John 13: 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
Who would blame Jesus if he, a condemned man, would have sat back and allowed others to pamper Him on His last night? Yet everything he did through death, burial, and resurrection had a message in imagery. In this, one of his last acts before going to the cross, he reminds us that no matter our current situation, we are to remain focused on others rather than ourselves. This one is tough. When I'm busy and under stress, I find it easy to throw a pity party. No where is scripture does it say that is ok.
I'm still a work in progress, one who needs to learn to properly agape others. Sometimes I do ok, but others not so much. Even in times of service such as in missions, I can get self-centered and lack the willingness to cooperate with others.
He washed their feet, then took upon Himself the sins of the world. My sins. I would do well to remember that my first priority is to love God and to do so I must be focused on loving others.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Fool's Day
Today on April Fool's Day, I can't help but be reminded of
some sad fool's day that will occur for many.
One day there will be many fools gathered together acknowledging that
there is a God. "The fool says in
his heart, 'There is no God.'" (Psalms 53:1) They may have "reasoned" in their
intelligence or practiced a life of lying to themselves assuring that there is
no God. They may have developed their
own authority over morality, over what they believed is good and not good, over
their own actions and the actions of others, but there will be a day where the
authority of all is revealed and not questioned by anyone. "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee
will bow before Me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'" (Romans 14:11)
On this day many who seemed to know God, but only used God
for personal gain, personal recognition, or personal escape will be
exposed. Their many "good"
works being done so others could see and think well of them; their seeking of position among the saved to
hide as a wolf among sheep and to seek their own glory, will be exposed. The intent of all their work will be revealed. "Many will say to Me on that day [reckoning], 'Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name
perform many miracles?' Then I will tell
them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away
from Me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:22-24) As God told Samuel when selecting David, He
looks upon the heart. Those whose heart
does not live in faith do not know God.
Those who are not crushed by the weight of grace and mercy, the
forgiveness of their sins, and the love of God upon their existence, do not
know God. On that day, that fool, who
has not been true to himself about the depth of his belief; that fool, who has
told the lie of self-justification so many times that he believed it; that fool
will be sent away from Jesus.
The importance of today is to search my heart. Am I one of those fools? Do I live every day dependent upon Christ for
the very next breath, heartbeat, or second of life? Am I close to tears every time I remember the
depth of my sin and the reach and willingness of Jesus to forgive those
sins? Am I broken in thankfulness and
gratefulness over not having to carry my sin burden? Are my actions being done for my own glory? Do I serve Him so others can see Him? Am I overjoyed that He has a single use for me, regardless of its description? Do I serve Him willingly? Do I serve Him because I am compelled and overcome by my love for Him? Or, am I one of those fools?
Witnessing without Words
“Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.”
― Francis of Assisi
One of the greatest privileges of my life was to eulogize my Father-in-Law, Charles Beasley, when he passed away eight years ago this week. I can clearly recall praying about what God would have said at this great man's passing and one of the things that struck me the most about him was something he never said. It was something he always did.
When Reja and I married, we visited her home often. We took advantage of her mother's excellent cooking and their joyous approach to life to have a mini vacation, usually skipping church unless it was a special occasion. One Easter, for instance, we visited their church in Gulfport Mississippi and at the end of the service, the choir closed with the Halleluiah Chorus and they asked if anyone in the congregation wanted to join the choir. They didn't have to ask me twice and Reja and I were the only two to join. What a blast to crash the choir to join in one of the greatest praise songs ever! But I digress.
Over the years, I noted that when Reja and I were at her home, her Dad quietly slipped out on Sundays and went to church whether anyone joined him or not. He always inquired as to our plans, but beyond that never pressured anyone or said anything about it. He simply got up, laced up his dress shoes (he was always a sharp-dressed man) and went to church. Often he would go to an early service to be home to be with us before we had to depart to return home, but he almost always went.
So at his Celebration of Life service, I noted that although he almost never talked about his faith, his actions proved its depth. His love for his wife, his family and his Lord were evident in what he did much more than what he said and upon reflection it had a lasting impact on me. I'm positive that he wasn't even thinking about anyone watching him as he laced up his shoes and went to church. He simply went because he knew he needed it and he was dedicated to his faith. I saw it and I'm a changed man because of his silent witness. Although I'm positive that his silent action wasn't intended as a witness what I saw in him changed me and to this day I don't skip church without remembering how much impact his action had on me. Although he never knew, he was being watched and had a profound impact in a very simple act of dedicated attendance.
We never know who might be watching and drawing conclusions from our actions. I really don't think anyone really looks at me in the slightest, but if anyone does weigh my life, I hope they can sift out a portion of the dedication I saw in my father-in-law.
Skipping church doesn't seem like a big deal, but what conclusions are those around you drawing. I bet you didn't realize that people are watching. I watched my father-in-law witness with his feet. Are you willing to lace up your shoes and silently witness?
