As the world turns

 

For a year and a half I have known that the moment was approaching when I would step away from pastoring the church I have served for 21 years. On September 1, I will no longer be the pastor of a church. It’s the right decision for me, for the congregation. This choice has kicked up memories, moments of celebration, occasions for regret. Having negotiated many changes in my life- some part of a plan, some not of my choosing – I am aware of this:  God has new opportunities for me and a fresh vision for them.

Nostalgia is nice, as a temporary diversion, but we cannot successfully navigate our way into the future while staring into the rear-view mirror of life.  We will surely miss the best that God has prepared for us IF we let the rosy tint of memory convince us that life was better back then.  I have to remind myself that memory is highly selective.  History gets rewritten by our present understanding and/or emotional needs. As we think only of the 'good old days,' we tend to forget God’s faithfulness in the ‘ordinary.’  Our recall usually involves the headline events – big moments of joy or sorrow, major triumphs or terrible failure.

Try to think of this date – July 29 – in 2011.  Unless something special happened  or you have kept a journal, I doubt you can remember what you had for breakfast, who you met, or where you went. Our memories are built around celebrations, Christmases, vacations, getting a new homes or starting a new job. On the other side of that we recall the awful moments of breakups, financial loss, or death. But, real life is lived in unremarkable moments – shared breakfasts, meetings, commutes to work, irritations like broken appliances, arguments about a missed appointment:  those many ordinary days when God’s grace keeps us and we live in the flow of time. 

A song that I find myself humming, singing even, often recently is that old hymn – “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” I love this line – “Summer and winter, Springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above; join with all nature in manifold witness, to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love!”  The world turns and in that predictable change of seasons, sunrise and sunset, there is mute testimony to God’s goodness. In worship of the Eternal God, I find my heart and mind at peace.

Ah, friend are you facing some change? The truth is that we all are because time leaves nothing unchanged. This world is not the same today as it was a year ago, nor our situation be the same a year from now.  We are not adrift, without security, in this sea of change. There is an anchor for us who know God – His great faithfulness.  Our Savior’s love is unwavering, constant. The Word assures that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8, NIV)

Let’s not miss the moment, trying to recapture yesterday’s glory or fix its mistakes. Let’s not let today’s opportunity slip past because we are lost in some fantastic reverie about tomorrow. Paul’s wise counsel teaches us to live NOW - "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18, NIV)  

Here's a word from the Word. Jesus reminds us that God, the Spirit, is working in us now. “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be torn, and the patch wouldn’t even match the old garment. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would burst the old skins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be put into new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the fresh and the new. ‘The old is better,’ they say.”" (Luke 5:36-39, NLT)

Lord, lead us to the joy of this moment, to faithfulness to the calling  of this day.  Amen.

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Blessed Assurance

Blessed assurance Jesus is mine

O what a foretaste of glory divine

Heir of salvation purchase of God

Born of His Spirit washed in His blood

 

This is my story this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

This is my story this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

 

Perfect submission all is at rest

I in my Savior am happy and blest

Watching and waiting looking above

Filled with His goodness lost in His love

 

Fanny Jane Crosby

© Words: Public Domain

Influencer

 

My phone rang in the evening last week and a cheerful voice said, “Hi. I hope I’m not disturbing you. This is Jack Winters.”   Jack’s voice trembled with emotion when he said, “I’m so glad your Dad wouldn’t give up on me,” he said.  He was calling on his ‘birthday’ as a Believer, remembering a day more than 4 decades in the past when my Dad knelt with him in the church and together they prayed for new life. 

Jack was born again that day, in his words, “a mess turned into a message.”  His life was in ruins. He was an angry, hard-drinking, broken man whose wife was ready to walk out.  Jesus made him new and it showed.  For more than 40 years, he has lived an active Christian life, a man beloved by his family. He’s not just talked the talk; he has lived the life. 

That is how true Christian discipleship works!  It makes us ‘influencers.’

