What would you do differently?

Last Sunday afternoon, in a conversation with my nephew, Justin asked questions about our family history and my life. Near the end of our talk he asked, “What would you do differently if you could?”  It did not take a great deal of thought to answer his question. As I mused about a cross-roads moment in my life, now decades past, I told him how maturity has changed my perspective, how I now understand those choices and what  I might have done in a different way!  We all have those kinds of memories, don’t we?  We wonder what might have been if we had taken the other side of that fork in the road of life.

Here is what I also know -
God is the Restorer, the Healer,
One who is able to take the messes we make
and use them for His glory.  

What should we do with yesterday’s mistakes and sins? 

We need to confess our part honestly to God, and where approprate, to others.
When we own our choices, without excuse or attempts to justify ourselves, coming to Jesus in humility, we find His arms open, His love without limits. John says that “He is faithful to forgive… to cleanse us.”  What a wonderful assurance we can know that God forgives. The ancient preacher, Micah, asks - "Where is another God like you, who pardons the sins of the survivors among his people? You cannot stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing mercy. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!" (Micah 7:18-19, NLT)

We need to make things right wherever possible and appropriate.
Wise counsel can help us see where we need to go to another and offer restitution. A sincere apology can go a long way to heal a soul wound that happened as a result of our choice. Jesus taught us not to to paper over our sins with pious words. He said “if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God." (Matthew 5:23-24, NLT)  

We can face the future without the need to wallow in regret!
Like Paul, my focus is not what was, but what is and what will be! My prayer is that God will show me how to live today as I advance toward tomorrow- be it here on earth or in His heaven!  In his early years as a Pharisee named Saul, he hated Believers in Christ and worked to destroy the Gospel message and those who followed Jesus.

But God, in amazing grace, met him on the road to Damascus. Saul believed that day and was changed. The transformation was so profound, he even took a new name! Had he lived in perpetual regret, he might have faded into obscurity, making tents in some Roman town, sorrowful 'til death for his persecution of those who loved the Lord. Or, he might have settled down to pastor the church in Ephesus, where his message met with great success and tried to hold onto a moment of triumph.

But, he did neither of those things. Why? He tells us. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV) He knew what he was called to do and kept at it – faithfully. He left the sins in the grace of God, celebrated the triumphs, and anticipated the glorious future.

We cannot try to erase the past or to rewrite history nor are we wise if we allow nostalgia take us hostage.  Today is full of opportunities that God provides, so when we awaken let us say - "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24, NIV)  

In our youth we tend to live too much in the future.
As we age, we are tempted more and more to live in the past.

God works in the present! He is the Lord of this day.

Are your eyes open to what the Spirit is doing today?

I leave you with this word from the Word, Jesus’ appeal to his friends to see what God was doing right now. “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:34-35, NIV)

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(Video of this blog at this link)

 

All The Way My Saviour Leads Me

 All the way my Savior leads me
What have I to ask beside
Can I doubt His tender mercy
Who through life has been my Guide
Heav'nly peace divinest comfort
Here by faith in Him to dwell
For I know whate'er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
For I know whate'er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well

All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father's house above
When my spirit clothed immortal
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages

Jesus led me all the way
This my song through endless ages
Jesus led me all the way

Fanny Jane Crosby © Words: Public Domain

Anguish

Good Friday is an awful yet wonderful day.  Our sins, our failures, our longing for healing are met by love evidenced in God’s Son willingly dying this Day for a purpose! 

“Good Friday?”   It was a day of treachery, cruelty, cowardice, and bloodshed.  Judas sold the Man with whom he had walked, talked, and shared life -  Jesus - for just 30 pieces silver.  Hardened soldiers took sadistic pleasure tormenting Jesus.  Pilate expediently condemned Him to execution!  His death was beyond horrible as He hung on a Roman cross:  naked, beaten, alone. Yet, we all it  good? 

