright: Public Domain
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
You're not able...
Ever been told why you can't accomplish the dream that God has put in your heart? I have! People with good intentions think they are keeping us from being hurt when they warn us about our liabilities, point out all the reasons we ought to 'play it safe.' I've done it to others, not because I am mean, but because I thought I was 'helping' them.
One of the most valuable experiences in my life happened when I was just 21 years old, married for a short time, and father of a 9 month old baby. God dropped a dream into my heart that demanded a move across the country, an expensive move for a kid with no money. With little more than a prayer and promise, Bev and I set off for a new place in which to serve God. But there were those who thought we were crazy, who disagreed with the dream! We learned about real faith - even to the point of having groceries show up on our doorstep. Our baby developed pneumonia and spent 5 days in the hospital, and our parents were 2,000 miles away causing us to lean even more heavily on the Lord. A church and pastor saw potential in us for ministry and let us do things we hadn't done to that point, stretching us 'way past our comfort level. God knew exactly what He was doing and I'm thankful I was obedient even though what we did appeared foolish. Those 12 months were packed full of life-changing, soul-shaping, experiences- for us!
A young teenage boy was sent off to check up on his brothers in the army. When he got to their encampment, he saw something that caused a Spirit-inspired dream to rise up in him. A champion of the enemy walked out every morning to defy the army and their God. When David heard Goliath's defiant challenges, he felt compelled to do something to change the situation. When he mentioned his dream, his older brother scoffed, “What are you doing here! Why aren’t you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you’re up to. You’ve come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a bloody battle!” “What is it with you?” replied David. “All I did was ask a question.” (1 Samuel 17:28-29, The Message) When David told King Saul about his desire to fight Goliath, the king scoffed at him, too. “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!” (1 Samuel 17:33, NLT)
The rest of the story is well- known. David finally did face the giant on the field of battle. His method was un-orthodox - a slingshot against sword, spear, and shield! It should have been a quick easy win for the giant except that David had an inspired dream, and faith that made all the difference. Did he shake with fear as he walked out to face a deadly enemy? Probably. Did he grasp the apparent foolishness of his quest? Probably not. That's the blessedness of dreamers! They see possibilities where others see only certain failure.
Dreamers scare me and yet, I admire them. Now that I am 50; yes, a half-century old, I am much more cautious than I was 25 years ago; less inclined to take the risks that most dreams require. That's quite common among older guys! We're now the ones telling the young dreamers to 'go slow,' why they can't do what we would have done 30 years ago, how much it costs, that they will surely 'get hurt,' and yet, dreamers keep on defying the wise men.
If your dream is God-inspired, go for it! The Word says, "If God is on our side, can anyone be against us?" (Romans 8:31, CEV)
Gather your resources, take good counsel, learn all you are able to know about doing what He wants you to do. Prepare for pain. Be ready to endure long spells when nothing seems to be happening. Those closest to you will be your worst critics, but stay the course.
Here's a word from the Word for all you dreamers to meditate on today:
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time... and the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:6, 9-10, NIV)
__________________________
"Are ye able," said the Master,"to be crucified with Me?"
"Yea," the sturdy dreamers answered,"to the death we follow Thee."
"Lord, we are able, our spirits are Thine.
Remold them, make us, like Thee, Divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be,
a beacon to God, to love, to loyalty."
"Are ye able," still the Master,whispers down eternity,
"to be crucified with Me?"
And heroic spirits answer,
Now as then in Galilee.
"Lord, we are able, our spirits are Thine,
Remold them, make us, like Thee, Divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be,
a beacon to God, to love, to loyalty."
- hymn by Harry Mason
One of the most valuable experiences in my life happened when I was just 21 years old, married for a short time, and father of a 9 month old baby. God dropped a dream into my heart that demanded a move across the country, an expensive move for a kid with no money. With little more than a prayer and promise, Bev and I set off for a new place in which to serve God. But there were those who thought we were crazy, who disagreed with the dream! We learned about real faith - even to the point of having groceries show up on our doorstep. Our baby developed pneumonia and spent 5 days in the hospital, and our parents were 2,000 miles away causing us to lean even more heavily on the Lord. A church and pastor saw potential in us for ministry and let us do things we hadn't done to that point, stretching us 'way past our comfort level. God knew exactly what He was doing and I'm thankful I was obedient even though what we did appeared foolish. Those 12 months were packed full of life-changing, soul-shaping, experiences- for us!
A young teenage boy was sent off to check up on his brothers in the army. When he got to their encampment, he saw something that caused a Spirit-inspired dream to rise up in him. A champion of the enemy walked out every morning to defy the army and their God. When David heard Goliath's defiant challenges, he felt compelled to do something to change the situation. When he mentioned his dream, his older brother scoffed, “What are you doing here! Why aren’t you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you’re up to. You’ve come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a bloody battle!” “What is it with you?” replied David. “All I did was ask a question.” (1 Samuel 17:28-29, The Message) When David told King Saul about his desire to fight Goliath, the king scoffed at him, too. “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!” (1 Samuel 17:33, NLT)
The rest of the story is well- known. David finally did face the giant on the field of battle. His method was un-orthodox - a slingshot against sword, spear, and shield! It should have been a quick easy win for the giant except that David had an inspired dream, and faith that made all the difference. Did he shake with fear as he walked out to face a deadly enemy? Probably. Did he grasp the apparent foolishness of his quest? Probably not. That's the blessedness of dreamers! They see possibilities where others see only certain failure.
Dreamers scare me and yet, I admire them. Now that I am 50; yes, a half-century old, I am much more cautious than I was 25 years ago; less inclined to take the risks that most dreams require. That's quite common among older guys! We're now the ones telling the young dreamers to 'go slow,' why they can't do what we would have done 30 years ago, how much it costs, that they will surely 'get hurt,' and yet, dreamers keep on defying the wise men.
