He Hears!

The verses and chorus lyrics from the song “One Thing Remains” as sang by Jesus Culture.  HERE is a link to a video of it.

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing… Remains

Your love never fails, never gives up
Never runs out on me

On and on and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never, ever, have to be afraid
One thing remains

In death, In life, I’m confident and
covered by the power of Your great love
My debt is paid, there’s nothing that can
separate my heart from Your great love...

Disagreements are temporary.  Conflict is temporary.  In fact, all things in this life are temporary except those everlasting wisdoms we learn to accept and hold on to.  I believe we take them with us as our faith is built.  In the worst trial when everyone is plotting against you, murmuring against you, lying about you, distorting what was spoken, misguiding others for their benefit, the prevailing wisdom must be that God is.  Yes, God is.  He is still there and He remains and always will.  There is never a time when all is lost because God is.  In the worst time and most broken heart, I can pray, I can stand before Him and He listens.  My words do not fall upon the ground.  He hears them! 

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. … The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” – Psalms 34:15,17

“I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.  Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” – Psalms 116:1-2

“Call to Me, and I will answer you.” – Jeremiah 33:3

 “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto You.” – John 15:7

“This is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to Your will, You will hear us.” – 1 John 5:14

If He hears and He loves then I can rest knowing that He has me where I can be most used in His will.  Either in learning, loving, or living.  Maybe all three simultaneously.  There is assurance in the storm because there is no one and nothing to fear because God always is and "His love never fails, never give us, never runs out on me".

Justifying on All Sides

I have been bothered a little lately from my own reflections regarding a disagreement with someone.  They continued in this discussion to justify and justify their actions regarding obvious sin in their life, then refuse and refuse to discuss why or how they got there.  They also continued to insist that they were close to God and restored.  However, when I asked to hear that testimony with excitement, they refused to discuss it saying, “I don’t have to talk about that” to which I was stunned, but that’s another discussion.

“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”  -  John 3:20-21

What bothers me is that, if I look from their point-of-view (or any person in sin for that matter), do they see someone who is justifying their actions (or words) with the Bible?  Most definitely so.  Even though I have yet to quote a single chapter and verse in our discussions, but only inferred to what is righteous and what is not, it is as though I am quoting it.  I think this is because they know what is right and they also know they aren’t doing it.

When I was just starting college, I took the opportunity to push myself into my father’s home.  I had been living in Arizona though the last two years of high school with my Mom and I wanted to go back to Mississippi.  So, at an odd time of a phone call from my father, which we never got (maybe talked to him twice while I was in high school), I pushed for moving there.  He strangely accepted.  It was awkward but we tried.  (Unfortunately time has shown that it didn’t last as relationships require two committed people, not just one.)  But something happened as I learned more about his life.  While he was and is not an alcoholic or wild in spirit in any way at all now, I learned that he was early in his life.  For some reason, learning that freed me from having to live by the standard he was living now.  So, if I wanted to go wild it had to be okay because he had been wild.

I justified my actions from a person who had not had any real influence in my life to that point, but simply because he was my father.  It makes no sense.  But what I see is how we are too apt to justify our actions based on the actions of others.  The thinking seems to be, “if they did it, then it must be okay for me to do it because I am certainly not expected to be more than they are.”  Even though the parent might not want for their child to repeat their foolish mistakes so they can be so much more, it becomes impossible to influence them to not do so.  Why is it so hard for us to gain that wisdom?  Why do some lessons have to be experienced?

Although these last two paragraphs do not seem related to the first few, I think they are as I find the middle aged graying adult refusing to acknowledge their spiritual condition and actions from that condition and the young adult refusing to not do what they know they should do and disrespecting their parents authority are essentially in the same spiritual location.  And whomever goes to them to try to talk about what is truth and best for their lives and all those around them is seen as someone justifying their position, not as someone trying to help them. 

What changed me?  A cup of coffee one Sunday morning.  I got up and got a cup of coffee and sat on the steps and watched a sunrise.  God said to me, even with me not living a righteous life, “Son, what are you doing?  Do YOU think it’s right?  Does it give YOU peace?”  He did not say what does He say is right, which I find interesting now in retrospect.  He relied upon my introspection of my own heart which I believe still contained the Spirit of God.  That moment was peaceful, not confrontational.  My heart swelled and I prayed for His help. 

I don’t know how to lead or help others to see God more quickly.  All I know is He can and will when they are ready.  I also know that I don’t need to justify my conviction of sin or my conviction that being close to God is the most full and rewarding way to live this life.  I just need to live that way in complete faith.  Living a life in Him, in peace and wisdom, with joy and love, is an example to those who do not live with those “things”.  This example is the greatest justification to those who have yet to choose.

Struggling

Heb 12: In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Sometimes I really struggle.  Other times, I'm content to be lazy.  I'm talking about struggling against sin.  Satan has sold us a lie that Christianity is an easy road.  I believe my life is way better because I'm a Christian, but it comes at a price.  Part of that price is a struggle against sin.  I struggle to eat right, to put others before myself, to avoid materialism, and so on.  Yet, do I really struggle that hard to break free of sin?  I confess its easier to simply talk about the sins of others than to confront the sin in my own life. 
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that struggling against sin is a life and death issue.  We have the benefit, however, of having the Holy Spirit within us that can guide our choices and lead us away from sin IF we have the courage and strength to make the decisions we know to be best - those that honor God.  Yet I struggle.  I struggle to put away the temptation of the flesh with its promise to provide immediate satisfaction while tearing us down in the long run.  I need to step up my game.  I'm not called to a life of luxury and ease.  I'm called to be like Jesus.  I need to do better.  I need to have the courage and forthrightness to admit my faults and confront them head on with the knowledge that I don't go into battle against my sinful self unarmed, but accompanied by God.  Only through His grace can I defeat what is hardened within me.
I need to fight harder.  I need to pray more diligently not for comfort, but for discipline to continue to fight through what holds me back from being the warrior God needs today.  I need to get out of my comfort zone and get in the fight and do so with gusto.  I need to quit picturing "nice Jesus" as a devotion recently posted by Christ Garick put it and focus on confrontational Jesus who stood against sin - not the remote sins of others, but my own.   