His humiliation and death was the ultimate identification with humanity, broken by sin.  "He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross." (Philippians 2:7-8, NLT) Good Friday was allowed by His Father in heaven to finish the work of saving the world from sin.  Easter’s joy would not exist without Friday’s darkness.

Jesus stands alongside of us. He does not gaze down on us with pity, nor does He stand apart from us, pointing in judgment. He stands with us- the Sinless One becoming sin for us!  With His obedience to suffering for the mysterious purpose of God, He invites us to renewal, to hope, to holiness, to a noble life of purpose. It is true!

If stupidity,  selfishness, or just plain old human choices have brought the world crashing down ‘round your head, He knows the depth and will lift you up.
If the cruelty of another has broken you, seeming to steal your life, He can restore.
If the evil of this world has come to crush you, He can rescue you and empower you.

Will you invite Christ Jesus, the suffering Savior, to come and stand with you?

Will you pray for faith so that you will stand steady while you wait for the fullness of His salvation?

There is another choice.  You can join those who hated Him.  It is not likely we would abuse Him but if we treat His love with apathy, that too is a form of hatred.

Those who choose that road, deepen the darkness of evil. They become part of the evil conspiracy to steal hope.  They feel the desperation of despair seeking relief in ever more sin.

The Scripture paints this grim picture of sin’s ‘progress’ if Christ is rejected. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:21-25, NIV)

“But God,” the Bible says. “But God, who is rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2.4) stepped in. Jesus came to us, God in flesh. He walked with us. He died for us. He rose to lead us to life.  Resurrection Sunday will come but let’s not rush past Good Friday. That dark day has its purpose.  Remember, and live! 

Make this word from the Word a thought for this day. "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven." (Colossians 1:19-23, NIV)  Oh, What  A Savior!

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(Video of this blog at this link)

Alas and did my Savior bleed

And did my Sov'reign die

Would He devote that sacred head

For sinners such as I

 

At the cross at the cross where

I first saw the light

And the burden of my heart rolled away

It was there by faith I received my sight

And now I am happy all the day

 

Was it for crimes that I had done

He groaned upon the tree

Amazing pity grace unknown

And love beyond degree

 

- Isaac Watts

My Anchor

Tuesday, in the early morning, a container ship lost power in the harbor at Baltimore and drifted … with tragic consequences … into the Key Bridge which collapsed. Adrift, without power, the ship’s captain was helpless, sending out an urgent distress call.  No anchor, no power, no direction - then tragedy! 

Are you adrift today?
Are the currents of life carrying you along without any anchor, with a sense of emptiness, perhaps even hopelessness?

Natural hope flickers and dims when life is filled with trials and sorrows and brightens when the crisis is past. But there is a greater hope, an enduring hope to which we are called.

I love Holy Week because it takes us back to revisit the reason for our Christian hope. As we move from Palm Sunday, towards Good Friday’s Cross, through the darkness of the tomb on Saturday, and then into the glorious celebration of Resurrection Life I find renewal of the basic reasons for my hope. We cannot over-estimate the importance of that hope, my friend.  One of the most powerful forces in life is hope. The dictionary defines hope as:   A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment,  something that is desired,  the theological virtue of hope is defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but possible to attain with God's help.

The writer of Hebrews tells us "Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:16-19, NIV)  In His covenants, God has made a promise, confirmed by His unchanging nature of absolute Truth, and holds out the hope of life eternal to us.

That hope is our anchor, keeping from the rocks that can make us a wreck, holding us in place when wind and wave are temptuous!  There is such peace found in that anchor who is Jesus. Do you know Him, love Him, trust Him?  God gives us the ability to choose the object of our hope! Some choose to pursue the ‘good life’ formed around around financial security and material possessions. Others shape are given hope by the love of family. Some work at securing recognition and/or success.  Can we acknowledge that those things will not always hold us steady? 

