The Imitation of Christ

I hear a lot of talk these days about “Imitating Christ.” While having Jesus as our model and example is not a new idea, this should not be the bedrock of our faith. If following in Jesus’ footsteps is at the heart of our spiritual life, we will probably experience the same fate as the young man who Jesus spoke to in Matthew 19:16-22.

Following after Jesus will cost. It will bankrupt us, leave us as paupers, and it will ultimately result in death. More accurately, following after Jesus will actually reveal who we really are, what we’re really devoted to, and where we’re really going. The young man that came to Jesus understood this; this is why the Scriptures tell us, “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Matthew 16:22).

On the other hand, selling all of his possessions would not have made this young man perfect, have given him riches in heaven, or have given him eternal life as Jesus had said. His act of compliance, obedience, or liquidating his assets alone would not have brought the rich man salvation. Had the young man sold his riches it would have made him totally dependent on Jesus in this life and Jesus would have led him to the foot of the cross, where the young man would have had to make a decision to depend on Jesus for all of eternity. Trusting Jesus, he would have joined our voices and sung,

Not the labor of my hands

can fulfill thy law's demands;

could my zeal no respite know,

could my tears forever flow,

all for sin could not atone;

thou must save, and thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,

simply to the cross I cling;

naked, come to thee for dress;

helpless look to thee for grace;

foul, I to the fountain fly;

wash me, Savior, or I die.

Self-Esteem

Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines self-esteem as, “a confidence and satisfaction in oneself.” I am convinced that people with poor self-esteem are closer to the Kingdom of God than those of us who have good self-esteem.

“No one is good…No one is righteous…our righteousness is as filthy rags…nothing good lives in me…the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked…” declares the Scriptures (Romans 3:10-12, 7:18, Isaiah 64:6, Jeremiah 17:9). Those of us who have poor self-esteem seem to have an innate recognition of our spiritually bankrupt condition.

In contrast, the Bible declares that God is the only one who is righteous and good, and in His goodness, He is compassionate towards us. The Apostle Paul expresses it this way, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy…expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:4, 7-9).

Paul is not telling us anything new about humanity or God. It is the same message that echoes throughout Scripture. God then tells the Israelites that it wasn’t because of their integrity or righteousness that He chose them to be His people. In fact, God calls them a stiff-necked people (Deuteronomy 9:5-6). God tells the Israelites that they are His treasured possession because of His great love and His faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

No wonder John Newton was compelled to write the words of “Amazing Grace” and “Worthy is the Lamb” as the theme song in Heaven (Revelation 5:9-14, 15:1-3).

Children of God

In our society today, we use the term, “Children of God” so freely and so casually that even as Christians we have come to believe that all of humanity are “the Children of God”. The New Testament writers are not as “careless” when they speak about our relationship with God. They speak of our relationship to God as something astonishing and profound.

John says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…” (I John 3:1a, KJV) I hear the awe, amazement, and wonder in what John says and John is not the only one that leaves us awe-struck. Peter says, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God…” (I Peter 2:10a)
Paul adds that we were once, “…excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12b)

The Scriptures tell us that before we can become a member of God’s household, something has to happen. The Scriptures tell us that before we can be a part of God’s kingdom, we have to be “Born Again” (John 3:3-7). The Scriptures go on to say that “through Him,” or because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we can not only have access to God, but we have the right to cry out, “Abba! Father! [Daddy!]” (John 1:12-13, Romans 8:15-16). We should be confident that we are in this relationship with God. It is no wonder why John marvels as he makes his declaration. Listen to his proclamation again:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.

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Sojourners

When my friend Bob left for California to visit his son for two weeks, I was surprised at the amount of luggage that he brought with him. All that he had with him was an overnight bag and another bag that was slightly smaller than the first.

I was impressed with the simplicity by which he traveled. I know when I’ve gone away, I’ve hauled much more on shorter trips and it made my journey cumbersome. I am learning that it is a good idea to travel as light as I possibly can.

As aliens and strangers (I Peter 2:11), we know our pilgrimage through this life is very brief (James 4:14). Therefore, we also must learn to travel light.

In our spiritual journey, let us be eager to have our baggage inspected regularly. For the joy that is set before us, let us determine not to have our trunks that are marked “jobs,” “possessions,” “relationships,” and “rights” be filled with articles such as “lust,” “covetousness,” “pride,” “resentment,” “jealousy” and “faithlessness”. These garments are not only heavy and burdensome, but are also inappropriate attire for the kingdom of which we are citizens.

Prodigals

Some of our Christian leaders are essentially telling us that our lives are meant to be one of ease and comfort and the real conflict that we are battling with is our unbelief that God desires us to have a happy and comfortable life. Before our thoughts travel too far down this road, we need to contemplate what the Scriptures tell us. How do we reconcile Scriptures such as, “outwardly we are wasting away” (II Corinthians 4:16), “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33), “do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you” (I Peter 4:12), and numerous other Scriptures that tell us that we are going to have to endure, persevere, and wrestle?

I think that when we seek a life of comfort, not only do we leave ourselves wide open to frustration and disillusionment, but we are pursuing a different gospel. We will be no different than the younger son in Luke 15:11-32, who said to his father, “give me my share of the estate [and then] set off for a distant country.”

To live in a harmonious relationship with the Father, we have to value the Father over our inheritance, service, comfort, and pleasures otherwise we will be no different from the father’s two sons in Jesus’ parable.

Skunked!

I approached the cage very slowly, keeping an eye on its tail, and speaking in a very soft, reassuring voice, “No one is going to hurt you.” Even though the skunk was in the trap and I was outside, we knew who was in control. After opening the door to the cage, the skunk decided he might take a nap in the cage. I decided to not argue with him. I knew who wielded the power.

This reminded me of the time Jesus stood before Pilate and when Jesus did not answer Pilate’s questions, Pilate said to Jesus, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Then Jesus said, “Ya think? Ya think you have the power?” Actually, what Jesus said was, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:7-11).

Isn’t this scene a marvelous revelation of God? Jesus reveals that God is sovereign. It doesn’t matter what the circumstance looks like, God is in control. The good news is that this is a message that is echoed throughout Scripture.

When the soldiers of Israel shook in their armors when Goliath shouted his challenge to them, young David asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (I Samuel 17:26). When the Jews faced genocide, Mordecai came to Esther and said, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). When his brothers were afraid that Joseph would avenge himself because of what they did to him, Joseph reassured them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul said, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I began to wonder how many times I have surrendered to people and circumstances versus how many times I have stood on the promises of God. So far, I don’t I like the score.

