Elijah, the prophet, was told, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kgs 19:11-13).
A powerful wind, a rumbling earthquake an a consuming fire - each announcing itself with great noise but the Lord was not in them. If the prophet had been a Texan, he would have said, "They were all hat and no cowboy!" They all had the appearance of greatness but they did not signal the presence of the Lord.
Instead, a gentle whisper or a still small voice, coming with no grandeur, was filled with His presence. It was not the big noise that came in announcing itself loudly, impossible to ignore, but in the small clear whisper that could have easily been missed had Elijah not been listening closely for the Lord's call.
Elijah was seeking clarity, he wanted to know it was God who was speaking to him not just more noise. Similarly, we live in a world where there is a lot of know, blustering around us all the time, shouting its importance but lacking any real substance and certainly not the voice of God. Salesmen and telemarketer crowd our email and tie up our phones. Advertisers fill the airwaves of our televisions. Bosses and co-workers fill up our in-boxes. Everywhere we turn, there is a constant amount of noise vying for our attention.
But is it all worthy of our attention, is it anywhere near as important as it comes off being urgent? Sure the computerized phone message announces excitedly, "You have won a cruise!" And then, hook being set, the sale to reel you in begins. Your Facebook is booked solid with one message after another but how many are really worth your time to read? With all this noise, how often is there any there, there? Noise is coming at you from all directions, but where is the voice of God?
We need clarity, we need to sort all the noises out, we need some quiet in order to contemplate. We need to find a time and place where no one is pressing for our attention, where cell phones are not allowed, where email is unanswered, where advertisement are given no room, where we can finally hear the "gentle whisper of God." We need a quiet time with Bible at hand as we begin a prayerful dialogue with God, listening to his gentle whisper. Jus' Say'n.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Friday, October 28, 2016
Coming to The End of Me
We don't want to be seen as having bad intentions, evil thoughts or filled with any number of flaws. We want to be seen as good and kind and capable at all times. What we want is not to be seen as we are and to be viewed as we believe others expect us to be.
What we try to do is keep up a facade, wearing one of several masks in which to meet the particular person or group before us. What we want is to put on a face like a politician but somehow get around having the reputation of politicians, who are believed to be lying pretty much anytime their mouths are open. Used car salesmen are thought to be more open and transparent than politicians.
The truth is that we are not totally happy with the way we are and cannot imagine that others would be very happy if they really knew us - the real, unabridged, bald-faced us. Right? I am certain I am right but just as certain that it is so wrong. It is wrong to think that our facade is necessary or that our facade is really effective in the long run.
To begin with, people don't really expect others to be perfect. They may even welcome the knowledge that you are struggling with some of the very things they have in their own lives. Just having flaws doesn't make you unworthy of love, it just makes you human lie the ones you love.
Of course, if you have done something to break the trust of another, your self-revealing will be hurtful and they may have great difficulty getting past it and trusting you again. But you will never be able to fully accept another's love or trust so long as you hide the truth and don't allow the sin to become a thing of the past instead of an ongoing part of your present.
The foundation of our deception is as old as mankind: Self-pride. We struggle with getting to the end of me and accepting a new beginning in Christ, a new life in which we are not the focus, that how we come off is not what is at stake, that self-presentation is not the picture others need to see in us.
We need to come to the end of me so that we can be buried in Him (Rom 6:4) being covered with the glory of Christ (Gal 3:27) and present to the world around us an authentic self that is being perfected in the Spirit while being challenged by self. Others need to see our sinful, broken self being made whole and holy by the power of God, not a pretend-to-be prefect, self-reliant poser.
When we stop living to impress others with a fracture-less self and start living to express to others the Savior who heals our brokenness, then we can be free of the tyranny of pride as we humbly come to the end of me and to the life offered by the Messiah. Jus' Say'n.
What we try to do is keep up a facade, wearing one of several masks in which to meet the particular person or group before us. What we want is to put on a face like a politician but somehow get around having the reputation of politicians, who are believed to be lying pretty much anytime their mouths are open. Used car salesmen are thought to be more open and transparent than politicians.
The truth is that we are not totally happy with the way we are and cannot imagine that others would be very happy if they really knew us - the real, unabridged, bald-faced us. Right? I am certain I am right but just as certain that it is so wrong. It is wrong to think that our facade is necessary or that our facade is really effective in the long run.
To begin with, people don't really expect others to be perfect. They may even welcome the knowledge that you are struggling with some of the very things they have in their own lives. Just having flaws doesn't make you unworthy of love, it just makes you human lie the ones you love.
Of course, if you have done something to break the trust of another, your self-revealing will be hurtful and they may have great difficulty getting past it and trusting you again. But you will never be able to fully accept another's love or trust so long as you hide the truth and don't allow the sin to become a thing of the past instead of an ongoing part of your present.
The foundation of our deception is as old as mankind: Self-pride. We struggle with getting to the end of me and accepting a new beginning in Christ, a new life in which we are not the focus, that how we come off is not what is at stake, that self-presentation is not the picture others need to see in us.
We need to come to the end of me so that we can be buried in Him (Rom 6:4) being covered with the glory of Christ (Gal 3:27) and present to the world around us an authentic self that is being perfected in the Spirit while being challenged by self. Others need to see our sinful, broken self being made whole and holy by the power of God, not a pretend-to-be prefect, self-reliant poser.
When we stop living to impress others with a fracture-less self and start living to express to others the Savior who heals our brokenness, then we can be free of the tyranny of pride as we humbly come to the end of me and to the life offered by the Messiah. Jus' Say'n.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Hello, Goodbye
I was a little fuzzy when I got the call from my wife that grandchild number six had just made his entrance into the world, welcomed with tears of joy, grins from ear to ear and the sending out of glad tidings.
Much earlier in the day, I got a simple but profoundly sad text from my brother that his youngest child, my niece, had just left this world, sent on her way with tears of anguish, downcast faces and the sending out of sad tidings.
Rejoicing in Texas, mourning in Missouri. From mountain top shouts to valley low laments. What does one do with those extremes? The simple answer? "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Rom 12:15). Simple? Yes. Easy? No.
It is never easy to enter a house of mourning, to share in their sorrow. And to enter a house rejoicing and share in the jubilation when you are feeling the weight of another's sorrow is also a challenge. Saying hello and saying goodbye in one breath is breath-taking.
But this is life. Joy and sorrow, gain and loss, life and death. While we may find it difficult to navigate at times, it is the world in which we live - for now. The good news is that this world is a passing through, a journey, which one day will be forever behind us. It's sorrows never to be repeated and it's joy forever to be eclipsed. And while our joy will turn to mourning time and again in this world while we are passing through, mourning will pass away replaced by joy alone in Heaven.
In my guided reading plan this morning, the first passage I read was this: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matt). So, I will rejoice with my wife and say hello to a new grandson and I will mourn with my brother as we say goodbye to his daughter. In all of life I will turn to the Lord whether rejoicing in gratitude or lamenting in sorrow. Jus' Say'n.
Much earlier in the day, I got a simple but profoundly sad text from my brother that his youngest child, my niece, had just left this world, sent on her way with tears of anguish, downcast faces and the sending out of sad tidings.
Rejoicing in Texas, mourning in Missouri. From mountain top shouts to valley low laments. What does one do with those extremes? The simple answer? "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Rom 12:15). Simple? Yes. Easy? No.
It is never easy to enter a house of mourning, to share in their sorrow. And to enter a house rejoicing and share in the jubilation when you are feeling the weight of another's sorrow is also a challenge. Saying hello and saying goodbye in one breath is breath-taking.
But this is life. Joy and sorrow, gain and loss, life and death. While we may find it difficult to navigate at times, it is the world in which we live - for now. The good news is that this world is a passing through, a journey, which one day will be forever behind us. It's sorrows never to be repeated and it's joy forever to be eclipsed. And while our joy will turn to mourning time and again in this world while we are passing through, mourning will pass away replaced by joy alone in Heaven.