Economies cycle through seasons of ‘boom and bust!’ 
Treasures can be stolen, lost, and eventually decay. 
Death inevitably comes to us all.
Our best success is eclipsed by someone who is faster or smarter.

That is why we are counseled by Peter to "set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:13, NIV) Hope that is built on the gift of eternal life through Christ will never be disappointed, nor lost! Nothing can steal the hope that is found in God’s gift of restoration to a relationship with Him and the resulting promise of a home in Heaven. Yes, this is an anchor that will hold, growing even stronger in the storms.

Choosing the right hope is critically important because what we hope for not only brings us comfort, our hope shapes the way we live day to day. John illustrates this wonderfully saying, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:2-3, NKJV) The hope of being received by the Lord Jesus, seeing Him in His glory, produces a vision that draws us to a holy and noble life.

On what or whom have you set your hope?  
Let the amazing facts of Holy Week - Christ’s offering of Himself at the Cross to reconcile us to our Father and His emergence from Tomb that brings us assurance of ultimate victory over death become your hope.  

This word from the Word is worthy of our meditation. "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." (1 Timothy 6:17, NIV) "Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!" (Psalm 42:11, NLT)

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(Video of this blog at this link)

Living Hope

How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation I turned to heaven
And spoke Your name into the night
Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished the end is written
Jesus Christ my living hope

 Who could imagine so great a mercy
What heart could fathom such boundless grace
The God of ages stepped down from glory
To wear my sin and bear my shame
The cross has spoken I am forgiven
The King of kings calls me His own
Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever
Jesus Christ my living hope

 Hallelujah praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ my living hope

Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Jesus Yours is the victory

Jesus Christ my living hope
Oh God You are my living hope

Brian Johnson | Phil Wickham © 2017 Phil Wickham Music; Simply Global Songs; Sing My Songs; Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

He Knows YOU

In a worlds of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn it is often difficult to separate truth from reality, isn’t it? Big smiles can hide broken hearts. Resumes can be doctored to make an impression unrelated to the actual life of the person. Even the royals of Britain got caught publishing an edited picture of a Princess last week for reasons unknown.

When I was serving as pastor, I desired to lead a congregation that placed high value on being authentic, so that the people who gathered were willing to be no more and no less than they were. They could weep if necessary, find support in their times of failure, admit to doubts and fears, and celebrate true victories. The kind of openness can be messy. Sometimes we just want to put on smile and sing loudly so that others think everything is 'just fine' in life. Yes, I understand that social necessity requires some restraint of us. I make no case for excessive drama, but we need to work at being at home in our own skin, willing to be who we are without comparison.

Here is my question today - an important one.
Are you actually that person you try to make others believe that you are?

The place to begin is with self-awareness.
How clearly do you see your own values, understand your motives, define your real hopes and dreams, and fit into your circle of friends and co-workers? 
Do you really knowyou’re your reactions including your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses affect the people around you? 

People who are damaged emotionally by abuse or rejection, especially early in life, can struggle to escape the skewed understanding of themselves even as mature adults. People who have power and influence also can lose touch with themselves, accustomed to others telling them what they want to hear.

Christians can become more self-aware as they learn the discipline of silence and contemplative prayer, stepping out of the noise of living in a place where the Holy Spirit’s whisper can be heard. Jesus promised that He, the Spirit, would ‘guide us into all truth’ and that includes understanding ourselves better. When we become more authentic; owning our successes and failures, grasping the strengths and weaknesses, using the gifts that God has given us without coveting those of another, we are liberated from that awful ‘need to succeed’ that drives millions to create phony public images. Jesus says, “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought." (Matthew 5:5, The Message)

Please do not think that this kind of humility is to be confused with apathy, nor should we confuse being ‘contented’ with laziness. The Creator, our God, is worthy of our best and highest efforts in life:  our personal best, not what others say it ought to be. It is hard to measure ‘best’ without comparing ourselves to others but that will lead us into the trap of image building and pride.  Comparison will cause us to seek approval or to live in self-condemnation.  We are socially trained to this. From the earliest days of schooling we get report cards and take tests that rank us based on our achievement. In fact, we cannot all be brilliant, top of the class!  That is why God will never grade us in comparison. He sees us in totality - our personality, our opportunties, our training, our skills, our ability - asks that we live for His applause, using the gifts and opportunities presented to us to please Him.

