Great Worship, Pastor!

Yes, I am human enough to appreciate when somebody says they thought our church gathering was good. Since I'm the guy 'managing our church services' I am quick to think about the mechanics of the 90 or so minutes we spend together on Sunday morning.  Did the people seem to enjoy being there?  Did the technology; sound, PowerPoint presentations, projectors, air conditioning, all work properly?  Yes, and as a communicator, I then to think about if the congregation grasped the main points and/or stayed interested in the sermon. How easily I allow myself to get caught up with all of the 'human elements' of worship. And, if I do this I am inevitably dissatisfied with the experience of worship because a performance can always be improved.

Kierkegaard, a 19^th century theologian, turned worship, as it was then conceived, upside down by insisting that worship is focused entirely on God and He alone is the audience for the acts of worship. Our songs, sermons, and prayers are offered up to Him; the 'Audience of One.' The question that becomes important is this one: am I pleasing to God? That question extends our worship beyond 'church' and into every part of my life. I am as much a worshipper in my office as I am in the pew, in my private reverie in my backyard as in the public proclamations of my pulpit!

As you begin this new week, let me encourage you to consider your life as an extension of worship. We do not just worship Him in our church buildings. David's Psalm captures the true heart of worship with this prayer: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14, NLT)

Matt Redman's song, Heart of Worship, says, "I'll bring You more than a song for a song in itself is not what You have required.  You search much deeper within through the way things appear. You're looking into my heart!" © 1999 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Do something radical today. Hold a worship service in your car as you drive to work, or at lunch, or even in a conversation with your kids. How? Find a way to tell the Lord how much He means to you right then and there, a 12 second worship encounter. That's the heart of worship! I know this: if we are worshippers who learn to worship Him everywhere, all the time; if we 'connect' with His Presence during our commute, in our living rooms, at the lunch room table - we will be better worshippers when we come together for corporate worship because we won't be trying 'catch up' on our acquaintance, we will be coming together to celebrate a mutual Friend.

Here is the word from the Word.

"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God.
Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth.
That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for:

those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.

God is sheer being itself-Spirit.
Those who worship him must do it out of their very being,
their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."  The Message, John 4:23-24

 

____________________

The Heart Of Worship

When the music fades

All is stripped away

And I simply come

Longing just to bring

Something that's of worth

That will bless Your heart

I'm coming back

To the heart of worship

And it's all about You

All about You Jesus

I'm sorry Lord

For the thing I've made it

When it's all about You

All about You Jesus

King of endless worth

No one could express

How much You deserve

Though I'm weak and poor

All I have is Yours

Ev'ry single breath

I'll bring You more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what You have required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You're looking into my heart

© 1999 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Matt Redman

CCLI License No. 810055

A Filthy, Broken World

Nicholas Kristoff's Op-Ed piece in yesterday's NY Times was the heart-breaking story of M. Her plight elicited a deep rage in me. She's a smart 10 year old girl in Kolkata, India who is about to be sold into prostitution by her impoverished family.


He writes, "Her mother is a prostitute here in Kolkata, the city better known to the world as Calcutta. ... 90 percent of the daughters of Indian prostitutes end up in the sex trade as well. And M. has the extra burden that she belongs to a subcaste whose girls are often expected to become prostitutes. M. seemed poised to escape this fate with the help of one of my heroes, Urmi Basu, a social worker who in 2000 started the New Light shelter program for prostitutes and their children. M., with her winning personality and keen mind, began to bloom with the help of New Light. Both her parents are illiterate, but she learned English and earned excellent grades in an English-language school for middle-class children outside the red-light district."

Now she is being sent back to her village where her fate is some dinghy brothel in a city, where she'll be alone, a candidate for HIV, a sex slave in a life without hope!