If your dream is God-inspired, go for it! The Word says, "If God is on our side, can anyone be against us?" (Romans 8:31, CEV)
Gather your resources, take good counsel, learn all you are able to know about doing what He wants you to do. Prepare for pain. Be ready to endure long spells when nothing seems to be happening. Those closest to you will be your worst critics, but stay the course.
Here's a word from the Word for all you dreamers to meditate on today:
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time... and the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:6, 9-10, NIV)
__________________________
"Are ye able," said the Master,"to be crucified with Me?"
"Yea," the sturdy dreamers answered,"to the death we follow Thee."
"Lord, we are able, our spirits are Thine.
Remold them, make us, like Thee, Divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be,
a beacon to God, to love, to loyalty."
"Are ye able," still the Master,whispers down eternity,
"to be crucified with Me?"
And heroic spirits answer,
Now as then in Galilee.
"Lord, we are able, our spirits are Thine,
Remold them, make us, like Thee, Divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be,
a beacon to God, to love, to loyalty."
- hymn by Harry Mason
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
What only love can do
I wish that every Christian I know could view a segment from CBS TV's 60 Minutes program that aired last Wednesday evening.
(see http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/10/60minutes/main1036922.shtml)
Bob Simon visited Pakistan and reported on 13 American paramedics who are working to help people who were injured in the earthquake that struck there 6 weeks ago. The region was devastated on a scale that is almost beyond imagination. Over 90,000 people are counted dead so far. Entire villages were destroyed and, because they are so remote, no official agencies had reached them 3 weeks after the 'quake! The 13 Americans whose story was told in this segment, went to help on their own, without assistance. They are working in a place that is in the heart of Osama Bin Laden country, where anti-Americanism is rampant, where there are many training camps for Islamic jihadists. AND.... they are accomplishing what the guns of our armies cannot accomplish! In addition to saving lives, they are changing hearts. One of the paramedics reported, “One guy came up to me yesterday and was holding out his hands like this. And I'm looking. I'm like, ‘Oh does he want treatment?’ And he was signaling me to put my hands out and he said, ‘We have five fingers, five fingers, arm, arm, elbow, elbow. We're the same.’ And then he shook my hand.” These heroes are the first Americans most of these Pakistani's have ever met! What a first impression.
Those 13 paramedics from NYC are ambassadors of the USA. They represent this country, though that is not their primary mission. Similarly, Believers represent the Kingdom of Jesus everyday! People draw conclusions about what a Christian is like, who Jesus is, and the validity of the faith - based on our words and actions. Our care, our service to others - motivated by the love of Jesus Christ - can and will change the hearts of people who are skeptical about Christianity. All the ad campaigns, all the arguments, all the grand schemes created to convince others that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world will not have the effect that humble, serving Christians have when we live with the love of Jesus causing us to meet human needs that are around us. 2 Cor. 5.20 refers to Believers as "Christ's ambassadors." I am convinced that there will be more people in Heaven because of simple acts of service that lifted up Christ than because of the all the books and sermons preached in fiery fervency! My own grandparents became Believers because, at a critical time in their lives when Grandfather Scott was terribly injured in an automobile accident, a group of Christians from a little country church came and did his farm work, for weeks on end. Those anonymous servants in NW Iowa changed the course of life for dozens of us who are his descendants because they milked cows and tilled fields in the name of Jesus.
We must take care that we do not become manipulative with our acts of service, trying to impress, using 'compassion' as a propaganda tool. Christian service that is done with an ulterior motive of making converts quickly becomes corrupt! Love for God, love of others are the only motives that are pure. Conversions are incidental, though inevitable. John reminds us that 'we love because He first loved us.' Christian service that does not flow from love is useless, even offensive according to 1 Corinthians 13 where we read, "If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, NLT)
Who is waiting to be loved in your circle of influence?
There are opportunities to serve right where we are. We do not have to travel to Pakistan (though some of us might do that) to show Christ's love. We may just listen carefully to the person in the next cube at work. We may just help our extended family through a crisis. We may become a faithful volunteer in some local hospital or agency. We may just need to dethrone Self and serve our family lovingly.
Love is a powerful catalyst for change. All the power of the armies that march the face of the earth cannot accomplish what an army motivated by the love of Christ can. Have you signed on? Have you accepted your commission to become a person that loves genuinely in His Name?
(see http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/10/60minutes/main1036922.shtml)
Bob Simon visited Pakistan and reported on 13 American paramedics who are working to help people who were injured in the earthquake that struck there 6 weeks ago. The region was devastated on a scale that is almost beyond imagination. Over 90,000 people are counted dead so far. Entire villages were destroyed and, because they are so remote, no official agencies had reached them 3 weeks after the 'quake! The 13 Americans whose story was told in this segment, went to help on their own, without assistance. They are working in a place that is in the heart of Osama Bin Laden country, where anti-Americanism is rampant, where there are many training camps for Islamic jihadists. AND.... they are accomplishing what the guns of our armies cannot accomplish! In addition to saving lives, they are changing hearts. One of the paramedics reported, “One guy came up to me yesterday and was holding out his hands like this. And I'm looking. I'm like, ‘Oh does he want treatment?’ And he was signaling me to put my hands out and he said, ‘We have five fingers, five fingers, arm, arm, elbow, elbow. We're the same.’ And then he shook my hand.” These heroes are the first Americans most of these Pakistani's have ever met! What a first impression.
Those 13 paramedics from NYC are ambassadors of the USA. They represent this country, though that is not their primary mission. Similarly, Believers represent the Kingdom of Jesus everyday! People draw conclusions about what a Christian is like, who Jesus is, and the validity of the faith - based on our words and actions. Our care, our service to others - motivated by the love of Jesus Christ - can and will change the hearts of people who are skeptical about Christianity. All the ad campaigns, all the arguments, all the grand schemes created to convince others that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world will not have the effect that humble, serving Christians have when we live with the love of Jesus causing us to meet human needs that are around us. 2 Cor. 5.20 refers to Believers as "Christ's ambassadors." I am convinced that there will be more people in Heaven because of simple acts of service that lifted up Christ than because of the all the books and sermons preached in fiery fervency! My own grandparents became Believers because, at a critical time in their lives when Grandfather Scott was terribly injured in an automobile accident, a group of Christians from a little country church came and did his farm work, for weeks on end. Those anonymous servants in NW Iowa changed the course of life for dozens of us who are his descendants because they milked cows and tilled fields in the name of Jesus.
