We celebrate …

 

So, yesterday we marked Labor Day, one of the quieter ‘holidays’ in my calendar, not a big family day, no universal rituals. Originally, the day was one to honor ‘ordinary’ workers in a time when work conditions were often dismal, dangerous, and deadly!  For most of us, the day has become the unofficial end of Summer. Some have started back to school already, but many districts will start today or tomorrow. Labor Day is behind us and we are looking towards Thanksgiving, perhaps even Christmas.   

No matter the culture, people track time, remember key dates, make certain days of the year special.  I think we do it to stay on track, to reconnect with the past, even as we press into an unknown future. Healthy families mark birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and even the dates of the deaths of loved ones. 

So, why do we celebrate the passage of time with regularity?   These days help us set an identity that defines us in our chaotic world.

An important part of our Christianity is fixed in ‘remembering.’  We take the elements of the Body and the Blood to lean into the Covenant of God’s Grace. It is not that we worship the past. It is wrong to think that everything good happened yesterday, or that all that is important is now past.  God continues His work in us and in our world. He desires that we are alive to the Spirit, ready to do the work to establish His reign in the world, defeating sin and death by living the Gospel, pushing back fear with faithful hope, loving so powerfully that hatred is swallowed up.  It is hard work, often threatening to destabilize us.  

That is why Jesus told us to gather and remember, to strengthen the foundation of faith. "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (Luke 22:19-20, NIV)

There is great encouragement to be found in celebrating memories of the faithful, gone before us.  How does the ‘faith chapter’ of Scripture, Hebrews 11, teach us?  With stories that remember … “by faith, Abraham … by faith, Moses … by faith, Joseph … by faith, Rahab … David, Samson.”  We are inspired by the telling of their stories.  

I love to read the accounts of Christians in biographies. William Wilberforce and John Newton labored for 20 years to bring slave trade to an end in England. Wilberforce adopted a spiritual piety in spite of wrestling with some inner demons.  Among my modern heroes of faith are Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, he a martyr, she a steadfast teacher and writer who labored on after his death.  

During a time of spiritual renewal in Judah about 400 years before the time of Jesus, we read this: "Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name." (Malachi 3:16, NIV)

Ah, my friend, take time to recall the faithfulness of God to you, too!  When life gets busy or turbulent, when many things converge to make us weary or discouraged, one of the things we can do is to take some time to remember and count our blessings. Jeremiah’s words remind us to recall and rejoice. "His (the Lord’s) compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:22-24, NIV)

So, as we tuck the Summer of ’22 into the history books, let’s set some good memories in place that will serve us well as we walk into the future.  

What can we celebrate as success and give thanks? 
What failure has a lesson or two for us?
Who has walked the road we are walking before us who can help find our way?
How has God shown Himself faithful to us, to others, that builds faith for this moment in time?

Richard Foster, one of those who has shaped me spiritually, says that celebration is a discipline, a choice that we make to find the Spirit’s life. He writes ‘Without a joyful spirit of festivity the Disciplines become dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees.’  Think on that, my Christian friend, and then find people, places, and events for which to be thankful and joyful. 

Get over yourself enough to toss off your polite reserve and sing or dance, to throw a party, to pour out holy praise. Yes, celebrate for those celebrations and memories are a source of strength for the journey that includes struggles and trials.  Can I get an “Amen?”

The word from the Word for today - "For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come. With Jesus’ help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name. Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to God." (Hebrews 13:14-16, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Alabaster Box

The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears
That made her blind
She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There's no place here for her kind
Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last she knelt before His feet
And though she spoke no words
Ev'rything she said was heard
And she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster

 

I've come to pour
My praise on Him like oil
From Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry
If I wash His feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair
You weren't there the night He found me
You did not feel what I felt
When He wrapped His love all around me
And you don't know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box

 

I can't forget
The way life used to be
I was a pris'ner
To the sin that had me bound
I spent my days
Poured my life without measure
Into a little treasure box
I thought I found
Until the day when Jesus came to me
And healed my soul
With the wonder of His touch
So now I'm giving back to Him
All the praise He's worthy of
I've been forgiven and that's why
I love Him so much

 

I've come to pour
My praise on Him like oil
From Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry
If I wash His feet with my tears
And dry them with my hair
You weren't there when my Jesus found me
You did not feel what I felt
When He wrapped His loving arms around me
And you don't know the cost of the oil
Oh you don't know the cost of my praise
You don't know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box

 

Janice Lyn Sjostrand

© 2004 Little Pooky's Music (Admin. by Pure Psalms Music, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

“Of your age”

 

The eye doc looked at me with a smile and reported that the issue was more common in people ‘of your age.’  It’s a phrase I have heard in one form or another more frequently, as one would expect. I, too, am well aware of my 67 years, diminished physical strength, less stamina, looking carefully at a menu knowing that if I eat ‘that’ my digestive system will exact a cost for the rest of the night.  When asked how am I sometimes I use a tired joke in reply – “Every day on this side of the sod is a good one.”