― Francis of Assisi
One of the greatest privileges of my life was to eulogize my Father-in-Law, Charles Beasley, when he passed away eight years ago this week. I can clearly recall praying about what God would have said at this great man's passing and one of the things that struck me the most about him was something he never said. It was something he always did.
When Reja and I married, we visited her home often. We took advantage of her mother's excellent cooking and their joyous approach to life to have a mini vacation, usually skipping church unless it was a special occasion. One Easter, for instance, we visited their church in Gulfport Mississippi and at the end of the service, the choir closed with the Halleluiah Chorus and they asked if anyone in the congregation wanted to join the choir. They didn't have to ask me twice and Reja and I were the only two to join. What a blast to crash the choir to join in one of the greatest praise songs ever! But I digress.
Over the years, I noted that when Reja and I were at her home, her Dad quietly slipped out on Sundays and went to church whether anyone joined him or not. He always inquired as to our plans, but beyond that never pressured anyone or said anything about it. He simply got up, laced up his dress shoes (he was always a sharp-dressed man) and went to church. Often he would go to an early service to be home to be with us before we had to depart to return home, but he almost always went.
So at his Celebration of Life service, I noted that although he almost never talked about his faith, his actions proved its depth. His love for his wife, his family and his Lord were evident in what he did much more than what he said and upon reflection it had a lasting impact on me. I'm positive that he wasn't even thinking about anyone watching him as he laced up his shoes and went to church. He simply went because he knew he needed it and he was dedicated to his faith. I saw it and I'm a changed man because of his silent witness. Although I'm positive that his silent action wasn't intended as a witness what I saw in him changed me and to this day I don't skip church without remembering how much impact his action had on me. Although he never knew, he was being watched and had a profound impact in a very simple act of dedicated attendance.
We never know who might be watching and drawing conclusions from our actions. I really don't think anyone really looks at me in the slightest, but if anyone does weigh my life, I hope they can sift out a portion of the dedication I saw in my father-in-law.
Skipping church doesn't seem like a big deal, but what conclusions are those around you drawing. I bet you didn't realize that people are watching. I watched my father-in-law witness with his feet. Are you willing to lace up your shoes and silently witness?
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Why Go?
Hebrews 10: 25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
I think if I didn't participate in choir, my church attendance might suffer. Why? Because I'm lazy and some Sundays I just don't feel like going. A very sad testimony about my love condition as I'm positive there was nothing in the cross except perfect hatred, abuse, abandonment, and of course a very painful death yet Jesus went out of devotion to me. I've been guilty of using all sorts of lame excuses such as "I'm just not getting anything out of it" which is actually an indictment not of the preacher or the service, but of me. It indicates that I'm there simply as a consumer not willing to invest and demanding something for nothing (something that for those that know me I absolutely RAGE against in terms of eating and living). I have found, for instance, with previous preachers, that I had to resort to taking notes just to follow and try to figure out what the point of the sermon was for that day. Note that once I invested the energy to do so, I found a message with significance and applicability to my life and often current situations, but I couldn't have done so without investing the extra energy to take notes. I've also used excuses such as, "I teach Sunday School, so I've spent my time in The Word this week." Lame. Just lame.
Sometimes we're not there for ourselves. Sometimes our children, coworkers, and friends need to see absolute, sold-out, you-can't-keep-me-away kind of faith so that they know what a life of devotion looks like. Consumerism says, well if I can get something out of it, I might consider it as long as I don't have something better to do. Devotion says I'm here for You and others as much or more than for me. In his book "Not a Fan," Kyle Idleman calls people who simply warm a pew on an occasional Sunday "Fans" because they're really not in the game. I don't think anyone I know really thinks of themselves that way, but what is our fruit saying? Are we producing a good crop or are we waiting to harvest something we didn't sow?
There are other reasons to attend church besides the service itself. One Sunday, for instance, a person stopped me and asked me to pray about an effort she felt God calling her to start that was going to cost a lot of money. After the service, I stopped by and requested Missions funds be made available to initiate the effort. What if I had missed that Sunday?
The point today is that sometimes we're there to serve more so than be served. Sometimes we're there to make a statement of priorities to a world that wouldn't blame us if we took a day to go fishing. Sometimes we're there because God needs to speak to us in ways we don't know we need. Sometimes we need to be there just to shake the hand of someone who needs encouragement. Sometimes we're there just to fill a pew because that person who isn't really healthy enough to be in church but won't miss it for the world couldn't go if all the "healthy" people didn't attend.
So what's your lame excuse? Why is your attendance spotty? Why is there anything in this world more important than devotion to God? Sure, you don't have to go to church to be devoted, but what is the message you're sending to the world with your absence? It tells me you think you and your priorities are more important than God and His people which might be incorrect, but you're not there to correct me are you?
