The Point

One day the religious leaders of Jesus' day questioned his disciples about his practice of eating with despised tax collectors and despicable sinners.  How could one, speaking for God, keep company with such godless individuals?

Jesus' response was classic, "who needs a physician but those that are sick?" (Matt 9:12).  Who better for one calling individuals to God to be with the those who were separated from him?  Think about it; does an ARMY recruiter hang out with the troops in the barracks or with the civilians at the mall?  Where would one trying to reach out be if not with those on the outside?

This response would seem to be enough but Jesus presses the issue further in saying, "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt 9:13).  He speaks to the heart of God's desire, that the Father is not really interested in all the religious stuff that the religious do but rather in the heart of what produces acts of righteousness.

It was not the sacrifice of bulls and goats performed by the priests or the worship and offerings of religious folk today that God desires - it is the heart turning to one's Father, becoming godly in the process that He seeks.  He isn't interested in us gathering in church buildings to discuss how righteous we should be but rather in us going into the market place proclaiming God's love and displaying His mercy to those who do not know Him.

Of course, as Christ followers, we will want to gather together for the purposes of encouragement and equipping but for the reason of then going out to share the love of God with those beaten down by life and feeling anything but His love.

Hunters need to hunt, fishermen need to fish and soldier need to engage.  Gathering around the fire at the deer camp, sharing stories at the fishing lodge or shinning boots back at the barracks are all well and good things to do, but they are not the point.  Those activities are down times in between mission activities, not the missions themselves.

God doesn't want us to focus on our religious activities or gatherings but instead to use both to better equip us for the relational activities of reaching out to a lost and hurting world, proclaiming with our lives the love of the Father as we follow in the steps of Jesus who "came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Lk 19:10).  Jus' Say'n.

Today's Trouble

I often here individuals, quoting from 1 Corthians 10:13, saying, "God will not give us more than we can bear," which I believe to be a biblical truth, but not from that passage.  The passage actually reads, "...God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

That God will not give us more than we can bear can only be loosely supported by this passage in an indirect way if we maintain that a difficult situation tempts us to sin and God is promising to give us strength to resist that temptation by empowering us to bear the strain of the difficulty.  I can buy the logic but it is not truly the point of the text.

A better passage is Matthew 6:34, which reads, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Here the Lord plainly says that each day has enough but not too much trouble.

God engineers and empowers us to deal with today.  Paul maintained that he had even "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation" (Phil 4:12).  But, we are not equipped to deal with the burdens of today if we pile on the worries of tomorrow and/or the regrets of yesterday.

It is not the weight of what we are facing today that overwhelms us, as difficult as that day may be.  It is in combining that weight with what we might face tomorrow that pushes us beyond our ability to cope.  And when we add the additional weight of our bad choices or losses of yesterday to the mix, we are really mixed up.

Here's the deal, God will "give us this day our daily bread" (Matt 6:11).  He will even do "more than we can ask or imagine according to his power at work within us" (Eph 3:20), but he operates in our lives today, not yesterday or tomorrow.  Yesterday is a cancelled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is the currency we have to spend.  He will provide enough for today.

So, "do not worry about your life.  The Father knows what you need and as you seek his kingdom as first priority, he will take care of all the rest" (condensed paraphrase of Matt 6:25-33).  Today may be very difficult but it will not be too much for God will not "leave you as an orphan" (Jn 14:18).  And, nothing will happen today that you and God cannot handle.  Jus' Say'n.

The Talk

In yesterday's blog, I ended with the summary statement, "If you talk the talk, you must walk the walk."  There are few things more important in the life of a Christian than that principle.  However, it is equally important that we accurately talk the talk.

Just because one is quoting from the Bible does not mean that he/she is actually talking the talk.  He/she may be in reality talking his/her own talk shrouded in biblical quotes ripped out of context in order to support or advance a personal agenda.

One example of this is seen in the politically charged debate over our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms.  Those who seek to deny Americans that right will quote Jesus saying, "you shall not kill" (Matt 5:21), asserting that Jesus was a pacifist as should we be.   But that argument is not even close to the point of the passage.

Jesus was contrasting the Old Testament rule against murder with the New Testament call to refrain from the act of spiritual devaluation, calling one a fool (vv. 22-23).  I know that Jesus was not against bearing arms for self-defense because he instructed his disciples to do that very thing.  Really?  Really!

Listen to his actual words on the subject as he sent them out to evangelize: "He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one" (Lk 22:36).  The out cloak was a very important item of clothing for those traveling by foot and having to sleep outside, but a sword was even more important on roads filled with murderous thieves.