People tend to hate aging, don’t they? America’s youth culture creates stereotypes of aging that are largely untrue;  that “old” people are chronically ill, unable to work, behind the times, slow-thinking, useless financial burdens on society. The fact is that people over the age of 50 hold about 75% of the wealth, mostly own their homes, and are the largest voting bloc in the nation. Most community organizations rely on those over the age of 55 to volunteer and support their work. The most productive group in the workplace are those who are 50 or older. And yet, none of us is eager to experience the inevitable changes in our body that come with the years, are we?

For Christians who have the assurance of eternal life, the process of aging will loosen the grip on this present world on the heart and mind.  If we are ‘in Christ’ as our bodies become less reliable our attention will naturally turn more fully to the spirit which is eternal, to the things that have value beyond today.   

 Psalm 90 is a plea for wisdom we all need, but especially those of us who have more past than future in this world.  "The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away … Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom …  May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:10, 12, 17, NIV) 

What fools we are if we pretend we are physically immortal, wasting time while drifting along year after year. We need not live in perpetual crisis fearing death, but we should pray that God will keep us aware of the passing days, so that we will live right, keep relationships whole, and invest ourselves in those things that are truly worthy.

The inspired words of James are even more pointed, a true challenge to live with God-awareness every day. He says "Look here, you people who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." (James 4:13-17, NLT)   Our greatest fulfillment is found in the center of the will of God.  We experience His will if and when we make a daily offering of ourselves to Him.  

Whose agenda is primary for you, Christian?
Yours? God’s?

One of the tragic figures of the Scripture is King Solomon. God gifted him with great wisdom and amazing opportunities. His reflections near the end of his life reveal a man of regrets, a cynic whose cry is “vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”  He spent much of his life chasing pleasure and fame, only to realize that time would take those things from him. His accomplishments, even though remarkable, would be eclipsed by those of the next generation.  His wealth would be left behind. 

Ecclesiastes is, to me, one of the saddest books of the Bible.  He says "I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:17, NIV) What he intends us to understand is that the way he chose to live his life led him to that feeling! When I read that line, I pray to live differently.

The word from the Word is Solomon’s conclusion for living better, wisdom he embraced too late. Let’s learn from him and live this day so that we will end our lives more like Paul whose affirmation of hope and purpose challenges us. In his final days, he wrote to Timothy to affirm that “there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.” (2 Timothy 4:8)   

Wisdom says -  "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”—"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13-14, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Build My Life

(let this worship song speak to you today)

Worthy of ev’ry song we could ever sing

Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

 

Jesus the name above ev’ry other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

We live for You

 

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

 

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

 

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Elizabeth Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Martin, Karl Andrew (Admin. by Arkyard Music Services Limited)

Kaple Music (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing)

Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

Who me? How?

 

Do you have days when you feel completely inadequate?  Do you wonder – “How can I do this? Are there any answers for the way that I feel?”  Well, I admit it.  There are days when I am tempted to retreat to my living room, escape into some mindless television, and try to forget the problems and needs of the world in which I live.  In those moments of fear or frustration, my choice is a better one, most of the time. I find a place to pray and meditate and there I call to mind the promise of God that He is strong, His strength discovered in my inadequacies.

Years ago, while reading a book titled God is Closer Than You Think, the author made a great point that has stuck with me. He brought an electrical engineer to church to conduct an experiment. "We turned off all the lights, hooked up an ordinary pickle to some wires, and then passed an electrical current through it. The pickle glowed! It gave light to a room. Many people believe that the flow of the Holy Spirit is reserved for spiritual giants. but, throughout history God has caused His power to flow through the most unlikely people; a prostitute named Rahab, a con man named Jacob, and a cheat named Zacchaeus. So the next time you're feeling inadequate, remember that even a pickle can glow if it stays plugged in to the flow of power."  (John Ortberg)

Paul, that champion of the faith also felt inadequate, sometimes overwhelmed. After a time when he despaired of life, he remembered that he was to represent Jesus in his world. He asks "who is equal to such a task?" (2 Cor. 2:16)  Note how he answers his own question - "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:5-6, NIV)   When we come to the end of ourselves and acknowledge the persistent power of sin at work in us, we are in the place where God can use us.

Jesus was about to return to the Father, leaving a little group of uneducated, ordinary people to carry on the work of the Kingdom. He saw the potential of the Spirit in them and promised, "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49, NIV) Luke continues the story (Acts 2) telling us that a few days later, the Holy Spirit flowed into that Upper Room and rested on those men and women in a life-transforming way.  

In Acts, which tells the story of the first generation of Christians, we learn about their flops and failures, their trials and their triumphs. Through it all, their stories convince us that God's power, not their intellect, skills, or charisma was the key to the growth of the Church.  In just 40 years, those disciples turned the world upside down!

Christianity has not survived for 2000 years
because of the greatness of Believers,
but because of the faithfulness of God.

 Are you feeling a little overwhelmed by life today, wondering if you’re up to doing anything useful for the Lord?
Have you failed Him in some way?
Are you discouraged by what appears to be more problems than answers, more need than resource?

