It appears there is difficulty not just for some, but for all of us. It's one thing to be in need, but it is another to have a need that can not be remedied by a small gift. The fact is that people tire out, and do so quickly. It's not that they have little desire to help, it is that they do not know what to expect when they help. There is a great pay off in making things better, but there is little to keep people motivated when they can't make things better long term.
Imagine, you go to help feed the homeless. You are so moved by those who are gratefully served, and you feel so good, that you think that you will never stop. Fast-forward a week, the people are still grateful, but there is something missing, you don't feel as good as you did. By week four, you begin obligating your self to other tasks important or not, so that you will conveniently be unavailable. What started out as joy has ended up as guilt.
So what are the mechanics of going from the top of the world experience to not wanting to be a part of it? Week one, you see a need, you fill the need and you are very satisfied. Week two, you see that the help that you offered in week one didn't make a lasting change. Week three, you are convinced that you are making no difference at all. Now, while all of this seems like a natural progression; it is in fact, an egocentric progression. The problem is interpreting the world through the big “I.” You see, the first week, you think that everybody is getting the same amazing payoff that you did, but in subsequent weeks, reality takes the wind out of your sails. Look, if you give water to someone who is thirsty, or give food to someone who is hungry: you helped! Let that be enough. You see every week that you served, you helped. Now, the devil will convince you that you did nothing at all, if you let him; but, the fact remains that giving of yourself helps others.
The problem comes when we will only accept a certain outcome. He needed a hundred dollars, I gave him a hundred dollars and he lived happily every after. And if we are honest, that is the only outcome we are prepared to accept. The sad fact of the “American Dream” is that it teaches us to only value what we can buy and sell: that is not true. You can't tell me that there is no value in speaking to someone as a friend, when what they meet day in and day out is a world who treats them like an unwanted stray animal. You see, often times we have gifts that are so much more than money can buy, but we don't give them. Why? They make us wonder, what if were in their shoes? Yet, all the while we see ourselves as the ideal, the person who always helps. We picture the suffering Christ, and visualize ourselves binding his wounds and quenching His thirst. In reality, we see the suffering Christ every day, and we couldn't be more abhorrent of Him, because He is dressed as a homeless man.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
For my mom
Sunday morning before last, I was heading to church, and received a phone call that my mother was being life-flighted to a hospital in Nashville. In one instance, everything changed. I dropped everything and went to the hospital. I wanted more time, more time with my mother. So many questions come in a situation like that, but the one that most concerned me: Have I been a good son to her?
The thing that continues to bother me, I'm still not sure how to answer that question. It's hard to understand how much you value someone, especially your mom, until you come face to face with the prospect of losing them. I'm not asking why this or why now, I'm asking what can I do with the time God has given me? I don't intend to leave that question unanswered. God helping me, I'm going to make the most of it.
My mom is doing better day by day, and I thank God for her progress. I also thank Him, that although I wasn't doing as well as I could as her son, I've been given a new opportunity to demonstrate to my mother what she means to me. I can't say that I am handling all of this with a great deal of grace; in fact, it is with the greatest of difficulty that I have set aside my self-reliance to then be able to rely on God. The good news is: the more that I rely on God, the more grace He gives me for the trials I have to face.
Please pray for my mom, I love her dearly.
The thing that continues to bother me, I'm still not sure how to answer that question. It's hard to understand how much you value someone, especially your mom, until you come face to face with the prospect of losing them. I'm not asking why this or why now, I'm asking what can I do with the time God has given me? I don't intend to leave that question unanswered. God helping me, I'm going to make the most of it.
My mom is doing better day by day, and I thank God for her progress. I also thank Him, that although I wasn't doing as well as I could as her son, I've been given a new opportunity to demonstrate to my mother what she means to me. I can't say that I am handling all of this with a great deal of grace; in fact, it is with the greatest of difficulty that I have set aside my self-reliance to then be able to rely on God. The good news is: the more that I rely on God, the more grace He gives me for the trials I have to face.
Please pray for my mom, I love her dearly.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Marked by kindness
There is a girl who is sweet and kind, when I think about her; it reminds me of how much I admire her kindness, and I realize that I don't know too many who admire that about me. I don't think of the world as being a kind or gentle place. So, it makes an impression on me, when I see someone who is particularly good at kindness. It makes me jealous, because I know that I have work to do. Not that I mind the work; my uncle taught me when I was a boy, "find a master, and steal everything you can from them," of course he was talking about tradesmen, but I have stolen it and now apply it to my faith.
When I think about the people who have made an impact on my life: I remember kindness. I remember my second grade teacher exuberantly telling me what a good job I had done on my handwriting exercise. Aside from the fact that no one would believe it, looking at my handwriting now; why does that stick out so vividly in my experience at school? She was kind to me. She saw a boy who needed encouragement, and she reached out to him.
You know, as time passes, the things that I possessed that had such sentimental value to me, mean less and less. If I have a prized collection now, it is the memories of those who were kind to me. Dr. George Crawford (one of the masters from whom I have stolen) always greeted me with a smile, a handshake and this phrase: "Good to see you, boy." What was so moving about it was that he meant it. I cannot speak as to what it meant to him, but I do know that it meant the world to me. My life has been forever marked by his kindness.
When I think about the people who have made an impact on my life: I remember kindness. I remember my second grade teacher exuberantly telling me what a good job I had done on my handwriting exercise. Aside from the fact that no one would believe it, looking at my handwriting now; why does that stick out so vividly in my experience at school? She was kind to me. She saw a boy who needed encouragement, and she reached out to him.
You know, as time passes, the things that I possessed that had such sentimental value to me, mean less and less. If I have a prized collection now, it is the memories of those who were kind to me. Dr. George Crawford (one of the masters from whom I have stolen) always greeted me with a smile, a handshake and this phrase: "Good to see you, boy." What was so moving about it was that he meant it. I cannot speak as to what it meant to him, but I do know that it meant the world to me. My life has been forever marked by his kindness.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The Answer
When the answer finally comes, you realize that all of the struggle and all of the grief has brought you to this new place. A place different than any you have known thus far, you didn't think this way before, you couldn't have thought this way before. God is making us more like His Son, and that doesn't come easy. He is quite literally changing us, and to do that He must unearth the causes of self and implant the cause of others. That's not the way of natural man.
