Let Him Speak! Word!

The little voices sang out the words in our school chapel - “Yeah, the Word of the Lord  holds true, we can trust Him!”  Isn’t that a great fact? This morning ‘round 2 am, many concerns arrived in my mind driving sleep away and leaving me tossing restlessly.  People needs, church issues, decisions – large and small – tumbled around inside my head and then the Spirit spoke using the Word, reminding me that I need not stress. Using the ancient words He spoke to tell me "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7, NLT)  and that "from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15, NIV)   How thankful I am for those words of life stored in my memory that available for recall, useful to the Spirit when He moves in me.

Is your mind saturated with the truth of Scripture? Do you take time each day to feed your thoughts with the text? Are you engaged in regular study, with others, of the sacred texts?

The old maxim of computing is ‘GIGO’ – Garbage In, Garbage Out.  A computer can only use the data it is fed to produce results. In a similar way, our brain uses the information we feed it to ‘compute’ our responses to life. If we believe wrong things, refuse to learn the truth, our choice will be flawed, our lives less than the whole and holy ones that God desires. But, if the truth of the Word is foundational to our thoughts, everything is different.  The Psalm says "I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt. Be blessed, God; train me in your ways of wise living. " (Psalm 119:11-12, The Message)

A key to pleasing God is to know His ways.  The Bible teaches us those truths.  From those pages we learn that we are His creation, that our purpose is to love and serve Him, that we are hopelessly lost apart from the love of our Savior, that our true hope is not of this world, and that eternity is our destiny.  From those basics we gain the right perspective and put things right in life.  Some may say, “how can we learn anything about life in 2017 from texts that are thousands of years old?”  Because those texts are ‘God-breathed’ inspired words that have been preserved to guide us.  When God, the Holy Spirit, is working in us, He takes those written texts and making them ‘living’ words. Thus Paul wrote to pastor Timothy to remind him (and us!) that "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT)

Love the Word. Listen to the Spirit. Live well!

Here is a word from the Word. "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2, NLT)

Lord, lead us to life with Your holy words. Amen.

___________

Standing On The Promises

Standing on the promises of Christ my King

Through eternal ages let His praises ring

Glory in the highest I will shout and sing

Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises that cannot fail

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail

By the living Word of God I shall prevail

Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises I now can see

Perfect present cleansing in the blood for me

Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free

Standing on the promises of God

Russell Kelso Carter

© Words: Public Domain

Make it a good week – Worship!

There are some amazing experiences of ‘church’ in my memories.  Thousands of men standing in a stadium singing anthems to God led by a great band rank high on that list. For those of you who might remember, they were the “Promise Keepers” events of the 1990’s. There a few sermons that linger in my mind, too, when it was readily apparent that the speaker was in God’s hands and the words were coming from another plane! Worship, however, does not require a church, musicians, or a preacher.  God shows up in many places, in many ways, when we invite Him to and if we will keep an awareness of the divine.  

On this Monday morning, I want to remind us to live in His Presence all of the time. David says it best -  “You have made known to me the path of life;  you will fill me with joy in your presence.”  (Psalm 16:11, NIV)

So, why don’t we enjoy the joy of the Lord more?  He is present everywhere and all of the time.  You know that answer too well, I am sure. Everything conspires to keep us from living apart of God. Headaches, car trouble, stormy weather, disagreeable people, the blare of media, temptations - the list is lengthy - all become distractions from being 'before the Throne.'  Every one of us would have to admit that we have gone an entire day rushing from job to job,  putting out fires,  coping with the 'stuff' that comes at us-  and in the process of living  - we forget God's wonderful Presence.  

It may be common but we cannot accept that way of living as the normal Christian life!  We cannot control our world, but we can and must choose our response. The Word reminds us to "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NKJV)    Perhaps your first thought on reading that line is the one that came to my mind - "Sure, I could do that if I lived in a monastery, but not in my world!"     If that were true, then God would be asking the impossible from us, something He will not do.  So, what do we choose?

We choose joy.  The person who chooses joy is not fake, nor does she live in denial of the pain that comes her way. 