I need to remind myself… and I’ll remind you … of this liberating fact: 
The One who knows you best, loves you most! 

Yes, He wants us to deal with our sins, to develop our gifts; but He does not want us to lose ourselves to the pressures of performance laid on us by our world.  He has prepared a place for YOU and ME in His world and the Church that no one else can fill.  He has uniquely equipped you to be a part of His faithful people who are sent to change the world. Paul was inspired by the Spirit to teach us that "There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church." (1 Corinthians 12:6-7, NLT)  What has He formed YOU to be?

Here is a word from the Word.  Let this wisdom remove the pressure to ‘be somebody’ from you, an invitation to serve the living Lord authentically.

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you." (Romans 12:2-3, NLT)

He knows YOU. Know yourself. It is the best way to live!

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(Video of this blog at this link)

Dressed Up?

America has become casual about the way in which we dress. 4 decades ago I always wore a jacket and tie for pastoral ministry. That was an unspoken expectation. In earliest years a black suit was the daily ‘uniform.’  For the last decade, I wore blue jeans even on Sundays except for holidays.  Remember when people ‘dressed up’ to travel by air?  That traditions is long gone! Now you see gym clothes and even pajamas on flights. Since retiring from full-time ministry, I have worked part-time for a local funeral home as an attendant. Yes, you guessed it - I’m back to more formal attire- dark suit and tie for those days.

So let’s get to the spiritual application today.  
Do you ‘wear’ Christ each day?
Are you clothed in the gifted garments He provides to cloth our souls?

Paul spoke of ‘being clothed’ to describe the holy calling of Christians. In writing to the Galatians, a group of Christians who were ‘looked good’ on the outside, with a form of religion based on their own efforts, he told them that the real transformation, the genuine Christian life, resulted from a gift: "for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:27, NIV)  Pressing the metaphor, he reminded them that the clothing of Christ erased all the class distinctions that came from the kind of clothing they wore.  Rigid class distinctions that separated people, noted by the cut and quality of their clothing, disappeared when they put on Christ. "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28-29, NLT)

Jesus, when He was ending His earthly mission, told the disciples that God would open the wardrobe of Heaven and dress them up to for His work. He said, "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) Remember the awesome account of Pentecost (Acts 2) when these ordinary men from obscure origins became world-changers?  They were dressed in the Spirit, given authority, wisdom, and influence that still flows down through the centuries to us. My prayer today is not for smarter Christians, richer Christians, or better educated Christians. I pray that we will be ‘dressed up’ newly clothed with the Spirit, marked by Him as the people of the Lord.

 

Let’s take a cue from those first disciples who were promised a new suit from the Spirit. They did not go buy it somewhere. They waited for the Lord to bring His Presence to them.  When the Spirit came at Pentecost (See Acts 2) they were notably different, clothed in God’s goodness, granted the ability to serve Him.

 

Ever wake up late, rushing through the morning, pressed by urgent demands of life, throwing on an outfiit without thought?  What a difference when we plan an evening out, looking over the closet, choosing the clothing that makes us feel ‘just right.’ Let’s not rush into life without the clothes of the Spirit!  Let’s take time each day to pray, to meditate, to invite Christ to clothe us. Without that we are vulnerable to temptation and we will show others the goodness and the ‘glory’ He desires us to display.

We must spend time in the Presence of the Father, letting Him clothe us with His Presence.
We must learn to live in this day – asking Him where we can serve, what we need to know, and to show Himself through us by wrapping us in glorious robes of righteousness not of our own making.