My outright intention here is to be confrontational. Confrontational with myself about why I'm going to church. Choir attendance is important, but if that's why I'm going, I'm sowing bad seed. I need be attending because of my love for my Savior and His people (I've noticed, by the way, when I do attend with this attitude, I'm much less critical of the sermon, the music, etc). Why is your attendance less than perfect? Scripture says we're known by our fruits. If your attendance is less than perfect, why? What message do you think you're sending? Do you think absence is an effective communication tool? Perhaps some of you simply think attendance isn't that big a deal. If so, why would scripture address it?
When I missed football, the coach yelled at me and made me run. Football wasn't an eternal event in my life, yet I put up with a high degree of accountability. Why do we treat the eternal things of God as any less accountable? The stakes in this game are life and death and there is no room in the kingdom for fans. Get rid of your lame excuses and get in the game or quit lying to a high and Holy God and His people. I love God and you too much to stand by and let you warm the bench in this one.
End of rant.
I think if I didn't participate in choir, my church attendance might suffer. Why? Because I'm lazy and some Sundays I just don't feel like going. A very sad testimony about my love condition as I'm positive there was nothing in the cross except perfect hatred, abuse, abandonment, and of course a very painful death yet Jesus went out of devotion to me. I've been guilty of using all sorts of lame excuses such as "I'm just not getting anything out of it" which is actually an indictment not of the preacher or the service, but of me. It indicates that I'm there simply as a consumer not willing to invest and demanding something for nothing (something that for those that know me I absolutely RAGE against in terms of eating and living). I have found, for instance, with previous preachers, that I had to resort to taking notes just to follow and try to figure out what the point of the sermon was for that day. Note that once I invested the energy to do so, I found a message with significance and applicability to my life and often current situations, but I couldn't have done so without investing the extra energy to take notes. I've also used excuses such as, "I teach Sunday School, so I've spent my time in The Word this week." Lame. Just lame.
Sometimes we're not there for ourselves. Sometimes our children, coworkers, and friends need to see absolute, sold-out, you-can't-keep-me-away kind of faith so that they know what a life of devotion looks like. Consumerism says, well if I can get something out of it, I might consider it as long as I don't have something better to do. Devotion says I'm here for You and others as much or more than for me. In his book "Not a Fan," Kyle Idleman calls people who simply warm a pew on an occasional Sunday "Fans" because they're really not in the game. I don't think anyone I know really thinks of themselves that way, but what is our fruit saying? Are we producing a good crop or are we waiting to harvest something we didn't sow?
There are other reasons to attend church besides the service itself. One Sunday, for instance, a person stopped me and asked me to pray about an effort she felt God calling her to start that was going to cost a lot of money. After the service, I stopped by and requested Missions funds be made available to initiate the effort. What if I had missed that Sunday?
The point today is that sometimes we're there to serve more so than be served. Sometimes we're there to make a statement of priorities to a world that wouldn't blame us if we took a day to go fishing. Sometimes we're there because God needs to speak to us in ways we don't know we need. Sometimes we need to be there just to shake the hand of someone who needs encouragement. Sometimes we're there just to fill a pew because that person who isn't really healthy enough to be in church but won't miss it for the world couldn't go if all the "healthy" people didn't attend.
So what's your lame excuse? Why is your attendance spotty? Why is there anything in this world more important than devotion to God? Sure, you don't have to go to church to be devoted, but what is the message you're sending to the world with your absence? It tells me you think you and your priorities are more important than God and His people which might be incorrect, but you're not there to correct me are you?
My outright intention here is to be confrontational. Confrontational with myself about why I'm going to church. Choir attendance is important, but if that's why I'm going, I'm sowing bad seed. I need be attending because of my love for my Savior and His people (I've noticed, by the way, when I do attend with this attitude, I'm much less critical of the sermon, the music, etc). Why is your attendance less than perfect? Scripture says we're known by our fruits. If your attendance is less than perfect, why? What message do you think you're sending? Do you think absence is an effective communication tool? Perhaps some of you simply think attendance isn't that big a deal. If so, why would scripture address it?
When I missed football, the coach yelled at me and made me run. Football wasn't an eternal event in my life, yet I put up with a high degree of accountability. Why do we treat the eternal things of God as any less accountable? The stakes in this game are life and death and there is no room in the kingdom for fans. Get rid of your lame excuses and get in the game or quit lying to a high and Holy God and His people. I love God and you too much to stand by and let you warm the bench in this one.
End of rant.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Spiritual Habits
Just looking to pass along some notes from the series I started with a class on Sunday. Hopefully you'll find these interesting.
