According Doug Pollock (Outreach, August, 2005 issue) as American forces moved through the city of Najah in April, 2003, rumors spread among the population that the soldiers were going to desecrate a mosque. An angry crowd of Iraqi civilians gathered and bloodshed seemed imminent until the officer, Lt. Col. Christopher Hughes, barked terse commands to his soldiers. "Kneel, take a knee. Aim your weapon at the ground. Wave and smile!" Within moments the tensions lifted and the defiant crowd allowed the soldiers to pass. No blood was spilled that day because one officer was willing to take a risk by appearing less powerful, which in turn invited people feeling threatened to reconsider their belligerent pose.
I find it real hard to open a dialogue with a person who is threatening me with destruction! It's not like I've been held-up by street thugs, but too many times in life to count, people have decided that the best way to get my attention is to make me afraid - whether by yelling, threatening, or attacking. It works, but not as they hope. Why? Because when threatened, I immediately shrink into a defensive position. Emotionally, I am unable to hear what they are saying. As I reflect on this, it causes me to wonder how many times I've approached a situation in a similar manner, causing a break in communication because the other person is unable to see past my posture which they determine is threatening to their well- being? What might happen if I lowered the weapon of words?
As Christians with a message of Truth for our world, we sometimes exacerbate the 'spiritual deafness' by our shrill rhetoric, with our talk of Hell and damnation, and our insistence on the 'absolute truth!' I do believe in the Truth. And I know we sometimes just think our preference is the Truth! Our words, may indeed be true enough, but the posture we adopt in delivering them, may be more of a problem than the message itself.
For example, can a young woman hear our offers to help her cope with her unplanned pregnancy as long as we're labeling her a sinner or a baby-killer for considering abortion?
Can a homosexual man living with confusion and shame hear that God loves him while we are talking about 'perverts' and making 'queer' jokes?
For that matter can any person who is truly on the road to destruction hear our warning if we speak in a manner that they perceive as hostile?
One old preacher said that if he could not preach about Hell with tears in his eyes, he would not speak of it at all. How wise! Paul challenges us to be people who are capable of "speaking the truth in love," and He says this will cause us to "grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Eph. 4.15 NIV Being truthful, which is requires disturbing people's comfort, yet to be seen as loving - is a real challenge. Some conclude that we can be either loving or we can be truthful, but that we cannot be both. Yet, the Scripture challenges us differently. Jesus was Truth, all about telling the truth to the world in which He lived, yet He found a way to do so that was compelling to most people. They wanted to hear the truth about God, themselves, and life from Him for they perceived that He spoke ultimately with love. To be sure, some would not hear Him having determined He was a threat to them from the first. Those religious leaders perished in their stubbornness.
Let me leave you with two questions today - one about your ability to hear what others are saying, the other about your method of delivering the Message:
Are you capable of hearing the Truth from another, willing to lower your defenses to help dialogue to happen?
Are you speaking, in love, in a way that considers the needs of the other person so that the message you bring is unhindered by a perceived threat?
The key that helps us to answer both of those questions affirmatively is to be completely secure ourselves in the Love of God. When we are aware of the embrace of Grace, our Truth message is no longer about us, our fears, or our agenda. It is about God, and that makes all the difference.
_____________________
Here's a word from the Word on which to meditate today -"...even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t be afraid and don’t worry. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!" (1 Peter 3:14-17, NLT)
(This TFTD is one from the archives.)
______________________
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Friday, November 17, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Better to be 'in touch.'
Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book, Integrity, makes this simple statement - "Reality is always your friend." He tells the story of the CEO of a dog food manufacturing company that was seeing sales fall month after month. New sales executives were brought in. Various extensive and expensive marketing programs were rolled out. Nothing was increasing sales. Finally, a newly hired individual told the CEO the truth - "Dogs don't like our product." The reality of the situation was that a new product needed to be developed, not a new sales program.
Being aware of what is going on in our lives and the reality of our situation is something that many of us are not adept at doing.
Being aware of what is going on in our lives and the reality of our situation is something that many of us are not adept at doing.
- Sometimes we are just ignorant of reality. We simply cannot 'see' what's is happening to us because we are too close to it, too enmeshed in events to sort them out and see them for what they are.
- Sometimes we deliberately block reality because it is painful, disappointing, or ugly. We simply refuse to see life for what it is. A parent, for example, who sees their child struggling in school, may be inclined to seek better teachers or a different school because he is unwilling to admit that his child has a learning disability.
- And sometimes we are out of touch because we have spun the story of our life to fit alternative scenario for so long that we now confuse reality and fantasy in our mind. Instead of just admitting that we are where we are, we tell ourselves where we could be, 'if only' we had made this choice or that, and then we pretend things are as we wish them to be instead of as they are!
"Reality is always your friend!" is the truth. Why? Because until we are dealing with life as it is, we are shadow boxing, engaging ourselves in useless efforts to maintain a deception. We cannot find solutions or create working strategies until we are living in the real world. The Bible calls this living confessionally. In dealing with our need of God's salvation, John says, "If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." (1 John 1:8-9, NLT) I love the word of the Greek NT text that is translated confess. It is the word, 'homologeo' which literally means “to speak the same thing” (homos, “same,” lego, “to speak”), “to assent, accord, agree with,” and indicates a meaning “to confess, declare, admit.” (Vines Expository Dictionary) James calls on us to look at ourselves in a mirror and to remember what we see. Metaphorically, he's saying, "Face up to reality."
How do we get 'in touch?'
A counselor can be helpful. That does not necessarily mean we have to find a psychologist. For most of us, a good friend with a listening ear and the courage to tell us the truth about our life is sufficient. It the old accountability line. We need people in our circle of friends to whom we have given permission to tell the truth to us without facing recriminations. Often when we hear the truth about ourselves, it causes us to feel confused. Why? Because from our side of our eyeballs it just looks different! Robert Burns penned this line - "O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us." (O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us.)
Regular times of contemplation and prayerful meditation are wonderfully clarifying. As we learn to quiet our mind and heart before God, He can speak to us revealing those places in our lives where we are blind to or even refusing the truth about ourselves. As we wean ourselves from constant external stimulation, noise, and diversions- we develop the ability to commune with our heart and with the Spirit of God. In that place we not only discover reality, we find His strength to deal with it and courage to engage in the process of change. This passage from Hebrews can be read either as terribly threatening or as greatly comforting - depending on our desire to know the truth. It says, "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what." (Hebrews 4:12-13, The Message) The Spirit of God takes no joy from beating us over the head with the Truth. He wants to use it to bring us wholeness, much as a surgeon uses his scalpel!
Do you regard reality as a friend?
Are there places in your life where you are living a fantasy, making excuses, hiding from the Truth?
Embrace it! Be liberated by moving into the truth. It's the best place to be for that is where God lives.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Searching for perfection?
My sons are doing some remodeling work in our home this week. Watching them work makes me wish I was 28 again! Yesterday, I got home and when I saw a part of the unfinished project, I said, "Stop, that part needs to be re-done!" Jay then patiently showed me his plan and I realized that I was making a judgment too soon. But when I offered that criticism, I made him quite anxious because he wants to do a good job for his Dad. The fact is that the job is only half done. I was looking for 'perfection' before the process was complete. (It's going to look good, by the way!)
Thinking about that this morning, the Spirit whispered to me that we can easily become discouraged with ourselves and/or others if we search for perfection while the work is in progress! In my prayertime I sometimes ask the Lord, "How long will it take to overcome this habit?" Or I find myself criticizing another person saying, "Why are they still doing that? When will they change?" Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48, NIV) However, do not misunderstand the intent. In the context, that word 'perfect' does not speak to flawless performance, but rather to reaching full potential. The Lord is calling on us to become mature.
We know that maturity results from a process called growth! It would be foolish to demands a man's performance from a child. Imagine holding a 10 year old to the same standard as a 40 year old. Silly, right? We realize that maturity arrives slowly, over time, as we instruct and as the one maturing is able to experience both success and failure. Becoming 'perfect' - again, not flawless, but mature - in spiritual matters is a life-long process which only ends when we finally are 'perfected,' by our transition into eternal life. In 1 Corinthians 13 we read of the ongoing work which leads us to God's Presence - "Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. It’s like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now." (1 Corinthians 13:9-12, NLT)
What peace we can know if we patiently let the process be worked out. That's tough to do sometimes. We want what we want and we want it now. We tire of working out the implications of God's salvation in our life, don't we? Mastering the lessons of the Spirit-filled life can be a tedious process involving instruction, experience, and discipline Paul found himself frustrated and said, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" expressing exasperation with the sins that marked his daily experience. If we look at the work in progress too critically, too soon, we will give up. James encourages us "let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:4, NKJV) The meaning comes through more clearly in The Message where we read, "don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
Are you searching for perfection? Good! It is right that each of us should desire to honor God as mature Believers, who are developing the spiritual gifts He has placed in us, who are overcoming the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil! It is good that we want to be productive and fully effective as mature followers of Christ. Remember, however - it is a process; in you and in others. While we are working it out, here's good advice, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (times when we miss the bull's eye on the target)." (1 Peter 4:8, NIV)
Here's a word from the Word for your meditation:
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, (growing and maturing!) which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm 1, NIV)
Thinking about that this morning, the Spirit whispered to me that we can easily become discouraged with ourselves and/or others if we search for perfection while the work is in progress! In my prayertime I sometimes ask the Lord, "How long will it take to overcome this habit?" Or I find myself criticizing another person saying, "Why are they still doing that? When will they change?" Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48, NIV) However, do not misunderstand the intent. In the context, that word 'perfect' does not speak to flawless performance, but rather to reaching full potential. The Lord is calling on us to become mature.
We know that maturity results from a process called growth! It would be foolish to demands a man's performance from a child. Imagine holding a 10 year old to the same standard as a 40 year old. Silly, right? We realize that maturity arrives slowly, over time, as we instruct and as the one maturing is able to experience both success and failure. Becoming 'perfect' - again, not flawless, but mature - in spiritual matters is a life-long process which only ends when we finally are 'perfected,' by our transition into eternal life. In 1 Corinthians 13 we read of the ongoing work which leads us to God's Presence - "Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. It’s like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now." (1 Corinthians 13:9-12, NLT)
What peace we can know if we patiently let the process be worked out. That's tough to do sometimes. We want what we want and we want it now. We tire of working out the implications of God's salvation in our life, don't we? Mastering the lessons of the Spirit-filled life can be a tedious process involving instruction, experience, and discipline Paul found himself frustrated and said, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" expressing exasperation with the sins that marked his daily experience. If we look at the work in progress too critically, too soon, we will give up. James encourages us "let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:4, NKJV) The meaning comes through more clearly in The Message where we read, "don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
Are you searching for perfection? Good! It is right that each of us should desire to honor God as mature Believers, who are developing the spiritual gifts He has placed in us, who are overcoming the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil! It is good that we want to be productive and fully effective as mature followers of Christ. Remember, however - it is a process; in you and in others. While we are working it out, here's good advice, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (times when we miss the bull's eye on the target)." (1 Peter 4:8, NIV)
Here's a word from the Word for your meditation:
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, (growing and maturing!) which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm 1, NIV)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Passing the faith along
God has no grandchildren! In reading the books of 1 and 2 Kings, I note a phrase that shows up again and again as a new generation is introduced, "he did what evil in the sight of the Lord." The nations of Israel and Judah were led by a succession of kings, one good and righteous; the next forsaking the Lord. Some of the most godly kings were succeeded by terrible ones. What I noted was that these were members of the same family. Son following father, which might cause us to assume that the faith would remain intact from generation to generation. It didn't! Why? Because each generation must have their own experience of the Spirit for God has no grandchildren.
That is not to say that we cannot pass the faith along. It is a sacred obligation to make certain that our children understand the ways of God! Judaism, ancient and modern, included the "Shema Y'Israel," which is literally translated, "Hear, O Israel," and is taken from the declaration of the existence of One True God and the importance making Him known to our children. The prayer is taken from Deuteronomy "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." The passage goes on to direct us with this solemn commandment. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8, NIV)
Believers are fond of quoting a proverb which emphasizes the parental responsibility of passing the faith along - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6, NIV) - but often do so with a kind of desperation about the spiritual well-being of their children. I don't believe that verse should be read like a covenant statement in the sense of "if you do this, then this is the inevitable result." Rather, in keeping with the pithy wisdom of the Proverbs, it should be read as common sense kind of knowledge. The Message catches the spirit of the passage - "Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost." (Proverbs 22:6, The Message)
It is the God-given task of every generation to lay the foundation of the knowledge of God for the next, but we cannot save our children from their sins. Only God can transform a human heart! We present the Truth and, if we are wise, live it well so that they have powerful examples of the desirability of serving the Lord. But, then we must pray for the Spirit to take hold of the heart and mind of our child, drawing that sinful one to the Cross and to a soul-transforming experience of the Spirit. There is a folly in the land of the churched that believes that a good youth group or a solid Sunday School can replace parental example! Of course having a good community of faith is an important part of the spiritual development of any person - young or old. However, when it comes to passing the faith to the next generation there is nothing as powerful on earth as the consistent commitment of Mom and Dad to a life that is lived in the fear of the Lord.