The Gospel is like a seed planted, then grows, matures, and bears fruit.  It is replanted and the effect ripples outward through the world.  

What effect will ripple through time from your life?
Are you living today in a way that God can use you to touch others with grace?

Lord knows we need grace-filled people in this world, people whose hearts are turned to the Father, who are ‘God’s own.’

Jesus used a homely illustration about the influence we are to have.  He says, "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:13-16, NLT)  Salt! Light!

Salt in the day before refrigeration was more than a flavor. It was a preservative. It kept the provisions from rotting!  When we Christians understand our place, our calling, and we are walking in step with the Holy Spirit, we push back the rot, preserve the world in which we live.  We help the ‘Jack Winters’ of the world, who have been overwhelmed by self, by sin, by the devil to find the freedom that Christ offers and to become whole and holy. And the one we lift up, lifts another, and another … and the ripples of our influence spread. 

Light is a powerful agent too. Plants bend toward the sun. Emotions lift when the days are bright. Life itself requires the energy of the sun’s light.  Yes, Christian, it may sound grand but we are to be life-giving people.  Paul reminds us that the light in us is not our own radiance. We “reflect the Lord’s glory.”  (2 Co 3:18)  Like the moon which has no energy, no glory of its own, we are mirrors of His gracious goodness, letting His light shine from us.

The modern world, like it or not, is a place of social media, with about 4 billion people connected on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms that this old man has not even heard of yet. Part of that media world is the role of influencer. Influencers build a reputation of expertise about some specific niche of life. Their posts are avidly followed by audiences they build over time who pay close attention to their views. For a few, it becomes their primary source of income, supported by the companies who make the products these ‘influencers’ promote. 

I do not want to sound crass or commercial but let ask you –
are you an influencer for Christ Jesus? Are you living with prayer, reflection, meditation, integration of Truth, led by the Spirit so that YOUR LIFE becomes a model for those who live around you?  It’s a high calling that has nothing to do with ego and everything to do with true discipleship!

How we live is creating a culture. Lord give us the vision to make it one of excellence!

Here’s a word from the Word.  "We don’t go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own." (2 Corinthians 4:5-7, NLT)

 

Be salt, light; an influencer for Christ Jesus!

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Shine on Us

 

Lord, let Your light

Light of Your face

Shine on us

Lord, let Your light

Light of Your face

Shine on us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let your light shine on us

 

Lord, let your grace

Grace from Your hand

Come over us

Lord, let your grace

Grace from Your hand

Come over us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let Your grace come over us

 

Lord, let Your love

Love with no end

Come over us

Lord, let Your love

Love with no end

Come over us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let Your love come over us

Let Your light shine on us

 

Smith Michael Whitaker / Smith Deborah Davis

Shine On Us lyrics © Deer Valley Music

 

 

The Hard Truth

 

Doomsday preaching is not my style. I hate it when preachers and politicians scare the life out of people and then say, “Trust me to keep you safe.”   I see that as manipulative, and yet … there is a sharp edge to the truth, an inescapable reality that a loving God is also a God who cannot wink at the insolence of evil people.

As I see it, America has poured herself a full cup of God’s judgments. Our greed, our willingness to wage war to exploit the poorer nations of the world, our ‘protection’ of our status at the top of the economic heap, our willingness to sacrifice human life for the sake of convenience are direct challenges to Heaven’s God.  I believe that the prayers of a few, the faithful remnant of those who love and revere the Name, have kept this nation, but now the axe is laid to the root. 

Micah, an ancient preacher, saw these same sins in the Jewish people. He heard the voice of the Spirit and preached that judgment must come. "How terrible it will be for you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry out any of the wicked schemes you have power to accomplish. When you want a certain piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. No one’s family or inheritance is safe with you around! But this is what the Lord says: “I will reward your evil with evil; you won’t be able to escape! After I am through with you, none of you will ever again walk proudly in the streets.” (Micah 2:1-3, NLT)  

Some of you may object to using the OT prophet to predict judgment in this era of grace, insistent that the new covenant spares us this kind of thing. You are mistaken. Grace is amazing and God’s patience with us is beyond comprehension. Christ Jesus does offer gracious forgiveness and restoration, but not without repentance.  The NT Testament reminds us that “God cannot be mocked, what a person sows, he will reap!”  Jesus said that if we love Him, we are to ‘keep My commandments!’