Rick Warren describes in his study Transformed, the seven habits that are needed to have a
positive spiritual health:
1. I must love Jesus supremely. (Luke 14:26). Spiritual health is measure by Love. Mark 12:29-30 says, “Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and
with all your strength."
2. I must meet with Jesus daily. (Proverbs 8:34) “Anyone who listens to me is happy, watching at
my doors every day, waiting by the posts of my doorway."
3. I must Study and Do his Word.
(Psalm 1:1-3) "How happy is the man who does not follow the
advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of
mockers! Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction, and he
meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside
streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers."
4. I must tithe my income. (Malachi 3:10)
"Bring
the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way," says the LORD of
Hosts. "See if I will not open the
floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure."
5. I must learn to love other believers! (John
13:35) “By
this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another.” 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, 'I
love God', yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother
he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen."
6. I must
serve others unselfishly. (Mark 10:45) “For even the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give His life–a ransom for many.”
7. I must pass on the Good News!
(2 Timothy 2:2) "And what you have
heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who
will be able to teach others also." and "Go, therefore, and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:19-20
A few comments: One, there are a lot of 'I's in those habits. Sure, I need to look within myself to change where I want to be spiritually IF I want to grow. Developing new habits is the way to change our routine, which will change who we are and who we become. But I can't do even the first one of these without faith. All roads lead to faith. I can't love Jesus supremely if I haven't found a way to depend upon Him everyday for everything. You just can't get there. And all the rest follow the first habit. I was very excited to see Rick offer a call to salvation at the conclusion of the video clearly indicating a relation with Christ is required to grow.
I think if I were praying for these habits in my own life, I would have to put them all into God's hands. Such as, "Lord, help my faith so I can love you supremely. Give me a desire for Your Word so that I am never satisfied. Destroy my thoughts that want to do anything other than what Your Word and Your direction indicates for me. Fill my heart so I will love those whom You died for. Overcome my thoughts of owning anything so I will give to whomever asks in as much as I am able. Deliver in me the ability to always have You on my thoughts so telling others about Your blessing to me and about Your love is always in my conversation." May we put ourselves in God's hands so He can change our heart and that will change our habits.
Prepare Your Mind!
Romans 8: 6The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
When Professor Snape was working with Harry Potter to help him ward off an invasion from Voldemort, he told him to "Prepare your mind!" How much more important is it that we prepare our minds for real life? We know we will face temptation today uniquely prepared for each of us by the Tempter, yet I'm so often guilty of not making prudent preparation.
I love the way scripture is organized. For instance, Ephesians chapter five spells out in elegant simplicity the commandments of God for the family. Husbands have the straightforward command to love their wives like Christ loves the church and to surrender our lives for her just as He did. Elegant in simplicity, yet impossible to get right even on a daily basis never mind life-long. Yet for Christians, we are set free from approaching this battle unarmed or unaided. Scripture tells us in chapter 6 exactly how to prepare for the struggles we each face daily - we must put on the full armor of God.
So, are you facing this day with your armor on, or are you handling things on your own? I find that when I take time to prepare, I deal with temptation as well as character flaws much better than I do when I rush out the door without taking time to suit up. There is so much temptation and pressure in the world today. I have failed spectacularly. Men that I look up to, respect, and thought "had it all together" have exceeded my failures tenfold to my absolute disbelief and dismay (Yet for those that have repented, God has been faithful to his promise of forgiveness and peace). Proof that none are immune to the temptation of the flesh wrapped in irresistible circumstances by Satan.
Prepare your mind for battle today. Note that there is but a single offensive weapon, scripture. Are you practicing and preparing as hard for spiritual battle as you are for football, baseball, volleyball, soccer, band, track, color guard, or your future career or employment? Why not? Why has it become acceptable to just take a couple of minutes a day to prepare to do battle with Satan and hours preparing to do battle in simple games made up by man? These activities will soon pass away, but the decisions you make when tempted can affect you for a lifetime and beyond.
Prepare your mind! Choose this day whom you will serve! As for me, I choose to serve the Lord and pray that each and every decision I make today will honor and glorify Him. Who will you serve today? How are you preparing to do so?
When Professor Snape was working with Harry Potter to help him ward off an invasion from Voldemort, he told him to "Prepare your mind!" How much more important is it that we prepare our minds for real life? We know we will face temptation today uniquely prepared for each of us by the Tempter, yet I'm so often guilty of not making prudent preparation.
I love the way scripture is organized. For instance, Ephesians chapter five spells out in elegant simplicity the commandments of God for the family. Husbands have the straightforward command to love their wives like Christ loves the church and to surrender our lives for her just as He did. Elegant in simplicity, yet impossible to get right even on a daily basis never mind life-long. Yet for Christians, we are set free from approaching this battle unarmed or unaided. Scripture tells us in chapter 6 exactly how to prepare for the struggles we each face daily - we must put on the full armor of God.
