I’m not talking about disciples who drop the F__ bomb! Foul language is not my focus today. There is another way to misuse the gift of words, turning the blessings into a curse. I call it – “Bible speak.” Do you ever indulge in "Bible speak?" We sometimes avoid dealing with hard stuff, sidestep being authentic by using the Bible as a kind anesthetic drug! It is a real problem among all Believers. More than once I have been drawn into the weirdness of it in conversations that go a little like this:
“How are you, John?”
“Praise God, ‘I can do all things through Christ!’”
“Well, that’s true, but how are you?”
“Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, bless the Name.”
“Yes, of course He is, and how are you today?”
“The Lord is my Shepherd and He leads me to green pastures.”
Often it is spiritual pride that causes us to say the right things even when our lives are a mess. Who among us wants to admit that he woke up on the wrong side of the bed and mad at the world? Who likes admitting that it feels like God is a million miles away and that he feels like his prayers are bouncing off the ceiling? It’s just easier to say, "Praise the Lord, I'm trusting Jesus, holding onto His Word" which may be true enough, but when used as "Bible speak" to hide fear, doubt, or confusion, it is almost like profanity, a terrible misuse of the gift of speech and the Word of God!
Sometimes it is mistaken concepts about faith that causes people to cover up their doubts or disappointments by mindlessly quoting Scripture. They have been taught, wrongly, that admission of troubles is 'not of faith.' We can and we should strengthen ourselves by reminding ourselves of the promises we find in the Bible, but we don't have to lie to ourselves or others in the process! Getting real about life, about fears, our sins and failures is always the very first step to real change! Then, too - sometimes we just say the right things because we know, deep down inside, that those in our circle of Believing friends don't want to be troubled with our problems; preferring the bland company of the comfortable, to the messy fellowship of the committed! The superficial, light-hearted conversation that skims life surface keeps the ugly stuff from seeing the light of day. So, many of us are desperate, walking alone in the dark, wondering if we are just really bad Christians since no one else appears to be struggling with the same kind of stuff.
None other than Paul, the apostle, illustrates an authenticity in life that is my model. In a letter to a church he once led as a pastor, he wrote about a terrible time in his life and said, "I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, NLT) How unlike the happy cussin’ that is featured in so many ministry reports!
Where did we ever come up with the idea that real Christians always have 'happily ever after' endings to all their life-stories? Paul thought he was as good as dead- not a very positive note of faith, was it? Truth is, there were long stretches of terrible suffering for the cause of Christ that made his life tragic. After spending long hard years on the road, being criticized, imprisoned, and rejected - he died a martyr's death in Rome! What sustained him? I can assure you it wasn't "Bible speak." His faith went deeper than a verse he learned at camp. His life was oriented to Truth - and by the Spirit - he transcended the emotions that might have derailed him, setting his sights on serving God - come Hell or high water.
And he was transparent in the process! Look at some of the phrases he uses to describe himself or his experience:
"chief among sinners," "out of my mind to talk this way," "weak," "wretched man that I am!" Through all the trials, troubles and triumphs -- Paul realized it wasn't about him, but about the Kingdom of God and about belonging to Christ Jesus, his Lord! "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ" (Philippians 3:8, NLT) That was no idle statement, but a testimony of the way he lived. Reputation, comfort, religious heritage, wealth, home -- all worthless by comparison to the treasure of knowing Christ authentically, deeply. Paul already had set his heart on the promise of Eternal Life. He was able to look life in the eye – pain and all – because he could see past the ‘light and momentary troubles,” to the glory that was waiting for him.
I am not suggesting that the only way to authentic Christianity is to wallow in our individual or collective misery! Let's be honest - rejoicing together in our victories, weeping in our failures - leaving the world of cussin’ Christians who engage in the vanity of "Bible speak" behind us. In this kind of real fellowship, love will flourish. Instead of a phony triumphalism, we will experience intimate community that keeps us whole in a broken world. We will free the Spirit who lives in us to transform us as we really deal with sin – in us and in our world! To the glory of God!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Bitter and cynical?
People will disappoint you, accept it! Friends will prove fickle. Partners will sometimes turn out to be parasites. Many leaders will be short-sighted, self-centered fools. Yes, you discovered at age 10, more or less, that Santa Claus was a fraud. Now get over it and get on with life. If we will not forgive others and ourselves our failures and short-comings, if we will not accept that no one can perfectly meet our expectations, we will grow bitter and cynical, as we age. Henry Ward Beecher, a well known pastor of the 19th century, said, “The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man and never fails to see a bad one. He is the human owl, vigilant in darkness and blind to light, mousing for vermin, and never seeing noble game. The cynic puts all human actions into two classes — openly bad and secretly bad.”
Some people use the failures of others as an excuse for cynicism and bitterness, even hatred. For others failure of their fellows becomes a reason to love!
Disciples of Christ are called to the latter response following in the footsteps of their Lord who "came to seek and to save those who are lost!” (Luke 19:10) That summation closes a story of a little man named Zacchaeus. Zee was a Jewish man who turned on his own people and worked for the Romans as a tax collector. He wasn’t above adding more than his legal commission to the bill and his dishonesty had made him wealthy. And, for all his wealth, he was an outcast in his town. When he heard that the traveling rabbi named Jesus was coming to Jericho, he wanted to see him. Of course, due to his lack of social stature, he had no hope that a respected man would entertain an offer of hospitality at his house. Because of his literal lack of stature, he couldn’t see over the crowd, so Zee decided to climb a tree to get a glimpse of the Man. Jesus saw him on that branch and said, “Let’s do lunch together, at your place!” The cynics went crazy! “He’s going to be the guest of a sinner!” What a conversation they enjoyed. Jesus offered him acceptance he had not felt lin years. He pointed him to the real purpose of his existence and this little man returned to the God of his fathers, getting his life right in the process.
What if Jesus had joined the cynics in the belief that Zee could not or would not change? What if He had stopped under that tree and bitterly railed on the little man’s sins and failures? The crowd would have been pleased, but the redemptive work of God would have gone undone!
Disciple, let the love of God wash bitterness and cynicism from your life. Confess it as the sin it is! Let the Lord of Love make you tender, forgiving, and full of hope. A cynic may appear to be sophisticated, but he will never accomplish the work of God in this world.
Here’s a word from the Word. Invite the Holy Spirit to seed it deep into your heart and mind, today!
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT)
______________
O Master, let me walk with Thee
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret;
Help me bear the strain of toil,
The fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the homeward way.
Teach me Thy patience still with Thee
In closer, dearer company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
O Master Let Me Walk With Thee
Gladden, Smith © Public Domain
Some people use the failures of others as an excuse for cynicism and bitterness, even hatred. For others failure of their fellows becomes a reason to love!
Disciples of Christ are called to the latter response following in the footsteps of their Lord who "came to seek and to save those who are lost!” (Luke 19:10) That summation closes a story of a little man named Zacchaeus. Zee was a Jewish man who turned on his own people and worked for the Romans as a tax collector. He wasn’t above adding more than his legal commission to the bill and his dishonesty had made him wealthy. And, for all his wealth, he was an outcast in his town. When he heard that the traveling rabbi named Jesus was coming to Jericho, he wanted to see him. Of course, due to his lack of social stature, he had no hope that a respected man would entertain an offer of hospitality at his house. Because of his literal lack of stature, he couldn’t see over the crowd, so Zee decided to climb a tree to get a glimpse of the Man. Jesus saw him on that branch and said, “Let’s do lunch together, at your place!” The cynics went crazy! “He’s going to be the guest of a sinner!” What a conversation they enjoyed. Jesus offered him acceptance he had not felt lin years. He pointed him to the real purpose of his existence and this little man returned to the God of his fathers, getting his life right in the process.
What if Jesus had joined the cynics in the belief that Zee could not or would not change? What if He had stopped under that tree and bitterly railed on the little man’s sins and failures? The crowd would have been pleased, but the redemptive work of God would have gone undone!
Disciple, let the love of God wash bitterness and cynicism from your life. Confess it as the sin it is! Let the Lord of Love make you tender, forgiving, and full of hope. A cynic may appear to be sophisticated, but he will never accomplish the work of God in this world.
Here’s a word from the Word. Invite the Holy Spirit to seed it deep into your heart and mind, today!
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT)
______________
O Master, let me walk with Thee
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret;
Help me bear the strain of toil,
The fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the homeward way.
Teach me Thy patience still with Thee
In closer, dearer company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
O Master Let Me Walk With Thee
Gladden, Smith © Public Domain
Friday, May 15, 2009
wan·na·be
I watch "Survivor" the CBS TV ‘reality’ show and this season features a true ‘wannabe!’ A 37 year old man who goes by the name of ‘Coach’ has told wild tales of his supposed exploits in the Amazon, claimed to have esoteric spiritual knowledge, and uses the moniker - "DragonSlayer." He’s a hoot, an obvious ‘wannabe.’ He desperately wants to be somebody, but he is ‘all hat and no cattle,’ as they say in Texas.
The dictionary says that a ‘wannabe’ is "a person who aspires to a role or position, who imitates the behavior, customs, or dress of an admired person or group." Sometimes they're funny, sometimes pathetic, and sometimes down- right annoying. Usually wannabe's, at first glance, are often indistinguishable from the authentic. The difference quickly becomes obvious when the wannabe has to actually produce like the real person. The wannabe, because he hasn't put in the time learning the skills, getting the education, and developing the art, is unable to come through in the crunch.
During teenage years being a wannabe is common! It is often the first step to becoming the
authentic article. One boy in the congregation I lead is a pastor wannabe. He carefully watches my mannerisms and even how I dress because I'm his model. (That is a sobering thought.) This lad may discover God’s calling to vocational ministry as he matures. If He has, then he will need to go to school, learn the necessary skills, become an intern - and eventually - he will no longer be a ‘wannabe!’ He will be a real servant of the Lord in the church. A pathetic sight is a middle aged guy who thinks that mimicking the mannerisms of some pastor, saying the same kind of phrases, in the same tone of voice, while wearing the same kind of clothing, really makes him a pastor. That is beyond sad!
Being a wannabe is essentially a fraudulent life. The lack of substance and/or accomplishment causes the pretender to live a lie, which erodes his integrity and steals his credibility. The wannabe knows another tragic result - he never finds out who he really is or what he is really capable of doing. Focused on trying to be somebody else, he misses the joy of being who God created him to be, joyfully filling the place in this world that God, through spiritual gifts, experiences, and opportunities, creates just for him.
Here's the direct question - are you a 'for real' Christian or a 'wannabe?'
Have you submitted your life to Christ in full surrender, allowing for a complete transformation of heart and mind OR are you just trying to imitate the lifestyle of a Believer you admire?
The Bible says - "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you." (Romans 12:2-3, NLT)
God loves YOU, friend. Yes, it is absolutely true. He won't love you more if you learn to imitate Mother Theresa or Billy Graham. Truth is, if you take that route, you will offend Him! He wants
you to be you, a unique person with unique preparations to fill a unique place in this world. Self-acceptance can be difficult. Looking in the mirror- physically and spiritually - reveals reality
which isn't always pretty. But, we are worthless to God and ourselves until we face the facts. We can take the imperfections and sins to God and He will transform us by giving us the Holy Spirit to work in us. God doesn't do 'make-overs.' He does transformations. That's right - you can be an authentic saint!
This transformational process is called sanctification. That just a big word for 'becoming like Christ' through the school of the Spirit! There will be blunders along the way, but - if we are committed to Him and to being authentic- we can be sure that His promise - "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)- will be true!
Live authentically today!
The dictionary says that a ‘wannabe’ is "a person who aspires to a role or position, who imitates the behavior, customs, or dress of an admired person or group." Sometimes they're funny, sometimes pathetic, and sometimes down- right annoying. Usually wannabe's, at first glance, are often indistinguishable from the authentic. The difference quickly becomes obvious when the wannabe has to actually produce like the real person. The wannabe, because he hasn't put in the time learning the skills, getting the education, and developing the art, is unable to come through in the crunch.
During teenage years being a wannabe is common! It is often the first step to becoming the
authentic article. One boy in the congregation I lead is a pastor wannabe. He carefully watches my mannerisms and even how I dress because I'm his model. (That is a sobering thought.) This lad may discover God’s calling to vocational ministry as he matures. If He has, then he will need to go to school, learn the necessary skills, become an intern - and eventually - he will no longer be a ‘wannabe!’ He will be a real servant of the Lord in the church. A pathetic sight is a middle aged guy who thinks that mimicking the mannerisms of some pastor, saying the same kind of phrases, in the same tone of voice, while wearing the same kind of clothing, really makes him a pastor. That is beyond sad!
Being a wannabe is essentially a fraudulent life. The lack of substance and/or accomplishment causes the pretender to live a lie, which erodes his integrity and steals his credibility. The wannabe knows another tragic result - he never finds out who he really is or what he is really capable of doing. Focused on trying to be somebody else, he misses the joy of being who God created him to be, joyfully filling the place in this world that God, through spiritual gifts, experiences, and opportunities, creates just for him.
Here's the direct question - are you a 'for real' Christian or a 'wannabe?'
Have you submitted your life to Christ in full surrender, allowing for a complete transformation of heart and mind OR are you just trying to imitate the lifestyle of a Believer you admire?
The Bible says - "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you." (Romans 12:2-3, NLT)
God loves YOU, friend. Yes, it is absolutely true. He won't love you more if you learn to imitate Mother Theresa or Billy Graham. Truth is, if you take that route, you will offend Him! He wants
you to be you, a unique person with unique preparations to fill a unique place in this world. Self-acceptance can be difficult. Looking in the mirror- physically and spiritually - reveals reality
which isn't always pretty. But, we are worthless to God and ourselves until we face the facts. We can take the imperfections and sins to God and He will transform us by giving us the Holy Spirit to work in us. God doesn't do 'make-overs.' He does transformations. That's right - you can be an authentic saint!
