How do you love Him?

Read the Song of Solomon lately? It can make you blush! One of the more 'tame' passages reads like this- "You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes, with a single jewel of your necklace. Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices. Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. Your clothes are scented like the cedars of Lebanon." (Song of Solomon 4:9-11, NLT) Yes, that's right. The Bible has a whole book that celebrates the intense physical passion that draws Solomon and a young woman together. Some of it is hard for us to understand, for it is written in metaphor and allusions that are from another era and culture, but even then, we get it. This couple really, really were into each other!

So is that book in the Bible included just to tell us about a couple's attraction to each other, which, by the way, is God's design? I think not. There's another application that goes beyond that first and obvious one.

In the Old Testament Israel is called God's wife! "For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth." (Isaiah 54:5, NLT) Nuptial imagery is often used to describe His love for his people. When they follow other gods, He calls them adulteresses, and He speaks to them in the voice of a broken-hearted husband of an unfaithful wife; at once both angry and longing. "The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: "Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also." (Jeremiah 3:6-8, NKJV)

In the New Testament, the Church is called the Bride of Christ. Christ's love for His people is a model for spousal love. "Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her." (Ephesians 5:25-26, The Message)

So, since this is the way God sees us - as His love, His wife - I think we can read the passionate poetry of Solomon's Song with a secondary understanding about loving our God and Christ; with real passion, intense longing for Him, emotional and tender. {Yes, guys that can be stretch for us, at first, but you can come 'round to it.} For many 21st Christians the core of their religion is an intellectual exercise. Knowing God is about learning doctrines, working out a creed, and knowing the history of the Bible. They can argue about interpretive models for Genesis, and how Scriptural principles shape a humanitarian philosophy of life. And, all that is good, but that is not all that there is! We can love God with our hearts, too. Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy, says, "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30, NKJV) In addition to our intellect, we be passionate in our love and worship of the Lord, our God.

How does that look?
We ought to let the things that break His heart break ours, too.
We need to feel His grief when we spurn His love for other lovers of this present world.
We should expect that He will come near to us, wait for Him to comfort us, earnestly desire that He should guide us as our loving Husband!
And, we should pray that His Presence will satisfy us even more deeply than any earthly lover could!

Consider these words of the Psalms. They are full of emotion for God. Ponder them today, and pray that God will teach you to love Him - with your heart as well as your mind.

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises."
"A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right." (Psalm 84:1-4, 10-11, NLT)
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My Home in Heaven

I used to scoff at 'Heaven talk' as so much escapism, a way to dodge the realities of life. I wondered, 'why do those old Believers get all misty eyed and claim to want to be in a place where they have never been?' Now, I am beginning to understand! I just needed to get a little nearer to home to feel the tug of Heaven.

OK, everybody relax. As far as know, I'm not dying, at least not today. I am not in despair. I have much to live for. But, Heaven is in my heart. A friend of mine stopped by my office yesterday. He was the best man at our wedding 33 years ago, so you get an idea just how far back we go. Jack and I talked about our families, our walk with the Lord, and life in general. As he was leaving, the conversation came around to the subject of eternity. We agreed that when we were younger, full of dreams and eager to change the world, that we thought very little of Heaven, but now it is more on our minds. I joked, "Jack, maybe God's plan in aging us is to help us let go of the things of this earth and get ready to go home!" But, that's really not a joke, is it?

African Americans, in the time of slavery, led hard lives, full of sorrow. So they sang of Heaven, of God's sweet home. They sang of the comfort offered by God. Songs like "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "There is a Balm in Gilead" and "Marching Up the Heavenly Road" and "Gonna Shout All Over God's Heaven" sustained their hearts with hope they could not find here in this world. My Pentecostal ancestors, people who were generally poor and struggling with difficult lives, often sang of Heaven, too. "When We all Get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be, when we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory" they sang out on Sunday morning; and they meant it!

Heaven is not just a dream. It's not just a way to cope with life. It is home! The Bible says, "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, (the coming of the Kingdom of God) but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16, NLT) Peter tells us to keep our hearts set on our true Home. "Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives." (1 Peter 2:10-12, The Message)

Don't worry about being 'so Heavenly minded, you're no earthly good!' The truth is that a Believer who has set his heart on Heaven is the most effective servant of God here on earth. He is not pre-occupied with trying to hold onto what is slipping away from him. He is not trying to build a kingdom here. He is not fearful of what may come into his life. Why? Because he knows that he's not home yet, and that his home is secure and ready for him.

So, take these words of Jesus with you. Memorize them. He promises, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:1-3, NIV)

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Some glad morning when this life is o'er.
I'll fly away.
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O glory.
I'll fly away.
When I die, hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away.

When the shadows of this life have gone.
I'll fly away.
Like a bird from prison bars has flown.
I'll fly away.

Just a few more weary days and then
I'll fly away.
To a land where joys shall never end.
I'll fly away.

I'll Fly AwayAlfred Brumley
© 1932 Hartford Music Company.
Renewed 1960 Albert E. Brumley And Sons (Admin. by Integrated Copyright Group, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055

Near to His Heart

Staying connected with others is a critically important part of spiritual, emotional, and even physical health! We are wired by God to be in community. A little boy I spoke with recently was crying softly. I asked him why and he said, "I hate going to school." The conversation revealed that he is alone, teased for being different, unliked, disconnected. Without intervention, his life will probably become even more difficult in years ahead. He needs friends. One of the curses of the elderly is loneliness. When infirmity makes it more difficult to get out, as they are less able to participate in church and social events, their isolation produces depression. We must remember them and bring encouragement to those who are shut-in.

The comfort that friends provide was a real blessing in my own life last week. As my friends heard of my father's surgery and illness, they reached out with emails, phone calls, and cards. So many repeated a similar theme - "Thinking of you, praying for you." Those connections were a lifeline for me and from them I drew strength. I thank God for the network of support that He has given me, increasingly realizing the value of being 'connected' as I grow more mature.

The most important connection, however, is the one that does not depend on social grace, or involvement in church or civic organizations, or even on electronic communications. It is our connection to the Living Lord, the Spirit of God! He who knows us best, loves us most. He does not abandon us when we are cranky, in pain, or complaining. He does not move on when our resources are exhausted. He does not move away, or turn on us because of misunderstanding or miscommunication. He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6, NKJV)

The Enemy of our soul knows the importance of being loved by God, so he tries to get us to focus on our sins so we feel alienated from the Lord. He attempts to make us see our difficult circumstances as evidence that God has abandoned us. One of his most effective assaults on the Believer in time of trial is a whisper - "God does not care. He is not there for you!" In Psalm 73, we read the prayer of a man who forgot, for a time, that God was near. He looked around and saw the wicked prospering. He saw injustice everywhere. He concluded that the Lord had taken a vacation, that He had abandoned His people. Then, he went to worship! "I entered the sanctuary of God, and I understood!" He re-connected with his Lord. His prayer continues: "I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." (Psalm 73:22-25, NIV)

Believer, stay connected: with God's people, and with the Lord Himself.

When life is going well, when things are great, the temptation to self-sufficiency is strong. But, the time will come when friendship with Jesus and others will be your life-line. Worship regularly and often; both on your own and with the congregation. Stay 'in the Word.' Make time to express love for others, in big and small ways. Someday you will be glad for the support you will enjoy when those you have loved, love you in return.

Should the Devil be hounding you today, trying to make you think God is far away, cling to the Word which declares you are near to His heart. Here's a passage from Exodus. The simplicity of it is captivating. The descendants of Abraham had moved to Egypt. Over many years time, they had grown in numbers and been forced into slavery. It looked like God had forgotten His promises, but then He called a man named Moses to be the one who led them back to the Promised Land. Chapter 2 closes this way. Read it and then take the thought with you as a reminder that God is near!

"The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out.
Their cries for relief from their hard labor ascended to God:
God listened to their groanings.
God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
God saw what was going on with Israel.
God understood. " (Exodus 2:23-25, The Message)
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What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry,
Everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry,
everything to God in prayer.
-- Joseph Scriven

Wandering, wondering?