Love and Pain

Does God hurt over the sin of man?  Yes.  Genesis recounts in chapter 6, “⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”  It pains God to see men do evil.  There is no such thing as a loving parent who wishes for their child to make choices that will not fulfill them and lead to their best life.  It pains parents to see children make such choices; it breaks their hearts almost to the point of death.  If we being evil can so love our own children and be so distraught by their evil choices, how much more distraught and pained is our perfect Father in heaven.

What causes the pain from love?  It is separation.  When you love someone, the most intense pain you can feel is by being separated.  As I study Jesus’ crucifixion, it appears to at least me that His greatest suffering happened when He became separated from God the Father.  Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?”  He was again quoting Scripture (Ps 22) as a response to what the evil one thought was his greatest triumph.  But the pain and disparity existed within Him even in so great a cause.  Jesus was doing exactly what His Father willed.  He was fulfilling His purpose.  And while He was undoubtedly in great physical pain, His heart was broken as His communion with the Father was broken for a time.  “Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” (Ps 22:1)

Another form of separation comes when you see them make decisions that could harm them or take away from what they could become.  I believe there are many examples of God and Jesus being grieved over man who would remain hard hearted and not conform to truth.  Many times the church leaders would say nothing in return to the truth in Jesus’ actions or accusations, yet refuse to yield.  Why are we like that?  Even when there is not a single reason for us to remain stubborn and hard hearted, we so often refuse to move.  We are determined to exercise our authority over some part of our world, even if it hurts us and others.  This is extremely painful to watch when such a person is your loved one.  We agonize over what we can do to help them choose and believe in truth, while forgetting that even Jesus, who allowed their free will, did not change their minds.

Jesus in the will of His Father and doing exactly His purpose was in pain over separation from His Father and was grieved over man’s hart heart.  While we may share His grieving over man’s hard heart, we will never share His pain from separation from God.  We may share some pain as we are separated from our loved ones that allows us to relate to that pain, we can remain assured that it is not as intense.  We can also be hopeful knowing our Savior experienced this pain and He can touch us with peace and comfort if we will still our hearts and reach for Him. 

If we are going to love as God loves, as Jesus loves, as His Spirit within us loves, then we can be confident that there will be pain over those who remain hard hearted and turn away from the truth.  But that pain is what tells us that we are truly in His will.  If we felt no pain then we’d have to wonder if He was with us.  It is better to be in Christ and in pain of heart over those whom He loves, than to feel nothing. 

So often, however, it just doesn’t feel like it. 

Jesus didn’t care about being nice or tolerant

This might be the best article I've read in at least the past 6 months, maybe this year.  It was written by Matt Walsh on April 7, 2014.  You can find it HERE.  I have reprinted it below for ease of reading.

There is no shortage of heresies these days.

If you want to adopt some blasphemous, perverted, fun house mirror reflection of Christianity, you will find a veritable buffet of options. You can sift through all the variants and build your own little pet version of the Faith. It’s Ice Cream Social Christianity: make your own sundae! (Or Sunday, as it were.)

And, of all the heretical choices, probably the most common — and possibly the most damaging — is what I’ve come to call the Nice Doctrine.

The propagators of the Nice Doctrine can be seen and heard from anytime any Christian takes any bold stance on any cultural issue, or uses harsh language of any kind, or condemns any sinful act, or fights against evil with any force or conviction at all. As soon as he or she stands and says ‘This is wrong, and I will not compromise,’ the heretics swoop in with their trusty mantras.

They insist that Jesus was a nice man, and that He never would have done anything to upset people. They say that He came down from Heaven to preach tolerance and acceptance, and He wouldn’t have used words that might lead to hurt feelings. They confidently sermonize about a meek and mild Messiah who was born into this Earthly realm on a mission to spark a constructive dialogue.

The believers in Nice Jesus are usually ignorant of Scripture, but they do know that He was ‘friends with prostitutes,’ and once said something about how, like, we shouldn’t get too ticked off about stuff, or whatever. In their minds, he’s essentially a supernatural Cheech Marin.

Read the comments under my previous post about gay rights militants, and you’ll see this heresy illustrated.

That post prompted an especially noteworthy email from someone concerned that I’m not being ‘Christlike,’ because I ‘call people names.’ He said, in part:

“You aren’t spreading Christianity when you talk like that. The whole message of Jesus was that we should be nice to people because we want them to be nice to us. That’s how we can all be happy. Period. It’s that simple.”

Be nice to me, I’ll be nice to you, and we’ll all be happy. This is the ‘whole message’ of Christianity?

Really?

Jesus Christ preached a Truth no deeper or more complex than a slogan on a poster in a Kindergarten classroom?

Really?

A provocative claim, to say the least. I decided to investigate the matter, and sure enough, I found this excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount:

“We’re best friends like friends should be. With a great big hug, and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too?”

Actually, wait, sorry, that’s from the original Barney theme song.

God help us. We’ve turned the Son of God into a purple dinosaur puppet.

There’s no way to be certain, but most theologians believe that, despite popular perception, Christ looked nothing like this.

I don’t recognize this Jesus.

This moderate. This pacifist. This nice guy.