John, in the amazing picture language of Revelation (the Apocalypse) borrows the clothing metaphor to describe the eternal state of the people of God.  Take this word from the Word with the prayer that God will dress you up, prepare you for His service, and make you as powerful as Gideon in building His kingdom in your world. 

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands." (Revelation 7:9, NLT)  "Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white." (Revelation 7:13-14, NLT)

Lord, clothe us in Your holy Presence. Amen!

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(Video of this blog at this link)

 

 Dress us in beauty, Father.

Help us to discard our self-righteousness,

To let You make us resplendent with holiness,

Radiant with the Spirit.

 

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Still Hungry?

A steak sizzles on the grill. A potato bakes in the oven, getting ready for serving with sour cream and butter. There is whole grain bread, warmed and rich in flavor. A salad of fresh greens and vegetables is prepared along with a homemade vinaigrette dressing … hungry yet?  

My tastes are simple, but I know this - a fatty, salty cheeseburger and some fries will fill my stomach, but a rich meal will truly satisfy my hunger for much longer.  America’s number one health problem is obesity. Could it be that the fast food we eat too often is leaving us hungry, thus increasing our consumption of calories?

Of course I am not a dietician, but I am a pastor and I know that too often, too many, spend too much time chasing satisfaction for their empty soul in junk food - entertainment, sex, TV, and endless diversions! Even Christians remain spiritually hungry, starved even, because their spiritual diet is mostly pre-digested devotional material, 30 second prayers, infrequent worship, and based on emotion rather than truth.  Sound harsh? Give me a couple of minutes to explain.

IF we chase an emotional high in our spirituality while avoiding the complexities of spiritual disciplines such as meditation, silence, and corporate because they are hard, or boring, or just feel unfamiliar - we will not come to know the fullness of the Spirit of God Who, alone, can satisfy our hunger and thirst!  A quick hit of inspiration cannot replace a soul-deep time with God. An occasional thought of spiritual matters cannot take the place of the pursuit of the Presence of the Living God. The Lord asks us a question and follows with a promise:  
“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!
Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul.”

“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David.”- Isaiah 55:1-3 (NLT)

We are made to know God, alive in His Spirit, experiencing His Presence.
If we do not pursue Him, because of fear, or rebellion, or ignorance, our famished soul will look for something or someone to satisfy.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is our invitation to know God. He closed the gap that existed because of guilt and shame, inviting us to come close to Him. Listen to the Word. On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “If you are thirsty, come to me!  If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.”  (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.) -John 7:37-39 (NLT)

My friend, we do not have to go to some far away place to find Him. We need not go on an expensive spiritual retreat or find some special preacher or spiritual leader. He is here, now!  He will come to the humble one who invites Him in faith to be Savior, Lord, and Hope. He is the ‘Bread of Life.’  When we have received His grace gift we then must learn to live in Him, serving, worshipping, developing ways that are holy and pleasing to Him. The Scripture illustrates this growth by referring to the ‘milk’ of spiritual infancy and the ‘meat’ enjoyed by those who are grown up in Christ.

In what are you trying to find soul-satisfaction? The word from the Word is the wisdom of Jesus who contrasts a life given to temporal things - clothes, wealth, pleasure- with the life of the Spirit. Jesus says: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:31-33, NLT)  That sounds like real soul satisfaction to me! How about you?

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(Video of this blog at this link)

Satisfied

 All my lifelong I had panted
For a drink from some cool spring
That I hoped would quench the burning
Of the thirst I felt within

Hallelujah I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved
Jesus satisfies my longings
Thro' His blood I now am saved

Feeding on the husks around me
Till my strength was almost gone
Longed my soul for something better
Only still to hunger on

Poor I was and sought for riches
Something that would satisfy
But the dust I gathered 'round me
Only mocked my soul's sad cry

Well of water ever springing
Bread of life so rich and free
Untold wealth that never faileth
My Redeemer is to me

 Clara Tear Williams © Public Domain

Value Added!