When questions in life outnumber answers, we are tempted to spend too much time in the labyrinths of 'what might have been' and 'what possibly could happen.' Wandering the lanes of either place is a not very productive way to live. We must act and decide while living in the now!

Ever found yourself in the darkness that comes when you try to push the rewind button of time? It doesn't work. Marty McFly got to travel "Back to the Future." We don't. The lens of recall does funny things to memory and what we think we remember is about as close to reality as the reflections of the mirrors in the circus funhouse. Both the depths of failure and the heights of success tend to be exaggerated when we haul them out of our memory banks for review. The future is even less accessible than the past, having the substance like the fog of an early Springtime morning. No matter how hard we try to sculpt the future, the dawn of a new day brings its own challenges, many unforeseen. Jesus' words recorded in the 6th chapter of Matthew's Gospel, urge us to walk with God today. He says we should entrust ourselves to God, inviting His Kingdom to come and His "will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Our petition is one of a simple faith, "Give us our daily bread."

To the extent that we try to re-do yesterday or seize control of tomorrow, we fail to simply 'be' in the present. Perhaps one of the reasons that we often look back at a time of terrible crisis with something akin to thanksgiving is that in such times we tend to live totally in the moment which allows us to know God's gift of grace and peace.

Last week I spent four days so enveloped in the care of my Dad, so concerned about loving the family, so taken by immediate responsibilities, that I prayed simple faith-filled prayers to get through each day. I had no occasion to think about the past or the future at all! I did not worry about the state of the church, about presidential politics, about money, or even about the Devil's schemes! The paradox is this - for those days at the peak of personal crisis, I experienced less anxiety than I have felt for weeks! Such is the grace one can experience when living in God's Presence and 'in the moment.'

So what can we do with memories of yesterday? Paul's advice is "forgetting the past, I press on!" Our sins are forgiven when we give them to Jesus, and we must release the same kind of forgiveness to those who have sinned against us. The successes cannot be repeated either, so we stow them away, with thanksgiving, and move forward. Joshua urged the people he led, "Choose today whom you will serve." The wisdom of his counsel is compelling. If we choose the right actions today, we strengthen the foundation of faith and hope on which tomorrow's choices will be made.

Are you wrestling with difficult decisions? Are you trying to fix something you did yesterday or working to meet some challenge you anticipate arising tomorrow?
Trust the Lord right now. Ask for His provision for this day, with thanksgiving. Walk in obedience today resisting temptation, giving yourself to the guidance of the Spirit.

Here's the promise He makes to the faithful: "Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." (Philippians 4:6-7, The Message)

___________________________
Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best;
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure,
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As your days, your strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in ev'ry tribulation,
So to trust Your promises, O Lord;
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,
Offered me within Your holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a Father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

Day By DayBerg, Ahnfelt, Skoog
© Public Domain
CCLI License No. 810055

Let's win together!

A group of people who come together with a shared goal can do amazing things! The New England Patriots just completed a perfect season in their league going all the way without a single loss. Now they have only to win the Super Bowl to become a legendary team. That word is appropriate for those men. No single factor has produced their success. They have an outstanding quarterback in Brady, but who would he be without Moss or Faulk or Welker to carry the ball? They have a brilliant coach in Belichick, but he needs the cooperation of the men he leads. Bruschi, Seau, and Harrison lead a solid defense. Admire the individuals, but everyone acknowledges that their success belongs to the team.

Jesus Christ calls us to join His team - the Church. Believers who want to be most effective for God, who want to enjoy the best kind of Christianity, will not fall for the highly personalized "gotta do my own thing" experience that has captured so many. They will not go to church just to extract something for themselves. They will commit to a team that has a goal of building up God's kingdom, learn their calling, perfect the gifts that God gives them for service, and celebrate the success of the church.

I have the privilege of observing a team of Believers everyday, people who inspire me by the way they serve together. At Good Shepherd Christian Academy, (http://www.gscacademy.com/) our local Christian school, there is a genuine team in place. The goal of creating a school where children can learn in an atmosphere of academic excellence, be taught the truth of the Scripture, and see the Lordship of Jesus modeled in everyday life has brought together a group of people who give of themselves in amazing ways. They are from at least 8 different local congregations and yet they function as a tightly knit, well coached team! Their love for the mission and ministry supersedes the need to be a star, to earn a big salary, or to enjoy individual recognition. Go team!

I see the team spirit modeled in our church's music ministry. God has brought together skilled musicians and people who are passionate about music. None needs to shine individually. None insists on 'doing it his way.' They work together to create music that helps the people in the pews to open up their hearts to the Presence of God. As they give up their individuality, a symphony emerges; for the glory of God.

Teams will not function at a high level of effectiveness in an atmosphere of criticism or competitiveness. Those on the team must be individually motivated to give their best. They must desire the success of the team far more than their own glory. The old cliché says, "There is no 'I' in 'team!'" and it is true.

The Word says, "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV) There are key truths wrapped up in those few words.

First is this - "Consider!" The word is about taking time to think it through. Team unity and effort must be intentional. It does not just happen. We have to purposefully seek to build a team.

Second is "Spur one another on." That phrase is about getting the job done by calling each other to get with the program. We are not in a mutual admiration society where we only say nice things that cover mediocrity! Those who are on a team give each other a 'kick in the behind' when necessary, not because of selfishness, but to urge the highest level of participation!

Third is "Meet together." We give priority to the group and to coming together to strengthen our ties to one another.

Fourth is "Encourage one another!" The word in the Bible's original text is the same root word used as a title for the Holy Spirit, 'the Advocate, the Comforter.' We are to become advocates who offer cheers, support, and love to each other with the purpose of urging a maximum effort in the work of God.

And why do we do this?
Not for a Super Bowl ring or a trophy, not for a certificate of recognition. Peter says we do it to win an eternal "crown of glory that fadeth not away."

The Kingdom of God, when built on His Lordship, shaped by the Gifts of the Spirit, and oiled by generous amounts of bold love, brings amazing blessings to humanity. Are you part of the team of Believers building who are seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? Let's win together!

Here's a word from the Word. Think deeply on it today.
"If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead." (Philippians 2:1-3, The Message)

Having something or becoming someone?

Thinking; I've been doing a lot of that this week. My Dad is hospitalized after major surgery. Mom takes the night shift and I spend each day with him at the hospital- monitoring his care, helping him with the necessary stuff, talking about life, and watching him sleep. Life has come to a kind of standstill - a time to wait. Usually I live at a fast pace all day long, with my mind in high gear, dealing with people needs, church management, and in preparation to speak or teach.

But, last Monday, I left that all behind for a week to focus on my Dad. "Lord," I prayed, "I just want to offer him the gift of myself completely, my full attention, my love." At first, I was bored. Then, I felt anxious about work going undone. Then, with God's help I chose to relax 'into' the situation! I'm not in charge - of his illness, of his life, of the schedule; of much of anything this week. So, I think- mostly about God, life, choices, and mortality. Today I spent time while he napped pondering my value system. "Jerry, what are you spending your days to gain? When you're the guy in the hospital bed, will you be looking for the rewind button, full of regrets or will you be at peace?"

The default setting for Americans is one that reads - 'spend your life to get things.' We are programmed to get an education, choose a career, and start to work to create a stream of income so we can buy stuff. There is a promise implied in the "American Dream" that goes like this: "If you get more stuff, you will enjoy a better and happier life." To a limited degree, it works. It's nice to have enough money to buy the car we want, rather than just the one we need. Having a bigger house than we actually can live in is as American as apple pie! We heat and maintain 3,000 square feet of house and then actually spend 90% of our time in three rooms - kitchen, bedroom, and living room. The more stuff we have, the more money it takes to keep it all in good repair, insured, and safe. The bargain with the Devil is that now, as a result of our acquisitive ways, we have less time to enjoy the stuff we can afford; but, we keep buying. It's a fool's game. Many of us are certain that 'if we had more,' we would have a better life. I am not making a case for poverty here! God doesn't either. He does tell us that life's meaning can never be found in a bigger pile of stuff! "Life is not defined by what you have, even if you have a lot!" Luke 12.18 The Message

And, then there is this which has become a lot more clear to me this week: even if we do a great job in getting it, keeping it, and piling it higher - someday we will leave it all behind. The government and our kids will divide the pile and what nobody wants will end up at the Salvation Army or on the curb!