A Bad Day

Friday did not started off as a good day. I took a day off from work to catch up with some chores that I had neglected to do this summer. It’s not that I had been lazy, it’s just that this summer has been very wet and it has rained a lot on the weekends when I was able to do these jobs. After prophesying that it was going to be another wet weekend, the prophets changed their mind and said that it would be a cool, but a nice weekend. I thought I’d start my weekend early and I started making my “To do list” on Thursday. Then it happened. Robin told me that she also had plans on Friday and I graciously told her that I would donate an hour or perhaps two hours of my time to her on Friday. I figured that I could still get a few things accomplished.

I got up on Friday morning with the intentions of having some quiet time with the Lord, but I was distracted because I wanted to print something from my computer first. To my dismay, the printer didn’t work. After struggling with it a while, I discovered it was the copier that didn’t work. I decided right then and there that I wasn’t going to waste my time trying to solve this problem. Ninety minutes later while I was still groaning, uttering a few things in my head, and tinkering in the unknown, the printer miraculously started working. I then looked out my window and saw a possum sitting in the trap that I had set. This meant that before I did anything on my list, I would have to bring this critter somewhere where he’d never be able to come back. It was beginning to become abundantly clear to me that my “Friday’s To do list” might have to be renamed, “Saturday’s…” I could tell that this was going to be a bad day.

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus set out for a solitary place (Matthew 14:13-23). When the crowds heard about this, they followed Him. When they came to Him, Jesus had compassion on them, fed them, and healed their sick. After Jesus had ministered to them, He sent them away and the Scriptures tell us that Jesus went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.

I am really glad that Jesus did not sigh deeply and say, “Where did all these people come from?” “I don’t have time for this!” or “I’ve got more important things to do!” (Like someone I know, but I won’t mention any names, would have done.) Instead, in these short verses, the Scriptures reveal that Jesus never lost His focus. In spite of the distractions, Jesus accomplished what He set out to do, and that is to be alone with His Father. The other amazing thing that Scripture reveal to me is that people were not distractions to Jesus. They were part of His agenda. Isn’t that what we see in the cross?

On the cross, Jesus was in great pain and agony and no one could have faulted Him if this was the only thing on His mind. Yet not only was He aware of His Father, but He was also aware of our great need. Listen to His prayer again, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). It was a bad day for Jesus, but it was a great day for us.

Rest

When she was moving, I took Sarah to the storage facility to get some of her stuff to take with her to South Carolina. While we were collecting her things, I uttered, “Lord can I go to bed early tonight, please?” I didn’t realize I said this out loud and I would have not even noticed it except that Sarah heard it and thought it was very funny. When we got back to the house she told the rest of my family and in the weeks that followed, I kept hearing, “Lord, puhleeze can I go to bed early?” in very mocking voices.

The prayer I spoke that day was not an uncommon prayer. It is a perpetual prayer in my life. My dream is rolling into bed at nine every night, but I was just not aware that I was praying it until it was brought to my attention.

All of us have different visions of Heaven. For me, I envision Heaven as a place of rest—no, not with a giant Serta mattress as the commercials suggests. Neither do I think of myself in Heaven reclining in a beach chair with sunglasses and a glass of lemonade in hand.

When I think of resting in Heaven, I think of a place where there is no more wrestling. No more pursuing. Nor more achieving. No more anxieties. I imagine Heaven as finding refuge, comfort, and rest. Not in a place, but in the arms of the One who has nail scarred hands. The One who says, “Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest . . .” (Matthew 11:28-30). Safe in the arms of Jesus, this is our final resting place

The Final Word

I hate debates. I hate the volleying of claims or accusations between two or more parties, but this is what I hear all the time. I hear it from politicians, sports and talk shows, religious people, and even among people who call themselves Christians. Maybe the reason why it irritates me is because my kids used to do it all the time while they were growing up. I think I used to end the arguments by just telling them to shut up. But I can’t do this with other people.

One of the reasons why Jesus is so attractive to me is that with Jesus, there are no long drawn out arguments. When people engaged Jesus in a “dialogue,” Jesus had a way of ending a conversation quickly and superbly. For many years I have studied Jesus because I wanted to learn this technique. After many years of searching and attempts, I have come to the conclusion that this is not possible. It’s not possible because every time I’ve come up with a zinger—every time I’ve come up with a smart answer, there was an answer that came back—sometimes not as good as mine, but an answer, never the less. This is where I quit because I can see how this “dialogue” could go on and on and on.

I began to wonder, how Jesus would fare in our time? We live in a society that is fueled by debates. Everyone has an opinion, everyone thinks they’re right, and everyone has a lot of ammunition to back up their ideas. Then it dawned on me—Jesus would fare the same as He did back then. This is yet another proof that Jesus is God. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) I get it! Unless I recognize and acknowledge Jesus in every situation, I will never be successful in my endeavors because God will always have the final word.

Lord, Help me to “trust in [You] with all [my] heart and lean not on [my] own understanding; in all [my] ways [let me] acknowledge [You], and [You] will direct [my] paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

A Lover's Prayer

Hawaiian entertainer, Don Ho sang a song entitled, “A Lover’s Prayer.” In the song, he expresses an intense passion—on second thought, such an obsession that he sings, “If I go to heaven and you’re not there…I’d go to hell to be with you…”

As a youngster, the words to this song troubled me greatly because it sounded blasphemous. Now, as a Christian, some thirty plus years later, those words are still disturbing because it expresses a love that is reserved for God and God alone (Exodus 20:3-4, Deuteronomy 6:5).

Jim Woodruff said something that has helped me some. What he said has not helped to take away the uneasiness and the tension that I still feel every time I hear or think about this song. However, Jim said something that has shifted my attention and has helped me to focus on something else. Jim said, “If Jesus was in hell, I’d go there to be with Him.” Let that sink in. “If Jesus was in hell, I’d go there to be with Him.” Can we imagine or think such a thing? Can we declare this with our lips?

Let’s also ponder on this. Not only is Heaven not the same place without Jesus, but Hell is not Hell when Jesus is with you. Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

Insanity

Someone defined insanity as doing the same things over and over again expecting different results. If you were to watch me, you’d probably think that I am insane. Every day I wake up and expect that my work situation has changed. Every day I expect changes in the people that I encounter regularly. Every day I am somewhat disappointed because it seems like nothing has changed and everything and everybody are pretty much the same. But the greatest disappointment and frustration that I encounter is when I find that my personal situation hasn’t changed and neither have I.