This transformational process is called sanctification. That just a big word for 'becoming like Christ' through the school of the Spirit! There will be blunders along the way, but - if we are committed to Him and to being authentic- we can be sure that His promise - "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)- will be true!
Live authentically today!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Looking for the limits
Could I actually claim to love my wife if I were constantly looking for the limits of her patience? “What is the minimal amount I have to do to stay married? How many nights can I stay out with friends before she objects? How little can I spend on gifts for her? How much attention can I give to other women without getting her angry enough to leave me?” Unless you’re clueless about love, you see the folly in that kind of thinking. Love isn’t about minimums! And yet, that line of thinking is quite common among those who say that they love the Lord.
People ask me questions like:
“Pastor, can I go hang out with old friends in bars and be a Christian?”
“Do I tithe on my net income?”
“Can I watch movies full of profanity, violence, or sex and be a Christian?”
“How often do I have to go to church?” Such questions miss the point of loving Christ entirely! They reveal a misunderstanding of what it means to know the Lord. A person who is looking for the edge cannot seriously claim to be passionately in love with Christ any more than I could honestly claim to love Bev while spending day after day doing what I wanted to do and ignoring her. Questions about minimally acceptable holiness reflect a religious spirit, rather than a love relationship! When questioning Christian behavior, the ‘why’ is equally important to the ‘what’ and that cannot be answered apart from love which is always to be our core motive that shapes every decision!
The prophet Hosea was given a most difficult assignment by the Lord. His life was to be an object lesson of love as a verb, an action word! Take a look. "The first time God spoke to Hosea he said: “Find a whore and marry her. Make this whore the mother of your children. And here’s why: This whole country has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God.” Hosea did it. He picked Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She got pregnant and gave him a son." (Hosea 1:2-3, The Message) Even after he loved her, Gomer ran off from Hosea to seek other lovers! The prophet, however, did not turn against her. Instead, he went and found her and brought her home again.
Later in his prophecy, Hosea records God’s word about His people who look for the limits, who love other gods. God’s anger, like that of any husband, is real and deep over the unfaithfulness of those who wandered from Him. But, He was also incredibly loving! "I will punish (Israel) for all those times when she burned incense to her images of Baal, when she put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about me,” says the Lord.
“But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’" (Hosea 2:13-16, NLT)
Disciple, Jesus spent very little time defining the edges of acceptable behavior for those who follow Him. Instead He called us to something better. " ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40, NLT) To understand this as a permissive love is to misunderstand the basics of God and His nature. Loving Him and being loved by Him is an all encompassing love that draws us into a holy life, dedicated to Him.
What must never be forgotten is that love only flourishes when it is freely received and freely given! Any lesser motive quickly reduces love to a duty, turns the covenant into a contract. Hear the Savior’s words and let them guide you to greater intimacy with Him, starting today.
"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." (Revelation 2:2-5, NIV)
_____________
Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us;
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine.
Fill this land
With the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze.
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow.
Flood the nations
With grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word,
Lord, and let there be light.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence.
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness;
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirror'd here, may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Lord The Light Of Your Love
Kendrick, Graham© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)CCLI License No. 810055
People ask me questions like:
“Pastor, can I go hang out with old friends in bars and be a Christian?”
“Do I tithe on my net income?”
“Can I watch movies full of profanity, violence, or sex and be a Christian?”
“How often do I have to go to church?” Such questions miss the point of loving Christ entirely! They reveal a misunderstanding of what it means to know the Lord. A person who is looking for the edge cannot seriously claim to be passionately in love with Christ any more than I could honestly claim to love Bev while spending day after day doing what I wanted to do and ignoring her. Questions about minimally acceptable holiness reflect a religious spirit, rather than a love relationship! When questioning Christian behavior, the ‘why’ is equally important to the ‘what’ and that cannot be answered apart from love which is always to be our core motive that shapes every decision!
The prophet Hosea was given a most difficult assignment by the Lord. His life was to be an object lesson of love as a verb, an action word! Take a look. "The first time God spoke to Hosea he said: “Find a whore and marry her. Make this whore the mother of your children. And here’s why: This whole country has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God.” Hosea did it. He picked Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She got pregnant and gave him a son." (Hosea 1:2-3, The Message) Even after he loved her, Gomer ran off from Hosea to seek other lovers! The prophet, however, did not turn against her. Instead, he went and found her and brought her home again.
Later in his prophecy, Hosea records God’s word about His people who look for the limits, who love other gods. God’s anger, like that of any husband, is real and deep over the unfaithfulness of those who wandered from Him. But, He was also incredibly loving! "I will punish (Israel) for all those times when she burned incense to her images of Baal, when she put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about me,” says the Lord.
“But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’" (Hosea 2:13-16, NLT)
Disciple, Jesus spent very little time defining the edges of acceptable behavior for those who follow Him. Instead He called us to something better. " ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40, NLT) To understand this as a permissive love is to misunderstand the basics of God and His nature. Loving Him and being loved by Him is an all encompassing love that draws us into a holy life, dedicated to Him.
What must never be forgotten is that love only flourishes when it is freely received and freely given! Any lesser motive quickly reduces love to a duty, turns the covenant into a contract. Hear the Savior’s words and let them guide you to greater intimacy with Him, starting today.
"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." (Revelation 2:2-5, NIV)
_____________
Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us;
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine.
Fill this land
With the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze.
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow.
Flood the nations
With grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word,
Lord, and let there be light.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence.
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness;
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirror'd here, may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Lord The Light Of Your Love
Kendrick, Graham© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)CCLI License No. 810055
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The hard edge of God’s Discipline
When God says, "No!" and crosses our desire, it is not pleasant. In fact, the deeper the issue, the more it hurts. What am I talking about? Take this example. A young woman who is a Believer allows herself to become attached to a guy who is not a follower of Jesus. Then, there is that moment when her conscience is stirred by the Spirit who says, "No." The truth of the Scripture that forbids the intermarriage of Christian and non-believer confronts her. It’s a heart-breaking moment. The temptation is to choose what feels good and shrug off possible consequences.
Every Believer has these moments of decision in which they must decide if they trust God to lead them to the best life or if they will assume ‘lordship’ and do what they want to do. I can tell you from experience that sometimes doing His will feels like dying! We are wise children of the Father if we obey Him, but there will be tears when we meet the hard edge of God’s discipline.
The true test of a parent’s love is his willingness to endure the anger of his child when he tells the child he must do something he does not want to do. When I had teenagers I loved them so much. It was great to be able to give them the things they wanted, to share the happy moments of life with them. But there were darker moments, too! My love for them caused me to enforce curfew to keep them out of trouble, to tell them to get their priorities in order by getting their work done first before hanging out with friends. It wasn’t much fun for me to feel their displeasure and I knew it wasn’t much fun for them to have to obey! But my aim was not just to exercise my authority. I was trying to provide training and discipline to benefit them later in life.
The Scripture teaches us that our Heavenly Father also sometimes says, "No" to us for our own good, because He really loves us. "So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?
My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children.
Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them.
But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God." – (Hebrews 12:5-11, The Message)
Have you encountered the hard edge of God’s discipline, disciple?
Have you found yourself confronted with a clear choice - to do what you want or to submit to Him?
Don’t excuse, rationalize, or delay! Cry if you must, but pray for strength to die to Self and to make the choice for obedience. Though you may not see it then, the time will come when you will see that He always had your best in His heart, that He is a loving Father.
_____________________
Lord, my sole desire is to serve You,
To honor You in everything I do;
I surrender and lay down my life to You,
Holy Spirit, come now and break through.
Break through the chains in my life,
Tear down the strongholds and the walls;
Deliver me from all bondage and strife,
That I may hear when You call
And give You my all, O Lord, my all.
I give You my all, O Lord, my all,
I give You my all, O Lord, my all,
I give You my all.
Break Through The Chains
McDonald, Gary / Walker, Tommy
© 1995 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.) / Integrity's Praise! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.) CCLI License No. 810055
Every Believer has these moments of decision in which they must decide if they trust God to lead them to the best life or if they will assume ‘lordship’ and do what they want to do. I can tell you from experience that sometimes doing His will feels like dying! We are wise children of the Father if we obey Him, but there will be tears when we meet the hard edge of God’s discipline.
The true test of a parent’s love is his willingness to endure the anger of his child when he tells the child he must do something he does not want to do. When I had teenagers I loved them so much. It was great to be able to give them the things they wanted, to share the happy moments of life with them. But there were darker moments, too! My love for them caused me to enforce curfew to keep them out of trouble, to tell them to get their priorities in order by getting their work done first before hanging out with friends. It wasn’t much fun for me to feel their displeasure and I knew it wasn’t much fun for them to have to obey! But my aim was not just to exercise my authority. I was trying to provide training and discipline to benefit them later in life.
The Scripture teaches us that our Heavenly Father also sometimes says, "No" to us for our own good, because He really loves us. "So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?
My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children.
Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them.
But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God." – (Hebrews 12:5-11, The Message)
Have you encountered the hard edge of God’s discipline, disciple?
Have you found yourself confronted with a clear choice - to do what you want or to submit to Him?
Don’t excuse, rationalize, or delay! Cry if you must, but pray for strength to die to Self and to make the choice for obedience. Though you may not see it then, the time will come when you will see that He always had your best in His heart, that He is a loving Father.
_____________________
Lord, my sole desire is to serve You,
To honor You in everything I do;
I surrender and lay down my life to You,
Holy Spirit, come now and break through.
Break through the chains in my life,
Tear down the strongholds and the walls;
Deliver me from all bondage and strife,
That I may hear when You call
And give You my all, O Lord, my all.
I give You my all, O Lord, my all,
I give You my all, O Lord, my all,
I give You my all.
Break Through The Chains
McDonald, Gary / Walker, Tommy
© 1995 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.) / Integrity's Praise! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.) CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
GODISNOWHERE!
GODISNOWHERE!
The billboard caught my attention. "Wow," I thought in the first moment, "are atheists starting to advertise?" My brain decoded the letters as the phrase, "God is no where!" Then I saw the sponsor of the message was a church and my brain re-read, "God is now here!" The context changed the message. When I had the opportunity I googled the phrase and found a website urging followers of Christ to take up His call to "go and teach all nations, making disciples!"
So, where are you today? Are you thinking, "God is no where" because you’re discouraged by what you see happening in our world, or because you have been deceived by what you hear about the absence of Truth? Or are you thanking Him, letting your life make the statement, "God is now here!" as you commit yourself to living in the Spirit?
The world we live in is rapidly changing, values and ideas we hold true and foundational are being challenged. Religions other than Christianity are making their influence felt because the world is so much smaller than it was just a generation ago. Tolerance is in full bloom making it unpopular to hold to a claim of exclusive Truth in Christ.
But, He is here and He does not change! We must choose to "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
(Ephesians 6:10-18, NLT)
Disciple, I urge you to carefully choose your battles! I am distressed that the Church is too often drawn from her primary mission of proclaiming the Good News about Christ into lesser skirmishes. We cannot expect those who do not know Jesus, who are not alive in the Spirit, to think and act as children of God! To spend great amounts of energy fighting sins is a mistake, in my opinion. Christ’s Kingdom does not advance on words of condemnation. Our ministry is one of reconciliation! "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19, NIV)
Our mission is to proclaim in both our words and our actions that "God is now here!" Let’s be so full of the Love of God that the rich abundance Jesus promised makes the Gospel the thing of beauty that it is. I do not want to known as the man who is against this or that, though I have strong and firm convictions. Much more I want to known as a man who belongs to Jesus, who is full of His grace and goodness, who loves God and others deeply. Don’t you?
____________
Click here to listen to a song of reconciliation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_4g8_e16dc
The billboard caught my attention. "Wow," I thought in the first moment, "are atheists starting to advertise?" My brain decoded the letters as the phrase, "God is no where!" Then I saw the sponsor of the message was a church and my brain re-read, "God is now here!" The context changed the message. When I had the opportunity I googled the phrase and found a website urging followers of Christ to take up His call to "go and teach all nations, making disciples!"
So, where are you today? Are you thinking, "God is no where" because you’re discouraged by what you see happening in our world, or because you have been deceived by what you hear about the absence of Truth? Or are you thanking Him, letting your life make the statement, "God is now here!" as you commit yourself to living in the Spirit?
The world we live in is rapidly changing, values and ideas we hold true and foundational are being challenged. Religions other than Christianity are making their influence felt because the world is so much smaller than it was just a generation ago. Tolerance is in full bloom making it unpopular to hold to a claim of exclusive Truth in Christ.
But, He is here and He does not change! We must choose to "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
(Ephesians 6:10-18, NLT)
Disciple, I urge you to carefully choose your battles! I am distressed that the Church is too often drawn from her primary mission of proclaiming the Good News about Christ into lesser skirmishes. We cannot expect those who do not know Jesus, who are not alive in the Spirit, to think and act as children of God! To spend great amounts of energy fighting sins is a mistake, in my opinion. Christ’s Kingdom does not advance on words of condemnation. Our ministry is one of reconciliation! "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19, NIV)
Our mission is to proclaim in both our words and our actions that "God is now here!" Let’s be so full of the Love of God that the rich abundance Jesus promised makes the Gospel the thing of beauty that it is. I do not want to known as the man who is against this or that, though I have strong and firm convictions. Much more I want to known as a man who belongs to Jesus, who is full of His grace and goodness, who loves God and others deeply. Don’t you?
____________
Click here to listen to a song of reconciliation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_4g8_e16dc
Monday, May 11, 2009
Who owns you?