Kids have a wonderful hypocrisy detector that can sense the old 'do what I say, not what I do' nonsense at a very early age! Where they see that kind of gap between profession and possession, they will much more likely to conclude that faith in God is unnecessary baggage to be tossed away as soon as practically possible.
That said, let me circle 'round to underscore once again, even the best and godliest of parents, cannot save their children. God deals with each generation and each one must respond to Him, to receive the regenerative life of the Spirit for themselves. This grandpa watched his two little grandsons play yesterday and my heart was full of love for them, my strongest yearning being that they will know the Lord and find the joy of life in the Spirit early in their lives. And, in my reverie, I re-committed myself to passing the faith along, praying that their parents will provide quality spiritual nurture, and, most importantly, that the Holy Spirit will draw them to the Living Lord and find in them a response of obedient faith.
Are you passing the faith along, laying the foundation of the knowledge of God, living a life that invites the next generation to join the community of the people of God?
"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor." (Proverbs 1:7-9, NLT)
___________________________________
A Parenting Newsletter suggests that there are key things we can do that help the legacy of faith to be handed off to the next generation.
Do you:
Acknowledge and reinforce spiritual realities? Do your children know, for example, that Jesus loves everyone? That God is personal, loving and will forgive us?
View God as a personal, caring being who is to be loved and respected?
Make spiritual activities a routine part of life?
Clarify timeless truth — what’s right and wrong?
Incorporate spiritual principles into everyday living
—From Your Heritage, by J. Otis Ledbetter and Kurt Bruner
That is not to say that we cannot pass the faith along. It is a sacred obligation to make certain that our children understand the ways of God! Judaism, ancient and modern, included the "Shema Y'Israel," which is literally translated, "Hear, O Israel," and is taken from the declaration of the existence of One True God and the importance making Him known to our children. The prayer is taken from Deuteronomy "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." The passage goes on to direct us with this solemn commandment. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8, NIV)
Believers are fond of quoting a proverb which emphasizes the parental responsibility of passing the faith along - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6, NIV) - but often do so with a kind of desperation about the spiritual well-being of their children. I don't believe that verse should be read like a covenant statement in the sense of "if you do this, then this is the inevitable result." Rather, in keeping with the pithy wisdom of the Proverbs, it should be read as common sense kind of knowledge. The Message catches the spirit of the passage - "Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost." (Proverbs 22:6, The Message)
It is the God-given task of every generation to lay the foundation of the knowledge of God for the next, but we cannot save our children from their sins. Only God can transform a human heart! We present the Truth and, if we are wise, live it well so that they have powerful examples of the desirability of serving the Lord. But, then we must pray for the Spirit to take hold of the heart and mind of our child, drawing that sinful one to the Cross and to a soul-transforming experience of the Spirit. There is a folly in the land of the churched that believes that a good youth group or a solid Sunday School can replace parental example! Of course having a good community of faith is an important part of the spiritual development of any person - young or old. However, when it comes to passing the faith to the next generation there is nothing as powerful on earth as the consistent commitment of Mom and Dad to a life that is lived in the fear of the Lord.
Kids have a wonderful hypocrisy detector that can sense the old 'do what I say, not what I do' nonsense at a very early age! Where they see that kind of gap between profession and possession, they will much more likely to conclude that faith in God is unnecessary baggage to be tossed away as soon as practically possible.
That said, let me circle 'round to underscore once again, even the best and godliest of parents, cannot save their children. God deals with each generation and each one must respond to Him, to receive the regenerative life of the Spirit for themselves. This grandpa watched his two little grandsons play yesterday and my heart was full of love for them, my strongest yearning being that they will know the Lord and find the joy of life in the Spirit early in their lives. And, in my reverie, I re-committed myself to passing the faith along, praying that their parents will provide quality spiritual nurture, and, most importantly, that the Holy Spirit will draw them to the Living Lord and find in them a response of obedient faith.
Are you passing the faith along, laying the foundation of the knowledge of God, living a life that invites the next generation to join the community of the people of God?
"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor." (Proverbs 1:7-9, NLT)
___________________________________
A Parenting Newsletter suggests that there are key things we can do that help the legacy of faith to be handed off to the next generation.
Do you:
Acknowledge and reinforce spiritual realities? Do your children know, for example, that Jesus loves everyone? That God is personal, loving and will forgive us?
View God as a personal, caring being who is to be loved and respected?
Make spiritual activities a routine part of life?
Clarify timeless truth — what’s right and wrong?
Incorporate spiritual principles into everyday living
—From Your Heritage, by J. Otis Ledbetter and Kurt Bruner
Monday, November 13, 2006
Missing the Miracles
Ask my family and friends, it's tough to get me to relax. I'm a focused person who likes things done right and efficiently. I do not say that as a matter of pride. Sometimes my driven nature leads me to sin against God and others, something I am praying that the Lord will help me to come to grips with before I get any older. Some of my deepest regrets are the result of putting my work first and failing to create gaps in time to savor a conversation - to just be 'in the moment' - especially when my children were younger. My obsession with checking off the tasks on my 'to do' list has caused me to miss out on some of life's miracles. My face has been so close to the task, I've often be oblivious to the wonder happening around me.
With this dawning realization, I have recently, in the times that I minister at the county jail and in a home for the aged, adopted a new goal for the hour. Instead of seeing myself as going to those places just to teach, or to preach - a dispenser of 'holy truth' - I have prayed that God would let me be a participant in the lives of those with whom I will spend those moments. Yes, I still prepare a message, but I am willing to leave it unfinished or even to adapt my agenda to the conversation that occurs when I am quiet and listen to those to whom God has sent me. Some of you are probably smiling, and thinking to yourself, "And he thinks this is a new idea?" To me, it is! As a result of setting aside my desire to 'finish a job' and instead to enter into the lives of people, I am discovering that there are stories waiting to be discovered, people who bring as much to my life as I bring to theirs. In learning to be a little more flexible, I am finding more wonder, greater joy.
I read a story in the gospel of John about some people who were so committed to their pre-conceptions, so gripped by their ideas about what God wanted, that they missed a miracle that was right in front of their eyes. Take a look -
"Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking!
What an amazing development, a cause for celebration and rejoicing, right? After 38 years a man is walking, whole, on his feet! You would think that everybody who saw him would be infected with his joy, overcome with his excitement. And, you would be wrong! Read on -
But this miracle happened on the Sabbath day. So the Jewish leaders objected.
They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! It’s illegal to carry that sleeping mat!” He replied, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Pick up your sleeping mat and walk.’ ”
“Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”" (John 5:2-14, NLT)
I am just blown away by their myopia, their fixation with the rules, that robbed them of the wonder. They didn't see a man just healed after 38 years of being crippled. They only saw a man carrying his bedroll in violation of their religious traditions! That was not the only time in Jesus' life when He ran into people who missed the miracle. In the 12th chapter of Matthew, we are told that he healed a man with a deformed hand. There, too, the Pharisees only saw that He did it on the Sabbath, in violation of their prohibition against doing 'work,' so instead of rejoicing that a man was healed, they "discussed plan to kill Jesus."
Those stories remind me about a conversation I had with a woman who struggled to find the peace of Christ through some very difficult circumstances in life. She was growing in faith but another Believer didn't see her heart and the work that God was doing there. The other person only saw that she was still smoking cigarettes and called her faith in question because of it! If it hadn't been so painful for the woman whose sincerity of faith in Christ was called into question, I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the issue. The amazing things that God was working out in the life of the woman was missed by a person who only saw a cigarette in her hand, not the whole of her life! Yes, that is how easy it is to miss the miracle when we're consumed by our own pre-conceived ideas.
I've missed my share of miracles, too, because I was focused on my plans, my ideas, my needs and unwilling to enter into the experience of another person in a way that let me feel their wonder, share their joy (or sorrow), or see what God was really doing in and/or through them.
Today, the God of wonder is at work! And He will be working in your neighborhood, and mine, too. The question is, will we perceive His work? Will we rejoice with those in whom He is working?
Here's a word from the Word. It is Jesus' own words of frustration with those who could not, would not, see what He was doing. Let these words challenge you to celebrate the wonder, to open your eyes to the miracles of the hand of God who is here, now!
To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ”‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day." (Matthew 11:16-23, NIV)
_____________________
Lord of all creation-
Of water, earth, and sky;
Heavens are your tabernacle,
Glory to the Lord on high!
Early in the morning,
I will celebrate the Light.
When I stumble in the darkness,
I will call Your name by night.
God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy!
The universe declares your majesty,
You are holy, holy!
Lord of heaven and earth!
Lord of heaven and earth!
God Of Wonders
Steve Hindalong
New Spring Publishing© 2000
CCLI License No. 810055
With this dawning realization, I have recently, in the times that I minister at the county jail and in a home for the aged, adopted a new goal for the hour. Instead of seeing myself as going to those places just to teach, or to preach - a dispenser of 'holy truth' - I have prayed that God would let me be a participant in the lives of those with whom I will spend those moments. Yes, I still prepare a message, but I am willing to leave it unfinished or even to adapt my agenda to the conversation that occurs when I am quiet and listen to those to whom God has sent me. Some of you are probably smiling, and thinking to yourself, "And he thinks this is a new idea?" To me, it is! As a result of setting aside my desire to 'finish a job' and instead to enter into the lives of people, I am discovering that there are stories waiting to be discovered, people who bring as much to my life as I bring to theirs. In learning to be a little more flexible, I am finding more wonder, greater joy.
I read a story in the gospel of John about some people who were so committed to their pre-conceptions, so gripped by their ideas about what God wanted, that they missed a miracle that was right in front of their eyes. Take a look -
"Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking!
What an amazing development, a cause for celebration and rejoicing, right? After 38 years a man is walking, whole, on his feet! You would think that everybody who saw him would be infected with his joy, overcome with his excitement. And, you would be wrong! Read on -
But this miracle happened on the Sabbath day. So the Jewish leaders objected.
They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! It’s illegal to carry that sleeping mat!” He replied, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Pick up your sleeping mat and walk.’ ”
“Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”" (John 5:2-14, NLT)
I am just blown away by their myopia, their fixation with the rules, that robbed them of the wonder. They didn't see a man just healed after 38 years of being crippled. They only saw a man carrying his bedroll in violation of their religious traditions! That was not the only time in Jesus' life when He ran into people who missed the miracle. In the 12th chapter of Matthew, we are told that he healed a man with a deformed hand. There, too, the Pharisees only saw that He did it on the Sabbath, in violation of their prohibition against doing 'work,' so instead of rejoicing that a man was healed, they "discussed plan to kill Jesus."
Those stories remind me about a conversation I had with a woman who struggled to find the peace of Christ through some very difficult circumstances in life. She was growing in faith but another Believer didn't see her heart and the work that God was doing there. The other person only saw that she was still smoking cigarettes and called her faith in question because of it! If it hadn't been so painful for the woman whose sincerity of faith in Christ was called into question, I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the issue. The amazing things that God was working out in the life of the woman was missed by a person who only saw a cigarette in her hand, not the whole of her life! Yes, that is how easy it is to miss the miracle when we're consumed by our own pre-conceived ideas.
I've missed my share of miracles, too, because I was focused on my plans, my ideas, my needs and unwilling to enter into the experience of another person in a way that let me feel their wonder, share their joy (or sorrow), or see what God was really doing in and/or through them.
Today, the God of wonder is at work! And He will be working in your neighborhood, and mine, too. The question is, will we perceive His work? Will we rejoice with those in whom He is working?
Here's a word from the Word. It is Jesus' own words of frustration with those who could not, would not, see what He was doing. Let these words challenge you to celebrate the wonder, to open your eyes to the miracles of the hand of God who is here, now!
To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ”‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day." (Matthew 11:16-23, NIV)
_____________________
Lord of all creation-
Of water, earth, and sky;
Heavens are your tabernacle,
Glory to the Lord on high!
Early in the morning,
I will celebrate the Light.
When I stumble in the darkness,
I will call Your name by night.
God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy!
The universe declares your majesty,
You are holy, holy!
Lord of heaven and earth!
Lord of heaven and earth!