In my guided reading plan this morning, the first passage I read was this: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matt). So, I will rejoice with my wife and say hello to a new grandson and I will mourn with my brother as we say goodbye to his daughter. In all of life I will turn to the Lord whether rejoicing in gratitude or lamenting in sorrow. Jus' Say'n.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Broken But Not Tossed
Sociologist Brene Brown, commenting on vulnerability in a TED talk said, "We are 'those people.'...we are the others. Most of us are one paycheck, one divorce, one drug-addicted kid, one mental health diagnosis, one serious illness, one sexual assault, one drinking binge, one night of unprotected sex, or one affair away from being 'those people' - the ones we don't trust, the ones we pity...the ones bad things happen to...."
We are those people. We are the broken ones. Or the ones about to be broken. Or, or just maybe, we are the ones who are about to be mended. The ones who have accepted the fact of their brokenness, refuse to hide or deny it and turn to the One Source where wholeness can be found - Christ alone!
God is not surprised by our brokenness, he foresaw the unfortunate path mankind would take and set in motion a plan of redemption, a way of reclaiming and restoring. Like a potter with a flawed or broken piece of pottery, who chooses to reshape his creation instead of tossing it to the side, God stands ready to reshape and restore instead of reject. Listen to the words of Jeremiah the prophet:
"I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand'" (18:3-6).
You are broken, I am broken - maybe not as broken as the guy or gal next door, maybe not as broken as we were at one time, maybe not as broken as we're going to be but we are broken. We don't need to hide it or deny it, we need embrace it and own up to it - not to accept its reign but to allow our restoration. Almighty God is the Potter who does not desire to toss away the marred clay but wants to make it new.
Unlike the clay, however, we have a choice: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt 11:28). He calls to us in our brokenness, extending the free offer to reshape and restore us, allowing us to rest or be removed from the burden of our brokenness. But we choose. You choose. What is your choice? Jus' Ask'n.
We are those people. We are the broken ones. Or the ones about to be broken. Or, or just maybe, we are the ones who are about to be mended. The ones who have accepted the fact of their brokenness, refuse to hide or deny it and turn to the One Source where wholeness can be found - Christ alone!
God is not surprised by our brokenness, he foresaw the unfortunate path mankind would take and set in motion a plan of redemption, a way of reclaiming and restoring. Like a potter with a flawed or broken piece of pottery, who chooses to reshape his creation instead of tossing it to the side, God stands ready to reshape and restore instead of reject. Listen to the words of Jeremiah the prophet:
"I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand'" (18:3-6).
You are broken, I am broken - maybe not as broken as the guy or gal next door, maybe not as broken as we were at one time, maybe not as broken as we're going to be but we are broken. We don't need to hide it or deny it, we need embrace it and own up to it - not to accept its reign but to allow our restoration. Almighty God is the Potter who does not desire to toss away the marred clay but wants to make it new.
Unlike the clay, however, we have a choice: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt 11:28). He calls to us in our brokenness, extending the free offer to reshape and restore us, allowing us to rest or be removed from the burden of our brokenness. But we choose. You choose. What is your choice? Jus' Ask'n.
Monday, October 24, 2016
The Death of Me
Have you ever heard and exasperated parent sigh to an over-adventurous child, "You'll be the death of me yet" as she drags that rambunctious little tyke back from yet another attempt to climb, jump or jet one place or another? Have you ever been under so much stress at work that you thought to yourself, "This job is killing me"? Have you ever wondered, with all the wrecks on the road, chemicals in our food, toxins in our air and radical Islamic nut jobs breathing death to everyone, just how long can you survive anyway?
Have you ever faced or are you facing something that causes you to muse, "This could be the death of me"? It not a very settling thought, is it? Even if you do not fear death in particular, the prospect of it can rattle us a bit. As cowboy laureate Will Rogers once quipped, "It's not that I'm afraid to die, it's just that I've been alive as long as I can remember and I don't like change."
Death is the ultimate and irreversible change in this life, and it tends to be faced with trepidation if not downright fear. To even begin to think of a world without "me" is difficult. It's hard to imagine everything going on without me. My hopes, my dreams, my goals -- these things seem so invaluable that they just can't simply come to an end.
And yet, that is precisely what the call of Jesus demands of us, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matt 16:24). And lest we think that calling is anything less than the death of me, listen closely to the words of the Spirit through the apostle Paul: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me..." (Gal 2:20).
Part of counting the cost of being a follower of Jesus Christ is that it will be "the death of me." I cannot continue pursuing my hope, my dreams, my goals unless they are aligned with and support His. It is no longer my life, a life that was "...buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Rom 6:4).
While I struggle with the old me trying to come back like a personal Zombie Apocalypse, my hope, my dream, my goal today is that my faith results in the total and complete death of me and the full, overwhelming indwelling of Christ's Spirit. Jus' Say'n.
Have you ever faced or are you facing something that causes you to muse, "This could be the death of me"? It not a very settling thought, is it? Even if you do not fear death in particular, the prospect of it can rattle us a bit. As cowboy laureate Will Rogers once quipped, "It's not that I'm afraid to die, it's just that I've been alive as long as I can remember and I don't like change."
Death is the ultimate and irreversible change in this life, and it tends to be faced with trepidation if not downright fear. To even begin to think of a world without "me" is difficult. It's hard to imagine everything going on without me. My hopes, my dreams, my goals -- these things seem so invaluable that they just can't simply come to an end.
And yet, that is precisely what the call of Jesus demands of us, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matt 16:24). And lest we think that calling is anything less than the death of me, listen closely to the words of the Spirit through the apostle Paul: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me..." (Gal 2:20).
Part of counting the cost of being a follower of Jesus Christ is that it will be "the death of me." I cannot continue pursuing my hope, my dreams, my goals unless they are aligned with and support His. It is no longer my life, a life that was "...buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Rom 6:4).
While I struggle with the old me trying to come back like a personal Zombie Apocalypse, my hope, my dream, my goal today is that my faith results in the total and complete death of me and the full, overwhelming indwelling of Christ's Spirit. Jus' Say'n.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Doing Good
I remember one of my instructors in Harding University's preacher training program back in the day who said, "When everything goes wrong, do something right." I don't remember anything else he said that day or even what class we we taking at the moment. But I remember the impact it had on me and the life choice I made that day to make that a daily effort.
I wish I could say I've always lived up to that standard, that I've always made the choice to do right regardless of how wrong things were going or someone else had been. Truthfully I have chosen to jump in the muck at times instead of staying on solid ground, where I could do some good. But I can say it has been my idea, my desire, the thing I want to do and most often have chosen.
Why my flesh has been weak at times, this principle has been a polar star for my life that I believe is not only good sense, it is good - period! It is not just the wisdom of an elder teacher of young would-be preachers, it is the wisdom of God delivered through one: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Gal 6:10).
Did you notice the "therefore?" Did you wonder what the "therefore" is there for? It is a concluding remark following warnings to bear each other's burdens, even when it's due to their bad choices; to not be deceived into thinking it doesn't matter or won't count; to continue doing good, even when all seems so bad; to continue doing good that a harvest of your good actions may be realized in a world that has so much bad.
The Lord doesn't say to do good when all the conditions are right, to do good when everyone else is acting according to script, when you feel up to doing good. The Lord say to do good as you have opportunity and that opportunity only increases when things and people are going bad.
So, if you're wondering what kingdom good you can do, what purpose God has for you, what you can accomplish in this world a this moment with what you have, here it is: Look around where you are and take note of what is going on, who is doing what and then do something right. Return blasting with blessing, freely give when others falsely take, offer hugs instead of hate, genuinely smile at grumpy sneers, do good whenever and whoever and however you can.