We must take care that we do not become manipulative with our acts of service, trying to impress, using 'compassion' as a propaganda tool. Christian service that is done with an ulterior motive of making converts quickly becomes corrupt! Love for God, love of others are the only motives that are pure. Conversions are incidental, though inevitable. John reminds us that 'we love because He first loved us.' Christian service that does not flow from love is useless, even offensive according to 1 Corinthians 13 where we read, "If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, NLT)
Who is waiting to be loved in your circle of influence?
There are opportunities to serve right where we are. We do not have to travel to Pakistan (though some of us might do that) to show Christ's love. We may just listen carefully to the person in the next cube at work. We may just help our extended family through a crisis. We may become a faithful volunteer in some local hospital or agency. We may just need to dethrone Self and serve our family lovingly.
Love is a powerful catalyst for change. All the power of the armies that march the face of the earth cannot accomplish what an army motivated by the love of Christ can. Have you signed on? Have you accepted your commission to become a person that loves genuinely in His Name?
Monday, November 14, 2005
"Yeah, that's good enough!"
I'm a perfectionist... sometimes... in those things about which I really care. I was working on leaf clean-up in my yard with a friend on Saturday. As he was using the blower to get the leaves out of the shrubbery around the house, there were little pockets of leaves left here and there. I told him - "You don't have to broom sweep it. That's good enough." I like my lawn mowed and neat, but I'm quite content to just do what is necessary, no more. You won't find me spending a lot of time on the details. My car is another matter. I keep it clean; washed on the outside, wiped down inside on a weekly basis- and I'm quite particular about the way it's done. The way a lawn is kept or the maintenance of a car is not a major matter, is it? These are just personal preferences that come from our training and personalities.
There is one area in life where excellence is demanded from all of us, at all times, and where the statement, "Yeah, that's good enough!" has no place. Where might that be? Let an ancient Scripture give a clue. It's lengthy and refers to another time and form of worship but the principle comes shining through to us - clear as crystal!
There is one area in life where excellence is demanded from all of us, at all times, and where the statement, "Yeah, that's good enough!" has no place. Where might that be? Let an ancient Scripture give a clue. It's lengthy and refers to another time and form of worship but the principle comes shining through to us - clear as crystal!
- The Lord Almighty says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. I am your father and master, but where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have despised my name! ... “You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord Almighty. ...
“I wish that someone among you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not at all pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will not accept your offerings. ...
“But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at his commands,” says the Lord Almighty. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and mutilated, crippled and sick—presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord. “Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is feared among the nations! Malachi 1:5-14 NLT
This Scripture emerges from a time when things were going well for the Jewish nation and as a result, passion for God had cooled. The temple worship was done as a matter of obligation, rather than as a matter of love. Instead of regarding their worship of Yahweh as a privileged honor, they thought it a burden. The result was that they did the minimum they felt was required to keep up appearances. Their hearts were not in what they did! And God was offended by what He sees as contempt for His Person!
When a person cuts corners in those things he does in service to God, when he offers half-hearted worship, when he fails to fully honor God in thought, word, and deed- it is an offense to the Holy One.
Do you teach that Sunday School class to the best of your ability?
When you write your offering check, is it a minimum amount or a generous gift that honors God?
When you come to worship do you come exhausted from staying up 'til mid-night watching TV or with a refreshed heart and mind that is ready to sing, to pray, to hear the Word?
In your daily worship what is your motivation- to spend enough time and stay focused until you meet God or just to check off the box that says, "Duty fulfilled"?
God desires the best, the first, the costly - because He deserves it. And He promises: "if you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deut. 4:29 NIV
Let's never be content to say, "Yeah, that's good enough for God!" Rather let's passionately serve Him, as is fitting for the Majestic Lord.
_______________________
Friday, November 11, 2005
My Advocate
My phone rang in the evening and there was a reporter on the other end of the line. His question snapped me to attention - "Mr. Scott, are you aware a lawsuit has been filed against you?" I wasn't and the call left me unsettled. A couple of days later I was served court papers that outlined a person's case against me. I needed help! I'm no expert on the legal system and didn't know what to do next, so I called my lawyer. As much as our society pokes fun at lawyers, I sure was glad to have one to shepherd me through the next couple of years, until the case was resolved. Recently another legal issue arose in the church and I contacted my lawyer, Mr. Glynn, once again for advice. His counsel is valuable, potentially keeping us from an expensive legal battle.
In 1 John, there is a metaphor borrowed from the legal system to help us to understand Jesus' work on our behalf. "... if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John 2:1, NKJV) In God's Presence, Jesus Christ stands right now pleading my case, making a defense, on my behalf! He is my advocate. The word in the original text is parakletos and it describes one who came alongside of another in a time of need, in a lawyerly and/or priestly sense.
We have a great need of an Advocate because we sin, that is, we fall short of God's standard for our life. Not me, you say? You think that because you're a little better than another, you are beyond the need for an Advocate before God? Think again. John says that none of us should be fooled into thinking we are beyond sinning. "If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. ... If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God." (1 John 1:8-10, The Message) Sin is not just defined by the obvious moral failures, things like adultery or theft. Sin includes serving self, ignoring God's will, and failing to do the good we know we ought to do.
