Less? A blessing?

The last 8 weeks have brought ‘less.’  Roads are not so crowded. Days are not as filled with activities. Weekends leave us with time weighing on our hands. Looking ahead, many are coming to grips that they may have to adjust to living with less as the ripple effect of the virus brings job loss, wage cuts, and reduced staffing. That is, at first thought, not generally something to call a blessing, is it? How can less be blessed?

We like big, don’t we?  We like options. We like shelves full of 28 brands of products that do the same thing! It makes us feel rich. Amazon™ brings more options than the “Mall of America” right into our living room and MasterCard™ rejoices when we browse those digital pages to buy ‘stuff.’  Do we realize that there is stress that goes with having so many options from which to choose? We like the feeling of importance that comes from a crammed calendar. All those things we do helps us to convince ourselves that we are valuable. But, do we understand that when we cannot sleep because our mind continues to race when we lie down we are getting a message that life is too full?

We are trained to be consumers, to be discontent.  We are told that we ‘need’ a new phone, another pair of shoes, more clothing because our economy requires spending. Most products have obsolescence built into them so that we will feel the need to replace them in a couple of years. We think little of creating more debt to get a new house, another car, or to go on a vacation will finally be 'it.'  But, now a challenging narrative is emerging- one of contentment, one that lets us live with less. Can we accept it? Will we? 

Could it be that God is inviting us to a restored sanity?
Might He be asking to ‘consider our ways and be wise?’ 

One of the choices that Christians make, for God’s sake, is simplicity. What is that? The opposite is complex. God invites us to become people who are transparent, whose motives are clear, whose minds are focused singly on serving Christ Jesus, with a hope that is formed around eternal life.  Simplicity flourishes in us when make God more than the “Bread King” who is supposed to feed our desires, instead allowing Him to help us to learn to be contented with who we are, what we have, and where we are. 

As we think about the blessing of less, there are some practical things we can do, God helping us.

We stop comparing! Envy is the great enemy of simplicity.

We refuse to create an ‘image’ that we must then work hard to maintain. 

We are generous, breaking the hold of ‘stuff’ by sharing, not just out of our excess, but sacrificially.

We learn to thanks for life, as it is, rather than begging God to make it what we think it should be. 

We live today, choosing to let Him judge the past, to prepare us for the future. 

We learn that saying 'no' is an acceptable response; a no to our own hearts demands as well as a no to cultural pressure to conform.  

We live within our means, refusing to pile up debt in a vain attempt to create happiness.

Here's what Jesus said.  "Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! "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. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:22-24, NLT)   What's your vision for life?  If it is a clear vision, fixed on truth, and focused around the goodness of God, you will live freely, soberly, and with contentment. If it is corrupted by materialism, sensuality, celebrity, greed, or other common American 'values,' you will descend ever deeper into the confusion of trying to fill the longing for meaning with things that can never satisfy your soul.

Learning new ways to think and live is never easy. I believe that God is inviting us to a new satisfaction, growing out of deep and intimate worship. Right now that isn’t even happening in church buildings but we can worship when we revel in the beauty of a bird's song, the giggle of a child, the beauty of a sunset – finding the grace He promises 'for today.'   The choice to become simple will break the chains that keep us enslaved to Self and Satan; serving lesser gods of reputation, things we own, and the things that fill up our days.

Shall we discover the blessing of less?

Spend some time with this word from the Word. These are powerful words that can transform our values.

"Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth.
After all, we didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world,
and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die.

So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation
and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires
that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil.
And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things,
and follow what is right and good.
Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness."
(1 Timothy 6:6-11, NLT)

_________

10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

Bless the Lord O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

You're rich in love and You're slow to anger

Your name is great and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Worship Your holy name

Lord I'll worship Your holy name

Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman

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Representing Jesus!

A friend of mine told me about wearing a mask to a local store where he encountered a man in the parking lot who mocked him for his cowardice. Another shared about wearing his N95 medical grade mask, one that he’s had in his garage for months, only to be rebuked for not ‘saving’ the medical grade masks for health professionals. These are mild examples of the divided nature of our nation. I, and many other pastors, are sincerely concerned about preserving the unity of our churches in coming weeks as we reopen our buildings to meet for worship. If we Christians bring our strong opinions with us, what will result?