He’s not the Jesus I read about in the Bible. I read of a strong, manly, stern, and bold Savior.

Compassionate, yes. Forgiving, of course. Loving, always loving. But not particularly nice.

He condemned. He denounced. He caused trouble. He disrupted the established order.

On one occasion — or at least one recorded occasion — He used violence. This Jesus saw the money changers in the temple and how did He respond? He wasn’t polite about it. I’d even say He was downright intolerant. He fashioned a whip (this is what the lawyers would call ‘premeditation’) and physically drove the merchants away. He turned over tables and shouted. He caused a scene. [John 2:15]

Assault with a deadly weapon. Vandalism. Disturbing the peace. Worse still, intolerance.

In two words: not nice.

Not nice at all.

Can you imagine how some moderate, pious, ‘nice’ Christians of today would react to that spectacle in the Temple? Can you envision the proponents of the Nice Doctrine, with their wagging fingers and their passive aggressive sighs? I’m sure they’d send Jesus a patronizing email, perhaps leave a disapproving comment under the news article about the incident, reminding Jesus that Jesus would never do what Jesus just did.

Personally, I’ve studied the New Testament and found not a single instance of Christ calling for a ‘dialogue’ with evil or seeking the middle ground on an issue. I see an absolutist, unafraid of confrontation. I see a man who did not waver or give credence to the other side. I see someone who never once avoided a dispute by saying that He’ll just ‘agree to disagree.’

I see a Christ who calls the Scribes and Pharisees snakes and vipers. He labels them murderers and blind guides, and ridicules them publicly [Matthew 23:33]. He undermines their authority. He insults them. He castigates them. He’s not very nice to them.

Jesus rebukes and condemns. In Matthew 18, He utilizes morbid and violent imagery, saying that it would be better to drown in the sea with a stone around your neck than to harm a child. Had our modern politicians been around two thousand years ago, I’m sure they’d go on the cable news shows and shake their heads and insist that there’s ‘no place for that kind of language.’

No place for the language of God.

Jesus deliberately did and said things that He knew would upset people. He stirred up division and controversy. He provoked. He didn’t have to break from established customs, but He did. He didn’t have to heal that man’s hand on the Sabbath, knowing how it would disturb others and cause them immense irritation, but He did, and He did so with ‘anger’ [Mark 3:5]. He could have gone with the flow a little bit. He could have chilled out and let bygones be bygones, but He didn’t. He could have been diplomatic, but He wasn’t.

He could have told everyone to relax, but instead He made them uncomfortable. He could have put them at ease, but He chose to put them on edge.

He convinced the mob not to stone the adulterer [John 8], and you’ll notice that He then turned to her and told her to stop sinning. Indeed, never once did He encounter sin and corruption and say: “Hey, do your thang, homies. Just have fun. YOLO!”

The followers of Nice Jesus love to quote the ‘throw the first stone’ verse — and for good reason, it’s a beautiful and compelling story — but you rarely hear mention of the exchange that occurs just a few sentences later, in that very same chapter. In John 8:44, Jesus rebukes unbelieving Jews and calls them ‘sons of the Devil.’

Wow.

That wasn’t nice, Jesus.

Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you can catch more flies with honey, Jesus?

Of course, you’d catch even more flies with a mound of garbage, so maybe ‘catching flies’ isn’t the point.

While we’re often reminded that Jesus said, ‘live by the sword, die by the sword,’ we seem to ignore his other sword references. Like when he told his disciples to sell their cloaks and buy a sword [Luke 22], or when He said that He ‘didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword’ [Matthew 10].

Now, It’s true that He is God and we are not. Jesus can say whatever He wants to say. But we are called to be like Christ, which begs the question: what is Christ like?

Well, He is, among other things, uncompromising. He is intolerant of evil. He is disruptive. He is sometimes harsh. He is sometimes impolite. He is sometimes angry.

He is always loving.

Christ was not and is not a cosmic guidance counselor, and He is not mankind’s best friend, nor did He call us to be. He made dogs for that role — our destiny is more substantial, and our path to it is far more challenging and dangerous.

And nice?

Where does nice factor into this?

Nice: affable, peachy, swell.

Nice has nothing to do with Christianity. I’ve got nothing against nice — nice is nice — but even serial killers can be nice to people. They generally are exceptionally affable, except when they’re murdering. That means they’re nice to, like, 97 or 98 percent of everyone they meet.

I guess they’re following Christ almost all of the time, right?

And tolerance?

Tolerance is easy. Any coward can learn to tolerate something. Tolerance is inaction; intolerance is action. We are called to refuse to tolerate evil. We are called to get angry at it and actively work to destroy it.

Who’d have guess it — anger is far more godly than tolerance ever could be.

Obviously I’m not suggesting that anger is automatically, or even usually, justified. Christ exhibited righteous anger; righteous anger is the sort of anger that naturally fills our soul when we confront the depths of depravity and sin. It is wrong to seethe with rage because someone cut us off in traffic or gossips about us behind our back, but it is also wrong to feel no anger when babies are murdered and the institution of the family is undermined and attacked.

Anger is good when it is directed at things that offend not us, but God. Just as Christ’s intolerance, like the intolerance we’re commanded to have, stems from a desire to save souls and defend Truth.

Even when we have righteous anger, we do not have carte blanche to act on it in anyway we please. But, according to the Bible, there are times to use strong language, there are times to cause a scene, there are times to hurt people’s feelings, and there are times when we might need to use physical force.

Jesus told us to turn the other cheek when we are personally attacked; He never told us to turn our backs entirely and let lies spread and evil grow.

So, enough with the niceties.