My point isn't to particularly advocate bearing arms but to show how even seemingly good motives can cause one to bend the Gospel to serve their agenda, especially if they have not actually studied it very deeply or with contextual consistency.

However, evil and motives are just as easily advanced using the Scripture.  For instance, the devil used it to tempt Jesus: “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone'" (Matt 4:6).

Many today advocate same-sex marriage, abortion, drug use and the like using biblical the biblical theme of freedom, which contextually is set in opposition to these traps of Satan, offering us freedom from this kind of destructive, sinful behavior.

Jesus never advocated for same-sex marriage, instead he insisted "from the beginning God made us male and female and for that reason a man shall...be united with his wife" (Matt 19:4-5).  Isaiah said, "Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name" (49:1).  Abortion's OK?  Really?  No, not really!

And drugs?  Really?  No, not even!  The Bible is very clear in saying, "Do not get drunk" (Eph 5:18).  So, how does one use pills or joints or needles without getting stoned?  Why would one use them if they didn't unless it was for medical purposes via prescription?  One can drink a glass of wine or beer with a meal without getting drunk but pills and joints and needles are only used for mind altering.

OK, enough of that, I'm not really wanting to wage a war today against the major vices of our nation any more than I want to get everyone packing iron.  What I want to drive home is the need for Chrisitans to actually know the Word in order to factually and actually talk the talk so that we can faithfully walk the walk.

I want to leave you with a biblical quote as a principle for Christian life and development: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15).  Jus' Say'n.

The Walk

I was reading from one of my favorite passages this morning - Romans 8:1, which reads, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" in the NIV but in the KJV the verse ends with "...who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit" - a significant addition or deletion, depending on which translation to one adheres.

This is one of those places where translation wars can erupt over the accuracy and/or faithfulness of the text, but not today, not with this writer.  I choose to bridge the gap between the NIV and KJV adherents by noting that the focus of those "who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit" is found in both as you reach the end of verse four - the exact same verbiage in both translations.

Knowing that the phrase is there is one thing.  Knowing why it is there is something else.  The fact that it is there adds a qualitative meaning to "in Christ" that equates it to "walking after the Spirit."  In other words, being in Christ is not something one can do and continue to live like those who do not accept Christ as Lord and Savior.

Being "in Christ Jesus" is not just a matter of accepting the fact that Jesus is who he claims to be but moreover it is accepting act of what he came to do: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (Jn 10:10).  He came to bring us the new life of the Spirit that brings life in contrast to the flesh that ends in death as Paul says in verse 2 of this passage.

The point is that being in Christ is not a status one achieves by agreeing to certain doctrine, performing certain rituals and/or accepting certain rules.  Being in Christ, where there is no condemnation is to be "in step with the Spirit" (Gal 5:25), which is evident by your life fruit of "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self- control" (Gal 5:22-23).

Being in Christ is the fact of choosing to take the path or way of life (Christ and f. Matt 7:14) over the way of death (v. 13).  It is to be a follower of Jesus Christ not just a fan.  As the apostle John put it, "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did" (1 Jn 2:6).

There is no condemnation for one who is in Christ Jesus for that person, as imperfect as their effort may be, clothed in grace, follows the Spirit of Christ along the path of righteousness.

So, let me distill this entire article down to one sentence: "If you're going to talk the talk, you must walk the walk."  Jus' Say'n.

Having Hope

I came across a quote this morning that read, "Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier."   While it's not a definitive word on hope,  it gives it a very practical way of approaching how we employ it in our lives.

When we say, "I hope I get to work on time tomorrow" or "I hope I do well on tomorrow's test" or "I hope I get that promotion," we are not challenging ourselves to believe but simply exercising wishful thinking for which we feel relatively good about the possibilities.

Biblical hope is something much deeper than that.  It is finding the power to believe in an outcome that our circumstnances and our power to control outcomes are not in our favor, when it seems that everything is stacked up against us and the odds makers would give us little to no chance of success.

Biblical hope lives in a place where it cannot be seen by simple observation nor is it found by weighing out the odds or getting a guarantee from someone in authority.  Biblical hope exists in the face of physical helplessness, financial powerlessness and social emptiness.

Biblical hope stacks everything we see in a fallen world, where sin and death rule (cf. Romans 5:12-21) against the promises of God to "work all thing to the good of those that love him" (Rom 8:28).  It rises in the face of the pain and loss and suffering we experience in this life, "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb 11:1).