When our conscience is stung with guilt, when the Holy Spirit has withdrawn His comforting Presence, we call on our Advocate! He comes to our side and presents a defense to the Father, not one based on the promise of our future goodness or on something we will do to 'make it up' to God. Amazingly, His defense of us is based on His own sacrifice. Yes, He points to His offering and says, "Father forgive Jerry, because I've already paid the penalty for his sins and failures." Jesus graciously allows you and me to 'borrow' from His store of goodness making us clean and whole before God. This is the essence of grace!
John cautions us against abusing that wonderful goodness of our Advocate. He urges us to 'walk in the light,' to take the strength and goodness of Jesus Christ into our lives so that we are changed, so that we sin less! Note that word. Not that we become 'sinless' for that cannot happen as long as we are alive and still dealing with our old sinful nature. However, as we live in close intimacy with God, trusting in our Advocate, the Spirit causes us to 'sin less' as we look forward to our eternal home, which Jesus will bring to us.
Take note of the interplay of hope and realization, of both future and present promise in this passage. "Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure. Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in him. So if we continue to live in him, we won’t sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known him or understood who he is." (1 John 3:2-6, NLT)
Has the notice of your indictment as a sinner in God's court unsetttled you? It should! The Bible is very clear that there will be persons seperated from God and good for eternity by sin. It isn't just the terrible, the horrible that are under the 'curse.' It is a universal human problem. Call on the Advocate!
Then, restored to the love of your Father, live a life that is increasingly holy.
_______________________
Friend of sinners, Lord of truth,
I am falling in love with You.
Friend of sinners, Lord of truth,
I have fallen in love with You.
Jesus, I love Your name,
The name by which we're saved.
Jesus, I love Your name,
The name by which we're saved.
Friend of sinners, Lord of truth,
I am giving my life to You.
Friend of sinners, Lord of truth,
I have given my life to You.
© 1994 Kingsway's Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI License No. 810055
In 1 John, there is a metaphor borrowed from the legal system to help us to understand Jesus' work on our behalf. "... if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John 2:1, NKJV) In God's Presence, Jesus Christ stands right now pleading my case, making a defense, on my behalf! He is my advocate. The word in the original text is parakletos and it describes one who came alongside of another in a time of need, in a lawyerly and/or priestly sense.
We have a great need of an Advocate because we sin, that is, we fall short of God's standard for our life. Not me, you say? You think that because you're a little better than another, you are beyond the need for an Advocate before God? Think again. John says that none of us should be fooled into thinking we are beyond sinning. "If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. ... If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God." (1 John 1:8-10, The Message) Sin is not just defined by the obvious moral failures, things like adultery or theft. Sin includes serving self, ignoring God's will, and failing to do the good we know we ought to do.
When our conscience is stung with guilt, when the Holy Spirit has withdrawn His comforting Presence, we call on our Advocate! He comes to our side and presents a defense to the Father, not one based on the promise of our future goodness or on something we will do to 'make it up' to God. Amazingly, His defense of us is based on His own sacrifice. Yes, He points to His offering and says, "Father forgive Jerry, because I've already paid the penalty for his sins and failures." Jesus graciously allows you and me to 'borrow' from His store of goodness making us clean and whole before God. This is the essence of grace!
John cautions us against abusing that wonderful goodness of our Advocate. He urges us to 'walk in the light,' to take the strength and goodness of Jesus Christ into our lives so that we are changed, so that we sin less! Note that word. Not that we become 'sinless' for that cannot happen as long as we are alive and still dealing with our old sinful nature. However, as we live in close intimacy with God, trusting in our Advocate, the Spirit causes us to 'sin less' as we look forward to our eternal home, which Jesus will bring to us.
Take note of the interplay of hope and realization, of both future and present promise in this passage. "Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure. Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in him. So if we continue to live in him, we won’t sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known him or understood who he is." (1 John 3:2-6, NLT)
Has the notice of your indictment as a sinner in God's court unsetttled you? It should! The Bible is very clear that there will be persons seperated from God and good for eternity by sin. It isn't just the terrible, the horrible that are under the 'curse.' It is a universal human problem. Call on the Advocate!
Then, restored to the love of your Father, live a life that is increasingly holy.
_______________________
Friend of sinners, Lord of truth,
I am falling in love with You.
Friend of sinners, Lord of truth,
I have fallen in love with You.
Jesus, I love Your name,
The name by which we're saved.
Jesus, I love Your name,
The name by which we're saved.
Friend of sinners, Lord of truth,
I am giving my life to You.
Friend of sinners, Lord of truth,
I have given my life to You.
© 1994 Kingsway's Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI License No. 810055
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Spirit Wind, come blow over me!
The young man, an inmate in a local correctional institution, smiled as he told me, "The only reason I came to Bible study was to see a girl. I didn't even believe in God." For the past 3 months, Jim (not his real name) has attended the weekly Bible Study that I teach there. He went on to tell me how at the first Bible study he attended when we opened our Bibles, he forgot the girl he came to see. He was intrigued with what he heard, which was unlike anything he had heard before about God. He told me that each week he looked forward to coming and had recently prayed that Christ Jesus would be His Lord, His Savior, and turn his life around. "There was just something about what you were saying that I had to believe!" he said.
Who or what made the difference for Jim? It wasn't the moving music; there wasn't any! It wasn't awe-inspiring architecture; we were in a drab room, sitting around beat-up tables. It wasn't a persuasive presentation, complete with PowerPoint! He experienced the Presence of the Holy Spirit. The wind of the Spirit blew through that little locked room where a dozen or so of us sat with Bibles in hand and open hearts. Jim is to be released this week. Would you pray that he remains open to the Spirit so he can stand in his new faith when presented with the temptations that will surely come his way on the street?
There was another seeker whose life was changed by the Spirit. He was a man of influence, well acquainted with religion, a wealthy man. In the Gospel of John, chapter 3, we learn that he came to Jesus at night so no one would see him. He had heard Jesus teach and was drawn by the truth he heard, compelling truth that pointed to a new way of life. In that conversation, Nicodemus heard these amazing words: [John 3:5-8 NLT] Jesus replied, “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” The Spirit-wind blew across his heart and he was changed. He heard this promise, believed it, and the Spirit caused a new birth! [John 3:14-17 NIV] The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Do you know Christ? Has the wind of the Spirit blown through your life? Invite Him to, right now.