(read more http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/opinion/02kristof.html?_r=1&hp)

Sex slavery is one of those things you just don't think ought to still exist in the 21st century, do you? But, we're a sex-crazed world it seems. Right after reading about M.'s plight, I saw promotion on Facebook of a new "ha, ha, laugh out loud because we're so sophisticated" movie that is entitled "A Good, Old-Fashioned Orgy." The movie's website says that it's a comedy (?) about a rich kid (read delayed adolescent, irresponsible 30 year-old man, living on Daddy's money) in the Hampton's who decides to close out his summer by convincing his friends to join a drunken orgy. Critics say it's a riot.

So our kids (they will see it in spite of the "R" rating) will learn that having an orgy is real funny. If it happens on the movie screen it must be normal, they think. Of course, the missing part is the regret that the participants feel when they sober up the next day. Do we get to see the the humiliation of the girls who get pushed into sex they don't want? And, nobody's talking about herpes. Those things would be real downers, taking away from the hilarity.

I watched American Idol (a family program right?) a couple of times this season. One featured Lady Gaga in leather underwear. While she played the piano she stood up on the bench, backside in the air! Another night during a rendition of "Fat Bottom Girls" a bevy of shapely women shook their barely concealed behinds at the crowd. That was followed by J. Lo joining her husband on stage. She wore very little clothing and shook it all (use your imagination) to titillate the crowd.

Some of you are smiling at the preacher who's old, offended, and out of touch. "Poor Jerry," you're thinking, "Such a prude." Perhaps I am. But, I do not really think so. I believe human sexuality is a wonderful gift from God that makes our lives rich, that provides immense pleasure, and creates strong bonds with our love. Beauty is nothing to hide!

However, when we make sex a free for all, when we celebrate lewd behavior in movies and feature near-nakedness on family TV, we ought not be surprised when our 12 year daughter comes down in the morning looking like she's going out to turn a trick or that our son thinks that treating all women like sex objects made to be used for his pleasure is normal male behavior.

Stories about men out of control in hotels (just been in the news), about teachers having sex with students (becoming so common it's not even making the front page), about sex assaults happening in our small towns, are the fruit of the sexual revolution. A half-century ago we decided to throw away the guidelines, discard modesty, and worship blatant sensuality. Now, we have record rates of infidelity, broken marriages, and pedophilia. Is there a connection? Internet porn is one of the richest businesses online. And ... yes, most tragically - in this filthy, broken world pretty little girls are sold into sex slavery.

Kristoff concluded his article with this provocative call to action: "What I do know is that it is surreal that these scenes are unfolding in the 21st century. The peak of the trans-Atlantic slave trade was the 1780s, when just under 80,000 slaves a year were transported from Africa to the New World. These days, UNICEF estimates that 1.8 million children a year enter the commercial sex trade. Multiply M. by 1.8 million, and you understand the need for a new abolitionist movement."

The word from the Word -
"When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too-the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.


And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God.


It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better.


But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete." (Colossians 3:4-10, The Message)
Are you cleaned up in Christ or filthy still in your sin?
Are you part of the solution (building the Kingdom of Christ) or part of the problem, feeding the market for sin?

Dead and Buried

Many pundits point to the rapid disappearance of living Christianity in much of Europe in the last 50 years as a trend that is continuing in the United States. The Church, at least in the West, is soon to be dead and buried they opine. (Christianity is growing quickly in Latin America, Africa, and China!) Barna Research published these findings about Christianity in America last year.

1. The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate.

What used to be basic, universally-known truths about Christianity are now unknown mysteries to a large and growing share of Americans--especially young adults.

2. Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented.

3. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life.

When asked what matters most, teenagers prioritize education, career development, friendships, and travel. Faith is significant to them, but it takes a back seat to life accomplishments and is not necessarily perceived to affect their ability to achieve their dreams. Among adults the areas of growing importance are lifestyle comfort, success, and personal achievements. Those dimensions have risen at the expense of investment in both faith and family.

4. Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating.
5. The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church.

Our biblical illiteracy and lack of spiritual confidence has caused Americans to avoid making discerning choices for fear of being labeled judgmental. The result is a Church that has become tolerant of a vast array of morally and spiritually dubious behaviors and philosophies.
6. The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.