What if we focused on an entirely different goal - becoming somebody! No, not in the sense of fame or celebrity. What if we determined that the measure of a good day was not the size of the deal we closed, the hours we put on the clock for our paycheck, but by the ways we helped another person feel the love of God. That will not happen unless we radically accept God's love for ourselves, becoming centered and satisfied in Him, made emotionally whole, forgiven of our sins, and freed from the tyranny of ego! That's the sense in which I mention - becoming somebody. And, we continue - becoming - as God leads us on.

The most basic choice of this kind of life is one that goes against conventional wisdom. In the natural world being somebody means gaining influence, resources, and control. In God's wisdom, becoming a real somebody requires surrender! John Ortberg writes that "surrender is not passivity nor abdication. It is saying yes to God and life each day. It is accepting the gifts He has given to me - my body, my mind, my biorhythms, my energy. It is letting go of my envy or desire for what He has given to someone else. It is letting go of outcomes... Surrender is accepting reality ... the ultimate reality: I am a ceaseless being with an eternal destiny in God's great universe." {When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back Into the Box, 2007, Zondervan} It is, he says, the profound realization that I am not master of the game, Another is.

The depth of our surrender to Him directly effects the extent to which He is able to use us in His purpose of building the Kingdom of God - here and for eternity. Jesus says it most succinctly - "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it." (Mark 8:34-35, NLT)

What would life look like if instead of working to impress others, instead of building a network of power to defend our rights, instead of measuring ourselves by our ability to make situations fit into our expectations - we started each day by placing ourselves at God's disposal with no expectation other than to find the joy of obedience?

Might it mean that we would be as eager to stop and talk to the lonely old man at Dunkin' Donuts as we would be to try to capture the attention of an important man who passed by?

Might it mean that we took more of an interest in what our kids thought than the grades on their tests?

Might it mean that we would encourage our spouse to respond to God's leading instead of worrying about whether we were getting enough of her attention?

Might it mean that in place of lists of our demands that He make our lives easier we would pray conversationally with God, all day long, waiting to discover His will?

I hope this week is one that God uses to chisel another piece of Christlikeness into my life! Surrender, letting go, discovering the adventure of His purposes. I want, by the grace of God and the help of the Spirit, to live as a becomer, for the glory of God.

How about you?

More than "I hope so!"

Friend, there will come a moment when all you have professed to believe will be shaken to its foundations. As I talked with my Dad yesterday I realized anew just how important it is to know the Who, what, and why of our faith. Dad is dealing with the aftershocks of having a doctor tell him he has an inoperable tumor in his abdomen. He is drawing on every lesson, every Bible study, every song of his Christian life! He's been in tough times before, but this is a true 'life and death' struggle.

In this time he must dig down to the bedrock of faith - beyond emotionalism, beyond sentimentalism, beyond inspiring stories from Guideposts! If Dad were just now trying to lay the solid rock foundation for a life-sustaining, death-surviving faith, I am not at all certain it could be done. His many years of conversations with the Lord are now the substance of hope in his life. Long ago, Dad found the Scripture to be his source of wisdom. Long ago, he trusted Christ with his life- present and eternal. Thus, it is that today, despite the trials and uncertainties, he can rest secure on the Rock of his salvation. He is able to say, with conviction, "I know Whom I have believed and that He is able to guard that which I have entrusted to Him." (2 Timothy 1.12)

Faith is somewhat superfluous when our road in life is smooth and wide.
How much real faith does it require to sing, "God is Good, All the Time," when days are full of sunshine, when the horizons appear limitless?
When we are healthy, when our job is secure, when our spouse loves us; our prayers tend to be the perfunctory kind. In those seasons, and thank the Lord for the good times, many of us tend to let our spiritual experience become something less than the Bible's ideal of Christian discipleship. It isn't that we lose faith. We just let it get out of shape, without exercise!

God's wants us to live in pursuit of a disciplined development of character, to engage in study and understanding of Christian doctrine, to regularly practice loving service for others, and to allow Him to lead us outside of our comfort zone on regular basis. If that seems to involve rigor to you, you're right in your perception. Why work so hard at something that we cannot see, touch, or hold in our hands? Thus, when life is good, when we're living with the illusion of perpetual youth, vitality, and security, our 'worship' easily deteriorates into mere expressions of sentiment. We are drawn to a kind of 'Bible study' that is nothing more than a superficial search for the daily promise, or a short reading of 60 words from "God's Moment for the Busy 21st Century Saint!" Service that requires something of self-sacrifice becomes a job for 'somebody with more time.' Pleasure and games replace worship as a weekly commitment. We keep just enough 'faith' in play to keep our conscience quiet; keeping our Heaven policy 'in force.'

The Proverbs record this prayer, which only the bold will pray from their heart - "Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the Lord?" (Proverbs 30:8-9, NLT) Reflection will prove the wisdom of that prayer for about 99.9 % of us. Jesus asks us to consider the same principle when He says, "what does a man profit if he gains the whole world and in the process loses his soul?" It's not the wealth that is the problem. It is the way we respond with a misplaced confidence in it! We tend to get caught up in the deception that we can be gods in our own little universe.

If your life is blessed today, praise God and begin to 'lay up treasure' in Heaven, by building some real faith reserves. Friend, the steady practice of spiritual disciplines produces a harvest of righteousness from which we can be sustained in the lean times.

Worship faithfully.
Learn the Word and process the Truth so it is driven down deep to the core of your soul.
Don't let religious jargon that sounds like the real thing replace the Truth that will keep you in times of trials.

The Bible says, "Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul." (2 Timothy 2:15-17, The Message)
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My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' Name.

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand!- public domain

His Wonderful Presence

Last Friday morning, a phone call brought the news that Dad's surgeon had found an additional mass in his abdomen that he could not remove due to its location around his main arteries. While conclusive tests are not yet done, he offered his opinion that the tumor was treatable, but not likely curable. Coming at the end of a week in which the flu had weakened me physically, when important leadership issues are demanding greater efforts in my service as a Pastor; this news was just too much. I was temporarily overcome with despair. When I visited Dad's hospital room later that day I actually collapsed from the strain.

The entire day was full of inner struggles with faith, with questions for the Lord. Later that night, I drifted into a restless sleep, and awakened to prayer on Sat. morning 'round 2; not pleasant praise filled prayer, either. But, when we are faithless, He is faithful. At 4 am, the Lord showed up in my bedroom, with an indescribable comfort. He didn't tell me that Dad would be healed though that would be a wonderful development! He didn't tell promise me that a donor was about to send the church a $50,000 check. Yes, that too, would be a most welcome blessing! He gave me the Gift of Presence! In my heart I heard Him say, "Your Dad, the church, and you, Jerry, are held in the palm of my hand." I knew that already, but there are differing ways to 'know' truth, and I came to 'know' it in a new way! The Presence of the Lord made the difference.

Tom Edmunds, a dear friend who preached at the Assembly yesterday, took his text from Matthew's Gospel, from a story set in the context of the experiences of those who were Believers in the days immediately following the Resurrection. Despite the good news not everyone was comforted. We read, "When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!" (Matthew 28:17, NLT) Tom then continued by noting the response of the Risen Lord to the doubters. He did not berate, nor did he condemn them. Instead, He "came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ... I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-21, NLT) The promise of His Presence gave them the strength they needed! Every difficult experience is easier to endure when we have someone to share the burden. And no one bears the load like the Lord, if we wait on Him and let Him come near.

So, how can we live in His wonderful Presence?

Make the decision to Trust Him. Faith is both a gift from God and a choice we make. If we allow ourselves to be bitter, if we lash out and blame God, we cut ourselves off from the very One who can comfort us in our time of need. The ancient story of Job is a model for this. Job felt his pain, did not deny his sorrow, but he chose to trust God.

