Can you imagine being thankful for the worst thing that ever happened to you? Seriously, could you take what has been a terrible loss and muster up a thankful spirit for having had the experience? Doesn't even seem to make sense, does it? We are, hopefully, grateful for the blessings of life, but the curses? And, yet, that is exactly what we are called to do, to be"always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph 5:20).
Giving thanks for everything, not just some things - giving thanks for the terrible and the terrific? Really? Really! However, it might help if we reframed what we consider to be a "curse" and see it has a gift or opportunity instead. Jesus' brother, James, writes, "Consider it pure joy...whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance....that you may be mature and complete..." (1:2-4).
What happens in this world to God's children does not have the same meaning as it does to those outside the body of Christ, for the Bible assures us that "God works for the good of those who love him" (Rom 8:28). Every experience a follower of Jesus has brings him closer to being with Christ. Every good thing is a blessing to encourage us and every hardship is a challenge to strengthen us.
What happens in this life is not a permanent condition but a transitory part of our journey home. And, as long as we arrive home, the journey was successful. Crossing the mountains is as much a part as passing through the valleys. Some parts of the journey are more difficult than others, but all part of the journey led home if that is where you wound up.
And, when we are following in the steps of Jesus together, even the death of a loved on is not a curse, that loved one is safe in the arms of Jesus. It is a difficult part of the journey for we that are left behind but it is a tremendous blessing for our loved one to be given an early assist home. We will miss them now, but be rejoined with them later in Glory that they have already been experiencing.
A loss of a job can result in the gain of new opportunities to serve God more faithfully. A loss of health may produce a better perspective of life and it's terminal reality. A loss of money may help to bring us needed humility. But whatever the loss and whatever the gin, if we are faithful, we are making progress to our home, which is the point.
Don't just get through, get thankful. Enjoy every sweet thing God allows and embrace every sour thing as well in gratitude, knowing God is good all the time and all the time, God is good. If you. Are in Christ, your life is in his hands. And, he will deliver you. Jus' Say'n.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Adoption
Close relatives of mine, years ago, adopted two small children from India where they lived in the extreme poverty of a lower caste and suffered the harsh parenting of a father, who was so twisted in spirit that he finally killed their mother and committed suicide in their presence.
My relatives, knowing all the history of these two young children, loved them just where they were, how they were, "warts and all" as my Dad would say. But, they didn't leave them where they were, living under the same conditions, following the same traditions or even speaking the same language.
Instead, they brought them to the United States, raised them in a loving home, took them to Bible class, bought them all new clothes, taught them new standards of hygiene, fed them new kinds of food, sent them to school, raised them with new standards and impressed on them new ideals. While my relatives loved them just as they were, they also loved them out of that state of being.
Contrary to populace thought, to love and accept someone where he/she is does not mean to agree to leave them in that state. It may men quite the opposite. It may mean to love them enough to help them get to a new state of being.
God loves you just the way you are, "warts and all. He loved the whole world in its sinful, rebellious state of being. But he loved us too much to leave us there, where death and destruction would be our destiny: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).
God loves the same-sex couple but he calls them to the heterosexual lifestyle for which we are designed. He loves the drug addicted but calls them to dependence on the Spirit instead. He loves the murderers, thieves and liars, but calls them to productive, law-obeying lives. God does not, despite the claims of our permissive society, call us to be happy in whatever state we are in, rather he calls us to “Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Pet 16).
Yes, God loves you just as you are, just where you are but he calls you to be where he is and become like him because that's what adoption means. It means to choose someone outside your family, include them into it and raise them as your own, not let them go their own way. Jus' Say'n.
My relatives, knowing all the history of these two young children, loved them just where they were, how they were, "warts and all" as my Dad would say. But, they didn't leave them where they were, living under the same conditions, following the same traditions or even speaking the same language.
Instead, they brought them to the United States, raised them in a loving home, took them to Bible class, bought them all new clothes, taught them new standards of hygiene, fed them new kinds of food, sent them to school, raised them with new standards and impressed on them new ideals. While my relatives loved them just as they were, they also loved them out of that state of being.
Contrary to populace thought, to love and accept someone where he/she is does not mean to agree to leave them in that state. It may men quite the opposite. It may mean to love them enough to help them get to a new state of being.
God loves you just the way you are, "warts and all. He loved the whole world in its sinful, rebellious state of being. But he loved us too much to leave us there, where death and destruction would be our destiny: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).
God loves the same-sex couple but he calls them to the heterosexual lifestyle for which we are designed. He loves the drug addicted but calls them to dependence on the Spirit instead. He loves the murderers, thieves and liars, but calls them to productive, law-obeying lives. God does not, despite the claims of our permissive society, call us to be happy in whatever state we are in, rather he calls us to “Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Pet 16).