God Of Wonders
Steve Hindalong
New Spring Publishing© 2000
CCLI License No. 810055
Friday, November 10, 2006
Our glorious calling
On Tuesday, America's political landscape experienced an earthquake of sorts, rearranging the chairs in Washington, DC. Most of the punditry that I read attributes the people's overthrow of the Republican party to her drift from the core values of conservatism. Fiscal restraint, a commitment to smaller and less intrusive, more localized government, and true respect for human life and dignity were being eclipsed by bloated budgets, Congressional largesse, and disregard for the value of life and liberty. TFTD is not a political column so I'll leave my opinions out of it, but there is a clear parallel to the work of the Church and the lives of Believers that I draw from Tuesday's events. It is - 'keep the vision clear!'
Why did God call you and me into His Church? What is the vision He has for us?
Our answer to that inquiry is not found in our mission statements. It is much more clear in what we do, the way we allocate our resources. In my humble opinion, churches are always dealing with the risk of becoming social clubs that are all about building ever more comfortable buildings, creating positions of power and prestige for pastors and lay leaders, and becoming more and more shaped by the needs of those inside the walls, rather than serving those still outside. Jesus gave this mission to us: "Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world." (Matthew 28:19-20, CEV) The way of life to which those of us who are in His Church are called is outlined in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 where He said these kinds of radical things: "Keep your word. Don't let yourself even think lustfully. Forgive quickly. Practice humility and don't make a show of your faith. Be generous to a fault and don't tell anyone about it. Build your treasure in Heaven, not here on earth." Those are the core values of the Church!
Why are Americans skeptical of Christianity, increasingly looking to other religions for spiritual fulfillment?
We can blame the culture, and to some degree, that may be accurate. Self-fulfillment, pleasure, and wealth are the gods of this age! But, just as the Republicans would be mistaken to blame their electoral losses entirely on those outside of the party, we would be mistaken to blame our world for rejecting our faith. We need to invite the Spirit to shine His Light into our lives, showing us where compromise and fuzzy thinking are obscuring the beauty of the Good News of salvation through Christ, our Lord. Where we perceive that we have lost our focus and/or that we are not implementing the radical lifestyle to which we are called by our Lord, we must be prepared to pray- 'change my heart, Oh God!' Believer, if we want to be effective shapers of our culture, true ambassadors of the Kingdom who enjoy credibility, we must reclaim the mission of our Master.
Where we lose ourselves in selfless service, where we become advocates of those who are poor and oppressed, when we love people to wholeness instead of blaming them for their plight, Christ will be lifted up; and His promise is that 'where I am lifted up, I will draw all to Myself.' And know this! As difficult as it may seem to embrace His mission - there is joy to be found there.
Meditate on His call today. He is commissioning you and me saying:
"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
.... And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:37-42, NKJV)
Why did God call you and me into His Church? What is the vision He has for us?
Our answer to that inquiry is not found in our mission statements. It is much more clear in what we do, the way we allocate our resources. In my humble opinion, churches are always dealing with the risk of becoming social clubs that are all about building ever more comfortable buildings, creating positions of power and prestige for pastors and lay leaders, and becoming more and more shaped by the needs of those inside the walls, rather than serving those still outside. Jesus gave this mission to us: "Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world." (Matthew 28:19-20, CEV) The way of life to which those of us who are in His Church are called is outlined in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 where He said these kinds of radical things: "Keep your word. Don't let yourself even think lustfully. Forgive quickly. Practice humility and don't make a show of your faith. Be generous to a fault and don't tell anyone about it. Build your treasure in Heaven, not here on earth." Those are the core values of the Church!
Why are Americans skeptical of Christianity, increasingly looking to other religions for spiritual fulfillment?
We can blame the culture, and to some degree, that may be accurate. Self-fulfillment, pleasure, and wealth are the gods of this age! But, just as the Republicans would be mistaken to blame their electoral losses entirely on those outside of the party, we would be mistaken to blame our world for rejecting our faith. We need to invite the Spirit to shine His Light into our lives, showing us where compromise and fuzzy thinking are obscuring the beauty of the Good News of salvation through Christ, our Lord. Where we perceive that we have lost our focus and/or that we are not implementing the radical lifestyle to which we are called by our Lord, we must be prepared to pray- 'change my heart, Oh God!' Believer, if we want to be effective shapers of our culture, true ambassadors of the Kingdom who enjoy credibility, we must reclaim the mission of our Master.
Where we lose ourselves in selfless service, where we become advocates of those who are poor and oppressed, when we love people to wholeness instead of blaming them for their plight, Christ will be lifted up; and His promise is that 'where I am lifted up, I will draw all to Myself.' And know this! As difficult as it may seem to embrace His mission - there is joy to be found there.
Meditate on His call today. He is commissioning you and me saying:
"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
.... And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:37-42, NKJV)
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Not beyond the grace of God
Are you ever tempted to think that you or someone you know is beyond redemption, with a life too full of 'junk' to ever be useful in God's hands? When faced with a person's repeated failures, we conclude, "There's just no hope for him. He's a total wreck." I confess that I have said it or at least thought it more than once. This week I re-read most of the book of 2 Samuel, the story of King David's reign in Israel. In a time span of 40 years, he managed to get it wrong - in big and small ways - at least as often as he got it right. Not only is there the well-known story of his dalliance with Bathsheba and murder of her husband. The book also shows us that he was an inattentive father who let his children get away with way too much. In a family crisis, he refused to reconcile with his son Absalom because of his pride, which led to a civil war and the death of thousands. Near the end of his rule, for reasons unstated in the Bible, he conducted a census to find out Israel's military strength and brought a terrible judgment on the nation.
And yet... God loved him, forgave him, and used him to do some wonderful things! David came to understand the goodness of God. When presented with a set of options, none of which was good, he shows his faith in the Lord saying, “They’re all terrible! But I’d rather be punished by God, whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands.”(2 Samuel 24:14, The Message) Ah, friend, what an awesome God He is! His grace is beyond all measure. His love is so great as to defy our descriptions. Our friends and acquaintances, even our families, will give up on us when God is just getting started with us.
I am certain that had I been in Israel at the time of King David, when the Jerusalem Daily News published the headline - "King kills loyal commander in failed attempt at cover-up" - I would have concluded he was beyond hope, a failure, a disgrace; that it was time for a new king.
There is a passage in Ephesians that I read from time to time precisely because I learn, again, the depth of God's grace. Read it slowly. As you do, take special note of the turning point.
"You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus. And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:2-10, NLT)
BUT GOD, rich in mercy, loved us so much! That little conjunction, BUT, interrupts a sad story of sin and failure. Just when we conclude that we or someone we know is beyond hope, God steps us and says, "Not so quick! Now, it's my turn!" Paul knew that from his own personal experience. A self-righteous Pharisee, he hated Jesus and His followers, persecuting them intensely. He was hell-bent on destruction, but God met him on the road to Damascus and from that encounter emerged the apostle to the world, the man who, second only to Jesus Christ, shaped our Christian beliefs.
"Jerry, just look at my life. I'm ...." is the way many conversations have started with people who have concluded they are too bad, too prone to failure, to be of any use to God. I am so glad that even when I want to agree with them and say, "Yes, you're right. You are just one big mess," I remember that with God there is no one who is too far gone, beyond hope, past the reach of the redemptive power of the Cross of Christ. So, I respond, sometimes with more faith than anything else, "But God..." And I have watched Him work some amazing transformations.
Thank Him, today, for His grace. Thank Him for second chances, for His offer to take the very things you think have disqualified you from His service and use them to shape and mold you into a servant that perfectly fits His plans and purposes.
____________________________________
Before The Throne Of God Above
Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there the Risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I Am,
The King of glory and of grace,
One with Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.
One with Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.
© 1997 PDI Worship (Admin. by The Copyright Company) CCLI License No. 810055
And yet... God loved him, forgave him, and used him to do some wonderful things! David came to understand the goodness of God. When presented with a set of options, none of which was good, he shows his faith in the Lord saying, “They’re all terrible! But I’d rather be punished by God, whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands.”(2 Samuel 24:14, The Message) Ah, friend, what an awesome God He is! His grace is beyond all measure. His love is so great as to defy our descriptions. Our friends and acquaintances, even our families, will give up on us when God is just getting started with us.
I am certain that had I been in Israel at the time of King David, when the Jerusalem Daily News published the headline - "King kills loyal commander in failed attempt at cover-up" - I would have concluded he was beyond hope, a failure, a disgrace; that it was time for a new king.
There is a passage in Ephesians that I read from time to time precisely because I learn, again, the depth of God's grace. Read it slowly. As you do, take special note of the turning point.
"You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus. And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:2-10, NLT)
BUT GOD, rich in mercy, loved us so much! That little conjunction, BUT, interrupts a sad story of sin and failure. Just when we conclude that we or someone we know is beyond hope, God steps us and says, "Not so quick! Now, it's my turn!" Paul knew that from his own personal experience. A self-righteous Pharisee, he hated Jesus and His followers, persecuting them intensely. He was hell-bent on destruction, but God met him on the road to Damascus and from that encounter emerged the apostle to the world, the man who, second only to Jesus Christ, shaped our Christian beliefs.
"Jerry, just look at my life. I'm ...." is the way many conversations have started with people who have concluded they are too bad, too prone to failure, to be of any use to God. I am so glad that even when I want to agree with them and say, "Yes, you're right. You are just one big mess," I remember that with God there is no one who is too far gone, beyond hope, past the reach of the redemptive power of the Cross of Christ. So, I respond, sometimes with more faith than anything else, "But God..." And I have watched Him work some amazing transformations.
Thank Him, today, for His grace. Thank Him for second chances, for His offer to take the very things you think have disqualified you from His service and use them to shape and mold you into a servant that perfectly fits His plans and purposes.
____________________________________
Before The Throne Of God Above
Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there the Risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I Am,
The King of glory and of grace,
One with Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.
One with Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.
© 1997 PDI Worship (Admin. by The Copyright Company) CCLI License No. 810055
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Forget self-confidence!
Yesterday, I opened the Sept./Oct. '06 issue of Discipleship Journal and saw an interview with Pastor Ted Haggard printed there and it made me feel sick and sad all over again. I realize you may have had enough 'Haggard' to last you for a long time, but indulge me one more time to write about his moral crash. Ted Haggard, in case you've been stuck in the wilds for a week, is the man who led Colorado's largest church until last Sunday, is a prolific author, and the recent president of the National Association of Evangelicals. One week ago today his involvement with a male prostitute and with illicit drug usage was exposed and led to his removal from his ministries.
The question that keeps echoing in my head is: how did he descend into such an ugly, sinful secret life?
Perhaps he thought he was strong enough to fight off temptation by himself. Many of us do! It is hard, very hard, to look in the mirror and admit to ourselves that we have lied, that we have cheated, that lust stalks our mind, that we taste the poison of hatred, that we have been greedy, or such things. So we learn to give our sins other names, as though renaming them makes them less sinful. And we devise schemes that we think will keep us from doing what we know should not do. Still we fail; again and again. The more we fail, the deeper our sense of alienation. The more alone we feel, the more desperate we become. Our desperation leads to the need for an escape, which fuels temptation, against which we feel powerless and so, we do it again - strengthening the cycle. Sin is bigger than you, me, or any living person.
Don't trust that 'knowing better' is a strong defense against temptation, either. On Monday, 11/6/2006, the LA Times, published this excerpt from Haggard's book, Letters from Home. Published in 2002, the book is framed as a letter to the two oldest of his five children, who were preparing for college at that time. In a section called "Live as if there are no secrets," he listed powerful men brought down by lust or lies, including Presidents Nixon and Clinton and the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart. "Major leaders have lost their positions of influence because of what they did alone in a room," he wrote. "Please don't ever fall into the trap of believing that you can do something in secret, even when you are far away from home," Haggard urged his children. "This is a lie, and it will always come back to haunt you." Four years later, Haggard's own life blew up after his hotel room depravity was made public. He knew better but did it anyway. In Romans the power of temptation even in the face of knowing better is made clear. There we read: "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." (Romans 7:22-23, The Message)
Trying to self-regulate our behavior is a weak defense, too. Paul reminds us that rules and religion are ultimately powerless to change the sinful nature that resides in everyone of us! “Don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch.” Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires." (Colossians 2:21-24, NLT) In a statement read to the church he had pastored, Haggard spoke of the powerful temptations that overcame his inhibitions. "For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom, then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach."
Some of us think that fear of being shamed and/or internal guilt will save us from ourselves. It won't! We have amazing powers of self-justification. I am speculating, but I wonder how many times Haggard dealt with his guilty shame by rationalizing "I'll never do it again. It was just the pressure of that moment that made me weak."