Then, too, you may have heard too much gloomy doomy preaching that struck you as insincere and phony. It railed on the dramatic sexual sins of a few while selectively ignoring the greed of the majority, the racism that divided the churches black and white, the war-mongering that devastated nations to enrich ourselves. 

Micah heard people telling him to shut-up, too.  “Do not prophesy,” their prophets say. “Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us.” (Micah 2:6, NIV)  "If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!" (Micah 2:11, NIV)  America has plenty of pulpits filled with voices that proclaim endless blessings, prosperity as the birthright of those who say the right prayers.

 Is it too late to turn things around? Only God knows.  I believe that the Church has lost so much credibility by crawling into bed with corrupt politicians, seeking to protect her privilege, that even the feeble voice of those who truly know and love Christ is lost in the cacophony of evil. In my view the demons of deception hold sway over the land.

Still, I know that God is seeking people with hearts that love Him. He longs for those who have the humility to stand silent before Him. Christian, we need not take to the streets to shout of coming judgment. We do better taking to our knees, praying for clean hands and pure hearts in ourselves. Peter reminds us that "it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:17-18, NIV)

In my opinion, the hard truth is that judgment will surely come, though the majority will never see it for what it is, preferring instead to see ‘bad luck’ or ‘natural disaster’ or ‘social consequence.’  The principle stands that when justice is denied, when God is ignored, when Self and greed are worshipped – however a culture does those things – the seeds of destruction are planted that will germinate and bring about its collapse. But, in the rubble and ruin, there can be renewal.

So it is that Micah sees God’s promise. I end with his word, our word from the Word.  “Someday, O Israel, I will gather the few of you who are left. I will bring you together again like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture. Yes, your land will again be filled with noisy crowds! Your leader will break out and lead you out of exile. He will bring you through the gates of your cities of captivity, back to your own land. Your king will lead you; the Lord himself will guide you.” (Micah 2:12-13, NLT)  

Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Be our Prince of Peace, our King of Righteousness. Amen.

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Just As I Am

I wondered how to come to You
I did not dare believe it true
That You regard the orphaned ones
Beloved daughters worthy sons

The broken and the barren too
I heard could find some rest in You
What kind of love in inj'ry's place
Would leave instead the stain of grace

So I come in sorrow and I come in shame
I come to the cross with my pain

“Just as I am without one plea but that
Thy Blood was shed for me
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee
O Lamb of God I come I come”

The pardon that I found from sin
Spilled out from where the nails went in
My heart will ever more proclaim
I had not lived until that day

O Lamb of God, I come

And I know there is a crown for me
Beyond where mortal eyes can see
And I don't nod to any man
But offer me just as I am

So I come rejoicing with hands held high
And I come singing words of new life

“Just as I am without one plea but that
Thy Blood was shed for me
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee
O Lamb of God I come I come”

 Nichole Nordeman © 2007 Birdboy Songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Birdwing Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)  CCLI License # 810055

 

Love Listens

I try to listen. Do I agree with every conclusion in every conversation? Not at all. Does listening imply that I believe that the person who is speaking is properly informed? Not always.  Listening without criticizing, correcting, or even confirming allows me to learn. Some conversations go over ground traveled many times before.  I try to listen because I know that person needs to say it again. Maybe it is a way of explaining themselves, or an attempt to sort through confusing circumstances, or even a sub-conscious attempt to gain affirmation.  I know this – relationships deepen when people actually listen to one another.  

I would like to be a better listener than I am. I am prone to rush a conversation, sometimes forming a conclusion before the other person has finished his thoughts.   I wonder how many conversations I have never had, ones that might have enriched my life or helped another to carry their burdens because I pre-judged the other person, deciding not to engage myself.