Having biblical hope is to live in confidence under the banner of a good and powerful God, who has "overcome the world" (Jn 16:33) and has given "us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 15:57).  It exists when the pressure to give up and give in is great but the need to give over to Him is the only possible path to this victory.

An example of this hope is given in the celebration of Good Friday, where nothing good was being seen visibly as Christ went to the Cross but more good than could be imagined was realized on Resurrection Sunday when Jesus walked out of the grave and won the victory over sin and death forever more.  Jus' Say'n.

Brussels is on Fire

Using the same idiom as after the attack on Paris, today the radical Islamicists, following today's bombing in Belgium, are claiming "Brussels is on Fire."  The truth is that the world is on fire.  What we saw in Paris, what we are watching on TV today in Brussels are just small representatives of the global of Islamic Radicals to destroy Western Civilization in their quest take over the world.

While the United States is known as the Big Satan and Israel is known as the Litte Satan, to them, all of the non-Muslim world is devilish and in need of being cleansed by killing or subjugating all but the Muslims themselves.

We see the precursor of this plan not only in the attacks around the world but also in the no-go sections of many European cities, where Sharia Law is set up and the police are denied entrance by force from within the communities.  They are staking claim to Western land, setting up outposts for the expansion of Islam.

All political correctness aside, we are in a world-wide struggle against Radical Islamic Ideology, which follows in the teaching of Mohammed, who sought world-wide domination by force.  I am not saying all or even most Muslims agree with this ideology but enough do to make it a true threat to society.

So what?  What do we, as Christians do about it?  First, recognize the truth of the problem: Evil.  These Islamic Terrorists are not people to be understood and come to terms with, they are the evil outgrowth of an evil root.  Their beliefs call upon them to do evil because fundamentally, their beliefs are evil.  They must be opposed, for "what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Cor 6:14).

Second, we must pray to the. One true God, Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to bring justice.  Only God can truly save, only He can bring an end to this threat, if indeed this threat is not a call for the end itself.  We could be seeing the beginning of the end and, if so, the end will come.  But until we hear the trumpet sound, keep praying "for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Tim 2:2).

Finally, let the beauty of Christ be seen in your words and in your deeds.  As Jesus is lifted up in our lives, others are drawn to him, and as individuals are impacted by the love of God, there will be fewer spirits to support the evil of our day.  If we can reach people with the Gospel before ISIS can reach them with propaganda, we can turn heart's  away from the spreading evil.  For, when Jesus is lifted up, he will "draw all men unto himself" (Jn 12:32).  Jus' Say'n.

Dying To Sin

In answer to the criticism that a salvation by grace would promote an attitude allowing for an increase of sin among the faithful, Paul emphatically states, "By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Rom 6:2).

Paul's argument is that God's grace not only frees the Christian from the consequences of sin but also frees him/her from the control of sin.  The accepting of grace is not simply a pardon for our sins but moreover a power over them.  When we have died to sin, we live in freedom from sin.

This control over sin afforded by grace is so powerful that John would later insist, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God" (1 Jn 3:9).

But how can that be?  Doesn't Paul also say that "All sin and fall short of the glory of God?" (Rom 3:23)?  And doesn't John go on to say that "If we claim to have no sin that we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn 1:8)?  Yes, both statements are true, and that is the very reason for grace.

If we were not guilty of sin, why would we need grace.  "On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matt 9:12).  He did not come to call the righteous but sinner instead.   Grace and the fact of sin go hand in hand, which was exactly the argument made against Paul's teaching about grace that we began with.

So yes, sin remains.  And yes, we have to do battle with temptation to sin.  But no, we do not have to to give in to it for "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (1 Cor 10:13).  Grace gives us power over sin.

The power to live in the face of sin is, as Paul statement above points out, is when "we die to sin."  One's dying to sin separates him/her from that sin.  In fact, the Greek word for death means separation.  The challenge we face is in the how of dying to sin.

How does one go about dying to sin?  The simple answer is to start living for Christ and living in grace.  Whenever we choose His will over ours, we die to sin.  Whenever we do the right thing in the face of temptation, we die to sin.  Dying to sin is not simply a one time choice, it is a continual choosing in the face of temptation.

Will we always choose the right over the wrong?  No, but we can make it our aim that o always do so.  We can make our daily walk one characterized by the choice of light over dark and "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 Jn 1:7).  We die to sin as we live to Christ.  Jus' Say'n.

On The Flip Side

When I was a young boy, I remember my mother hand-sewing quilts, which were suspended from the  ceiling on four long, skinny planks.  It looked liked a big square hanging midway between the sheet rock and the linoleum.