Here's the part you probably won't like today. Haggard's sin is particularly repulsive to most of us, but in reality, his sin is no worse than yours or mine in the eyes of God! Honestly, which one of is not a hypocrite in one way or another? Which one of can say that our daily lives are in perfect harmony with our professed values? That said, I will go on to say that those who say that they live in by the Spirit should be growing in Christ's grace, closing the gap between words and actions! If his sin becomes an excuse for anyone of us to make peace with with our own sins, we have erred in our conclusion, and failed to gain a thing from his example. His failure should be a call to each one of us to renew our daily commitment to spiritual disciplines that create pathways for the Spirit to enter our lives in a powerfully transforming way. His fall should teach us the importance of staying in touch with those who can call us to account and seeking the Spirit's powerful conviction that will turn us from our lusts and lapses.
Paradoxically, the Bible teaches us to admit to our inherent weaknesses, for 'when we are weak, then we are strong!' Paul says, "Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence." The Message (1 Co 10:11-12)
There it is! Forget self-confidence.... cultivate God-confidence.
"Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. " (Romans 7:24-25, NLT)
_________________________
Take time to be holy. Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends with God's children;
Help those who are weak,Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy. Let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow thy Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
Each thought and each motive beneath His control;
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
Take Time To Be Holy
Author: Longstaff, William D. / Stebbins, George C.
Copyright: Public Domain
The question that keeps echoing in my head is: how did he descend into such an ugly, sinful secret life?
Perhaps he thought he was strong enough to fight off temptation by himself. Many of us do! It is hard, very hard, to look in the mirror and admit to ourselves that we have lied, that we have cheated, that lust stalks our mind, that we taste the poison of hatred, that we have been greedy, or such things. So we learn to give our sins other names, as though renaming them makes them less sinful. And we devise schemes that we think will keep us from doing what we know should not do. Still we fail; again and again. The more we fail, the deeper our sense of alienation. The more alone we feel, the more desperate we become. Our desperation leads to the need for an escape, which fuels temptation, against which we feel powerless and so, we do it again - strengthening the cycle. Sin is bigger than you, me, or any living person.
Don't trust that 'knowing better' is a strong defense against temptation, either. On Monday, 11/6/2006, the LA Times, published this excerpt from Haggard's book, Letters from Home. Published in 2002, the book is framed as a letter to the two oldest of his five children, who were preparing for college at that time. In a section called "Live as if there are no secrets," he listed powerful men brought down by lust or lies, including Presidents Nixon and Clinton and the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart. "Major leaders have lost their positions of influence because of what they did alone in a room," he wrote. "Please don't ever fall into the trap of believing that you can do something in secret, even when you are far away from home," Haggard urged his children. "This is a lie, and it will always come back to haunt you." Four years later, Haggard's own life blew up after his hotel room depravity was made public. He knew better but did it anyway. In Romans the power of temptation even in the face of knowing better is made clear. There we read: "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." (Romans 7:22-23, The Message)
Trying to self-regulate our behavior is a weak defense, too. Paul reminds us that rules and religion are ultimately powerless to change the sinful nature that resides in everyone of us! “Don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch.” Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires." (Colossians 2:21-24, NLT) In a statement read to the church he had pastored, Haggard spoke of the powerful temptations that overcame his inhibitions. "For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom, then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach."
Some of us think that fear of being shamed and/or internal guilt will save us from ourselves. It won't! We have amazing powers of self-justification. I am speculating, but I wonder how many times Haggard dealt with his guilty shame by rationalizing "I'll never do it again. It was just the pressure of that moment that made me weak."
Here's the part you probably won't like today. Haggard's sin is particularly repulsive to most of us, but in reality, his sin is no worse than yours or mine in the eyes of God! Honestly, which one of is not a hypocrite in one way or another? Which one of can say that our daily lives are in perfect harmony with our professed values? That said, I will go on to say that those who say that they live in by the Spirit should be growing in Christ's grace, closing the gap between words and actions! If his sin becomes an excuse for anyone of us to make peace with with our own sins, we have erred in our conclusion, and failed to gain a thing from his example. His failure should be a call to each one of us to renew our daily commitment to spiritual disciplines that create pathways for the Spirit to enter our lives in a powerfully transforming way. His fall should teach us the importance of staying in touch with those who can call us to account and seeking the Spirit's powerful conviction that will turn us from our lusts and lapses.
Paradoxically, the Bible teaches us to admit to our inherent weaknesses, for 'when we are weak, then we are strong!' Paul says, "Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence." The Message (1 Co 10:11-12)
There it is! Forget self-confidence.... cultivate God-confidence.
"Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. " (Romans 7:24-25, NLT)
_________________________
Take time to be holy. Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends with God's children;
Help those who are weak,Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy. Let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow thy Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
Each thought and each motive beneath His control;
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
Take Time To Be Holy
Author: Longstaff, William D. / Stebbins, George C.
Copyright: Public Domain
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
God's fool.
The king was delighted to be bringing the treasured Ark of the Covenant of God to Jerusalem. The gold chest which had been the symbolic place of God's dwelling among the people had been part of Israel's national life for centuries; sometimes revered, sometimes feared, sometimes abused. Now, David had dedicated a place in his royal city for it. As the Ark was brought to the city, it was a way of inviting God Himself to be at home there. David was ecstatic and as the procession entered the city with songs and music, he abandoned all dignity, dancing and leaping in the streets! The Bible reports on his action with this simple summary: "David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly tunic." (2 Samuel 6:14, NLT)
One of his wives, Michal, whose life with David can best be described as tumultuous, watched him dancing in honor of God and felt it was a display that no dignified king should allow in public. When David came home, she said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”" (2 Samuel 6:20, NIV) He was not actually naked! He had laid aside royal robes and put on the plain shirt of a priest. But she found it a distasteful, disgraceful performance. His reply to her shows his heart for God- “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord. So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord." (2 Samuel 6:21, NLT)
"I am willing to act like a fool to show my joy in the Lord!"
That phrase challenges me today. Am I willing to love and serve God in a way that invites the ridicule of others? What matters more to me, to be 'respected' by my friends or to be devoted to my God? Tragically, this story is often used as an excuse for self-indulgent 'worship.' When somebody wants to just 'do their thing' in a church service, creating a display that is distracting to others, they quote this passage as justification for their actions. What an awful trivialization of a great lesson. The account goes to a much deeper issue than whether it is right to do a dance step in worship! It is about a life that is lived in worshipful abandon for God's glory.
Last week I learned of a couple who are skilled and educated people who have moved to the deep jungle of New Guinea with their children. They live primitively, traveling by boat to the village where they have already spent 6 years and where they will spend another 14 years. They endure loneliness, have experienced life-threatening disease. For what? To learn the language and culture of the tribal people so they can communicate the Gospel of Christ! They have yet to make a convert, but they consider their sacrifice as no great thing in the service of the God they love! Many would label them as fools. Would you? Their lives are a 'dance in honor of their God!'
There are two ways to live - in a way that seeks the best of life, here and now; or in a way that seeks God's honor. They are seldom the same path. One is lived for Self, oriented around creating a comfortable life, accumulating things, avoiding suffering - a way of life much respected in our American culture. The other is lived for God, focused on eternity. Love and service are the primary characteristics of that life. Honestly, not many of us, truly live it. We may live a form of it, but self-interest is never far from our thoughts.
May the story of David challenge us to dance with abandon, to forget ourselves in our passionate pursuit of God! When friends and family question our 'foolish' choices, we can respond, "I was dancing before the Lord!"
Ponder this passage today:
"You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.” Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said: "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What could you give to get back your soul?
Don’t be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:33-38, CEV)
One of his wives, Michal, whose life with David can best be described as tumultuous, watched him dancing in honor of God and felt it was a display that no dignified king should allow in public. When David came home, she said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”" (2 Samuel 6:20, NIV) He was not actually naked! He had laid aside royal robes and put on the plain shirt of a priest. But she found it a distasteful, disgraceful performance. His reply to her shows his heart for God- “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord. So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord." (2 Samuel 6:21, NLT)
"I am willing to act like a fool to show my joy in the Lord!"
That phrase challenges me today. Am I willing to love and serve God in a way that invites the ridicule of others? What matters more to me, to be 'respected' by my friends or to be devoted to my God? Tragically, this story is often used as an excuse for self-indulgent 'worship.' When somebody wants to just 'do their thing' in a church service, creating a display that is distracting to others, they quote this passage as justification for their actions. What an awful trivialization of a great lesson. The account goes to a much deeper issue than whether it is right to do a dance step in worship! It is about a life that is lived in worshipful abandon for God's glory.
Last week I learned of a couple who are skilled and educated people who have moved to the deep jungle of New Guinea with their children. They live primitively, traveling by boat to the village where they have already spent 6 years and where they will spend another 14 years. They endure loneliness, have experienced life-threatening disease. For what? To learn the language and culture of the tribal people so they can communicate the Gospel of Christ! They have yet to make a convert, but they consider their sacrifice as no great thing in the service of the God they love! Many would label them as fools. Would you? Their lives are a 'dance in honor of their God!'
There are two ways to live - in a way that seeks the best of life, here and now; or in a way that seeks God's honor. They are seldom the same path. One is lived for Self, oriented around creating a comfortable life, accumulating things, avoiding suffering - a way of life much respected in our American culture. The other is lived for God, focused on eternity. Love and service are the primary characteristics of that life. Honestly, not many of us, truly live it. We may live a form of it, but self-interest is never far from our thoughts.
May the story of David challenge us to dance with abandon, to forget ourselves in our passionate pursuit of God! When friends and family question our 'foolish' choices, we can respond, "I was dancing before the Lord!"
Ponder this passage today:
"You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.” Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said: "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What could you give to get back your soul?
Don’t be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:33-38, CEV)
Monday, November 06, 2006
A grain of salt...
Thinking about staying home from the polls tomorrow because you think it does not really matter? Consider these elections....
- In 1999, Leslie Byrne was elected to the Virginia Senate by 37 votes, less than one vote per precinct.
- Donald Sherwood was elected to the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania by a margin of 515 votes, less than one vote per precinct making this election the closest House of Representative race in 1998
- Loretta Sanchez was elected to Congress from California by less than 4 votes per precinct in 1996
- John F. Kennedy's margin of victory over Richard Nixon in 1960 was less than one vote per precinct.
- One vote per precinct passed woman suffrage in California in 1911.
Tomorrow Americans have a privilege that comparatively few people down through history have enjoyed - the ability to choose their leaders. Political leaders estimate that just a little more than half of those who are registered to vote will actually go to the polls on Tuesday. And only about 40% of people of voting age in the US will vote! I sincerely hope that you are not one of those who says, "what does my vote really mean, so why bother?" The truth is that one vote is powerful especially in a year like this one in which many political contests are too close to call just a day before the elections.
So, some of you are probably thinking, "Jerry, why are you writing about this in TFTD? Isn't the mission of this daily email about encouraging spiritual development?" Yes; and Believer, I am convinced that as a follower of Christ one of the ways we must practice our faith and bring a God-centered worldview into influence in our society is with the ballot. I urge you to pray about your vote. Paul urged the Believers living in pagan societies of his time to bear public witness. He said, "Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone." (Colossians 4:5-6, NLT)
Know why you're voting for that person to whom you give your support. Research the candidate's positions, and vote wisely, not simply emotionally. Have you viewed that AARP ad featuring the 'candidate' who does a great 'song and dance' routine, who smiles widely and serves up supper, but never talks about issues? It's a good one! The point of the ad is that we need to look past the personality to the position. I'm not endorsing the AARP but it is important that we not allow personal charisma or lack there of to be the reason we support a candidate. Nor can we let a candidate's rhetoric guide us alone. Look at their record, at specific votes, at what various advocacy groups have to say about their positions. With a little digging, information is available. (Don't write to me and ask me for whom you ought to vote!)
Truthfully, in very few situations will you find a candidate that perfectly conforms to your ideals. Selecting the person you support will involve prioritizing issues that you consider to be important and then choosing the candidate that reflects the values you list highest on your list. I would encourage you not to be single issue voter. Consider the totality of a candidate's positions.
Here are several issues to consider beyond the normal party affiliation:
- Does this candidate believe that life is sacred with a consistent position on all human life?
- Does this candidate seek ways to provide justice to all people- rich, poor, black, and white?
- Is this candidate actively concerned about economic opportunity for all people?
- Does this candidate show a genuine respect for God's creation, balancing the need for development with environmental preservation?
Jesus tells us to be the salt of the earth. Though we primarily think of salt as a flavor, in His time, salt served a much more valuable function. Since there was no refrigeration, salt was the primary means of preserving foods, particularly meat, from spoiling. Tomorrow see your ballot as a grain of salt, a way of preserving the political process from corruption. Though alone we are like a small grain of salt, our grains of salt, together, can and will make a real difference.