We choose the next step which is to pray continually.  How can a busy person do that?  Keep an attitude of submission to God and refuse to go anywhere or do anything that would offend the Spirit and break your communion with Him!    Selfishness, filthiness, greediness are a few of the things that move us away from being in a prayerful attitude.  You can call me strange if you want, but I know the voice of the Spirit that says to me, "Stop what you're doing right now!"  Or, He says, "Refocus your mind, now!"  If I obey, His peace persists.  If I resist, the serenity of living in His Presence ebbs away.    The more a Christian chooses to live 'before the Throne,' the more he treasures the Presence found there.   When my sinful words or actions, grieves the Spirit so that He removes His peace from my life,  I cannot stand the loneliness that results and I find a place to renew our fellowship quickly.

We choose to be thankful!   Knowing how important this decision is to a person's experience of the Presence of God, the Enemy of our souls, does whatever he is able to do to get us to think we are deprived.  He really works to cause us to live in envy of other's place.   The 10th commandment forbids coveting.  The Lord that envy is a spiritual toxin. I will never live serenely, if I want what belongs to another- even if it is his spiritual experience.   Thankful acceptance of this day and the provision of God for me to meet its challenges, is a key to living 'before the Throne.'

The Bible says that we are the 'temples of the Holy Spirit.'    We are 'God's house.'     Wouldn't it be a shame to claim to be a living temple, yet be bereft of the Presence that makes the temple glorious? 

Here are words from the Word for your meditation today.  May He keep you close as you choose to live 'before the Throne!'
"I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. …

To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." (Psalm 18:1-3, 25-28, NIV)

______________________

Before The Throne Of God Above (click here to listen)

Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the Risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I Am,
The King of glory and of grace,
One with Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.

Cook, Vikki / Bancroft, Charitie Lees
© 1997 PDI Worship (Admin. by The Copyright Company)
CCLI License No. 810055

Jerry D. Scott, Pastor

Faith Discovery Church

www.FaithDiscovery.com

Does Jesus Belong Only to the Beautiful?

Our society may not rigidly observe a class structure like that of England a century ago but we certainly divide along lines of ‘have’ and ‘have not.’  In any group we know if we’re ‘in’ or ‘out,’ if we fit according to the often unspoken but very clear guidelines about who belongs. I have though much about the composition of Christ’s Church recently. Who is invited in? Do ALL find a place or do we not so subtly send signals to some that they do not fit in?

Sam Eaton wrote an article about why the young are abandoning the Church. One of his points, You Can’t Sit Here,  keeps coming back to my mind. He explains - There is this life-changing movie all humans must see, regardless of gender. The film is of course the 2004 classic Mean Girls. In the film, the most popular girl in school forgets to wear pink on a Wednesday (a cardinal sin), to which Gretchen Weiners screams, “YOU CAN’T SIT WITH US!” Today, my mom said to me, “Church has always felt exclusive and ‘cliquey,’ like high school.” With sadness in her voice she continued, “and I’ve never been good at that game so I stopped playing.” The truth is, I share her experience. As do thousands of others.

Our world is not generally kind to those who are deemed 'other' in some way. 

Ask the kid with some disability about his daily experiences at school. 

Ask the girl who does not meet the beauty code!

Ask the person whose business failed or that one with chronic disease.

Ask the elderly person who cannot move or think as quickly as they once did. 

There is a profound and deep pain in the realization that you are 'that' person, the 'invisible' one, too broken to love.

And, in Christ’s Church, this should NEVER be true.

Jesus was always aware of the needs of those others considered 'broken.'  He touched lepers.  He engaged with those who were devil possessed. He let prostitutes into His company-  a scandal, right?  He looked up into a tree and saw a social outcast, a man short in stature, whose heart was aching for love, and He went to Zacchaeus' house for dinner. As Jesus became more well-known, the rich came to Him, but He was not seduced by their money, power, or influence. He remained the champion of ALL.  His mission statement was not just for publication, He lived it.  Quoting Isaiah, He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come." (Luke 4:18-19, NLT)  His care for people went far beyond being ‘nice.’  His touch, His words, His life communicated ‘you are loved, a person of worth.’

Our call is to that radical Gospel. We are to love like He did. And, we will only if there is an ongoing experience of the Holy Spirit that makes us tender, hopeful, and forgiving. Too many Christians develop a romantic notion of ministry. They are going to feed the hungry, house the homeless, love the orphan - and they do, for about 6 months. When they find that the pit of human need is bottomless, that people seldom respond with gratefulness, that sinful human nature is ugly and mean, they quit and retreat to their safe group of like-minded individuals. When 'service' loses it luster and excitement fades, they quit and go home.