So, are you facing this day with your armor on, or are you handling things on your own? I find that when I take time to prepare, I deal with temptation as well as character flaws much better than I do when I rush out the door without taking time to suit up. There is so much temptation and pressure in the world today. I have failed spectacularly. Men that I look up to, respect, and thought "had it all together" have exceeded my failures tenfold to my absolute disbelief and dismay (Yet for those that have repented, God has been faithful to his promise of forgiveness and peace). Proof that none are immune to the temptation of the flesh wrapped in irresistible circumstances by Satan.
Prepare your mind for battle today. Note that there is but a single offensive weapon, scripture. Are you practicing and preparing as hard for spiritual battle as you are for football, baseball, volleyball, soccer, band, track, color guard, or your future career or employment? Why not? Why has it become acceptable to just take a couple of minutes a day to prepare to do battle with Satan and hours preparing to do battle in simple games made up by man? These activities will soon pass away, but the decisions you make when tempted can affect you for a lifetime and beyond.
Prepare your mind! Choose this day whom you will serve! As for me, I choose to serve the Lord and pray that each and every decision I make today will honor and glorify Him. Who will you serve today? How are you preparing to do so?
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Spiritual Goal
Have you ever wondered, what did God see in creating man that was to be more than the other aspects of Creation? I have often considered the order of Creation and the beauty of it as I live in it. The galaxies across the universe and the many wonders of it that we have barely been able to get a glimpse. The careful placement of our own planet in relation to the sun. The sun and moon and the seasons and tides. Sunsets, sunrises, mountains, beaches, jungles and desserts. There are the animals and all the plants and their great varieties and uniqueness. There is such glory in it all!
Then ... there is man.
I find myself wondering, did God really save His best work for last? I know man and I have a hard time believing it is His best work by comparison. But that is the human side of me talking, the one with the sin nature that hides behind a statement like "keeping it real". Have you seen what man will do to Creation? Or even worse, to each other?
Yes. And I can still answer that man is God's best work. All of the glory of Creation was made to suite God and as a nest for man. I believe that there is nothing more precious, more desired, more treasured by God in all of Creation than a man who's heart is given to Him, who desires God moment-by-moment, who intentionally walks with God, who listens and shares all that is in his heart, who fears that he might have a time of not walking with God and he works purposefully to protect it above all else in life. I believe everything that is with regard to man is for this one purpose, that a man would choose and love God more than all else in Creation.
Anything that happens to this man in this world does not matter except where it is related to God's Word or God's direction. All else falls away. This state of oneness with God is to be our goal. All our spiritual practices should build to these times. These moments might come and go, but the more we aim at it, the longer and longer each moment will become until they are more than mere moments. Minutes of oneness will become hours and hours will become days. Days will become weeks, weeks will become months, and months will become years. ... I can't imagine walking with God in communion, a singleness of communication, feeling His complete Presence, and knowing His leadership for a year, a month, a week, or even a full day. "What a wretched man I am!" I pray that I can develop more consistent and intentional habits to get me to this goal.
Then ... there is man.
I find myself wondering, did God really save His best work for last? I know man and I have a hard time believing it is His best work by comparison. But that is the human side of me talking, the one with the sin nature that hides behind a statement like "keeping it real". Have you seen what man will do to Creation? Or even worse, to each other?
Yes. And I can still answer that man is God's best work. All of the glory of Creation was made to suite God and as a nest for man. I believe that there is nothing more precious, more desired, more treasured by God in all of Creation than a man who's heart is given to Him, who desires God moment-by-moment, who intentionally walks with God, who listens and shares all that is in his heart, who fears that he might have a time of not walking with God and he works purposefully to protect it above all else in life. I believe everything that is with regard to man is for this one purpose, that a man would choose and love God more than all else in Creation.
Anything that happens to this man in this world does not matter except where it is related to God's Word or God's direction. All else falls away. This state of oneness with God is to be our goal. All our spiritual practices should build to these times. These moments might come and go, but the more we aim at it, the longer and longer each moment will become until they are more than mere moments. Minutes of oneness will become hours and hours will become days. Days will become weeks, weeks will become months, and months will become years. ... I can't imagine walking with God in communion, a singleness of communication, feeling His complete Presence, and knowing His leadership for a year, a month, a week, or even a full day. "What a wretched man I am!" I pray that I can develop more consistent and intentional habits to get me to this goal.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Finding Peace
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained
access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." -
Romans 5:1-2
"Through faith." We are justified because we are a "whosoever"
who believes in "His only begotten Son". Through our faith in God's Word, we will no
longer suffer a spiritual death or "perish" and become rotten, but will have
"eternal
life". It is the actual
justification that allows for the absence of the perishing. The sentence, or judgment, is revoked because
it has been paid in full.