While we should favor fellow followers of Jesus, our choice should not end there, only begin. Choosing good should be the default setting of our lives. Choosing good should be the major we major on when others major pains or minor distractions. Don't wait around for some singular good thing to do, just do good every single day, every single opportunity. Jus' Say'n.
I wish I could say I've always lived up to that standard, that I've always made the choice to do right regardless of how wrong things were going or someone else had been. Truthfully I have chosen to jump in the muck at times instead of staying on solid ground, where I could do some good. But I can say it has been my idea, my desire, the thing I want to do and most often have chosen.
Why my flesh has been weak at times, this principle has been a polar star for my life that I believe is not only good sense, it is good - period! It is not just the wisdom of an elder teacher of young would-be preachers, it is the wisdom of God delivered through one: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Gal 6:10).
Did you notice the "therefore?" Did you wonder what the "therefore" is there for? It is a concluding remark following warnings to bear each other's burdens, even when it's due to their bad choices; to not be deceived into thinking it doesn't matter or won't count; to continue doing good, even when all seems so bad; to continue doing good that a harvest of your good actions may be realized in a world that has so much bad.
The Lord doesn't say to do good when all the conditions are right, to do good when everyone else is acting according to script, when you feel up to doing good. The Lord say to do good as you have opportunity and that opportunity only increases when things and people are going bad.
So, if you're wondering what kingdom good you can do, what purpose God has for you, what you can accomplish in this world a this moment with what you have, here it is: Look around where you are and take note of what is going on, who is doing what and then do something right. Return blasting with blessing, freely give when others falsely take, offer hugs instead of hate, genuinely smile at grumpy sneers, do good whenever and whoever and however you can.
While we should favor fellow followers of Jesus, our choice should not end there, only begin. Choosing good should be the default setting of our lives. Choosing good should be the major we major on when others major pains or minor distractions. Don't wait around for some singular good thing to do, just do good every single day, every single opportunity. Jus' Say'n.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
The Key
I have a key ring with several keys from which to choose. They are of different shapes and sizes. I can choose to use any of them at any time but only one fits the door of my house, only one fits the door to the church building, only one fits the door to my shed and so on. Many keys and many choices but my choice is limited to one when it comes down to actually using it to open a particular door.
On more than one occasion I have tried to use the wrong key to open the church building door with my office key and my office with the church building key as they both look so much alike. But, while they have some common features, they are neither one a substitute for the other - regardless of how much I giggle the keys. Each lock can be opened by only one key pattern. When I want to enter a particular door, I must use a particular key.
I used this principle to begin writing this blog. In order to open up this iPad, I had to use a pattern of key strokes. There are many keys to use and in infinite number of patterns from which to choose. I am free to choose any that I wish but only one particular set of key strokes will unlock the device, allowing me to share these thoughts with you as I am at this moment.
In my case next to the chair I am sitting in as I am writing, there is laptop computer from my office. If I were to open it and use the key strokes I have used for this computer, I would get a warning that I have made an error and then denied access. No matter how many times I try, I will not gain access with these key strokes. Actually, in that computer, if I try the wrong strokes three times, I will be given instructions to contact my program administrator as access is denied altogether.
So why am I telling you all this? Why am I bothering to talk about the singularity of keys? Because only Jesus is the Key to eternal life - he alone is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and no man comes to the Father except through [him]" (Jn 14:6).
He alone open the door to our Father's home and the glory awaiting us. There are many choices when it comes to religious paths: Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Bhuddist, and thousands more. But Jesus alone is the correct choice for "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
My saying that is not narrow minded or bigoted or exclusive - it is simply true. To say there are many paths to heaven sounds very tolerant and inclusive but it is not true and helps no one come to the Father. While I can tolerate and even defend anyone's right to choose whatever path they will, I cannot support or agree unless it is Jesus. Jus' Say'n.
On more than one occasion I have tried to use the wrong key to open the church building door with my office key and my office with the church building key as they both look so much alike. But, while they have some common features, they are neither one a substitute for the other - regardless of how much I giggle the keys. Each lock can be opened by only one key pattern. When I want to enter a particular door, I must use a particular key.
I used this principle to begin writing this blog. In order to open up this iPad, I had to use a pattern of key strokes. There are many keys to use and in infinite number of patterns from which to choose. I am free to choose any that I wish but only one particular set of key strokes will unlock the device, allowing me to share these thoughts with you as I am at this moment.
In my case next to the chair I am sitting in as I am writing, there is laptop computer from my office. If I were to open it and use the key strokes I have used for this computer, I would get a warning that I have made an error and then denied access. No matter how many times I try, I will not gain access with these key strokes. Actually, in that computer, if I try the wrong strokes three times, I will be given instructions to contact my program administrator as access is denied altogether.
So why am I telling you all this? Why am I bothering to talk about the singularity of keys? Because only Jesus is the Key to eternal life - he alone is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and no man comes to the Father except through [him]" (Jn 14:6).
He alone open the door to our Father's home and the glory awaiting us. There are many choices when it comes to religious paths: Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Bhuddist, and thousands more. But Jesus alone is the correct choice for "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
My saying that is not narrow minded or bigoted or exclusive - it is simply true. To say there are many paths to heaven sounds very tolerant and inclusive but it is not true and helps no one come to the Father. While I can tolerate and even defend anyone's right to choose whatever path they will, I cannot support or agree unless it is Jesus. Jus' Say'n.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Seasons
The mornings are getting cooler. The sun sleepily rises later in the morning. The heat of the day comes on later, doesn't rise as high and retreats with the cool of the early evening. The season is changing, summer is past, fall is upon us and winter will not be very far behind. You make like the change, you may pine for summer days but the season will pass nonetheless and another season will take its place.
King Solomon put it this way: "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace" (Eccl 3:1-8).
Everything in its time and a time for everything. We talk about seasonal jobs, seasonal clothes, seasonal activities, seasonal opportunities, etc. The truth, however, is that everything is seasonal. Every job is seasonal. That season may last 40 years or four months, but it's season will come and go. All your clothes are seasonal. What you wore in your teens is not likely what you are wearing or would choose to wear now. Your health is seasonal. You use to run like the wind. Now you run out of wind. Everything, even your very life, is seasonal.
The thing about seasons is that each has its own pluses and minuses. This season has one thing and the next has another. There is something to enjoy and something to endure in each. It's great being young and starting a family but the struggles of raising children is a little like being pecked to death by a duck. On the other hand, being older and being able to enjoy grandchildren is a wonderful thing that isn't packed with the stress of parenting. However, it also isn't packed with energy and the need to take those precious grand kids back home so you can rest replaces the stamina of youth.
When people say they would love to be young again, is to say that they would love to turn this season back in for the other. But would you really? Would you give up the wisdom you've acquired? Would you give up the memories you cherish? Would you give up your grandchildren? Would you so easily give up the you that has developed over the years to become that person you once were. I personally like my senior wrinkles better than my teenage acne.
Seasons are meant to enjoy and to cause growth through trials. But then, thankfully, they pass on to the next with its new joys and new trials. You've heard mothers say about their babies, "I wish you could stay like this forever." Not really. Not if it actually happened as it did for a next door neighbor I once had whose 50 year old son was still in diapers, could not talk or walk. He never experienced the changes of growth beyond infancy. She never experienced the joy and sorrows of raising a boy into manhood. And her temporary joy of having a baby became the deep sorrow of never having a son, a grandson or relief from the never ending challenge of being totally responsible for another.
Yes, there is a sadness of changes in seasons. There is even a condition called Seasonal Affect that causes someone to experience deep sadness moving from sunny days of summer to increasing darkness of winter. However, to never experience seasons or change is not how we are wired. We need the changes, we even long for them. And the last season, when we have to leave this world behind gives us pause but it also gives us promise of that Day when the seasons of earth are traded in for the eternal season of heaven, which contains all the blessings but none of the sorrows of our time on earth. Jus' Say'n.
King Solomon put it this way: "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace" (Eccl 3:1-8).