I want to be a complete or whole person—a person that has the appropriate feelings for the situation that I’m in; a person that responds correctly to every situation; a person that deals honorably with every individual; a person that has a level head, an unwavering purpose, and an undivided focus. Every day I expect this of me and yet every morning, not long after I roll out of bed, I am once more disappointed. One might think that I live on the edge of insanity, but I don’t. And I don’t for a couple of reasons.

First of all, I am not alone in my struggles. The great Apostle Paul said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do . . . I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out . . . what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:15, 18, 19) I suspect that this struggle is not limited to Paul or myself. It’s my guess that almost everyone engages in this conflict.

Secondly, I am not going over the edge because I find extreme comfort in what Paul says, “…that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) Paul compares this process to that of a woman in labor. He says that there will be suffering, and there will be groaning, but it will be worth the wait and effort (Romans 8:18-39).

I believe that I will be changed. If I believed in myself, I’d be insane, but I believe in the One who has that power. “. . .to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Spiritual Gifts

Although I don’t speak of it much, I have no doubt that spiritual gifts are in existence today. There are a lot of times when I have gone to Church or to a Bible Study where I don’t have the faintest idea of what the leader or speaker is talking about. I believe that this is the gift of tongues in action. What the leader is saying sounds good. There seems to be a harmony, intelligence, and order to it, but it sounds very foreign to me. I am convinced that this is “tongues” in action because if I turn to someone to my right or to my left and I ask them, “Does that make sense?” They nod their heads emphatically up and down, as if to say, “Absolutely!” I believe that these people also have a gift; I believe that they have the gift of wisdom because they seem to totally understand what the leader is saying. I am in awe and am intimidated by these gifts and it makes me feel so lost, inadequate, and wanting to leave the meeting place.

On the other hand, one of the gifts that encourages me to stick around is the gift of interpretation. People with this gift explain to me what the speaker said (and what others obviously understand) in a language that I can grasp. This is the gift and the people that I really appreciate. It is little wonder that even the great Apostle Paul says, “…I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (I Corinthians 14:19).

The people with the gift of interpretation also demonstrate another gift to me. In the same portion of Scripture, Paul says, “…those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty…” (I Corinthians 12:22-23). When an “interpreter” takes all the time I need to help me understand, it translates into a gift of love.

It's Okay . . .

So very often I have heard people say, “It’s okay, as long as you don’t hurt anyone.” And if you look at their situation, it does appear that no one is really offended or getting hurt. That’s because we are not considering God and how He feels about our actions. In the Bible, all offenses against God are called sins (James 2:9-11). We are told that God hates sin (Psalms 5:4-5); He turns His face away from sin (Isaiah 59:2), and He is hurt by sin, no matter how large or small the sin is.

One of the passages of Scripture that really speaks to me about this is when the Israelites were in the Wilderness and God told Moses to “…speak to that rock…” Instead, Moses struck the rock, not once, but twice (Numbers 20:1-13). Because of what Moses did, God did not allow Moses to enter into the land that He promised them.

In my thinking, God was really harsh. Moses was faithful to God for the entire journey. He was obedient to the Lord and even interceded for the people of Israel when God, in His anger with the Israelites, was going to destroy them (Exodus 32:7-14). Moses was a good man, but this one time, Moses exploded and lost his temper. God told him that he was going to receive the same judgment as everyone else—he was not going into the Promised Land—that just doesn’t seem fair. Is God that petty and shallow? How can striking a rock hurt anyone?

The answer is found in the following words. God told Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

God says it’s a matter of honor. God says it’s a matter of holiness. God says it’s a matter of trust. Moses and Aaron broke faith with God. Later on in the New Testament, Paul said that the rock that followed the Israelites around in the desert was Christ (I Corinthians 10:4). What Paul says to me is that the rock that Moses struck was Jesus. And Moses struck the rock not once, but twice.

This is also the picture we get when we see Jesus hanging from the cross. It’s a portrait of the Living Word of God (John 1:1, 14) being rejected by men (John 1:10-11). The vastness of sin is truly and soberly revealed in the sufferings of Jesus on the cross (II Corinthians 5:21).

Don’t let anyone kid you. If no one else, your actions affect God and it's not okay.

Stewardship--II

Most of us know Matthew 25:14-30 as “The Parable of the Talents.” We have come to understand this section of Scripture as referring to our talents, abilities, or gifts that the LORD has given us. I have a problem with this “interpretation” in that we seem to spend a lot of time trying to discover our talents and gifts and other times saying, “I can’t do that, because that’s not my gift.”

This parable is speaking of stewardship and we often fail or neglect to emphasize the core of stewardship. In Hebrews 10:5-10, the Hebrew writer says:

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, `Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.'" First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Jesus defines the heart of stewardship. Although these verses are talking about Jesus, I think that we can apply these verses to ourselves and to our stewardship. From these verses we see that God is not pleased with the things we can offer him. What He desires is our full surrender to Him (I Samuel 15). The apostle Paul describes stewardship as being a “living sacrifice” and that this is not only acceptable and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1-2) but has been predetermined from the beginning of time (Romans 8:28-29).

One more thing about stewardship—being a good steward is not God’s ultimate goal. At some point we have to transition our minds from stewardship to Sonship. We should not be like Esau who sold his birth right for a single meal and was called godless (Hebrews 12:16-17). We need to live out the life that God has given us. Otherwise it would be like burying God’s Spirit that has been entrusted to us.

Name Calling

In my lifetime, I’ve been called many names. I’ve been called Idiot, Dummy, Jerk, Doodah, and a few others that I choose not to repeat. I don’t remember how I used to respond to these names, but these days I find one that is highly offensive. That is the name, Pagan.

In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus talks about the important things in life and then says, “…the pagans run after all these things…” (vs. 32). Ouch! This hurts because I feel like Jesus is talking to me.

There was a time in my life that this name would probably not have fazed me. But because I have made my life’s ambition to pursue God, this name is repugnant to me. It is also one thing to have someone—anyone, call me a pagan, but to have my Lord and Master call me by this name—it is really devastating.

Funny thing, I don’t intentionally start out pursuing the things of this life. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Every day, I purpose in my heart to seek after the things of God. But it doesn’t take long—amazingly there are times when I have barely stepped out of my prayer closet, when the cares of this life drag me in the opposite direction.

I am so glad that Jesus didn’t end his talk on that note. I am also really glad that He didn’t end His sentence leaving me outside the kingdom of God. Instead He continued, “…your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Daddy knows. Daddy knows. Daddy knows! What I hear Jesus saying to me is that not only does God know me and my needs, but I am also related to Him, that I am a child of the Most High, and I bear His Name!