No other religion tells you that your life is for the benefit of others. In fact, they can not. They teach you to keep for self and give only when you have an abundance. That is why the teachings of Christ are so revolutionary! Who else teaches you to give all of it away as the path to success? Only Christ. What are the guaranties? Frankly, death. I'm sorry to break it to you, but you are going to die, and in the process, you will be used up for the benefit of others. But, hey, you were going to die anyway. Listen to me, this is the only way to truly live, and it is the model that Christ gave us to follow.
Loved ones, you can try to hide whatever you want from God, but you need to understand that He sees you hiding it. You can't keep a secret from the omniscient One. The Father will let you wrestle and struggle until you are finally ready to open up to Him, and when you do, you find the blessings of God. It's not a lightning strike followed by a influx of new understanding, but the day by day leading of the Almighty. Learning, loved ones, the process that takes us from basic math to calculus. The Lord is not distant, leaving us to figure it out by ourselves, but He is the One Who is there teaching us. More like Christ, more love for God, more love for others and more useful to the Master; this is the working out of our salvation.
God bless you all.
No other religion tells you that your life is for the benefit of others. In fact, they can not. They teach you to keep for self and give only when you have an abundance. That is why the teachings of Christ are so revolutionary! Who else teaches you to give all of it away as the path to success? Only Christ. What are the guaranties? Frankly, death. I'm sorry to break it to you, but you are going to die, and in the process, you will be used up for the benefit of others. But, hey, you were going to die anyway. Listen to me, this is the only way to truly live, and it is the model that Christ gave us to follow.
Loved ones, you can try to hide whatever you want from God, but you need to understand that He sees you hiding it. You can't keep a secret from the omniscient One. The Father will let you wrestle and struggle until you are finally ready to open up to Him, and when you do, you find the blessings of God. It's not a lightning strike followed by a influx of new understanding, but the day by day leading of the Almighty. Learning, loved ones, the process that takes us from basic math to calculus. The Lord is not distant, leaving us to figure it out by ourselves, but He is the One Who is there teaching us. More like Christ, more love for God, more love for others and more useful to the Master; this is the working out of our salvation.
God bless you all.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
From Defeat to Victory Part IV
We keep God waiting, and keep His power at bay in our lives, all because we are too busy putting our plans in front of God, with out reference to what God wants. God is waiting to use all of us for His purpose, a purpose that Divine wisdom and omniscience has designed us for; yet all the while, we are telling God that His plan isn't the right plan for us. Listen, loved one, the victory comes when we get in line with God's plan and go to work on His terms. There is a palpable difference between doing something for God, and doing what God has told you to do. God is waiting to do the mightiest work with a simple servant.
Look, the higher you ratchet yourself up the importance scale, the less usable you are to God. He uses the least and the over looked. Think back in your Christian life, to the services where God has truly blessed you in a way that you have yet to forget. Was it because of someone who was a talented speaker or singer, or was it because someone who was neither was so moved by the love of God that they could not remain silent. Neither noble nor polished, but in the simplest language they testify to the greatness of God. And the power that is felt in the room is the Spirit of God that speaks with them, "Yes and Amen."
What did they say of the fishermen? They marveled at them, and they could tell that they had been with Jesus. Loved ones, that is the best that any of us can do. To be so marked by the love of the Father and Christ that it is evident to everyone. Listen to me, and get this if you get nothing else from what I have written, when we are submitted to God and we live by every word that comes from His mouth, we will be so marked by His love that it is undeniable to the world around us. That, dear ones, is victory.
Look, the higher you ratchet yourself up the importance scale, the less usable you are to God. He uses the least and the over looked. Think back in your Christian life, to the services where God has truly blessed you in a way that you have yet to forget. Was it because of someone who was a talented speaker or singer, or was it because someone who was neither was so moved by the love of God that they could not remain silent. Neither noble nor polished, but in the simplest language they testify to the greatness of God. And the power that is felt in the room is the Spirit of God that speaks with them, "Yes and Amen."
What did they say of the fishermen? They marveled at them, and they could tell that they had been with Jesus. Loved ones, that is the best that any of us can do. To be so marked by the love of the Father and Christ that it is evident to everyone. Listen to me, and get this if you get nothing else from what I have written, when we are submitted to God and we live by every word that comes from His mouth, we will be so marked by His love that it is undeniable to the world around us. That, dear ones, is victory.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
From Defeat to Victory Part III
I assume that if you are reading this, you know that I have no faculty for sugar coating things. We never arrive, as Christians. We are, indeed, travelers; this world is not our home. And yet, it is the "American Dream" to make ourselves as comfortable here as possible, and put as much distance as possible between us and any form of trouble. Loved ones, wake up! That is not God's plan for any of us. The world over, our fellow travelers are being beaten, robbed and murdered for the testimony of Christ. Friendship with the world, James tells us, is hatred toward God. The older translations say "enmity with God" literally something that can never be reconciled to God, because enmity is the quality of being an enemy.
But that doesn't sound very victorious, you say. Oh, but this is exactly the path to victory, I say. It is the root from which every victory in the Christian life stems, Christ alive in us! It is only when we are stripped of everything, that we realize that God is all that really have. No person, no pet and certainly no possession can ever replace what we have with God. Loving things more than God, that is idolatry. There is nothing that can replace what we find in our relationship with God. When you are knocked flat to the ground, and you weep without a single thought for who sees you, and you cry to God, and you don't care who hears you; loved one, it is there that you meet with God on His terms. It is there that you get, maybe for the first time, that God is all that you have ever had. And when you get a hold of that fact and it gets a hold of you: you won't trade it for anything!
This is where Christianity begins in you. You are not only listening for God to speak, you can't wait for Him to speak to you. It is here, dear one, that you begin to understand that you live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This, love ones, is victory, because the Father has won out over the whole world in your heart. The things that were so important to you just days ago, are now encumbrances that slow down your service to God. What becomes important to you is God's purpose and accomplishing something for His glory. This is where we finally stop jabbering about everything that we think we want, and ask the question: Father, what is it that you want?
More soon, loved ones.
But that doesn't sound very victorious, you say. Oh, but this is exactly the path to victory, I say. It is the root from which every victory in the Christian life stems, Christ alive in us! It is only when we are stripped of everything, that we realize that God is all that really have. No person, no pet and certainly no possession can ever replace what we have with God. Loving things more than God, that is idolatry. There is nothing that can replace what we find in our relationship with God. When you are knocked flat to the ground, and you weep without a single thought for who sees you, and you cry to God, and you don't care who hears you; loved one, it is there that you meet with God on His terms. It is there that you get, maybe for the first time, that God is all that you have ever had. And when you get a hold of that fact and it gets a hold of you: you won't trade it for anything!