Everything in its time and a time for everything. We talk about seasonal jobs, seasonal clothes, seasonal activities, seasonal opportunities, etc. The truth, however, is that everything is seasonal. Every job is seasonal. That season may last 40 years or four months, but it's season will come and go. All your clothes are seasonal. What you wore in your teens is not likely what you are wearing or would choose to wear now. Your health is seasonal. You use to run like the wind. Now you run out of wind. Everything, even your very life, is seasonal.
The thing about seasons is that each has its own pluses and minuses. This season has one thing and the next has another. There is something to enjoy and something to endure in each. It's great being young and starting a family but the struggles of raising children is a little like being pecked to death by a duck. On the other hand, being older and being able to enjoy grandchildren is a wonderful thing that isn't packed with the stress of parenting. However, it also isn't packed with energy and the need to take those precious grand kids back home so you can rest replaces the stamina of youth.
When people say they would love to be young again, is to say that they would love to turn this season back in for the other. But would you really? Would you give up the wisdom you've acquired? Would you give up the memories you cherish? Would you give up your grandchildren? Would you so easily give up the you that has developed over the years to become that person you once were. I personally like my senior wrinkles better than my teenage acne.
Seasons are meant to enjoy and to cause growth through trials. But then, thankfully, they pass on to the next with its new joys and new trials. You've heard mothers say about their babies, "I wish you could stay like this forever." Not really. Not if it actually happened as it did for a next door neighbor I once had whose 50 year old son was still in diapers, could not talk or walk. He never experienced the changes of growth beyond infancy. She never experienced the joy and sorrows of raising a boy into manhood. And her temporary joy of having a baby became the deep sorrow of never having a son, a grandson or relief from the never ending challenge of being totally responsible for another.
Yes, there is a sadness of changes in seasons. There is even a condition called Seasonal Affect that causes someone to experience deep sadness moving from sunny days of summer to increasing darkness of winter. However, to never experience seasons or change is not how we are wired. We need the changes, we even long for them. And the last season, when we have to leave this world behind gives us pause but it also gives us promise of that Day when the seasons of earth are traded in for the eternal season of heaven, which contains all the blessings but none of the sorrows of our time on earth. Jus' Say'n.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Unseen Certainity
I'm originally from Missouri, the "Show Me State." It is also called the "Mule State," which lends itself to a combined meaning of stubbornly refusing to believe anything until seen. Jerry McGuire's famous "Show Me The Money!" would be restated as "show me the whatever it is you're trying to tell me is so.
I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard "I won't believe it until I see it." Further, in a tongue and cheek sort of way, I can remember hearing, "Don't believe what you hear and only half of what you see." If it wasn't seen, it wasn't certain - that was for certain!
As culturally posited as the notion of unseen equals uncertain, that is unequivocally not in step with my Christian upbringing. Contrary to Hillary's statement about the need of churches to get in step with democracy, which is to adopt the cultural mores of the day, Christianity rather is to be counter cultural just as Jesus proved to be.
Jesus was so counter cultural that the cultural leaders of the day put him to death on a cross. He warned his disciples, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you" (Jn 15:18-19). Yeah, no the church is not to get in step with the culture.
And, to the point of this message, Christians, perhaps in no more important way, are not to accept the cultural insistence of "seeing is believing." Instead, the foundation of our life in Christ is embracing the truths taught in Scripture and imprinted in our hearts, not affirming what we can see, hear, touch, smell and taste: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb 11:1).
Biblical faith is the "unseen certainty" provided by the Holy Spirit. It is not blind trust as the Spirit gives evidence to our own spirits and provides truth in Holy Writ and displays God's glory in creation. Seeing God, far from a physical sighting, is accomplished by the eye of faith which allows for an "unseen certainty" provided by the Spirit of Christ: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known" (Jn 1:18).
Have I physically seen God? No, no more than I've physically seen love or hope or oxygen or peace or so many other things that are not seen but are unseen certainty. I don't need to see a thing to know it exists, I accept many things on evidence. In legal terms is is called "circumstantial evidence," which connects an inference to a conclusion of fact. The Holy Spirit, the Bible and design in creation are the inferences that connect me to the conclusion of the fact of God. Jus' Say'n.
I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard "I won't believe it until I see it." Further, in a tongue and cheek sort of way, I can remember hearing, "Don't believe what you hear and only half of what you see." If it wasn't seen, it wasn't certain - that was for certain!
As culturally posited as the notion of unseen equals uncertain, that is unequivocally not in step with my Christian upbringing. Contrary to Hillary's statement about the need of churches to get in step with democracy, which is to adopt the cultural mores of the day, Christianity rather is to be counter cultural just as Jesus proved to be.
Jesus was so counter cultural that the cultural leaders of the day put him to death on a cross. He warned his disciples, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you" (Jn 15:18-19). Yeah, no the church is not to get in step with the culture.
And, to the point of this message, Christians, perhaps in no more important way, are not to accept the cultural insistence of "seeing is believing." Instead, the foundation of our life in Christ is embracing the truths taught in Scripture and imprinted in our hearts, not affirming what we can see, hear, touch, smell and taste: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb 11:1).
Biblical faith is the "unseen certainty" provided by the Holy Spirit. It is not blind trust as the Spirit gives evidence to our own spirits and provides truth in Holy Writ and displays God's glory in creation. Seeing God, far from a physical sighting, is accomplished by the eye of faith which allows for an "unseen certainty" provided by the Spirit of Christ: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known" (Jn 1:18).
Have I physically seen God? No, no more than I've physically seen love or hope or oxygen or peace or so many other things that are not seen but are unseen certainty. I don't need to see a thing to know it exists, I accept many things on evidence. In legal terms is is called "circumstantial evidence," which connects an inference to a conclusion of fact. The Holy Spirit, the Bible and design in creation are the inferences that connect me to the conclusion of the fact of God. Jus' Say'n.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Getting Prayer
"This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one'" (Matt 6:9-13).
Jesus' model for prayer is less about getting what you want in prayer and more about getting prayer. While prayer is a means of making petition to God in regards to our needs: "daily bread," it is more about His will and about His way.
Establishing His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven is the foundation of the prayer. When God's Kingdom reign is established, our need will be met, forgiveness will be the order of the day, His name will be praised and we will be delivered from the evil one.
Getting prayer is to understand its purpose is to get God, to get His vision, to get his heart, to get his purposes of a redeemed world and to get oneself in line with the Master rather than the servant getting the Master to provide all the things his heart desires.
Getting what we want without getting what God wants would be selfish and self-defeating. God did not intend prayer to be a way in which man manipulates the will of God but rather where man is molded by the will of God.
Getting prayer is to understand that it is a dialogue not a monologue. It is an asking, sharing and listening with the emphasis on listening as what God says is infinitely more important than what we ask or share.
God wants to hear from us, to hear our wants, our fears, our needs and our goals; but moreover God wants us to listen to His will, His purpose, His plan, His desire for us. For God's will is always good and right. What we ask of God may help us in this life, what God has to say actually brings life. Jus' Say'n.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Just Ask
Have you ever found yourself coming up short on something only to have someone you know say, "Next time just ask. I'd be more than happy to help." Its an experience that's pretty common to mankind in general. So often we do without because we just didn't ask for help.
This is not just a common problem, it is a universal problem for the God of the universe stands by willing to bless us if we will just ask. "You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God" (Js 4:2).
Rather than ask God, man often tries to get what he needs on his own and often by any means necessary. However, in the end, we so often fail to get what we really want, even though we pull out all the stops. We even resort to trying to simply take what we want, which doesn't insure we will get anything more than compounded loss.
All the while, God is saying to us, "Hey, just ask me. I want to bless you!" The key to what we really want and need is just ask. And yet, we fail to do so time and again. And, then when we do get around to asking God, we still do not receive because we don't "just" ask. I'm making a little play on words here. I'm not using the word "just" to to mean simply but rather as a moral qualifier.