Christianity has arguably added more value to American culture than any other religion, philosophy, ideology or community. Yet, contemporary Americans are hard pressed to identify any specific value added. -

http://www.barna.org/culture-articles/462-six-megathemes-emerge-from-2010


My own experience with the church, as a pastor for 35 years, confirms these trends. So, must we heave a sign of resignation, sing a verse of “Que Sera Sera,” and wait for the ‘inevitable?’ No!

Ancient Judah was ‘dead and buried,’ the bones of her culture and religion bleached in the sun. The Temple lay in ruins, the royal family was in captivity, the priesthood obliterated, and the best of the young enslaved in Babylon. An ancient hymn captures the gloom felt by those who remembered what once was. "By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?" (Psalm 137:1-4, NIV)

Among those who mourned was Ezekiel. As he prayed, the Spirit of the Lord stirred a vision in his heart. "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” (Ezekiel 37:1-3, NIV) The Lord told him to preach to those bones! A fool’s errand was what it seemed, but he obeyed.

There was a rattling as bones connected and flesh appeared on them. Then the Lord told Zeke to “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” (Ezekiel 37:9, NIV) A mighty army marched off the field of dry bones that day!

The Church may be dried up, dead to all appearances. But, like Zeke, I believe that there is a new wind of the Spirit ready to blow across the land. It won’t be a little puff. It will not come from a few songs sung in sanctuaries or some tears shed in a sentimental moment. It will come like a hurricane, blowing down religious structures, tearing up our lives, and creating a place for the work of God to be built anew.

It’s a personal prophecy, too. Perhaps your spiritual experience has become ‘dry bones’ of religion. There is no power, no sharing of the Gospel, no victories over sin, no joy, no fruit. If you’re thirsty, look to the Lord earnestly. Repent and pray the promise.

Here it is: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. … Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isaiah 55:1-3, 6-7, NIV)

_______________

Sweet Wind

There's a wind a-blowin'
All across the land
A fragrant breeze of heaven
Blowin' once again

Don't know where it comes from
Don't know where it goes
But let it blow over me
Oh sweet wind
Come and blow over me

There's a rain a-pourin'
Showers from above
Mercy drops are comin'
Mercy drops of love

Turn your face to heaven
Let the water pour
Well let it pour over me
Oh sweet rain
Come and pour over me

There's a fire burnin'
Fallin' from the sky
Awesome tongues of fire
Consuming you and I

Can you feel it burnin'
Burn the sacrifice
Well let it burn over me
Oh sweet fire
Come and burn over me

© 1994 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing
Vineyard Songs Canada
ION Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
(Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
(Admin. by Music Services, Inc.) David Ruis

CCLI License No. 810055

Can you handle the truth?

In the movie, A Few Good Men (1992), Jack Nicholson is Colonel Jessup, an older Marine, full of self-confidence, a man of the Corps. Lt. Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, is a young Naval lawyer, who uses Jessup’s pride against him in that famous scene where he has him on the witness stand. As Kaffee badgers the colonel, you can see his anger rising, his contempt for the younger man obvious. Kaffee presses Jessup for the truth and finally the older man shouts, “You can’t handle the truth!” In fact, Kaffee has seen the truth more clearly than the old colonel!

Disciple, can you handle the truth? Jesus said that knowing the Truth sets us free! If we are willing to see life as it is, not just as we want it to be, if we are willing to know ourselves as we are, not as we idealize ourselves, if we are willing to receive the full Gospel, not just the watered down version – we can become mature, holy, and fruitful servants of God. Can you handle the truth?