Father, I thank You and praise You for the wonderful relationship I have with You. I especially thank You for my big Brother who made it possible for me to enter into Your kingdom and into Your family. Help me to be always passionately pursing You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Discipleship

In one of his sermons, Colt asked the question, “Who do you envision leading this congregation into the future”? He also asked, “Is it possible that God might be preparing you for that role”? He answered his questions by exhorting us to invite someone to walk beside us. In other words, Colt was calling us to be Disciples and Disciplers.

Listening to what Colt had to say about transitions, leadership, and the future and growth of the church, I was reminded of a handout that I “stole” from Robin. It’s a quote from William Glasser who said, “We learn…10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss, 80% of what we experience (and) 95% of what we teach others.”

In his message to us, Colt came to the same conclusion because he said that we know, “the way that leaders are trained, and transition happens not by reading a book on leadership, not by having better Bible classes directed toward the subject, [but] by walking along side with someone who has been a leader and is worthy of imitation…”

Church growth (individually and collectively) comes by discipleship—by sharing our “faith journey” with others. Paul understood this. This is why I think Paul said to Philemon,

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. (Philemon 6, NIV)

Perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is not how can we attract others to our building, but how can we share the beauty and Person of Jesus to others?

Mary and Martha

Colt told us that one of the exercises that can help us in our meditation of Scripture is to place ourselves in the characters of Scripture and to try and think and feel what they are experiencing. For homework, Colt had us turn to Luke 10:38-42 and imagine that we were Martha and then Mary. He then asked, “Which of the two do you most identify with?” and concluded with “Allow the story and your involvement with the story lead you into prayer. This is what I experienced:

Martha: When I invited Jesus over, I did not expect Him to bring His disciples—all 12 of them! Instead of spending a nice quiet afternoon with Jesus, I now have to make preparations for a party. This is not what I had in mind. Look at them— Men! Twelve big, strong, able bodied men! And do they even care? Not one of them is willing lift a finger to help. Not only that, not one of them even has a clue of what I am going through and the stress level that I have. I don’t know why Jesus doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t He see how much work there is to do and the burden that I carry? Besides, I am sure that these 12 guys have heard Jesus’ message before. And I don’t believe this—look at Mary! She’s not doing anything either! This is not fair! This is not right! I just have to say something. “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

Mary: There was an aura about Him, when Jesus walked into our home. I was totally spellbound by Him. When He spoke, His words had so much authority it commanded my attention and I hung on His every word. His words were filled with grace and truth and as He spoke it was as if springs of living water were welling up inside of me, ready to gush forth. His words had life, and the more He spoke, the more His words burned within me. I was so captured by Him that I was unaware of anything else. I did not see Martha’s frenzy and frustration. That’s why I was totally stunned when Martha interrupted Jesus and screamed, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

My prayer: Lord, thank You for allowing me to see myself in others. Lord, help me not to be so busy with Your work that I neglect You. Lord, help me not to be so spiritually minded that I am of no earthly good. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Victory in Jesus

After the football season, two High School football players were talking. The offensive lineman said to the defensive lineman, “I hated you during practice. You used to hit so hard, I used to go home with bruises all over my body. But when we played games, I was so glad that you were on our side.”

What I heard the offensive player saying is that whether it was practice or a game, the intensity and the passion of the defensive player was the same on the field all the time. However, the offensive lineman had mixed feelings about the defensive player.

This is the way I feel about Jesus. His questions, His expectations, and His demands hit me hard. He bruises my ego; He levels my arrogance, and my uniform of self-righteousness is torn and soiled from being cast down so many times. At times I feel like He’s punishing me and sometimes I hate Him for exposing my weaknesses, inadequacies, and vulnerabilities. However, I am grateful, in the fact, that Jesus never wavers—He is constant, consistent, and passionate about the Father’s game plan. I also know that He is really preparing me to be a better equipped player in the game of life and I take extreme pleasure in knowing that being with Him is being on the winning side (Romans 8:37, John 16:33). Don’t you just love Him for that?

The Eyes of God

I don’t recall when I began recognizing the Presence of God in my life, but I’ve been aware of His Presence for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it was the song, “Oh, be careful little feet where you go…for there’s a Savior up above, looking down…” I learned as a child that made me feel like I was always being watched. Perhaps it was the messages of hell fire and brimstone and that would be my destiny if I wasn’t right with Him that made me conscious of His Presence. I know one thing, as a child of mischief, I often felt His eyes on me.

I used to try to push Him out of my consciousness, but I found that I could not hide from His Presence no matter how hard I tried. I often wished that He would leave me alone, to do my own thing. He sort of did, but I was constantly looking over my shoulder because I felt that His eyes were on me. I used to hate this about God—but that was then.

These days, this is one of the qualities that I appreciate and love about Him—that nothing goes by Him unnoticed. There is nothing that He doesn’t know and there is nothing that surprises Him.

I see my deficiencies, my failures, and my sins. He sees them too. What I see is probably very superficial. He sees beyond that and sees the root of my faults. He also sees and considers my struggles and I take comfort in this. Under His watchful eyes, I know that He will not only be fair and just, but merciful because He still loves me. For this I am eternally grateful.

Journeying With God

Some travelers on a plane from Spain to Britain were told that their flight would be delayed for at least eight hours due to a mechanical problem. When this was announced, a passenger stepped forward and identified himself as a licensed aircraft engineer. The man fixed the problem and the flight ended up being only 35 minutes late. Later, one of the passengers commented that it was reassuring that the person that fixed the plane was still on the plane.

In our journey through life, isn’t it comforting to know that our LORD will help us and is always with us (Hebrews 13:5-6) until we arrive at our final destination?

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 24, 25)

Does God Speak To Us Today?

Last year I received several email forwards from friends that related a story of a man’s desire to know whether or not God speaks to us in an audible voice today. In the story, the man asked God to “speak to him” and he would trust and obey His voice. While the man did not hear an audible voice, he felt a strong sense of being led by God. Following the leading of the spirit, the man was compelled to buy a gallon of milk and delivered it to a house in an unfamiliar part of town. The man knocked on the door and the man who opened the door did not seem to be very happy with this late night visitor. After handing over the milk, the homeowner began to cry and explained that he had just fallen on hard times and he and his wife was just praying for some milk for their baby just before the knock on their door. The wife then asked the stranger if he was an angel sent by God. The email forward concluded with God is alive and well and His voice will become clearer the more we listen and obey. The forward then said to pass it on if I believed.

I could not bring myself to forward this email even though I have heard about things like this, and have no doubt that God can guide or speak to us in this way. For myself, I want more assurance that I’m not down the end of a gun barrel when I knock on a stranger’s door. Call it a lack of faith, if you will, but there are some things that I wrestle with when I think that I’m “hearing the voice of God.”