Psychologists tell us that we form an opinion about another within 7 seconds. Those ‘first impressions’ are usually superficial, based on the shape of another’s face, the tone of her voice, his posture, even the clothes they are wearing.  It is a fact that people who enjoy a high ‘likeability factor’ go on to develop a better sense of self-esteem and have an advantage in virtually every part of life.

Christian, Jesus asks us to do better in this. He teaches us to love, and part of that is hitting the pause button on forming those opinions about the worth of another that keep us from engaging, from really hearing others. His words to us are starkly clear - “Do not judge, or you too will be judged." (Matthew 7:1, NIV)  Because we are deeply loved by God, though flawed even sinful, we can love, but do we?

Among the lessons that I have learned in my sojourn on this planet is that life is a process.  Nobody makes a great decision or a poor one without context! Our daily choices come from our information, which is often incomplete. They are shaped by the complex networks of life – including reactions to the decisions of other people, the ability to understand opportunity, and even our emotional state. This does not mean that we cannot form convictions about what is best, what is right, what is true.  We need those boundaries to guide us but if we overlay our experience onto others without grace and compassion, we become judges not brothers.

We all have those moments when it seems so obvious to us what our friend needs to change, how he should act, the choices he needs to make! “Come on,” we think, “what’s wrong with you? Why don’t you just get it together?”   I hear your objection, “So, Jerry, are you suggesting that we just ignore the poor decisions, the sinful choices that our brothers make?” 

Jesus’ appeal is not that we reject all standards or that we develop a kind of rosy vision that cannot see what is true. Wisdom and discernment are critically important parts of life for every Christian.  That being true, our Lord asks us to allow  the Holy Spirit to give us a loving heart that will engage meaningfully even with that person we believe is erring.  

Love listens, not just to the words but to the heart. Love looks deeper, to see the context, to find the way behind the what.  Engaging is a choice that is much more costly to you and me than judging will ever be. Judgment, even about the small things of life, gives us permission to step away and to blame the victim. The loving heart that engages people living with sin is like Jesus. That love demands much of us – patience, willing to get involved, enduring pain, and yes; the risk of disappointment. Not everybody responds well. Some dig deeper into the mess they are making. They just keep making poor choices, living sinfully.

Ready to pounce, to take the place of a judge?  Consider this wisdom of the Word.
"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load." (Galatians 6:1-5, NIV) 

That passage seems to be contradictory in regard to our responsibilities, doesn’t it?   We are told to carry each other’s burdens, but then we read that everyone should carry his own load.  Digging deeper, we see that we must help one another with life’s crushing burdens all the while realizing that we must accept personal responsibility for ourselves.  It is a familiar theme in God’s Word. We are part of His Body, called into close community, as inseparable as eye and ear and foot! Yet, we are seen by our Creator with our individual gifts and opportunities which He desires that we use in the best ways. 

Let me return to my main thought today – Love Listens. The word from the Word comes at the end of Jesus’ encounter with men who dragged a woman who had sinned to him. They pressed Him to condemn her. He refused. May this simple sentence become compelling in our hearts and minds today. "When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7, NIV)

Lord, help us to live the process, to wait for the results, not to rush to judgment. Amen.
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No Longer Slaves

(Knowing that you are a child of God sets you free to love!)

 

I'm no longer a slave to fear

I am a child of God

I'm no longer a slave to fear

I am a child of God

 

You unravel me with a melody

You surround me with a song

Of deliverance from my enemies

Till all my fears are gone

 

I'm no longer a slave to fear

I am a child of God

I'm no longer a slave to fear

I am a child of God

 

From my Mother's womb

You have chosen me

Love has called my name

I've been born again into Your family

Your blood flows through my veins

 

You split the sea so I could walk right through it

My fears were drowned in perfect love

You rescued me so I could stand and sing

I am a child of God

 

Brian Johnson | Joel Case | Jonathan David Helser

© 2014 Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055