Christians in this country sound too similar to the the Golden Girls song, and not enough like the Battle Hymn of the Republic. There’s too much ‘thank you for being a friend,’ and not enough ‘lightening from His terrible swift sword.’

We’re all hugging and singing Kumbaya, when we should be marching and shouting Hallelujah.

We’re nice Christians with our nice Jesus, and we are trampled on without protest.

Enough, already.

I think it’s time that Christianity regain its fighting spirit; the spirit of Christ.

I think it’s time we ask that question: ‘What would Jesus do?’

And I think it’s time we answer it truthfully: Jesus would flip tables and yell.

Maybe we ought to follow suit.

Works

Is our salvation dependent upon our works?  This was a topic of conversation between Russ and Ryan as Ryan described a recent question and answer series in his Comparative Religion class.  Be sure that the Klug family need no additions to their already Scripturally based solid answers.  But the question for me is, how would I answer someone who questioned me with regards to salvation and works?  So, I thought I’d put a few quick thoughts down.

I have lived long enough to know that everything I do is corrupted by my sin nature, it is more evident to me every day that I can have absolutely nothing to do with the works of the Spirit, otherwise they are stained.  In other words, if my salvation depends upon me in any way, to do anything, it is an imperfect salvation and unacceptable to a perfect God.  One country preacher described it as trying to get out of a muddy pig pen.  You can’t clean yourself and get out.  You can’t clean anyone else and they can’t clean you either because you’re all covered with mud.  Someone outside the pen who is not muddy has to clean you.  All you can do is recognize that you are muddy and believe that the guy on the outside of the pen will clean you when you decide you want to get out.

Further, if my salvation depends upon me in any way it makes me God.  We sing In Christ Alone, but if my salvation depends upon me it’s In Christ and Me.  This is not possible because it gives me authority that I do not have.  It gives me ability that I do not have.  It makes me something that I am not.  Jesus, the Son of the one true living God did all the work.  He paid the price for our sin.  Him and Him alone.  There is no other help needed or necessary or that can even be applied.  We either have a complete faith that completely depends upon Him and removes us or we have an incomplete faith.

So, what are works?  Works are the result of the Spirit of God coming into our heart.  Now, I believe we can do what seems like good things out of a want-to-help heart, but the only true righteous works come from the Spirit within us.  They aren’t even our works.  We are just blessed enough that the Spirit uses us as willing vessels.  The second we think we are the ones doing good things we have a problem.  Our sin nature is trying to corrupt God’s work. 

What do these works look like?  They can be building large organizations to feed and clothe people to preaching to the lost wherever you can draw up a crowd to giving a hitchhiker a ride.  The Spirit will press upon your heart that which you should follow and the work will become accomplished because He goes before it and is in it.  The power of God is the gospel and it is for those who believe it.  We should let that sink in slowly, t h e  p o w e r  o f  G o d is for those who believe in the gospel.  This is where works come from.

Follow Him?

It seems to me that most people decide upon Jesus as a means of serving themselves.  They want fire insurance.  They want some piece of mind about taking care of what will happen to them when their physical body expires.  Many of these same people thank God for blessings, which again is somewhat self-serving.  Don’t take my intention wrongly, there is much written in the Scripture about being thankful.  I’m just saying it is a little self-serving because it still is somewhat focused on us.  Think about it for a second, how often do you give thanks to God for blessing in the lives of others?

When Jesus called His disciples, he simply stated “Follow Me.”  Did He come to you and tell you this?  If He would have, would you have?  Suppose that He is standing before you today, stating this to you.  How do you answer?  Is there any hesitation or doubt?  That hesitation and doubt is your inability to give all of yourself to follow Him and to do it on His terms.  We like to sing, where He goes I will follow (I Will Follow Him).  But the truth is, we will only follow on our terms or as long as it doesn’t mess with our plans or change our lifestyle.  We have a real problem when His confrontation to us is directly opposing to how we want to live.  We prefer to just have Jesus on the side and we’ll call Him when we need Him.  He’s just a tool in our arsenal of life survival and success.

In Matthew 8:22, Jesus answered the disciple who wanted to go and bury His father “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”  There is nothing more important than the “Follow Me”.  All if, but, or and conditional clauses are irrelevant.  It is mildly humorous that we, who have no authority in physical or spiritual realms, would put a condition on following Jesus who has all authority.  Who exactly do we think we are?  Truthfully the answer is only Yes or No.  We Do follow or we Don’t follow.  We believe in our heart or we don’t believe in our heart.  Jesus is the judge.  There will be a parsing.  We can be sure that there is a distinction between following and not following or believing and not believing and Jesus will make that separation among the people.  We choose and He searches our heart to know if we are merely paying lip service and serving ourselves.

How will you answer His call upon you today?

Take Comfort

The Lord hears our cry.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. – Psalm 61:2

Wherever we may be physically, we can be sure that we can reach out to God.  But more importantly, wherever we may be spiritually, we can be sure that we can reach out to God.  We might be far from the Temple as David seems to be indicating here, our hearts may be far from where God is, but we can cry out to Him for help and He hears us.

When we cry out, usually it is when we are overwhelmed.  We are often overwhelmed with fear and our hearts grow weak.  We feel insecure.  We doubt what we do and we wonder what tomorrow will be like.  How will we make it?  We are overwhelmed with what we don’t know.

What is our cry?  Is it that God would lead us to the rock?  I can promise you that no matter how high you climb, your heart will stay overwhelmed.  We can’t physically change the depth of our own heart.  No, we are crying that God would take our heart away to His spiritual rock.  I prefer to cry that God would carry me to Himself, a place much higher than I, where there is refuge, safety and all is well.  “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in Whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Ps 18:2) 

The Lord is a rock, the foundation that never moves.  We can rest upon Him.  All that we are can be built upon this rock and when it is built upon it, it will stand. (Mt 7:24)  Those who choose to build upon their own foundation will eventually be cracked apart upon His foundation.  Men either build upon Him or break upon Him. 