Friday, November 03, 2006
A special prayer request
I am terribly sad today, broken-hearted for the Kingdom of God as another leader of the church has apparently sinned terribly against his Lord, his church, and his family.
Ted Haggard, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of New Life Church in Co. Springs, CO, (I attended a small groups leadership conference there in April, 2006) was accused by a male prostitute of soliciting sex on a monthly basis and of using methamphetamine drugs. Haggard has only said there is 'some truth,' to the allegations and has resigned his position as the president of NAE and stepped aside from his position as pastor to 'seek guidance and spiritual counsel.'
Please pray for this man, for his family, for the church he had led - and for the witness of Jesus Christ in America.
I urge you, Believer, not to become defensive or condemning! This is an opportunity to love a fallen brother before the world in the spirit of Christ Jesus and an opportunity to show humility in acknowledging our sinful humanity, the reason we all need a Savior.
In these kinds of situations we are tempted to become angry, accusatory as we hurt and feel the reflected shame of hypocrisy and failure. Don't do it! Cry for this man. Cry for those who will deepen their suspicions of Christianity as a result. And, PRAY - for the grace of God to defeat evil.
Thank you, friend.
May God's peaceful presence be yours today.
Ted Haggard, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of New Life Church in Co. Springs, CO, (I attended a small groups leadership conference there in April, 2006) was accused by a male prostitute of soliciting sex on a monthly basis and of using methamphetamine drugs. Haggard has only said there is 'some truth,' to the allegations and has resigned his position as the president of NAE and stepped aside from his position as pastor to 'seek guidance and spiritual counsel.'
Please pray for this man, for his family, for the church he had led - and for the witness of Jesus Christ in America.
I urge you, Believer, not to become defensive or condemning! This is an opportunity to love a fallen brother before the world in the spirit of Christ Jesus and an opportunity to show humility in acknowledging our sinful humanity, the reason we all need a Savior.
In these kinds of situations we are tempted to become angry, accusatory as we hurt and feel the reflected shame of hypocrisy and failure. Don't do it! Cry for this man. Cry for those who will deepen their suspicions of Christianity as a result. And, PRAY - for the grace of God to defeat evil.
Thank you, friend.
May God's peaceful presence be yours today.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Do you know your need?
So where do you put yourself on the sliding scale of acceptability? Come on, now. It is a common human trait to compare ourselves with others in our search for significance. For example, a person might reason - "I'm nowhere near Mother Teresa on the compassion scale, but I'm not Saddam Hussein, either." As long as we can find someone we consider inferior to ourselves, in whatever measure we are using, we can find a certain kind of comfort. We will also remain unaware of our true neediness!
Simon invited Jesus to his house for dinner. Simon was noted in his town for his rectitude. His home was on the right street. His friends were chosen from among the right group. He kept his finances in order. His family knew his expectations and did not challenge him for they had been well taught about the importance of maintaining his reputation in the community. Even his clothes were right, his robes selected to say, "I'm a serious man worthy of respect." Since Jesus was a rabbi with a growing reputation and was coming to town, it was 'right' to invite him to dinner. The evening was done right, everything prepared in detail, nothing left to chance. After all, that was the way Simon, the Pharisee, lived his life. Appearances were important.
As dinner was ending and conversation was flowing among the men, all chosen carefully according to their position, it happened! A woman with reputation in town for being 'available,' showed up and somehow made it into the room. She went straight to Jesus! The silence was deafening. The rabbi was a customer of this woman? How could that be? Anger rose in Simon as his perfectly planned occasion went off script. He wanted to call the servants to usher this woman out, but Jesus was the ranking guest and she was at his feet so it was up to Him to send her away, but ...
Simon gasped for what he was seeing was beyond imagination. She was starting to cry, not just wet eyes, but cascades of tears. She was kneeling down and .... kissing His feet! Then, loosened her hair as though she were in the privacy of her own bedroom. What? She is wiping her tears from His feet with her hair? Surely, they must be lovers. He couldn't even think for moment. Then, his shock gave way to rage. Ever polite, ever the respectable Simon, he held his tongue, but in his mind, he sneered, "A prophet? If He were a prophet, he would know this woman's reputation and drive her off. He wouldn't let her touch Him." Then, he thought he heard Jesus speaking to him. "Did I say that out loud?" he thought to himself. He hadn't; but Jesus heard his thoughts and was answering him.
"Simon, I have something to tell you. ...
“Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”
Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”
“That’s right,” said Jesus.
Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said,
“Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” (Luke 7:40-47, The Message)
The tragedy of a life like Simon's is that is has no passion for God, no deep appreciation of grace. Self-righteousness obscures the desperately sinful heart that is only made right by a grace awakening. Rigid self-discipline restrains the most egregious temptations from becoming reality, not so much from a desire to be holy for God's sake, but to appear holy for self's sake! "What would they think of me?" is a question asked much more often than, "What does God want from me?" Social respectability takes the place of awesome holiness because it is no the Spirit that gives life, but the Law that rules in death! With little sense of need, the Simon's of the world never come to tears of gratitude, never know the amazing love of God in a way that is beyond reason, beyond theology, beyond religion. "The forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal!"
God's truth to those of us who are so much like Simon is this - "For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins." (Romans 3:23-24, NLT) We don't have to become human wrecks, drowning in flagrant depravity before we realize His love. We need only invite the Spirit to show us our heart, to shine the Light into the corners of our pride, our lovelessness, our self-sufficiency. When we see the truth about ourselves, we have two options - return to the sliding scale of comparisons where we hide our need - OR we can pray, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’" (Luke 18:13, NKJV)
Do you know your need?
Simon invited Jesus to his house for dinner. Simon was noted in his town for his rectitude. His home was on the right street. His friends were chosen from among the right group. He kept his finances in order. His family knew his expectations and did not challenge him for they had been well taught about the importance of maintaining his reputation in the community. Even his clothes were right, his robes selected to say, "I'm a serious man worthy of respect." Since Jesus was a rabbi with a growing reputation and was coming to town, it was 'right' to invite him to dinner. The evening was done right, everything prepared in detail, nothing left to chance. After all, that was the way Simon, the Pharisee, lived his life. Appearances were important.
As dinner was ending and conversation was flowing among the men, all chosen carefully according to their position, it happened! A woman with reputation in town for being 'available,' showed up and somehow made it into the room. She went straight to Jesus! The silence was deafening. The rabbi was a customer of this woman? How could that be? Anger rose in Simon as his perfectly planned occasion went off script. He wanted to call the servants to usher this woman out, but Jesus was the ranking guest and she was at his feet so it was up to Him to send her away, but ...
Simon gasped for what he was seeing was beyond imagination. She was starting to cry, not just wet eyes, but cascades of tears. She was kneeling down and .... kissing His feet! Then, loosened her hair as though she were in the privacy of her own bedroom. What? She is wiping her tears from His feet with her hair? Surely, they must be lovers. He couldn't even think for moment. Then, his shock gave way to rage. Ever polite, ever the respectable Simon, he held his tongue, but in his mind, he sneered, "A prophet? If He were a prophet, he would know this woman's reputation and drive her off. He wouldn't let her touch Him." Then, he thought he heard Jesus speaking to him. "Did I say that out loud?" he thought to himself. He hadn't; but Jesus heard his thoughts and was answering him.
"Simon, I have something to tell you. ...
“Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”
Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”
“That’s right,” said Jesus.
Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said,
“Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” (Luke 7:40-47, The Message)
The tragedy of a life like Simon's is that is has no passion for God, no deep appreciation of grace. Self-righteousness obscures the desperately sinful heart that is only made right by a grace awakening. Rigid self-discipline restrains the most egregious temptations from becoming reality, not so much from a desire to be holy for God's sake, but to appear holy for self's sake! "What would they think of me?" is a question asked much more often than, "What does God want from me?" Social respectability takes the place of awesome holiness because it is no the Spirit that gives life, but the Law that rules in death! With little sense of need, the Simon's of the world never come to tears of gratitude, never know the amazing love of God in a way that is beyond reason, beyond theology, beyond religion. "The forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal!"
God's truth to those of us who are so much like Simon is this - "For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins." (Romans 3:23-24, NLT) We don't have to become human wrecks, drowning in flagrant depravity before we realize His love. We need only invite the Spirit to show us our heart, to shine the Light into the corners of our pride, our lovelessness, our self-sufficiency. When we see the truth about ourselves, we have two options - return to the sliding scale of comparisons where we hide our need - OR we can pray, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’" (Luke 18:13, NKJV)
Do you know your need?
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Doing what's right.
Mort Zuckerman, editor of U.S. News, writes about two kinds of cultures - the shame culture and the guilt culture - in an article published in the 11/6/06 issue. In that essay, he reflects on the growing problem with cheating in our nation - everywhere from Little League, to college entrance exams, to paying taxes. "Millions of Americans routinely engage in insurance fraud, cable TV theft, and software piracy... and see themselves as decent, law-abiding citizens. ... because," he reports, "they think there is more to gain by cheating than to lose. Inflamed by envy, they seek to be better off." One reason for our lack of integrity is that we are shifting from a guilt culture, that is, feeling guilty because we have a conscience that tells us when we're doing right and wrong; to a shame culture, where we only feel badly about doing wrong if we get caught and are exposed to public ridicule.
That really got my attention! With the erosion of knowledge of absolute 'right and wrong' that has developed right alongside of a growing agnosticism, comes a loss of conscience. With a loss of conscience, comes a lack of self-restraint for there is little incentive to do the right thing unless our actions are monitored by another.
So, who are you when no one is looking? What thoughts do you allow to fill up your mind where no one, except God, can see? Jesus states the principle that we act out of what we think! He said, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45, NIV) That being true, the key to changed behavior is not greater restraint or monitoring. If we want to act differently, we must begin to think differently.
Here's good news. We can be changed, from the inside out, by the power of the Holy Spirit of God! It's not easy, nor is it simple. It won't happen in one moment or even in a single day. It's an ongoing process that we can sabotage by a few decisions. But, becoming a good person, with real integrity, is possible. It's a costly choice, and will most likely lead some, perhaps even many, to mock you as naive; or worse, as a fool for not seeking your own advantage.
So, how does it happen?
First, we respond to the Spirit of God with humility and faith to put our trust in Christ as Savior and Lord.
We must be converted! The Bible says that we are born to sin, flawed from the first by the nature we inherit from Adam. There is no remedy for this fatal 'disease' apart from Jesus. So, we begin by praying, "Come into my life and take over, Lord Jesus Christ. Forgive me, and clean me up!" Here's the wonderful promise of the Word. "Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, The Message)
Second, we invite the Spirit to be at work in us on a daily basis, not just on Sunday; not just in some quiet moment in the early morning or late evening, but everywhere, all day long.
Paul tells us to "walk in the Spirit." That's just what it sounds like. Take a daily walk with Him. Don't run ahead, don't leave Him at home. Of course, we can't really do that because God, the Spirit, is omnipresent but we can ignore Him! Be in the Presence of God by praying often, inviting Him to speak to your heart, to shape the thoughts of your mind.
Third, we become students of the Word.
As we read and study the Bible, God's wisdom becomes our wisdom. How should a follower of Jesus live? Start with Matthew, chapters 5, 6, and 7! Those three chapters can occupy your meditations for a very long time! Then, in Bible studies, in reading good Christian literature, from solidly Biblical preaching learn about the ways of God.
Fourth, discover the spiritual disciplines.
These disciplines are to the development of Christian character what exercise is to the development of the body! If we want to be fit and healthy, we know we must exercise. It's the one factor of good health that physicians universally agree on. 30 minutes a day walking at a good pace is the simplest and most effective way to maintain our health! But, many of us won't do it! Similarly, a solid Christian character is built by daily disciplines - prayer, Scripture intake, worship, giving, confession - to name a few. We choose to do them, not because we have a surge of feelings or because they are 'fun,' but because we have a goal of becoming good, like Christ. Know this, spiritual discipline comes last, not first! If you move this to the top of the list, you will just become religious, not good! Without a genuine change of heart and the daily experience of the life of the Spirit, any practice of spiritual discipline is just another expression of self, and will soon be corrupted into hypocrisy.
Believer, let me ask you straight out... what's in your heart?
Are you joining others in the shame culture, willing in self-interest to do wrong unless you think you will get caught?
Repent! Yes, turn to God and pray for a new heart and a fresh start. Ask the Lord to give you a tender conscience that knows the difference between right and wrong, that feels guilt so that you will quickly turn to Him and do what is right - ultimately for the glory and honor of God!
Here is a word from the Word. Take it with you today.
"Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. ... we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NLT)
That really got my attention! With the erosion of knowledge of absolute 'right and wrong' that has developed right alongside of a growing agnosticism, comes a loss of conscience. With a loss of conscience, comes a lack of self-restraint for there is little incentive to do the right thing unless our actions are monitored by another.