The quilt hang right side up, which left a view of the underside of the quilt the only thing I could see from my angle on the floor.  What I saw was lot of hanging threads that would be periodically cut off and other threads that were stitched in some fairly rough looking patterns.

From where I stood, looking up at the back side of the quilt, it didn't look like much.  But when she was through sewing and spread it out on a bed, I could see the finished product.  There were no clipped threads, no rough looking patterns.  What I could see from the other side was a work of art.

The work in process from my view was nothing like the finished product that I would see later, which my mother saw all the time as she steadily worked pulling the thread through, cutting it off on the back side, producing a rather rough looking back side in contrast with the perfected top side that was in the making.

As I look at my life and the lives of others, I see a similar view from the back side where the threads of our mistakes are being pulled through and cut off, where the pattern of our living is fuzzy and seemingly incomplete.  From the back side where I stand, it looks kind of rough, but in Christ's hands our lives are being perfected and one day, on the flip side, we will see His work of art.

This, I believe is the meaning of Paul's words when he penned, "But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" (Col 1:22).  Yeah, you can find flaws in me now and I in you.  But one day, through the redemptive work of Jesus by the power of the Spirit according to the will of the Father, we will presented as perfect and complete.  Jus' Say'n.

Connecting The Dots

Do you remember those connect-the-dots pages, where you took a pencil and drew a line from one dot to another until a picture of some kind became clear?  I think the Holy Spirit was having me fill one in this morning as I was reading from the Book of Philippians.

In verse four, the dot was "rejoice in all things."  All things: the good, the bad and the ugly.  In verse eight, the dot was "think on these things."  These things: the pure, the lovely, the just....  In verse thirteen, the dot was "I can do [endure] all things through Christ who strengthens me."  And, in verse nineteen, the dot was "For my God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus."

Connect the dots: Rejoice always.............remembering how good God is.............how empowering the Spirit of Jesus is.................how God has always come through for you.  Connecting the dots of God's promises and our own history allows us to view life through the lens of hopefulness instead of helplessness.

We can rejoice, even when the news is bad as we remember that God has "never left you as orphan" (Jn 4:18) and that, despite the difficulties of life, He has always provided "way to stand up under it" (1 Cor 10:13).  Furthermore, as we think on these things we can see how that God has "worked all [these] things for [your] good" (Rom 8:28).

In Christ, when we go through difficult times, we arrive at amazing places in our lives.  We can look back and see what God has done - what God has made out of the mess we endured.  We grow, we achieve, we arrive at a point we hadn't been expecting.  When the dots of our walk with Christ are completed, we see the image of what God has done through and for us.

Haven't you ever looked back on those very lean and difficult years with a winsome grin?  Haven't you ever remembered a hard knock with some pride in overcoming it?  Haven't you ever looked back over a loss to see how much you gained?  How many have been fired to find a better job; had a financial lost to discover how to manage money; failed in one area to surpass in another?

As a child of God, whatever you are facing now, look back, connect the dots of God's faithfulness and take hope in the future for what you can see as the dots are connected is the truth of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jus' Say'n.

Heaven Speak

Listening to all the candidates for Presidentt of the United States of America, I am struck with one thought in particular: Whatever truth there may be in their words, little is godly as so much is attack at another's position rather than a clear statement of what they are about.  So much of what they have to say is meant to undermine the opponent and often couched in a way that skews the position of the others rather than present the actual belief in order to provide a relief of opinions for the American people to make an informed decision.

This partial truth and caustic declarations about the opponent makes for good television ratings and serves as red meat for the party faithful but it is not to be believed or taken at face value.  This talk is the work of the tongue that James warns about in chapter three of his epistle as "not coming down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic" (v. 15).  And while it may have become acceptable fodder political candidates, it is not acceptable discourse for the child of God.

Truth, even hard or painful truth, is the only acceptable speech for God's children.  And, moreover, that truth is not used as a dagger to dig into another's soul.  "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ" (Eph 4:15).  Heaven speak is meant to be clear and to delineate right from wrong but its foundation is love and its goal is to build up and unite not tear down and divide.

It seems that heaven speak is not the language of politicians but it ought to be ours.  While we may be left with no choice but to vote for one whose discourse is divisive and degrading, we do not need to embrace it as a model for ourselves.  It is the body of Christ, not the body politic that is to be where we look for spiritual direction and examples for life.