"Nobody tells me what to do! I’m my own person." Independence and self-reliance are much admired by us, aren’t they? But we are not really as ‘free’ as we might imagine. In my life, there are various overlapping responsibilities to people, organizations, and principles. I belong to God. Bev, my wife, has a claim on my life that is exclusive. The church I pastor has a right to a big chunk of my life. The government takes a bite out of my income. The list continues.. but, you get the point. You know how these demands compete, even conflict, with each other. We need to make a living and our family needs us. Where’s the balance? It’s not always simple to discern the line between the demands of being a disciple of Christ and a citizen of some earthly realm!
In the sermon I preached yesterday, one point touched on the word, ‘consecration.’ Drawing on a lesson learned from a king of ancient Judah, I noted the most important decision facing us today: giving ourselves, without reservation, to the Lord Jesus Christ! Upon becoming king in Jerusalem at age 25, Hezekiah took note of that the once holy ground of the Temple was now a warehouse, full of junk! He brought the priests together and demanded: "Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary." Consecrate? Other translations say, "purify or sanctify."
Hezekiah’s reforms and call for renewed dedication was met by a huge house-cleaning effort. The Bible says that "they went in to purify the temple of the LORD, as the king had ordered, following the word of the LORD. The priests went into the sanctuary of the LORD to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the LORD's temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the LORD. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley."
This is an apt metaphor for us personally. God is no longer housed in temples of stone. He lives, by His Spirit, in us! 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" The competing demands of life begin to find order when we make the priority choice to give ourselves first and entirely to God! All other claims - family, spouse, job, personal desire - fall secondary to His ownership. Order flows that the decision to consecrate ourselves to Him!
If you continue to read the story of Hezekiah’s re-dedication of the priests and the Temple, you will find that two things happened in Judah - the nation rejoiced and she recovered her identity. Consecration will bring joy, though at first, it may cause pain as the Spirit cleans out the sin that clutters the hallways of our hearts! Consecration will also restore our identity, allowing us to be the people of the Lord who live for the honor of His Name.
"Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NLT)
______________
Take time to be holy.
Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always,
And feed on His Word.
Make friends with God's children;
Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing
His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy.
The world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret
With Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus,
Like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct
His likeness shall see.
Take Time To Be Holy
Longstaff, William D. / Stebbins, George C.
© Public Domain
In the sermon I preached yesterday, one point touched on the word, ‘consecration.’ Drawing on a lesson learned from a king of ancient Judah, I noted the most important decision facing us today: giving ourselves, without reservation, to the Lord Jesus Christ! Upon becoming king in Jerusalem at age 25, Hezekiah took note of that the once holy ground of the Temple was now a warehouse, full of junk! He brought the priests together and demanded: "Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary." Consecrate? Other translations say, "purify or sanctify."
Hezekiah’s reforms and call for renewed dedication was met by a huge house-cleaning effort. The Bible says that "they went in to purify the temple of the LORD, as the king had ordered, following the word of the LORD. The priests went into the sanctuary of the LORD to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the LORD's temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the LORD. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley."
This is an apt metaphor for us personally. God is no longer housed in temples of stone. He lives, by His Spirit, in us! 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" The competing demands of life begin to find order when we make the priority choice to give ourselves first and entirely to God! All other claims - family, spouse, job, personal desire - fall secondary to His ownership. Order flows that the decision to consecrate ourselves to Him!
If you continue to read the story of Hezekiah’s re-dedication of the priests and the Temple, you will find that two things happened in Judah - the nation rejoiced and she recovered her identity. Consecration will bring joy, though at first, it may cause pain as the Spirit cleans out the sin that clutters the hallways of our hearts! Consecration will also restore our identity, allowing us to be the people of the Lord who live for the honor of His Name.
"Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NLT)
______________
Take time to be holy.
Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always,
And feed on His Word.
Make friends with God's children;
Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing
His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy.
The world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret
With Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus,
Like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct
His likeness shall see.
Take Time To Be Holy
Longstaff, William D. / Stebbins, George C.
© Public Domain
Friday, May 08, 2009
Contented with Today’s Bread
My oldest son, Jay, is a partner in a high end art gallery in Tyson’s Corner, VA. Business has been slow. Yesterday, he called me to share his joy. Just after he was asking the Lord about providing for his needs, a man walked into the gallery and bought a piece for Mother’s Day. Jay was so thankful for such an immediate answer to prayer, but I really liked what he said next. "Dad, God gave me enough for today." No, his bank account isn’t overflowing, but he was blessed with what was needed for that day.
The world we are a part of conspires to get us to spend tomorrow’s resources by using credit and
tells us we must anticipate life’s ‘needs’ so that we will pile up more in reserve. Advertising seduces us and works hard to convince us that a better life could be ours if only we owned ....
Living with contentment in what God gives for today is a challenge.
A key to knowing the joy of the Lord is learning to accept today’s bread and to be thankful for what God puts on our table. In that collection of wisdom, we find this odd prayer. "O Lord; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." (Proverbs 30:7-9, NIV) What insight into human nature! When our lives are overflowing with resources, we tend to ignore God and live as though we are masters of our fate! When we are in need, we also try to take control and may become desperate enough to sin! So, "give us today our daily bread," Jesus taught us to pray.
The way that God provided food for the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land ought to instruct us. Each morning the miracle of manna was renewed. This ‘angel food’ was delivered just for the day. If they gathered more than they needed and tried to hoard it, it spoiled and stank, except on the day before the Sabbath! On that day, they could gather enough for two days, and it did not spoil. God’s message in this was, "Depend on Me!" And, every morning, God gave them fresh food, for forty years! (Exodus 16)
Read these familiar excerpts from the letter to the Philippians. And, then, disciple - choose contentment and thankfulness for today’s bread!
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!"
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."
"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."
"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:4, 6, 11-12, 19, NLT)
_____________
Heavenly Father, help me to be content, not complacent.
Give me eyes to see Your provisions and a grateful heart that accepts today’s bread.
Teach me the joy of child-like trust and help me to learn to lean on You.
When I am tempted to try to seize control and ‘make something happen,’
remind me to wait patiently and walk only where You lead.
Be honored by my thoughts, words, and actions today,
as I live a holy, joyful life in Your Peace.
Lord Jesus, I pray this in Your Name. Amen!
The world we are a part of conspires to get us to spend tomorrow’s resources by using credit and
tells us we must anticipate life’s ‘needs’ so that we will pile up more in reserve. Advertising seduces us and works hard to convince us that a better life could be ours if only we owned ....
Living with contentment in what God gives for today is a challenge.
A key to knowing the joy of the Lord is learning to accept today’s bread and to be thankful for what God puts on our table. In that collection of wisdom, we find this odd prayer. "O Lord; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." (Proverbs 30:7-9, NIV) What insight into human nature! When our lives are overflowing with resources, we tend to ignore God and live as though we are masters of our fate! When we are in need, we also try to take control and may become desperate enough to sin! So, "give us today our daily bread," Jesus taught us to pray.
The way that God provided food for the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land ought to instruct us. Each morning the miracle of manna was renewed. This ‘angel food’ was delivered just for the day. If they gathered more than they needed and tried to hoard it, it spoiled and stank, except on the day before the Sabbath! On that day, they could gather enough for two days, and it did not spoil. God’s message in this was, "Depend on Me!" And, every morning, God gave them fresh food, for forty years! (Exodus 16)
Read these familiar excerpts from the letter to the Philippians. And, then, disciple - choose contentment and thankfulness for today’s bread!
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!"
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."
"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."
"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:4, 6, 11-12, 19, NLT)
_____________
Heavenly Father, help me to be content, not complacent.
Give me eyes to see Your provisions and a grateful heart that accepts today’s bread.
Teach me the joy of child-like trust and help me to learn to lean on You.
When I am tempted to try to seize control and ‘make something happen,’
remind me to wait patiently and walk only where You lead.
Be honored by my thoughts, words, and actions today,
as I live a holy, joyful life in Your Peace.
Lord Jesus, I pray this in Your Name. Amen!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Those Smelly Feet!
How good is your serve? I'm not talking about tennis. Do you have a true servant's heart?
I realized recently that I needed to let the Spirit work on mine again. I was sitting at the drive-up at the bank. One minute, two minutes, three minutes..... a car that had pulled into the next lane after me left before me, indicating that her documents were processed before mine. Four minutes... yes, I sat for just short of ten minutes before my simple deposit was processed. (I think the teller got distracted and forgot it.) I started to steam, but heard the Spirit whisper, "Practice patience and give up your desire to be served." I did, and instead of irritation, experienced peace.
On the night of His betrayal, the most stressful night of Jesus' earthly life, He was not pre-occupied with His own needs. Isn't that amazing? John tells us that 'He knew His hour had come.' Naturally, we might expect Him to say, "Gather 'round me, guys, and pray for me. Give me support here for this is a terrible test." Indeed, later at the Garden of Gethsemane He would ask for that kind of support. But at dinner, while they bickered about their importance, He got up, took a towel and basin, and began to wash their feet!
Footwashing was the role of the lowest and the least in the household. It was a demeaning, nasty, but necessary job in a day when there were no sidewalks, lots of livestock, and little in the way of modern sanitation, if you get my drift! Feet were in the 'stuff' and you didn't want it dragged into your house, so washing the feet of your guests was customary. However, it was a job for slaves; unless you really loved somebody- then you might choose to wash their feet.
Jesus washed the feet of the men who walked and talked with Him because He loved them! He wasn't shaming them for their fighting about self-importance. He wasn't looking for their admiration. He was just doing what needed to be done!
He made it a teachable moment and left this challenge for us. "After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table. Then he said, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do."
(John 13:12-15, The Message)
He wasn't just talking about having footwashing services, either! He was talking about a way of life that is given to service offered out of a heart of love. We wash someone's feet when we absorb their anger without retaliation. We wash someone's feet when we offer them affirmation when we are crumbling inside. We wash feet when we forgive another's selfishness, letting go of our rights. There are a lot of ways to take up the towel and the basin, disciple.
Are you feeling 'entitled' today? That shows up in this line of thinking.
- "I've worked hard, who's going to thank me?"
- "If somebody doesn't show some appreciation 'round here, I'm going to start doing the minimum required of me."
- "Doesn't anybody realize how important I am?"
- "Back off, man, this is my territory."
Jesus leads us into a different kind of life. Here's the principle we learn in John 13.
Greatness in Christ's eyes does not come from having many servants but from being the servant of many.
Take this word from the Word into your heart today and let it marinade in your mind. It will produce amazing transformation.
"Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28, NKJV)
I realized recently that I needed to let the Spirit work on mine again. I was sitting at the drive-up at the bank. One minute, two minutes, three minutes..... a car that had pulled into the next lane after me left before me, indicating that her documents were processed before mine. Four minutes... yes, I sat for just short of ten minutes before my simple deposit was processed. (I think the teller got distracted and forgot it.) I started to steam, but heard the Spirit whisper, "Practice patience and give up your desire to be served." I did, and instead of irritation, experienced peace.
On the night of His betrayal, the most stressful night of Jesus' earthly life, He was not pre-occupied with His own needs. Isn't that amazing? John tells us that 'He knew His hour had come.' Naturally, we might expect Him to say, "Gather 'round me, guys, and pray for me. Give me support here for this is a terrible test." Indeed, later at the Garden of Gethsemane He would ask for that kind of support. But at dinner, while they bickered about their importance, He got up, took a towel and basin, and began to wash their feet!
Footwashing was the role of the lowest and the least in the household. It was a demeaning, nasty, but necessary job in a day when there were no sidewalks, lots of livestock, and little in the way of modern sanitation, if you get my drift! Feet were in the 'stuff' and you didn't want it dragged into your house, so washing the feet of your guests was customary. However, it was a job for slaves; unless you really loved somebody- then you might choose to wash their feet.
Jesus washed the feet of the men who walked and talked with Him because He loved them! He wasn't shaming them for their fighting about self-importance. He wasn't looking for their admiration. He was just doing what needed to be done!
He made it a teachable moment and left this challenge for us. "After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table. Then he said, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do."
(John 13:12-15, The Message)
He wasn't just talking about having footwashing services, either! He was talking about a way of life that is given to service offered out of a heart of love. We wash someone's feet when we absorb their anger without retaliation. We wash someone's feet when we offer them affirmation when we are crumbling inside. We wash feet when we forgive another's selfishness, letting go of our rights. There are a lot of ways to take up the towel and the basin, disciple.
Are you feeling 'entitled' today? That shows up in this line of thinking.
- "I've worked hard, who's going to thank me?"
- "If somebody doesn't show some appreciation 'round here, I'm going to start doing the minimum required of me."
- "Doesn't anybody realize how important I am?"
- "Back off, man, this is my territory."
Jesus leads us into a different kind of life. Here's the principle we learn in John 13.
Greatness in Christ's eyes does not come from having many servants but from being the servant of many.
Take this word from the Word into your heart today and let it marinade in your mind. It will produce amazing transformation.
"Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28, NKJV)
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
The Seduction of Things Novel
I enjoy getting a new car! In July, 2006 after weeks of shopping, I bought my current ride: a candy apple red Mercury Milan. The leather upholstery had that great ‘new car’ aroma! The red paint sparkled. But, it took only weeks for the ‘newness’ to wear off, with a ding here, a chip there! A new shirt, a new hairdo, a new car, new living room furniture, new ideas... all make life interesting. Yet, we know that all too soon, fashion changes, today’s color replaced by a new hue, the latest and greatest idea eclipsed by a new discovery.