Since our sentence has been paid, then "we have peace with
God". This spiritual
peace is more than the absence of hostility.
It is a settlement of charges. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you." "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." This otherworldly peace is an establishment
of promise from God to us. Jesus left
this peace with us and He gave it to us freely. He paid the ransom for us.
There are things that can happen within us that we cannot
understand except to know that Jesus left peace with us. He is the Prince of Peace. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:7) What we continue to
not understand is how an all-powerful all-knowing God could so love us that He'd
make a way for us to know Him. Only a
God complete in love could or would do this.
No man is capable of such an act.
"We have peace in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have gained access by faith." We only have access to Jesus through our
belief that He is and through that we have peace in God. This peace with God allows us to stand in His
grace of not reaping the deserved punishment of our actions. This is His peace directed towards us. He allows it to shine on our soul and settle
our heart.
It seems that as we mature in our walk with God, either the
quantity or magnitude of our trials seem wanton to increase. But, we find that our peace has also
increased in proportion to our faith and we are able stand in the grace that
allows us to exist in them. "Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers out of them all."
(Ps 34:19) Our communion with God is
never broken because the peace we have with God is established through
Christ. The debt is paid. In the middle of the trial, we
can rest in confidence that God has established our eternity and He holds our
present and our way to that eternity. Everything else is just a happening around that spiritual reality.
Faithless or Faithful?
Judges 6: 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
The story of Gideon has always been relayed to me as an example of a person who lacks faith. Yet, my discernment since a teenager was that Gideon was one of great faith, yet lacked self-confidence - someone with whom I can identify. Note that the real story of faithfulness herein is that of God. When Gideon requested The Angel of the Lord to wait until he could prepare a sacrifice, the angel did so. When Gideon prayed asking God to give him a sign, God was faithful - twice. God even gave Gideon a sign immediately before the nighttime "attack" by sending him into the camp and overhearing a dream foreshadowing a great victory by Gideon and his army. Of course, we know that the battle was the Lord's and Gideon acknowledged that fact.
Why don't we depend on God like Gideon did? Is it better to follow our own logic and reason or request a sign from God? I can only guarantee a few things in life: death, taxes, and the fact that there is a 0% chance that I'm making 100% Godly decisions. Why in the world would I not follow in Gideon's footsteps and ask for God's guidance. Yes God commanded Gideon into battle. If Gideon lacked the faith to follow through, would he have culled his army as God commanded? I wouldn't have - its not rational to attack a superior force with inferior numbers in the first place. Would he have attacked armed with torches, jars, and trumpets? I wouldn't have, I would have been leading people on a suicide mission.
Clearly God honored Gideon's request for signs that he was on the right track. I think it prudent that before he led 300 people into battle, that he know that God is with him. Like Gideon, I need constant assurance that I am following God. Not because I lack faith in God, but because I lack faith in my own ability to make Godly decisions. God honored Gideon's requests and in the end God was honored and glorified. I would do well to do the same such that God is honored by my decisions. I don't need to decide what to do, I simply need to ensure that I'm doing what God has told me to do. Signs are a way to sort out His will vs my own desires and the desires of others.
How about you? Are you really counting on God today? Do you have a sign that He is with you? If not, what's preventing you from asking?
The story of Gideon has always been relayed to me as an example of a person who lacks faith. Yet, my discernment since a teenager was that Gideon was one of great faith, yet lacked self-confidence - someone with whom I can identify. Note that the real story of faithfulness herein is that of God. When Gideon requested The Angel of the Lord to wait until he could prepare a sacrifice, the angel did so. When Gideon prayed asking God to give him a sign, God was faithful - twice. God even gave Gideon a sign immediately before the nighttime "attack" by sending him into the camp and overhearing a dream foreshadowing a great victory by Gideon and his army. Of course, we know that the battle was the Lord's and Gideon acknowledged that fact.
Why don't we depend on God like Gideon did? Is it better to follow our own logic and reason or request a sign from God? I can only guarantee a few things in life: death, taxes, and the fact that there is a 0% chance that I'm making 100% Godly decisions. Why in the world would I not follow in Gideon's footsteps and ask for God's guidance. Yes God commanded Gideon into battle. If Gideon lacked the faith to follow through, would he have culled his army as God commanded? I wouldn't have - its not rational to attack a superior force with inferior numbers in the first place. Would he have attacked armed with torches, jars, and trumpets? I wouldn't have, I would have been leading people on a suicide mission.
Clearly God honored Gideon's request for signs that he was on the right track. I think it prudent that before he led 300 people into battle, that he know that God is with him. Like Gideon, I need constant assurance that I am following God. Not because I lack faith in God, but because I lack faith in my own ability to make Godly decisions. God honored Gideon's requests and in the end God was honored and glorified. I would do well to do the same such that God is honored by my decisions. I don't need to decide what to do, I simply need to ensure that I'm doing what God has told me to do. Signs are a way to sort out His will vs my own desires and the desires of others.
