Like Mold in the Soul

One friend posted on Facebook of his upcoming trip. Another wrote about the way God was blessing him as he attended a renewal conference. I did not rejoice for either of them. My first response was one much less attractive; envy!  I found myself feeling critical of both, on completely baseless grounds. I could excuse my envy by pointing to recent circumstances in my own life that have sapped my strength in every way, but I will not. Envy is like a mold in the soul. It must be put to death!

Envy was the sin of Cain, who hated his brother’s righteousness. When Abel offered a pleasing sacrifice to the LORD, Cain would not be instructed. Instead, envy led him to worse sin. “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him." (Genesis 4:6-8, NLT)

Envy was the sin of Joseph’s brothers, causing them to sell him into slavery, to lie about it, and to cause their father great grief.

Envy was Saul’s sin, leading him to several attempts on David’s life. The young man had done nothing to the king, but envy blinded the man, eventually driving him to insanity!

Envy destroyed the chief among the angels, bringing Lucifer’s downfall. He was kicked out of the presence of God and led a rebellion of a third of the angels. All because he began to think he could be god!

Envy has no place in the lives of those who are Jesus’ disciples. He gives us no escape, demanding that we choose the place of a servant.  In His realm, the way up is down. Take a moment and pray your way through this thought. "Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.”  (Luke 9:47-48, NIV)

Few things cause more problems among Christians than the ancient sin of envy. It masquerades in all kinds of costumes:  self-righteous criticism, assertions that one is protecting holiness, holier than thou attitudes, but a few. Are you jealous of your brother or sister? Are you comparing his place, his successes, his spiritual gifts to your own?  Stop!

Here’s the word from the Word. If we accept and live in this Truth, envy is defeated. "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.  … our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.  … God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.  … All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it."
(1 Corinthians 12:7, 18, 21, 27, NLT)

Half measures, ultimate failure

Give it your all

The great temptation of my life is not to sin in some terrible way. The seduction of just doing ‘enough’ tugs at me all the time. A little voice asks, “Why give it your all when giving half will be acceptable in most situations?”  Isn’t so true that the good is often the enemy of the best?

Old Testament stories are lessons for life given to us by God. Amaziah was a king of Judah who offers us a challenge. "Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. Instead, he followed the example of his father, Joash. Amaziah did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there." (2 Kings 14:3-4, NLT)  Amaziah was personally dedicated to the true worship of the LORD, but to avoid conflict, he appeased the people of his realm by leaving their idols in place. He chose political expedience over godly devotion.

His willingness to compromise caught up with him over time. Though he was a good king who achieved many successes on behalf of Judah, he became arrogant, started an unnecessary war, met defeat, and was assassinated. Committing to excellence in life, making the push for total devotion, is costly but worth it in the end. Half-heartedness is a slippery slope to mediocrity.

There are examples of faithfulness and devotion in the Word. Daniel, carried off from his homeland to a foreign city, kept the faith. Over 60 years he refused to ‘go along to get along.’ His commitment to God and high principle landed him in the lions’ den for an overnight stay. But, he also gained respect and honored the LORD. Even his enemies acknowledged the qualities of his life and urged that he be summoned to the court in times of crisis. "There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. ... This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems.” (Daniel 5:11-12, NLT)  Does the excellence of your life and character make you a ‘go to guy’ for friends?

Here’s a word from the Word. “Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence…  The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (2 Peter 1:5-8 NLT)

Why It All Makes Sense

Why it all makes sense

Sorting through Mom’s stuff is like poking at a bloody wound to clean it up. It has to be done but it sure hurts while you’re doing it. Every picture, trinket, and book she owned has some memory attached. In these last months, when she lived in our home, I learned more about how she had experienced life than I ever knew. She was always so stalwart, so ready to do what needed to be done, I never really considered if she was enjoying it. And, come to find out, she didn’t always love her life! Dad and Mom, I came to find out, had their differences, but her love and loyalty led her to support him and ‘just do it.’

But, I don’t want to imply she felt regret! She lived with Eternity’s values, not those of this present life. What she did, she did ultimately for the love of her Savior. She went without stuff because she loved others. She gave up sleep to care for babies because Jesus wanted her to do so. She lived in places she did not like because that is where the Lord called her to live.

And, now, she is enjoying the reward of her labor. I can’t begin to imagine what she found as the Lord welcomed his daughter to her Father’s house. But, I know she will never have to move again, never have to buckle and get the job done, ‘for God’s sake.’  She’s home.

Her life makes no sense without Heaven. If Heaven is a myth and the Resurrection a delusion created to help us cope with life’s absurdity, then Mom was a fool! Paul says it like this:  “Why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I’d do this if I wasn’t convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? Do you think I was just trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it wouldn’t be the end of me? Not on your life!