While we are aware of that worshiping tradition more than loving God will bring on spiritual death, we tend to minimize the dangers that accompany the seduction of things novel. In a bow to our culture that loves new, rad, (is that word still used?), hip, and hype - Church is being re-invented, in the name of being ‘relevant.’ About 10 years ago, a group emerged in the American Christian church that caught my attention with their ‘new’ language, their emphasis being culturally ‘sensitive’ and responsive to current sociological trends, and their inclusiveness. Even their name, "Emergent," was catchy. But ... the shine wore off as unintended consequences of the ‘emergent’ Church novelties became more evident.
One of the first casualties was the commitment to Truth. Truth is unyielding. It refuses to be molded to contemporary sensibilities. But, some Emergent prophets insisted that our personal stories stood alongside of the Scripture in our quest for God; sometimes even more important than His-story! Others insisted that ‘sin’ have a new definition, and some even questioned the necessity of the Cross of Christ! A new interpretation of Humanity’s unique place as the crown of God’s Creation, bearing His image in the world, has allowed good and God-honoring reverence for Creation to be replaced in many churches with near pagan worship of creation. The anti-authoritarian streak that is common to human nature was fed by emergent ideas that diminished or even erased a role for spiritual leadership in the Church.
Jeremiah, under the inspiration of the Spirit, cries:
"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
Therefore hear, O nations; observe, O witnesses, what will happen to them.
Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law." (Jeremiah 6:16-19, NIV)
Adopting methodology that meets the needs of the times is a wise way to bring the Good News of God’s kingdom to people who share our space on this planet. I’m not making a case for living like the Amish, trying to reproduce the methods, music, or message of the evangelical churches of the 1950's, or of some other imagined utopian era! I am saying that traditions help to anchor us and serve to guide us. We discard the wisdom of those who lived before us, the accumulated study of the sages to our detriment! Newness simply for the sake of novelty is a path to faddishness and foolishness, not spiritual freshness or maturity.
A curious trend is re-appearing in Christian churches which I believe is a reaction to the folly of trying to make eternal truth and faith easy, accessible, and contemporary. Many, particularly the youngest, are looking again to the beauty and stability of ancient rituals that stood through centuries as expressions of worship and faith. Christian liturgy is making a comeback as is architecture that helps define ‘sacred’ space much to the amazement of those who thought those things dead and gone.
May we not abandon the Truth of our glorious Gospel, allowing ourselves to be seduced by all things novel. Instead, let us love the Lord of Life. The Word reminds us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace." (Hebrews 13:8-9, NIV) And, as we love Him and His Word, let us be always ready to make the most of the opportunities that the Spirit brings our way to share Him with those who need a Rock on Whom they can anchor their souls.
Here’s a word from the Word. As you meditate on it, note the interplay between the solid Truth and the fresh application of it that keeps us alive in Christ. "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2, NLT)
____________
My hope is built on nothing less,
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.
On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand. - public domain
While we are aware of that worshiping tradition more than loving God will bring on spiritual death, we tend to minimize the dangers that accompany the seduction of things novel. In a bow to our culture that loves new, rad, (is that word still used?), hip, and hype - Church is being re-invented, in the name of being ‘relevant.’ About 10 years ago, a group emerged in the American Christian church that caught my attention with their ‘new’ language, their emphasis being culturally ‘sensitive’ and responsive to current sociological trends, and their inclusiveness. Even their name, "Emergent," was catchy. But ... the shine wore off as unintended consequences of the ‘emergent’ Church novelties became more evident.
One of the first casualties was the commitment to Truth. Truth is unyielding. It refuses to be molded to contemporary sensibilities. But, some Emergent prophets insisted that our personal stories stood alongside of the Scripture in our quest for God; sometimes even more important than His-story! Others insisted that ‘sin’ have a new definition, and some even questioned the necessity of the Cross of Christ! A new interpretation of Humanity’s unique place as the crown of God’s Creation, bearing His image in the world, has allowed good and God-honoring reverence for Creation to be replaced in many churches with near pagan worship of creation. The anti-authoritarian streak that is common to human nature was fed by emergent ideas that diminished or even erased a role for spiritual leadership in the Church.
Jeremiah, under the inspiration of the Spirit, cries:
"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
Therefore hear, O nations; observe, O witnesses, what will happen to them.
Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law." (Jeremiah 6:16-19, NIV)
Adopting methodology that meets the needs of the times is a wise way to bring the Good News of God’s kingdom to people who share our space on this planet. I’m not making a case for living like the Amish, trying to reproduce the methods, music, or message of the evangelical churches of the 1950's, or of some other imagined utopian era! I am saying that traditions help to anchor us and serve to guide us. We discard the wisdom of those who lived before us, the accumulated study of the sages to our detriment! Newness simply for the sake of novelty is a path to faddishness and foolishness, not spiritual freshness or maturity.
A curious trend is re-appearing in Christian churches which I believe is a reaction to the folly of trying to make eternal truth and faith easy, accessible, and contemporary. Many, particularly the youngest, are looking again to the beauty and stability of ancient rituals that stood through centuries as expressions of worship and faith. Christian liturgy is making a comeback as is architecture that helps define ‘sacred’ space much to the amazement of those who thought those things dead and gone.
May we not abandon the Truth of our glorious Gospel, allowing ourselves to be seduced by all things novel. Instead, let us love the Lord of Life. The Word reminds us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace." (Hebrews 13:8-9, NIV) And, as we love Him and His Word, let us be always ready to make the most of the opportunities that the Spirit brings our way to share Him with those who need a Rock on Whom they can anchor their souls.
Here’s a word from the Word. As you meditate on it, note the interplay between the solid Truth and the fresh application of it that keeps us alive in Christ. "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2, NLT)
____________
My hope is built on nothing less,
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.
On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand. - public domain
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Are you spiritual?
I don't speak in deep reverential tones in my sermons, nor do I pray to a two syllable "Gaa-awd!" I love to laugh, wear blue jeans, and eat bean burritos with all the consequences that go with them. I confess that I don't spend hours each day on my knees in the church's sanctuary. I like country music and enjoy a good action flick. Does that mean I am not spiritual? To some, perhaps.
Spirituality gets confused with quietness, introspection, and piety, by some. True spirituality is just doing what God wants done, being responsive to the Holy Spirit moment by moment. Eugene Peterson, best know for his work in bringing us the paraphrase of the Bible called The Message, was a pastor of a small church for many years. In an article published in Christianity Today, March, 2005, he observed, "The people who give me the most distress are those who come asking, "Pastor, how can I be spiritual?" Forget about being spiritual. How about loving your husband? Now that's a good place to start. But that's not what they're interested in. How about learning to love your kids, accept them the way they are?"
The disciples in the Church in the city of Corinth got all excited about being 'spiritual,' and they thought they were quite impressive because they spoke at length in tongues, prophesied, and had meeting that were chock full of Holy Spirit manifestations. Paul wrote a long corrective letter them that all those who aspire to spirituality need to read. Imagine the shock they felt when they heard his letter and he said, "Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn't talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life." (1 Corinthians 3:1, NLT)
He went on to point out that despite their all their spiritual gifts, their lives were a mess! They fought with each other. They lacked love. They would not serve each other. They sued each in court. They could not deal with sin in their own congregation. They were proud of their knowledge of spiritual freedom and cared little if their actions caused someone less mature in faith to be offended. So Paul says, "You think you're so spiritual, but you're really not very deep in God, at all! You have not even grasped the basics!" Throughout his letter, he reminds them that true spirituality will produce a transformation of character, that being spiritual is always show by a deep and consistent love for God and others. Note the underlying attitude of loving service that informs his instruction about their 'spiritual' worship. "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." (1 Corinthians 14:26, NIV)
True spirituality has nothing to do with one's mastery of Biblical Greek, ability to speak in tongues, pray in 16th century Elizabethan language, or follow forced practices of external piety. Genuine spirituality is:about repentance when we sin against God, about choosing daily to die to our need to be first or to be recognized, and about submission to God for love's sake. It is expressed, not our church behavior, but in how we live at home and in the street.
When others judge our spirituality, we need to remember that we have one Master and "If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help." (Romans 14:4, The Message) It is important to remember that if we try to make others think of us as 'spiritual,' we will become actors and before long, looking good will take precedence over being good! That said, I sincerely hope that you see Jesus in me, that there is a consistent bent to loving care, a concern for the world around me, and a desire to do His will - living so as to honor the One Whom I call, "Lord" with a life of integrity.
Here's a word from the Word. I pray it will lead us to truer spirituality today!
"So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.' " Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall." ...
"So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up."
(Romans 14:10-13, 19, NLT
Spirituality gets confused with quietness, introspection, and piety, by some. True spirituality is just doing what God wants done, being responsive to the Holy Spirit moment by moment. Eugene Peterson, best know for his work in bringing us the paraphrase of the Bible called The Message, was a pastor of a small church for many years. In an article published in Christianity Today, March, 2005, he observed, "The people who give me the most distress are those who come asking, "Pastor, how can I be spiritual?" Forget about being spiritual. How about loving your husband? Now that's a good place to start. But that's not what they're interested in. How about learning to love your kids, accept them the way they are?"
The disciples in the Church in the city of Corinth got all excited about being 'spiritual,' and they thought they were quite impressive because they spoke at length in tongues, prophesied, and had meeting that were chock full of Holy Spirit manifestations. Paul wrote a long corrective letter them that all those who aspire to spirituality need to read. Imagine the shock they felt when they heard his letter and he said, "Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn't talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life." (1 Corinthians 3:1, NLT)
He went on to point out that despite their all their spiritual gifts, their lives were a mess! They fought with each other. They lacked love. They would not serve each other. They sued each in court. They could not deal with sin in their own congregation. They were proud of their knowledge of spiritual freedom and cared little if their actions caused someone less mature in faith to be offended. So Paul says, "You think you're so spiritual, but you're really not very deep in God, at all! You have not even grasped the basics!" Throughout his letter, he reminds them that true spirituality will produce a transformation of character, that being spiritual is always show by a deep and consistent love for God and others. Note the underlying attitude of loving service that informs his instruction about their 'spiritual' worship. "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." (1 Corinthians 14:26, NIV)
True spirituality has nothing to do with one's mastery of Biblical Greek, ability to speak in tongues, pray in 16th century Elizabethan language, or follow forced practices of external piety. Genuine spirituality is:about repentance when we sin against God, about choosing daily to die to our need to be first or to be recognized, and about submission to God for love's sake. It is expressed, not our church behavior, but in how we live at home and in the street.
When others judge our spirituality, we need to remember that we have one Master and "If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help." (Romans 14:4, The Message) It is important to remember that if we try to make others think of us as 'spiritual,' we will become actors and before long, looking good will take precedence over being good! That said, I sincerely hope that you see Jesus in me, that there is a consistent bent to loving care, a concern for the world around me, and a desire to do His will - living so as to honor the One Whom I call, "Lord" with a life of integrity.
Here's a word from the Word. I pray it will lead us to truer spirituality today!
"So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.' " Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall." ...
"So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up."
(Romans 14:10-13, 19, NLT
Monday, May 04, 2009
Lord, Make Me A Better Lover!
One of the best books I have ever read on the complicated subject of human relationships is titled, Bold Love, NavPress, 1993, written by Dr. Dan Allender. One of his assertions is that 'love is not natural.' I don't like that! We like to think that we are loving, generous, unselfish beings, but a closer look at our lives shows something else to be true. We 'love' easily only when another pleases us, complies with our desires, or makes us happy. When they disappoint or fail us, most of the time we quickly resort to cruel tactics to make them play the game our way, and should that not happen, the relationship dissolves. So much for loving deeply!
Everyone has known the pain of a failed friendship. An angry word is spoken, a misunderstanding blows in like a summer thunderstorm, offense takes hold and becomes a fortress wall. A friend becomes an enemy and the wound goes deep! The love once enjoyed mysteriously turns into a bitter hatred.
Even familial love fails! Sons and mothers do not speak over some relatively insignificant slight. Lovers who once could not stand to be apart for a moment become enemies who actively desire the destruction of each other.
Christians, who follow the Lord of Love, who are taught that love is the mark of a genuine disciple, are capable of ripping each other to shreds over when their traditions are threatened, their comfort impeded, or their beliefs challenged.
Why do we do this?
What makes love so hard?
Allender writes, "There is an enormous drive in the fallen human personality that impedes the process of learning to love and an equally powerful force outside of every person that labors to destroy every effort to love. ... Complacency and presumption work hand-in-hand to blind even Christians to the importance of love and inherent battle involved in learning to love. IF we are to learn to love, we must begin with an acknowledgment that love is not natural and that love's failure is not easy to admit."
Let me rephrase that paragraph! Sin and selfishness work inside of us and the Devil works outside of us- conspiring against love's birth and/or survival. Then, too, there is the false belief that love does not need daily care. Neglect allows it to cool until it dies, all the while we live in denial of the truth!
The only way we learn to love and remain loving is to be renewed constantly in the love of Christ! "We love each other because he loved us first." (1 John 4:19, NLT) Ardent love requires dying to Self. Jesus insists that "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24, NLT) We cannot love God and ourselves at the same time. We cannot love others deeply while selfishly serving our own needs, either!
Is love challenged in your life?
Before you form a fist and attempt to force a change, go to your knees! Let the Lord of Love, love you!
Before you pray, "God make them change!" give the Holy Spirit full access to your heart and mind and let Him change you!
Before you walk away, expressing hatred through cool contempt, ask God to help you love others - the same way that He loves you.
Love is a force for change that is more powerful than any weapon ever devised by human beings.
Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it today.
"My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love-so you can't know him if you don't love.
This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about-not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other." (1 John 4:7-11, The Message)
Everyone has known the pain of a failed friendship. An angry word is spoken, a misunderstanding blows in like a summer thunderstorm, offense takes hold and becomes a fortress wall. A friend becomes an enemy and the wound goes deep! The love once enjoyed mysteriously turns into a bitter hatred.