How about you? Are you really counting on God today? Do you have a sign that He is with you? If not, what's preventing you from asking?
Friday, March 20, 2015
Maintaining Pace
1 Chronicles 16: 11 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
Psalm 37: 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Isaiah 40: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint
I've never run a marathon, nor any other supreme test of endurance, but I know people who have and I understand its as much or more mental than physical. I've heard many people talk about the physical issues that crop up about 2/3 through the race as their body chemistry becomes unbalanced leading to all sorts of ailments. The body can physically keep going, but the mind has to be firmly committed to enduring and overcoming the pain. How cool would it be to simply mount up as if on wings of eagles and fly the rest of the way. After all, what have your arms done for the last 16 miles?
So if endurance is a mental issue, I need help "mounting up." I've got to keep going. I don't have a choice, I'm running out of time and nothing can be ignored or simply pushed off until later. I've got to finish and people are counting on me to finish strong with great insight and with unwavering integrity. I need help. Help comes from the Lord. Lord continue to carry me. Give me the knowledge, wisdom, steadfastness, and strength not just to endure, but to lead and lead well. Lord I need you, oh I need you. Every hour I need you.
Yet in my self-centered state, I'm mindful that my battles to some would be a privilege. Lord be with those who fight real battles. Spiritual battles with lost loved ones, excruciating battles with life threatening disease, difficult battles of employment. Lord you're carrying me. How much more do others need your wings. Be with them, let them know you're there. May the comfort and peace of your strength overwhelm them. Restore their hope so that your glory may be evident in this life and thus fill the earth.
Psalm 37: 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Isaiah 40: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint
I've never run a marathon, nor any other supreme test of endurance, but I know people who have and I understand its as much or more mental than physical. I've heard many people talk about the physical issues that crop up about 2/3 through the race as their body chemistry becomes unbalanced leading to all sorts of ailments. The body can physically keep going, but the mind has to be firmly committed to enduring and overcoming the pain. How cool would it be to simply mount up as if on wings of eagles and fly the rest of the way. After all, what have your arms done for the last 16 miles?
So if endurance is a mental issue, I need help "mounting up." I've got to keep going. I don't have a choice, I'm running out of time and nothing can be ignored or simply pushed off until later. I've got to finish and people are counting on me to finish strong with great insight and with unwavering integrity. I need help. Help comes from the Lord. Lord continue to carry me. Give me the knowledge, wisdom, steadfastness, and strength not just to endure, but to lead and lead well. Lord I need you, oh I need you. Every hour I need you.
Yet in my self-centered state, I'm mindful that my battles to some would be a privilege. Lord be with those who fight real battles. Spiritual battles with lost loved ones, excruciating battles with life threatening disease, difficult battles of employment. Lord you're carrying me. How much more do others need your wings. Be with them, let them know you're there. May the comfort and peace of your strength overwhelm them. Restore their hope so that your glory may be evident in this life and thus fill the earth.
Hanging on by Faith
Luke 8:24 "...“Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.
There's a profound song that was once incredibly popular on Christian radio by Scott Krippayne called "Sometimes He Calms the Storm" that speaks to my very experience yesterday. I awakened yesterday with an incredible feeling of simply being overwhelmed. I've got so very much to do all of which is incredibly important and I just couldn't see how it was all going to get done. Yet after prayer, I had a calm resolve that really didn't sink in until I reflect back on it today. Yesterday was an unusually and surprisingly productive day. I was unusually focused and had a much lower rate of setbacks. Clearly God answered my prayers as well as the prayers of others. I was so focused on getting the innumerable jobs at hand completed that I failed to recognize it as it unfolded. I need another couple of days like yesterday.
Scott Krippayne's refrain ends with "sometimes He calms the storm, and other times he calms His child." Yesterday He clearly calmed me. I pray that I continue to rest in the calm assurance that where I am unable, He clearly is able. I pray that in my menial tasks, innumerable as they are, that He is glorified as clearly He is at work. Time to once again join Him in it.
There's a profound song that was once incredibly popular on Christian radio by Scott Krippayne called "Sometimes He Calms the Storm" that speaks to my very experience yesterday. I awakened yesterday with an incredible feeling of simply being overwhelmed. I've got so very much to do all of which is incredibly important and I just couldn't see how it was all going to get done. Yet after prayer, I had a calm resolve that really didn't sink in until I reflect back on it today. Yesterday was an unusually and surprisingly productive day. I was unusually focused and had a much lower rate of setbacks. Clearly God answered my prayers as well as the prayers of others. I was so focused on getting the innumerable jobs at hand completed that I failed to recognize it as it unfolded. I need another couple of days like yesterday.