Yes, God loves you just as you are, just where you are but he calls you to be where he is and become like him because that's what adoption means. It means to choose someone outside your family, include them into it and raise them as your own, not let them go their own way. Jus' Say'n.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Zero Sum
In game and economic theory, a zero-sum is a mathematical representation of a situation in which each participant's gain or loss is balanced by the gain or loss of the other participants. In other words, regardless of what you do, you haven't made any progress.
Unfortunately, for many, their religion is precisely that: Zero Sum. Regardless of what they can claim as religious accomplishment, they have not made any progress in their faith journey. They may go to church every Sunday, read their Bible every day, contribute 10% or even more of their income and even serve as a deacon or elder without gaining any ground as a disciple of Christ.
Really? One can be submerged in religious activity and gain nothing at all? Precisely. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you'" (Mt 7:22-23).
How is that possible? It is possible because religious activity is not the point of being a disciple, it is not the goal God has in mind for us. Jesus didn't die in order to get us to become church goers or Bible readers, he died to redeem us, to allow us to lay aside our old selfish self and become new. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation" (Gal 6:15).
Religious activity is a by-product, not the objective. If we get caught up in "doing church," we will miss being the church as the church isn't meant to be a religious organization but rather a relational organism. "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing: (1 Cor 13:1-3).
Unfortunately, for many, their religion is precisely that: Zero Sum. Regardless of what they can claim as religious accomplishment, they have not made any progress in their faith journey. They may go to church every Sunday, read their Bible every day, contribute 10% or even more of their income and even serve as a deacon or elder without gaining any ground as a disciple of Christ.
Really? One can be submerged in religious activity and gain nothing at all? Precisely. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you'" (Mt 7:22-23).
How is that possible? It is possible because religious activity is not the point of being a disciple, it is not the goal God has in mind for us. Jesus didn't die in order to get us to become church goers or Bible readers, he died to redeem us, to allow us to lay aside our old selfish self and become new. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation" (Gal 6:15).
Religious activity is a by-product, not the objective. If we get caught up in "doing church," we will miss being the church as the church isn't meant to be a religious organization but rather a relational organism. "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing: (1 Cor 13:1-3).
When Jesus was asked what the Greatest Commandment was, he replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt 22:37-39). If we miss that point, our religion is pointless. It is zero sum. Jus' Say'n.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Two Scents
When one says that something smells good, that is not altogether true. The truth is that while it may smell good to that individual, it may smell awful to someone else. If it were true that things smelled objectively good, there wouldn't be such a huge market for different colognes and perfumes. Some love the smell of musk. Others would say, I don't like that, it smells musky.
What goes into the allure or repulsion of a smell is not just the scent itself but what the scent conjures up in the spirit of the one who smells. For instance, when I moved to Scott City, Kansas in the early 80s, I could not believe the awful smell coming from the local cattle lots. But, as a local beef producer pointed out to me, that was the smell of money! To him it was the sweet smell of success; to me it was putrid smell of natural fertilizer pushed about by the endless Kansas winds.
When I fire up my grill and toss a couple of steaks on it, a savory smell of mouth-watering beef fills the neighborhood - to me. To a member of PETA, it would be the ungodly smell of an innocent life, murdered and burned for the murderous appetite of a heathen. By the way, to them PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. To me PETA stands for People for the Eating of Tasty Animals. Objectivity is not the basis for savory verses smelly.
A biblical example of this truth is found in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life." Christians are to be the pleasing aroma of Christ, which is the putrid smell of death to the enemies of God.
In ancient times after a victorious military campaign, the victors would have a procession leading back into their capital city. At the front of the procession, the victors would be carrying burning incense that was the smell of victory to them but the smell of defeat to the conquered who were brought along in chains at the end.
This truth helps us to understand the great divide in our country today. If you are pro life, you are offensive to those who are pro-choice. If you support the traditional family, you are a stench to the same-sex crowd. Atheists are nauseated by the scent of the God-fearing. Christmas is both a delight and an affront, depending upon whom is being asked.
So, what does all this mean for Christians? It means that every word, though or deed has two scents. To one it will be savory, to the other it will be sickening. It also means that we cannot be attractive to everyone. In choosing the path of Christ, we necessarily become putrid to the enemies of the cross. And, if we try to straddle the middle, we become an affront to God: "So, because you are lukewarm---neither hot nor cold---I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Rev 3:16).
The bottom line is that we have to make a choice: "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Josh 24:15). Jus' Say'n.