This is where Christianity begins in you. You are not only listening for God to speak, you can't wait for Him to speak to you. It is here, dear one, that you begin to understand that you live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This, love ones, is victory, because the Father has won out over the whole world in your heart. The things that were so important to you just days ago, are now encumbrances that slow down your service to God. What becomes important to you is God's purpose and accomplishing something for His glory. This is where we finally stop jabbering about everything that we think we want, and ask the question: Father, what is it that you want?
More soon, loved ones.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
From Defeat to Victory Part II
The Light of life, alive in you, loved ones, that is what I am after. Listen to me, a few fishermen and a lawyer, turned the world upside down because of Christ: and we are still talking about it today. I want nothing short of you changing the world! To quote Vince Lombardi, "I'm not remotely interested in just being good." I am sick of seeing people who are unaffected by the love of the Christ they claim to serve, and I want to see people who are so moved by the love of God, that they can't stop talking about it.
So, you see, dear ones, it is not that there are only gloomy days and trouble, but it is, that we are built up and edified by those difficult and trying days. God is working to give kindness to our eyes, tenderness to our voice and gentleness to our touch. The building blocks that make you someone people look to in times of trouble, come from the hand of God. Do you understand that it is when you are undeniably hurt and broken, that the power of God rests on you? Let that sink in for a minute. The power of Christ, Paul says, rests on the humbled and weak. What was Paul through the eyes of the world, but a wee small nerd; but through kingdom eyes, you would see a lion!
Shunning trials, is frankly, to remain a baby. It is the one who looks at a trial and says: do your worst, so that the power of Christ may rest on me; who matures and becomes useful to the Master. What can anyone do, including Satan, seeing that God is for us? Not one thing, that will not fulfill His Divine purpose. And, loved one, you can be sure that purpose is not only full of Divine wisdom, but perfect love. You see, in addition to God loving you perfectly; He is making you better. He is making you to be like His Son.
More soon, loved ones.
So, you see, dear ones, it is not that there are only gloomy days and trouble, but it is, that we are built up and edified by those difficult and trying days. God is working to give kindness to our eyes, tenderness to our voice and gentleness to our touch. The building blocks that make you someone people look to in times of trouble, come from the hand of God. Do you understand that it is when you are undeniably hurt and broken, that the power of God rests on you? Let that sink in for a minute. The power of Christ, Paul says, rests on the humbled and weak. What was Paul through the eyes of the world, but a wee small nerd; but through kingdom eyes, you would see a lion!
Shunning trials, is frankly, to remain a baby. It is the one who looks at a trial and says: do your worst, so that the power of Christ may rest on me; who matures and becomes useful to the Master. What can anyone do, including Satan, seeing that God is for us? Not one thing, that will not fulfill His Divine purpose. And, loved one, you can be sure that purpose is not only full of Divine wisdom, but perfect love. You see, in addition to God loving you perfectly; He is making you better. He is making you to be like His Son.
More soon, loved ones.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
From Defeat to Victory
I know that over the past few months, we have covered some weighty topics. What can I say, sometimes life is just not fun. Sometimes it is just hard. Loved ones, I hope that you sense my heart in this: I don't write because I want to drag everybody through the dark valley; I write, because I know at any given moment any one of you may be going through the darkest of valleys. Sometimes there are dark days, and those days are so incredibly difficult with out a reassuring voice letting you know that in the worst of it: God is at work in your situation.
Listen, dear ones, it is because God is so faithful, that we can endure the worst of it; not because it's supposed to be rosy, but because it is undeniably awful, and it is supposed to be! There are trials that seem as if they will never end, not because God wants us to be miserable; but because He wants to see the best of us. Listen, if it could all be over whenever you wanted it to be: pray tell me, what would you learn from any trial? The pressure would hardly begin before we'd hit the proverbial panic button. It is in the storm and in the trial, loved ones, that God is working to build His purpose in to your heart. Not through some "bad-hair day" experience, but when God has you in the middle of a situation that indelibly puts His purpose in your heart; and that does not happen in the shallow end of the pool, but in the middle of the ocean.
Little by little over the wrestling, hurting and crying; God is giving you His plan: not in the rolling out of a blue-print, but by drawing it for you one line at a time. If there is one thing that I want you to get a hold of in it all, it is this: the hurt, the pain, indeed, the very worst of it, is evidence that God is working out His purpose in your life. It is not an absence of His love, dear soul, it is the very apex of His love, to let you endure something that levels you. Why? So, that He can make you more like His precious Son. Look at Elihu's words from the book of Job: Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. Did you catch that? "That He may be lighted with the light of life," this is exactly what God is doing. Loved one, He has to sometimes break us, so that the light of life, Jesus Christ, may shine through.
More soon, loved ones.
Listen, dear ones, it is because God is so faithful, that we can endure the worst of it; not because it's supposed to be rosy, but because it is undeniably awful, and it is supposed to be! There are trials that seem as if they will never end, not because God wants us to be miserable; but because He wants to see the best of us. Listen, if it could all be over whenever you wanted it to be: pray tell me, what would you learn from any trial? The pressure would hardly begin before we'd hit the proverbial panic button. It is in the storm and in the trial, loved ones, that God is working to build His purpose in to your heart. Not through some "bad-hair day" experience, but when God has you in the middle of a situation that indelibly puts His purpose in your heart; and that does not happen in the shallow end of the pool, but in the middle of the ocean.
Little by little over the wrestling, hurting and crying; God is giving you His plan: not in the rolling out of a blue-print, but by drawing it for you one line at a time. If there is one thing that I want you to get a hold of in it all, it is this: the hurt, the pain, indeed, the very worst of it, is evidence that God is working out His purpose in your life. It is not an absence of His love, dear soul, it is the very apex of His love, to let you endure something that levels you. Why? So, that He can make you more like His precious Son. Look at Elihu's words from the book of Job: Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. Did you catch that? "That He may be lighted with the light of life," this is exactly what God is doing. Loved one, He has to sometimes break us, so that the light of life, Jesus Christ, may shine through.
More soon, loved ones.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The Parting of the Sea
One of the best places for a Christian to find himself, is up against it. To find and feel the edge of destruction, is good for the soul. No, it's not easy, and its not what most have to say that are hocking their books; but it is very true. Standing at the edge of the sea with the most powerful army in the known world bearing down on you, face to face with destruction; that is what it takes to make a believer. A place where all hope seems lost; what can you do?