Can you face the fact of depravity and admit that God’s wrath is both real and imminent? Many cannot. Judgment is seldom a topic among Christians anymore. The rich doctrine of God’s justice has been hijacked by whackos who turn it into a club to beat on those they hate ‘in the Name of God.’ The truth is that we are ‘by nature, objects of wrath!’ (Eph. 2:3) That’s a fearful statement. When I read the thundering words of the OT prophets, I realize anew that God is holy and does not overlook human disobedience. Ignoring Him always brings a consequence! The sins we commit are not hidden from Him. He asks, “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:23-24, NIV)

Can you handle the Truth that you cannot hope to earn His favor by any amount of penance or goodness? Many cannot! Religion feeds our pride. We like to think we’re measuring up a little better than ‘those people.’ There is a false comfort to be found in doing good things, but the Truth is that only the intervention of His grace, only the gift of the Spirit can turn us from depraved sinners to saints. The truth is that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV)

Can you handle the truth that true discipleship includes the Way of the Cross before we get to wear a crown? Jesus told us to ‘take up our cross and follow Him.’ It’s not a pleasant thought. Crosses kill! Yes, Self must die. Our desires give way to His will. But, there is a promise. "Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." (2 Timothy 2:11-13, NIV)

Grow up and live in the truth. Leave the shallow religion of motivational quotes, happy thoughts, and sentimental sayings behind and engage with the robust life of being Christ’s disciple.

The word from the Word is this today. Receive it with joy and faith.
"This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life! I’ve written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you. But they’re no match for what is embedded deeply within you—Christ’s anointing, no less! You don’t need any of their so-called teaching. Christ’s anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught. And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives." (1 John 2:25-28, The Message)

__________________


Your Great Name

Lost are saved find their way
At the sound of Your great name
All condemned feel no shame
At the sound of Your great name

Ev'ry fear has no place
At the sound of Your great name
The enemy he has to leave
At the sound of Your great name

Jesus- worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us
The Son of God and man
You are high and lifted up
And all the world will praise
Your great name

Oh Your great name

Redeemer my Healer Lord Almighty
My Savior Defender You are my King

Jesus the name of Jesus
You are high and lifted up
And all the world will praise Your great name
(Jesus) worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us
The Son of God and man
You are high and lifted up
And all the world will praise Your great name
Your great name
Your great name

© 2008 Integrity's Praise! Music Two Nords Music
(Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)Krissy Nordhoff  Michael Neale
CCLI License No. 810055

Natalie Grant sings “Your Great Name” -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuuLBPOYcI8

Two Become One!

Eric and Sarah were radiant, all aglow with the excitement of their wedding day. Eric is our assistant pastor, Sarah his beautiful bride. More than once I found myself with a lump in my throat as I sat by my bride of 36 years. Part of me felt a sense of caution for our young friends.
Do they have any inkling of the difficulties of forming a good marriage? No, and that’s a good thing or they might not have even started the journey!
Will they find the courage and the depth of faith to build a marriage that honors the Lord and brings them real joy? That question I believe is can be answered in the affirmative because this couple, from the first, has committed themselves to Christ, as Lord.

People who want to enjoy a life-long, growing, emotionally satisfying marriage will surrender large chunks of autonomy. Simply put, for those who are married, "me" exists less and less and "we" becomes foremost! The Word urges all disciples to a life of unselfish service including those who are married. Some spouses mistakenly think the marriage license includes permission for rudeness or selfishness. Here's what God says. "Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!" (Philippians 2:4-7, The Message)

Ephesians teaches Husbands that they are ‘love their wives as their own bodies.’ (6:28) Wives are directed to let their husbands be their servant leader in that same passage. The commands are inter-connected, one demanding the other. The husband cannot love his wife as Christ loves the Church if she keeps herself independent from him. Nor, can she trust a self-centered, foolish man to lead her to an emotionally satisfying, spiritually healthy life. But as both turn often to Jesus Christ, and ask the Holy Spirit to bring about transformation in their lives, a new unit called a ‘godly marriage’ starts to develop that makes each person in the marriage healthier, stronger, and more effective in life than they could be without their spouse! Two really do become a new one!

How many marriages do you see that enjoy that kind of love, playfulness, shared devotion, and spiritual depth?