Wait, patiently, for the Lord. He allows us to walk in the dark for a time, but He is never far away, nor has He forgotten us. The Psalmist says, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." (37.7) That is a discipline we must learn if we want to know His Presence.

Reject temptation to sin in ways that provide temporary soothing of the soul! The Tempter is quick to exploit our pain and the appetites of the sinful nature grow stronger when our spirits weaken. Gluttony, lust, materialism - and more - take on new luster when we are hurting. The tragedy is that when we sin, guilt only increases our sense of distance from our Heavenly Father. Surround yourself with people who will urge you to do the right things when the storm is raging.

Worship- individually and with others! Yes, offer the sacrifices of praise to God. No, you don't have to insincerely say things you do not mean. You do not have to thank for the pain. Thank Him for Who He is, for What He has done in the past, for the promises you find about Him in His Word. One of the best hours in the past week was Sunday's worship service with God's people. The formal rituals and songs were like a salve for my soul, renewing my hope.

Here's a word from the Word. Take it with you today.
"The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go. I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell— that’s not my destination! Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way." (Psalm 16:7-11, The Message)

Choose your Master

Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life. That declaration is not one of arrogance, superiority, or lack of self-awareness. Despite being a Believer for 40 years and a 'professional Christian' in my vocation as a Pastor, making that statement true is a daily decision! I don't always get it right when it comes to discerning what His will is. I make mistakes. Honestly, sometimes I am an outright rebel deciding to do what I want to do despite knowing better. Some days, serving Jesus honorably is a a real struggle as Ego fights for control. Yes, there are times when the Spirit is near, the Word is clear. But, I know this... there is a choice to make: today, tomorrow, and each day until I am made perfect when I am called into Eternity. It comes down to this - Is Jesus the Lord and Master of all of my life; or is He just my Friend, whose advice I seek when things are hard, or when I sense I can't control my circumstances?

Let's be clear about something. We cannot save ourselves from judgment. We cannot, apart from the intervention of the Holy Spirit, will ourselves to please God. But, He has given me the privilege of choosing to live 'in the Spirit' or serving Self. The Word teaches us: "Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." (Romans 6:16, NLT)

How do we choose our Master?

There is Faith. Without faith, the Bible says, we cannot please God! Doing what Jesus wants done runs against our natural desires and wisdom. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to love the unlovely, to give to those who cannot reciprocate, to live for Heaven instead of Today! So, we pray, "Lord, increase my faith!"

There is Surrender. Paul uses some brutal language to describe this. He says, "I die daily!" and "I am crucified with Christ!" Half measures just will not do. You cannot really know what it means to serve the Lord if you hold onto yourself, any more than you can really enjoy all of the intimacies of marriage if you insist on maintaining an entirely separate emotional life from your spouse!

There is Declaration. "Well, Jerry, I'm not really sure if I should go public about being a Christian." Yes, you should, for many of the same reasons that I wear a wedding band signifying that I am Bev's husband. That little gold ring is a powerful symbol of commitment. The Bible teaches us about baptism as a way of making a public statement of our identification with Christ. It also teaches us about 'confessing that Christ is Lord.' Yes, there needs to be a lot of humility. Friends and family need to know that we have given ownership of our lives to Jesus, and they need to hear us admit to being a work in progress.

There is the Process. Once we have accepted Christ as Lord and invited Him to take charge, it will be amazing and sometimes disconcerting to discover how many issues will arise over time. Battles rage! Gradually the Spirit helps us to extend the rule of God into different areas of our lives - relationships, finances, security, sex - to name a few.

Choose your Master!
What's the benefit?
In Christ, we learn to love and we learn to live in love.
In obedience, we find deeper intimacy with God.
In surrender, we enjoy the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
By faith, we are blessed with wisdom beyond ourselves.
We discover the potential of being the person that God designed us to be.

Here's a word from the Word. Take it with you today. "Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace....
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children." (Romans 8:5-6, 12-16, NLT)

All my tomorrows,
all my past,
Jesus is Lord of all.
I've quit my struggles,
Contentment at last,
Jesus is Lord of all.
All of my conflicts,
All my thoughts,
Jesus is Lord of all.

King of kings,
Lord of lords,
Jesus is Lord of all;
All my possessions
And all my life,
Jesus is Lord of all.

Jesus Is Lord of All
© 1973 William J. Gaither, Inc. ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management
CCLI License No. 810055

"Not an ounce of quit in him!"

I watched two hours of primary election returns last night, fascinated by this election's twists and turns - particularly by the comeback of John McCain. This is not an endorsement of a candidate. Hang with me. Back in July, McCain's campaign was 'over.' All the talking heads agreed that because he had no money left in his campaign and could not raise any; because his poll numbers had plummeted into single digits; and especially because he was just 'on the wrong side of the issues of the war in Iraq and immigration,' there was no way for him to win. So, they said! But, the 71 year old Senator kept going. He gave up most of his staff, flew in coach seats from DC to New Hampshire every weekend, carried his own bags, and drove himself to meetings with little groups of voters. According to one of his campaign staff, there is 'not an ounce of quit in him.' And, last night, his gritty determination paid off with a win. I still disagree with most of his policy positions, but I find myself inspired by his courage, stamina, and passion.

Only God knows why life sometimes slides into reverse! But, it does! Problems start to outnumber solutions. Opponents gather to tell us we're wrong. Health problems show up. Expenses are bigger than income. Friends turn on us. Ever been there? I have and I do not like it, not even a little. Even more troubling than the external problems are the self-doubts that starts to nag at the edges of our minds in those times. They tell us that we're yesterday's news, that it's time to step aside and let somebody with new ideas take over, or that God has sidelined us. When I find myself there, I naturally want to pray that God will smooth out the bumps. "Give me a miracle!" I cry. He can, sometimes does, but usually He asks me to keep going, straight into the struggles! He says, "Pray for courage. Ask for strength. See it through." "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:21, NIV)

Read the book of the Acts of the Apostles without the triumphal filter that is so often laid over it by preachers! You will find a story of gritty determination, of men and women with a steely faith, who would not quit. Paul and his companions were thrown out of city after city, sometimes imprisoned, more than once left for dead. In one city this was the message they preached: "strengthening the disciples (they) encouraged them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said." (Acts 14:22, NIV)

Believer, let's get a new grasp on what God wants done. Many around us have functionally if not intellectually adopted Nietzsche's declaration that "God is dead!" They live without moral compass, at the mercy of their emotions, serving no higher purpose than momentary happiness. "If it feels good, do it" reigns as the philosophy of this age. Those of us who claim to love God, to be disciples of Jesus Christ, and who are filled with His Spirit must have none of that! We are called to build the Kingdom of God, to be people of compassion, to revere life, to care for all that God created and put in our care. We must, if necessary, give our lives to bring peace, to defend the weak, to call others to love and serve our God. It will be costly!

Sometimes the process will not make much sense. Don't race to the conclusion. God's pace and plans are often not ours. So trust Him. As Paul reminds the Corinthians, "judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5, NIV)

Thanks, John McCain, for a great lesson in courage, both in recent months and in your earlier years when you survived the horrors of a prison of war camp in Hanoi!
______________________

My faith has found a resting place,
not in device nor creed.
I trust the Ever Living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea.
It is enough that Jesus died,
and that He died for me.

My heart is standing on the Word,
the living Word of God.
Salvation by my Savior's Name,
Salvation by His blood.
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea.
It is enough that Jesus died,
and that He died for me.