Have you ever contemplated what kind of wind it takes to part a sea? It would take something akin to a tornado, but like no tornado we've ever seen. What kind of wind parts the waters in both directions? It took sustained winds (all night and into the next day) that were powerful enough to displace a sea and then dry the sea bed. Yet, there had to be a corridor that allowed 600,000 men (on foot), plus women, plus children and livestock, to pass through unharmed. But, loved ones, up to that point, they were face to face with their own destruction.
This wasn't a difficult situation, it was an impossible situation. Ask any military man; slaves up against an army of foot soldiers, archers, horsemen and chariots? Answer: slaves lose everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. They weren't up against a battle with an undecided outcome, the were up against being slaughtered. But, dear ones, a careful reading of Scripture will tell you that God led them there, to a place where there was no escape. Why? So, that not only Israel, but the whole world would know that He alone is God.
Loved ones, as I am writing this, I am fighting desperately, the urge to Americanize this with a "and they lived happily every after." In this day and time, we have Christians the world over, "of whom the world is not worthy." Because they have followed a ten step plan? No, because they give their lives for the cause of Christ! Day in day out, beaten, robbed and tortured; and with that they maintain the testimony of Christ: they trade all for Him. Let me just ask you, have you ever wondered whose human rights are being violated and how?
Chuck Swindoll asked a question in one of his sermons that has haunted me ever since, he said, "When's the last time that you took it on the chin, for the glory of God?" I can feel this turning into a series, but I must continue. Dear soul, it is for the glory of God that you are created. In that very purpose, you may be delivered in your trial or through it. I find my self going here so often, but one of the best examples of this is Corrie and Betsy ten Boom. Betsy was delivered in her trial, and Corrie was delivered through her trial.
Betsy was delivered through God's mercy, in calling her to Himself, but not before she put the idea in Corrie's heart to go every where and tell everyone that there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. You see, loved ones, you must have a theology that says God is glorified in calling to Himself one of His own children. In the same way that He is glorified through her sister telling the world that the very same God is in the deepest darkest pit that man can create. You see, dear ones, one sister died there in that pit, but her story was told to millions by an eye witness to God's glory. Think about it: how many people will Betsy meet in glory, who are there because their heart was touched, and they came to Christ because of her story? Loved ones, what I'm asking is are you willing to go to the sea, if God doesn't part it?
Have you ever contemplated what kind of wind it takes to part a sea? It would take something akin to a tornado, but like no tornado we've ever seen. What kind of wind parts the waters in both directions? It took sustained winds (all night and into the next day) that were powerful enough to displace a sea and then dry the sea bed. Yet, there had to be a corridor that allowed 600,000 men (on foot), plus women, plus children and livestock, to pass through unharmed. But, loved ones, up to that point, they were face to face with their own destruction.
This wasn't a difficult situation, it was an impossible situation. Ask any military man; slaves up against an army of foot soldiers, archers, horsemen and chariots? Answer: slaves lose everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. They weren't up against a battle with an undecided outcome, the were up against being slaughtered. But, dear ones, a careful reading of Scripture will tell you that God led them there, to a place where there was no escape. Why? So, that not only Israel, but the whole world would know that He alone is God.
Loved ones, as I am writing this, I am fighting desperately, the urge to Americanize this with a "and they lived happily every after." In this day and time, we have Christians the world over, "of whom the world is not worthy." Because they have followed a ten step plan? No, because they give their lives for the cause of Christ! Day in day out, beaten, robbed and tortured; and with that they maintain the testimony of Christ: they trade all for Him. Let me just ask you, have you ever wondered whose human rights are being violated and how?
Chuck Swindoll asked a question in one of his sermons that has haunted me ever since, he said, "When's the last time that you took it on the chin, for the glory of God?" I can feel this turning into a series, but I must continue. Dear soul, it is for the glory of God that you are created. In that very purpose, you may be delivered in your trial or through it. I find my self going here so often, but one of the best examples of this is Corrie and Betsy ten Boom. Betsy was delivered in her trial, and Corrie was delivered through her trial.
Betsy was delivered through God's mercy, in calling her to Himself, but not before she put the idea in Corrie's heart to go every where and tell everyone that there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. You see, loved ones, you must have a theology that says God is glorified in calling to Himself one of His own children. In the same way that He is glorified through her sister telling the world that the very same God is in the deepest darkest pit that man can create. You see, dear ones, one sister died there in that pit, but her story was told to millions by an eye witness to God's glory. Think about it: how many people will Betsy meet in glory, who are there because their heart was touched, and they came to Christ because of her story? Loved ones, what I'm asking is are you willing to go to the sea, if God doesn't part it?
Saturday, January 14, 2012
316
316, who would have thought that such a big deal would have been made about how many yards passing a quarterback had in a wild card play-off game? It seems that over the years there has always been a fan in the stands with a sign, at a big game, with "John 3:16" on it. One guy has one chance to get a short message to millions. It's a Bible verse. I do think that these guys are football fans, but they have the presence of mind to honor Christ in the midst of it.
So we come to Tim Tebow. In every since, it seems that he is the genuine article: a Christian. And not because he calls himself a Christian, but because those who aren't believers call him a Christian. He routinely wore Bible verse references on his eye black in college, but when he came to the pros, the NFL would not allow it. Why? I assume it's because the aren't making a dollar off of it, but I digress. So the reason it is suddenly so popular, is that he put it in the stats of last weeks game, by throwing for 316 yards: the modern day and football equivalent to Babe Ruth calling his shot, every at bat of the game, or it was a coincidence (like any one of the million coincidences that takes place in the lives of every Christian.)
So, all the speculation that comes with a win, the story of an underdog and whether or not the young Christian will win the day have the media from all corners boiling over to put their spin on the story; and of course, an occasional blogger. So here is my take on things: in a few hours whether Tebow and the Broncos win or lose, God will still be on His throne. What I like most about it is, I believe Tim knows that, and either way he will glorify God. So, for me, I hope he has the game of his life, but if he has the worst game of his life: he's no different than any servant of God. We all have wins and loses, but the Lord knows, that right now, I'd sure welcome a win. Bless you all.
Update: 1/31/12
In case you didn't see it, the game didn't go well for the Broncos, but that's the game I love. Tebow has drawn criticism from different directions, but the loss was a team effort. One sad commentary, is that Tim is drawing criticism from Christian circles, and I think I have put my finger on why. I don't know anyone who doesn't think that he is a fine Christian; but, I think what bothers Christians is that a young man taking a few seconds to acknowledge God in a triumphant moment, is viewed as quaint by the rest of the world, and in fact just highlights how godless our society is.