There was a time when I used to think that I knew the “Voice of God” and I used to prophesy. One day after I made a prophetic declaration, I was bewildered when the Voice of God was wrong and it really distressed me that God could be wrong. After wondering how God could make a mistake, I had to ask myself several questions. These questions were, “Was God wrong?,” “Did I misunderstand?,” and “Was it really the voice of God that I heard?”

If God was wrong and God can make mistakes, then how can I trust Him? If I heard wrong, then how could I trust myself? What I thought I heard seemed perfectly clear to me on the day that I heard it. If it wasn’t God that was speaking, then who was it? After struggling with these questions for a season, there are three underlying questions that I ask myself before I come to a conclusion. They are:

1. I have been wrong before and I most likely will make mistakes in the future. In the past, I have had an intuition about some things and have been “sure” about other things. Sometimes my feelings or intuition were correct. Other times they were wrong. What or who can I trust?

2. The Scriptures say that we should test everything. I believe this includes our thoughts, feelings, and motives (I Thessalonians 5:21, I John 4:1) to see whether they are from God or from another source (II Corinthians 11:14-15). What is the standard for my test?

3. The Scriptures claim that it is flawless, right, and true (Psalms 33:4, 119:160). The “Living Word” (Jesus) claims that His words are sure, dependable, and eternal (Matthew 7:24, 24:34). Do I believe this?

The conclusion that I have come to is that I should not always believe the voices in my head when I often do not believe or obey the revealed words of Jesus (Matthew 5:23-25, 44, 25:40, 45). So far in my life, there is no one or nothing that I have complete trust in. On the other hand, there really is no one in running except the “Voice of God” (Jesus) in Scripture.

Prayer Is Overrated

Prayer is overrated. Prayer is important, but not that important. I don’t know how many times I’ve been in a store when I’ve witnessed a child telling their parents, “I want that!” After countless “No’s,” the bawling child says, “But I need it!” As a bystander, I empathize with the parents’ embarrassment, discomfort, and frustration because no matter how long and how loud the child screams, I know that the child does not “need it.”

Over the years, I have witnessed some Christians behaving in a similar way as these children. As “adults” we may not throw tantrums and our prayers are a little more sophisticated than the whining of our children, but sometimes our begging and pleading are deaf to the “No’s” of God. It is in this context that I say that prayer is important, but not that important.

James says, “You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss…” (James 4:3a). What I hear James saying is that sometimes our prayers are not answered because we pray in ignorance to God’s will or to what God desires. Jesus knew exactly what the Will of the Father was. It is on this basis that He prayed, "Abba, Father, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14:36)

Granted, we are not Jesus and we are not filled with all the wisdom and knowledge of God. But before we can make sense of what’s going on around us, and before we can even hope to “keep in step with the Spirit,” we need to know which direction the Spirit is going. We need to know what God’s will and desires are. This is why we have been given Scripture—so that we can come to know and trust God.

Having said this, I don’t think that we should stop praying and even pouring out our hearts out before God. What I mean is that we should not be so busy talking that we are not open to hearing the “voice of God” as revealed in Scripture.

In the story of Job, Job had a lot of things to say and a whole lot of questions. But in the end, Job was still not privy to the workings of God and not all of Job’s questions were answered. But after he heard the words from God, he confessed, “…Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know…My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I despise myself and repent..." (Job 42:3-6). Job still did not understand a whole lot of things, but he had come to know and trust God and that was enough.

Peter writes, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (II Peter 1:3). If our prayers are not being answered to our satisfaction, it just might be because we are looking for answers in all the wrong places.

Beauty Nipped in the Bud

One of life's little disappointments for me is to watch a rosebud start to open up, then without warning shrink back into a bud, shrivel up, and die. When this happens, I feel like I have been cheated out of its beauty and splendor.

I suspect that the LORD feels the same way when one of His children fails to mature properly. I think that God feels robbed when Christians refuse to open up and allow the Holy Spirit to transform them into the image and majesty of our Lord Jesus. Perhaps God even sighs or groans when Christians shrink back and withdraw into themselves.

The reason why we do is obvious. We feel safe. There is no risk of failure and there is no threat of rejection. The probability of pain and humiliation is considerably lower and we find comfort in not opening up to the dangers of the big bad world.

On the other hand, if we do not have the desire to be outgoing and share out faith, our spiritual growth will wither and God's Spirit will be quenched. We will not experience the depths of peace and joy that the Scriptures promise us. Our faith in Him will not be renewed and we will not blossom into the full radiance of our LORD Jesus.
[Father, I pray] . . . that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel . . . [I pray] that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should; [In Jesus’ name, Amen!] (Ephesians 6:19-20)

The Psalms

The book of Psalms is really a hymn book that records the experiences and the cries of the human heart. If we listen to the Psalms very carefully, I think that we could all join in and accompany the Psalmists in their song. The late Dr. J. Vernon McGee says, “The Psalms record deep devotion, intense feeling, exalted emotion, and dark dejection. They play upon the keyboard of the human soul with all the stops pulled out.”

The book of Psalms is also a HIM book of praises because on its pages we can find Jesus if we look hard enough. In Luke 22:44, Jesus told His disciples, “…Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Jesus was of course, speaking of His death, burial, and resurrection. However, there’s more than Jesus’ crucifixion on its pages. In the Psalms, Jesus is also the object of the Psalmists praise and worship because this is where the dark nights of the human soul encounter the Light of Heaven.

Every morning I get up and try to have a devotional time with the LORD. Many times I get up feeling “lost.” Many mornings I feel disconnected with myself and with the LORD. There are many mornings that I struggle to find the words to pray and when I do manage to get the words out of my mouth, the words seem shallow and hollow. In times like these, I feel like the words are immediately sucked into a black hole as soon as the words leave my mouth. During these times, one of the things that I do is grab a song book, find an appropriate song that I know, and sing it as my prayer. Singing my prayer helps me to align my thoughts and my emotions and focus them on the LORD. Quite often, the song I choose has its roots in the Psalms.

Some of the Psalms that I sing and pray are, “Unto Thee, O Lord” (Psalms 25), “How Majestic is Your Name” (Psalms 8), “I Will Call Upon the Lord” (Psalms 18), and “Thy Loving Kindness” (Psalms 63). One of the Psalms that I seem to sing and pray on a more regular basis is, “As the Deer.” The first line of this song comes from Psalms 42 and the rest of the song expresses the longings and passions of many other Psalmists.