Listen to the next verse in the Book of James, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (v. 3). God stands ready to give what we ask if we "just" ask - simply ask in a just manner.
To be selfish is not just, it is seeking to subvert justice and direct the common good to self. Selfish people don't want what is good for everyone or just, they simply want what is best for self, regardless and even in spite of the needs of others.
God is telling us that when we are consider of the needs of others in our asking, He is predisposed to give whatever we ask because it serves the common good and therefore just in the asking.
Don't wrangle and wrest with others over what you want, don't do without what you need. Instead, turn to God in humble, selfless petition and He will provide. Jus' Say'n.
This is not just a common problem, it is a universal problem for the God of the universe stands by willing to bless us if we will just ask. "You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God" (Js 4:2).
Rather than ask God, man often tries to get what he needs on his own and often by any means necessary. However, in the end, we so often fail to get what we really want, even though we pull out all the stops. We even resort to trying to simply take what we want, which doesn't insure we will get anything more than compounded loss.
All the while, God is saying to us, "Hey, just ask me. I want to bless you!" The key to what we really want and need is just ask. And yet, we fail to do so time and again. And, then when we do get around to asking God, we still do not receive because we don't "just" ask. I'm making a little play on words here. I'm not using the word "just" to to mean simply but rather as a moral qualifier.
Listen to the next verse in the Book of James, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (v. 3). God stands ready to give what we ask if we "just" ask - simply ask in a just manner.
To be selfish is not just, it is seeking to subvert justice and direct the common good to self. Selfish people don't want what is good for everyone or just, they simply want what is best for self, regardless and even in spite of the needs of others.
God is telling us that when we are consider of the needs of others in our asking, He is predisposed to give whatever we ask because it serves the common good and therefore just in the asking.
Don't wrangle and wrest with others over what you want, don't do without what you need. Instead, turn to God in humble, selfless petition and He will provide. Jus' Say'n.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Friendly Pain
In the United States, torture, the intentional infliction of pain to uncover truth, is outlawed. Even in Guantanamo, where we are dealing with Islamic terrorists bent on the destruction of the West, torture is forbidden.
But this morning, I'm going to be tortured. I will be poked, prodded, stuck and scraped, all in the pursuit of uncovering truth from the tooth. That's right, I'm going to the dentist for my bi-annual teeth cleaning and exam. I'm going to be tortured and I'm going willingly, even paying for the experience though not particularly looking forward to the experience.
Why would I do that? Why would I pay to have someone inflict pain on me? Because I am certain that the pain is valuable to me. It is the price I pay to keep my teeth in this progressively aging head. As much as I dislike the discomfort, I appreciate the discovery of plaque, tartar and tooth decay that allows my dentist to do what is necessary and good for my dental health.
Pain, as much as we dislike it, can have the purpose of preventing decay and destruction and demise. Pain can be our friend, it can be the one thing a friend alone would inflict on us. For instance the pain of being brutally honest that a best friend my bring. We don't want to hear it and they don't want to bring it but your best interest depends on this kind of honesty.
The pain of deprivation or delayed gratification may well be inflicted by a parent who loves a child very deeply because he/she knows that the child is not ready for the thing they ask or that what they are asking is now and will forever be harmful to them. A parent take pleasure in providing and experiences pain in denying a child but often will choose the answer that causes pain in both them and the child for the present but brings about good in the long run.
This is precisely what God will often do. He will allow or inflict pain in the present to prevent worse in the future. Listen to his words in Hebrews 12:10-11, "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
No, I don't expect to ever like the feeling of pain but there are times when it is welcomed because it brings life in the end. There is such a thing as friendly pain, pain that is inflicted for our good - pain often described as discipline. Jus' Say'n.
But this morning, I'm going to be tortured. I will be poked, prodded, stuck and scraped, all in the pursuit of uncovering truth from the tooth. That's right, I'm going to the dentist for my bi-annual teeth cleaning and exam. I'm going to be tortured and I'm going willingly, even paying for the experience though not particularly looking forward to the experience.
Why would I do that? Why would I pay to have someone inflict pain on me? Because I am certain that the pain is valuable to me. It is the price I pay to keep my teeth in this progressively aging head. As much as I dislike the discomfort, I appreciate the discovery of plaque, tartar and tooth decay that allows my dentist to do what is necessary and good for my dental health.
Pain, as much as we dislike it, can have the purpose of preventing decay and destruction and demise. Pain can be our friend, it can be the one thing a friend alone would inflict on us. For instance the pain of being brutally honest that a best friend my bring. We don't want to hear it and they don't want to bring it but your best interest depends on this kind of honesty.
The pain of deprivation or delayed gratification may well be inflicted by a parent who loves a child very deeply because he/she knows that the child is not ready for the thing they ask or that what they are asking is now and will forever be harmful to them. A parent take pleasure in providing and experiences pain in denying a child but often will choose the answer that causes pain in both them and the child for the present but brings about good in the long run.
This is precisely what God will often do. He will allow or inflict pain in the present to prevent worse in the future. Listen to his words in Hebrews 12:10-11, "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
No, I don't expect to ever like the feeling of pain but there are times when it is welcomed because it brings life in the end. There is such a thing as friendly pain, pain that is inflicted for our good - pain often described as discipline. Jus' Say'n.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Wisdom
If you could ask for an abundance of just one thing, what would it be? Would you ask for money, power, health, food, clothing -- what would be the one thing you would want to insure you had over everything else?
God's revelation of what that should be may surprise you: Wisdom. Specifically the Lord says, "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding" (Prov 4:7). Wisdom over everything - over food, over money, over health, over everything else. Why?
Wouldn't having a large amount of money insure we could have everything else we needed? We could buy food, get health care, afford housing, etc. Except that a fool and his money is soon parted or as the Bible puts it, "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has" (Prov 21:20).
And the truth is that money can't buy love or happiness or even good health. And money, if not accompanied by wisdom is a very fluid thing indeed - it soon runs out. Whatever else you may have is equally at risk in the hands of a fool. How many have ruined their health doing foolish things? How many have had power and lost it by acting the fool? How many have lost their jobs, their houses, their families due to foolish behavior?
A foolish person wastes, risks, loses, wrecks or otherwise dispatches all that he has. But a wise person takes care of his family, his home, his business, his life. A wise man will find a way to make money, to secure housing, to promote his health, to provide for his family.
You can take away everything a wise man or woman has and he/she will rebuild. But you can give a fool everything he/she needs and that person will dismantle and destroy or simply lose it. Wisdom is the key to everything, especially the most important thing: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Prov 9:10).
And one more thing about wisdom - it can be had for the asking: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (Js 1:5). God gives us wisdom, with which we can receive eternal life and riches, even though we do not deserve it. He offers it freely to all who will seek after it. Don't settle for less. Jus' Say'n.
God's revelation of what that should be may surprise you: Wisdom. Specifically the Lord says, "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding" (Prov 4:7). Wisdom over everything - over food, over money, over health, over everything else. Why?
Wouldn't having a large amount of money insure we could have everything else we needed? We could buy food, get health care, afford housing, etc. Except that a fool and his money is soon parted or as the Bible puts it, "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has" (Prov 21:20).
And the truth is that money can't buy love or happiness or even good health. And money, if not accompanied by wisdom is a very fluid thing indeed - it soon runs out. Whatever else you may have is equally at risk in the hands of a fool. How many have ruined their health doing foolish things? How many have had power and lost it by acting the fool? How many have lost their jobs, their houses, their families due to foolish behavior?
A foolish person wastes, risks, loses, wrecks or otherwise dispatches all that he has. But a wise person takes care of his family, his home, his business, his life. A wise man will find a way to make money, to secure housing, to promote his health, to provide for his family.