So we come to Tim Tebow. In every since, it seems that he is the genuine article: a Christian. And not because he calls himself a Christian, but because those who aren't believers call him a Christian. He routinely wore Bible verse references on his eye black in college, but when he came to the pros, the NFL would not allow it. Why? I assume it's because the aren't making a dollar off of it, but I digress. So the reason it is suddenly so popular, is that he put it in the stats of last weeks game, by throwing for 316 yards: the modern day and football equivalent to Babe Ruth calling his shot, every at bat of the game, or it was a coincidence (like any one of the million coincidences that takes place in the lives of every Christian.)
So, all the speculation that comes with a win, the story of an underdog and whether or not the young Christian will win the day have the media from all corners boiling over to put their spin on the story; and of course, an occasional blogger. So here is my take on things: in a few hours whether Tebow and the Broncos win or lose, God will still be on His throne. What I like most about it is, I believe Tim knows that, and either way he will glorify God. So, for me, I hope he has the game of his life, but if he has the worst game of his life: he's no different than any servant of God. We all have wins and loses, but the Lord knows, that right now, I'd sure welcome a win. Bless you all.
Update: 1/31/12
In case you didn't see it, the game didn't go well for the Broncos, but that's the game I love. Tebow has drawn criticism from different directions, but the loss was a team effort. One sad commentary, is that Tim is drawing criticism from Christian circles, and I think I have put my finger on why. I don't know anyone who doesn't think that he is a fine Christian; but, I think what bothers Christians is that a young man taking a few seconds to acknowledge God in a triumphant moment, is viewed as quaint by the rest of the world, and in fact just highlights how godless our society is.
Friday, November 4, 2011
When we don't get what we want . . . Part II
Loved ones, I don't know how else to explain it, but Christianity that revolves around chicken dinners and church socials doesn't mean that much. I hope that by now, you understand that I am not shunning fellowships with other believers; but it was when Jesus saw that the crowds were showing up to fill there bellies, that He told them that they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood. He offended them, and many of them stopped following Him. But the same is true for us today. What Christ is challenging them to do, is to take Him from the outside to the inside. When a man eats bread, the bread disappears; and even a small child understands that the bread goes from the outside of a man to the inside. That, loved ones, is where the nourishing begins. When we imbibe Christ, He nourishes us from inside. It is only, Christ on the inside, that transforms a man into a servant of the Most High God.
It is then, dear souls, in the worst of it, that Christ becomes life and peace; not when He is one of a dozen things that we fancy, but when we can't breathe with out Him, because with out Him we do not know how we will make it to the next day. It is when our lives are broken into pieces, that we experience God. What do I mean by that? Even a novice can sail with a light breeze, but it takes stormy seas to make a sailor: experience. How are you ever going to learn what it means for God to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think in love, unless you are so broken that only God can help you?
What are you doing, Father, that you would allow me to be hurt this way? I'm making you more like Jesus.
Listen to me, dear ones, God is working in us to make us more like His precious Son. It is the greatest love, that this Father allows His children to be hurt, not to their ruin, but to their benefit. When Christ fed the 5,000, He didn't wink at His disciples and say watch this: He was moved with compassion for them; and then He said bring me what you have, then He blessed it and fed them all. Are you moved with compassion to help others? My father, on one of our drives together, told me, "Son, you don't love people in spite of their weakness; you love them because of it." Where else will that compassion come from, unless you become so intimately aware of your own helpless state? But, it is here, loved ones, that God can be seen working through you. Look at Peter's answer when Christ asked if they would leave Him as well, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." Bless you all.
It is then, dear souls, in the worst of it, that Christ becomes life and peace; not when He is one of a dozen things that we fancy, but when we can't breathe with out Him, because with out Him we do not know how we will make it to the next day. It is when our lives are broken into pieces, that we experience God. What do I mean by that? Even a novice can sail with a light breeze, but it takes stormy seas to make a sailor: experience. How are you ever going to learn what it means for God to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think in love, unless you are so broken that only God can help you?
What are you doing, Father, that you would allow me to be hurt this way? I'm making you more like Jesus.
Listen to me, dear ones, God is working in us to make us more like His precious Son. It is the greatest love, that this Father allows His children to be hurt, not to their ruin, but to their benefit. When Christ fed the 5,000, He didn't wink at His disciples and say watch this: He was moved with compassion for them; and then He said bring me what you have, then He blessed it and fed them all. Are you moved with compassion to help others? My father, on one of our drives together, told me, "Son, you don't love people in spite of their weakness; you love them because of it." Where else will that compassion come from, unless you become so intimately aware of your own helpless state? But, it is here, loved ones, that God can be seen working through you. Look at Peter's answer when Christ asked if they would leave Him as well, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." Bless you all.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
When we don't get what we want
What happens when you pray about something over and over again? You feel quite sure that this is where God is leading you, and yet, the results are not at all what you expected, certainly not what you wanted. The questions fill you mind, and you wonder if you were just completely out in left field. When you love the Lord and pray daily, it is incredibly troubling to believe that you are following His will, and then you find yourself up against something you can't believe that you are facing. Something that just levels you. You go from being sure that you are following God, to wondering if you were not following God at all. It is so incredibly painful, when everything that you believed is dashed to bits in front of you. You know that God is faithful, and you are left with no answers.
Loved ones, sometimes it is right in the middle of God's will, to put us up against something that just breaks us. I'm sorry, but there are no pretty words for what I am talking about. It is not just a loss of hope, or getting hurt; it is a profound wondering if you have spent weeks, months or years of your life not being able to discern the will of God. When eyes that you once knew love in are suddenly filled with hatred; how do you get up the next morning? When you are assured that you no longer belong, and one by one other friends turn away; where do you find any strength to go on? When your heart is so abstrusely broken; what can you do?
In my Bible reading, I ran across the 88th Psalm. It was stunning, because heretofore, I thought even the most lamenting psalms offered some silver lining: a reason for the badness. This one ends with a man crying out to God, with no answer or reason for his trouble. Matthew Henry offers this, "Those who are in trouble of mind may sing this psalm feelingly; those that are not ought to sing it thankfully, blessing God that it is not their case." It's an astounding measuring rod for trouble, though. Is God willing for one to end up like this?