Wherever we are spiritually, we can call upon the Lord.  When we call, it can be when we are overwhelmed, full of fear, and consumed with doubt.  What we cry for is for the Lord to carry us, lead us, to where He lives, where truth exists.  Rest comfortably in confidence today, knowing God hears you and will take you to Himself when you ask.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry. – Psalm 34:15.

Rotten to the Core

Luke 6:43  "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit."

This weekend Julie Garick heard a loud crash and looked out back to see one of their largest oak trees laying on the ground.  On a clear windless day, the tree broke about 20 feet above the ground and crashed into the ground literally crushing a cedar tree on the way down.  And that was it; seemingly one of the healthiest trees in their yard was turned into trash via chain saw and chipper.  Out of all trees, this tree broke.  Not the hickory with the cracked trunk.  Not the oak next to it with the odd disease lumps.  This apparently healthy tree failed in a massive explosive sound and perished.  The problem was a rotten core.  The tree functioned, made an expansive canopy of leaves, a massive crop of acorns, and most importantly provided deep shade to much of their backyard and ours as well.  Unbeknownst to us, it simply couldn't support the fruit of its own labor because of its own rotten core. 
We are no different.  Many of us are apparently successful in the worlds eyes.  We're healthy, attractive (well maybe many of you are), successful in our worldly endeavors, yet are overwhelmed with issues on the inside.  Sometimes our sin nature is obvious.  Obesity, for instance, is an obvious sin that all can view.  Other sins can also be obvious such as drunkenness, adultery, etc.  Many times, however, the true expanse of our sin nature isn't visible and what might be we work hard to hide.  Often our sin is simply not following God.  We simply don't want to do His will so we choose a different path.  Regardless of the sin, whether known or in secret, scripture warns us that a bad tree bears bad fruit. 
In this passage I believe Jesus is saying that regardless of appearance, eventually our sin catches up with us.  Fruit for a Christian, as the name clearly states, is to live a life that resembles that of Christ, one dedicated to loving God and others which ultimately produces other Christians.  So the tragedy is the antithesis:  "Christians" who bear no fruit are simply not influencing others around them to become Christians.  I pray that I don't get to heaven and find out that my coworkers, or worse members of my family, aren't in heaven because of rottenness in my own core. 

Perspective

Psalms 42: 1b As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

Wow.  What a whirlwind the last 4 weeks has been!  It started with a work trip to Hawaii that included Reja and Kerianne followed by two trips to Starkville to see Ryan and watch MSU play.  As I think back and pour through pictures, I pause to count my many blessings:  I've snorkeled with turtles in Hawaii, walked nature trails through tropical rain forests to a picture-perfect waterfall, tailgated in StarkVegas, watched MSU play football twice (and win big once - not bad for us), all with my favorite people on the planet.  Wow.  How many people can say they've done all that in four short weeks? 
Yesterday we accompanied Ryan to First United Methodist Church in Starkville.  As the first song kicked off, I felt a strange sensation, one akin to that first sip of cool water after a long hot day of work.  Satisfaction, joy, and peace overwhelmed me in a way that it had not during all of those world-class events.  I was where I needed to be at that moment and I knew it.  I don't recall the last time I went four weeks in a row without a corporate worship experience, but I was really surprised at just how thirsty I had become.  Truly my soul longed after God and His people.  While it was one of the most simple services I've been to with four songs, (with an offering during the last one) and a fairly straightforward (and little bit long-winded), sermon wrapped up with a repeat of the the tag line from one of the songs, it was nevertheless one of the most needed in a while.  The feeling of fulfillment and contentment could not be achieved in any of the other activities despite the expenditure of time, effort, and funds.  Nothing could replace the stirring of the Spirit within. 
Often we critique the lay out of the service, the dedication of the participants and leaders, the quality of the music, and content and delivery of the sermon.  Sometimes a critique is necessary as things can be improved or people held accountable.  Yet I wonder how often we completely squelch the movement of the spirit and in so doing rob ourselves of the peace, joy, and contentment that flows from simply being aware of God's presence.  Yesterday's service wasn't world-class by any measure, but the contentment and peace I felt was palpable and outclassed any such feelings of the world-class events of the past four weeks.  There's a life-lesson here that I pray doesn't go unlearned. 

My Friend

As I sat there in peace and quiet,

I prayed for God to join my fight.

Across the table He sat and said,

“I am here with you my friend.”

“I can’t believe You call me friend,

When I am covered up with sin.”

“I do and soon you will see

That I am going so you can be free.”

“Please, oh please, do not go,

There will be pain, there will be blows.

The crowd will hate and they will kill.

Let me die, it is my will.

Agree with me, oh please, I begged

Do not go and become dead.”

“I must go for you my friend.”

It was His will, but it was not the end.

I cried for my terrible loss

And then again when I saw the cross.

Why for my sin did He want to pay?

Did not death win the day?

But there was an empty grave!

He had risen from the cave!

He did not die and lives today!

So His friends, like me, can live His way.

Woe to Me!

²⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” – Matthew 23:25-28

These are powerful words from Jesus the Messiah, Son of the one true living God.  He directs them to the church leaders, those who were considered the best and most knowledgeable people regarding God’s Word and His ways.  Jesus describes their position in verse 2 saying they sit in Moses’ seat.  Jesus’ condemnation in this chapter is incredibly strong and confronting to these leaders.