I’ve come to realize that when I sing the Psalms, I am “confessing” my disconnectedness, anxieties, fears, longings, and passions with a huge cloud of witness and I am so grateful for the modern day composers who have set today’s music to yesteryear’s prayers which enables me to sing and have melody in my heart for Him.

The Creator

In the beginning, there was nothing except God. There were no trees or mountains. There was no earth, no sun, or stars. In fact, there was no universe. And this is how the Scripture introduces us to our Creator: Genesis 1:1—the very first sentence of Bible tells us that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” From nothing, God brought into existence something—“God created the heavens and the earth.”

Throughout the rest of the Scriptures, we are constantly reminded that God is the Creator. Centuries after the creation of the universe, David, the King of Israel, recognized God as the Creator, but in a different way. David committed adultery, had a man murdered, and when David’s sin was revealed, he knew that he couldn’t make himself right (II Samuel 11-12). He knew that he couldn’t purify himself. David knew that there was nothing that he could do about his heart condition except go to the Creator and beg for mercy. And in his despair, David cried out, “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” (Psalms 51:10.)

There is another theme that runs through Scripture. Over and over again, the Bible tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), that there is no one righteous (Romans 3:10), and that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). So how can we have a right standing with God? How can we purify our hearts? Jesus answers this question by telling Nicodemus, “…no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).

Astonished, Nicodemus then asks the question, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (John 3:4). Jesus answers Nicodemus and says, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Jesus is echoing the Genesis account of Creation—that God created all living things “after their own kind.” Likewise, David who understood that only the Holy One can create people with holy hearts. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul understood this too. This is why Paul proclaims, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (II Corinthians 5:17).

It is humanly impossible to create something out of nothing or to bring forth life out of something dead. It is only by the mercy of our Creator that we can become spiritual beings (Romans 3:23). I wonder how many people will understand this? I wonder how many will receive this gift? I wonder how many people I will share this good news with?

Lord, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you” (Psalms 51:12-13). In Jesus’ Name, amen!

Stewardship

Some of us are responsible people. We are time conscious. We watch our spending. We are careful not to waste any of our resources. If this is the way we live, doesn’t it make us mad when someone is frivolous with their resources? This is especially true with our children. Don’t we all sigh and take a deep breath, roll our eyes, shake our heads, grit our teeth, and reach for that bottle of extra strength aspirin when they do things that seem to us like, “such a waste”. It is a wonder that we don’t all have flat foreheads.

When a woman came to Jesus and poured very expensive perfume over Jesus’ head, the disciples were more than upset. The Scripture says that the disciples were, “indignant” to what she had done (Matthew 26:6-13). Yet our Lord astonishes them (and us) by saying, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.”

There are some things that we will probably always have in this life. We will always have debts and bills to pay. We will always have taxes. We will always have dirty houses. We have bodies that are decaying and we will always have to repair or maintain our worldly possessions.

While Jesus reported to His disciples the state of the world, He also told them that He was leaving. What Jesus said also reminds us that we won’t always have the opportunity to build and maintain relationships. In fact, no matter how good a relationship we have in this life, no relationship is permanent. We are keenly aware of this as we watch people who are dear to us come and go. Spiritualizing what Jesus said, we will also not always have an opportunity to seek God (Isaiah 55:6).

Isn’t it wonderful how Jesus puts things in perspective. He said something similar in Luke 16:9, when Jesus said, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Jesus is saying that we should use our resources to build and maintain relationships, so that when all is said and done in this life, our “friends” will be waiting to welcome us on the other side of this life.

May God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be the first in this receiving line.

What Do You Communicate?

“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” –I Peter 4:11

In concocting a savory sweet and sour sauce for a Polynesian or Oriental dish, a proper balance of spices must be maintained. Too much sugar makes the sauce “sicky-sweet.” On the other hand, too much soy sauce, vinegar, or pineapple juice will make the concoction bitter, pungent, or sour.

As Christians, our speech must be likewise properly blended. Paul writes, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt…” (Colossians 4:6). Our speech should not be all sugary and candy coated. Neither should it be all harsh and bitter. Our speech should always be in love, and seasoned with truth. What we say may be in vain, however, if our actions and behavior communicates a different message. Inconsistencies in our lives make what we affirm with our lips hard to swallow.

In Jesus, we find an impeccable blend of Word and Spirit. This caused John to write, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

How palatable is our message to the world, especially to those that “hunger and thirst” after righteousness?

Is our announcement one of a life of love and joy and liberty? Or do we communicate indifference, oppression, or boredom? Do we communicate commitment and dedication? Or do we communicate hypocrisy? Is our declaration religion, church, or self? Or is it Christ?

Worship

When I hear people say, “Worship was wonderful today,” I often wonder what or who was the object of worship? To me, it’s like members of the audience at a performance saying to each other, “This standing ovation is wonderful, exhilarating and refreshing. I am enjoying this standing “O” immensely.

When I think of worship, I think of words like adoration, devotion, honor, admiration, awe, and yes, fear and submission. This is why I imagine that the worshipper’s response should be more like, “Isn’t He wonderful? Isn’t He great? Isn’t He beautiful? Isn’t He majestic?”

Yet how often do we come away with a sense of AWE of Him or for Him as we are in the assembly? How often are we shaken up by the sense of His Presence?

I think that if we worshipped properly, and if there was a “visitor” in the assembly, at some point in the worship, the visitor would be convinced and convicted that “God really is among you!” (I Corinthians 14:24-25).

Lord, help me not to veil Your majesty and glory and steal Your thunder.

Meditation

When Ajoa was 5 or 6 years old we were looking up at the clouds in the sky, I asked her, “If I told you there was a boat in the sky, what would you say?” Ajoa sat in silence. Again I repeated the question, “If there was a boat in the sky, what would you say?” Again there was no immediate response, but after a moment of silence, she replied, “Nothing.” I was surprised by her answer, so I asked, “Why not?” She said, “Because I would be thinking to myself, now why is there a boat in the sky?”

I laughed. I was amused and at the same time amazed that this very young child did not react the way I expected, but was also able to express her thought process in a very logical manner.

Ajoa’s response was a great example and illustration to the Bible’s exhortation to meditate on God, His deeds, and His Word.

Mary pondered and treasured the workings of God in her life (Luke 2:18-9, 49-51). Joshua was told to meditate on the Word of God so that he would be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:7-8). The Psalmists (especially 119) speak of meditation not only as a natural part of their lives, but as essential to their lives.