Here is a little phrase to start your week right - "Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud" (Maya Angelou) Who is not delighted by the splash of color that appears when the sun reappears after a storm, often when the clouds are still clearing from the sky?  In much the same way, we can add value to life if we choose to focus on bringing joy, encouragement, hope, and love into our circle of life. So many people are turned inward, carefully looking out for #1, quick to take offense, making sure to get their ‘fair share’ of attention.  In contrast, think of that person who notices others, who gives herself away, who lifts your spirit when she’s around. Like a ray of sunshine on a clouded day, isn’t she?

Last week we learned of an amazing choice by a woman unknown to us. Ruth Gottesman, age 93, has donated $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. The money will be placed in an endowment to fund the education of future physicians. She was a faculty member who had worked her entire life at the institution.  She claimed she had no knowledge of the vast wealth that her husband, Sandy, an early investor in Berkshire Hathaway, had accumulated. When he died in 2022 at the age of 96 he left her the money.  His only instruction was ‘do whatever you think best with it.’  Her gift has the potential to change lives in ways beyond our imagination. Yes, she is a value-added person!

Now let me remind us - one does not have to invent a cure for cancer or give $millions to charity to add value to life. However, we will share one common trait - GENEROSITY!  People who bring life and light, hope and joy, are outward focused, actively seeking ways to connect and improve the situations in which they find themselves.

Jesus teaches us this in his words in Luke’s Gospel. There we read - “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” (Luke 6:37-38, The Message) What a counter cultural way to live:  giving, not getting!

Today, notice that person who sits alone. Look at the faces of those around you and offer a smile. Speak a word of encouragement when the opportunity arises. Leo Buscaglia said “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”  Those are gifts we ALL can give.

So what makes that kind of life possible?

It begins with love. Sounds trite perhaps, but it is true. Children who are deeply loved, who grow up in homes where they feel secure, where they experience clear boundaries of behavior, where they are taught responsibility accompanied by affirmation, are much more likely to share of themselves than those who are insecure. 

You and I are just ‘big kids’ in many ways, still very much in need of knowing our own value, of experiencing an enriching love. That is NOT just for others, my friend, is for all of us who learn of the love of our Father. John exults - "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1, NIV)  Christianity centers on the message of the selfless love of our Savior. He gave Himself, joined us in our experience, and saves us from death and destruction.

How I hope that you know the love of God, shown in Jesus. There is so much freedom found in being held in the hands of God, come what may in life.

This value-added life is a daily choice in the place where we are.  Generous people do not wait until they feel that they have enough. They give of what they have.  Paul wrote of the willingness of the Christians in Corinth, who were going through difficult times, to share out of their poverty. "Now I want to tell you, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will." (2 Corinthians 8:1-3, NLT)

The paradox of that way of life is that the giver actually finds himself richer for the giving!
Pray to know the love of God, then love.
Trust the provision of your Father with thanks, then share what you have.

The word from the Word comes from the Proverbs. Take the thoughts with you and be a rainbow in someone’s sky today!

"It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.
The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:24-25, NLT)

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(Video of this blog at this link)

God So Loved

Come all you weary
Come all you thirsty
Come to the well that never runs dry
Drink of the water
Come and thirst no more

Come all you sinners
Come find His mercy
Come to the table He will satisfy
Taste of His goodness
Find what you're looking for

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever

Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions
Come lay them down at the foot of the cross
Jesus is waiting there
With open arms

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever
The power of hell forever defeated

Now it is well I'm walking in freedom
For God so loved God so loved the world

Praise God praise God
From whom all blessings flow
Praise Him praise Him
For the wonders of His love

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save

Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions
Come lay them down at the foot of the cross
Jesus is waiting
God so loved the world

Andrew Bergthold | Ed Cash | Franni Cash | Martin Cash | Scott Cash

© 2019 Angie Feel Good Songs; Bay19; Capitol CMG Genesis; Capitol CMG Paragon; Scott Cash Publishing Designee; We The Kingdom Music