What goes into the allure or repulsion of a smell is not just the scent itself but what the scent conjures up in the spirit of the one who smells. For instance, when I moved to Scott City, Kansas in the early 80s, I could not believe the awful smell coming from the local cattle lots. But, as a local beef producer pointed out to me, that was the smell of money! To him it was the sweet smell of success; to me it was putrid smell of natural fertilizer pushed about by the endless Kansas winds.
When I fire up my grill and toss a couple of steaks on it, a savory smell of mouth-watering beef fills the neighborhood - to me. To a member of PETA, it would be the ungodly smell of an innocent life, murdered and burned for the murderous appetite of a heathen. By the way, to them PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. To me PETA stands for People for the Eating of Tasty Animals. Objectivity is not the basis for savory verses smelly.
A biblical example of this truth is found in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life." Christians are to be the pleasing aroma of Christ, which is the putrid smell of death to the enemies of God.
In ancient times after a victorious military campaign, the victors would have a procession leading back into their capital city. At the front of the procession, the victors would be carrying burning incense that was the smell of victory to them but the smell of defeat to the conquered who were brought along in chains at the end.
This truth helps us to understand the great divide in our country today. If you are pro life, you are offensive to those who are pro-choice. If you support the traditional family, you are a stench to the same-sex crowd. Atheists are nauseated by the scent of the God-fearing. Christmas is both a delight and an affront, depending upon whom is being asked.
So, what does all this mean for Christians? It means that every word, though or deed has two scents. To one it will be savory, to the other it will be sickening. It also means that we cannot be attractive to everyone. In choosing the path of Christ, we necessarily become putrid to the enemies of the cross. And, if we try to straddle the middle, we become an affront to God: "So, because you are lukewarm---neither hot nor cold---I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Rev 3:16).
The bottom line is that we have to make a choice: "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Josh 24:15). Jus' Say'n.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Spiritual Fruit
In our Wednesday night study of the Holy Spirit, utilizing the Francis Chan book, The Fogotten God, we discussed what distinguished a spirit-filled person from one who wears not. Based on a reading of Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law," we concluded that "love" was the "fruit" an the rest were manifestations of the fruit.
What makes the Spirit-filled individual stand out is the love of the Godhead working out in the individual. The Spirit-filled individual, out of love, will be joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. And, to the degree a person is Spirit-led, that is the degree in which these manifestations are present.
As proof of our deduction, consider earlier verses in that same chapter: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself''....So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (vv. 14-16). Notice that the Law of God is fulfilled by love, which is equated with walking by the Spirit.
When we love people, we will choose to do good not harm. Commands to not steal from, lie to or kill are not necessary when we love someone. And, to love those we don't even like and may even hate us comes from the Spirit of Jesus who directs, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven" (Mt 5:43-45a).
The fruit of the Spirit, that which sets us apart from the world at large, is that we truly love just as Christ loves: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (Jn 13:35). Jus' Say'n.
What makes the Spirit-filled individual stand out is the love of the Godhead working out in the individual. The Spirit-filled individual, out of love, will be joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. And, to the degree a person is Spirit-led, that is the degree in which these manifestations are present.
As proof of our deduction, consider earlier verses in that same chapter: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself''....So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (vv. 14-16). Notice that the Law of God is fulfilled by love, which is equated with walking by the Spirit.
When we love people, we will choose to do good not harm. Commands to not steal from, lie to or kill are not necessary when we love someone. And, to love those we don't even like and may even hate us comes from the Spirit of Jesus who directs, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven" (Mt 5:43-45a).
The fruit of the Spirit, that which sets us apart from the world at large, is that we truly love just as Christ loves: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (Jn 13:35). Jus' Say'n.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Autonomy
When people make a selfish choice, often destructive or ill advised, they often say something like, "It's my life, I can do what I want!" In a land built on the notion of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," personal freedom and individual choice is held at a premium. For many, it trumps (no political pun intended) every other consideration.
Men, and a growing number of women, leave their families in pursuit of personal fulfillment or desire. They say things like, "It's time to take care of me" or "I need to follow my own life" or "I just need to be me." Translation: "I just need to selfishly do what I want." It reminds me of the old Schlitz beer commercial, "You only go around once in life. Grab all the gusto you can" (apparently that gusto was easier to grab if you had a six-pack).
Even in the Christian community you hear, "God just wants me to be happy." Really? Is that indeed the teaching of the Bible? Not! What the Bible has to say is quite to the contrary: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God---even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved" (1 Cor 10:31-33).
What if God so loved himself that he did not send his only Son so that we could believe on him and live (cf. Jn 3:16)? What if Jesus' prayer in the garden ended in "yet not your will but mine be done" (cf. Mk 14:36)? What if the Holy Spirit refused to dwell in us, preferring the heavenly abode?