Even familial love fails! Sons and mothers do not speak over some relatively insignificant slight. Lovers who once could not stand to be apart for a moment become enemies who actively desire the destruction of each other.
Christians, who follow the Lord of Love, who are taught that love is the mark of a genuine disciple, are capable of ripping each other to shreds over when their traditions are threatened, their comfort impeded, or their beliefs challenged.
Why do we do this?
What makes love so hard?
Allender writes, "There is an enormous drive in the fallen human personality that impedes the process of learning to love and an equally powerful force outside of every person that labors to destroy every effort to love. ... Complacency and presumption work hand-in-hand to blind even Christians to the importance of love and inherent battle involved in learning to love. IF we are to learn to love, we must begin with an acknowledgment that love is not natural and that love's failure is not easy to admit."
Let me rephrase that paragraph! Sin and selfishness work inside of us and the Devil works outside of us- conspiring against love's birth and/or survival. Then, too, there is the false belief that love does not need daily care. Neglect allows it to cool until it dies, all the while we live in denial of the truth!
The only way we learn to love and remain loving is to be renewed constantly in the love of Christ! "We love each other because he loved us first." (1 John 4:19, NLT) Ardent love requires dying to Self. Jesus insists that "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24, NLT) We cannot love God and ourselves at the same time. We cannot love others deeply while selfishly serving our own needs, either!
Is love challenged in your life?
Before you form a fist and attempt to force a change, go to your knees! Let the Lord of Love, love you!
Before you pray, "God make them change!" give the Holy Spirit full access to your heart and mind and let Him change you!
Before you walk away, expressing hatred through cool contempt, ask God to help you love others - the same way that He loves you.
Love is a force for change that is more powerful than any weapon ever devised by human beings.
Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it today.
"My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love-so you can't know him if you don't love.
This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about-not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other." (1 John 4:7-11, The Message)
Friday, May 01, 2009
God’s Elite Strike Force!
Jimmy was most probably either headed for prison or a shooting on the street. He was failing in school, hanging out with a crowd of losers, going nowhere. Then, he met a Marine recruiter who took him in tow and sold him on becoming a United States Marine! When I saw Jim after he finished basic training, it was hard to recognize him. He stood erect. He had pride in the corp. He was disciplined. The Marines boasts that they can take a young man without purpose and/or direction and make him into a warrior worthy of the greatest nation on earth. It must be true, for I have witnessed the transformation, more than once!
Becoming one of Christ’s Own, a genuine experience of the Spirit’s renewal will produce a transformation that is even more dramatic! Does joining a church do that? No! Some who just ‘get religion’ find an experience like wearing a suit that is too tight, binding and uncomfortable. They serve with a sense of duty, but with little joy. But, those who are truly ‘in Christ’ are infused with power and purpose. Yes, yes ... of course, pride is incompatible with Christian humility. We cannot sound our own trumpets and strut in the streets. Yet... we need to reconsider our hang-dog attitude about being a Believer, one of the elect (chosen) of God!
Peter exults about the power of God to take 'nothings' and make them into 'somethings.' Read this passage. This is God’s description of those He calls into His "Ekklesia," His, Church, the called out ones!
"Ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10 NASV
Elect, royal, holy, God's treasure!
If we wear those titles and let them define how we see ourselves, they will ennoble our lives and call us to a higher plane of service. We could slide into the sin of elitism, except that we know it is His work of Grace, not our merit that brings us to this glorious destiny.
Are you living in your God-granted privileges today?
Are you holding up your head and rejoicing that He has called you out of the dark and into His wonderful light?
Zechariah urges us to take our place, to live in His promise, and to know our destiny. The pictures painted in my mind by his words are startling, yet compelling. Take a look....
"Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey... Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, and the LORD Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!"
Zechariah 9:9,14-17 NIV
What are the words used to describe the people of God?
_________________
Do you hear them coming brother,
Thronging up the steeps of light,
Clad in glorious shining garments,
Blood washed garments pure and white?
Do you hear the stirring anthems
Filling all the earth and sky?
'Tis a grand, victorious army,
Lift its banner up on high!
'Tis a glorious church,
Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb;
'Tis a glorious church,
Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Wave the banner, shout His praises,
For our victory is nigh!
We shall join our conqu'ring Savior,
We shall reign with Him on high!
A Glorious Church
Hudson, Ralph E. © Public Domain
Becoming one of Christ’s Own, a genuine experience of the Spirit’s renewal will produce a transformation that is even more dramatic! Does joining a church do that? No! Some who just ‘get religion’ find an experience like wearing a suit that is too tight, binding and uncomfortable. They serve with a sense of duty, but with little joy. But, those who are truly ‘in Christ’ are infused with power and purpose. Yes, yes ... of course, pride is incompatible with Christian humility. We cannot sound our own trumpets and strut in the streets. Yet... we need to reconsider our hang-dog attitude about being a Believer, one of the elect (chosen) of God!
Peter exults about the power of God to take 'nothings' and make them into 'somethings.' Read this passage. This is God’s description of those He calls into His "Ekklesia," His, Church, the called out ones!
"Ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10 NASV
Elect, royal, holy, God's treasure!
If we wear those titles and let them define how we see ourselves, they will ennoble our lives and call us to a higher plane of service. We could slide into the sin of elitism, except that we know it is His work of Grace, not our merit that brings us to this glorious destiny.
Are you living in your God-granted privileges today?
Are you holding up your head and rejoicing that He has called you out of the dark and into His wonderful light?
Zechariah urges us to take our place, to live in His promise, and to know our destiny. The pictures painted in my mind by his words are startling, yet compelling. Take a look....
"Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey... Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, and the LORD Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!"
Zechariah 9:9,14-17 NIV
What are the words used to describe the people of God?
- Protected.
Powerful. - Celebrating their victories with the abandon of those who areintoxicated!
- Precious as jewels and as beautiful, too!
_________________
Do you hear them coming brother,
Thronging up the steeps of light,
Clad in glorious shining garments,
Blood washed garments pure and white?
Do you hear the stirring anthems
Filling all the earth and sky?
'Tis a grand, victorious army,
Lift its banner up on high!
'Tis a glorious church,
Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb;
'Tis a glorious church,
Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Wave the banner, shout His praises,
For our victory is nigh!
We shall join our conqu'ring Savior,
We shall reign with Him on high!
A Glorious Church
Hudson, Ralph E. © Public Domain
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Rethinking Extravagance!
Perhaps it is a reflection of my Midwest roots but I am deeply suspicious of things extravagant! Anything that even appears to be an attempt to draw attention to one's self turns me off cold! It is not for me to spend much on clothing. I certainly am uncomfortable, to say the least, with emotional displays. While I can express affection, my family would not likely call me effusive in that area. This reserve carries into my devotion to Christ Jesus. Loud or emotional displays in worship, especially public worship, cause me to shut down, to become self-conscious, even to withdraw. And I must ask, why?
Both Mark and John tell the story of one woman's love for Jesus that led her to an amazingly scandalous display! (John 12, Mark 14) At dinner one evening, while He was among men as was the custom, a woman entered the room. Mary was a respectable, upright lady but she loved Him deeply, not romantically, but with her whole being. Breaking all the rules of her society, she broke open a jar of perfumed ointment worth a full year's wage and poured it on Jesus, head to toe! The fragrance filled the room and, most likely stopped conversation. What she did next was even more shocking. She undid her hair and used it to wipe His feet. Yes, there are no two ways to see this. It is over the top extravagant expression of love and devotion!
Mary risked reputation, spent a fortune, ignored the opinions of others - not because she was arrogant, nor because she wanted to gain attention, but because she loved! And, Jesus did nothing to stop her extravagance. In fact, He praised her for her love and said she was preparing His body for burial, a recognition of His death, just days or weeks away.
Disciple, how much do you love Him?
Are you willing to be extravagant in your expressions of that devotion?
Does your love for Him blind you to the opinions of others, make you forgetful of cost or effort?Or is your religion a carefully calculated cost/benefit exchange, an investment of the minimum required to gain the assurance of God's favor?
With Mary's act forming the backdrop, meditate on these passages. Ask the Spirit of God to draw you to love Him - intensely, sacrificially; yes, extravagantly.
"Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'" (Mark 12:29-30, NLT)
"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:15-16, NLT)
"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. ... You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." (Revelation 2:2-5, NIV)
___________________
Click here to listen to a song by CeCe Winans about Mary's devotion.
It is titled, "Alabaster Box." I pray it will move you to return to your first love!
Both Mark and John tell the story of one woman's love for Jesus that led her to an amazingly scandalous display! (John 12, Mark 14) At dinner one evening, while He was among men as was the custom, a woman entered the room. Mary was a respectable, upright lady but she loved Him deeply, not romantically, but with her whole being. Breaking all the rules of her society, she broke open a jar of perfumed ointment worth a full year's wage and poured it on Jesus, head to toe! The fragrance filled the room and, most likely stopped conversation. What she did next was even more shocking. She undid her hair and used it to wipe His feet. Yes, there are no two ways to see this. It is over the top extravagant expression of love and devotion!
Mary risked reputation, spent a fortune, ignored the opinions of others - not because she was arrogant, nor because she wanted to gain attention, but because she loved! And, Jesus did nothing to stop her extravagance. In fact, He praised her for her love and said she was preparing His body for burial, a recognition of His death, just days or weeks away.
Disciple, how much do you love Him?
Are you willing to be extravagant in your expressions of that devotion?
Does your love for Him blind you to the opinions of others, make you forgetful of cost or effort?Or is your religion a carefully calculated cost/benefit exchange, an investment of the minimum required to gain the assurance of God's favor?
With Mary's act forming the backdrop, meditate on these passages. Ask the Spirit of God to draw you to love Him - intensely, sacrificially; yes, extravagantly.
"Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'" (Mark 12:29-30, NLT)
"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:15-16, NLT)
"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. ... You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." (Revelation 2:2-5, NIV)
___________________
Click here to listen to a song by CeCe Winans about Mary's devotion.
It is titled, "Alabaster Box." I pray it will move you to return to your first love!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Drinking the cup we brew!
Everyday the man pours a cup of coffee in his kitchen and then complains that it is terrible. Kind of dumb, right? If it is not good, it would be up to him to change his method or his brand! Failing that, he has no complaint.
Many Americans, including me, are complaining about the state of things in our nation. The cup we have brewed for ourselves has turned out to be awfully bitter! For a long time now, we have asked the government to do what we should be doing for ourselves. Over the last 50 years, many of our churches were turned into museums of tradition or self-help centers that promised us our best life now- both equally devoid of the sacred Word! We laughed at self-restraint and adopted the motto- ‘if it feels good, do it!’ with gusto. Deferred gratification? Why, as long as you can borrow more, spend it!
Now we are drinking the bitter tea we brewed for ourselves. 2009 has brought us religion that cannot speak to our deepest spiritual needs, all of the perversions that accompany unbridled self-indulgence, and debt piled so high our economy is wrecked for the next decade. Some are wondering; "Why God is judging us?" The truth is that He is simply letting us drink the cup we brewed for ourselves. The Scripture says, "You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too." - 1 Corinthians 10:21, NLT
The metaphor in this passage is changed; the message is the same.
"Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest.
The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds!
But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit."
– Galatians 6:7-9, The Message
There is Good News in that passage for us, for now! What is it?
God will bless our efforts to plant a new crop. He will produce a rich harvest for us if we remain faithful to do what He has called us to do. Disciple, go deep with God! Make Him your complete priority. Move worship to first place each day. Pray about everything before you start, not when you have found yourself in a jam!
Here’s a passage to take with you through this day. May the Truth found here change the taste of the cup from which you drink!
"Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. ....
Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ." - Ephesians 5:1-2, 18-20, The Message
______________
Like the woman at the well I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Savior speaking,
"Draw from my well that never shall run dry."
So, my brother, if the things this world gave you
Leave hungers that won't pass away.
My blessed Lord will come and save you,
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray,
Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!
Fill My Cup Lord
Blanchard, Richard © 1959 Richard Blanchard.
Assigned 1964 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Many Americans, including me, are complaining about the state of things in our nation. The cup we have brewed for ourselves has turned out to be awfully bitter! For a long time now, we have asked the government to do what we should be doing for ourselves. Over the last 50 years, many of our churches were turned into museums of tradition or self-help centers that promised us our best life now- both equally devoid of the sacred Word! We laughed at self-restraint and adopted the motto- ‘if it feels good, do it!’ with gusto. Deferred gratification? Why, as long as you can borrow more, spend it!
Now we are drinking the bitter tea we brewed for ourselves. 2009 has brought us religion that cannot speak to our deepest spiritual needs, all of the perversions that accompany unbridled self-indulgence, and debt piled so high our economy is wrecked for the next decade. Some are wondering; "Why God is judging us?" The truth is that He is simply letting us drink the cup we brewed for ourselves. The Scripture says, "You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too." - 1 Corinthians 10:21, NLT
The metaphor in this passage is changed; the message is the same.
"Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest.
The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds!
But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit."
– Galatians 6:7-9, The Message
There is Good News in that passage for us, for now! What is it?
God will bless our efforts to plant a new crop. He will produce a rich harvest for us if we remain faithful to do what He has called us to do. Disciple, go deep with God! Make Him your complete priority. Move worship to first place each day. Pray about everything before you start, not when you have found yourself in a jam!
Here’s a passage to take with you through this day. May the Truth found here change the taste of the cup from which you drink!
"Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. ....
Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ." - Ephesians 5:1-2, 18-20, The Message
______________
Like the woman at the well I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Savior speaking,
"Draw from my well that never shall run dry."
So, my brother, if the things this world gave you
Leave hungers that won't pass away.