You're a Believer? Great! Have you settled for a routine of religion, a colorless life that has little joy, little power, and no intimacy with God?
Pray - Spirit Wind, come blow over me, again!
Are you afraid of the Holy Spirit? I was raised in a church that emphasized the power of the Holy Spirit, but often it seemed to me that He was used as an excuse for some crazy stuff. We were 'holy rollers!' Some awfully weird stuff happened and was called, "the move of the Spirit." Today, I know much of what I saw then that made me afraid or embarrassed wasn't God at all. It was just people letting off steam! Many of them were just 'emoting.' The true wind of the Spirit won't lead us into silly, stupid stuff. He will lead us into a deep reverence for God, to a place where we know incredible peace and joy, and to be persons of such profound love that we will gladly give up even our lives.
Ah, yes... when the wind of the Spirit blows over us and we are touched by God, we may well act out a bit - shedding tears, laughing from our gut, etc. But, He won't cause us to lose our minds! He will blow fresh life into our sin weary souls; and that's a fact.
Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. ... as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. -- 2 Cor3:17-19 NLT
_______________________
Sweet Wind
There's a wind blowin',
All across the land.
Fragrant breeze of heaven
Blowin' once again.
Don't know where it comes from,
Don't know where it goes,
But let it blow over me.
Oh, sweet wind,
Come and blow over me.
There's a rain a pourin',
Showers from above.
Mercy drops are comin',
Mercy drops of love.
Turn your face to heaven,
Let the water pour,
Well let it pour over me.
Oh, sweet rain,
Come and pour over me.
There's a fire burnin',
Fallin' from the sky.
Awesome tongues of fire
Consuming you and I.
Can you feel it burnin',
Burn the sacrifice,
Well let it burn over me.
Oh, sweet fire,
Come and burn over me.
Author: Ruis, DavidCopyright: 1994 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
Who or what made the difference for Jim? It wasn't the moving music; there wasn't any! It wasn't awe-inspiring architecture; we were in a drab room, sitting around beat-up tables. It wasn't a persuasive presentation, complete with PowerPoint! He experienced the Presence of the Holy Spirit. The wind of the Spirit blew through that little locked room where a dozen or so of us sat with Bibles in hand and open hearts. Jim is to be released this week. Would you pray that he remains open to the Spirit so he can stand in his new faith when presented with the temptations that will surely come his way on the street?
There was another seeker whose life was changed by the Spirit. He was a man of influence, well acquainted with religion, a wealthy man. In the Gospel of John, chapter 3, we learn that he came to Jesus at night so no one would see him. He had heard Jesus teach and was drawn by the truth he heard, compelling truth that pointed to a new way of life. In that conversation, Nicodemus heard these amazing words: [John 3:5-8 NLT] Jesus replied, “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” The Spirit-wind blew across his heart and he was changed. He heard this promise, believed it, and the Spirit caused a new birth! [John 3:14-17 NIV] The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Do you know Christ? Has the wind of the Spirit blown through your life? Invite Him to, right now.
You're a Believer? Great! Have you settled for a routine of religion, a colorless life that has little joy, little power, and no intimacy with God?
Pray - Spirit Wind, come blow over me, again!
Are you afraid of the Holy Spirit? I was raised in a church that emphasized the power of the Holy Spirit, but often it seemed to me that He was used as an excuse for some crazy stuff. We were 'holy rollers!' Some awfully weird stuff happened and was called, "the move of the Spirit." Today, I know much of what I saw then that made me afraid or embarrassed wasn't God at all. It was just people letting off steam! Many of them were just 'emoting.' The true wind of the Spirit won't lead us into silly, stupid stuff. He will lead us into a deep reverence for God, to a place where we know incredible peace and joy, and to be persons of such profound love that we will gladly give up even our lives.
Ah, yes... when the wind of the Spirit blows over us and we are touched by God, we may well act out a bit - shedding tears, laughing from our gut, etc. But, He won't cause us to lose our minds! He will blow fresh life into our sin weary souls; and that's a fact.
Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. ... as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. -- 2 Cor3:17-19 NLT
_______________________
Sweet Wind
There's a wind blowin',
All across the land.
Fragrant breeze of heaven
Blowin' once again.
Don't know where it comes from,
Don't know where it goes,
But let it blow over me.
Oh, sweet wind,
Come and blow over me.
There's a rain a pourin',
Showers from above.
Mercy drops are comin',
Mercy drops of love.
Turn your face to heaven,
Let the water pour,
Well let it pour over me.
Oh, sweet rain,
Come and pour over me.
There's a fire burnin',
Fallin' from the sky.
Awesome tongues of fire
Consuming you and I.
Can you feel it burnin',
Burn the sacrifice,
Well let it burn over me.
Oh, sweet fire,
Come and burn over me.
Author: Ruis, DavidCopyright: 1994 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Knowing You, Jesus, there is no greater thing!
Is your Christianity a collection of beliefs, a list of ethical principles, and some social habits? If asked what it means to be "Christian" some might say, "I believe Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God. I was baptized, joined the church, stopped using profane words. I attend church regularly, take Communion, and I have a Bible which I read occasionally." So, what's wrong with that? Nothing, except it misses some of the best parts of being a Christian.
Being a Christian is different from acting like a Christian. It is quite possible to do many 'Christian' things, even say 'Christian' words and not really BE a Christian. Consider these sobering words from Jesus: [Matthew 7:22-23 - The Message] "I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’" "You missed the boat!" That is a tragic phrase that will be heard by those who refuse the True Life of the Spirit, preferring to trust that they can make themselves good enough for God by doing good and humanitarian things throughout their lives.