You can take away everything a wise man or woman has and he/she will rebuild. But you can give a fool everything he/she needs and that person will dismantle and destroy or simply lose it. Wisdom is the key to everything, especially the most important thing: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Prov 9:10).
And one more thing about wisdom - it can be had for the asking: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (Js 1:5). God gives us wisdom, with which we can receive eternal life and riches, even though we do not deserve it. He offers it freely to all who will seek after it. Don't settle for less. Jus' Say'n.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Letting Go
You hear a lot of distressing comments by church members as a minister. Over the decades I've borne witness to countless defenses of personal sin, I've listened to couples explain why their marriage just can't work, I'be been on the receiving end of harsh blasts of criticism, I've listened to members describe their anger in terms that would make a sailor blush, I've counseled with some who shared their deepest hidden sins.
However, perhaps the most distressing thing I've heard members of the church say ha been, "I just can't forgive..." Or its second cousin, "I can forgive but I'll never forget." What both of these disclaimers mean at their core is, "I just can't let go of..."
Not to forgive mean to keep giving value to an offense. It means to consider something negative so valuable as to continue carrying it long after the offense, it is a means of continuing to give life to or to resuscitate a personal injury from the past. To suggest that you forgive but do not forget isn't usually a statement of cerebral fact that getting over doesn't include developing amnesia. It is to suggest that while you give lip service to forgiveness, you keep your teeth sunk into the offense.
This hanging on to the offense of another is to hang on to the sin in your own heart. Sins of hatred, evil thoughts, desire for revenge, rejecting the way of love, setting barriers to reconciliation, obstructing redemption and rejecting personal forgiveness for your own sins. Wait! What? My sin? It wasn't my sin, it was his, her's, their's.
No, their sin is between them and God. This sin of refusing to forgive is yours. It is built upon their past sin but it is your current, ongoing sin. And, this sin's consequence is far worse than whatever sin they were guilty of in offending or injuring you because you survived that sin while you are not surviving this one. This sin you are carrying daily and it could carrying you into eternal separation from God and everything good and holy. Their sin occurred in a moment in time, yours is a movement of time and perhaps eternity.
Listen to the warning of our Lord Jesus Christ: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matt 6:14-15). Did you hear that, really hear it? Your sin of refusing to forgive another includes the choice of refusing God's grace. Their slight, however great it's impact, pales in comparison to your clinging to the anger and hatred fomented within your heart.
Don't. Don't let the offense of another occupy a space in your heart and mind for free. Raise the rent and kick it out. Get the help of the Holy Spirit to evict the sin in your heart. Let go and let God. Jus' Say'n.
However, perhaps the most distressing thing I've heard members of the church say ha been, "I just can't forgive..." Or its second cousin, "I can forgive but I'll never forget." What both of these disclaimers mean at their core is, "I just can't let go of..."
Not to forgive mean to keep giving value to an offense. It means to consider something negative so valuable as to continue carrying it long after the offense, it is a means of continuing to give life to or to resuscitate a personal injury from the past. To suggest that you forgive but do not forget isn't usually a statement of cerebral fact that getting over doesn't include developing amnesia. It is to suggest that while you give lip service to forgiveness, you keep your teeth sunk into the offense.
This hanging on to the offense of another is to hang on to the sin in your own heart. Sins of hatred, evil thoughts, desire for revenge, rejecting the way of love, setting barriers to reconciliation, obstructing redemption and rejecting personal forgiveness for your own sins. Wait! What? My sin? It wasn't my sin, it was his, her's, their's.
No, their sin is between them and God. This sin of refusing to forgive is yours. It is built upon their past sin but it is your current, ongoing sin. And, this sin's consequence is far worse than whatever sin they were guilty of in offending or injuring you because you survived that sin while you are not surviving this one. This sin you are carrying daily and it could carrying you into eternal separation from God and everything good and holy. Their sin occurred in a moment in time, yours is a movement of time and perhaps eternity.
Listen to the warning of our Lord Jesus Christ: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matt 6:14-15). Did you hear that, really hear it? Your sin of refusing to forgive another includes the choice of refusing God's grace. Their slight, however great it's impact, pales in comparison to your clinging to the anger and hatred fomented within your heart.
Don't. Don't let the offense of another occupy a space in your heart and mind for free. Raise the rent and kick it out. Get the help of the Holy Spirit to evict the sin in your heart. Let go and let God. Jus' Say'n.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Connected
Jesus promises, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (Jn 15:7-8).
Wow! That is one big promise. If you remain connected to Jesus, whatever you wish will be given to you. It would seem that the prosperity preachers are right. Being connected to Christ means that you will have all the things you want - all you've got to do is ask. This seems like solid support of the "Name It and Claim It" theology. Right? Wrong!
The problem with prosperity preaching that I've heard is the focus seems to always be on health and wealth. What I'm hearing from proponents is that God wants us to be free from sin and sickness and sagging economics. It seems to put God in the health and wealth business to the degree that you can have all you want and be free from ailment in the bargain.
Basing that theology on this passage is fundamentally flawed as the internal context alone rejects it. Notice the two keynotes to having whatever you wish: 1) "remain in me" and 2) "bear much fruit." The one who asks and receives whatever he asks is remaining in Christ and is focused in bearing spiritual fruit.
Go to the chapter and notice verse 14, which reads, "You are my friends if you do what I command." These "friends," followers of Jesus, "do what he commands." Those who are connected to Jesus, desire the will of Jesus in their lives and therefore would be asking for that will to be evident (or bearing fruit) in their lives.
Jesus followers will be receiving whatever they ask for as they are asking "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:10). They are asking for God's will to be accomplished in their lives not that they would have all the stuff they wanted or be free from sickness of all kinds.
Jesus is not promising to be a genie in a Bible so to speak. He is promising to grant us spiritual riches and spiritual health, which may have nothing to do with their material counterparts. While having a big house and a nice car is nice, it has little to do with establishing God's kingdom in the hearts of men. While being physically strong and healthy is nice, it doesn't advance the Kingdom either.
When you are connected to Christ, you will want he wants, you will be praying for his will to be done in you and you will be transformed into his likeness. You will become a fruit-bearer filled with the spiritual fruit of God [which] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (Gal 5:22). These are the riches you will seek and receive. As a result, you and those influenced by you will be drawn into the kingdom of God, experiencing all you would ever ask for. Jus' Say'n.
Wow! That is one big promise. If you remain connected to Jesus, whatever you wish will be given to you. It would seem that the prosperity preachers are right. Being connected to Christ means that you will have all the things you want - all you've got to do is ask. This seems like solid support of the "Name It and Claim It" theology. Right? Wrong!
The problem with prosperity preaching that I've heard is the focus seems to always be on health and wealth. What I'm hearing from proponents is that God wants us to be free from sin and sickness and sagging economics. It seems to put God in the health and wealth business to the degree that you can have all you want and be free from ailment in the bargain.
Basing that theology on this passage is fundamentally flawed as the internal context alone rejects it. Notice the two keynotes to having whatever you wish: 1) "remain in me" and 2) "bear much fruit." The one who asks and receives whatever he asks is remaining in Christ and is focused in bearing spiritual fruit.
Go to the chapter and notice verse 14, which reads, "You are my friends if you do what I command." These "friends," followers of Jesus, "do what he commands." Those who are connected to Jesus, desire the will of Jesus in their lives and therefore would be asking for that will to be evident (or bearing fruit) in their lives.
Jesus followers will be receiving whatever they ask for as they are asking "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:10). They are asking for God's will to be accomplished in their lives not that they would have all the stuff they wanted or be free from sickness of all kinds.
Jesus is not promising to be a genie in a Bible so to speak. He is promising to grant us spiritual riches and spiritual health, which may have nothing to do with their material counterparts. While having a big house and a nice car is nice, it has little to do with establishing God's kingdom in the hearts of men. While being physically strong and healthy is nice, it doesn't advance the Kingdom either.