Is this in God's plan? Dear ones, I know that I can not adequately speak for God's reasoning, nor is He obliged to share it with any of us; but this I do know, God is faithful even in the worst of it. Let me tell you another story, and see if you see a parallel. A king sent his prince to his people. He loved them, he taught them and he even healed them. This prince traveled through his kingdom giving bread, but not like any other bread; he gave them water and they didn't thirst any more. Even the children were given an audience with the prince. But some in the kingdom, didn't love the prince, the ones who should have loved him the most, hated him, the nobles of the kingdom. The scattered his friends, and they turned the people he loved against him. They beat him, they tortured him and killed him. Three days later, miraculously, the prince came back to life, and here is the beautiful part: he loved them still.
Psalm 88
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 88
Loved ones, sometimes it is right in the middle of God's will, to put us up against something that just breaks us. I'm sorry, but there are no pretty words for what I am talking about. It is not just a loss of hope, or getting hurt; it is a profound wondering if you have spent weeks, months or years of your life not being able to discern the will of God. When eyes that you once knew love in are suddenly filled with hatred; how do you get up the next morning? When you are assured that you no longer belong, and one by one other friends turn away; where do you find any strength to go on? When your heart is so abstrusely broken; what can you do?
In my Bible reading, I ran across the 88th Psalm. It was stunning, because heretofore, I thought even the most lamenting psalms offered some silver lining: a reason for the badness. This one ends with a man crying out to God, with no answer or reason for his trouble. Matthew Henry offers this, "Those who are in trouble of mind may sing this psalm feelingly; those that are not ought to sing it thankfully, blessing God that it is not their case." It's an astounding measuring rod for trouble, though. Is God willing for one to end up like this?
Is this in God's plan? Dear ones, I know that I can not adequately speak for God's reasoning, nor is He obliged to share it with any of us; but this I do know, God is faithful even in the worst of it. Let me tell you another story, and see if you see a parallel. A king sent his prince to his people. He loved them, he taught them and he even healed them. This prince traveled through his kingdom giving bread, but not like any other bread; he gave them water and they didn't thirst any more. Even the children were given an audience with the prince. But some in the kingdom, didn't love the prince, the ones who should have loved him the most, hated him, the nobles of the kingdom. The scattered his friends, and they turned the people he loved against him. They beat him, they tortured him and killed him. Three days later, miraculously, the prince came back to life, and here is the beautiful part: he loved them still.
Psalm 88
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 88
Monday, October 31, 2011
Spiritual Warfare
Do you ever run up against God telling you to do something, that you just don't want to do? It is a miserable experience. You don't want to do what God wants, because you want to hold on to whatever "it" is. It may be a grudge, a lifestyle that you aren't willing to give up or some behavior that is giving you some kind of payoff, that is contrary to what God wants. You know what God wants, because His Holy Spirit is an in-dwelling guide to the believer. So we engage in church talk; "I've been praying about it", "I want to do what the Lord wants" or some derivative that will placate anybody who might actually be able to help you.
Let's clear a few things up: if God tells you to forgive somebody, then that is what you have to do, if God tells you to stop behaving a particular way, it's with good reason. You can not improve on the divine perfect will of God, but you can get in line with it. But you don't know how they hurt me! Well, you don't know what a wreck your life is going to be with you choking on your own hatred. So, you want to make them pay for what they have done: then what? Boy, you really let them know how they hurt you! Did it change the hurt? Does making them hurt make you feel better? If it does: you need to understand that doesn't come from God. Little anger fantasies that brood in your mind are plainly the work of the evil one. You need to recognize that, confess it and run to God whenever it happens until you break the cycle. Satan is going to come back again and again right down that same path, until you release it to God, and sanctify Christ as the Lord of the situation. Suppose you just check out, here's what you are doing: you are surrendering to the Satan, not God.
This is not what I want or don't want, this is spiritual warfare!!! The outcome of the battle is either victory through Christ; or being sidelined by the Devil, replaying the same hurt over and over until you wreck your life and the ones who love you over it. Listen to me, dear ones, you cannot handle the situation, the situation will handle you every time. You can't love, forgive or heal without God Almighty filling you with love until it spills over to others, enabling you to forgive and touching you with His healing hand. Loved one, I know (in the fullest since of the word) that it is not easy, it is not supposed to be; how else will you ever learn what God can do, if you don't see it with your own eyes? God is waiting to amaze you, and all you have to do is surrender what you can not help anyways. Bless you all.
Let's clear a few things up: if God tells you to forgive somebody, then that is what you have to do, if God tells you to stop behaving a particular way, it's with good reason. You can not improve on the divine perfect will of God, but you can get in line with it. But you don't know how they hurt me! Well, you don't know what a wreck your life is going to be with you choking on your own hatred. So, you want to make them pay for what they have done: then what? Boy, you really let them know how they hurt you! Did it change the hurt? Does making them hurt make you feel better? If it does: you need to understand that doesn't come from God. Little anger fantasies that brood in your mind are plainly the work of the evil one. You need to recognize that, confess it and run to God whenever it happens until you break the cycle. Satan is going to come back again and again right down that same path, until you release it to God, and sanctify Christ as the Lord of the situation. Suppose you just check out, here's what you are doing: you are surrendering to the Satan, not God.
This is not what I want or don't want, this is spiritual warfare!!! The outcome of the battle is either victory through Christ; or being sidelined by the Devil, replaying the same hurt over and over until you wreck your life and the ones who love you over it. Listen to me, dear ones, you cannot handle the situation, the situation will handle you every time. You can't love, forgive or heal without God Almighty filling you with love until it spills over to others, enabling you to forgive and touching you with His healing hand. Loved one, I know (in the fullest since of the word) that it is not easy, it is not supposed to be; how else will you ever learn what God can do, if you don't see it with your own eyes? God is waiting to amaze you, and all you have to do is surrender what you can not help anyways. Bless you all.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Wow, I can't believe he said that!
Most like to see new posts fairly regularly, at least that's what the stats tell me. I like to write, it's just that sometimes it gets squeezed out by everything else that is going on. Some days are tough, some days are awful, but I keep trying. Sometimes, try is all I have left. There are times in everyone's life when we get beaten up and bruised, and when you are a writer, you can put your whole life on display; in fact, I'm sure that some assume that everything I write about is tied to what's going on that day. (It's incredibly frustrating, that people think I am that simple.)