A person is a Christian because she has received the life of the Spirit through Jesus Christ and who is now loving God, her Creator and Father with a love is not just a sentiment; a devotion demonstrated in life choices of obedience. (That's not an attempt to be exhaustively definitive!) Jesus gives us a metaphor to help us understand the profound truth of knowing God in a transformational way. [John 15:4-7 NLT] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! "Remain in me..." stay connected. Christians know a Person and His Presence in their lives changes them, gives them a substance of being that defies explanation.
While 'knowing' Jesus is a common part of the evangelical phrase book, I fear many really don't know Him at all. They only know about Him, confusing an active life of church service for the real life of the Spirit. We humans are almost incurably religious. If someone has an amazing and wonderful experience of God's Presence and/or Power, what do we do? We build a shrine, create a ritual, and try to replicate the experience. What should we do? Celebrate with them, entering into their wonder and joy, and then find out what God wants to do that is amazing and wonderful in our own life! Yes, there are a few common worship rituals that Jesus instituted to pull us together in our shared Christianity. Communion, Baptism, and joining in corporate worship must not be discarded as we launch into some personal 'Spirit' quest! He commanded that we do these things to celebrate the Truths that make us one Body.
But my point today is that each of us is privileged to really KNOW God and that is the wonder, and mystery, of being a Christian. Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it for a few moments, and then ask God, the Spirit, to keep you connected to the Vine today, from Whom flows the true spiritual life.
Eph 3:14-19 NIV For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Did you take note of that last phrase? What comes from a deeply intimate 'knowing' of God? A life filled with God! We will live rightly, we will do good deeds - when we know Him._________________
Knowing You
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You,There is no greater thing.You're my all, You're the best,You're my joy, my righteousness,And I love You, Lord.
All I once held dear, Built my life upon,All this world reveres, And wars to own,All I once thought gain I have counted loss;Spent and worthless now, Compared to this.
Now my heart's desire Is to know You more,To be found in You, And known as Yours,To possess by faith what I could not earn;All surpassing gift of righteousness.
Oh to know the power of Your risen life,And to know You in Your sufferings,To become like You in Your death, my Lord;So with You to live, and never die.
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You,There is no greater thing.You're my all, You're the best,You're my joy, my righteousness,And I love You, Lord.
Author: Kendrick, GrahamCopyright: 1993 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
Being a Christian is different from acting like a Christian. It is quite possible to do many 'Christian' things, even say 'Christian' words and not really BE a Christian. Consider these sobering words from Jesus: [Matthew 7:22-23 - The Message] "I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’" "You missed the boat!" That is a tragic phrase that will be heard by those who refuse the True Life of the Spirit, preferring to trust that they can make themselves good enough for God by doing good and humanitarian things throughout their lives.
A person is a Christian because she has received the life of the Spirit through Jesus Christ and who is now loving God, her Creator and Father with a love is not just a sentiment; a devotion demonstrated in life choices of obedience. (That's not an attempt to be exhaustively definitive!) Jesus gives us a metaphor to help us understand the profound truth of knowing God in a transformational way. [John 15:4-7 NLT] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! "Remain in me..." stay connected. Christians know a Person and His Presence in their lives changes them, gives them a substance of being that defies explanation.
While 'knowing' Jesus is a common part of the evangelical phrase book, I fear many really don't know Him at all. They only know about Him, confusing an active life of church service for the real life of the Spirit. We humans are almost incurably religious. If someone has an amazing and wonderful experience of God's Presence and/or Power, what do we do? We build a shrine, create a ritual, and try to replicate the experience. What should we do? Celebrate with them, entering into their wonder and joy, and then find out what God wants to do that is amazing and wonderful in our own life! Yes, there are a few common worship rituals that Jesus instituted to pull us together in our shared Christianity. Communion, Baptism, and joining in corporate worship must not be discarded as we launch into some personal 'Spirit' quest! He commanded that we do these things to celebrate the Truths that make us one Body.
But my point today is that each of us is privileged to really KNOW God and that is the wonder, and mystery, of being a Christian. Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it for a few moments, and then ask God, the Spirit, to keep you connected to the Vine today, from Whom flows the true spiritual life.
Eph 3:14-19 NIV For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Did you take note of that last phrase? What comes from a deeply intimate 'knowing' of God? A life filled with God! We will live rightly, we will do good deeds - when we know Him._________________
Knowing You
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You,There is no greater thing.You're my all, You're the best,You're my joy, my righteousness,And I love You, Lord.
All I once held dear, Built my life upon,All this world reveres, And wars to own,All I once thought gain I have counted loss;Spent and worthless now, Compared to this.
Now my heart's desire Is to know You more,To be found in You, And known as Yours,To possess by faith what I could not earn;All surpassing gift of righteousness.
Oh to know the power of Your risen life,And to know You in Your sufferings,To become like You in Your death, my Lord;So with You to live, and never die.
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You,There is no greater thing.You're my all, You're the best,You're my joy, my righteousness,And I love You, Lord.
Author: Kendrick, GrahamCopyright: 1993 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Is love always 'nice?'
Is it ever right to pray - "Lord, hit him over the head and make him stop!"?
David did. In those psalms that carry the label, imprecatory, he prays for his enemies to be neutralized! "O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Declare war on those who are attacking me. Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid. Lift up your spear and javelin and block the way of my enemies. Let me hear you say, “I am your salvation!”" (Psalm 35:1-3, NLT) In other Psalms, his prayers are even more violent! (Psalm 109 will astonish you.) So, what of this response? Is it one we can adopt when under siege? We are quite familiar with Jesus' demand that we 'turn the other cheek,' which would seem to forbid our retaliation against an enemy. But we also see Jesus making a whip and driving irreverent and greedy men from the Temple with an angry denunciation - "You have made this house of prayer into a den of thieves!" We read of Paul's testimony "We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We respond gently when evil things are said about us. " (1 Corinthians 4:12-13, NLT) But we read him speaking in the most strident terms about false teachers who were leading young Christians astray. In the letter to the church in Galatia, his anger spills out as he writes sarcastically about some teachers who insisted that Gentile Believers must be circumcised like observant Jews - "Why don’t these agitators, obsessive as they are about circumcision, go all the way and castrate themselves!"