In Scripture, I see people amazed and even utterly astonished by the workings of God, yet often times this is a superficial reaction. I’ve come to this conclusion because they do not seem to internalize what they are hearing and seeing. If they did, I think it would have caused people to know God better.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that we are that much different. We see and hear Jesus, and He amazes us, yet we do not seem to think deeply of His significance. If we did, it would seem that we’d know God on a deeper and more intimate level. And the proof of that would be the radically transformed lives.

May we think on the deeper things of God. No, scratch that. May we think on the things that God has revealed to us and go beyond the surface and the superficial and know God more intimately so that His Word will be our “delight.”

I Won't Do It!--2

The other day, Lynn saw my T-shirt that pictures a stubborn, defiant, and determined child with the inscription, “I won’t do it!” under it. Lynn pointed to the picture and said something like, “That is so not you.” I was surprised by the comment because in my thinking, it really is soooo me. I wondered how many things my family could tell Lynn that I wouldn’t do.

In my conversations with the LORD, I hear the Children of Israel’s stubbornness and rebellion coming from my mouth and thoughts. Some of them are, “It wasn’t my fault, I won’t apologize.” “They were the ones who hurt me. I won’t take the initiative to work things out.” “They have to come to me. I won’t go to them.” “I won’t be merciful because they don’t show any signs of remorse or regret.” “They don’t deserve it. I won’t treat them kindly.” I could go on and on because I have many such conversations with the LORD.

As I thought about this, I was reminded of the parable of the two sons that Jesus talked about in Matthew 21:28-31. A man had two sons and asked the first son to work in his vineyard. The first son said, “I will not,” but later on changed his mind and he went to work. The second son said, “No problem Dad,” but he did not go. Jesus asked, “ Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

In life, God gives us choices. When Jesus asks us to do something, we sometimes develop the “Moses complex.” We tell Jesus why we won’t or cannot do what He asks. But after all is said and done aren’t we like Peter who said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

If we want to continue to be in fellowship with our God and Savior, we really do not have any other choice but to say, “I’ll do it.”

Heaven is Over Rated

I think that Heaven is over rated. Some of us think that Heaven is our salvation. For those who think that our salvation is found in Heaven, I don’t think that we will ever feel secure until we’re inside the walls of heaven, with the gates of Heaven shut and locked behind us. It really is a terrible way to go through life.

Our salvation, or our eternal security is not found in a place, a thing, or an activity on our part. Our eternal security is found in a person. This is the message of Scripture from Genesis, the first book of the Bible, to Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Sometimes that message is not very clear, it’s almost as if it’s in the shadows.

In Genesis15:1, for example, God speaks to Abraham and tells him, “I am your shield, your very great reward.” If God were giving Abraham a test, He’d be asking Abraham, “Who is your protection? Who is your safety and security? Who is your fortress and refuge? Who is your shield?” And if Abraham didn’t get it, God would have answered, “I AM.”

Should there have been a part two to the test; God would ask, “Who’s your blessing? Who’s your benefit and bonus? Who’s your prize and trophy? Who’s your reward—your very great reward?” Again God would have answered, “I AM”.

In the New Testament, who is our defense, our intercessor, our advocate, and our blessing? Is it not the same One who says, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Is it not the same One who also says, “I AM the way. I AM the truth. I AM the life. No man comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).

The Apostle Paul later on tells the Ephesians that in Him, that is in Jesus, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). We can have this confidence, assurance, and eternal security in Him because we have a promise that is sealed by His blood (Ephesians 1:7). This is something, or rather, Someone that we can find rest in—in this life and the life to come.

O Wretched Man

I’ve been taken aside and scolded for calling myself a scumbag. I was thinking in terms of being contemptible, but then someone enlightened me and informed me that a scumbag refers to a used condom. I thought to myself, “It’s a much more fitting description of myself than I thought.”

Whenever I speak of myself in a negative way, people often respond with, “You’re not like that” or “That’s not you,” I think to myself, “If it’s not me, then who am I talking about?” Because of this, I often feel misunderstood and alone. How I long for someone to come along side of me, put their arm on my shoulders and say, “I know how you feel, but isn’t it wonderful that God loves us anyway?” or “Isn’t it wonderful that this is a temporary condition and that God is in the process of redeeming us from our present state?” or “Doesn’t it make you wonder, what is man that God is mindful of us, the son of man that He cares for us?” or “Doesn’t your heart yearn and burn for our Savior’s return?”

Whenever I say negative things about myself, it’s usually not the end of my thought, but for some reason, that’s what most people hear. It’s almost like opening up “The Book,” reading Romans 7:15-22, hearing Paul say, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” and then closing “The Book.”

Paul, I wish you were here. I wish we could talk. If you were here, I think you’d hear and understand what I am trying to say. If you were here, I don’t think I would feel so alone. I could be wrong, but I think that if we got together, I think that there would not only be a bond of fellowship, but there would also be great rejoicing between us.

I’d join you in singing “…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our LORD (Romans 8:1-2, 7:25).”

Faith & Feeling

I’ve heard preachers preach, “we live by faith, not by sight or feelings…” While part of me wants to “Amen!” this statement, another part of me knows that this is not totally true.

My emotions are a big part of me. In fact, I “live” in my emotions. If my emotions do not find relief at some point, it doesn’t matter what my mind, my intellect, my will or my faith says, I will be consumed by my feelings. If I do not find emotional comfort or a sense of well being at some point, I just cannot go on with life.

This is why I thank God for the verses in II Corinthians 1-11. The Apostle Paul tells us that suffering doesn’t “just happen” or that it happens only to apostles, elders, and spiritual leaders. Paul tells us to expect suffering because we are identified with Jesus. If I understand Paul correctly, because we are connected to Jesus, suffering will “flow” into our lives.

I am glad that Paul did not end here because I would be an emotional wreck if all I had was this thought to sustain me. Paul also goes on to also say that through Jesus our “comfort overflows.” This is such wonderful news! What I hear Paul saying is that the external pressure applied is less than the internal power surging out. Just reading or thinking about this makes me feel renewed and recharged.

I know that what the LORD gives me on any given day, will probably not be enough for tomorrow. The “bread” that He gives is usually just enough to sustain me for the day. But that’s okay. Tomorrow’s another day. I know that the Infinite God with an endless supply will be waiting for me tomorrow. I thank God that He is good and His mercy and faithfulness endures forever. (Psalms 100:5)

Dear God

I am having another “Elijah moment” (I have a lot of those don’t I)? I am reminded that I am a very shallow, sensitive, and insecure person. I have many anxieties, worries, fears, responsibilities, and burdens. I also feel like I am involved with or at the brink of conflicts and confrontations all day long. I feel like I have to really work at everything, including reading, writing, and plain old conversing. In addition to all these pressures, I am supposed to “conduct myself in a manner worthy of my calling” (Ephesians 4:1). Guess what—yeah, I know You know this already. I can’t do it. I can’t handle life and Your expectations.