When you are connected to Christ, you will want he wants, you will be praying for his will to be done in you and you will be transformed into his likeness. You will become a fruit-bearer filled with the spiritual fruit of God [which] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (Gal 5:22). These are the riches you will seek and receive. As a result, you and those influenced by you will be drawn into the kingdom of God, experiencing all you would ever ask for. Jus' Say'n.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Peace
There is so much over which to be stressed today. The economy has had the slowest recovery since the Great Depression and if the cycle of recession isn't somehow detoured, we should be entering another one very soon. Mindless, heartless and seemingly soulless radical Islamics are bombing, shooting, driving trucks into crowds with increasing frequency. Race relations have taken a giant step backward, murder in our inner cities is stepping up, jobs are being shipped out as undocumented are sneaking in and unvetted immigrants are being slipped in.
Faith in God, pride in country and the foundation of the family are being eroded. The Affordable Care Act has resulted in millions of Americans facing higher deductibles and co-pays with lower a decreasing amount of actual coverage. Our political landscape remind me more of landfill. The race for the White House has been a race to the bottom.
The genetic encoding of the Creator for gender is being rejected for a "gender du jour while the sexuality designed by God for procreation of the human race and sanctified as the act of marriage has become reduced to nothing more than a smorgasbord of choices to satiate the sexual appetite of a post-Christian populace.
We live by the clock which is sucking the life out of living as we try to juggle the increasing demands of family, jobs and community responsibilities. Quiet time, family time, time to relax are being passed by as we race against that clock, which keeps our stress index at its peak.
Russia is on the rise, radicalism is on the offense, democracy is on the run, Christian values are under siege and the American Dream is fast becoming a pipe dream. Religious radicals, political profiteers, race-baiting reverse bigots, capitalist cronies and socialist bloodsuckers - we have all the ingredients for a big bowl of stress stew.
And then there is "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, [which] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:7). In the middle of the milieu of a crazy, mixed up world in which wrong is seen as right and right is seen as wrong, where the good are often persecuted while the bad are being rewarded; we can be at peace. You really can "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Pet 5:7).
I'm not saying it is easy. In fact, it will take supernatural power to bring about that peace. But that is exactly the point: the supernatural power of God is available in Christ and through His Spirit. He will not make you embrace it but it is always available, and you can be at peace even in a tumultuous world where there is little peace afforded. Take it to Jesus. Let go and let God. Jus' Say'n.
Faith in God, pride in country and the foundation of the family are being eroded. The Affordable Care Act has resulted in millions of Americans facing higher deductibles and co-pays with lower a decreasing amount of actual coverage. Our political landscape remind me more of landfill. The race for the White House has been a race to the bottom.
The genetic encoding of the Creator for gender is being rejected for a "gender du jour while the sexuality designed by God for procreation of the human race and sanctified as the act of marriage has become reduced to nothing more than a smorgasbord of choices to satiate the sexual appetite of a post-Christian populace.
We live by the clock which is sucking the life out of living as we try to juggle the increasing demands of family, jobs and community responsibilities. Quiet time, family time, time to relax are being passed by as we race against that clock, which keeps our stress index at its peak.
Russia is on the rise, radicalism is on the offense, democracy is on the run, Christian values are under siege and the American Dream is fast becoming a pipe dream. Religious radicals, political profiteers, race-baiting reverse bigots, capitalist cronies and socialist bloodsuckers - we have all the ingredients for a big bowl of stress stew.
And then there is "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, [which] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:7). In the middle of the milieu of a crazy, mixed up world in which wrong is seen as right and right is seen as wrong, where the good are often persecuted while the bad are being rewarded; we can be at peace. You really can "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Pet 5:7).
I'm not saying it is easy. In fact, it will take supernatural power to bring about that peace. But that is exactly the point: the supernatural power of God is available in Christ and through His Spirit. He will not make you embrace it but it is always available, and you can be at peace even in a tumultuous world where there is little peace afforded. Take it to Jesus. Let go and let God. Jus' Say'n.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Prosperity Gospel?
This morning I read these words from Psalm 1:1-3, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither---whatever they do prospers."
So, are the prosperity preachers correct in saying hat Jesus came to insure our savings as much as assure our salvation? Are riches and righteousness together a sign that God is with you? Does your praise and your portfolio rise together? If so, what about the prophets of old and their lack of profit realized as they proclaimed the Word of God? Why were the apostles a ragtag band of followers instead rags to riches examples of faithfulness?
Precisely why did Jesus tell the rich young man, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven" (Matt 9:21)? And then warn his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven" (v. 23)?
How is it that the righteous prosper and yet so many followers of the Messiah flop at fail to have money? Because the prosperity of God's children is stored up in heaven, where their true treasure and their hearts are found, not on earth (cf. Matt 6:19-21). The abundance or absence of money has nothing to do with the prosperity of the godly.
Followers of Jesus can equally be princes and paupers. Hollywood, Washington and Wall Street are filled with the materially wealthy but spiritually bankrupt. On the other hand, I have been in the company of third world peasants who were rich in grace.
I'm not trying to say their is virtue in being poor, I'm absolutely saying there is no virtue in being rich. Material wealth is immaterial: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Phil 3:7-8). Jus' Say'n.
So, are the prosperity preachers correct in saying hat Jesus came to insure our savings as much as assure our salvation? Are riches and righteousness together a sign that God is with you? Does your praise and your portfolio rise together? If so, what about the prophets of old and their lack of profit realized as they proclaimed the Word of God? Why were the apostles a ragtag band of followers instead rags to riches examples of faithfulness?
Precisely why did Jesus tell the rich young man, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven" (Matt 9:21)? And then warn his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven" (v. 23)?
How is it that the righteous prosper and yet so many followers of the Messiah flop at fail to have money? Because the prosperity of God's children is stored up in heaven, where their true treasure and their hearts are found, not on earth (cf. Matt 6:19-21). The abundance or absence of money has nothing to do with the prosperity of the godly.
Followers of Jesus can equally be princes and paupers. Hollywood, Washington and Wall Street are filled with the materially wealthy but spiritually bankrupt. On the other hand, I have been in the company of third world peasants who were rich in grace.
I'm not trying to say their is virtue in being poor, I'm absolutely saying there is no virtue in being rich. Material wealth is immaterial: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Phil 3:7-8). Jus' Say'n.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
His Word
There was a day before the advent of complicated contracts filled with legalese where a man's word was his bond and binding deals were sealed with a handshake. In today's world even a written contract is little guarantee that what was said will be done.
Not long ago, I shook hands with a man who signed a letter of intent saying, "I don't really need a signed agreement. When I give my word I keep it." But he didn't, not even after affixing his signature to the agreement in written form. His word, verbal and written, was not worth the paper he signed.
Sadly, this is not uncommon. The world is filled with lawyers drafting up binding contracts and suing the people who break them anyway. And, of course, there is always a lawyer on the other side defending the one breaking the contract. It is sadly too true that promises are made to be broken. Even the most sacred of promises, "Until death do we part," is broken in the majority of cases today.
Wouldn't it be great if everyone's word was their bond, if what one said was always exactly what they intended to do and actually did? Can you imagine a world where everyone kept their word, that everything they said could actually be "taken to the bank?"
Instead too many are being deceptive from the start, never intending to keep their word. Some construct contracts with small print for the express purpose of providing a loophole. When I was a boy, crossing your fingers behind your back provided that loophole.
And none of us has always kept their word. None of us can even truly insure we can keep our word. Our intention to keep it does not guarantee will have the ability to do so. Nonetheless, I choose to trust people and I desire to be trusted. I do so because that is the world I want and because it is the world to which I am called - The Kingdom of God.
In God's Kingdom, the spoken word becomes reality from the moment it is spoken and remains true forever. There is no going back on it, there is no time limit on it, there is no fear of it changing or being set aside. As Jesus so firmly assures us, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" Matt 24:35).