My blessed Lord will come and save you,
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray,
Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!
Fill My Cup Lord
Blanchard, Richard © 1959 Richard Blanchard.
Assigned 1964 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Patience of Job
"So, what’s up, Lord? Have You decided not to speak to me?" Such was my prayer recently. Despite reaching later mid-life, (OK, I am 53!) relatively intact; I’m fairly healthy, my wife loves me, my kids are doing well, I have more than enough stuff, I am reasonably competent in my profession: there are many days when my faith is stretched, pulled, tested, – and yes, frayed by questions for which I have no answer.
-Why do young Mom’s die from colon cancer?
-Why do people who divide get so much attention and peace-makers get kicked in the teeth?
-Why does God allow suffering to continue when people cry for relief?
-Why do people hate each other so intensely even when it destroys them?
-What does prayer accomplish when God seems not to listen?
The book that tells the story of a man named Job (pronounced with a long ‘o’ like in lobe, not a short one as in lobster!) is one of the Bible’s most ancient texts. The lead character, who is a godly man, sees his life shredded before his very eyes and suffers intensely. He protests the unfairness of it all! In chapter 31, he lists his good choices that should be producing a different outcome than the one in which he was living. "I do not live in lust. I am just even to my servants. I am generous towards those in need. I am not materialistic. I am hospitable to others. I respect the land!" Some making such claims are just blind to their own faults. The Bible says that Job was truly righteous and does not argue with his assertions of his goodness!
Yet, note God’s response to his demand for justice. "Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.
"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?" (Job 38:1-5, NLT)
In sum, God says to Job, "Just trust Me!"
There is the choice, disciple! Will we trust Him?
This is the fork in life’s road to which we come - again and again.
Will we patiently trust Him or will we decide to take life into our own hands?
The Bible is full of illustrations of those who decided to manage their own lives and ended up with a worse mess.
Abraham decided to have a son with Hagar and brought strife to his house.
The Israelites chose the advice of 10 spies who saw only the obstacles in Canaan and stayed in the wilderness for 40 years!
Saul chose to offer sacrifices instead of letting Samuel do it God’s way and was told that his "rebellion was worse than the sin of witchcraft!"
David tried to cover up his adulterous affair instead of repenting and his sins multiplied.
The same Scripture shows us the breadth of God’s plan over hundreds of years and allows us to see that His will prevails, His purposes stand. Take this challenge and promise today, along with me, won’t you?
"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."
(Isaiah 35:3-4, NIV)
"And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." (Isaiah 35:8-10, NIV)
__________
God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way,
He works in ways we cannot see,
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side,
With love and strength
For each new day,
He will make a way,
He will make a way.
By a roadway in the wilderness
He'll lead me,
And rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain,
He will do something new today.
God Will Make A Way
Don Moen © 1990 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
-Why do young Mom’s die from colon cancer?
-Why do people who divide get so much attention and peace-makers get kicked in the teeth?
-Why does God allow suffering to continue when people cry for relief?
-Why do people hate each other so intensely even when it destroys them?
-What does prayer accomplish when God seems not to listen?
The book that tells the story of a man named Job (pronounced with a long ‘o’ like in lobe, not a short one as in lobster!) is one of the Bible’s most ancient texts. The lead character, who is a godly man, sees his life shredded before his very eyes and suffers intensely. He protests the unfairness of it all! In chapter 31, he lists his good choices that should be producing a different outcome than the one in which he was living. "I do not live in lust. I am just even to my servants. I am generous towards those in need. I am not materialistic. I am hospitable to others. I respect the land!" Some making such claims are just blind to their own faults. The Bible says that Job was truly righteous and does not argue with his assertions of his goodness!
Yet, note God’s response to his demand for justice. "Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.
"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?" (Job 38:1-5, NLT)
In sum, God says to Job, "Just trust Me!"
There is the choice, disciple! Will we trust Him?
This is the fork in life’s road to which we come - again and again.
Will we patiently trust Him or will we decide to take life into our own hands?
The Bible is full of illustrations of those who decided to manage their own lives and ended up with a worse mess.
Abraham decided to have a son with Hagar and brought strife to his house.
The Israelites chose the advice of 10 spies who saw only the obstacles in Canaan and stayed in the wilderness for 40 years!
Saul chose to offer sacrifices instead of letting Samuel do it God’s way and was told that his "rebellion was worse than the sin of witchcraft!"
David tried to cover up his adulterous affair instead of repenting and his sins multiplied.
The same Scripture shows us the breadth of God’s plan over hundreds of years and allows us to see that His will prevails, His purposes stand. Take this challenge and promise today, along with me, won’t you?
"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."
(Isaiah 35:3-4, NIV)
"And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." (Isaiah 35:8-10, NIV)
__________
God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way,
He works in ways we cannot see,
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side,
With love and strength
For each new day,
He will make a way,
He will make a way.
By a roadway in the wilderness
He'll lead me,
And rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain,
He will do something new today.
God Will Make A Way
Don Moen © 1990 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Friday, April 24, 2009
This Crazy World and other Disturbers of the Peace
Anxiety is stalking just about everybody in these turbulent times! Teenagers I counsel are less concerned with their pimples than the kind of world they will inherit in a few years. Apocalyptic headlines convince these tender souls that we stand on the brink of the world’s end. We don’t! Our battered economy has young parents anxious about how they will provide for their kids. They will find a way! We middle-aged people hear all the dire news about issues such as health or retirement funding and it makes our ‘golden years’ seem awfully grim! But, why?
Then, too, there is change everywhere! We know that change is good and necessary, but too much change, brought on too quickly, unsettles us, doesn’t it? I also know that some of my anxiety (maybe most!) is the result of the recent death of my father and the new realization of my own mortality. This adds a sense of urgency to each day that co-exists, paradoxically, with a kind of resignation to the now inescapable fact that sooner, rather than later, I will step off this merry-go-round called life.
As disciples of the Lord of Life, there is a promised blessing that we can and should take hold of for each day. That blessing is the ‘peace of God!’ The Bible urges us to choose serenity. Take a look. "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)
Peace results from choosing our Source! If we trust in ourselves, President Obama, or Goldman Sachs - anxiety will surely build. Why? Because these times have revealed the relative impotence of all of the above! But, we also know this: the Lord God is a Rock, "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17, KJV) Peace flows out of the certainty that He is able to care for us through each of the change points of our lives. Many Believers have not fully committed themselves to God because, to be honest, they do not REALLY trust Him.
I remember when I thought my Dad was bigger than life. When I was 4 or 5, I was convinced that Dad knew everything and could defeat any foe, any time, anywhere. When I was afraid, if Dad showed up, my fear evaporated immediately. Then, in adolescence, I discovered that he was not Superman. I began to understand that he, too, was sometimes afraid or uncertain. Things happened that he could not control regardless of his wisdom or strength. As an adult, I loved old Dad, but there were no illusions that he was a god.
Have you similarly ‘matured’ past child-like trust in your Heavenly Father? When we are 'new' in faith, we trust Him unquestioningly. With time, we go through experience when He seems distant. He disappoints us by apparently refusing to answer our prayers, at least in the way we want them answered. Such moments can cause us to lose faith in His ability to handle our lives and fear grows. Some of us become even more 'religious' thinking that IF we just do more to earn His gracious favor, we can 'make' Him do what we want Him to do.
The truth is that He is God - unchanging, faithful, omnipotent, omniscient, and loving. He is worthy of our child-like faith. With study of the Scripture and meditation on His wonderful works, elevate your understanding of who He is and what He does. A higher view of God, a revelation of His majesty, will deepen your faith. You will find a bedrock foundation of trust to keep you steady until the day when His kingdom is fully revealed on Earth. Until then, keep faith strong and make the choice to trust.
Lynn DeShazo captures the doubting, distressed Believer's confession perfectly in her great worship song -- Be Magnified.
I have made You too small in my eyes;
O Lord, forgive me;
And I have believed in a lie that You
were unable to help me.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong,
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes and with my song,
O Lord, be magnified,
O Lord, be magnified.
I have leaned on the wisdom of men,
O Lord, forgive me;
And I have responded to them instead of
Your light and Your mercy.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong,
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes and with my song,
O Lord, be magnified,
O Lord, be magnified.
Be magnified, O Lord,
You are highly exalted;
And there is nothing You can't do,
O Lord, my eyes are on You.
Be magnified, O Lord,
Be magnified.
© 1991 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Then, too, there is change everywhere! We know that change is good and necessary, but too much change, brought on too quickly, unsettles us, doesn’t it? I also know that some of my anxiety (maybe most!) is the result of the recent death of my father and the new realization of my own mortality. This adds a sense of urgency to each day that co-exists, paradoxically, with a kind of resignation to the now inescapable fact that sooner, rather than later, I will step off this merry-go-round called life.
As disciples of the Lord of Life, there is a promised blessing that we can and should take hold of for each day. That blessing is the ‘peace of God!’ The Bible urges us to choose serenity. Take a look. "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)
Peace results from choosing our Source! If we trust in ourselves, President Obama, or Goldman Sachs - anxiety will surely build. Why? Because these times have revealed the relative impotence of all of the above! But, we also know this: the Lord God is a Rock, "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17, KJV) Peace flows out of the certainty that He is able to care for us through each of the change points of our lives. Many Believers have not fully committed themselves to God because, to be honest, they do not REALLY trust Him.
I remember when I thought my Dad was bigger than life. When I was 4 or 5, I was convinced that Dad knew everything and could defeat any foe, any time, anywhere. When I was afraid, if Dad showed up, my fear evaporated immediately. Then, in adolescence, I discovered that he was not Superman. I began to understand that he, too, was sometimes afraid or uncertain. Things happened that he could not control regardless of his wisdom or strength. As an adult, I loved old Dad, but there were no illusions that he was a god.
Have you similarly ‘matured’ past child-like trust in your Heavenly Father? When we are 'new' in faith, we trust Him unquestioningly. With time, we go through experience when He seems distant. He disappoints us by apparently refusing to answer our prayers, at least in the way we want them answered. Such moments can cause us to lose faith in His ability to handle our lives and fear grows. Some of us become even more 'religious' thinking that IF we just do more to earn His gracious favor, we can 'make' Him do what we want Him to do.
The truth is that He is God - unchanging, faithful, omnipotent, omniscient, and loving. He is worthy of our child-like faith. With study of the Scripture and meditation on His wonderful works, elevate your understanding of who He is and what He does. A higher view of God, a revelation of His majesty, will deepen your faith. You will find a bedrock foundation of trust to keep you steady until the day when His kingdom is fully revealed on Earth. Until then, keep faith strong and make the choice to trust.
Lynn DeShazo captures the doubting, distressed Believer's confession perfectly in her great worship song -- Be Magnified.
I have made You too small in my eyes;
O Lord, forgive me;
And I have believed in a lie that You
were unable to help me.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong,
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes and with my song,
O Lord, be magnified,
O Lord, be magnified.
I have leaned on the wisdom of men,
O Lord, forgive me;
And I have responded to them instead of
Your light and Your mercy.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong,
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes and with my song,
O Lord, be magnified,
O Lord, be magnified.
Be magnified, O Lord,
You are highly exalted;
And there is nothing You can't do,
O Lord, my eyes are on You.
Be magnified, O Lord,
Be magnified.
© 1991 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Outrage of Sin!
Does sin make you angry? No, I don't mean do other people's sins personally offend you, as when someone lies about you or steals from you. That makes anyone upset! I mean when you see a report about a child being molested by a pervert, does it make you angry? When you see someone abused or oppressed because they are a different color does it make you angry? When you see what addictions have done to a family does it make you mad? Sin angers God and moved Him to send us a Deliverer, Jesus Christ. God anger is expressed, at this time, in amazing grace that reaches out to us with forgiveness and restoration best demonstrated in this: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, NIV) By that death, He made life possible.
In the 11th chapter of John's Gospel, we find Jesus going to Bethany. Despite the request of Martha and Mary for Him to come and heal their brother, Lazarus, He waited and when He arrived the man was already dead four days. Naturally, He walked into a scene of great sorrow. What happened next is stunning. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. "Where have you put him?" he asked them. They told him, "Lord, come and see." (John 11:32-34, NLT)
Death was the ultimate result of sin! God is the Giver of Life, the Lover of Humanity, Light and Joy. Death is none of those things. As Mary and her friends surrounded Him that day, He got mad at sin and the Devil for all the suffering visited on people that God loved. The NIV says that Jesus was "deeply moved in His spirit." Yes, He was moved, but it was an anger not a deep grief about His friend, though that was how the crowd read His emotion that day.
Jesus went to the tomb and shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" and a dead man walked into the light, restored to life, the Lord of Glory demonstrating the power of God over sin and death! He had told Martha moments earlier,"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." (John 11:25, NIV)
Disciple, if we really believe Him, we move into Life, right now. We do not have to wait for Heaven to know eternal life! The Cross is the place where death died! The Tomb from which Jesus rose is testimony that sin is defeated! Don’t stay at the Cross, in a repetitive pattern of sin, forgiveness, sin again! Accept Resurrection Life! Be filled with the Spirit, alive to God, dead to sin!
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)
_______________
Make a joyful noise!
Sing unto the Lord!
Tell Him of your love,
Dance before Him.
Make a joyful noise!
Sing unto the Lord!
Tell Him of your love,
Hallelujah!
In Him we live and move
And have our being,
In Him we live and move
And have our being.