Only may the church live up to its calling of being "the light of the world, a city on a hill" (Matt 5:14).  May we, as the body of Christ, not look to Washington to right our nation but instead, as the church of our Lord, work to establish righteousness in ourselves to serve as examples for our communities.  And let us fill our conversations with heaven speak to offer hope to others.  Jus' Say'n

Seeking The Spirit

In our small group, we are beginning a study of the Holy Spirit using the book and study guide by Francis Chan entitled, "The Forgotten God."  The premise is that while we believe there is a Holy Spirit, talk about there being a Holy Spirit and even have teaching about the Holy Spirit; we don't live as if we know the Holy Spirit.  We, as Christians at larg, don't have a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

The Bible tells us that God "can do more than we can ask or imagine according to his power at work within us" (Eph 3:20).  And yet, we don't imagine ourselves accomplishing the great things that we read about in the Book of Acts, where thousands are led to the Lord in a single day, where the powerless stand up against the powerful, where amazing things were expected.

We tend to envision things that we can accomplish by our own power, things we can fit into our own budgets, things that our limited resources and abilities can manage.  Look at the slow growth, no growth and even negative growth of so many churches today and tell me we are advancing with Holy Spirit power.  Consider our individual lives marked so often with fear and doubt, and tell me we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

After beginning to read from "The Forgotten God" last night, this morning's reading from my daily Bible app was Psalm 143, where I read the following: "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground" (v. 10).  This is it, this is what we need, this is what I need - to be taught of God, not about God; to be led by the Spirit, not just learn about the Spirit.

We are warned in the Bible: "Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thess 5:19) but I believe, in the church, we have largely do exactly that as we have been led by our rational, logical, science-based cultural thinking, which depends more on on sight and less on faith.

We talk about living by faith but tend to react in fear when we are diagnosed with a terminal illness or given notice of a company-wide layoff.  If we really lived by the power of the Holy Spirit, would we really fear such things?  Would anxiety, depression and stress have such an impact on us if we were facing life in the power of the Holy Spirit?

I have faith.  Perhaps it could be said that I have a fair amount of faith.  But it cannot be said that I have a faith like I read about in the Book of Acts.  And I certainly don't believe that any of us would be in danger of getting too much Spirit by searching after him, by seeking to be filled with him.  Jus' Say'n.

The Reason

While the big question for most facing terminal illness is "Why me?  Why is my life being cut short?"  For so many of my patients, it is just the opposite, "Why me?  Why is my life dragging out?"  For the one, there is still more life up ahead, things on the horizon they wan to see.  For the other, they've already lived a full life and they don't see anything much on the horizon at their age.

While both see life in a very different way, one as all up ahead and the other as all behind them, they both are looking at it from the same lens: Self.  They are seeing life as being about "Me."  What will I be missing or what will I have to endure.  Basically life is seen as as a story about the individual and how it impacts him or her.

The question of "Why me?" Is based on the assumption that my life is my own and that my purpose has to do with personal fulfillment.  Life is viewed as a collection of personal milestones of finishing school, getting a job, getting married, having children, seeing grandchildren, reaching retirement, etc.  And if life is cut short, we feel cheated.  If life drags on after we are no longer productive, we feel pressed upon.  After all, this is my life, let me live it.

I certainly understand the feeling and the question of "Why me?" is not unknown in my personal journey.  But, I have grown to replace the "Why" with "How."  I believe the better question is "How can God use me now?  How, in my circumstance, can I best impact the live of others?  How can my life, such as it is, best bring glory to God?"

I believe this is in keeping with the Spirit of God and the purpose of life as modeled by the apostle Paul: "I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body" (Phil 1:23-24).  Paul had seen and done it all.  He had gone through the wringer.  He was aged and apparently going blind at this point, ready to go home but he knew that his life wasn't about himself.  His life was wrapped up in the will of God and the good of others.

Whether we live or die is not the big question, it is how we live and die.  That we live and die is a reality of all who walk on planet Earth, that we live and die well is another thing.  And, it is the important thing.  Paul was ready for his life to end but he desired more to serve God and mankind.  His lens was outward focused and made all of his life and the timing of his death something to leave in the hands of God.  He could die today or live on for a while equally in the Father's hands.  How about you?  Jus' Ask'n.

Waiting for Daylight

Feeling the full weight of his personal sin before the Lord, the Psalmist moans, "Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord" (Ps 130:1).  He knows that he has fallen so far from where he ought to be, from where God called him to be.

Despite his unique place in history and in the divine plan for the redemption of mankind, Daivid, like the rest of humanity has missed the mark and "fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).  He had failed as a standard bearer for God's people, instead becoming an example of the worst that humanity had to offer as an adulterous murderer.