I am forced to wonder, how are they not convicted?  How do they not see in their heart what He is saying to them?  Or do they see it and refuse it?  Jesus undoubtedly spoke in the Spirit of God so I believe they knew the conviction, but chose to reject it and believe they knew better.  They found a way to crucify Him so they would have no more to do with Him.  I know people like this.  They know what He says, they reject it, and they crucify anyone who does not reject it if they are in their life.  They will have nothing to do with truth.  I shudder in fear over their position under God.

On Friday a very large oak tree fell in our backyard.  It was a perfectly clear blue sky day with virtually no wind.  The tree broke about 20 feet above the ground and crushed a cedar tree on the way down.  The tree was completely full in leaves and acorns.  It looked in every way to be the healthiest tree in the yard.  But it wasn’t.  The inside core of the tree from the roots up to about 25 feet was rotten.  The top was healthy, but the trunk couldn’t support it because it was rotten on the inside. 

This is a perfect example of those who believe they’ve got the world fooled and they do everything they can to create a perception of who they want people to believe they are.  They would have everyone believe they are perfectly healthy while they are rotten on the inside.  Personally, I know this is me.  My best hope is to read, pray, and have my wife, kids, and really close Christian brothers as close to me as I can get them so they can help me see when I’m getting more rotten.  I've got a sin disease and I know it.  A sure sign of a rotting heart is one who does not want anyone close to it.  They fear that anyone close will see what is inside.  By keeping those who love you the most as close as possible and believing them when they talk to you is one of the most important accountability measures we can take to keep us walking on the path.  Ultimately, it is Jesus and Him alone who keeps us, but we can set up a “prevent defense” in football parlance to make good choices.

A rotten core will eventually fall, no matter how wonderful and full the perception and appearance is on the outside.  Regardless of where we might think others are, it is enough for us to make sure that we know our foundation is set upon the steady rock that does not move and the most beautiful healthy part of us is on the inside where Jesus is dwelling.

No Joy

So it took exactly 18 minutes for me to be able to even open this page today.  I felt compelled to right on our source of joy being God, not our own self-generated ideas of how to make ourselves happy.  From my perspective when we think about what will bring us happiness, we are inwardly focused on ourselves.  When I was younger, happiness was found when I wasn't in trouble with my parents.  In others words it was easier to simply do what they wanted me to do and everybody was happy, happy, happy.  I believe God works similarly.  When our focus is on Him and others, we are truly content. 
Well, no joy.  Off to work.
ugh.  Gotta wipe computer and start over.

In the Pain

There is much thought and study on how Christians are to handle pain and suffering.  Many writers believe that it is in that pain and suffering that a deeper relationship of Jesus is found.  Tim Keller is one such writer and authored the book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. 

Pain and suffering seem to be an unavoidable path in life.  However, our view of that pain and suffering might very well change the pain and suffering to not be pain and suffering.  Mr. Keller remarks to this, “No matter what precautions we take, no matter how well we have put together a good life, no matter how hard we have worked to be healthy, wealthy, comfortable with friends and family, and successful with our career — something will inevitably ruin it.”  By ruin it, the idea is it is ruined by our standards.  God’s standard may not see it as ruined at all, but simply shaped so we can see a deeper portion of Him.  I’ve mentioned before that once you have had to depend upon Jesus and Him alone because you had nothing left to hold onto and only Jesus is the answer or everything falls apart, you know faith.  The miracle happens in you and around you.  Mr. Keller adds, “You don’t really know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”  I believe it is God’s full intention for every believer to know Him in this way.  Everyone’s path is their own.

Certainly once we become aware of our sins we enter into some pain and suffering as our hearts are broken over our filth.  We become desperate in our dark condition.  However, until we enter into this conviction we cannot see our need for a Savior.  We do not see Jesus as our only hope and as a light in a dark world.  It is in the pain and suffering of our broken heart that we see the greatest light and are filled upon believing in Him with His own Spirit and completed.  The brokenness is necessary.

Likewise, the pain and suffering we might be in at various times is necessary for God to show us the depth of a well that we would never experience otherwise.  Once we find it, the pain and suffering is so secondary to His presence at the well.  We find that we can only focus on Him.  Again, Mr. Keller writes, “Some suffering is given in order to chastise and correct a person for wrongful patterns of life (as in the case of Jonah imperiled by the storm), some suffering is given not to correct past wrongs but to prevent future ones (as in the case of Joseph sold into slavery), and some suffering has no purpose other than to lead a person to love God more ardently for himself alone and so discover the ultimate peace and freedom.”

I find that we reduce the glory of God so we can manage it.  But by doing so, we prevent ourselves from seeing the expanse of the hope we have in Him.  It IS more than anything we see, hear, touch, or feel in this world, no matter how difficult or painful.  “The most rapturous delights you have ever had — in the beauty of a landscape, or in the pleasure of food, or in the fulfillment of a loving embrace — are like dewdrops compared to the bottomless ocean of joy that it will be to see God face-to-face (1 John 3:1–3). That is what we are in for, nothing less. And according to the Bible, that glorious beauty, and our enjoyment of it, has been immeasurably enhanced by Christ’s redemption of us from evil and death.”

Therefore, knowing that whatever trial we are in and whatever the pain, God must be glorified because He loves us enough to make a way for us to see Him more clearly.  He desires for us to be our greatest and that can only be found in Him.  “It fits to glorify God — it not only fits reality, because God is infinitely and supremely praiseworthy, but it fits us as nothing else does. All the beauty we have looked for in art or faces or places — and all the love we have looked for in the arms of other people — is only fully present in God himself. And so in every action by which we treat him as glorious as he is, whether through prayer, singing, trusting, obeying, or hoping, we are at once giving God his due and fulfilling our own design.”