A Christ-centered marriage that is radiant with love is one of the strongest testimonies to the reality of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Such a relationship does not just ‘happen’ because two people are well-adjusted psychologically, or highly compatible emotionally, or similar in world view or education. It is created by two disciples of Christ who pursue Him whole-heartedly, dying to Self, and seeking His love. That love in turn allows them to become a great lover. (Yes, think more than sex!) From the Spirit and His Church come the resources and tools to deal with effects of sin, old hurts and resentments, temptation to serve self over the family, and even the mistakes that will inevitably be made.

Eric and Sarah- we love you and pray for you! May Jesus Christ be always at the center of your lives and allow the two of you to become one wholly new thing as your lives are blended interdependently in covenant marriage.

Here is the word from the Word. Let it comfort and challenge you this day.
"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NKJV)

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. … This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1 John 3:11, 16, NIV)

More political than usual

This is Memorial Day weekend. For many it’s just the unofficial first day of Summer, a time to picnic and play. The holiday began after the Civil War that torn these United States apart. With great sorrow, families visited the graves of those whose lives were taken by that blood-soaked conflict. They brought flowers and flags and thus the first name of the day was Decoration Day. After the first Great War, Decoration Day morphed into a time to remember who those who perished in our nation's wars. Today we call it - Memorial Day.

I hope you will remember and not just the sanitized images of flags and soldiers marching in parade in their neat uniforms! Remember the blood and pain, the huge cost in life and material, that this worst enterprise of humanity brings. We have become almost numb to war. Few of us consciously are aware that these United States have been at war for eight long years, the longest war in our history. Perhaps if we paid more attention to that fact, we would pressure our politicians to stop feeding the war machine.

My comments are not in any way meant to diminish the service of our soldiers. I am so grateful for those who serve voluntarily, and at great cost to themselves and their families. I pray that my life is lived in a way that is worthy of their sacrifice. As we remember, we must give thanks to God for this wonderful nation. We must give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy. We must appreciate that we do not live under tyranny because of those who were willing to fight to defend our liberties. But, we must also be true children of God who are known to love and seek peace. And, pray for peace!

Fifty years ago, America’s President, Dwight Eisenhower, a man who had commanded the Allied armies in Europe, issued a warning largely forgotten today. He was a prophet who saw with great clarity the terrible danger of mixing commerce and war. He knew that a strong military presence was a deterrent to those who would attack a nation, but he also knew that the temptation to use that army would be driven, in part, at least, by the greed of those who could profit from war. On this Memorial Day, every citizen should read his words and weep.
"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be might, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. . . . American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. . . . This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. . . .Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. . . . In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

The word from the Word for today reminds us of our true calling.
“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good.

Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:10-12, NLT)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, NIV)

How to be blessed

Money worries are not at the top of my list. “Oh,” you say, “Jerry is wealthy.” By the standard of 90% of the world, you are right. I am rich! In America, I would not qualify as rich, probably not even as ‘well to do.’ So, why the confidence? Because I have a rich Father who cares for me and promises to provide for my needs. The ministry I lead is not large, nor do we have endowments. We are a ‘faith’ ministry, depending on the faithfulness of God and His people to meet our budget. Seeing how He has provided over the last 11 years, through every season, is a story that is simply wonderful!

God created the world as a place of abundance where every need of every person should be met. It is a consistent theme of the Bible. Genesis tells us that He looked over what He had made and said, "It is good!" Not, “just about right, acceptable and we'll work out the bugs. “ , etc. He created a world that provides us with everything that is necessary for life.

Abraham, when he experienced God's provision at a moment of 'impossibility' named Him, "Yahweh Yireh" – “The LORD, my Provider.” To be sure, Abe's trust wasn't perfect and on more than one occasion he tried to take care of his own needs in his own way. The results of his attempts at self-sufficiency were always less than wonderful. When he lived in faith, his life was full of blessings.

Paul traveled the empire of Rome. He knew how to live in faith and from his own experience of the riches of God, tells us to remember that "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 4:19, NLT)

Ultimately, God reveals that poverty is the result of sin. Be careful how you apply that phrase. Don't misunderstand me as saying that you or I can look a poor person and conclude, 'he is a sinner!' That would be both unloving and wrong. It might be the sins of past generations, the sins of his nation, the sin of his extended family, or even the sin of his neighbor. But, the truth is that where people live in God's ways, prosperity is the general result!