As falling into darkness goes, it would be hard to dispel more light than he.  He was an absolute failure in his calling as the leader of God's people and as an individual. David, spiritually and emotionally, was surrounded in the darkness of his own personal judgment.

Sound familiar?  I don't necessarily mean David's narrative, although you probably have heard it time and again.  I'm talking about the personal journey into the darkness of self-condemnation and emptying of self esteem.  Have you, do you, are you living in that state?

It's a terrible place, where we can be so hard and so unforgiving of self.  But thankfully, God is not like us.  Far from keeping us in the depths our darkened pit we have crawled into, God brings the promise of light for the burdened spirit - the light of redemption, lifting us out of our sin and failure.

This truth is what gives the Psalmist hope and it is where he looks to instead of his own darkened thoughts about self worth: "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.  I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning" (vv. 5-6).

Watchmen, in ancient times, stood on the city walls at night.  There was darkness all about them.  Uneasiness was always in the air.  The one thing they desired was the coming of daylight.  But they knew daylight was coming, so they watched in the darkness in the hopes of light.

David said that he, even more than they, watched for the light of God's glory even in the darkness of his own sin because God's word of redemption was certain and His Light was coming.  Rather than succumb to the darkness of his own past failure, he lived in hope, waiting for daylight, knowing God's redemption was more certain than the coming sun.  Jus' Say'n.

Unintended Grace

Near the end of the day, I received the names of two new patients who both lived in the same nursing home, and while it was close on time, I decided it would give me more flexibility toward the end of the week to see them straight away.  I hadn't intended to see the newest ones but it just seemed best.

One of the two didn't seem like she wanted to talk at all.  If I didn't carry the conversation, it ground to a halt.  There were periods of silence.  I kept trying to engage a woman who never glanced in my direction, who simply stared straight ahead.  But slowly, she began to share her story and we found a moment of grace where we speak a common language of faith.  We finished our visit with an old hymn and a prayer.

I called the patient's daughter afterwards to connect with family and to relate both how things went and what I observed in her mother.  The daughter's response was so much more immediate than the patitent's.  She was so thankful for the visit and the spiritual emphasis.  She was touched that her mother and I had a moment of grace.

She began to tell me their story and their struggle over the phone and how that they had gotten away from going to church and lost connection with any Christian fellowship since their move to the area.  She began to share her struggle with finding a place to belong and her failure to continue the pursuit of Christian fellowship.  She me how much she missed it and wanted to find a church family.

I actually talked more with the daughter on the phone than the patient in the bed.  But she was the one who needed a moment of grace the most.  Her knowing that I not shared the Word, sang a hymn and prayed with mother, struck a chord in her heart, reigniting a flame that had all but gone out.  I hadn't intended to spend that amount of time on the phone, I wasn't sure I'd get anything more than a chance to leave a voicemail.  But God intended her to be touched by grace.

The apostle Paul said, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Gal 6:9).  This promise is true even when it may not be the harvest you intended.  As you continue sowing seeds, some fall onto ground you weren't aiming at, some grow where you had not intended to plant.  But the seed grows nonetheless.

You don't have to know who the intended recipient of grace really is, you just have to share what you have, as you have opportunity.  God will open the ears and hearts of those He intended to hear. As Paul also wrote, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow" (1 Cor 3:6).   Jus' Say'n.

Looking Right in the Wrong Place

If you're like me, you gone somewhere to get something, knowing it had to be there.  When you looked, you couldn't find it, but you were certain that was where it had to be.  You keep turning over things and mumbling to yourself, "I know it has to be here!"  However, search as you may, you cannot find it.

We when get in that spot, it is nearly impossible to imagine it being anywhere else.  You just know it is right there, hiding in plain view.  It has to be there, this is the place I know it to be, only it isn't there.  But it can't be somewhere else, can it?  Of course it can.  I've come to realize over the years that if something isn't where it's supposed to be, it is almost certainly where it is not supposed to be.

That helps a lot huh?  Actually, yes it does, if we are open to the thought that what I'm looking for is actually not where it is supposed to be, then we can begin to imagine it being somewhere else and begin searching in other places instead of going back to where it must be.

We do this in any number of ways.  Sometimes we keep hitting the same keys on our computer trying to get it to open up to something that isn't there, but has to be there.  Just this morning, as I began to write this blog, I was trying to open up drdavidkenser.blogspot.com on my iPhone but kept ending up in a view only mode.  I kept going back looking right in the wrong place because I know I open it every day in the same way, but not today.