Lift your hearts Christian and glorify God wherever you are!  Look desperately for Him where you are and He will overwhelm your every sense so that all you know is Him.

The Spirit Alone

It is impossible to convince someone that they are sinning by yourself.  You, as a sinner, are an unworthy vehicle to transmit such a message.  A fellow standing in the mud can’t look at another fellow in the mud and say you are sinning.  The message simply will not be heard.

Jesus says in John 16:8-11, “And He, when He is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you behold Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.”

The Holy Spirit, when He came, convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment.  When the Spirit came for the very first time, this is exactly what happened.  Acts 2:36-37 records Peter speaking after the Spirit came to them to a crowd, “’Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.’  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’”  As soon as the Spirit arrived into the hearts of the believers, the Spirit began convicting those who heard the truth about Jesus of their sin.

It is important to realize, however, that the Holy Spirit who does the convicting of sin does it through us in a supernatural way.  Peter got up and spoke to the crowd.  His words were not magical, but the Spirit flowed through Him to everyone who heard and it was that Spirit of God that reached inside of those men and women.  It is the same today.  It is overwhelming to know that the Spirit has no way to get to the unsaved or those denying God’s Word except through believers.  The Spirit seems to work exclusively through the faith of believers.

Even so, if we do not yield ourselves to the power of God we can reach no one.  We must approach every person knowing that no words we say, no depth of love in our heart, no knowledge we have, no depth upon truth that we stand, no conversation, no friendship, no experience … nothing in our arsenal can lead another person to conviction of sin.  It must be the Holy Spirit.  We must pray and depend upon Him and Him only to reach those we are led to reach.

Self Control

1 Cor 9: 25Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 27But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

We all know that one of the Fruits of the Spirit is self-control.  In other words, one of the aspects of being filled and controlled by God's Holy Spirit is self-control.  It's not something we force, but something that God does in and through us just like a lemon tree doesn't struggle to produce lemons, it just does it as a result of its nature.  I confess, however, that I struggle with some elements of self control.  Last weekend at the MSU game, I lost my temper sitting in pre-game traffic waiting to find a parking place.  I struggle with self-control when it comes to eating.  Overeating is a struggle for me.  I admit I need help and seek it, but this is particularly hard for me as one must eat.  Healthy eating requires planning and that is where I fail.  So, although the Spirit is in me, it does not totally consume me and not every conscious act is under the Spirit's control. 
There are other things, however, that I don't struggle with that trip others.  I don't lie, cheat, or steal for example, although there are opportunities to profit at times.  There are other examples, but the point is that there are areas of my life that are yielded to the spirit and others where God continues to chip away at those things that do not honor and resemble Him.  I'm a work in progress and I know it. 
What a tragedy it is when people fail to acknowledge areas where God needs to work.  God cannot control those areas where we refuse to give Him control.  Control by the spirit starts with an admission that we lack self-control. 
In what areas do you struggle?  We only fool ourselves when we rationalize our shortcomings into a lie that it must be ok if someone else does it. Do you have the courage to admit it, or do you think you can fool our God who knows everything?   Where does God need to chip away at you? 
Self-control is the result of allowing God to do what He wants to do through you, not some sort of self-initiated, heroic effort on our part.  Left to our own, we may succeed in the short term, but life is a marathon and eventually our own flesh and mental capacity will fail us.  God's grace and the fruit of it is eternal - now and forever.  Where does God need to take control in your life?  How are you praying about it? 

Stay Connected

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  …  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:1, 4-6

Pastor Dave recently illustrated in a sermon how we do not “suck” from the vine of Christ.  He was indicating that many people think we are to attach to the vine and then “get” all we can from it.  That’s not the way it works.  The trunk of a tree provides the nutrients for the branches and that food and water flows from the trunk into the branches.  When the branches produce leaves and fruit, it is because of the provisions of the trunk which come through the connection of the branch to it and through the branch.

Jesus is telling us here that we cannot produce fruit unless we are connected to Him, the vine of life.  He has to flow through us so that fruit can be produced.  This is assuming, of course, that we want the type of fruit God produces.  Some people do not.

Paul says in Galatians 5:22-23 that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”   R. A. Torrey in his book The Presence and Work of the Holy Spirit asks the questions, “Do you wish these graces in your character and life?  Do you really wish them?  Then renounce self utterly and all its strivings after holiness, give up any thought that you can ever attain to anything really morally beautiful in your own strength, and let the Holy Spirit, who already dwells in you if you are a child of God, take full control and bear His own glorious fruit in your daily life.”  We are unable to produce such fruit no matter how strong we are or how hard we try to cultivate our own character.  Paul describes our fruit in verses 19-21 and it’s an ugly description.  Only the Spirit of God which flow from Him to us and through us will produce the fruit described above. 

The most important part, aside from God who is willing to be in such unworthy vessels, is our connection to the vine.  Are we doing everything we know we should be doing to stay connected to the vine?  When is the time we set aside to pray today?  When is the time we set aside to read His words today?  Have we prayed with our wife/husband/best friend today?  If not, when are we going to?  What have we deliberately put into our life so we could grow in faith?  If we do not have something, are we asking God for something that will require us to have faith in Him and Him alone so we might be strengthened in our faith?  In a world of communications connectivity, we need to focus everything and every thought on our connection to Jesus our Savior today and His fruit will abound in us.

JUDGING OTHERS AND EVANGELISM

Matt Ayers writes the below on his Tea In Solitude site.  The writing is located HERE and is repeated for convenience below.