- Lidie Edmunds, public domain

All He wants me to be

Americans are a competitive lot, always comparing! We create all kinds of lists of winners and losers: The 100 richest people, the worst-dressed, the best-dressed, who's hot, who's not. So, what's the matter with that? All that comparing and measuring is a source of great anxiety, and worse, the cause of many sins. Core characteristics of Christ-followers are humility and contentment, traits that cannot flourish in the life of someone who is constantly calculating his wins and losses while striving to improve his social status! I see this competition for status even among Pastors. When we get together we ask, "so how's your church doing?" Almost always that is code for "how many people are attending your services these days?" The guy who is preaching to a thousand instantly enjoys more status than the guy who is preaching to 100. We seldom stop to consider that even a circus can attract a big crowd. We ought to be concerned with spiritual growth, with deepening devotion, with fidelity to the Truth of the Word as measures of success in ministry, but instead, we look at crowds - the most most superficial measure of success. I believe it was Richard Foster who observed that many of us 'buy things we do not need to impress people we do not like!' Such is the seduction of image and status.


When we are driven by a need for the approval of others to validate our personal worth, we will certainly concern ourselves less about being authentically good and more about 'looking good.' Let me illustrate what I mean in this way. A young man decides that he will start going to the gym to improve his health. He starts working out with the best of motives - being healthy. Then, he sees some great bodies, sharp muscle definition, appearing amazingly fit; and he learns that with some help from chemicals and steroids he can have a body like that with much less effort on his part. With injections and pills, he achieves the look, but actually destroys his health in the process. Stupid, right? Sure is, but people do that in every area of life. A person marries another because they are beautiful not because they will be a great life partner. A person takes a job because it pays a great salary, not because it provides an opportunity to use their abilities in the best way.


Believer, do you realize that your spiritual life can be co-opted in the same way? It is possible to do all the right things for all the wrong reasons. You can attend worship regularly in order to build a strong relationship with the Body of Christ, or you can do it because it causes others to admire your dedication. Prayer, Bible Study, Christian service can be done to please God and enhance spiritual vitality; or they can be done to gain status in a spiritual community. Spiritual acts done in the service of self are corrupt and soon develop the stench of all things rotten!

In Matthew 6, Jesus spoke to prayer, giving, and fasting illustrating the importance of keeping God as the focus of our spiritual service. He reminds us that if we do our spiritual disciplines to gain the approval of others, the sole benefit will be their applause!

"When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. ...

And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? "Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. ...

When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint." (Matthew 6:2, 5-6, 16, The Message)

I have known many who live to impress others, who desperately needs that applause and approval. Those who chose that way of life turn the world into their stage and, day after day, write a script that allows them to be the star in their own little production. It is a pathetic thing to behold. As that person ages, as he reaches the limits of accomplishment, others who are younger, stronger; who can do the dance better and faster, will take center stage. What then, for the one who lives on the praise of the audience? Only tragic sadness, only bitterness!

Here's the most wonderfully amazing truth - God loves you completely just as you are! There is nothing you can do that will make Him love you more than He does at this moment. Your significance as a person, your worth, is secure in His love. Settle that for yourself, then begin to live for the approval of just One Person. Make it your goal to be all He wants you to be, no more, no less. That, dear Believer, is genuine humility and leads to sweet contentment.

Here's a word from the Word. Think on it today - "A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God." (1 Timothy 6:6, The Message)

Safe in the Rock

Temptation is common to us all!
Sometimes temptation arrives like a tornado: quick, violent, then gone.
Sometimes it sidles up to us seductively, whispering invitations to illicit behaviors into our ear.
Sometimes it comes at us like a tidal wave threatening to engulf us and sweep us away.
Sometimes it wraps itself in the gleam of a new idea, offering us 'wisdom' that seems so right at that moment.
And, sometimes it sets up camp like a besieging army, attempting to hold us captive until we acquiesce to its demands.

Yes, I have experienced temptation in all these ways. A few days ago, a temptation to rage suddenly blew into my mind with such force that I felt physically nauseated! I had to leave my office for a while until I could find a place in prayer where I found God's power to overcome it. I have heard greed whisper to my soul. When dealing with situations that defy my control, more than once in my life I have felt the icy water of fear rising in me trying to choke me with terror. My mind occasionally becomes intrigued with a rebel idea that would, given even a bit of attention, draw me from the Truth of Jesus. The battle is sometimes fierce!

Where does temptation come from? The Scripture teaches us that there are three sources: the World, the Sinful Nature, and the Devil!

The systems that surround us that are not centered in God and good (the world!) become a rich source of thoughts that can potentially lead us into temptation. For example, next time you're watching television, consciously note the messages woven into the program content and the commercials. You will not need deep insight to find themes of greed, sensuality, materialism, and selfishness packaged quite attractively! When we are immersed too long in the 'world' the lure of temptation will inevitably increase. That is why the Word tells us "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15, NIV)

The sinful nature remains a part of us even after the Spirit of God brings us new life in Christ! Writing to Believers about the two kinds of ways to live, Paul says, "The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ... Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives." (Galatians 5:17, 25, NLT) In older translations of the Bible in place of 'sinful nature,' we read 'the flesh.' Why? Because we experience most of the temptations of the sinful nature in terms of our natural body's appetites and desires. Lust, gluttony, craving for pleasure, ease, laziness - are some of the ways that we experience temptation of the sinful nature.

Need I write much about the Devil? Many Believers give the Evil One too much power, by fearing him too greatly, or by attributing too many temptations that come from other sources to him. Yes, he is a fearsome foe. He hates God and good and exploits any and every situation where he finds an opening to do his devilish work. But after warning of his activity, Peter also tells us that we can drive him away. Take a look. "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith." (1 Peter 5:8-9, NLT)

Here's the good news! In Christ, we are victors, not victims. "If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." (1 Corinthians 10:12-13, NLT)

Take your stand; not in your own goodness, not in your own determination, not even in your own intelligence. Religious rules, self-help, and behavioral modification techniques are limited in what they offer us as Believers to overcome temptation. Our true source of strength is found in the Presence of Christ who died to free us from the tyranny of temptation and the Spirit of God who gives us life. Here's a word from the Word. Trust the truth and be an overcomer. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. ... You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. ... those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8: 1-2, 9, 14, NIV)
______________________

A mighty Fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, ( meaning - General of Heaven's Armies!) His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world,
With devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear,
For God hath willed,
His will to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure,
For, lo,
his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Martin Luther © Public Domain

Another dimension to life

Occasionally I have an experience that refreshes my appreciation of my relationship with the Lord. In a conversation with a couple of guys who had no idea that I am a Christian or a pastor, I listened to them brag about their drinking habits, their pursuit of 'babes,' and their various weekend diversions. The emptiness of their lives stood in stark contrast to the fullness of my own! Please do not misunderstand my attitude here. I am not crawling up on a pedestal to look down on others. Like Paul, I know that "God was kind! He made me what I am, and his wonderful kindness wasn’t wasted." (1 Corinthians 15:10, CEV)

Next week Bev and I will celebrate our 33rd anniversary, thanks be to God's goodness. In my marriage, I have a source of joy that my 'babe chasing' friend, whose marriage ended because of his wandering ways, cannot know. In that same conversation, another person made reference to the fact that he had fulfilled his 'Christmas obligations' by spending a day with his adult son and daughter, with the implication it was not something he did gladly. I enjoy my children's love and esteem, not because I am better or brighter than him, but because the Holy Spirit helped me to love and nurture them as a godly father through the years. My life is crowded with friends, abounding in hope and purpose, and my eternal home secure in Christ! What more could I want or need?

From time to time, someone will say "You're so lucky. You lead a charmed life, that knows so little of problems or sadness." I smile and thank the Lord! But, the truth is that my sojourn on this planet has not been a walk in the park without trials, temptation, or tribulation. I've known sorrow, seduction of the sinful nature, and disappointment as much as any other man. The difference is that those things have not broken me, because I do not walk alone. God has led me through dark valleys and His promise has proven true - "I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe." (Psalm 23:4, CEV)

Once again, let me emphasize I do not write these words to boast, but to exult in the amazing grace of God! I deserve judgment; I am gifted with life abundant! Yes, to be sure, there are choices to be made and I am responsible for choosing, day after day, to say "yes" to Him, in order to continue to know His goodness. But, even those choices are empowered by the Spirit who works deeply in me, drawing me to the Presence and favor of God, in Christ Jesus.