In Him We Live
Randy Speir © 1981 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
In the 11th chapter of John's Gospel, we find Jesus going to Bethany. Despite the request of Martha and Mary for Him to come and heal their brother, Lazarus, He waited and when He arrived the man was already dead four days. Naturally, He walked into a scene of great sorrow. What happened next is stunning. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. "Where have you put him?" he asked them. They told him, "Lord, come and see." (John 11:32-34, NLT)
Death was the ultimate result of sin! God is the Giver of Life, the Lover of Humanity, Light and Joy. Death is none of those things. As Mary and her friends surrounded Him that day, He got mad at sin and the Devil for all the suffering visited on people that God loved. The NIV says that Jesus was "deeply moved in His spirit." Yes, He was moved, but it was an anger not a deep grief about His friend, though that was how the crowd read His emotion that day.
Jesus went to the tomb and shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" and a dead man walked into the light, restored to life, the Lord of Glory demonstrating the power of God over sin and death! He had told Martha moments earlier,"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." (John 11:25, NIV)
Disciple, if we really believe Him, we move into Life, right now. We do not have to wait for Heaven to know eternal life! The Cross is the place where death died! The Tomb from which Jesus rose is testimony that sin is defeated! Don’t stay at the Cross, in a repetitive pattern of sin, forgiveness, sin again! Accept Resurrection Life! Be filled with the Spirit, alive to God, dead to sin!
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)
_______________
Make a joyful noise!
Sing unto the Lord!
Tell Him of your love,
Dance before Him.
Make a joyful noise!
Sing unto the Lord!
Tell Him of your love,
Hallelujah!
In Him we live and move
And have our being,
In Him we live and move
And have our being.
In Him We Live
Randy Speir © 1981 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Here, with me!
What causes thousands of people to endure the inconvenience of standing in lines, the discomfort of sitting in stadium seats, and payment of an exorbitant rate for a ticket to get into a concert featuring their favorte artist? After all, the artist's music is available on a CD recorded to exacting standards. Why not just stay home and enjoy the songs? Because listening to a CD, even on a great system, does not equate to the experience of being in the presence of the artist, even if they are way up there on a stage in a stadium!
We are relational beings, created that way by a Relational Being! Unless we are damaged in some awful way, we want to be with other people; connecting, sharing life. Since Dad died a couple of months ago, I have made my way to his grave site several times. In some unconscious way, visiting that patch of ground is an expression of my longing for him, and each visit deepens my grief as I come to accept what I already know - he is beyond my reach. Sure I remember him, have pictures of him, but memories and pictures are no substitute for his presence!
Disciple, we need to experience the Presence of God! He must be more than an idea, more than a construct of our theology, known beyond the ritual of our religion. Throughout the Old Testament, God promised access to His Presence. The most tragic result of sin, Genesis tells us, was the break from knowing the Lord's Presence. Israel built their nation around the Tabernacle, where the Presence of God was symbolically living in the Holiest Place. Later, the Temple in Jerusalem became the locus of His Presence among His people.
David, when he sinned terribly, cried: "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me." (Psalm 51:11, NIV) a cry repeated by those who have known the joy of walking near to the heart of God and then terror of being forsaken! The most wrenching cry of Jesus from the cross was: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, NIV) as He carried the sin guilt of all humanity and was separated from His Father.
The sweetest promise Jesus makes to us is "surely I am with you always!" (Matthew 28:20) Disciples no longer need go to some holy place to find God's Presence. The Holy Spirit is with us, living in us for we are His temples!
Do you live in His Presence? Know this, we can grieve Him by living carelessly or sensually or without love! When we choose to go where He is not invited, we can lose the sweetness of knowing His Presence. Once you have known the joy of walking with God, living near to His heart, comforted and secure, the most powerful deterrent to willful disobedience is the knowledge that the Spirit will be grieved and the sense of His Presence lost!
Ponder this passage and then, faithfully live in the promise of His Presence. "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." (1 John 3:19-24, NIV) _______________________
O Master, let me walk with Thee
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret;
Help me bear the strain of toil,
The fret of care.
Teach me Thy patience still with Thee
In closer, dearer company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
In hope that sends a shining ray
Far down the future's broad'ning way,
In peace that only Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Master, let me live.
O Master Let Me Walk With Thee
Gladden, Washington / Smith, Henry Percy
© Public Domain
We are relational beings, created that way by a Relational Being! Unless we are damaged in some awful way, we want to be with other people; connecting, sharing life. Since Dad died a couple of months ago, I have made my way to his grave site several times. In some unconscious way, visiting that patch of ground is an expression of my longing for him, and each visit deepens my grief as I come to accept what I already know - he is beyond my reach. Sure I remember him, have pictures of him, but memories and pictures are no substitute for his presence!
Disciple, we need to experience the Presence of God! He must be more than an idea, more than a construct of our theology, known beyond the ritual of our religion. Throughout the Old Testament, God promised access to His Presence. The most tragic result of sin, Genesis tells us, was the break from knowing the Lord's Presence. Israel built their nation around the Tabernacle, where the Presence of God was symbolically living in the Holiest Place. Later, the Temple in Jerusalem became the locus of His Presence among His people.
David, when he sinned terribly, cried: "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me." (Psalm 51:11, NIV) a cry repeated by those who have known the joy of walking near to the heart of God and then terror of being forsaken! The most wrenching cry of Jesus from the cross was: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, NIV) as He carried the sin guilt of all humanity and was separated from His Father.
The sweetest promise Jesus makes to us is "surely I am with you always!" (Matthew 28:20) Disciples no longer need go to some holy place to find God's Presence. The Holy Spirit is with us, living in us for we are His temples!
Do you live in His Presence? Know this, we can grieve Him by living carelessly or sensually or without love! When we choose to go where He is not invited, we can lose the sweetness of knowing His Presence. Once you have known the joy of walking with God, living near to His heart, comforted and secure, the most powerful deterrent to willful disobedience is the knowledge that the Spirit will be grieved and the sense of His Presence lost!
Ponder this passage and then, faithfully live in the promise of His Presence. "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." (1 John 3:19-24, NIV) _______________________
O Master, let me walk with Thee
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret;
Help me bear the strain of toil,
The fret of care.
Teach me Thy patience still with Thee
In closer, dearer company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
In hope that sends a shining ray
Far down the future's broad'ning way,
In peace that only Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Master, let me live.
O Master Let Me Walk With Thee
Gladden, Washington / Smith, Henry Percy
© Public Domain
Monday, April 20, 2009
We Fall Down, We Get Up!
Bob Carlisle, best known for a song played at too many weddings about a Daddy's remembering his little girl's "Butterfly Kisses," wrote another song that isn't so sentimental called "We Fall Down." In it he describes a man who envies the monks who he imagines to live above the sins he experiences until he meets one of them outside of the monastery one day. The man tells him that monks are tempted and fall, too. "We fall down, we get up. 'Cause the saints are just the sinners who get up!"
Living 'in Christ' is not a life for those looking for the easy road! One of the Enemy's more effective lies is the one of comparison. "Look at him. He is so much better than you, he does not even struggle with sin any longer!" It is never true! There is no place and no one that has acheived sinless perfection this side of Heaven. A disciple who is growing in Christ will always deal with temptation, often severe, always deeply personal. For one it may be lust, for another greed, for another pride. As the Holy Spirit leads us along the Way, we do conquer temptations, but evil conspires to find another way to neutralize us. I do not wrestle with the same temptations today that I did 15 years ago! But, temptation is ever present and the war continues - sometimes raging, sometimes just a skirmish!
The Word reminds us that "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT) After all my years as a disciple and as a Pastor, I am very suspicious of the authenticity of anyone who claims they have found 'the secret' that allows them to live without any struggles with sin and/or temptation! Either they are self-deceived, lying, or they want to sell you something. The Word reminds us that "sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7, NIV)
We defeat Self, Satan, and Systems of this World - not by our cleverness, nor by escape to some utopia - but by standing in the Truth of God's amazing grace in the middle of the war! -We know His love is deeper than our sin.
-We know that the Spirit is at work in us giving us the strength to stand.
-If we fall, we reach for Jesus' hand and get up, learning and growing from our failure.
Are you struggling today?
Is some temptation dancing in your mind?
Stand in Christ! Here's a word from the Word. It's the Truth. Hold onto it today."That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time- (remember, you've been raised from the dead!) - into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God." (Romans 6:12-14, The Message)
Listen to "We Fall Down" on YouTube. Click here! http://www.youtube.com/v/AXlfELlcdRM&hl
Living 'in Christ' is not a life for those looking for the easy road! One of the Enemy's more effective lies is the one of comparison. "Look at him. He is so much better than you, he does not even struggle with sin any longer!" It is never true! There is no place and no one that has acheived sinless perfection this side of Heaven. A disciple who is growing in Christ will always deal with temptation, often severe, always deeply personal. For one it may be lust, for another greed, for another pride. As the Holy Spirit leads us along the Way, we do conquer temptations, but evil conspires to find another way to neutralize us. I do not wrestle with the same temptations today that I did 15 years ago! But, temptation is ever present and the war continues - sometimes raging, sometimes just a skirmish!
The Word reminds us that "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT) After all my years as a disciple and as a Pastor, I am very suspicious of the authenticity of anyone who claims they have found 'the secret' that allows them to live without any struggles with sin and/or temptation! Either they are self-deceived, lying, or they want to sell you something. The Word reminds us that "sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7, NIV)
We defeat Self, Satan, and Systems of this World - not by our cleverness, nor by escape to some utopia - but by standing in the Truth of God's amazing grace in the middle of the war! -We know His love is deeper than our sin.
-We know that the Spirit is at work in us giving us the strength to stand.
-If we fall, we reach for Jesus' hand and get up, learning and growing from our failure.
Are you struggling today?
Is some temptation dancing in your mind?
Stand in Christ! Here's a word from the Word. It's the Truth. Hold onto it today."That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time- (remember, you've been raised from the dead!) - into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God." (Romans 6:12-14, The Message)
Listen to "We Fall Down" on YouTube. Click here! http://www.youtube.com/v/AXlfELlcdRM&hl
Friday, April 17, 2009
Our Jealous God
Marriages can die from neglect as surely as they can perish through infidelity or cruelty. Those who were once lovers will grow apart if they allow TV, sports, friends, work, or hobbies in first place, causing apathy! I love Bev, my wife, and want the very best for her - in every way. Apathy has no place in our relationship. Our covenanted love is too important for me to say, ‘Oh, whatever.’ Conflicts must be settled even when it would be easier in the short term to ignore them. Expectations must be defined and met; our marriage protected from people and things that try to come between us! Passion and apathy cannot co-exist!
Again and again, the Bible uses marriage to illustrate His relationship with His people; first the children of Abraham, now those who are in the Church through faith in Chris Jesus. And, we know that He is a husband who is involved. God loves you and me intensely. He is not apathetic towards us and is offended if we become indifferent towards Him. Moses told Israel: "You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you." (Exodus 34:14, NLT) Zechariah, a prophet at the time of the return of the exiles from the Babylonian captivity preached: "This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!" (Zechariah 8:2, NLT)
About 30 years ago, the idea of an ‘open marriage’ was introduced. In such an arrangement, a couple gives permission to each other to take other lovers, to try to find what they do not have in their marriage in another person. What an idiotic idea. The idea of trying to keep a marriage alive in the truest sense while sharing body and heart with others not only defies the law of God, it defies common sense. Open marriage is simply immorality given a nice name and is a recipe for hurt, disappointment, and confusion.
In practicality, some Christians are in an open marriage with God! They claim His love and profess to love Him, but refuse to be owned by Him. They have other lovers. He will not tolerate this, disciple. Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence." (Matthew 22:37, The Message) Will you?
Here’s His promise, the promise of a loving Husband: "Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. ... then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 3:12, NIV)
Again and again, the Bible uses marriage to illustrate His relationship with His people; first the children of Abraham, now those who are in the Church through faith in Chris Jesus. And, we know that He is a husband who is involved. God loves you and me intensely. He is not apathetic towards us and is offended if we become indifferent towards Him. Moses told Israel: "You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you." (Exodus 34:14, NLT) Zechariah, a prophet at the time of the return of the exiles from the Babylonian captivity preached: "This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!" (Zechariah 8:2, NLT)
About 30 years ago, the idea of an ‘open marriage’ was introduced. In such an arrangement, a couple gives permission to each other to take other lovers, to try to find what they do not have in their marriage in another person. What an idiotic idea. The idea of trying to keep a marriage alive in the truest sense while sharing body and heart with others not only defies the law of God, it defies common sense. Open marriage is simply immorality given a nice name and is a recipe for hurt, disappointment, and confusion.
In practicality, some Christians are in an open marriage with God! They claim His love and profess to love Him, but refuse to be owned by Him. They have other lovers. He will not tolerate this, disciple. Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence." (Matthew 22:37, The Message) Will you?
Here’s His promise, the promise of a loving Husband: "Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. ... then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 3:12, NIV)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Listen up, dumb sheep!
I was feeling anxious, tempted by feelings of worthlessness last night. "Jerry, you are a failure," an inner voice whispered. Was it an evil spirit, the result of fatigue, or just an emotion? I don’t know. What I do know is that I have a choice in those moments. At one time I thought that I had no control over those thoughts, that the best I could do was endure them. That is wrong! I have learned that my mind can be re-directed, my thought patterns changed. If I choose to listen to the voice of the Lord, He will lead me out of my fears and away from sin, into joyful abundance.
Faith is both the gift of God and a choice I make. If I choose to listen to the clamor around me or the whispers that come in the darkness, I will grow fearful, or be tempted to run toward the allure of wealth, fame, or endless pleasure. But, if I choose to listen to the Shepherd’s voice, I will live in His promises. He says, "The sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ... Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. ... My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." (John 10:3, 9-10, NLT)
Sheep are not considered to be among the world’s more intelligent creatures! They need a shepherd to thrive. They are defenseless, dependent, and content to be led from pen to pasture. Generally, to be compared to a sheep, is an insult, isn’t it? But, I am in God’s flock, one of the sheep of His pasture, and I am glad to be identified in that way! I choose to make this Truth my paramount assurance. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
(John 10:27-28, NIV)
Disciple, are you listening to the Shepherd’s voice?