Why?  Because, I open it every day in my iPad, not my iPhone.  For whatever reason, they are not set up the same.  I could not acces this site from that portal using the same key strokes.  As I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to write my blog, it came to me "not from here."  It dawned on me that I needed to be on my iPad and when I came here, Bingo!  I got straight in.

I said all this to remind us that when we are frantically looking for something in one place, whether it is our keys, our blog, our friends, our future, our hope, but it isn't there, we need to accept the fact that it must be somewhere else and be open to looking elsewhere.

When we look for fulfillment in the market place it isn't there.  When we look for peace in the bottom of an alcohol bottle it isn't there.  When we look for happiness coming from someone else it isn't there.  We humans so often keep looking for love, acceptance and hope in all the wrong places.

Wouldn't it be great if we had a directory - a Source to help us find where to fulfill all our needs?  Wouldn't that be fantastic?  Actually, it would be divine: "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus: (Phil 4:19).

God is the Source of everything we truly need, everything of real value: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (Js 1:17).  Jus' Say'n.

The Top Spot

Although possibly to the injury of my mental health and certainly resulting in political fatigue, I have been paying close attention to the race for the top spot in American government and what historically has been regarded as the leader of the free world: the President of the United States.

While the die is not cast just yet, Cruz could overtake Trump and our justice systems may yet insist on "the big house" instead of The White House for Hillary, it is beginning to look like we will have a choice between "You've Got To Be Kidding" and "More Of The Same."

The difference between the potential of the two do do harm to our country can be explained by a simple metaphor:  If we were to liken their individual presidency to Russian Roulettte, Trump's unpredictable behavior would be like putting three bullets in a a six sho gun, spinning the revolver, putting the gun to our collective heads and pulling the trigger.  Hillary's third term of Obama's presidency, on the other hand, would be very predictable.  If Hillary is elected, it would be like putting six bullets in the same revolver.

I would have to say that a 50/50 chance of things improving is better than a 100% certainty of things traveling down the same path of bankruptcy.  That is to say I would be more in favor of a social experiment than with outright socialism.  But, "I can tell you this" that I can't be for sure "what difference, at this point, does it make."  (To those not paying close attention to politics, the first quote is Trump and the second is Hillary - jus' so's you know).

So, what hope do we have?  According to my son's recent Facebook comment, we don't have any.  And, I certainly agree with his assessment that there is no real hope in the presidential candidate pool.  However, that doesn't mean we have no hope.  I just think we have to be careful where we place our hope.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God" (Ps 20:7).  While I plan to vote as always, I do not plan to put my hope in my candidate being selected or that good will follow in his wake.  But I do have hope for the future, a hope that does not depend on the winds of politics.  For I know that whoever is elected as President, Jesus Christ will still be King.  And, "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day" (2 Tim 1:12).  Jus' Say'n.

Victim or Victorious

Psalm 56:11 reads, "In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?"  The implied answer, "Nothing," doesn't seem to ring true given that the news is filled with women getting raped, retirees being fleeced, Christians being exterminated and innocents being trafficked by slave traders.  It seems that man can do a lot.

It would seem obvious that there are many victims of man's evil.  But things are not necessarily what they seem to be.  To begin with, the verse doesn't ask, "What can man do to me?"  The verse actually is asking, "[Since] In God I trust and am not afraid.  What can man do to me?"  Do you see the difference?

When we truly trust in God's sovereign power, the power to control and direct the outcome of everything, how is it that man can do anything to me that God does not allow?  And, what power can man truly have over us when nothing "in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:39)?

Certainly evil men can do a lot to this physical body.  Evil people can inflict suffering upon good people - they can even take our lives.  But given that our lives "our only a mist that appears for a little while and disappears" (Js 4:14), what real power do evil men possess over us?

The fact is that suffering and death are a part of this fallen world.  Regardless of what men do, you will face suffering and you will die.  These are not things that anyone in particular has to do, they will come.  And, even death comes very soon.  Just ask anyone of age how fast life passes by.

Man can only do what is limited to this brief journey on planet earth that will be happening even if you never suffer at their hands, life on this blue orb necessarily brings it on.  So, knowing that suffering and death are givens and that God, who loves us, is in ultimate control, why would we fear?  What is it that man can do to us that makes any lasting difference?

Jesus was very straightforward about this: “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more?" (Lk 12:4).  Yes, man can cause us physical harm to this decaying body but he can do nothing to our spiritual self that lives forever.  We can only be true victim if our hope is in this world.  When our hope is in Christ, we are victorious over sin and death.  Man's power then is only an illusion that appears for a little while and vanishes.  Jus' Say'n.