There has been a great shielding of those who remain in the faith and remain incredibly immature. By saying that, I mean, that you can be as immature as you want to be with out question, as long as you show up every Sunday (in truth, about two Sundays a month.) They are, in fact, above question and expectation because pastors across the country are compelled to put up with their nonsense, for fear that any offense my cause them to quit coming all together. I have to thank my brother for this, but we are not playing to win, we are playing to not lose. In other words, we're happy with winning sometimes. Let me just come out and say it: if you can miss a few services without any sway of conscience, your service to God is junk! If you can just as easily miss as be there, what are you giving God? I wish that I was just describing the typical pew-sitter, but some of these have been placed in charge of ministries in their church. It's disgusting!
I may be the only preacher in the world to say this, but if you don't want to be there: STAY HOME! and do so with my blessing. How can you say that?! It's incredibly easy, when you come to church with that attitude, you waste God's time, contribute nothing to worship (because you sulk that you are there, instead of home worshipping yourself) and frankly, everybody knows you'd rather be "fishing". Does God think in those terms? He said to Eli, you press your sons into the service of God, and they could care less about it; "you honor them more than you honor Me." It is better for those (I wish I could say "would-be" Christians, but truthfully, I can't even give them that much credit) to stay home. Let them go do what ever they want, and then after Satan has derailed their lives, they'll come back to God, and ask Him to put the pieces back together.
What I am saying with great certainty is this: It is high time that we start playing to win. Once and for all, decide which team that you are playing for: and then line up with them. Isn't that what Joshua said in so many words? You don't want to be there, then don't! But, if you do want to be there, get your head and heart in the game. Vince Lombardi put it this way, "If you can accept losing, you can't win." I can't accept it, and further more I'm not going to. So, if this is the team you have lined up with, I expect your best, everyday from now on! Stop telling people you are a Christian, and start showing them that you are. Listen to me, loved ones, I'm not going to change the world, you are. And is is going to take more than a life that revolves around self. I like what my brother the band director said about his marching band, he said, "As long as you try, you've got a spot on the field." "Well," to quote my friend, "there it is."
Dear brother and sister in Christ, I am not saying this because I don't need you. I need all of you, and I need you at your best. Bless you all.
There has been a great shielding of those who remain in the faith and remain incredibly immature. By saying that, I mean, that you can be as immature as you want to be with out question, as long as you show up every Sunday (in truth, about two Sundays a month.) They are, in fact, above question and expectation because pastors across the country are compelled to put up with their nonsense, for fear that any offense my cause them to quit coming all together. I have to thank my brother for this, but we are not playing to win, we are playing to not lose. In other words, we're happy with winning sometimes. Let me just come out and say it: if you can miss a few services without any sway of conscience, your service to God is junk! If you can just as easily miss as be there, what are you giving God? I wish that I was just describing the typical pew-sitter, but some of these have been placed in charge of ministries in their church. It's disgusting!
I may be the only preacher in the world to say this, but if you don't want to be there: STAY HOME! and do so with my blessing. How can you say that?! It's incredibly easy, when you come to church with that attitude, you waste God's time, contribute nothing to worship (because you sulk that you are there, instead of home worshipping yourself) and frankly, everybody knows you'd rather be "fishing". Does God think in those terms? He said to Eli, you press your sons into the service of God, and they could care less about it; "you honor them more than you honor Me." It is better for those (I wish I could say "would-be" Christians, but truthfully, I can't even give them that much credit) to stay home. Let them go do what ever they want, and then after Satan has derailed their lives, they'll come back to God, and ask Him to put the pieces back together.
What I am saying with great certainty is this: It is high time that we start playing to win. Once and for all, decide which team that you are playing for: and then line up with them. Isn't that what Joshua said in so many words? You don't want to be there, then don't! But, if you do want to be there, get your head and heart in the game. Vince Lombardi put it this way, "If you can accept losing, you can't win." I can't accept it, and further more I'm not going to. So, if this is the team you have lined up with, I expect your best, everyday from now on! Stop telling people you are a Christian, and start showing them that you are. Listen to me, loved ones, I'm not going to change the world, you are. And is is going to take more than a life that revolves around self. I like what my brother the band director said about his marching band, he said, "As long as you try, you've got a spot on the field." "Well," to quote my friend, "there it is."
Dear brother and sister in Christ, I am not saying this because I don't need you. I need all of you, and I need you at your best. Bless you all.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Following God off a cliff . . . Part III
I read a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he said, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Dear ones, that is the unvarnished truth. I wish that so many were not "sold" on coming to Christ, but it happens over and over again. Too many, offer Christ as a cure-all for whatever ails you. I don't for a minute try to hide the fact that Christ will change your life, but so many are trained to hide how he will change it. Loved ones, most of the world's Christians are paying a higher personal cost for their faith than we here in America have ever known. They, in some countries are persecuted, and in others, they pay for their faith with their lives, and they do so willingly. That is what separates Christianity from every other form of religion, people willing give their lives rather than say that they don't believe in Christ. Lions hearts in lambs bodies, that's what makes us so incredibly different.
Loved one, listen to me, God is working in your life, and it is not going to be easy. Dear souls, we are in the relentless pursuit of perfection, that means we can't check out. J.B. Phillips puts it this way:
When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed...
Has anything in your whole experience ever taught you that growing up is easy? So, why in the world do we have preachers, of all people, trying to endure the worst of it, and at the same time, try to present to others how easy it is. Man of God, let your people deal with some of life's heartaches, so that they can grow up. Quit hiding the fact that trouble comes to everyone, especially to those who believe. Let them come to terms with the fact that when you stand in the pulpit, nothing you say can be categorized as "Easy for him to say."
Listen, loved ones, we are all in this together. God loves you too much, to let you remain in your comfortable existence, and spend the rest of your life minimally contributing to His work. Dear ones, we all get knocked down, but what I want you to get, is that you have to be one of the ones who will not stay down. Let me give you a word picture: when you get knocked down, and you get up bearing the weight of your trial, you find grace with God. You are admired by God! When Steven preached the sermon that ended his life, the very last thing that he saw, was Christ, not seated at the right hand of the Father, but so filled with admiration, that He rose to His feet, to welcome Him to glory! Loved ones, that is the way that you want to go. If you've imbibed the notion that too many peddle, that Christ offers a life of ease; then it's time you get your proper introduction to Christianity. Bless you all.
Loved one, listen to me, God is working in your life, and it is not going to be easy. Dear souls, we are in the relentless pursuit of perfection, that means we can't check out. J.B. Phillips puts it this way:
When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed...
Has anything in your whole experience ever taught you that growing up is easy? So, why in the world do we have preachers, of all people, trying to endure the worst of it, and at the same time, try to present to others how easy it is. Man of God, let your people deal with some of life's heartaches, so that they can grow up. Quit hiding the fact that trouble comes to everyone, especially to those who believe. Let them come to terms with the fact that when you stand in the pulpit, nothing you say can be categorized as "Easy for him to say."
