Freeing Self

Built on the foundation of God's love, the clarion call of the Bible is forgiveness. Throughout Israel's history, time after time, they turned away and, time after time, God forgave.  Before Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit, even "before the creation of the world" (Eph 1:3ff) God had made a way for our redemption.  And when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he highlighted asking for forgiveness and forgiving others (Matt 6:9-15).

And yet, forgiveness is one of the hardest things for us to do. We say things like "that's unforgivable, there is no excuse for what he did!"  Really?  Was there an excuse for they way Jesus was tried and crucified?  And still, from the cross he cried out, "Father forgive them" (Luke 23:34).   Do you really think you have been injured more than Christ?  Not!

Another very important thing to consider is your own lack of excuse before God. Do you think you could stand before God and offer an excuse for your sins?  Again, not!  On a pragmatic level, why would a person who has an excuse need forgiveness?  The only people we can forgive are those without excuse. An excuse gives us a viable pass. Inexcusable behavior stands in need of forgiveness or it remains condemned. 

The last point I want to make is that the act of not forgiving is self destructive. It causes you to hold the offense close, continuing to cause harm to your spirit, while the unforgiven individual may well not think about the offense at all. Hating someone is a bit like drinking poison and hoping someone else dies. Jesus also warns that God will not forgive those who will not forgive others (Matt 6:9-15).

So, why keep your heart and spirit in bondage?  Why allow Satan to trap you in chains of defeat?  Why not free yourself by letting go of the offense?  Jus' Say'n. 

LAW

I grew up in a religious community that spoke of grace but relied on works.  I was taught that no one could ever earn their salvation but then was warned to "work out your salvattion with fear and trembling," quoting Philippians 2:12.  How could I argue with that?  More importantly, how could I understand or reconcile that with our teaching about grace and Paul's clear message of "you are saved by grace through faith - this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8)?

Just how itt it that I am to work out my salvation with fear and trembling on the one hand and to confidently rest in the assurance that my salvation is a gift from God that does not rest on me?  It would help to actually study the passages in context instead of just using individual verses as proof texts to support a particular point of view.

For instance, Paul didn't write Philippians 2:12 on a 3x5 postage card, it was part of a larger letter, part of which is in the very next verse (13), which reads, "For it is God who works in out to will and act in order to fulfill his good purpose."  Work out your salvation how?  Our salvation is worked out when we do not resist the Spirit of God working within us to mold and change us according to his will rather than our own.

We are not saved by our ability to work out the details of our salvation, we are saved so that the details of our salvation can be worked out.  As a born again child of God, I am being made new by the work of God within.  Unless, of course, I resist his Spirit and do not allow that change to be effected in my life.  Stephen warned the people of his day, "You stiff-necked people!  Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised!  You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
 (Acts 7:51).

We are not saved by following law.  Being saved, we embrace law - the law of Christ, allowing it to be worked out in our lives.  And that "entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one commandment:'Love your neighbor as yourself" (Gal 5:14).  We are to care for and "Carry our brother's burdens and in this way fulfill the law of Christ" (6:2).

Let me share with you an acronym I have taken from Micah 6:8 where the prophet tells us what God wants of us.  It is not resting on a law to save us, it is to allow the will or law of God to change us from the inside out.  The prophet said we are to Love mercy, Act justly, Walk humbly before our God.  This L.A.W. is the change that comes when the Spirit of Christ rules in our hearts.  Jus' Say'n.

The Last Word

The old man knew his last breath was very near.  Soon he would be a memory to his family.  What they would carry forward in their hearts and minds of him was his legacy to them and much more important than any material inheritance he could possibly provide.

He asked his children gather around his bed and he began to share with them the things most important to him and what it was that he most wanted them to take with them of himself throughout life - the old man offered them his last word on life.  He talked about honor and ethics, fairness and justice, honesty and trustworthiness.  He shared with them those things that made life truly rich and rewarding.  His legacy, that which he wish to pass on to his children was the very core of his being and philosophy for life.

In John 16, Jesus tells his disciples that he would soon be taken from him.  He knew that the hour of his death was coming very soon and wanted to prepare them.  He wished to impart to them a legacy as well, to pass on to them the core of his being and the foundation for everything he ever did: Love.

Knowing he was about to be crucified, Jesus offered his last word on life and he took this word to the Father to have it sealed for their future.  His final prayer for them, his last word for their life and his legacy was this: “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you e known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (Jn 17:25-26).

The Last Word, Christ's very legacy for his disciples is love.  Without this legacy, Paul said, "we are nothing" (1 Cor 13:2).  Love, Paul says is and ever will be, the last word for when everything else is passed, "these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these (the final word) is love" (1 Cor 13:13).  Jus' Say'n.

More Than

Tandie and I have just purchased a house in a another town.  We have been there for several days, sleeping on an air mattress without any of our household goods or furniture, or a change of clothing. We have been experiencing the "More Than" principle in all its glory. This move has cost more, been more work and taken more time than we had bargained on.  I can see your knowing grins and hear your silent amens.