So, who are you when no one is looking? What thoughts do you allow to fill up your mind where no one, except God, can see? Jesus states the principle that we act out of what we think! He said, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45, NIV) That being true, the key to changed behavior is not greater restraint or monitoring. If we want to act differently, we must begin to think differently.
Here's good news. We can be changed, from the inside out, by the power of the Holy Spirit of God! It's not easy, nor is it simple. It won't happen in one moment or even in a single day. It's an ongoing process that we can sabotage by a few decisions. But, becoming a good person, with real integrity, is possible. It's a costly choice, and will most likely lead some, perhaps even many, to mock you as naive; or worse, as a fool for not seeking your own advantage.
So, how does it happen?
First, we respond to the Spirit of God with humility and faith to put our trust in Christ as Savior and Lord.
We must be converted! The Bible says that we are born to sin, flawed from the first by the nature we inherit from Adam. There is no remedy for this fatal 'disease' apart from Jesus. So, we begin by praying, "Come into my life and take over, Lord Jesus Christ. Forgive me, and clean me up!" Here's the wonderful promise of the Word. "Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, The Message)
Second, we invite the Spirit to be at work in us on a daily basis, not just on Sunday; not just in some quiet moment in the early morning or late evening, but everywhere, all day long.
Paul tells us to "walk in the Spirit." That's just what it sounds like. Take a daily walk with Him. Don't run ahead, don't leave Him at home. Of course, we can't really do that because God, the Spirit, is omnipresent but we can ignore Him! Be in the Presence of God by praying often, inviting Him to speak to your heart, to shape the thoughts of your mind.
Third, we become students of the Word.
As we read and study the Bible, God's wisdom becomes our wisdom. How should a follower of Jesus live? Start with Matthew, chapters 5, 6, and 7! Those three chapters can occupy your meditations for a very long time! Then, in Bible studies, in reading good Christian literature, from solidly Biblical preaching learn about the ways of God.
Fourth, discover the spiritual disciplines.
These disciplines are to the development of Christian character what exercise is to the development of the body! If we want to be fit and healthy, we know we must exercise. It's the one factor of good health that physicians universally agree on. 30 minutes a day walking at a good pace is the simplest and most effective way to maintain our health! But, many of us won't do it! Similarly, a solid Christian character is built by daily disciplines - prayer, Scripture intake, worship, giving, confession - to name a few. We choose to do them, not because we have a surge of feelings or because they are 'fun,' but because we have a goal of becoming good, like Christ. Know this, spiritual discipline comes last, not first! If you move this to the top of the list, you will just become religious, not good! Without a genuine change of heart and the daily experience of the life of the Spirit, any practice of spiritual discipline is just another expression of self, and will soon be corrupted into hypocrisy.
Believer, let me ask you straight out... what's in your heart?
Are you joining others in the shame culture, willing in self-interest to do wrong unless you think you will get caught?
Repent! Yes, turn to God and pray for a new heart and a fresh start. Ask the Lord to give you a tender conscience that knows the difference between right and wrong, that feels guilt so that you will quickly turn to Him and do what is right - ultimately for the glory and honor of God!
Here is a word from the Word. Take it with you today.
"Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. ... we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NLT)
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
A day to celebrate LIFE!
This past weekend, a movie called "Saw III" was the number one money-maker in American theaters. The movie is one of a genre called slasher films and features copious amounts of terror, blood, and torture. (No, I have not seen it. I read the website!) For reasons I've never understood, some of us get a kick out of being scared to death by watching psychopaths destroy human beings on film. Of course, I know that what is on the screen is not real. But, why make 'art' out of the horrors that actually do take place in hidden corners of our world? Which brings me to this day, not one of my favorite days on the calendar; the day of little witches at the front door, fake blood, destruction of property, and all things ugly!
Yes, it is Halloween, the time for fright and "fun." But, I'm going to pass on it, as I usually do. Unlike some Believers, my reason for passing up the celebration of Halloween is not fear of demons or worry about being tainted by evil. The power of the Resurrected Christ and the Spirit of God in me has removed fear of the occult from my life. For me there's enough evil, horror, and tragedy in the daily news. I just don't need to have a day to mark the ever-present death and sorrow that stalks our world. My calling as a follower of Jesus Christ is a to be a person who gives life, light, hope, and joy to those in my world.
No, I'm not a crank. I'll meet the kids at the front door this evening with a sugary treat. But, throughout this day, I will be praying for the blessings of God to come to this broken, fallen world were there is so much suffering and sadness coming from deceived sinful people and from the schemes of the Evil One. I will be looking for ways to be a person who gives those blessings - in my words, in my attitudes, and in my actions. You see, I want to be known for being a person who is 'for' something, not for what I'm against, don't you? I'm not against celebrating Halloween, despite the occult and evil themes that are woven into the day. I'm for Jesus and for goodness! I believe we who are His followers should be noted for the rich and full lives we enjoy as a result of His love, rather than being known as cranky people who are always 'against' this or that.
I am a rich man because of knowing Christ as Savior and Lord. From Him, I gain purpose for my life. I am part of a grand plan that God Himself created for the world! From Him, I gain hope. Even death, the great enemy of us all, loses the power to terrify me because in Him I live eternally. From Him, I learn to love because I am loved. No longer must I fight to keep my place in this world, for He has secured me as His own child. From Him, I gain the ability to over-rule the sinful nature that drives others to self-destruction, for the Spirit in me teaches me to "turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. ... and to "live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God!" (Titus 2:12, NLT)
Do you know Him? Have you received the gift of His life?
Then celebrate it! Do not give in to the Pharisees in the church that find every occasion to criticize, condemn, and carp on the sins of the world.
Sing a new song! Make it about the glory of being one of God's own people.
Jesus wants us to live in joyful celebration.
He says, “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16, The Message)
_______________________
All I once held dear,
Built my life upon,
All this world reveres,
And wars to own,
All I once thought gain
I have counted loss;
Spent and worthless now,
Compared to this.
Knowing You, Jesus,
knowing You,
There is no greater thing.
You're my all,
You're the best,
You're my joy,
my righteousness,
And I love You, Lord.
Now my heart's desire
Is to know You more,
To be found in You,
And known as Yours,
To possess by faith
What I could not earn;
All surpassing gift of righteousness.
Oh to know the power of
Your risen life,
And to know You in Your sufferings,
To become like You
In Your death, my Lord;
So with You to live, and never die.
Knowing You, Jesus,
knowing You,
There is no greater thing.
You're my all,
You're the best,
You're my joy,
my righteousness,
And I love You, Lord.
Knowing You - Kendrick, Graham
Copyright: 1993 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
Yes, it is Halloween, the time for fright and "fun." But, I'm going to pass on it, as I usually do. Unlike some Believers, my reason for passing up the celebration of Halloween is not fear of demons or worry about being tainted by evil. The power of the Resurrected Christ and the Spirit of God in me has removed fear of the occult from my life. For me there's enough evil, horror, and tragedy in the daily news. I just don't need to have a day to mark the ever-present death and sorrow that stalks our world. My calling as a follower of Jesus Christ is a to be a person who gives life, light, hope, and joy to those in my world.
No, I'm not a crank. I'll meet the kids at the front door this evening with a sugary treat. But, throughout this day, I will be praying for the blessings of God to come to this broken, fallen world were there is so much suffering and sadness coming from deceived sinful people and from the schemes of the Evil One. I will be looking for ways to be a person who gives those blessings - in my words, in my attitudes, and in my actions. You see, I want to be known for being a person who is 'for' something, not for what I'm against, don't you? I'm not against celebrating Halloween, despite the occult and evil themes that are woven into the day. I'm for Jesus and for goodness! I believe we who are His followers should be noted for the rich and full lives we enjoy as a result of His love, rather than being known as cranky people who are always 'against' this or that.
I am a rich man because of knowing Christ as Savior and Lord. From Him, I gain purpose for my life. I am part of a grand plan that God Himself created for the world! From Him, I gain hope. Even death, the great enemy of us all, loses the power to terrify me because in Him I live eternally. From Him, I learn to love because I am loved. No longer must I fight to keep my place in this world, for He has secured me as His own child. From Him, I gain the ability to over-rule the sinful nature that drives others to self-destruction, for the Spirit in me teaches me to "turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. ... and to "live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God!" (Titus 2:12, NLT)
Do you know Him? Have you received the gift of His life?
Then celebrate it! Do not give in to the Pharisees in the church that find every occasion to criticize, condemn, and carp on the sins of the world.
Sing a new song! Make it about the glory of being one of God's own people.
Jesus wants us to live in joyful celebration.
He says, “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16, The Message)
_______________________
All I once held dear,
Built my life upon,
All this world reveres,
And wars to own,
All I once thought gain
I have counted loss;
Spent and worthless now,
Compared to this.
Knowing You, Jesus,
knowing You,
There is no greater thing.
You're my all,
You're the best,
You're my joy,
my righteousness,
And I love You, Lord.
Now my heart's desire
Is to know You more,
To be found in You,
And known as Yours,
To possess by faith
What I could not earn;
All surpassing gift of righteousness.
Oh to know the power of
Your risen life,
And to know You in Your sufferings,
To become like You
In Your death, my Lord;
So with You to live, and never die.
Knowing You, Jesus,
knowing You,
There is no greater thing.
You're my all,
You're the best,
You're my joy,
my righteousness,
And I love You, Lord.
Knowing You - Kendrick, Graham
Copyright: 1993 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
Monday, October 30, 2006
Your work is appreciated!
Yesterday, members of the congregation I that I serve as Pastor said, "thank you!" It was an observance of Pastor's Appreciation Day. I have difficulty accepting affirmation. Since I am the privileged one who gets to do what he loves to do in life, I'm always more than a little embarrassed by an event organized in which people thank me for just doing what I love and what God has called me to do! After all, what could be more rewarding than having the trust of people who allow me to teach them God's Word, week by week? I feel like I have a family numbering in the hundreds - complete with kids to love, fights to settle, sorrows to share, and significant milestones to celebrate. Most days I love being a Pastor. (Yes, there days when I complain, but don't we all?)
Today, I want to keep TFTD simple. I want to encourage you to be an encourager.
Brighten somebody's day with a word of genuine encouragement.
For that service person, a sincere, "Thank you," along with a generous tip will do it. For someone who has gone the extra mile with you, a note of appreciation is in order. Keep it honest and, where possible, make it specific. As I read through the cards yesterday, there was one that I could not finish because of the tears of joy that blocked my vision. A father thanked me - in a specific way - for expressing affection to his kids, which he realized was meaningful to them and made them understand that they are people who matter in an often impersonal world. His specific word of thanks made me feel great!
The Word tells us to "speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, The Message) Look for creative ways to do that! In few weeks, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Why not turn the day into a whole month of 'thanks-living?' Purposefully seek out ways to cultivate gratitude. When you find a complaint forming in your mind, and you're getting ready to be a critic, turn it into a compliment or an opportunity for affirmation!
"Ah, Jerry, life's not always rosy. People fail, don't do their job, are sometimes lazy, and take advantage of me." You are right! We're all sinners and we offend each other in a hundred ways - intentionally and thoughtlessly. There are most certainly times when we must correct wrong behavior, when we must speak honestly to another's failure, but must we do that all the time? Is there so little to praise that we feel compelled to be miserable critics, growling our way through the day? I think not!
Truthfully, most of us will respond to affirmation, we will be drawn along to change by genuine praise, much more quickly and effectively than we are driven by criticism.
So, go spread joy today. Give up your need to be 'right,' or 'comfortable,' and encourage. What you give, you'll get, so make it good!
_________________________
Gather 'round me, everybody!
Gather 'round me while I'm preachin' !
Feel a sermon comin' on me -
The topic will be sin and that's what I'm ag'in'
If you wanna hear my story,
then settle back and just sit tight,
While I start reviewin' the attitude of doin' right!
You've got to accentuate the positive!
Eliminate the negative!Latch
on to the affirmative,
don't mess with Mister In-Between!
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum!
Bring gloom down to the minimum!
Have faith or pandemonium's
liable to walk upon the scene.
- Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Today, I want to keep TFTD simple. I want to encourage you to be an encourager.
Brighten somebody's day with a word of genuine encouragement.
For that service person, a sincere, "Thank you," along with a generous tip will do it. For someone who has gone the extra mile with you, a note of appreciation is in order. Keep it honest and, where possible, make it specific. As I read through the cards yesterday, there was one that I could not finish because of the tears of joy that blocked my vision. A father thanked me - in a specific way - for expressing affection to his kids, which he realized was meaningful to them and made them understand that they are people who matter in an often impersonal world. His specific word of thanks made me feel great!