Are you confused yet? Are these examples of inconsistency in the Bible? No, though some would point to them in that way. They guide us to the understanding that love is not always 'nice.' In dealing with evil in any of its three forms - corrupt world systems, our own sinful nature, or the work of the Devil - our response cannot be conciliatory or soft. We meet evil in the strength of our God, naming it, resisting it, and battling it. But, in the process, we must not lose the character of Jesus Christ! If we become evil in our attempts to fight evil, evil has won the day. When we are focused only on eliminating a situation or person from our life just to restore our happiness, our motive is wrong. If we are focused on the preservation of good, on establishing the work of God, we are much more likely to 'fight' in a way that is godly.
The Lord is a Warrior. He hates sin and evil. He wages war against evil and calls us to be warriors with Him. But, our weapons are not guns, bullets, and broadsides. Our weapons are truth and love. The truth can have a sharp edge. Ever felt it cut into you? I have. When someone names a sin in my life it hurts, even when they do it in a loving way. That is why the Bible says that the 'wounds from a friend can be trusted.' It is a loving act to help a brother to move toward overcoming a sinful habit by naming it. But can you see how easily even this 'loving act' could become sinful? When I start to enjoy 'wounding' my friend because it makes me feel spiritually superior, or because it allows me to control him, or because it takes him down a peg or two, I am no longer a godly warrior.
One old pastor advised young preachers under his teaching, "Never preach a sermon on Hell or damnation, unless you have tears streaming from your eyes." His point was that it is too easy to enjoy the destruction of those we perceive as our enemies. The old line that is much mocked urges us to 'hate the sin, love the sinner.' It is a true statement! That is exactly what the Bible wants us to do. It is what God does. He saw sin in me and hated it. My sin was destroying me, causing my death, and keeping me from living in God's purpose. So He acted, in love, to remove the sin from my life. He did so in several ways. First, He sent His Son to build a bridge of loving forgiveness so that I could aspire to be His child. Then, He allowed me to taste the dregs of the cup of my life. He stood back and let me choose to sin even though He knew it would bring me pain. He even disciplined me by letting my sins bring their fruits of sorrow into my life. And all the while, He loved me, waiting for me to respond to His invitation - "Come home to your Father!" My restoration, not my destruction, was His goal.
That is the goal of every warrior for God when it comes to the creation of God. We do not seek to destroy, we seek to restore. Only an active experience of God's love can help us to know where that line is drawn between waging war for the Kingdom's sake and waging war for our own purposes.
Jesus said, "Pray for your enemies." A loving prayer might well include a request that God would stop that person in their tracks, both to limit the damage they do to God's work AND so that they will turn to the God who loves them. Our prayers will not always be, "Lord, bless them with wonderful things today." We may lovingly pray, "Lord, let them suffer today so that they will realize the futility of life as they are living it. Lord, let them feel real pain. Remove the sources of temporary comfort that keep them from knowing their real need."
And, we give up our natural inclinations by accepting that person who turns to God, who turns from his sin, into our hearts, restoring them in full forgiveness, just as God forgave us. And, in that kind of love, God and good wins the day!
David did. In those psalms that carry the label, imprecatory, he prays for his enemies to be neutralized! "O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Declare war on those who are attacking me. Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid. Lift up your spear and javelin and block the way of my enemies. Let me hear you say, “I am your salvation!”" (Psalm 35:1-3, NLT) In other Psalms, his prayers are even more violent! (Psalm 109 will astonish you.) So, what of this response? Is it one we can adopt when under siege? We are quite familiar with Jesus' demand that we 'turn the other cheek,' which would seem to forbid our retaliation against an enemy. But we also see Jesus making a whip and driving irreverent and greedy men from the Temple with an angry denunciation - "You have made this house of prayer into a den of thieves!" We read of Paul's testimony "We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We respond gently when evil things are said about us. " (1 Corinthians 4:12-13, NLT) But we read him speaking in the most strident terms about false teachers who were leading young Christians astray. In the letter to the church in Galatia, his anger spills out as he writes sarcastically about some teachers who insisted that Gentile Believers must be circumcised like observant Jews - "Why don’t these agitators, obsessive as they are about circumcision, go all the way and castrate themselves!"
Are you confused yet? Are these examples of inconsistency in the Bible? No, though some would point to them in that way. They guide us to the understanding that love is not always 'nice.' In dealing with evil in any of its three forms - corrupt world systems, our own sinful nature, or the work of the Devil - our response cannot be conciliatory or soft. We meet evil in the strength of our God, naming it, resisting it, and battling it. But, in the process, we must not lose the character of Jesus Christ! If we become evil in our attempts to fight evil, evil has won the day. When we are focused only on eliminating a situation or person from our life just to restore our happiness, our motive is wrong. If we are focused on the preservation of good, on establishing the work of God, we are much more likely to 'fight' in a way that is godly.
The Lord is a Warrior. He hates sin and evil. He wages war against evil and calls us to be warriors with Him. But, our weapons are not guns, bullets, and broadsides. Our weapons are truth and love. The truth can have a sharp edge. Ever felt it cut into you? I have. When someone names a sin in my life it hurts, even when they do it in a loving way. That is why the Bible says that the 'wounds from a friend can be trusted.' It is a loving act to help a brother to move toward overcoming a sinful habit by naming it. But can you see how easily even this 'loving act' could become sinful? When I start to enjoy 'wounding' my friend because it makes me feel spiritually superior, or because it allows me to control him, or because it takes him down a peg or two, I am no longer a godly warrior.