This is our hope, this is our assurance when everything else crumbles around us, when our last friend runs out in us, when our last hope begins to fade on us - Jesus will never betray us or fail to keep his promises. He "will never leave us as orphans" (Jn 14:18). His word is better than gold, you can do more than take it to the bank, you can take it from here to eternity. Jus' Say'n.
Not long ago, I shook hands with a man who signed a letter of intent saying, "I don't really need a signed agreement. When I give my word I keep it." But he didn't, not even after affixing his signature to the agreement in written form. His word, verbal and written, was not worth the paper he signed.
Sadly, this is not uncommon. The world is filled with lawyers drafting up binding contracts and suing the people who break them anyway. And, of course, there is always a lawyer on the other side defending the one breaking the contract. It is sadly too true that promises are made to be broken. Even the most sacred of promises, "Until death do we part," is broken in the majority of cases today.
Wouldn't it be great if everyone's word was their bond, if what one said was always exactly what they intended to do and actually did? Can you imagine a world where everyone kept their word, that everything they said could actually be "taken to the bank?"
Instead too many are being deceptive from the start, never intending to keep their word. Some construct contracts with small print for the express purpose of providing a loophole. When I was a boy, crossing your fingers behind your back provided that loophole.
And none of us has always kept their word. None of us can even truly insure we can keep our word. Our intention to keep it does not guarantee will have the ability to do so. Nonetheless, I choose to trust people and I desire to be trusted. I do so because that is the world I want and because it is the world to which I am called - The Kingdom of God.
In God's Kingdom, the spoken word becomes reality from the moment it is spoken and remains true forever. There is no going back on it, there is no time limit on it, there is no fear of it changing or being set aside. As Jesus so firmly assures us, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" Matt 24:35).
This is our hope, this is our assurance when everything else crumbles around us, when our last friend runs out in us, when our last hope begins to fade on us - Jesus will never betray us or fail to keep his promises. He "will never leave us as orphans" (Jn 14:18). His word is better than gold, you can do more than take it to the bank, you can take it from here to eternity. Jus' Say'n.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Seasons
The afternoons are still warm enough to break a sweat here in Arkansas but the mornings are cool enough to enjoy a hot cup of coffee on the patio with a blanket thrown over your shoulders. For now early morning comes with a heavy dew on the grass, soon it will be a white layer of frost. The season is changing (for my friends in California, you can Google what dew and frost are).
Seasonal changes are not limited to the weather. Life itself is a passing of seasons as we mive from the spring of youth on through the winter of elder years when hair, white like the snow covers our heads (again California friends please see Google for snow).
Change, like it or not, is constantly on the horizon. We can deny its approach, we can stick our heads in the sand or add color to our cover or greying heads, but change is coming, it never stops. The Bible is very clear on this subject: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot" (Eccl 3:1-2).
The seasons of life are not to be resisted or denied but embraced as a natural and necessary part of life. Could you imagine a life w in which you did not go through seasons? What if your baby never did grow up? What if that child never learned to walk or talk? What if your child never experienced a family of his/her own?
What if you had been stuck in puberty, hostage to raging hormones and agonizing with acne all your days? What if you were raising children all your life and hitting the 9 to 5 grind until noon on the day you are buried? What if you grew very old and very sickly but never died? While change can be scary, staying the same can be terrifying.
On the other hand, being able to depend on some things is absolutely essential. Having a retirement plan that will live as long as you do is really important. Being able to rely on your adult kids when you reach your elder years warms the heart. Knowing your spouse will still be at your side when time has passed you by is critical.
But the most important thing to know in an ever changing world is that God who loves us so never changes: "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." (Heb 1:10-12).
While change happens all around us, some to the good and some to the bad, God remains present. As always and forever, He has the whole world in his hands. Regardless of the change you are going through, God "will not leave you as orphaned" (Jn 14:18). Regardless of the losses you suffer, in Christ you will ultimately gain. Oh, and whoever is elected president, Christ will still be King. So relax and trust in Him, not in him or her. Jus' Say'n.
Seasonal changes are not limited to the weather. Life itself is a passing of seasons as we mive from the spring of youth on through the winter of elder years when hair, white like the snow covers our heads (again California friends please see Google for snow).
Change, like it or not, is constantly on the horizon. We can deny its approach, we can stick our heads in the sand or add color to our cover or greying heads, but change is coming, it never stops. The Bible is very clear on this subject: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot" (Eccl 3:1-2).
The seasons of life are not to be resisted or denied but embraced as a natural and necessary part of life. Could you imagine a life w in which you did not go through seasons? What if your baby never did grow up? What if that child never learned to walk or talk? What if your child never experienced a family of his/her own?
What if you had been stuck in puberty, hostage to raging hormones and agonizing with acne all your days? What if you were raising children all your life and hitting the 9 to 5 grind until noon on the day you are buried? What if you grew very old and very sickly but never died? While change can be scary, staying the same can be terrifying.
On the other hand, being able to depend on some things is absolutely essential. Having a retirement plan that will live as long as you do is really important. Being able to rely on your adult kids when you reach your elder years warms the heart. Knowing your spouse will still be at your side when time has passed you by is critical.
But the most important thing to know in an ever changing world is that God who loves us so never changes: "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." (Heb 1:10-12).
While change happens all around us, some to the good and some to the bad, God remains present. As always and forever, He has the whole world in his hands. Regardless of the change you are going through, God "will not leave you as orphaned" (Jn 14:18). Regardless of the losses you suffer, in Christ you will ultimately gain. Oh, and whoever is elected president, Christ will still be King. So relax and trust in Him, not in him or her. Jus' Say'n.
Monday, October 3, 2016
The Path To Success
The pursuit for success is something into which we are launched from the womb. Even before we are born, our parents begin to pray for our well-being and good fortune. For the start they work at teaching us to talk and walk, then to read and write. They want us to learn to ride a bike and then to drive. They I aisle we finish high school and then on to college. They want very badly for us to succeed in life.
The study I referred to above is correct, location is important in raising the happiness factor. In fact, location is everything. If our path to success does not lead to and our wealth is not found in heaven, we will never have true, lasting and fulfilling wealth. Jus' Say'n.
Success, is generally measured in terms of dollars and cents, so we are set on a path that hopefully will allow for the accumulation of wealth, which includes a good education, leading to a good job that will allow us to buy a nice house and put a tidy sum aside for retirement. Buying stuff along the way serves as an indicator of wealth accumulation, which assures us and others we are on the path to success.
But are we indeed? Will the path of wealth accumulation lead to success? If we have a good job, a fine house, a fully vested 401K and lots of stuff, are we successful? Not necessarily, wealthy people can be just as miserable as people in poverty. A study by the San Francisco Federal Reserve fond that "Keeping Up With The Jones" can increase the rate of suicide.
Another study concluded that while poverty can be a major cause of misery, that location increased suicide rate. Living in a neighborhood among wealthier people where the income gap is more evident increases the misery factor.
In "Business Insider's" Your Money section, Mandi Woodruff writes that while $34,000 is the misery line and $75,000 is the benchmark for financial happiness, earnings over that amount haven't been shown to increase happiness. In other words, having enough made a difference but having a lot did not. Knowing your family would have a roof over their heads and food on the table increased the sense of well-being, while having more than one needed didn't seem to move the bubble.
The deal is that having everything money can buy doesn't buy you happiness and can't fill the empty place in your soul only God can fill. After we have gotten every material thing we can imagine, we wind up asking, "Is that it? Is that all there is to life?"
King Solomon, after building cities and amassing untold fortune lamented, "Yet, when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun" (Eccl 2:11).
Jesus shines a light on our and Solomon's quandary: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:19-21).
The study I referred to above is correct, location is important in raising the happiness factor. In fact, location is everything. If our path to success does not lead to and our wealth is not found in heaven, we will never have true, lasting and fulfilling wealth. Jus' Say'n.
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