You Want the Keys?

One of the side-splitting scenes in the film, Meet the Parents, occurs when the father of the bride, a former CIA agent, explains his concept of the 'circle of trust' to his future son-in-law, Greg Focker.  The paranoia of that father drove him to constant surveillance of the poor guy who was joining his family. We laugh as we watch because intuitively we know that trust comes from character, not from enforcement! The true test of our values comes when nobody’s watching us. What choices do we make then?

Parents teach their children -"Trust is built over time, destroyed in a moment."  Are any of us perfect?  Of course not. We are prone to failure, liable to make some stupid choices, and likely to succumb to peer pressure at least occasionally.  Trust isn’t a flawless record. It is shaped by honesty about the good, the bad, and the ugly of our lives.

Every relationship in our life depends on trust! As we interact with others - be they family members, co-workers, or business partners - we are measuring trustworthiness. Love, alone, is not enough to make us ‘hand over the keys’. There are people in my life that I love wholeheartedly that I would not even let drive my car!

How do we build trust?

1. - We live with integrity.
Trustworthy people get rid of hidden agendas and secret motives. They refuse to shade the truth to favor themselves. Being around people who are deceptive and manipulative is exhausting because we always have to wonder, "What their angle? What are they really trying to do here?" Integrity - that is, being the same inside and out, in reality and appearance, is basic to gaining and keeping the trust of others.

2. - We are humble.
Humility has nothing to do with being a self-hating worm.  It’s about a real grasp of our strengths and weaknesses, knowing when we need help and being willing to ask for it. If we try to do something that is beyond our training or capability, pretending competence- the subsequent failure erodes trust. The next time, the question hangs in the air - "Can he, or will he mess this task up, too?"

3. - We keep our promises.

It is so easy to make a promise. When somebody presses us to do something, even relatively simple, the best way to make them happy is to say, "Oh, sure, I'll do it." So, we are often likely to over-promise and under-deliver. My experience has taught me to generally expect much less from people than they say. It's not because they are morally deficient! It is because in their eagerness to please they over-promise. It is far better to say up-front, "I would like to help you with that, but I don't have the interest to follow through." We trust people who, in Jesus' words, "Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ (Matthew 5:37, NLT)

4. - We are 'other-centered.'
Nobody should trust a person who is selfish. The moment we sense that another is out for his own reputation, serving his own interest, or feathering her own nest- we withdraw our confidence and start to build walls to protect. Only the person who shows real empathy and the capacity to transcend her own interests is trustworthy.

Take a look at your own 'circle of trust' today. Are you trusting people who are trustworthy? Are you a person worthy of trust?

God is seeking faithful people in whom He can invest eternal riches, people to whom He can hand the keys to His Kingdom!
 How does He know those He can trust?  This word from the Word tells us: "Anyone who can be trusted in little matters can also be trusted in important matters. But anyone who is dishonest in little matters will be dishonest in important matters. If you cannot be trusted with this wicked wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?

And if you cannot be trusted with what belongs to someone else, who will give you something that will be your own? You cannot be the slave of two masters. You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than to the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Luke 16:10-13, CEV)

It WILL Change Your Life!

“It will change your life!”  This is the implied statement behind all kinds of advertising. The right car will make you a success and bring you respect.  A splash of cologne will make you irresistible. This pill will extend your youth.  We learn to ignore the hyperbole after a while, discounting the claims, explicit and implicit, in the ads. Please don’t discount what you’re about to read. It really is a Truth that will change your life.

In the 3^rd chapter of Peter’s second letter, we are told about the “day of the Lord.”  When Jesus ended his ministry here on earth, He promised to return. Human history will be brought to a close,  perfect justice will be handed down, and the present order will be destroyed before the emergence of a ‘new heaven and new earth.’  Peter writes all this not as a feared threat, but as a promise to be eagerly anticipated by Christians. Paul calls the return of Christ our ‘blessed hope.’ (Titus 2:13)  In my estimation, this doctrine is largely off the radar of most Christians today.  Taken up with life, we lose sight of the fact that all this is destined to pass away, that our real home is not here, but with our Father.