Are you 'rich toward God?' (Luke 12:21) Are you pursuing Him, seeking to live in the center of His goodness, enjoying the wealth of His favor? You can! I do not belong to an exclusive club that is open only to those of some special bloodline or heritage. I received the grace of God, and you can receive Him, too.

Here's what the Word says. "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 5:21-6:2, NLT)

Choose now to receive the gift of God's undeserved favor. Let Him hide your life in Christ. I cannot promise you that all your troubles will go away. Neither the Scripture nor my experience of the Christian life would support such a claim. But I can promise you that you will find a whole new dimension to life, one that is beyond the reach of those who live apart from the Spirit!
__________________

How rich I am
since Jesus came my way,
Redeemed my soul and
turned my night to day.
How very rich, how very rich I am!

Such peace and joy
I never knew before.
And countless blessings from
His boundless store.
How very rich, how very rich I am!

There's a greater glory in a sunset,
A brighter twinkle in a star,
There's much more promise in a rainbow
More music in a singing bird by far;

All things have changed
my eyes once blind can see,
The whole wide world is
now a symphony,
And with all this,
heav'n is my destiny,
How rich I am!

© 1956. Renewed 1984 John W. Peterson Music Company CCLI License No. 810055

Politics and me

America is now officially in the Presidential selection process. Iowans caucus tonight, followed by primaries across these United States in coming weeks. You know that, right? Unless you're living without electricity, somewhere in a wilderness cabin, you cannot avoid seeing Obama, Clinton, Edwards, Huckabee, McCain, Giuliani, and Romney. I hope that you will see the process as an opportunity for more than just casting a vote. This is a time for conversations about which way our country will turn in the next year. Believer, I urge you to engage your mind and integrate the Truth to which you lay claim into the dialogue. Anyone who thinks that politics and faith do not intersect has not read much of the Old Testament prophets. Those men fearless called on their kings to lead the people with justice and in righteousness.

Know this, too. There is more to the conversation than abortion and/or same sex marriage! Yes, I am concerned about protection for the unborn child and believe that our government policies should defend the defenseless one in the womb. I am troubled by the trend to extend the same recognition to homosexual households that are enjoyed by heterosexual couples. Marriage is sacred and foundational to a secure social structure. However, I am also deeply concerned about government policies that insure economic opportunities for everyone, that our policies encourage care for the Creation for which God has made us responsible, and that justice for all become more than rhetoric. We need to talk about our willingness to go to war and what the concept of 'just war' means in the world today. Believer, we cannot allow ourselves to be drawn in by politics as usual that appeals to our self interest. I encourage you to think of the interest of others, including those who are not American, in your politics.

During this election I am going to try to think less as a Republican or a Democrat and more as a Christian! I hope that you will, too. We may not find ourselves in one big block of votes, supporting a single candidate that takes positions we find in keeping with our convictions. But we can raise a witness and have a powerful effect on the political process when we intelligently bring our faith to the process on every issue, not just the ones that are easy or traditionally of concern to Believers. Let's not become predictably 'left' or 'right' or 'conservative' or 'liberal' or PBS or FoxNews!

Let's become prophetic! Let's adopt the courage and conviction of men like Amos who shouts - "let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" (Amos 5:24, NIV); and Micah who cries out "O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8, NLT) "How can I tolerate your merchants who use dishonest scales and weights? The rich among you have become wealthy through extortion and violence. Your citizens are so used to lying that their tongues can no longer tell the truth." (Micah 6:11-12, NLT)

And do not forget the powerful effect of the prayers of those who fear God. "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior." (1 Timothy 2:1-3, NIV)

Better

On this second day of 2008, as I look out over a new year, I see much for which to be personally thankful. I am blessed man, with a loving family, a warm and safe home, more resources than I need, and a knowledge of God's gracious love. However, it is crystal clear to me that the blessings I enjoy are not given to me so to insulate me from the need of the world in which I live! There is a temptation to turn my eyes from suffering, to give myself to pleasant diversions, to become another happily apathetic person who lives in a bubble of undisturbed bliss. Is the 'good life' really focused on finding the best restaurant, getting the best seat at the movies, buying a bigger screen TV, or playing a better game? For many Americans that is it! Why trouble one's self about children in developing nations that are sick and/or hungry? Why let issues of injustice in far away cities be of concern? Why give sacrificially to the support the work of church or charity when there is no immediate benefit except to reduce one's taxes?

Jesus told a story that I think is particularly appropriate to my life (and perhaps to yours?) here at the beginning of 2008. Take a look. "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’" (Luke 12:16-17, NLT) In short, he was blessed! He did what comes naturally to us. Instead of recognizing the Source of his blessings and participating in God's work with his surplus, he hoarded it for himself. "Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, "My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!" (Luke 12:18-19, NLT) Do not make the mistake of misreading the lesson in Jesus' story. He is not condemning wealth, nor is He condemning wise stewardship. He is challenging the idea that we can be self-sufficient and He is reminding us of the importance of remaining in touch with God and His purposes even when life is filled with blessings. He closes the story with words that are strikingly harsh - "Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’ "That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God." (Luke 12:20-21, The Message)

My word for this year of 2008 is "better."

I am praying that God will help me to use the skills, the resources, and the opportunities that are uniquely available to me to make my world a better place. I do not labor under any delusions of changing history. I care nothing for notoriety. I aim to be faithful so that I can enjoy the smile of the Great Keeper of Records and have a sense that my life was invested in a purpose bigger than making Jerry's days a little more pleasant. I want to help the one who is ready to quit in despair find enough hope to keep trying. I want to give a little child the security of knowing they are loved. I want to point the one who is seeking for life to the Loving Lord who gives lasting life. I want to encourage a Believer to discover the joy of being who God wants him to be. Each day I want to leave the world that I walk through, just a tiny bit better, God helping me!

What blessings has God invested in you?
What are you doing with those opportunities?

In 2 Kings, there is a story of provision. The Arameans were besieging the city of Samaria. The city was starving. Elisha, God's prophet, told them that in one day there would be an abundance of food. His words were met with scorn. Meanwhile, four men with leprosy whose disease had made them into social outcasts, were outside of the city walls starving. In their desperate plight, they decided to go to the Aramean army. When they got to the camp, they found that God had caused the soldiers to run off, leaving behind all of their tents and provisions. These lepers feasted until one of them realized that they had a greater responsibility. Here are their words, which I pray will be words that challenge us to use God's blessings in a better way: "We shouldn’t be doing this! This is a day of good news and we’re making it into a private party! If we wait around until morning we’ll get caught and punished. Come on! Let’s go tell the news ..." (2 Kings 7:9, The Message)
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A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powr's engage
To do my Master's will!

Arm me with jealous care,
As in Thy sight to live,
And O, Thy servant, Lord, prepare,
A strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely,
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall forever die.

A Charge to Keep I Have
Charles Wesley © Public Domain

Course correction due?

A couple I know recently turned a 45 minute trip into a 3 hour journey! How? They missed just one turn and, because they were in an unfamiliar area, did not realize their mistake. If my friends had consulted a map, they would have spared themselves a long detour. Years ago, when I was a student pilot, I set off on a flight on a bright sunny day and about an hour later came to the realization that I was far from the course that I had planned to fly. My airplane was pointed in the right direction, but because I was a rookie, I was not aware of the cross winds that were having a major effect on my true course. If I had kept my flight charts open and checked them, I would have quickly known about those winds. It is possible to think you're making great progress while traveling in the wrong direction!

At this year's end, we have the opportunity to check our progress in life. We need to ask ourselves some hard questions, make certain that we are 'on course.' Perhaps you think that your life is going in the right direction because you're feeling good, having fun, and are self-satisfied. The truth is that we need a way to evaluate our lives using a guide that is outside of ourselves. That is where the importance of the wisdom of the Scripture, the counsel of mature Believers, the guidance of the Spirit, and the practice of regular corporate worship enter the picture!