Are you letting Him lead you to abundant life of His choosing as one of His sheep, or are you more like that independent creature that resists all boundaries, the goat?
Ask the Spirit to sharpen your hearing and listen up! Pray that the desire to live in your ways, to avoid submission, will die so the Shepherd can lead you with His voice. He will lead you to abundant life!
_________________
"The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever."
(Psalm 23:1-3, 6, NLT)
Faith is both the gift of God and a choice I make. If I choose to listen to the clamor around me or the whispers that come in the darkness, I will grow fearful, or be tempted to run toward the allure of wealth, fame, or endless pleasure. But, if I choose to listen to the Shepherd’s voice, I will live in His promises. He says, "The sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ... Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. ... My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." (John 10:3, 9-10, NLT)
Sheep are not considered to be among the world’s more intelligent creatures! They need a shepherd to thrive. They are defenseless, dependent, and content to be led from pen to pasture. Generally, to be compared to a sheep, is an insult, isn’t it? But, I am in God’s flock, one of the sheep of His pasture, and I am glad to be identified in that way! I choose to make this Truth my paramount assurance. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
(John 10:27-28, NIV)
Disciple, are you listening to the Shepherd’s voice?
Are you letting Him lead you to abundant life of His choosing as one of His sheep, or are you more like that independent creature that resists all boundaries, the goat?
Ask the Spirit to sharpen your hearing and listen up! Pray that the desire to live in your ways, to avoid submission, will die so the Shepherd can lead you with His voice. He will lead you to abundant life!
_________________
"The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever."
(Psalm 23:1-3, 6, NLT)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Bugged by Terminix®
One year ago after swarms of termites showed up in our house, we called the pest control firm. $1300 later, we were assured that our termites were history. They were not. Swarms re-appeared this past Sunday, much to Bev’s chagrin! The insects didn’t bug me as much as our wasted money. After a couple of calls to Terminix® a technician was sent out to take a look. What a difference between last year’s ‘service’ and this year’s! Last year, the tech took a quick look, put down some chemicals in a manner that then seemed to me somewhat slapdash, but I didn’t know enough to ask questions. This year, the tech came twice, once to re-treat the outside, and then again last night to do a thorough inspection inside, to treat the entry points, all as he explained what he was doing.
He made me think of a Scripture that urges every disciple to do the work of God with diligence,
"one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NLT) When you’re doing what you do as a Christian: leading a class, loving a person in need, serving a meal, praying for your family, singing a song, telling someone the ‘God-story’ of your life - do you do it wholeheartedly? Are you just ‘getting the job done’ so you can turn in your checklist, or are you working to make a difference?
My Terminix® guy is an African immigrant, from the country of Ghana. As we visited, following his work, I told him I thought he must be a Christian! He beamed and told me that he was and then he told about his conversion and his church. He eliminated pests in a way that was a credit to His Lord!
I hope that I live with the same commitment!
Paul addressed this to Christian slaves in the Roman Empire: "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." (Ephesians 6:7, NLT) If slaves were given such a charge, I think all of us need to embrace this work ethic - in ministry and in our occupation!
Are you a credit to the Kingdom of Heaven? Think about it!
__________________
Work, for the night is coming,
Work thro' the morning hours.
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work mid springing flowers.
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun,
Work, for the night is coming,
When man's work is done.
Work, for the night is coming,
Work thro' the sunny noon.
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute
Something to keep in store.
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.
Work For The Night Is Coming
Coghill, Annie L. / Mason, Lowell
© Public Domain
He made me think of a Scripture that urges every disciple to do the work of God with diligence,
"one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NLT) When you’re doing what you do as a Christian: leading a class, loving a person in need, serving a meal, praying for your family, singing a song, telling someone the ‘God-story’ of your life - do you do it wholeheartedly? Are you just ‘getting the job done’ so you can turn in your checklist, or are you working to make a difference?
My Terminix® guy is an African immigrant, from the country of Ghana. As we visited, following his work, I told him I thought he must be a Christian! He beamed and told me that he was and then he told about his conversion and his church. He eliminated pests in a way that was a credit to His Lord!
I hope that I live with the same commitment!
Paul addressed this to Christian slaves in the Roman Empire: "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." (Ephesians 6:7, NLT) If slaves were given such a charge, I think all of us need to embrace this work ethic - in ministry and in our occupation!
Are you a credit to the Kingdom of Heaven? Think about it!
__________________
Work, for the night is coming,
Work thro' the morning hours.
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work mid springing flowers.
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun,
Work, for the night is coming,
When man's work is done.
Work, for the night is coming,
Work thro' the sunny noon.
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute
Something to keep in store.
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.
Work For The Night Is Coming
Coghill, Annie L. / Mason, Lowell
© Public Domain
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
There are always weeds.
Spring is here, and I am glad. Longer days, warm sunshine, green grass - yes! I put the snowblower in storage and hung up the snow shovels. I fired up the lawn mower and got out the rake. Both will be needed in my yard this week. It is a glorious time of year. But, it's not heaven. There are always weeds!
Let me repeat that - there are always weeds! Weeds are the perfect metaphor for sin, aren't they? They grow uninvited. They are persistent. They must be dug out including the roots. They mar the beauty of the lawn or garden. They flourish without fertilizer or rain. Anybody can grow a weed patch.
Disciple, in your heart, there are always weeds! After a glorious Easter worship service, after an inspiring spiritual retreat, in the afterglow of a sweet time in prayer, when great advances for the Kingdom of God are being made - the weed seeds are germinating. Paul speaks of "the temptation that is common in the human experience." 1 Corinthians 10.13 Peter reminds us of the ubiquity of the trials of life saying, "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12, NLT) There are always weeds!
In the opening chapters of the Bible, we are told of God's amazing creative acts: all the wonder, amazing beauty, and Eve! Of it all, He said, "It is very good!" Then, Adam and Eve made the choice of disobedience and the tone changes. The evening walks with God became 'hide and seek' as the guilty pair tried to avoid His piercing gaze. And, there are weeds! "The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting." (Genesis 3:18, The Message)
Until Heaven, we must deal with the weeds. We cannot surrender to them or give over the garden of our heart to them. If we desire a life that is filled with the ripen, beautiful fruit of the Spirit, we will have to work with God to weed out sin! Is it easy? No. Is it ever done? Sadly, no.
However, He does not leave us to deal with the weeds of life alone. Here's a word from the Word.
As you meditate on His promise, may you be strengthened to go and deal with the weeds.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
________
O land of rest, for thee I sigh!
When will the moment come
When I shall lay my armor by
And dwell in peace at home?
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
And we'll be gathered home.
To Jesus Christ I fled for rest;
He bade me cease to roam,
And lean for comfort on His breast
'Till He conduct me home.
I sought at once my Savior's side;
No more my steps shall roam.
With Him I'll brave death's chilling tide
And reach my heav'nly home.
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
And we'll be gathered home.
- public domain
Let me repeat that - there are always weeds! Weeds are the perfect metaphor for sin, aren't they? They grow uninvited. They are persistent. They must be dug out including the roots. They mar the beauty of the lawn or garden. They flourish without fertilizer or rain. Anybody can grow a weed patch.
Disciple, in your heart, there are always weeds! After a glorious Easter worship service, after an inspiring spiritual retreat, in the afterglow of a sweet time in prayer, when great advances for the Kingdom of God are being made - the weed seeds are germinating. Paul speaks of "the temptation that is common in the human experience." 1 Corinthians 10.13 Peter reminds us of the ubiquity of the trials of life saying, "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12, NLT) There are always weeds!
In the opening chapters of the Bible, we are told of God's amazing creative acts: all the wonder, amazing beauty, and Eve! Of it all, He said, "It is very good!" Then, Adam and Eve made the choice of disobedience and the tone changes. The evening walks with God became 'hide and seek' as the guilty pair tried to avoid His piercing gaze. And, there are weeds! "The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting." (Genesis 3:18, The Message)
Until Heaven, we must deal with the weeds. We cannot surrender to them or give over the garden of our heart to them. If we desire a life that is filled with the ripen, beautiful fruit of the Spirit, we will have to work with God to weed out sin! Is it easy? No. Is it ever done? Sadly, no.
However, He does not leave us to deal with the weeds of life alone. Here's a word from the Word.
As you meditate on His promise, may you be strengthened to go and deal with the weeds.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
________
O land of rest, for thee I sigh!
When will the moment come
When I shall lay my armor by
And dwell in peace at home?
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
And we'll be gathered home.
To Jesus Christ I fled for rest;
He bade me cease to roam,
And lean for comfort on His breast
'Till He conduct me home.
I sought at once my Savior's side;
No more my steps shall roam.
With Him I'll brave death's chilling tide
And reach my heav'nly home.
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
And we'll be gathered home.
- public domain
Monday, April 13, 2009
So, What Now?
So, there is this big build-up to Easter! Our Christian hope reaches full crescendo in the declaration that "Christ is risen!" with the response, "Risen, indeed!" Now it’s time to ask, what difference will all those songs and sermons make today? If I really believe what I say I believe I have set the cornerstone for a transformed life.
Paul, heard the commission of the Resurrected Jesus to ‘go and preach the Good News of the Kingdom.' For him that was no ‘nice thought for Sunday’s reveries.' It was the compelling factor that shaped life- day by day. He asks, "And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I'd do this if I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? .... Not on your life! It's resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there's no resurrection, "We eat, we drink, the next day we die," and that's all there is to it. But don't fool yourselves. Don't let yourselves be poisoned by this anti-resurrection loose talk. "Bad company ruins good manners."
Think straight. Awaken to the holiness of life. No more playing fast and loose with resurrection facts. Ignorance of God is a luxury you can't afford in times like these." 1 Corinthians 15:32-34 The Message
Disciple, you will be tempted and tested, probably before this day is over, to lower your sights and live for earthly appetites. Paul describes that way of life: "Their future is eternal destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and all they think about is this life here on earth." (Philippians 3:19, NLT)
Food, sex, experiencing pleasure, owning things - nothing is wrong with those IF they are in the right order of life. Holding our spouse in our arms is a gift of God. Enjoying a feast of good food, having resources available to buy things that make our lives more comfortable -- these are good and for them we should give thanks while we are able to enjoy them. Misery for misery's sake is foolish. However, if make these blessings into the meaning of life, we are bowing to a false god who cannot give us life nor if we are in love with our appetites, will we faithfully do the will of our Risen Christ.
Hum the tunes to the songs you sang in church yesterday throughout this day! Keep asking yourself -
"- would I make this choice if ...
- would I say this if ...
- would I be getting upset right now if ...
- would I be putting so many energies into this matter if ...
- would I think this was really important if
...I really believed that I am sharing the Resurrection Life of Christ Jesus?"
_____________________
Sweet Jesus Christ, my sanity.
Sweet Jesus Christ, my clarity.
Bread of heaven, broken for me,
Cup of salvation held up to drink.
Jesus, Mystery.
Christ has died and Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again!
Celebrate his death and rising;
Lift your eyes, proclaim his coming!
Celebrate his death and rising;
Lift your eyes, lift your eyes!
Christ has died, and Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again!
Sweet Jesus Christ, my sanity.
Sweet Jesus Christ, my clarity.
Mystery
Charlie Hall, copyright 2008 Worshiptogether Music
Paul, heard the commission of the Resurrected Jesus to ‘go and preach the Good News of the Kingdom.' For him that was no ‘nice thought for Sunday’s reveries.' It was the compelling factor that shaped life- day by day. He asks, "And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I'd do this if I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? .... Not on your life! It's resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there's no resurrection, "We eat, we drink, the next day we die," and that's all there is to it. But don't fool yourselves. Don't let yourselves be poisoned by this anti-resurrection loose talk. "Bad company ruins good manners."
Think straight. Awaken to the holiness of life. No more playing fast and loose with resurrection facts. Ignorance of God is a luxury you can't afford in times like these." 1 Corinthians 15:32-34 The Message
Disciple, you will be tempted and tested, probably before this day is over, to lower your sights and live for earthly appetites. Paul describes that way of life: "Their future is eternal destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and all they think about is this life here on earth." (Philippians 3:19, NLT)
Food, sex, experiencing pleasure, owning things - nothing is wrong with those IF they are in the right order of life. Holding our spouse in our arms is a gift of God. Enjoying a feast of good food, having resources available to buy things that make our lives more comfortable -- these are good and for them we should give thanks while we are able to enjoy them. Misery for misery's sake is foolish. However, if make these blessings into the meaning of life, we are bowing to a false god who cannot give us life nor if we are in love with our appetites, will we faithfully do the will of our Risen Christ.
Hum the tunes to the songs you sang in church yesterday throughout this day! Keep asking yourself -
"- would I make this choice if ...
- would I say this if ...
- would I be getting upset right now if ...
- would I be putting so many energies into this matter if ...
- would I think this was really important if
...I really believed that I am sharing the Resurrection Life of Christ Jesus?"
_____________________
Sweet Jesus Christ, my sanity.
Sweet Jesus Christ, my clarity.
Bread of heaven, broken for me,
Cup of salvation held up to drink.
Jesus, Mystery.
Christ has died and Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again!
Celebrate his death and rising;
Lift your eyes, proclaim his coming!
Celebrate his death and rising;
Lift your eyes, lift your eyes!
Christ has died, and Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again!
Sweet Jesus Christ, my sanity.
Sweet Jesus Christ, my clarity.
Mystery
Charlie Hall, copyright 2008 Worshiptogether Music
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