CCLI License # 810055

He gives life and breath

I listened to our President’s words last night with sorrow as he made himself an advocate for the death culture in America. What do I mean?  Increasingly, Americans are prone to use phrases that ignore the real issues. “Quality of life” creeps into our discussions about those with critical, lingering illness. “Choice” obscures the decision to end a life almost before it begins. When people reject the truth of Creation, believing that humanity emerged from the primordial ooze by chance, the sacredness of human life is forgotten. The conversation about life that only turns on words about happiness, convenience, or what seems best in the moment, ignores the precious gift that each person is to us and to our God.

The most difficult conversations usually swirl around the issue of abortion, the choice to end a human life during pregnancy. I am aware of the very real and difficult issues that can surround an unplanned pregnancy.  The discussion extends to the those hard choices that must be made at the ‘end of life,’ while we are aging, when we suffer dementia, or become terminally ill.  Though times of complexity, to choose to make our decisions on  ‘what seems best’ or what appears to be convenient, ignores the Christian convictions about life’s sacredness. 

I am moved by the wonder and mystery of the words of the Psalm which tells us "You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV)  You matter to God!  We are in awe of this truth - "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." (Psalm 139:16, NLT)  

And we know that Jesus calls His followers to hold others in highest regard by refusing even to express contempt for another person.  “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell." (Matthew 5:21-22, NLT)

After the Supreme Court decision of 1973 that set aside the state laws governing abortion, I joined with a group of Christians who took a public stand to protect life. While holding the life of the unborn as sacred, we firmly believed that attacking women and sensationalizing the argument was antithetical to the call of Christ. Rather, we chose to create a place in our community that offered support, information, and resources for women (or couples) who found themselves struggling with an unplanned pregnancy.  That ministry continues to this day as a place where love is expressed with truth and practical support for women who are struggling to find their way to make a life-changing and difficult choice.  (CareNet Pregnancy Resources)

Because I know that life is a gift of God, that each and every human being belongs to Him, I am ‘pro-life!’ I despise ‘the death culture’ that embraces violence as a solution to conflict.  Loving ‘life’ will cause a citizen to work to hold authorities who operate with government sanction responsible to protect the lives of the poor and those without political influence and, in my opinion, will lead to great skepticism about the imposition of the death penalty, since it is applied so randomly and unfairly. And, being pro-life will extend to those who are approaching the end of life, especially the elderly.

Some question the reason that I am so convinced about the necessity of defending the lives of the unborn. More than once I have been asked, “Jerry, there is no passage in the Bible that says, ‘you shall not have an abortion’ so why do you believe it is an issue of moral concern?” 

As previously stated Holy Scripture teaches that life comes from God, His gift. That is the primary reason that I am convinced of the need to protect life from the instant of conception to the last breath. And then there is this, too.

Repeatedly, our God teaches those who love Him to love others selflessly. This means that we will seek justice, stand alongside of the weak, defending those who cannot defend themselves. Who is more defenseless than the one still in the womb, totally dependent on another for survival?  Who is more vulnerable than Grandma who has become dependent on the care of others to survive?

The defense of life must be shaped by love, not harsh condemning words. Taking the model of Jesus, we must hold out our hands, being willing to give ourselves away to help those who find themselves hurting, confused, or uncertain about the future. We cannot claim to be ‘pro-life’ if we promote war, demand violent means to meet violence, or if we are unwilling provide for the child that is born ‘inconveniently.’ However, compassion must never silence our commitment to the truth about the sacred gift called ‘life.’  Life is as complex as love is. The defense of life should involve intense prayer, careful thought, and carefulness in our rhetoric. It is a sin to demonize our adversaries. While the basic truth is an unwavering principle, the way that we express that truth must be compassionate.