If we look forward, consciously and eagerly, to the coming of the Lord, that truth will change our lives. How? Take a look. "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives" (2 Peter 3:11, NIV)  "… since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2 Peter 3:14, NIV) "… since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:17-18, NIV)

Peter’s appeal is not to fear or dread. It is a tragedy when the Lord’s return is used in that way to manipulate Christians into giving money or serving in ministry.  If we only fear His coming, we will act like kids in December, won’t we?  Every little kid who believes in Santa Claus suddenly starts to think about reforming himself so that the jolly old man will bring the presents! But the effort is short-lived.  The Christian who understands that Christ’s return is still on schedule (God’s time, not ours!) will not reform himself for a few days or weeks. He will reorient his entire life, looking away from trinkets destined to perish to treasure set aside in Heaven that will survive the destruction of this present world.

There is a little phrase tucked into Peter’s writing that urges us to live “at peace with Him.”  We tend to think of peace as being the absence of conflict but that is not what the Spirit is offering to us. When our hope is settled on our eternal inheritance, on the promise of God’s just rewards,  we gain a life that is whole, complete, and ‘settled’ rather than fragmented and/or confused.  This true Peace is a quality of life that flows from the Spirit and choices that look past economic woes, present illness, and disappointment.

Christ return, though often mocked as a pie in sky illusion, is a truth that changes our lives! Here’s the word from the Word. "This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. I want you to remember and understand what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles. First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire." (2 Peter 3:1-3, NLT)  "But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent." (2 Peter 3:8-9, NLT)  "But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be all glory and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18, NLT)

Lord, settle it deep into our hearts and minds, lifting our goals higher, settling us on a solid foundation of unshakeable hope. Amen.

Don't Tell Me What To Do

In the months prior to D-Day, that pivotal moment when the Allies would send thousands of men across the English Channel to face the Axis powers, Dwight Eisenhower was appointed the Supreme Commander of all the forces! The massive invasion effort would require the coordinated efforts of military units from several nations commanded by generals who were accustomed to being in charge.  In addition to working out the strategy of the expedition, Eisenhower found himself faced with a huge challenge in overcoming the towering egos of generals who believed themselves his equal. With quiet determination, Ike led, ignoring the critics, listening to advice, making decisions using the authority invested in him, all the while keeping his own ego in check. Like a petulant children some of those other generals whined, argued, and resisted. But the effort needed a leader. History shows that Ike served well. Many of those same generals who were so offended by his appointment came to appreciate the man and his service.

Leaders are important – in families, in society; and yes, in the church.  Some imagine the church to be above the need for leaders. That ignores the Scripture that refers often to pastors and elders who are called to serve in leadership.   Jesus, the Head of the Church, “is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13, NLT)  I see two critical principles here:  the church has leaders and those leaders are not charged to do ‘all the work,’ but rather to coordinate those in the church for maximum Kingdom effectiveness.

One of the major difficulties of the church in America is a failure of leadership. Some pastors are cowed into silence by multiple critics, others choose to use their holy calling for personal gain. Let me ask you to think carefully about these questions which I ask myself as I participate with those who lead me.

Are you one of those Christians who is stealing a blessing from yourself by being a critic, resisting the efforts of those who are your leaders?
Are you buying into the anti-authority sentiments of the culture and bringing it to church? 

Have you learned the theme of the New Testament, unity and cooperation?

The Bible says "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." (Hebrews 13:17, NKJV)  “Obey” and “submit” are two words that are hard to accept.  There is a real spiritual issue involved.  The humility that motivates a person to support leaders bring a double blessing – one for those who lead and another for those who come into a deeper unity of purpose and work in the church.  

Miserable Ingrates!