We must practice that kind of love that is always to be the most notable quality of a Christ follower – deep, other-centered love. Paul says it this way - "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." (Romans 12:9-10, NIV) Balancing the needs of all those who call the church their spiritual home is no easy task. Some think we should open now, even in defiance of the government authorities. Others would keep the building closed until a vaccine and/or treatment is in place, which could be months from now. Some say that masks are unnecessary, others insist we will wear them publicly indefinitely.  Some think that the danger of spreading the contagion means we cannot sing. Others think that singing is a basic part of worship, not to be hindered for any reason.  Must we limit the number in the building?  I know you have opinions. We all do!

Time and again I remind myself of the greater importance of the unity of the Body of Christ. When I feel irritation rising with that person who disagrees with I am sure is ‘the truth,’ I feel the counsel of the Spirit reminding me to listen well.  Faith Discovery Church will open, though no date has been set yet. The process, to date, has been guided by the shared counsel of our leadership team. Even within that small group of 9 persons there are widely divergent opinions about the requirements that will be placed on those who attend. We talk, with respect, with honesty, keeping our focus on honoring Him.  In the end, each one will yield his or her opinion to the wisdom of the whole, and we all pray that our work is directed by Christ, the Head of the Church, as we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Let’s widen our perspective today to include our individual responses to others in this world. Most of us have strong opinions about the decisions that the government is making to limit our individual liberties and about the way that others are responding to those directives. Some would take to the streets in fierce defense of our cherished American freedom and condemn those who refuse to do so as ‘sheeple,.’ Some believe that limits are in the interest of us all and see those protestors as idiotic and irresponsible.  

Tragically, conspiracy theories have flourished like weeds in this soil of unrest, making any reasonable conversation nearly impossible.  Ideas that would be quickly dismissed in any other time seem to find root in people who are otherwise thoughtful.  (Click here to read an excellent article about conspiracy theories among Christians.)

Yes, I confess to my own sin in this. If you know me at all you know I am a person who is generally not reluctant to express an opinion. This is not a time for that! Destructive divisions are tearing us apart in a time of crisis.  We need people who will do the hard of reconciling people to one another. Knowing my tendencies, I have mostly stopped watching media reports because of the reactions that they trigger in me, responses that are far from Christ’s calling.  How about you? Would you get honest with yourself?

Let’s pray to remember this – we are Christ’s first, citizens of God’s kingdom.  Let’s represent Him well in our interactions with all, even as we pray for a loving heart, a gentle spirit.  I believe that there is an opportunity for Christians to lead the way in our time, people who are wise, who act rather than react, who demonstrate faith responsibly, whose lives show the truth that our God is greater even than death itself.

Here is a word from the Word. I have chosen the Message paraphrase for clarity. As we read it, lets invite the Truth to sink deep, convicting and convincing each of us about how we best represent our King before the world.

"Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!

All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you." (2 Corinthians 5:16-20, The Message)

__________

Abba, my heart is often in conflict these days.

There are fears that stir anger, anger that can make me blind and deaf.

Secure my soul in You with Your Word and by Your Spirit.

Speak peace. Convince me of the importance of love.

I pray that You will be well represented by those who bear Your Name.

Keep us from weakness even as You teach us meekness.

Preserve us from folly born of presumption, even as You make us fearless in faith.

Help me, Lord Jesus, to bear the beauty of Your Spirit before this world –

In my thoughts, in my words, in my actions.

Amen

Work through it with Faith!

A half-century ago, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross studied how we react to grief. She found that people generally follow this pattern: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Not all people experience every one of those or the the same sequence, but the pattern is generally true and knowing it helps us cope and become proactive. 

Think about your own emotional experiences in the last 2 months. Even if you have not had friend or family member sick or dying, life has taken a hard hit, hasn’t it? Nothing is quite the same and we are constantly told that it never will be. That is hard to grasp and to fit into our plans for life.

Christian, there is an abundant life of faith in the middle of this mess. So let’s talk about that for a few minutes this Monday morning.

When we were first learning about the pandemic many of us coped by telling ourselves, “It’s not really that bad. It will be over quickly.”