Jesus was able to reach prostitutes, Pharisees, ‘nones,’  urban, rural, young, old, male, female because He saw a person before He saw status or a label.  My heart aches to live like that, to see people first.

May the inspired wisdom of James guide us today.  He teaches us to care for the invisible. Let's do it, for God's sake.

Here is a word from the Word.  "My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law." (James 2:1-9, NLT)

Jesus loves us wholly! So loved, may we be loving.

____________

How He Loves

He is jealous for me loves like a hurricane

I am a tree bending beneath

The weight of His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden I am unaware of

These afflictions eclipsed by glory

I realize just how beautiful You are

And how great Your affections are for me

Oh how He loves us so

Oh how He loves us

How He loves us so

We are His portion and He is our prize

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes

If grace is an ocean we're all sinking

So Heaven meets earth

Like a sloppy wet (unforeseen) kiss

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest

I don't have time to maintain these regrets

When I think about the way that

(Yeah) He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves

John Mark McMillan

© 2005 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (IMI))

CCLI License # 810055

Posers!

In my digital files I have two kinds of pictures- candid ones and posed frames.  In one you see an authentic representation of the situation. The faces are not reshaped with forced smiles. You can catch angst or big laughs or irritation or frowns. In the posed ones, you can almost hear the picture taker saying, “Now everybody smile. 1, 2, 3!”  There is a place for those formal portraits, but in my family album I much prefer those candid shots that let me really feel the moment.

In his final letter to Pastor Timothy, Paul talked about people who would come into the church there in Ephesus who were posers! They would learn the language of Christianity and be able, from time to time, to strike a pose to appear to be the ‘real’ thing, but their reality was something entirely different. Paul uses this telling line about their ‘spirituality.’ "They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!" (2 Timothy 3:5, NLT)  Those pseudo-Christians were not changed by the Power of the Holy Spirit from the inside out and therefore they were, in the candid moments, still "heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. … They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure." (2 Timothy 3:3-4 CEV)

Paul invites Timothy to consider his bona fides. "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them." (2 Timothy 3:10-12, NIV)  Paul says, in so many words, “Tim, I’m no poser! Just consider my general behavior.  I’ve been through some rough times but Jesus has held onto me as I held onto Him.”

Friend, does your claim to discipleship hold up in the candid moments?
When you are disappointed, frustrated, under pressure, short on cash, uncertain – does your faith shine brightly still?  
Is Jesus Lord of all for you personally?

Talk is cheap, as we say. It is the daily walk with God that matters most.  That does not mean we must be flawless. If that were possible, we would not need the Savior or His grace.  But, we do need to find ourselves humbly before Him, each day, ‘keeping step with the Spirit’ and responsive to His call to surrender Self and embrace the way of Christ. He will gradually transform us, inside out, creating authentic faith that shows even in the candid snapshots that others see.

Don’t slip into the trap of being a poser, a pseudo-Christian. Pray to be real. Invite others, not pridefully, but because you are authentic, to follow you as you follow Christ Jesus.  Here is a word from the Word. “Fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”  The Message, Romans 12:2

God, make it true of each us. Shine bright through us. Amen. 

_____________

King Of My Heart  (listen at this link)

Let the King of my heart

Be the mountain where I run

The fountain I drink from

Oh He is my song

Let the King of my heart

Be the shadow where I hide

The ransom for my life

Oh He is my song

You are good good oh

You are good good oh

You are good good oh

You are good good oh

Let the King of my heart

Be the wind inside my sails

The anchor in the waves

Oh He is my song

Let the King of my heart

Be the fire inside my veins

The echo of my days

Oh He is my song

You're never gonna let

Never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

Never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

Never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

Never gonna let me down

When the night is holding on to me

God is holding on

When the night is holding on to me

God is holding on

John Mark McMillan | Sarah McMillan

© Meaux Jeaux Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Raucous Ruckus Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

McMillan, Sarah

CCLI License # 810055

Jerry D. Scott, Pastor

Faith Discovery Church

www.FaithDiscovery.com