One old pastor advised young preachers under his teaching, "Never preach a sermon on Hell or damnation, unless you have tears streaming from your eyes." His point was that it is too easy to enjoy the destruction of those we perceive as our enemies. The old line that is much mocked urges us to 'hate the sin, love the sinner.' It is a true statement! That is exactly what the Bible wants us to do. It is what God does. He saw sin in me and hated it. My sin was destroying me, causing my death, and keeping me from living in God's purpose. So He acted, in love, to remove the sin from my life. He did so in several ways. First, He sent His Son to build a bridge of loving forgiveness so that I could aspire to be His child. Then, He allowed me to taste the dregs of the cup of my life. He stood back and let me choose to sin even though He knew it would bring me pain. He even disciplined me by letting my sins bring their fruits of sorrow into my life. And all the while, He loved me, waiting for me to respond to His invitation - "Come home to your Father!" My restoration, not my destruction, was His goal.
That is the goal of every warrior for God when it comes to the creation of God. We do not seek to destroy, we seek to restore. Only an active experience of God's love can help us to know where that line is drawn between waging war for the Kingdom's sake and waging war for our own purposes.
Jesus said, "Pray for your enemies." A loving prayer might well include a request that God would stop that person in their tracks, both to limit the damage they do to God's work AND so that they will turn to the God who loves them. Our prayers will not always be, "Lord, bless them with wonderful things today." We may lovingly pray, "Lord, let them suffer today so that they will realize the futility of life as they are living it. Lord, let them feel real pain. Remove the sources of temporary comfort that keep them from knowing their real need."
And, we give up our natural inclinations by accepting that person who turns to God, who turns from his sin, into our hearts, restoring them in full forgiveness, just as God forgave us. And, in that kind of love, God and good wins the day!
Monday, November 07, 2005
"Yes, God is your answer, Tom Brady!"
On 60 Minutes the 28 year-old quarterback who has won three championships, who has a $60 million contract with the New England Patriots, said, “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think, ‘God, it's got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn't, this can't be what it's all cracked up to be.” Now let me say up-front and clearly, I don't know Tom and nothing of his spiritual life, but that sure looks like a statement of spiritual hunger to me. As I heard him make that statement, I wished I could have the opportunity to spend a few days with him helping him explore his relationship with God. To all appearances, Brady is a 'good guy.' He isn't known for selfishness, for carousing, for using drugs. He loves his family. But, morality is not the same as godliness. Being good, is not the same as knowing God.
There a deception that is as old as Eden and as current as today, that is not unique to West or East, young or old, brown or white - "Satisfaction will be mine when I have _________; when I achieve _______!" It is true there is a measure of joy to be found in owning things, in earning a place in our world. But the joy of life is found in finding and living in God's purpose. When a person knows that they are doing what God made them to do, that they are filling the place in this world God created them to fill, that they are pleasing Him - they experience satisfaction. I know that God wants me to be a pastor to His people. Sure, I get tired and complain about life, from time to time, but at the core of me being, I know that there is nothing else in the world I could do that would let me fulfill my purpose. When I have the opportunity to share the life of Jesus Christ or to help someone else discover God's plan - it lights up my life! Serving the local church is not a career for me; it's a calling.
Tom Brady has a calling! You have a calling, too! "Do you mean we should become pastors, Jerry?" Not necessarily! That could be, but you might be called to be a plumber, or a carpenter, or a full-time Mom, or a doctor, or a teacher. "Those are callings?" you ask, "they sound like jobs to me." That's my point! The most satisfied people in the world are those who know WHY, and for WHOM, they are doing WHAT they do. Knowing peace and satisfaction is the result of "being" not "doing." Of course, being in Christ has an effect on what we do, but we need to start with the heart. Even Tom Brady senses that championships and money are a temporary reward. In a decade or so, some other guy will come along who will win games and get the adulation. But, if Brady plays football for God and uses the fame and money that comes with the success for God's purposes, his life will take on a transcendent quality that time cannot erase.
Here's a word from the Word. Ponder this invitation today. If your life isn't satisfying, consider God's offer. If you have embraced the Lord's purposes but are being seduced by the tempter's songs, consider the promise of real satisfaction offered.
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. ...
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“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. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." -- Isaiah 55:1-12 NIV
There a deception that is as old as Eden and as current as today, that is not unique to West or East, young or old, brown or white - "Satisfaction will be mine when I have _________; when I achieve _______!" It is true there is a measure of joy to be found in owning things, in earning a place in our world. But the joy of life is found in finding and living in God's purpose. When a person knows that they are doing what God made them to do, that they are filling the place in this world God created them to fill, that they are pleasing Him - they experience satisfaction. I know that God wants me to be a pastor to His people. Sure, I get tired and complain about life, from time to time, but at the core of me being, I know that there is nothing else in the world I could do that would let me fulfill my purpose. When I have the opportunity to share the life of Jesus Christ or to help someone else discover God's plan - it lights up my life! Serving the local church is not a career for me; it's a calling.
Tom Brady has a calling! You have a calling, too! "Do you mean we should become pastors, Jerry?" Not necessarily! That could be, but you might be called to be a plumber, or a carpenter, or a full-time Mom, or a doctor, or a teacher. "Those are callings?" you ask, "they sound like jobs to me." That's my point! The most satisfied people in the world are those who know WHY, and for WHOM, they are doing WHAT they do. Knowing peace and satisfaction is the result of "being" not "doing." Of course, being in Christ has an effect on what we do, but we need to start with the heart. Even Tom Brady senses that championships and money are a temporary reward. In a decade or so, some other guy will come along who will win games and get the adulation. But, if Brady plays football for God and uses the fame and money that comes with the success for God's purposes, his life will take on a transcendent quality that time cannot erase.
Here's a word from the Word. Ponder this invitation today. If your life isn't satisfying, consider God's offer. If you have embraced the Lord's purposes but are being seduced by the tempter's songs, consider the promise of real satisfaction offered.
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. ...
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“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. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." -- Isaiah 55:1-12 NIV
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