That’s denial.

Then, it dragged on and we wondered why we felt so much irritation, why we found ourselves lashing out at others.

Anger showed up!

And so we started figuring out our own response, “Maybe if I do this, or go here, or talk to that person, or …”

Yes, we tried making a deal with life and/or God. Bargaining!

But, week 6 came and instead of things changing, we were told to stay home longer, that our job was on hold, that our bank account was rapidly emptying and we wondered why we just wanted to stay in bed or eat junk or worse …

that’s depression.

Acceptance is a beautiful thing. It’s not an end point, but an entry to understanding, adjustment, and new reality. Acceptance is that process in which we start to see life as it is, not as we wished it to be. “This really is happening. It is beyond my control. So, how will I respond?”  We must not confuse acceptance with giving up and or resignation. People who ‘give up’ lose their joy, choosing just to survive by killing their emotions. They throw away relationships, deciding that hope is too hard. You know those people. They are cynical, often bitter, mere shells of the person they once were.

It starts with being authentic about what we think and how we are seeing life. Often it requires someone who listens and provides feedback, who lets us empty our heart and soul and sort through our thoughts.  For Christians it must include time of prayer and openness before the Lord. We match our fears with His Word, settling on the foundations of Truth.  The Psalms are an incredible resource for this process, helping us to give form to our feelings, leading us to praise and worship, reminding us of the eternal hope we have in the Lord.

Acceptance does not usually arrive with a flash of insight that brings instantaneous transformation. It is like the coming of Springtime. Remember those days in March when the sun warms your face, when the shoots of green start to appear, followed by buds on the trees? Steadily, but imperceptibly, the earth transforms – winter to summer.  Acceptance comes like that, warm days of hope, frosty mornings reminding you that you are not quite there yet, but hope continues to emerge, as we turn our hearts toward God, the giver of life.

Jesus pours hope into us saying,  “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can shut. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. ... Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown." (Revelation 3:8-11, NLT)  Maybe that is a truth that feels like it beyond the edge of your faith this morning.  Don’t be ashamed or fearful. Tell Him that you want to hold on. Adopt the prayer of that distressed Dad in the Gospels whose daughter had died, a man who cried, “Lord, I believe! Help me overcome my doubts!”

We all have days when we just have to just keep going, asking the Lord to lead us along paths, the end of which we cannot see. We will stumble over our sinful nature getting angry, going negative, wandering into self-pity or fear. We will allow ourselves to waste the day in distractions. Does that ever happen to you?  When I have those days I fantasize about a perfect words without battles, without temptation, without suffering, without disappointment.  

 Real life in the real world is about living our faith, patiently dealing with the sins, the obstacles, the disappointments, the temptations, the tests, the people who provoke... with the help of the Holy Spirit, who will lead us to a richer life in His truth, full of hope.

John Bunyan captured the process with his amazing classic – Pilgrim’s Progress.  Ah, yes, we are on the journey to our home.  If we want to please God, we have to be willing keep walking, trusting the infinite grace of our Savior.  "Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." (Hebrews 10:36, NLT) Keep asking God to move you to acceptance that is shaped by faith. Keep serving others with the gifts that God has given you, even when it seems that nothing is being accomplished.

Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it for a few moments right now. Invite the Holy Spirit to use it to strengthen your resolve to remain faithful to Christ.  "Be careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, (work out your salvation - NIV) obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. Hold tightly to the word of life, so that when Christ returns, I will be proud that I did not lose the race and that my work was not useless." (Philippians 2:12-16, NLT)

________

Way Maker

You are here moving in our midst

I worship You I worship You

You are here working in this place

I worship You I worship You

(You are) Way Maker Miracle Worker Promise Keeper

Light in the darkness my God that is who You are

You are here touching ev'ry heart

I worship You I worship You

You are here healing ev'ry heart

I worship You I worship You

You are here turning lives around

I worship You I worship You

You are here mending ev'ry heart

I worship You yeah I worship You Lord

That is who You are

That is who You are

That is who You are

That is who You are

Even when I don't see it You're working

Even when I don't feel it You're working

You never stop You never stop working

You never stop You never stop working

Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu

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