The Word tells us to "speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, The Message) Look for creative ways to do that! In few weeks, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Why not turn the day into a whole month of 'thanks-living?' Purposefully seek out ways to cultivate gratitude. When you find a complaint forming in your mind, and you're getting ready to be a critic, turn it into a compliment or an opportunity for affirmation!
"Ah, Jerry, life's not always rosy. People fail, don't do their job, are sometimes lazy, and take advantage of me." You are right! We're all sinners and we offend each other in a hundred ways - intentionally and thoughtlessly. There are most certainly times when we must correct wrong behavior, when we must speak honestly to another's failure, but must we do that all the time? Is there so little to praise that we feel compelled to be miserable critics, growling our way through the day? I think not!
Truthfully, most of us will respond to affirmation, we will be drawn along to change by genuine praise, much more quickly and effectively than we are driven by criticism.
So, go spread joy today. Give up your need to be 'right,' or 'comfortable,' and encourage. What you give, you'll get, so make it good!
_________________________
Gather 'round me, everybody!
Gather 'round me while I'm preachin' !
Feel a sermon comin' on me -
The topic will be sin and that's what I'm ag'in'
If you wanna hear my story,
then settle back and just sit tight,
While I start reviewin' the attitude of doin' right!
You've got to accentuate the positive!
Eliminate the negative!Latch
on to the affirmative,
don't mess with Mister In-Between!
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum!
Bring gloom down to the minimum!
Have faith or pandemonium's
liable to walk upon the scene.
- Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Friday, October 27, 2006
An Upward orientation?
The clergyman at the funeral was saying the right kinds of words, but - for me, at least - it was flat, dry, and devoid of the Spirit. I didn't get the feeling that he thought of God as present in the room or that his intent was to connect those of us in the congregation with the Spirit. I came away from that service yesterday, empty and sad. In what should have been a holy place, a church dedicated to the worship of Christ, I found only a human performance, someone who appeared to be 'going through the motions.' Admittedly, such a conclusion is subjective, but it caused me to think about living my own life with an upward orientation. I asked myself, "Jerry, do you keep your own heart and mind in tune with the Spirit? Are you living your life primarily to please other people or to honor your God? Are you a holy man in whom the Spirit is at home?"
Those are hard questions. I cannot say that I meet those goals anywhere near even most of the time, but I want to! Paul's simple directive - "Pray continually!" (1 Thes. 5:17) is aimed at the same goal. He is not asking each of us to enter a monastic order where we can spend our days in a prayer cell hidden from the pursuits of life. Instead, he teaches us to become God aware, so that all our life is addressed to the Lord. The classic by the 17th century Brother Lawrence "Practicing the Presence of God" is about living in this way. Lawrence was a simple man whose primary duties in his order were not 'spiritual.' Yet, in his kitchen work, he found that he could live with an upward orientation, experiencing the Presence of God.
Paul says that the Believer who lives his life with an upward orientation, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, has a unique quality that is like an expensive fragrance. "Through us, he (God) brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No—but at least we don’t take God’s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, The Message)
When I first dated my wife Bev, 32 years ago, she wore a fragrance called WindSong. From that moment, whenever I detect that same fragrance, I think of her because the fragrance brings back a memory. The Word says that when we put on Christ, He creates a quality of life in us that is undeniable. We must live so as to turn others attention to God- and for some that will be a life enhancing moment; for others, a reminder that they are dead to God!
Like Paul, I am daunted by this responsibility for as I've already admitted, I fall short of representing Him well to my world too often. Yes, on my own, I cannot consistently live with an upward orientation. Only the Spirit of God, living in me, overcomes my weaknesses and flaws, my sins and my failures. Jesus taught this using a different illustration. "I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit!" (John 15) We are connected and from Him draw life.
As you venture into your life today, take Him with you.
Right now, take a moment to become 'God aware.'
Now, ask the Spirit to make Himself known - to your thoughts, in your words- so that others, even those who are without faith in God, will say, "When he comes around, God comes with him."
________________________
Father, we step onto the merry-go-round of life and it often gets hectic.
Our phones ring, deadlines come, fatigue sets in.
Please keep us in a place where we are aware of the Spirit.
Don't let us live profanely, grieving You, pushing You to the edge of our mind and heart.
When we start to perform for others, thinking only of pleasing them,
remind us that You are the One we live for, that Your applause and approval
is what really matters. Protect us from empty religion, or even from spiritual acts done
to impress other people. Center our devotion on You.
This we pray in Christ's Name. Amen.
Those are hard questions. I cannot say that I meet those goals anywhere near even most of the time, but I want to! Paul's simple directive - "Pray continually!" (1 Thes. 5:17) is aimed at the same goal. He is not asking each of us to enter a monastic order where we can spend our days in a prayer cell hidden from the pursuits of life. Instead, he teaches us to become God aware, so that all our life is addressed to the Lord. The classic by the 17th century Brother Lawrence "Practicing the Presence of God" is about living in this way. Lawrence was a simple man whose primary duties in his order were not 'spiritual.' Yet, in his kitchen work, he found that he could live with an upward orientation, experiencing the Presence of God.
Paul says that the Believer who lives his life with an upward orientation, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, has a unique quality that is like an expensive fragrance. "Through us, he (God) brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No—but at least we don’t take God’s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17, The Message)
When I first dated my wife Bev, 32 years ago, she wore a fragrance called WindSong. From that moment, whenever I detect that same fragrance, I think of her because the fragrance brings back a memory. The Word says that when we put on Christ, He creates a quality of life in us that is undeniable. We must live so as to turn others attention to God- and for some that will be a life enhancing moment; for others, a reminder that they are dead to God!
Like Paul, I am daunted by this responsibility for as I've already admitted, I fall short of representing Him well to my world too often. Yes, on my own, I cannot consistently live with an upward orientation. Only the Spirit of God, living in me, overcomes my weaknesses and flaws, my sins and my failures. Jesus taught this using a different illustration. "I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit!" (John 15) We are connected and from Him draw life.
As you venture into your life today, take Him with you.
Right now, take a moment to become 'God aware.'
Now, ask the Spirit to make Himself known - to your thoughts, in your words- so that others, even those who are without faith in God, will say, "When he comes around, God comes with him."
________________________
Father, we step onto the merry-go-round of life and it often gets hectic.
Our phones ring, deadlines come, fatigue sets in.
Please keep us in a place where we are aware of the Spirit.
Don't let us live profanely, grieving You, pushing You to the edge of our mind and heart.
When we start to perform for others, thinking only of pleasing them,
remind us that You are the One we live for, that Your applause and approval
is what really matters. Protect us from empty religion, or even from spiritual acts done
to impress other people. Center our devotion on You.
This we pray in Christ's Name. Amen.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Break the cycle!
In the book of Judges (not one of my favorite Bible books) there are stories that reveal a spiritual cycle that the people of God lived generation after generation.
They enjoyed God's blessings and in the flush of prosperity became apathetic towards Him.
Then, they turned to other gods and the Lord withdrew His blessing from them.
As a consequence, they were unable to stand up to those who attacked them, and they were oppressed by foreign rulers.
In their distress, they cried out to God who, because of His gracious mercy, sent a them leaders that brought them back to Him.
When they returned to faithfulness to their God, they were delivered from oppression into renewed blessings!
This same cycle can happen to us in our own lifetime; and it is common across the generations. I am not talking about the rise and fall of our spiritual emotions, the highs and lows that come to each one. In the course of our walk with God we will traverse mountaintops- from which we enjoy wonderful vistas of faith and bask in the beauty of God's Presence- and we will descend into valleys where we cling to His hand though we cannot see beyond the moment. That is normal Christian life!
Andrae Crouch wrote a song that includes these lines about that:
So I thank God for the mountains,
And I thank Him for the valleys.
I thank Him for the storms He's brought me through;
'cause if I never had a problem,
I wouldn't know that He could solve them,
I wouldn't know what faith in God could do! - Through It All
Of concern to us should be the tendency that we have to drift away from consistent faithfulness in the practice of spiritual disciplines. If we allow our commitment to cool, compromise creeps in, and we find ourselves far from God. Both Moses and Joshua challenged Israel to keep the faith! Moses told them to talk about the Lord at home, on the road, at work, in the morning, in the evening. (Deut. 6:4-8) His point was that they should never let a day pass without renewing their awareness of God's presence. A generation later Joshua said, "Choose today, whom you will serve! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!" (Joshua 24:14-16) He, too, was urging them to renew their commitment on a daily basis.
You and I must do this, too.
As life grows busy, it is so easy to become slaves of the urgent matters, leading us to neglect the important things! In times of blessings, we tend to put our spiritual lives on cruise control - leaving our Bibles unopened, our prayers unspoken, and times of corporate worship fewer and farther between. When troubles come, if we have not tended the fire of faith, we tend to blame God rather than run to Him. Our failure to stay near to His heart leads us to being afraid of the very One that is our Hope and Strength.
Here's a challenge from the Word.
Meditate on it for a few moments today as you pray- "Lord, keep my faith fresh, alive- my commitment strong. For Your glory, Amen."
"Let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him.
For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:22-25, NLT)
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
What is different about you?
When Dean trusted Christ as Savior and Lord, he changed- really changed. A coworker who missed his risqué jokes and other things that were part of the 'old man,' said, "What's wrong with you?" I think it might be better phrased, "What's right with you?" Genuine Christianity is about personal transformation. We throw that word around loosely much of the time not actually getting to the real meaning of spiritual transformation.
In Revolution, George Barna writes - "Spiritual transformation is any significant and lasting transition in your life wherein you switch from one substantial practice or perspective to something wholly different that alters you at a basic level. Switching from a Methodist church to a Presbyterian church is not transformational; determining to live in accordance with a Biblical worldview is. Attending Sunday School after years of absence is not transformational; identifying one's spiritual gifts, and grasping the call to use those gifts for the Kingdom's outcomes, and initiating a lifestyle of service to others is..... Transformation is a significant spiritual breakthrough... and you are never the same.. it redefines you."
As Dean discovered, transformation - like all real change - is disturbing. It upsets the status quo and makes people uncomfortable. Jesus was radical about it! Read His shocking words: "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”" (Luke 12:51-53, NIV) Tepid religion that makes nice does not do that! Spiritual transformation does!
A person who has met God, who has confronted his sins and in whom the Spirit now resides, becomes a fanatic about loving God. His life, even more than his words, is a rebuke to those who are living for lesser things. His passion for justice, for holiness, for Christ is so overwhelming that those who do not know God often want the transformed person to go away and take "Jesus" with him. Let's not get the wrong idea here. Some people are just obnoxiously religious! They rudely shove their religion in other's faces, become the office Ayatollah who judges everyone else. That's not the offense of the Cross. That's just being ignorant and rude.
Genuinely spiritual transformed people often say little, but their life is so changed, that their very presence brings others to the realization of their own spiritual bankruptcy. In a story recorded in Acts 4, Peter and John go to the Temple for prayer. On their way they saw a man who could not walk and he asked them for some change. Having no money, Peter and John shared the power of God with him, and he was healed. They got arrested for it! Dragged before the religious council, they spoke passionately and eloquently about Jesus. The transformation from rough Galilee peasants to powerful men of God caused that council to take note that "these men had been with Jesus."
Believer, are you being transformed by 'being with Jesus' or just reformed by religion?
Is your life totally re-oriented around a core love of God or are you just making adjustments, on the edges, in an attempt to be a marginally better person?
If we are seeking God, if we are in a daily conversation with the Holy Spirit, the Bible says that He will "...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." (Romans 12:2, NLT)
Meditate on that challenge today! Pray, "Lord Jesus, change me - from the inside out!"
It's no simple makeover, it's a radical life change - a revolution.
_________________________
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
All His wonderful passion and purity;
May His spirit divine, all my being refine
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
copied - public doman
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
A missionary - 9 miles from home.
There are hundreds of opportunities to do God's work right where you live. With more available resources, many Believers are taking trips to the far sides of the globe to teach kids, build churches, and share the good news of Jesus Christ in street outreaches. And that's a good thing! Cross cultural short-term ministry in locations far from home can be exciting - exhilarating even. But, there's a mission field right outside your front door! I 're-discovered' that fact for myself yesterday.