Just about any parent of a child, particularly a teen, knows what it is to deal with a lack of appreciation.  After scarfing down dinner, that boy whose just eaten his fill, walks away apparently without any idea of the effort that put the food in front of him. That same 15 year old fails to grasp that his  clothing does not just magically move from hamper to closet, becoming clean along the way. “I need,” is a common refrain, with no thought about how much that new pair of shoes costs Dad. The cell phone in her pocket? She feels entitled to it, offended if the suggestion is made that perhaps it’s time to start paying for her own.  Many outgrow their narcissism and come to realize the love that caused Mom and Dad to invest so much time and treasure in them. Some, tragically, never do; and they carry their ingratitude into adulthood. Ingrates spread their misery like a virus!

Do you recognize the goodness of God and give sincere thanks?

Ingratitude, believe it or not, is a fertile soil that nourishes spiritual rebellion!  In the first chapter of Romans, the desperate state of depraved humanity is outlined with an ugly recital of the worst kinds of behaviors. The beginning of it all?  "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21, NIV)  If we act like spoiled kids, demanding more and failing to give thanks, we will increasingly become Self-centered, full of doubt, and eventually bitter – far from the fellowship of the Spirit.

This is more than a nice saying, it’s a life principle: "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NKJV)  Real gratitude goes beyond a flip, “thanks.”  It appreciates the effort and cost.  Thankfulness expands our capacity to love – both God and others.  Thankfulness is an expression of a loving heart. One feeds the other.  When I deal with a person who lacks gratitude, whose attitude implies that they think I owe them something, I am much less inclined to want to be generous. You, too?   God resists our selfishness, too.  He is not, however, offended in the same way that we are by unthankful people. Our Father desires our worshipful gratitude, not because He craves our appreciation, but because it reveals a heart in which Self is dethroned.

Here’s what the Word says. It’s simple, often quoted, and ignored just as often: "Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18-20, NIV) Let’s cultivate thankfulness.  If we wait for it to just ‘show up’ in our lives, we will die feeling God and the world owes us more!  But, if we humble ourselves, take note of His faithfulness often as well as the goodness of others, we will become more and more thankful; able to receive and give from a great heart.

"Thank God for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. He poured great draughts of water down parched throats; the starved and hungry got plenty to eat. " (Psalm 107:8-9, The Message)

__________________

Give thanks

With a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given

Jesus Christ His Son

And now let the weak say

I am strong

Let the poor say

I am rich

Because of what

The Lord has done for us

Give thanks

Henry Smith

© 1978 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Allow room for God to work

“I’ve got to do this,” he insisted. “If I don’t, everything will fall apart.”  He knew the choice he was about to make was not aligned with the Christian principles he had been taught.  But, he was certain it was the only way to solve the  problem.  So, he shut the door on the Lord.  A few weeks later, he was crying on the phone, asking me to pray.  “I wish I could go back and do things differently!”   Choosing expedience over obedience is nothing new. 

The first book in the Bible, Genesis, tells the story about an ‘expedient’ choice that left no room for God.  Abraham concluded that since Sarah was too old to have the son God has promised to him, he needed to follow the ancient custom of fathering an heir with her servant, Hagar. His intellect provided him an answer to his dilemma but it wasn't the plan of God. Terrible chaos resulted from his choice to figure out his own way to fulfill God's promise!  Ishmael was a beloved son, but his birth created awful conflict between Sarah and Hagar.  Several years later when God gave Sarah the miraculous ability to conceive and bear Isaac, the rivalry within the family only deepened, tearing them apart for generations.

There are probably decisions you would like to go back and re-visit.  What seemed to be “the only way,” the obvious choice, created unforeseen consequences. I am thankful for the wonderful faculties of reason that allow me to plan and strategize, but even the wisest of the wise, is limited to using the information available to him. Only God knows the rippling effects of our choices.  He cautions us about becoming 'wise in our own eyes.' We must not exclusively trust in our intellect if we hope to live in a way that pleases Him. In a time of great challenge, the Lord spoke to the prophet Isaiah reminding him - "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, NLT) 


In your plans, do you submit to His principles and allow room for the Lord to work? When we are facing multiple options and lack clear direction this simple advice is a clear guide:  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

There are three pre-conditions to being led by the Spirit taught to us in that passage.