This is why I need you. Everyday I need to be affirmed by You. Everyday I need to feel that I am loved by You. Everyday I want to have the sense that You are walking with me. And like the slogan, “I don’t want to leave home without it”, I don’t want to leave my “prayer closet” without You because LORD, You are my sanity. You are my stress relief. You are my hiding place. You are my security. You are my strength. You are my joy. You are my hope. You are my rest.

My morning hours with You seems so unstructured, undisciplined, untraditional, and unconventional. It’s not a systematic study or a regimented prayer time. (Most of the other areas in my life are disciplined.)

You know that when I have tried to do a thematic Bible Study or pray systematically in the past, I’ve spent my time fighting to stay focused and on course. When I was done, I felt drained and exhausted before my day even began. It felt no different than the rest of my day.

These days, I let You take me where You want me to go. It feels wild and reckless, but at the end of our time together, I have a feeling of wholeness and well being. I feel like I have the energy and the power to deal with the rest of the day. I guess I’m not willing to trade our rendezvous for anything. I know our relationship can be better and I know that there can be much more. But at this point in time, I’m not willing to trade in what I have—a sense of your Presence, a feeling of intimacy for any “program” that seems to want to accomplish what I am already experiencing.

I can identify a little bit with the Psalmists who said, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalms 63:1) and “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go to meet with God.” (Psalms 42:1-2)

I am glad that I found You—on second thought, I am so glad that You found me because who else can give me life? (John 6:68-69). Thanks for listening. Love, me

Thanksgiving

When things are going well for me, I am more apt to be thankful. When things are not going well, my response is, “Thanks a lot, God,” with no real gratitude. But this is the way I am. As my circumstances change, so do my feelings of appreciation of life change. Consequently, my feeling of gratefulness is like a roller coaster ride—up and down all the time.

To help me be more like a Child of Light—one who does “everything without complaining and arguing” (Philippians 2:14) and one who gives thanks in everything (I Thessalonians 5:18), I try to focus on something that doesn’t change—something that is consistent and constant. And the only thing that is unchanging in this world is God and His Word. And for this I can be thankful all the time.

When I feel like no one’s listening, recognizing me, or feeling alone, I can be thankful that God sees me and hears me (Psalms 33:13-15, 18:6). He is always with me and He will never abandon me (Hebrews 13:5). When I feel like no one understands or cares, I can be thankful that God understands (Hebrews 4:15) and God cares (Matthew 6:26). When I feel like my life and my world is falling apart, I can be thankful that God says that He sustains (Psalms 54:4) and He empowers me (Psalms 18:32). He holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). He’s going to work out everything okay (Romans 8:28) and He will finish the work that He has begun (Philippians 1:6).

When I do wrong and fail, and when I feel ugly and unloved, I can be thankful that He forgives me (Hebrews 8:12) and loves me in spite of what I did and the way I feel about myself (I John 3:19-20).

I am thankful that God is a good God, a faithful God (II Timothy 2:13), a God who loves me (Romans 8:38-39) and that will never change (Hebrews 13:8).

Stick-to-itiveness

One of the things that characterize my life is my lack of stick-to-itiveness. As I look at my life, I have so many things that I have started with great gusto and somewhere along the way have forgotten about it or have lost interest in it, such as the projects I have deserted around the house. I am waiting for a more convenient time to respond to some of my emails that are already a few years old. I have also started quite a few letters, which have been forsaken. I have a few commitments and resolves that have been forgotten, too. There are several “To do” lists buried in my “pile” file, a very large “Work in Progress” folder, and a rapidly growing “Current Work In Progress” folder on my computer. I would not be at all surprised if I do not finish this thought and it too, will go into one of these folders.

It is probably frustrating for those that have to deal with me and I lament that I am not able to do everything I intend to do. However, I try to remember that I am also a “Work in Progress” and that God is not like me. I remind myself that He will never forsake or abandon me (Hebrews 13:5) and that He will complete the work that He began (Philippians 1:6). In this, I find great relief and comfort and the strength to go on.

Stewardship

The late Dr. Vernon McGee says that most parables are parables of comparison. Luke is the only gospel writer that gives parables in contrast. Having heard this, “The Parable of the Shrewd Manager,” made perfect sense to me. When I heard this, I also remembered the parable in Luke 11:5-13 and how Jesus concluded the parable with, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" In this parable, I think that Jesus is communicating something similar—He is contrasting God’s relationship to and with us and the relationships we that we have to Him and to one another.

The world is very clear in their intent and purpose. The world knows how to use people and their possessions to their advantage for personal gain. The worldly master in Luke 16 applauds the manager because he found a way to dodge the bullet. As Children of Light, I’m not sure that we have this clarity in our spiritual lives. We claim that we are the Lord’s stewards of all of our earthly possessions. In this theology, we are correct, but I wonder if we are really idolaters in practice.

If our Master should call us to accountability today—if He should say to us, “This very night your life will be demanded from you,” I wonder how many of us would be convicted of misappropriation of funds or embezzlement? On the other hand, if we were called to give an account today, I wonder how many of us would say, “I never understood why you wanted me to give ‘Caesar’ anything, but because You said so, I did.” I wonder if this response would cause our Master to marvel at how we were able to cut our losses and “act so shrewdly.”

I Won't Do It!

Families who have more than one child, are familiar with the “hand-me-down” system. It’s when one child outgrows clothing, the parents hand it down to the next child. In my family, we have a similar system. When my adult kids feel like their clothes have worn out their welcome, they hand it to me. I figure, if it fits and there are no gaping holes in it, they’re fit to wear.

One of my favorite hand-me-downs, is a t-shirt that I got from Sarah. The t-shirt has a picture of this child on it and it looks as if it’s been drawn with a piece of chalk on a dark blue background. This child has its arms folded with a stubborn look on its face. The inscription under it says, “I won’t do it!”

One day someone commented, “That’s cute! What won’t you do?” I immediately replied, “Sin. I won’t sin!” My friend, Sue, heard me; she turned, and said to me, “That’s what you think!” Sue was right. Sue was absolutely right.

In I John 1:8-10, John writes,

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.

When we participate in the LORD’s supper, we are confessing that it is only the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses and purifies us from all sin and unrighteousness. In thinking that we have some power over sin—in and of ourselves, we call Him a liar and He has no part in our lives. Thank God that He is faithful and just, and is no liar!