A final word must include hopeful redemption! How thankful I am that God loves and forgives. All of us come up short of God’s plan for us. Our only hope of finding eternal life is through faith in Christ Jesus who died for all of us and who lives to reconcile us to our Father. To single out the woman who has had an abortion and imply her decision is an unforgivable sin is wrong, ignoring the wonder of the grace of God, found in Christ our Lord. Lives are really changed by restoration that we received as a gift of God.

So, I will stand for life, and do so with humility, with grace, and praying to know the compassion of Jesus even as my convictions extend to every human being, knowing that ‘they are precious in His sight.’

Here is a word from the Word. Let the wonder of the Creator’s love cause you to hold life as a precious gift. "He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is." (Acts 17:25, NLT)   "Then God said, “Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.” So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27, NLT)

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Father, I thank you for the gift of life.
I am in awe of the wonder and complexity of being.
I pray that we, as a nation, will come to understand
Your will and way, that we will take great care of life
in all seasons and times.

Fill us with compassion. Help us to serve selflessly.
Shine the light of Your love through us, I pray.

In Jesus’ name. Amen

Defeated or Surrendered?

If you know me very well you know that I question authority! One of the things that especially irritates me are rules that lack any real reason other than “because I said so.”  Yes, the law exists for public order and I am glad for it but I despise regulations that appear to exist solely to justify the job of some regulator.  Despite my inclination to independence, I try to surrender myelf to obedience because it is generally the right thing to do, for God’s sake. The Word tells me to be a good citizen and to honor the law.   

Of much more significance is the challenge of surrender to the will of God!  He asks me to love the unlovely, to forgive without holding back, to serve even when unnoticed, to say “no” to temptation and “yes” to His ways. I know full well the experience described by Paul in Romans 7:  “The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.”

Maturity has taught me that my surrender to the will of another is not a sign of defeat or weakness.
It is a mark of strength to choose humility. 

When I say “yes” to the Spirit’s call to love the unlovely, to care for the broken, to take up the cause of those who are without the ability to defend themselves, setting aside my pride and my way, I am living like Jesus did!  Paul, prior to meeting Jesus, was a proud Pharisee, a man much concerned about his reputation. But, in his encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, he surrendered! 

He recognized Jesus as his Lord, a word of submission. His embrace of submission to Jesus was personally costly in terms of his stature among his fellow Pharisees. Jews following his conversion.  Later in his life, even many of those with whom he shared the Gospel treated him poorly.  But, he surrendered - choosing to allow himself to be accused, attacked, and rejected.  Why?  He answers with these words - "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." (2 Corinthians 11:30, NIV)

Christian we are called to be like Jesus, willing to forget Self and embrace surrender! He gave away His divine rights and stood alongside of us who were sinners. "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being." (Philippians 2:5-7, NLT)  He went further!  He submitted Himself, in the will of God, to the ignominy of crucifixion.  Stripped of respect as well as His clothes, He hung naked on a cross, identified with the outcasts, reviled by the respected.  On the Cross, He became the Bridge of God’s grace to sinful humanity.

Do you want to love like Jesus? Do you want to be a person through whom He is able to show His love? The only way is the surrender of self willl to God’s will. He asks that we “turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." (Luke 9:23-24, NLT)  The wonder of all this is that when we have left behind our love of Self, making what we treasure here on this earth secondary to His call, only then do we find the treasure that is most precious.  We cannot possess the latter until we have let go of the former.

Here’s the word from the Word shows the reward of surrender. Because of His submission, "God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining." (Philippians 2:9-14, NIV)

This Monday morning the key question for your prayerful meditation  is this - is there something I need to surrender to Jesus that I might fully live in the Spirit?

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(Video of this blog at this link)

Heavenly Father, help me to live in obedience,
Filled with faith,
So that Your blessings can flow through me
To this world.
May my thoughts, words, and actions
Cause others to turn to You and
Give You praise.
In Jesus’ holy Name, I pray.

Amen