In Matthew 7, “Jesus moves from personal temptations to interpersonal temptations” (ESV Study Bible Notes). This means that our relationship with others is on par with our relationship with the Father in terms of importance. Ultimately, it’s all about our personal relationships. In contemporary Christianity we have the tendency to think that things are all about me and Jesus. We must move beyond this by remembering that our relationships with others are crucial. They are important to the father.

In his treatment of the issue, Jesus reminds us not to judge (Matt 7:1). Notice that at first the command seems absolute and universal, but then Jesus does something different with it. Jesus isn’t saying “never judge”, he’s saying “don’t think yourself better than others out of arrogance.” This comes through in the metaphor (and hyperbole) that he uses about the speck and the log.

HE SAYS, WHY DO YOU SEE THE SPECK THAT IS IN YOUR BROTHER’S EYE, BUT DO NOT NOTICE THE LOG THAT IS IN YOUR OWN EYE? OR HOW CAN YOU SAY TO YOUR BROTHER, ‘LET ME TAKE THE SPECK OUT OF YOUR EYE,’ WHEN THERE IS THE LOG IN YOUR OWN EYE? YOU HYPOCRITE, FIRST TAKE THE LOG OUT OF YOUR OWN EYE, AND THEN YOU WILL SEE CLEARLY TO TAKE THE SPECK OUT OF YOUR BROTHER’S EYE.

Notice, once again, that Jesus is giving permission here to “take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” The condition of this, however, is to be humbled first by dealing with your own issues before judging others. “ultimately the one who feels grieved and humbled by his own sin can help remove the ‘speck’ from others” (ESV Study Bible Notes).

Christians have been accused of judging others when Jesus teaches us not to judge based on this passage. This passage doesn’t teach us not to judge.  To the contrary, this passage also teaches us that we should judge, but that we can only do so once we’ve arrived at a proper place in dealing with our own sin first.

In verse 6 of this same chapter, Jesus turns a corner. He says,

DO NOT GIVE DOGS WHAT IS HOLY, AND DO NOT THROW YOUR PEARLS BEFORE PIGS, LEST THEY TRAMPLE THEM UNDERFOOT AND TURN TO ATTACK YOU.

I’ve struggled with this verse in the past because I’ve always understood that the pearls symbolized the Kingdom of God (i.e., the Gospel) and certainly we should preach the Kingdom to EVERYONE! Jesus corrects this thinking. Yes, the pearls are the Kingdom indeed, but he’s clearly teaching here that we should not preach the Kingdom to those who adamantly reject it. The Kingdom is for those who are prepared to receive it.

This point reminds us that bringing people into the Kingdom is GOD’S work, not our own. God is preparing hearts by his grace and through the Holy Spirit to receive the Kingdom. Lest we mindlessly and prayerlessly preach the kingdom as if it’s our own work! Let us JOIN the father in his work. Let us be humbled over our own sin so that we can help one another.

Accountability - the greater love

James 2:  15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Meeting physical need is obviously important, but what about spiritual needs.  What spiritual needs do we have?  Micah reminds us that we are to Walk justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (6:8).  How do we do that on a real basis?  The very term Christian means more than a disciple of Christ.  It's use in Acts 11 derives its meaning from the Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos) meaning anointed one with a latin adjective ending literally meaning enslaved.  So as Paul said many times, we are slaves to Christ meaning He makes the rules and we follow them. 
In today's politically correct society, it isn't acceptable to confront someone's behavior or decisions.  I maintain, however, that to leave someone in a life of sin is exactly the same as allowing your children to play in a busy street.  You're tempting fate (Deut 6:16).  Naturally a loving parent rescues the child from danger they may or may not realize.
Accountability is the same.  Sometimes we make a series of bad decisions that lead to a propensity to sin.  This is always because we're making decisions rooted in self-centeredness, but we often don't see it that way at all.  Others have a different perspective and can offer insight to which we may be blind.  Failure to identify risky behavior is to condemn someone to (perhaps repeatedly) getting hurt physically, emotionally, or mentally.  Worse, the continued sin ensures that the person is not spiritually healthy. 

Judgmental?

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

I have been accused of being judgmental and accusatory by a family member.  I asked this person two questions: 1) Do you believe in Jesus as the Son of God?  2) Are you involved in a certain sin?  They answered the first one yes, but would not answer the second one yes or no, even when prompted to do so.  The truth is that any of us when confronted with whatever sin ensnares us should answer yes.  By doing so, we recognize that it is sin (God is the authority), we accept responsibility for our actions (we opposed God), and we are convicted of it (we want to repent and turn away from following the sin to follow God).  If we answer no, it means we do not believe in God’s authority or we do not believe that every word written in the Scriptures is the Word of God.  If we do not answer yes or no, it means we’re riding the fence.  We know what the Word says, but we’re having fun and we don’t want to stop doing what we’re doing.  We fool ourselves by pretending that we didn’t answer no, but any answer that isn’t yes is a no.

Is it judgmental to ask such a question of those whom you love?  I believe it is unloving not to ask.  I believe it is just as okay in the spirit of Jesus’ words in John 3:16 to say, “I so loved you that I asked you if you believe in the Words of the only begotten Son of God so you can have life.”  If we believe in Jesus as our Savior as recorded in the Bible as the only Son of the one true living God and it is that faith in His work of life, death, and resurrection that removes our sin debt, then we must believe the other words of Jesus also.  It would be insane to not believe the other recorded words yet trust upon words on the other pages for our very life.

Anyone who refuses to accept the words of Jesus that apply to their lifestyle, but also accept the words of Jesus that apply to their salvation is double-minded.  You have to recognize all His words whether you like them or not.  And only people who love you as He does are willing to ask you where you are as you follow Him because that is where your best and most full life exists.