Do you catch my drift here? The teaching and the example to the Lord is selfless not selfish. We are not called as Christians to get all the gusto we can, "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh" (Rom 13:14). We are here to share all the grace that we can.
Getting all you can for yourself is not only unbiblical, it is unsatisfying: 'In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive' ” (Acts 20:35). We are created in the image of God, who is a giver, not a taker. For us to fulfill our creative design, we must focus on giving, not getting.
While we are created with the autonomous ability of personal choice, the choice that serves to bring us closer to God and more in keeping with our purpose in life is to think of others first. We are called to be like Jesus, who "came to serve, not be served" (Mt 20:28). Jus' Say'n.
Men, and a growing number of women, leave their families in pursuit of personal fulfillment or desire. They say things like, "It's time to take care of me" or "I need to follow my own life" or "I just need to be me." Translation: "I just need to selfishly do what I want." It reminds me of the old Schlitz beer commercial, "You only go around once in life. Grab all the gusto you can" (apparently that gusto was easier to grab if you had a six-pack).
Even in the Christian community you hear, "God just wants me to be happy." Really? Is that indeed the teaching of the Bible? Not! What the Bible has to say is quite to the contrary: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God---even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved" (1 Cor 10:31-33).
What if God so loved himself that he did not send his only Son so that we could believe on him and live (cf. Jn 3:16)? What if Jesus' prayer in the garden ended in "yet not your will but mine be done" (cf. Mk 14:36)? What if the Holy Spirit refused to dwell in us, preferring the heavenly abode?
Do you catch my drift here? The teaching and the example to the Lord is selfless not selfish. We are not called as Christians to get all the gusto we can, "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh" (Rom 13:14). We are here to share all the grace that we can.
Getting all you can for yourself is not only unbiblical, it is unsatisfying: 'In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive' ” (Acts 20:35). We are created in the image of God, who is a giver, not a taker. For us to fulfill our creative design, we must focus on giving, not getting.
While we are created with the autonomous ability of personal choice, the choice that serves to bring us closer to God and more in keeping with our purpose in life is to think of others first. We are called to be like Jesus, who "came to serve, not be served" (Mt 20:28). Jus' Say'n.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Turning Over Temptation
The Bible assures us that "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).
But how does that work? Are we to expect a nudge on the shoulder and a shaft of light, pointing to the way out? Will God indeed simply manifest a way around, over or through the temptation before us? Are we passive participants, simply moved past the point of temptation? No, we are not bystanders in the battle with temptation, simply waiting for God to pluck us out of harm's way; "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh" (Rom 13:14).
God's act of providing the means to overcome temptation begins before the temptation arrives. He provides us the Word and the Spirit of Christ with which we are to be immersed so that when the temptation is before us, God's power is with us. When we saturate our minds with the Word of God, we have an inner standard that serves to point out destructive behavior. And, when we seek after the Spirit of Christ, clothing ourselves with him, we have the inner power to turn away from that behavior, regardless of its pull on our flesh.
God does not promise to lift us above the fray or take us out of the battle. Instead, he calls us turn to him in our brokenness and in the overburden of spiritual warfare for the strength and understanding, which allow us to overcome: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Mt 11:28-30).
Notice the injunction to "Turn and Learn" in the passage above as we come to him and learn from hm. As we turn away from our own desires and understandings to the Lord, we receive the cover of His presence and the power which comes from His Spirit. Temptation loses its power when we are focused on the power and presence of God. Jus' Say'n.
But how does that work? Are we to expect a nudge on the shoulder and a shaft of light, pointing to the way out? Will God indeed simply manifest a way around, over or through the temptation before us? Are we passive participants, simply moved past the point of temptation? No, we are not bystanders in the battle with temptation, simply waiting for God to pluck us out of harm's way; "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh" (Rom 13:14).
God's act of providing the means to overcome temptation begins before the temptation arrives. He provides us the Word and the Spirit of Christ with which we are to be immersed so that when the temptation is before us, God's power is with us. When we saturate our minds with the Word of God, we have an inner standard that serves to point out destructive behavior. And, when we seek after the Spirit of Christ, clothing ourselves with him, we have the inner power to turn away from that behavior, regardless of its pull on our flesh.
God does not promise to lift us above the fray or take us out of the battle. Instead, he calls us turn to him in our brokenness and in the overburden of spiritual warfare for the strength and understanding, which allow us to overcome: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Mt 11:28-30).
Notice the injunction to "Turn and Learn" in the passage above as we come to him and learn from hm. As we turn away from our own desires and understandings to the Lord, we receive the cover of His presence and the power which comes from His Spirit. Temptation loses its power when we are focused on the power and presence of God. Jus' Say'n.
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