The key to enjoying God's provisions is obedience. In Deuteronomy 15 (NLT) we read: "There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession. You will receive this blessing if you carefully obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow! You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you!” Isn't that a great promise?

But God also recognized that there would be those who, for one reason or another, were not blessed. And what of them? Take a look. "But if there are any poor people in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year of release (part of a God-designed 7 year cycle to defeat greed and perpetual poverty) is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some among you who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share your resources freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need." (7-11, NLT)

I take two lessons from that passage.

The first is- God will take care of me.
I don't always live at peace in that promise, do you? But, when I center my thoughts on His Word I am able to trust Him in new ways. Don’t be stupid and run out to buy a new Mercedes, claiming God’s promises to meet your needs! But, life with confidence that your true needs; relational, economic, physical, and spiritual – are a true concern to your Father in Heaven.

The second is- if meeting humans needs is important to my Father, then it must be important to me.
The poor man is my brother. I have not met his needs when I give him a dollar. I must love him as I love myself.
Here's a passage to ponder this day.
Ask the Spirit to make it your way of life so that you can be just like your Abba.

“The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. Curses on those who drive a hard bargain! Blessings on all who play fair and square!” Proverbs 11:24-26 (The Message)

We're all hypocrites (sometime) !

Sometimes I hear words come of my mouth and I think, “Really, Jerry, you can say that with a straight face knowing what’s in your heart?”  Then, too, there are moments when I have feelings that are inconsistent with my beliefs. For example, I accept Jesus’ call to live lovingly and with profound forgiveness. I make it my goal to act in love. However, when Ann’s (name changed!) name comes up in conversation, my emotions are not those of man who is forgiving. I struggle with feelings of resentment. I confess that asking God to bless her life is not easy for me. I know I should reach out to Ann and attempt a conversation that might lead to a change in my heart, yet that has not happened.

We all have gaps between what we profess to believe and how we act. For some, they are great chasms like the Grand Canyon. For others, it’s more like cracks in the sidewalk. Some people go through life apparently clueless about the truth, hurting others, deceiving themselves, playing the part of a fool, and living a lie. Jesus reserved His most scathing remarks for religious frauds who use their pious talk to conceal sin-filled hearts! "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned. … Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons? “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony." (Matthew 23:15, 24-25, The Message)

Hypocrisy is more than silly. It’s sinful. It offends God because when we make excuses for it in the name of just ‘being human,’ we cut ourselves off from His grace to forgive us and His power to change us from the inside out. Allowing ourselves to live one way while claiming to believe something else creates a division in us which the Scripture says makes us "a double minded man - unstable in all his ways." (James 1:8, KJV) In the more radical cases, hypocrisy leads to mental illness, a break with reality! This sobering verse calls us to change: "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity" (Proverbs 11:3, NIV)

Integrity is what God desires from us- being solid, the same inside and out, with thought, word, and action aligned. That does not mean you or I will suddenly become flawless. Oddly enough, David, a man whose sins were grievous is called a man of integrity in the Scripture. Why? Because when his sin was pointed out to him, when his hypocrisy was challenged, he cried out: "You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I’ve been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. … God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life." (Psalm 51:4-5,10, The Message) Confession heals us when it is deep, true, and desires change.

Are you living a lie? Is hypocrisy stealing your credibility, creating a guilty conscience, and keeping you from knowing the peace of God?

Here is a word from the Word.  "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:8-10, NIV) Go to the Cross. Kneel before the One who entered into our lives fully, “who became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.” And find forgiveness and acceptance that allows you to abandon hypocrisy.

_________________

Change my heart, oh God,

Make it ever true.

Change my heart, oh God,

May I be like You.

You are the potter,

I am the clay.

Mold me and make me,

This is what I pray.