More than just doing 'good' things, a Believer is called to live in the purposes of God. Rick Warren coined the phrase, the "purpose driven life." He proposes that instead of letting life happen to us, reacting to situations that develop around us as we drift from day to day, that we learn what God desires of us, set our course, and fulfill His plans. Through the preacher Jeremiah God told His people who had let themselves fall far from their holy calling that He had not forgotten or forsaken them. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13, NIV)

In order to find those plans and that promised destiny, we must commit ourselves to obedience and we need to do regular course corrections, asking:
"Am I making the choices God wants me to make or following my own desires?
Am I consistently doing what is right or taking the easy way of expedience?
Am I intentionally growing in character or drifting with the crowd and the current?"

December 31st is just another day on the calendar, another flip of the page. However, it is a reminder that a course correction might be due. I urge you to spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of those choices you're making that need to be brought into line with the purposes of God.

Perhaps you have made a wrong turn. If you're tolerating something that you know is not pleasing to Him, determine today to change course. Don't wait until you're far from the Way! And know this, too; everyone of us, even those who make good, God-honoring decisions from day to day, have to deal with crosswinds. Temptations arise and threaten to blow us off course. Illness, job loss, political change, and other factors beyond our control brings storms that effect our progress, but if we are guided by the Spirit, they will not take us from His purposes!

Here's a word from the Word. God asks His people to evaluate their lives.
Let these ancient words speak to you today.

"Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways! "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes." Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified," says the Lord." (Haggai 1:5-8, NKJV)

I pray that His Purposes will become your purposes and that you will find, in Him, a glorious "hope and future."

Happy New Year!

Reason for Joy

Imagine a world without Jesus Christ. I am not blind to the fact that many terrible things have been done in His name. However, I also know that because of Him, the world is a better place! He ended the time of brutal and blind justice expressed in the phrase "an eye for an eye," and taught us to forgive those who sin against us. This, He said, is how God treats those who come to Him seeking forgiveness. He took up the cause of the oppressed, the weak, the marginalized and taught us the value of all persons. At a time when children did not count for much, He held them in His arms and taught us that knowing God was possible only to the one with the faith and heart of a child. He took God from behind the curtains of the Temple and brought Him to us, teaching us that He is not just the Transcendent Almighty One. He is also the Waiting Father who looks down the road for us to come home. And, yes, He erased the debt of sin by becoming 'sin for us' and dying on the Cross as the Final Sacrifice.

No wonder the angels prefaced His birth with the announcement of "Good news of great joy for all the people!" In Luke 4, when Jesus was beginning His ministry, we are told that He read the prophecy of Isaiah in the synagogue of Nazareth, choosing this text - "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies." (Isaiah 61:1-2, NLT) Before He sat down that day, He astonished the congregation telling them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:21, NKJV)

The prophecy He read alluded to the Year of Jubilee, the 50th year in the cycle of 7's that God told Israel to observe. At the end of the 7th cycle of 7's, debts were to be forgiven, slaves freed, and society was to be given a new beginning. It was a radical plan and most scholars agree that the Jews observed it only symbolically, if at all.

Jesus says that His ministry is a time of Jubilee - a new beginning, a time of cancelled debts, a era of freedom! And, dear Believer, that is the message He entrusts to you and to me. Wherever we go, in His Name, we announce a new era for humanity, a time of new hearts, fresh starts, and freedom. We are not people of the Letter of the Law that brings death. We are people of the Spirit, who gives Life.

It is my passion to have a ministry of grace that builds bridges for all people to know God's Presence and Power through Christ Jesus.

There is a message of Christmas that is sentimental and sweet, centered on a young mother, a patient father, and a Baby in a manger. However, that is not the Message of Christmas. The real message was the one that God sent to the shepherds - "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."(Luke 2:9-12, NIV) He is both Messiah and Master, the Promised One for whom you have longed for ages, and the One who will defeat sin, death, and Hell!

Believer, embrace that message. At the invitation of Christ, come home to your Father. He will give you back what sin stole from you, release you from the debts that enslave you, teach you how to live as God planned for you to live, and give you hope and a future. Wow! All that, and Heaven, too.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere!
Go, tell it on the mountain,
that Jesus Christ is born!
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TFTD will be back on January 2. It's time to take a break, recharge the batteries, and spend some time with family.

Thank you for reading along for another year. I pray that my early morning musings on His Word are helping you to live in the Kingdom.

You're invited to be in Worship at the Assembly on Christmas Eve at 7 PM.
In a beautiful service of Carols and Communion, we will give thanks for our Jubilee!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

"Fear not!"

I am not a coward, nor am I given to running from life's challenges; but I sometimes experience fear! Knowing just how vulnerable I am to things as widely varied as microscopic viruses, out of control tractor trailer trucks, and the up's and down's of the national economy - is enough to make me quake! The best that I can do is limited risk management, trying to reduce the impact that the unplanned and the unforeseen can have on my life. That said, I do not spend a whole lot of time focusing on the potential dangers that lurk all around me. There is simply too much living to do! I will not let fear take away the joy of living.

My best ally in dealing with the uncertainties of life is the Almighty!

My life is in His hands. Either I trust Him or I do not; there is no middle ground. He is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all. When I am tempted to be fearful, I renew my understanding of His rule over every part of my life and my desire to live in the center of His will. I am not claiming that I understand everything that happens to me or to those around me. The phrase, "God's will," is much abused and misunderstood even by Believers. In a recent conversation with a person who had relocated to a new city, a new job, far from home, I asked, "so how did you come to make this decision?" Without a pause she answered, "God told me to move. It was His will." I do not doubt her sincerity for a moment, but I found her words jarring. Inwardly I thought, "You mean to tell me that you had no part in this decision? You weren't attracted by better money, or a different climate, or the fact that friend lived there? It was just 'God's will' pure and simple?"

For me the will of God is much less concrete than it seems to be for my friend! I seldom make a claim like she made. Why? Do I lack faith? No! But I know well what He declares in the prophecies of Isaiah - "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." (Isaiah 55:8 NIV) I know that I am incapable of knowing all of His purposes, and that because I am still a creature of two natures - spiritual and sinful - it is entirely possible that I will get it wrong when it comes to my motives and actions. My faith is set on the fact that He is greater than my failures and that He is capable of working through, around, and in all the circumstances of life - the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly!

He is God and I am not - therefore, I will not fear. He says to me, "For I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name. I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand— I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people." (Isaiah 51:15-16, NIV)

In the story of the birth of Christ the phrase, "Fear not!" is recorded on three separate occasions when persons encountered the messengers of the Lord.

Mary, when she was told that she would be the mother of Jesus, was not elated. Luke tells us that at first she was "confused and disturbed" by God's will. But, the angel assured her that God's favor would rest on her and then he said, "Fear not!"
Joseph heard that his fiancé was pregnant and he knew he had not slept with her. He was torn between his desire to love her and his honor. He had decided to quietly end the engagement when the Lord showed up and told him "fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." (Matthew 1:20, KJV) Isn't it amazing? Basically, Joseph is told, "just trust Me!" And, he did!
Zechariah was doing his priestly work, offering incense on the prayer altar, when he was told that he was about to become a Daddy. The only thing was that Elizabeth, his wife, had been unable to conceive and was now by all human accounts too old to have a child! How did Zechariah respond? "He was troubled and fear fell on him." (Luke 1.12) And what did God say? You've figured it out by now, right? Yes, you're right - "Fear not!"

Mary did not know how it was going to work out, what God's announcement would mean for her life, but she trusted God anyway.
Joseph did not have any explanation for a virgin's pregnancy, but he was willing to step over his lack of understanding and do what God wanted him to do as he trusted the Sovereign Lord.
Zechariah took a while to come around, but he gained a deeper knowledge of the Person of the God he served, and came to trust Him completely.

Now the question comes to you and me - will we trust Him with all things? Will we argue for fuller explanations, demand that He make His plans, even for tomorrow, crystal clear?
Or will we hear Him say, "Fear not!" and choose to live faithfully, just for today?

Here is His promise to those who trust and obey:
"God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV) "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6, NIV)
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Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ.
While fields and floods,Rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove.
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, and wonders of His love.