It’s resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there’s no resurrection, “We eat, we drink, the next day we die,” and that’s all there is to it. But don’t fool yourselves.” The Message, 1 Cor. 15:30-33

No genuine disciple’s life will make a whole lot of sense apart from the Resurrection. Why would we willingly ‘die to Self’ or give away our treasure or ‘take up our cross,’ if we did it only for the present?  We need to face that question honestly and deal with our indecision, then choosing today whom we will serve!

Put Heaven in your heart. There’s an inevitable appointment with death for each of us. Will it be a grim end or a joyful beginning? That, disciple, depends on your decision today.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NLT)

And the toilet leaked, too!

Yesterday at 10:15 AM, my mother’s life ended with a quiet sigh. At 6 AM, she spoke to me briefly, asking my help with her breathing, then she slept until her last breath. No matter how full of faith we may be, death is wrenching, hitting squarely, leaving us reeling, dazed. I stood over her body, numb with the realization that she had moved out of reach.  Later in the day, the fury of sorrow unleashed itself in my body and soul like a terrible hurricane, tossing the debris of memories, stirring up the silt of regrets, blotting out the sun with the dark clouds. And, then this morning, I awakened and walked downstairs to Mom’s apartment only to discover a wet floor and water coming from the ceiling from a toilet that is broken. And, I laughed as I cried! It’s just not Heaven yet.

But, I am not hopeless. Way out there, out on the periphery of the darkness, a light glimmers. I hear a echo of the Truth I preached hundreds of times. "It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:13-16, NIV)

Death and broken toilets, both part of this journey we call life. So, is love and laughter, things that work as designed, and beauty that points us toward eternity’s bliss. Let me share a couple of the moments when the Spirit pointed me past the gloom to the glory. Mom’s final hours here on earth were graced with love. Her body was broken, but her spirit was intact. So often I went to her bedside to find her hands raised in prayer. In quasi-consciousness Sunday night, she heard the radio playing an instrumental version of the Easter hymn, “Christ, Arose.”  She began to sing very quietly, “Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes. He arose the Victor of the dark domain and He lives forever with His saints to reign.”   The day before, in similar fashion, she sang “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, how I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er. Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus. Oh, for grace to trust Him more.”

Disciple, I hope this day is one of overflowing blessings, but should you be living somewhere between a broken toilet and death, I pray that you will look up and take the grace He promises. Don’t let despair block His love. He is there, He is near. Don’t deny the reality of the pain that is part of our existence. It’s real and we must acknowledge it, but there is a mitigating factor; hope! That is why the Word says that we "will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NLT)

_____________

I Will Rise

There's a peace I've come to know

Though my heart and flesh may fail

There's an anchor for my soul

I can say it is well

Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won

He is risen from the dead

(And) I will rise when He calls my name

No more sorrow no more pain

I will rise on eagle's wings

Before my God fall on my knees and rise

I will rise

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Are you miserable?

Missed expectations bring disappointment. I bought a new computer and it was not as fast as I thought it should be, so I returned it to the manufacturer. A lady confided in me that "the man I loved with all my heart is incapable of reciprocating my love because he is so emotionally immature." She was considering divorce. Another man pulled me aside recently and angrily asked me about his own disappointment, carried for years. “God is not Who I thought He was. How could he let my son die at just four years of age?”

There is one way to avoid being disappointed. Wrap yourself in a tight little bundle of Self. I do not recommend it. If you withdraw from life, refuse to get involved with others, and avoid risk as much as possible, you will not experience nearly as much disappointment, but is that how you want to live, safely insulated from both joy and sorrow, hiding from life? People who are fully alive, working to make a difference in the world, and loving others will get hurt.  

Several choices we make in those moments that will let us go on, growing in grace.

Primary among them is the critical decision to anchor our hope in the Lord! Isaiah watched his nation crumble around him, invaders come and destroy the city and the Temple, friends carried off to slavery. He might have slid into despair, but he went to the Lord and re-affirmed his trust. He inspires us to greater faith with a promise. "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:30-31)

People who fail need our forgiveness! And, we need to forgive. Forgiveness is a greater blessings to the forgiver than it is to the forgiven. Forgiveness, in one sense, is releasing others from our demand that they act in ways we approve or like. Forgiveness is a choice to submit to a higher purpose and to surrender our pain to God. We do so because we know that He will bring all things to justice in His time. When we release that person who has disappointed us to God's court, we find freedom from the anger, hatred, and bitterness that can follow disappointment. Jesus taught that unless we forgive, we cannot find forgiveness! "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.... But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:12)

Sometimes we must choose to adjust our expectations. It is possible to spend a huge amount of energy fighting to make everything fit into what we hoped for in life. That is actually a form of self-centeredness and it will always lead to a life of misery, bitterness, and loneliness. I love the opening lines of Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

Here’s a word from the Word. It is both a preventative and a cure for disappointment. If you’re struggling to make sense of the will of God, of the actions of others, or even of the mysteries of your own heart, start here.     

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do,
everywhere you go;
He’s the one who will keep you on track."  

(Proverbs 3:5-6, The Message)