Drawn of God

I was reading from John chapter six this morning and came to the verse, which reads, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day" (44).  This verse has led and continues to lead many to accept the Calvinistic doctrine of irresistible grace, the teaching that God chooses whom he will save and we have no power one way or the other.

I can see how one could draw that conclusion from this verse, but this verse is not the only word on the subject.  There are other verses here and elsewhere that must be taken into account and when they are, I don't think the doctrine is supported.

To begin with, who else would draw us to Jesus?  Would Satan ever be in the business of drawing people to Christ?  No, it would only be God.  Secondly, who would God draw, those who steadfastly refuse to come?  No, as a matter of fact, John elsewhere writes, "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (1:11-12).

And who is it that God wants drawn to Jesus, only the Jews, only a few hand-selected?  No, for here in John's passage that says God draws, it also says who he wants to draw: "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day" (v. 40).  Peter echoes this truth in saying that God is "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Pet 3:10).

Who is it then that God draws and why is not everyone drawn since God wants everyone to come?  The who that God is calling to is not based on a private selection but on a personal decision.  Listen to the Word: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28).  Did you catch the inclusive "all"?  A choice to decide is offered and accepted, "come and I will."

God's call goes out into all the world,  "He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mk 16:15).  However, many can't hear it over the noise of their own lives.  Many feel a deep need but seek to fill it with money, power, drugs, whatever.

But, those who look up from themselves and the world around them and begin to listen for His voice, those people, whoever they are, can find Him.  "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer 29:13).  Jus' Say'n.

Widows and Advocates

Yesterday, I was attempting to help three widows and two soon to be widows work through the VA maze one must navigate in order to get the pension they deserve.  Today we expect that widows are taken care of by government programs and many are receiving needed help.  But many others are facing hurdles from the very agencies that ought to be helping them.

In each of the cases I was working on, instead of looking into the widows' circumstances to see what is going on, the mammoth bureaucracy simply noted that they didn't fit into the required cookie-cutter design and denied them the assistance their spouses had earned in service to our country.

It wasn't that anyone was out to get them or had designs on increasing the difficulties of their already increasingly difficult lives, it was simply that they were without voices and could not be heard by bureaucrats who had no personal knowledge of them.  Theses widows needed an advocate able to speak for them.

This very situation occurred in the earliest days of the Christian community when the church in Jerusalem was found guilty of ignoring a large population of widows who should have been provided for by Christ's followers:

"In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food" (Acts 6:1).

The leadership responded by asking the church to choosing men from among themselves to serve as deacons to insure that the distribution was made in a fair and equitable way (see vv. 2-4).  What they did, in effect, was to establish a group of advocates that would speak for the widows, insuring they were no longer overlooked.

I wonder how many other widows today, besides the widows of veterans, are out there not being heard by Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.?  How many widows do you suppose really need an advocate to give them voice?  And I wonder how we in the church could become advocates for them?

Considering "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (Js 1:27), perhaps we ought to make finding out a priority.  Jus' Say'n.

Giving Thanks in Troubled Times

Decades ago, I read the story of a church leader who had been robbed of his money bag.  When asked by a friend how he felt about the incident, he replied, "Thankful."  Puzzled by the answer, his friend asked further, "Why thankful?"  His reply was something like this: "I am thankful first that he did not take my life.  I am thankful also that I had something to steal.  And finally, I am thankful that I am not a thief."

The church leader, whose name I cannot recall at the moment and time prevents me from researching, was not some kind of Pollyanna thinker with his head in the sky.  This man was empowered with the faith and trust in God, which the apostle Paul holds out for us all: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess 5:16-18).

As a child of God, the victory over sin and death, and whatever this world can throw at us, is already won in Christ.  The world cannot truly overcome us for our Lord has taken away its power to do so: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33).''

The world can give us it's best shot, take away everything that we hold dear in this life, but it cannot gain the victory over us as long as we hold on to our faith in Christ.  When the world tells us we have been beaten, that we have lost everything, the Word of God counters, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom 8:37).

The evil forces of this world can only take away what the world affords us.  It can take away our money, our health and even our life, but it cannot take away our heavenly treasures, "where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matt 6:20).

We're just passing through here.  When we leave this life, we will take nothing with us beyond our memories and our relationships in Christ.  Everything that ha lasting value is. Not subject to the world's power.  So, regardless of what you lose, you are still a winner in Christ.  So, even in troubled times, give thanks for God is good.  Jus' Say'n.