Scott Krippayne's refrain ends with "sometimes He calms the storm, and other times he calms His child." Yesterday He clearly calmed me. I pray that I continue to rest in the calm assurance that where I am unable, He clearly is able. I pray that in my menial tasks, innumerable as they are, that He is glorified as clearly He is at work. Time to once again join Him in it.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
To Fear or Not To Fear?
Just thinking out loud again today.
While we are so often taught that fear it the opposite of faith. 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love." Couple this with 1 John 4:8 which says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." And you can reason that since God is love and there is no fear in love, then the person who fears is not ruled by love and therefore not ruled by God, meaning they are having faith problems, etc. I'm sure many a pastor has done much better work of this topic.
My thoughts this morning are on how a right fear can lead to an increased faith. If I have a righteous fear of God, that is, I fear God's power and perfection. I understand that there is not a single entity more powerful than God. Not a single thing can topple Him. There is nothing about God that is not perfect. His thinking is the right way; His instruction is the right instruction; His way is the way that leads to life. There is no other way to go that leads to Him.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 2:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." I've heard many a Pastor describe this as an awe of God but not a heartfelt fear. I have to say that I disagree with them. While having an awe of the power of God is relevant, we are fools if we don't outright fear an all-powerful and perfect God knowing the evil in our hearts and His blatant disregard for that evil! The beginning of our knowledge is to know that God may see us as unnecessary at any moment in time and He alone can decide this. Our fate is in His and only His hand.
Yet God allows us to choose Him or reject Him. His defining characteristic of love dominates our relationship to Him. Understanding that we are only here by the chains of His grace and mercy that hold back His vengeance and anger while unleashing His glory and power of redemption through His Son Jesus can only reveal to us an increased faith. Our "healthy" fear of who God is and what He could do if He wasn't who He is strengthens our faith in His perfection. We see how He is righteous and we are not. We see how we can kneel before Him and know we are made worthy through His gift and only His gift. We can not be anything but thankful and grateful for who He is and for thinking of us.
Another clear conceptual understanding of a righteous fear of the Lord is to know that there is nothing that can come before Him. There is nothing that has power over Him. Therefore, when we are under attack, or when we see another under attack, or when we want God's presence to dominate somewhere, we can ask confidently knowing there is nothing other than God's divine will that can stop it. Again, there is nothing that can stop Him. ... Nothing ... Can ... Stop ... Him! ... Perfected faith is much more than the simple understanding of this. When your faith is perfected, you KNOW it and there is no doubt. When you ask of God, you ask knowing it will be done because nothing can stop God, except His developing perfection in you and others.
While we are so often taught that fear it the opposite of faith. 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love." Couple this with 1 John 4:8 which says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." And you can reason that since God is love and there is no fear in love, then the person who fears is not ruled by love and therefore not ruled by God, meaning they are having faith problems, etc. I'm sure many a pastor has done much better work of this topic.
My thoughts this morning are on how a right fear can lead to an increased faith. If I have a righteous fear of God, that is, I fear God's power and perfection. I understand that there is not a single entity more powerful than God. Not a single thing can topple Him. There is nothing about God that is not perfect. His thinking is the right way; His instruction is the right instruction; His way is the way that leads to life. There is no other way to go that leads to Him.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 2:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." I've heard many a Pastor describe this as an awe of God but not a heartfelt fear. I have to say that I disagree with them. While having an awe of the power of God is relevant, we are fools if we don't outright fear an all-powerful and perfect God knowing the evil in our hearts and His blatant disregard for that evil! The beginning of our knowledge is to know that God may see us as unnecessary at any moment in time and He alone can decide this. Our fate is in His and only His hand.
Yet God allows us to choose Him or reject Him. His defining characteristic of love dominates our relationship to Him. Understanding that we are only here by the chains of His grace and mercy that hold back His vengeance and anger while unleashing His glory and power of redemption through His Son Jesus can only reveal to us an increased faith. Our "healthy" fear of who God is and what He could do if He wasn't who He is strengthens our faith in His perfection. We see how He is righteous and we are not. We see how we can kneel before Him and know we are made worthy through His gift and only His gift. We can not be anything but thankful and grateful for who He is and for thinking of us.
Another clear conceptual understanding of a righteous fear of the Lord is to know that there is nothing that can come before Him. There is nothing that has power over Him. Therefore, when we are under attack, or when we see another under attack, or when we want God's presence to dominate somewhere, we can ask confidently knowing there is nothing other than God's divine will that can stop it. Again, there is nothing that can stop Him. ... Nothing ... Can ... Stop ... Him! ... Perfected faith is much more than the simple understanding of this. When your faith is perfected, you KNOW it and there is no doubt. When you ask of God, you ask knowing it will be done because nothing can stop God, except His developing perfection in you and others.
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