Change My Heart Oh God

Espinosa, Eddie

© 1982 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)

CCLI License No. 810055

Raining Sideways

A good storm does my heart good every now and then. Last night the wind blew so hard and the rain came down so heavily, it appeared to be raining sideways! And, I watched it all snug and dry from my window. In light of the terrible devastation and loss of life that storms brought to the South, and more recently to Joplin, Missouri, I felt a shiver of fear. It is that fear that is good for me! How so, you ask? The fury reminded me of how very dependent I am on God, how little real strength I have when it comes to controlling my life. In our world of controlled temperatures, pain-controlling medicines, clocks, and agendas, the illusion of being 'master of the universe' can overtake us. A furious storm is an object lesson in faith!

The last four years in my life have significantly deepened my life and created a much wider tolerance for life's mysteries in me. I walked alongside of my Dad through the valley of the shadow of death and then placed him in a grave. That's a furious storm!  Sixteen months ago, my own health gave way and I faced major surgery for the first time. Another furious storm! Last summer, Mom received a diagnosis of cancer and I am living through yet another storm. I will not lie.  It's not been easy, nor have I always been a tower of strength. God knows those moments when I have wept like a child, feeling the terror of helplessness. Relieved of my need to be large and in charge, I find Him to be my Friend, my Strength.

Jesus disciples were educated by a storm, too. Mark tells the story about a crossing of the Sea of Galilee. A sudden squall blew. Waves whipped up, spilling into the little boat. The Bible says that they 'feared exceedingly.'  (The NT Greek is almost modern there - 'phobos megas' )  They were mega-afraid!  They screamed at Jesus. "Don't you care if we perish?"  Listen to Mark telling the story as he had heard from Peter, who was there! "When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!" (Mark 4:39-41, NLT) A whole new revelation emerged from their fear.

Are you shaking in the fury of a storm? I know it's not at all enjoyable. Life is out of control. Perhaps you, too, feel phobos megas! Let your need to try to control it slip away. Cry out to Jesus. Confess complete faith. Pray the heart-broken prayer that a desperate Dad uttered to Jesus when all hope seemed lost- "Lord, I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief." (Mark 9:24) He is there, He is near.

Here's a word from the Word. If a storm is shaking your world today, adopt this passage as a foundation of worship.

"A Psalm of David.
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?"
(Psalm 8:1-4, NKJV)

______________

Praise You In This Storm

I was sure by now

God You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

But once again I'll say amen

And it's still rainin'

As the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper

Through the rain

I'm with You

And as Your mercy falls

I'll raise my hands

And praise the God who gives

And takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And ev'ry tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

© 2005 Word Music, LLC | BanaHama Tunes | My Refuge Music | Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.) | (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.) | (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) | (Admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC)

Bernie Herms | Mark Hall

CCLI License No. 810055

Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm (Lyrics)

"I quit!"

About a hundred years ago a children’s story first appeared in a Sunday School paper that is now known as “The Little Engine that Could.” A little steam engine is tasked with pulling a line of rail cars and finds a steep hill standing in the way. He manages to do the impossible while repeating the line, “I think I can, I think I can.”  I don’t know who first read that story book to me. However, it lodged deep in my psyche and the lesson in sticking with the task until it’s done is one of my individual core values. It’s not that I have never considered quitting. Every Monday morning, there’s a little voice in my head that suggests I find a different calling. (It’s an occupational hazard of ministers.)

People quit jobs, leave marriages, and abandon faith. Half-complete jobs, unfinished projects, and broken promises are the monuments that quitters leave behind. Are you thinking of quitting? Does the mountain in front of you seem insurmountable?  Pause, reflect, pray, and then move forward with determination.