I received a call from a woman requesting that I lead a memorial service for a man she loved for 31 years who had died last week. at a relatively young age of 55. At first, it seemed an odd request. The deceased man was a Buddhist! Initially I was inclined to refuse the request, but after listening to her, I felt compelled to do the service. I made certain she knew that I would speak of Jesus Christ and from the Bible. She said that would not be a problem. Arriving at the hall where there would be a brunch after remarks, I found a group of about 25 gathered. They listened quietly, politely, but without visible reaction, to the Scripture, the words, the prayers, and then I sat down, thinking to myself, "Why I am here? That surely didn't go well!" I was at a table with four men, his buddies from work, all in their 50's; men who showed the marks of labor, dressed in work clothes, whose words were rough despite their best efforts to honor the presence of the preacher at their table. As we ate, there was a strained silence for a time so I asked questions about their late friend. "What did he like to do? Tell me a story about him." Gradually they opened up with recollections of the man. Then, out of the quiet, a man sitting at the table said, "I don't hold much with religion. But, I guess he knows now what we're all gonna find out sooner or later." General agreement was mumbled and nodded all around and then they all looked at me! On reflection, I am not all that certain that I said anything all that profound, but when I stood to leave, they thanked me for coming to spend some time with them in their time of grief.
On my drive back home, I realized that I had just made a missions trip,' though I'd only traveled 9 miles! I had, for a few moments, stepped into another world that exists virtually outside of my front door. I pray that something I said or did reflected the Light of my Savior to those who were living in spiritual darkness.
We must let ourselves think, even for a moment, that real needs exist only across an ocean or in a land far away. Spiritual needs and opportunities to love others in the name of our Lord are all around us.
Did you know that you could join a team and visit in a local jail for a Bible class and to be a friend once a week?
Did you realize that there are nursing homes that would welcome your presence an hour each week to read to someone, or even to conduct a worship service?
Did you know that Big Brothers and Big Sisters are always looking for volunteers to mentor a child?
Did you know that there are elderly people in our community who would consider a couple of hours a month to help with household maintenance a gift from Heaven?
Have you considered that the people at the lunch table at work might be your mission field?
"Come on, Jerry, my life is already full. I am busy." I hear you! I am not interested in leading any guilt trips today. Perhaps you are already fully engaged in using your spiritual gifts (we all have them!) to accomplish God's work. And yes, I know this too, we each have differing callings and opportunities. Just make sure you're actually seeing the needs and stepping up in obedience to do what the Lord is asking you to do. Jesus led the disciples into the region of Samaria, to be among people that were 'invisible' to them. Then He challenged them as he would challenge you and me: "I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! “The Harvester isn’t waiting. He’s taking his pay, gathering in this grain that’s ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant." (John 4:35-36, The Message)
Jesus told us that when God's Spirit rested on us, the transformation of our lives would cause us to become living demonstrators of the Truth of His Gospel 'in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' Are you only seeing the need that exists far away? Don't overlook your home town as a place to do God's work. For most of us, it is our mission field!
___________________________
Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad.
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today.
Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love;
Tell of His pow'r to forgive.
Others will trust Him if only you prove true
Every moment you live.
Give as 'twas given to you in your need;
Love as the Master loved you.
Be to the helpless a helper indeed;
Unto your mission be true.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today.
Ira Sankey © 1924. Renewed 1952 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.) CCLI License No. 810055
I received a call from a woman requesting that I lead a memorial service for a man she loved for 31 years who had died last week. at a relatively young age of 55. At first, it seemed an odd request. The deceased man was a Buddhist! Initially I was inclined to refuse the request, but after listening to her, I felt compelled to do the service. I made certain she knew that I would speak of Jesus Christ and from the Bible. She said that would not be a problem. Arriving at the hall where there would be a brunch after remarks, I found a group of about 25 gathered. They listened quietly, politely, but without visible reaction, to the Scripture, the words, the prayers, and then I sat down, thinking to myself, "Why I am here? That surely didn't go well!" I was at a table with four men, his buddies from work, all in their 50's; men who showed the marks of labor, dressed in work clothes, whose words were rough despite their best efforts to honor the presence of the preacher at their table. As we ate, there was a strained silence for a time so I asked questions about their late friend. "What did he like to do? Tell me a story about him." Gradually they opened up with recollections of the man. Then, out of the quiet, a man sitting at the table said, "I don't hold much with religion. But, I guess he knows now what we're all gonna find out sooner or later." General agreement was mumbled and nodded all around and then they all looked at me! On reflection, I am not all that certain that I said anything all that profound, but when I stood to leave, they thanked me for coming to spend some time with them in their time of grief.
On my drive back home, I realized that I had just made a missions trip,' though I'd only traveled 9 miles! I had, for a few moments, stepped into another world that exists virtually outside of my front door. I pray that something I said or did reflected the Light of my Savior to those who were living in spiritual darkness.
We must let ourselves think, even for a moment, that real needs exist only across an ocean or in a land far away. Spiritual needs and opportunities to love others in the name of our Lord are all around us.
Did you know that you could join a team and visit in a local jail for a Bible class and to be a friend once a week?
Did you realize that there are nursing homes that would welcome your presence an hour each week to read to someone, or even to conduct a worship service?
Did you know that Big Brothers and Big Sisters are always looking for volunteers to mentor a child?
Did you know that there are elderly people in our community who would consider a couple of hours a month to help with household maintenance a gift from Heaven?
Have you considered that the people at the lunch table at work might be your mission field?
"Come on, Jerry, my life is already full. I am busy." I hear you! I am not interested in leading any guilt trips today. Perhaps you are already fully engaged in using your spiritual gifts (we all have them!) to accomplish God's work. And yes, I know this too, we each have differing callings and opportunities. Just make sure you're actually seeing the needs and stepping up in obedience to do what the Lord is asking you to do. Jesus led the disciples into the region of Samaria, to be among people that were 'invisible' to them. Then He challenged them as he would challenge you and me: "I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! “The Harvester isn’t waiting. He’s taking his pay, gathering in this grain that’s ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant." (John 4:35-36, The Message)
Jesus told us that when God's Spirit rested on us, the transformation of our lives would cause us to become living demonstrators of the Truth of His Gospel 'in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' Are you only seeing the need that exists far away? Don't overlook your home town as a place to do God's work. For most of us, it is our mission field!
___________________________
Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad.
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today.
Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love;
Tell of His pow'r to forgive.
Others will trust Him if only you prove true
Every moment you live.
Give as 'twas given to you in your need;
Love as the Master loved you.
Be to the helpless a helper indeed;
Unto your mission be true.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today.
Ira Sankey © 1924. Renewed 1952 Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.) CCLI License No. 810055
Monday, October 23, 2006
Honest to God?
In mid-week, when I put on a necktie and jacket, Bev jokes with me about 'putting on my armor!' But she's on the mark. It's amazing what a little strip of silk around his neck and a dress shirt can do for a man's image. If I put on my blue jeans, sneakers, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap, I find people responding to me entirely differently than when I put on a suit and tie. Why? Because each outfit 'says' something about 'who I am' in that moment. Those who really know me, relate to me the same way regardless of my clothing. But, the larger world takes their relational cue from my 'image.' That's a rather harmless illustration of the power of external appearances.
The sad truth is that many of us are all about the external image. We live as though life is one big movie set where we take on one role after another and act it out. The tragedy of this is that in the middle of all the pretending and posing, we often lose touch with ourselves and reality. It takes some real effort and a lot of growing up to stop posing for life's camera! Image building, once the fascination of actors and politicians, is now the obsession of many Americans. "How do I look?" is the key question asked by posers and pretenders. The reality of their life matters little as long as they 'look good' to the world. The superficiality that is rampant in America feeds whole industries that are designed to help us project whatever image we've chosen as our ideal.
So, what's wrong with that? Much, in every way!
First of all there is the issue of integrity. If we choose to appear to be somebody that we are not, we lie! Lying offends God and is terribly destructive. Perpetuating even a little bit of fraud requires increasing effort and more fraud, creating dishonesty that grows with a snowball effect.
Second, projecting an image is all about pride. Image is about the big "I." When we are treating others as a mirror in which we see our own reflection, we will not concern ourselves about their needs. We will not be able to listen well. We will not be capable of being present and attentive. Instead we will be posing and preening like a little girl playing dress up in front of Mommy's mirror! Every watch that tableau? A four year old will try on all kinds of faces, adopt different voices amusing herself with her own reflection. It's funny when it happens with a four year old and a full length mirror. It's pitiful when it happens with a forty year old trying on different 'images' for the world.
Third, who we really are eventually emerges. Better to have been real all along, don't you think? Supposedly President Abraham Lincoln, renowned as "Honest Abe" said, "You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can't fool all of the people all the time." To which I respond, then why not choose to live honestly, openly, and authentically from the start?
God's word calls you and me to humility. "...serve each other in humility, for “God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5, NLT) Jesus illustrated the quality of humility He desires from us on the night before His crucifixion. His disciples were pretending and posing, puffing and primping, as they fought over their relative importance in their little group. Full of themselves and in love with their images of self-importance, none of them would serve, so Jesus got up from the Passover meal and took up the servant's towel and basin. He made His way from man to man, washing their filthy feet, in the custom of the hospitable household at that time. His choice to take the place of the lowest, though He was the Greatest, shocked and offended those men. Peter protested, "You will never wash my feet!" But Jesus did. "After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you." (John 13:12-15, NLT) I don't think he meant we should have foot washing rituals! He spoke to much larger issues of serving each other without considering whether such service was in keeping with our image!
Friend, are you trapped in pretense and image-building?
Are you trying to be someone other than who you really are, trying to escape some past shame by covering it up, trying to compensate for some hole in your resume by claiming titles you have not earned? Know this - God loves you. Yes, it's true. He knows exactly who you are, what you've done, how you think - and loves the real you. He can use you: not the pretender, not the poser- but the real you. He can forgive your sins, heal your hurts, and give you spiritual gifts that overcome your innate weaknesses. He will maximize your strengths. But the baseline requirement for being used by Him in the most effective way is to become 'honest to God' real.
Ponder this word from the Word today. -- "Obey God’s message! Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it. If you hear the message and don’t obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror and forget what they look like as soon as they leave. But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget." (James 1:21-25, CEV)
The sad truth is that many of us are all about the external image. We live as though life is one big movie set where we take on one role after another and act it out. The tragedy of this is that in the middle of all the pretending and posing, we often lose touch with ourselves and reality. It takes some real effort and a lot of growing up to stop posing for life's camera! Image building, once the fascination of actors and politicians, is now the obsession of many Americans. "How do I look?" is the key question asked by posers and pretenders. The reality of their life matters little as long as they 'look good' to the world. The superficiality that is rampant in America feeds whole industries that are designed to help us project whatever image we've chosen as our ideal.
So, what's wrong with that? Much, in every way!
First of all there is the issue of integrity. If we choose to appear to be somebody that we are not, we lie! Lying offends God and is terribly destructive. Perpetuating even a little bit of fraud requires increasing effort and more fraud, creating dishonesty that grows with a snowball effect.
Second, projecting an image is all about pride. Image is about the big "I." When we are treating others as a mirror in which we see our own reflection, we will not concern ourselves about their needs. We will not be able to listen well. We will not be capable of being present and attentive. Instead we will be posing and preening like a little girl playing dress up in front of Mommy's mirror! Every watch that tableau? A four year old will try on all kinds of faces, adopt different voices amusing herself with her own reflection. It's funny when it happens with a four year old and a full length mirror. It's pitiful when it happens with a forty year old trying on different 'images' for the world.
Third, who we really are eventually emerges. Better to have been real all along, don't you think? Supposedly President Abraham Lincoln, renowned as "Honest Abe" said, "You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can't fool all of the people all the time." To which I respond, then why not choose to live honestly, openly, and authentically from the start?
God's word calls you and me to humility. "...serve each other in humility, for “God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5, NLT) Jesus illustrated the quality of humility He desires from us on the night before His crucifixion. His disciples were pretending and posing, puffing and primping, as they fought over their relative importance in their little group. Full of themselves and in love with their images of self-importance, none of them would serve, so Jesus got up from the Passover meal and took up the servant's towel and basin. He made His way from man to man, washing their filthy feet, in the custom of the hospitable household at that time. His choice to take the place of the lowest, though He was the Greatest, shocked and offended those men. Peter protested, "You will never wash my feet!" But Jesus did. "After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you." (John 13:12-15, NLT) I don't think he meant we should have foot washing rituals! He spoke to much larger issues of serving each other without considering whether such service was in keeping with our image!
Friend, are you trapped in pretense and image-building?
Are you trying to be someone other than who you really are, trying to escape some past shame by covering it up, trying to compensate for some hole in your resume by claiming titles you have not earned? Know this - God loves you. Yes, it's true. He knows exactly who you are, what you've done, how you think - and loves the real you. He can use you: not the pretender, not the poser- but the real you. He can forgive your sins, heal your hurts, and give you spiritual gifts that overcome your innate weaknesses. He will maximize your strengths. But the baseline requirement for being used by Him in the most effective way is to become 'honest to God' real.
Ponder this word from the Word today. -- "Obey God’s message! Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it. If you hear the message and don’t obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror and forget what they look like as soon as they leave. But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget." (James 1:21-25, CEV)
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