Joy To The World
Watts, Isaac / Handel, George Frederick© Public Domain

TFTD today is compiled from excerpts from Stories Behind The Great Traditions of Christmas (Zondervan).

Up until about 350 years ago, the only real Christian holiday was Easter. As Christ's birth was an important part in the Bible, folks wanted to mark it as they did their own birthdays. At first different churches chose different days, with early January being the most common. Yet the church ultimately moved it to December 25 in an attempt to erase a Roman celebration of the time. This pagan holiday centered on Saturn and involved a lot of drinking, partying and about every sin that could be imagined. Church leaders felt that if Christmas were celebrated on December 25, the depraved behavior would change. In truth, in the old Roman Empire, it did not. Folks forgot the Roman holiday, but exhibited the same behavior on Christmas. In other words, in many places, such as England, the partying at Christmas, the drinking and violence, continued for over a thousand years. In fact, the New York City police department was started to combat the criminal behavior that took place on Christmas Day. In the U.S., Congress met on Christmas Day for almost 70 years.

Believe it or not, for Americans, Christmas, the joyful day of Peace on Earth, is only about 160 years old. A Christian, an educator and a father named W. Clement Moore, first published, "'Twas The Night Before Christmas." Initially this poem established Santa Claus as an important facet of the American Christmas, but that was really just the beginning of Moore's magic. Christmas was a holiday that was all but ignored in the New World until the poem opened the door for real celebrations. When combined with the popularity of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," and the traditions brought to England and America by Prince Albert from Germany, the holiday began to focus on children. Finally, in the United States, churches began to open on Christmas Day for worship. The government got with the program and closed up shop for Christmas. Business shut down as well. By the Civil War, Christmas became a day of staying with family. Also, Moore's poem opened up the door for gifting giving to become an important part of Christmas. For English and American Christians, who for centuries had little positive to embrace at Christmas and the Church who all but ignored it, it was Santa Claus who saved the holiday and brought Jesus back into the spotlight.

Santa Claus?
Two wonderful Christian men really began the Santa Claus legend through their selfless actions and their faith. The first was Nicholas, a priest who gave presents to poor peasant children in the third century, even before the church actually recognized the holiday. The second was a devout duke in Borivoy, who became the leader of Bohemia at a very early age. Each Christmas Eve, this man would go through the snow giving out gifts to his poorest subjects. We now remember him through the song he inspired, "Good King Wenceslas." These two probably shaped the image and personality of Santa more than any others.

Christmas 'colors' - The gold is easy; this is the color of royalty and the most precious metal on earth. It was also one of the gifts to Jesus from the wise men. The red and green can really be traced to several different important traditions, such as holly and ivy, wreaths, Christmas trees, as well as mistletoe, all initially pagan symbols, given new life and depth through Christian faith. In essence, the green represented life that went on through the difficult times of winter, just like faith that could not die in the difficult times of life, and the red reminded Christians that Christ's blood was shed on the cross for sins, the real reason for His coming to earth in the first place.

X in Xmas?
Few know that using X as a sign for Christ predates even our initial celebrations of Christmas. X or Chi is the first letter of Christ's name in Greek. Many early followers of Christ were Greek and would place an X over their doors or wear something on their persons with this letter to reflect their faith as a disciple of Christ. For more than 1,000 years, the church spelled out Christmas with just an X. It was not done to take Christ out of Christmas, but to put Him there where everyone, even those who could not read, could understand that this day of worship was for the Son of God.
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Keep Christ in your celebration!

While the Bible says nothing about December 25, blinking lights, decorated trees, or rotund jolly men dressed in red suits - it does tell us about God's Gift - 'wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.' Angels announced the birth as reason for great praise and as a sign of peace and the arrival of God's favor for all of humanity. A world without Jesus is beyond imagination. His birth and life changed history, and His death and resurrection changes our destiny, promising us eternal life.

Here's a word from the Word on which to meditate today-- "...Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! . . . that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-8, 10-11, NIV)

"Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the Newborn King!"

Time to follow?

In the Spring of 1971, I started learning how to be a pilot. The first flights were exciting in spite of the fact that we never left the vicinity of the airport. The instructor taught me the basics of aerodynamics, the various control operations of the airplane, and the 'feel' of flying. Shortly after my 16th birthday, in July of that year, we did the usual stuff - the preflight, the review of what maneuvers George planned for me to learn that day, and then off we went for a short flight in the 'pattern.' That means we took off, flew a short distance, made a climbing 90 degrees left turn, then another. Leveling out at about 1000' above the ground, we flew parallel to the runway, past the end of it, then started a descending 90 degree left turn, and another, going into short final and a landing. George asked me to taxi to the office and did something he had never done before. He got out of the airplane, leaned back into the cockpit and said, "Jerry, go ahead and take her 'round the pattern a couple of times!" Then he turned, closed the door, and left behind a young man who was possessed of equal parts of terror and excitement. It was time to fly. If I would not do this, then I could abandon my dream of being a pilot. I distinctly remember the sweat of fear that dripped from my forehead as I taxied to the end of the runway. My feet literally vibrated on the rudder pedals because I was trembling! For a moment I wondered if I was ready to commit myself to the sky alone in that tiny Cessna 150. With a push of the throttle , the plane started to pick up speed, then with a bit of pressure on the yoke, I was free of the earth, and I could say I was a rookie pilot!

Jesus said, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it." (Mark 8:34-35, NKJV) There is a moment of decision when the Lord asks each one of us, "Are you ready to become my disciple?" Just as I did not become a pilot by hanging around the airport, or even by sitting in airplanes, we do not become Christian disciples by going to church or joining a ministry or learning Bible verses. Though those things are valuable parts of the process, there must be a moment of irrevocable decision to relinquish one's life to the Lordship of Jesus with complete trust! I had to commit myself to the task of learning to fly and then actually do it!

I am convinced that many people who experience 'Christianity' as unfulfilling or boring feel that way because they are not, in fact, disciples of Jesus Christ. They are dabblers, inquirers, hangers-on, but not followers who have taken up the cross of self-denial and adopted the will of God as their singular passion. I read this statement recently, "Without real discipleship there is trust in God, but there is not a genuine following of Christ.. Cheap grace is a deadly enemy." (Shane Warren, Enrichment, Winter, 2008) Cheap grace causes people to believe that they can enjoy the benefits of being a Christian without practicing the spiritual disciplines that make a mature Believer of solid character. Disciples know they are (by very definition of the word) followers, not leaders of the parade. They embrace the fact that they have few rights and many obligations. They serve the purpose of Another. So why would anyone want to be a disciple? Because Jesus Christ promises this to those who follow Him closely: life, not death!

You might be thinking, "But, Jerry, I am alive!" And so you are, which is a good thing. However, the life we live on this earth is a ephemeral thing, quickly passing. Just yesterday I was that eager 16 year old who thought men over 40 were really old. Now I am 52, and realize that in a blink, if I am blessed, I will be 75, and then I will be living on borrowed time! Truth is, in natural terms, no one is really living. We are dying, a day at a time. Morbid? No, just the cold reality of biology. But, I am not just a natural man, with an inevitable appointment with the grave. I am a disciple of Christ, therefore I am already eternally alive. What I do today, is invested in Heaven.

I am living the truth of the Word which declares, "Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NLT)

The promise of life that comes with discipleship causes me to relinquish my desires for fame, fortune, and self-fulfillment to take hold of Christ and the calling of being His disciple. A disciple makes the pursuit of Christ Jesus his passion. Paul says, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV) Following Christ is a decision I made once, and that I make daily! At first I was tempted to hold onto the good things I knew, because my faith in the potential best was limited. The Holy Spirit urged me onward. The Word called me upward, and faith surged. I was and am obedient, therefore, I can lay claim to being a Christian disciple.

Are you a real disciple, or one of the many who live an uncommitted life deceived by cheap grace?

Surrender it all, friend. Give yourself away and then walk out the disciplined experience, discovering the adventure of living by the Spirit in this present world, while enjoying the promise of eternal life in the world to come. You will never regret it.