The Bible tells us to ‘persevere.’ "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 10:36-11:1, NIV)  It’s not stubbornness that keeps us going. It’s faith! Christians go beyond mere optimism which hopes for the best into the realm of faith in God. They take hold of His promise and speak to the apparently unyielding situations saying, "It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit.  … Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in (the) way; it will become a level plain.” (Zechariah 4:6-7, NLT)

If you’re looking for ‘easy,’ don’t walk with God. The path of the godly is against the current, a calling for the courageous. Jesus was not reluctant to challenge. He invited the crowds to follow Him and then told them "anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?" (Luke 14:27-28, NIV)  When you’re making your estimates, remember to factor in your resources as well as expenses! Serving the Lord faithfully will demand much of you; courage, sacrifice, surrender. And God, the Holy Spirit, will be there with you, strengthening you for each new day.

Ready to call it quits? Before you do, bend your knees in prayer. Take a long walk alone. Ask for wisdom and insight that sees ALL of your options.

Here is a familiar word from the Word. "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:2-3, The Message)

________________

Keep me true Lord Jesus,
keep me true,

Keep me true Lord Jesus,
keep me true. 

There's a race that i must run,

There's a victory to be won.

Every hour by Thy power,
I'll be true.

-      Anonymous

Graves-of-the-Craving!

Just as we were finishing a delicious dinner, the lights went out! A line of powerful storms knocked out the power in our area. For the next 2½ hours we sat around waiting- no water, no lights, no TV – just a book on my Nook. I don’t generally wake up with a gratefulness in my heart for the services of Jersey Central Power and Light but I did this morning. That loss of electricity was really nothing but a minor inconvenience, but it caused me to think about how much goes right in my life. My car starts right up each day, but do I appreciate that? Not until that one morning, it doesn’t!

I tend to focus on the exceptions; spending way too much time talking about the things that go wrong. I am going to work on re-training! I want to start being thankful in all those situations where people show up on time, where things work to make my life more comfortable. Instead of complaining about the rain, I want to give thanks for the sunshine. Rather than gripe about the temperature of my coffee, I want to give thanks that I have coffee to drink.

Some physicians are suggesting that one of the reasons our kids have more allergies is that they are being raised in such clean environs. When their little bodies don’t have to deal with dirt, dust, and allergens as they develop, the immune system actually becomes overly sensitive, kicking up at the least irritant. I wonder if many of us have developed spiritual allergies! Have we been so blessed in life that our ability to cope with the inevitable disappointments is diminished? Are we so sensitive to our own comfort and convenience that we over-react to minor power outages, people that drive too slowly, and other ‘failures’ around us?

Let’s take a lesson in gratitude from the negative example of the ancient Israelites. Every morning the LORD gave them food for the day. Manna (literally – ‘what’s it?’) was a perfectly balanced heavenly food that they just picked up off the ground each morning during their wilderness trek from Egypt to the Promised Land. Were they grateful? Did they appreciate the marvelous gift of their Father? Apparently not. "The riffraff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, “Why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt—and got it free!—to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna.”  (Numbers 11:4-6, The Message) It might appear comical, but the LORD was not amused and the Scripture says that “God’s anger blazed against them.”  

Many of them died when He gave them what they wanted, thousands of quail, which they caught and ate, choking on the meat! “God swept quails in from the sea. They piled up to a depth of about three feet in the camp and as far out as a day’s walk in every direction. All that day and night and into the next day the people were out gathering the quail …  But while they were still chewing the quail and had hardly swallowed the first bites, God’s anger blazed out against the people. He hit them with a terrible plague. They ended up calling the place Kibroth Hattaavah (Graves-of-the-Craving). There they buried the people who craved meat.”  (Nu 11:31-34)

Here’s a word from the Word.

"Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods." (Psalm 96:1-4, NIV)

Let me suggest that you take a few moments right now to thank the Lord for all the things that are going right, for all the people who make your life better, for His grace and favor which is poured out on us even when we deserve only His rebuke and/or judgment.

__________________

Father in Heaven, I confess my frequent ingratitude.

Forgive me for focusing on the exceptions.

You are a rich Provider.

I thank you for the food on my table,
the friends that surround me,

the ability to work, think, worship, and play.

I pray that “words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
will be pleasing in your sight,  O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Jesus Christ, be Lord of my heart.

Spirit of the Lord, keep me in tune with Heaven’s melodies this day.
Amen.