This principle, we are experiencing is not unique, it is almost universal. Nothing is quite what it seems going in. It almost always costs more than you imagined in time, energy and resources. One would wonder why anyone would ever take this journey twice, given the burden of the more than effect.

The reason, I believe, is the other side of the more than coin. While there is definitely a host of burden increases along the way, there are also multiple blessings in the middle of it all. There is the satisfaction of seeing things come together in a new and wonderful way. There are angels, who come along side you and help in wonderful ways. There is a newness that exceeds what you expected. There is a sense of forward motion that is dao uplifting. There is that turning of a page, which opens up more vistas and possibilities.

Most of all, in the more than department, there is a growing faith in God that is more than you expected. The is more appreciation for God's hand in your life. There is more evidence of His blessings falling like rain. There is more appreciation of just how blessed you are. The is more than in  more ways than you might imagine.

We have been so frustrated, so disappointed, so sapped, so energized, so encouraged, so blessed. We are on another season of life that holds both more losses and more gifts. But what is most important is  not in what the future holds but in Who holds our future. And here is where the greater principle applies - the providence of God: "you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

The more than point of this journe?  "God and do more than you can ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20). Jus' Say'n.

And Then There Is God

I one read about a woman who was going through a difficult divorce and having to start over with no job or job skills, and no help. She went to an older, very respected sister in Christ, known for her wisdom. She laid out her awful state of affairs, asking for some insight as to where to turn or what to do.

The older sister looked her deep into her eyes and said, "And then there is God."  The younger woman was surprised at the older woman's dismissive attitude.  She responded, "You don't seem to understand my total circumstance."  The older sister replied, "I do understand. But then there is God."

The younger woman went away feeling unheard and disappointed. But some time later, living in a new home, working in a promising new career and seeing life in a new and exciting way; the woman understood just what the older sister meant when she said, "And then there is God."  Beyond all that we can see or do, God is there ready to bless his children.

As Jesus assures his disciples, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (In 16:33). What was true for the young woman and promised by our Lord is true for all who call upon His Name: When facing more than you can handle, remember "And then there is God."  Jus' Say'n.

MoreThan

Regardless of what you are tackling, it seems that it takes longer, is messier and costs more than you expected.  The reason for this tri-fecta hammering is very simple - while we are in control of our planning, we are not in charge of our outcomes.  Outcomes are impacted by plans and efforts but not determine by them.  Perhaps you remember the old saying, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

That's not actually the original quote, by the way.  The first reading by Robert Burns of Scottland in 1785 was, in part, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley."   The mesning in either case is that we are not in charge.  We are given choices in life but we are not given control in life.  The Psalmist wrote, "many are the plans in  a peson's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Prov 19:21).  God, not man is in control.

Knowing your life is in God's hands, there are two very specific life truths: 1) Since you can't control it, you need not worry about it and 2) since God is controlling your circumstances, there is notihing to worry about as God is always good.  "Cast you anxiety on him because he cares fo youkkk

The circumstances of life can be more than you can handle but it is not more than our Lord can handdles,   For everyone born of God ovecomes the world.  "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4)..Jus' Ssying.

In Not Of

From 1964 to 1966, I lived in Germany.  My dad was in the Army Corps of Engineers and, like my mother and siblings, I was a military dependent living in a foreign land.  I enjoyed my time there.  I liked the food, especially the bread.  I went for hikes in the Black Forest, climbed around on an old castle nearby, learned how to operate a tobaggon and picked up enough of the language to make friends and get off the base where I met up with friends (US ARMY security notwithstanding, I would often slip in and out through a weak spot in the perimeter fence to avoid having to explain my coming and goings).

There was much that my family and I enjoyed about the people and the culture but there was one thing we were all very clear about, we were Americans living in a foreign land.  While we loved the Germans and had Gerrman friends, we were not German Nationals (I do have some German blood on my Father's side).  We were Americans and proud of it.  We maintained our traditions and looked forward, not to becoming one of or even like the Germans, but to going home one day.

As much as I enjoyed our time there, I always knew we were going home to America one day.  And, after a while, I started longing to go home.  I was in Germany but I was not of Germany.  Germany was a part of my journey but it was never home, nor could it be for me because I was and am an American.  We made a life but did not put down roots, we were never going to stay.

In a larger sense, I live in this world but I am not of this world.  I enjoy my life here,  I love my work, I look forward to riding my motorcycle when I can, I like spending time with friends, I have a wonderful wife and family, and I have ministry opportunities that I find very fulfilling.  However, I am not putting down roots here, I am in this world but I am not of this world.  My life here is a part of a journey, I will be going Home one day.  And, as I grow older I find myself beginning to long for home.

The writerr of the Book of Hebrews was very clear in saying that people of faith, children of God are foreigners and strangers on earth" (Heb 11:13).  And because that is so, we are not to invest our hearts here.  As Jesus reveals to us, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...But store up for yoursleves treasures in heaven....For where your treasure is, there your heart will  be also" (Matt 6:19-2).  Live in but do not be of this world.  Keep your sights on heaven.  Jus' Say'n.