First, trust God completely. Make Him the center of your life.


Second, "Don't try to figure everything out on your own!"

Third, God's direction can only emerge when we consistently make the choice to honor Him with obedience.

If we are refusing to follow the Lord's lead in those areas where He has already made His will plain, we should not think we will be able to clearly discern His way for our lives.

Simple obedience is the most basic evidence of deep faith! Need guidance today? Me, too!  Don’t turn God into a personal genie, waiting for the crisis to call on Him. Don’t go your own way and then beg Him to get you out of the mess you’ve made of things.  Trust, wait, listen, obey – and He will make your way clear.

Take this word to heart today. May the Lord use His Word to inspire you.


"So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!  This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What’s next, Papa?"  God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance!  We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!" (Romans 8:12-17, The Message)
_______________________________


Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
feed me 'til I want no more,
feed me 'til I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow.
Let the fire and cloudy pillar,
guide me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my strength and shield,
Be Thou still my strength and shield.


- public domain


Amen.

Like the Lemmings

Small rodents called a lemmings occasionally engage in migrations. Sometimes these movements lead them to a body of water. They plunge in, thinking they can swim, but often, exhausted by the effort, they drown in what looks like a mass suicide!  People act like lemmings sometimes, too.  Unthinking, caught up in the flow of events, they march straight into self-destruction, victims of their failure to discern. History is replete with tragic stories of people who fall under the spell of cultish leaders, some political, some spiritual.  The Nazis rose and fell on the charisma of Adolf Hitler. We look at him today and wonder, “How did he lead so many to such a terrible end?” His speeches look like ranting and ravings in retrospect.  The Rev. Jim Jones deceived thousands and eventually led nearly 1,000 people in a mass suicide in the ‘utopian’ town he created in Guyana.  

Are you discerning about what and who you accept to guide your life, to shape your spirituality?  Peter warns us that “there will be lying religious teachers among you. They’ll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other—biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They’ve put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can’t tell right from wrong.  They give the way of truth a bad name. They’re only out for themselves. They’ll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you!”  (The Message  2 Peter 2:1-3)  These teachers don’t look like the Devil when they show up. Often they shine brightest with a polished presentation that uses all the right words in wrong ways.  Peter says, "They mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning." (2 Peter 2:17-21, NIV)

Recently while reading the blog of a ‘Christian’ teacher, the Holy Spirit stirred in me.  I had been reading the man’s writing for some time and found myself nodding along with his ideas. Then, I began to see a trend that was unbiblical, an expression of bitterness that was a common thread.   As I went back and took a long look at the writings I had found so compelling, I prayed that the Spirit would give me discernment.  And He did! What had looked like novel, engaging ideas were actually the reactions of a rebel bent on stirring up division in God’s church.  I asked myself, “how did you not see this before?”  Such is the nature of deception. It starts so small, just a few degrees off of the Truth, but left uncorrected leads us far, far from God and good.

Now, with so much teaching is available on the Internet or on our television screen, the spiritual gift of discernment is more critically important than ever! It is almost impossible to know if our favorite media teacher is just “mouthing empty, boastful words” because we have no access to his/her daily life. Paul pointed out the false teachers that had come to spread their lies in the Church and then offered this about his own ministry: "But you know what I teach, Timothy, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith and how long I have suffered. You know my love and my patient endurance." (2 Timothy 3:10, NLT)  The proof of his teaching was in the daily discipleship that could be observed. Know how your teachers live!

Here’s a word from the Word.  "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:14-15, NIV)  Don’t be a lemming!