Remind yourself to remain totally dependent on His power and see what He will do with you. Before you give in to that temptation to quit, find some time to get alone with the Word and wait on the Lord. Those first disciples had to wait in the Upper Room for days. God, the Holy Spirit, came in HIS time, not theirs!  And keep Ortberg’s little lesson in mind -  even a pickle can glow when it’s connected to a source of power.

The word from the Word today is my favorite passage of the Scripture, full of power and promise.  Don’t rush through it.  Let it be like oxygen for your soul as you breathe it in. 
"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.

May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Great Things

Come let us worship our King
Come let us bow at His feet
He has done great things
See what our Savior has done
See how His love overcomes
He has done great things
He has done great things

O Hero of Heaven You conquered the grave
You free every captive and break every chain
O God You have done great things
We dance in Your freedom awake and alive
O Jesus our Savior Your name lifted high
O God You have done great things

 You’ve been faithful through every storm
You’ll be faithful forevermore
You have done great things
And I know You will do it again
For Your promise is yes and amen
You will do great things
God You do great things

Hallelujah God above it all
Hallelujah God unshakable
Hallelujah You have done great things

You’ve done great things

You have done great things
O God You do great things

 

Jonas Myrin | Phil Wickham

© 2018 Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Son of the Lion (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Phil Wickham Music (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

CCLI License # 810055

 

More than positivity

 

A young woman described the dysfunctional workplace where she is employed to me. Then she read part of a text her supervisor had sent out to employees that ignored the real issues closing with this – ‘Just believe!’  No wonder the staff turnover is so high. The answer to workplace chaos is not just ‘believing.’ It requires thoughtful solutions, incentives, and clear communication. Her commitment to being positive is blinding her to the facts, hindering the necessary work of addressing the situation that exists.

How about you today?
Are you blindly committed to staying positive, unable to face life as it is, with faith and wisdom?

Jeremiah, not a popular preacher because of his constant warnings about the consequences of sin, watched his nation collapse. In a beautiful yet terribly painful poem we know as Lamentations, his sorrow and anger pours out. Imagine your pastor preaching these words: "Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss." (Lamentations 3:17-20, NLT)  Know this, too. 

Jeremiah was not just having a bad day or experiencing a depressive episode. He was broken by the suffering of the people of Jerusalem, brought on by the self-centered and sinful leaders of the nation.

Sometimes we rush too quickly past lament.  Grief, loss, pain, and problems are hard so we force ourselves to think positively, distract ourselves with loud songs of praise, or paper over our anguish with a recitation of favorite promise verses of the Bible.  There is a purpose in pain and a reason to let ourselves be touched with the real world problems that surround us. I am not writing about griping about lukewarm coffee or traffic on the morning commute! That kind of ‘lament’ is unworthy of the person truly in touch with life.

While ministering in China after World War 2, Bob Pierce saw suffering on a terrible scale. One day after seeing a little girl who was abandoned and hungry, he found a place in mission house for her, gave the woman there his last $5 and promised to send monthly support. He wrote this prayer on the fly leaf of his Bible. “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”  From his lament was born the ministry of World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse both known worldwide for bringing care in the Name of Jesus.

Yesterday, mid-afternoon a busy man called me. He had taken time to note a young woman sitting alone on the steps of a local church and inquired as to her situation. She told him she was homeless due to domestic issues, so he went to get her some food and called me to see if I knew where she could find temporary housing.  We found a solution for her and he followed up with her. He was willing to see pain and let himself be inconvenienced to help another. Such is the power of ‘lament.’

James alludes to the emptiness of Christian rhetoric that is not connected to the needs that surround us. He writes – “For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense.” The Message, James 2:15-17  

 At the risk of sounding like a cranky old man, I think that too much of American Christianity is empty positivity, a lot of noise without substance, and that emptiness has justly earned us the contempt of millions! A superficial ‘faith’ that does not feel the pain of those who are without hope in God, those who are slaves of their habits, is just self-centered babble.

We need to be willing to ‘take up our cross’ and follow Jesus, not just into happy lands of perpetual sunshine, but into moments where we pray with Bob Pierce “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”   God meets us with supernatural strength when we follow our Lord into service. There, we may not always feel happiness nor will we always drift into untroubled sleep, but we will know the deepest joy of knowing that we are partners with Him, people promised an eternal reward that is beyond our imagination, for He is able to do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us," (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)

The word from the Word is also from Lamentations.  Jeremiah, in the middle of his weeping, reaffirms the faith that holds him secure. Make it your affirmation today. "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Great Is Thy Faithfulness

(Carrie Underwood will bless you with this hymn)

 

Great is Thy faithfulness

O God my Father

There is no shadow

Of turning with Thee

Thou changest not

Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been

Thou forever wilt be

 

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning

New mercies I see

All I have needed

Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord unto me

 

Summer and winter

And 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

 

Pardon for sin

And a peace that endureth

Thy own dear presence

To cheer and to guide

Strength for today

And bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine

With ten thousand beside

 

Thomas Obediah Chisholm | William Marion Runyan

© Words: Public Domain