Listen, loved ones, we are all in this together. God loves you too much, to let you remain in your comfortable existence, and spend the rest of your life minimally contributing to His work. Dear ones, we all get knocked down, but what I want you to get, is that you have to be one of the ones who will not stay down. Let me give you a word picture: when you get knocked down, and you get up bearing the weight of your trial, you find grace with God. You are admired by God! When Steven preached the sermon that ended his life, the very last thing that he saw, was Christ, not seated at the right hand of the Father, but so filled with admiration, that He rose to His feet, to welcome Him to glory! Loved ones, that is the way that you want to go. If you've imbibed the notion that too many peddle, that Christ offers a life of ease; then it's time you get your proper introduction to Christianity. Bless you all.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Following God off a cliff . . . Part II
Loved ones, these trials are those that have resulted in so many checking out of the ministry, and truthfully, countless others who were not in leadership positions to leave the faith. I'm not for a second trying to diminish the fact that these trials hurt and cause terrible pain. Listen to me, the difference between those whom we look to as beacons of the faith, or those whom we look to with a sigh as to what they might have been in the faith, are made by these trials and their response to them. This is why it is off absolute importance that we respond properly to them. Peter tells us, that when we bear up under our trials, that we find grace with God; and dear soul, you can not make it through these rough waters without that Divine grace.
To those of you who are teetering on the brink, let me tell you, don't check out, do you hear me? Don't in a few hours, throw away what God has been taking a life time to build in you. God has never quit on you, so don't you dare quit on Him! I know that this life can be so unbelievably hard, but that can not be an excuse for giving up, ever. You have to guard yourself against the evil one, and alone and discouraged is exactly how he wants you. You can't allow your hurt to be a reason that you seek comfort by some means outside of God's plan. It is not okay to sin, because you are hurting. You have to be watching most intently when you are in such dire straits, to make sure that you don't seek some relief from your hurt out of God's plan and into Satan's.
Listen, loved one, I know that you may have broached a subject that you never thought you would face, but in it all and through it all, God is there beside you. As William Blake put it, "Think not thou canst weep a tear, And thy Maker is not near." Turn to God, and draw closer to Him. The eyes of God are upon you, and most certainly, when you are facing great difficulty. He wants to see you trust in Him, and indeed these trials make it necessarily so. Dear ones, this is not easy stuff, but if no one ever shares the struggles of their faith, where do we leave those who come after us. Oh, they were bullet proof, until one great trial of their faith, and they just quit all together. No!!! Loved ones, these trials are so that we have something to share with our younger brothers and sisters. Do you get it? When we have found the comfort of God offers to us in these terrible trials, then we can share that consolation with those who look to us for answers. God is at work, making you some one that others will look up to! Dear souls, there is more at stake than just your broken heart: now, more than ever, it is imperative that you stay faithful to God. Bless you all.
To those of you who are teetering on the brink, let me tell you, don't check out, do you hear me? Don't in a few hours, throw away what God has been taking a life time to build in you. God has never quit on you, so don't you dare quit on Him! I know that this life can be so unbelievably hard, but that can not be an excuse for giving up, ever. You have to guard yourself against the evil one, and alone and discouraged is exactly how he wants you. You can't allow your hurt to be a reason that you seek comfort by some means outside of God's plan. It is not okay to sin, because you are hurting. You have to be watching most intently when you are in such dire straits, to make sure that you don't seek some relief from your hurt out of God's plan and into Satan's.
Listen, loved one, I know that you may have broached a subject that you never thought you would face, but in it all and through it all, God is there beside you. As William Blake put it, "Think not thou canst weep a tear, And thy Maker is not near." Turn to God, and draw closer to Him. The eyes of God are upon you, and most certainly, when you are facing great difficulty. He wants to see you trust in Him, and indeed these trials make it necessarily so. Dear ones, this is not easy stuff, but if no one ever shares the struggles of their faith, where do we leave those who come after us. Oh, they were bullet proof, until one great trial of their faith, and they just quit all together. No!!! Loved ones, these trials are so that we have something to share with our younger brothers and sisters. Do you get it? When we have found the comfort of God offers to us in these terrible trials, then we can share that consolation with those who look to us for answers. God is at work, making you some one that others will look up to! Dear souls, there is more at stake than just your broken heart: now, more than ever, it is imperative that you stay faithful to God. Bless you all.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Following God off a cliff . . .
Have you ever felt like you have followed God closely, and then you find yourself in a situation that you can hardly believe? I have. I seem to live in such situations. I'm not talking about a little discomfort, I am talking about full-on devastation. How could God allow something like this to happen to me? If you haven't said it, I have. Does God really allow those who follow Him to be hurt? The simple answer is: yes. I know that isn't pleasant to hear, but it's true. Listen to the words of the apostle Peter, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." The opposite side of that coin is this: Fiery trials that come upon you to test you, are perfectly normal. Why? Because, if you are not careful, especially as a Christ-follower, you can sit in the same place for decades; never growing, never learning or getting any closer to God. Sometimes, God allows us to be sifted; beaten, broken, and winnowed so that the chaff of our existence can be blown away.
That is why a devastating test is not to be counted as a strange thing. Dear one, if I haven't answered the question can it happen, well enough: it can and will happen. It happens, not to leave us broken, but so that we can be made whole. Let me tell you, loved one, this is not easy stuff, but I want to share with you something from Roy Underhill. He writes in his one of his book about making half-blind dovetails, which will be Greek to you, unless you have an understanding of fine furniture or of the cabinet makers trade. After he explains in detail how to make them, he describes the process as crossing a mountain and then peering in to the valley of cabinet makers. So the point of it all is this, a hack that can cobble together a bookshelf, cannot make half-blind dovetails, but a skilled cabinet maker can. You see, these things are only produced by those who have a great degree of skill with the tools of their trade. Decidedly difficult, hard to 
accomplish, but anyone who sees them instantly recognizes the mark of craftsmanship. Listen to me, loved ones, we have way too many saints cobbling together orange crate book shelves, and we are in desperate want of those who can build a case and fit it with a half-blind dovetailed drawer.
I hope that you get, that I am saying that we are lacking Christians who are mature in their faith, skilled in the Word and able to pass what they have learned on to others. It is only through those most difficult situations, that literally drive you to your knees, that you learn to completely rely on God. Those trials that hit you will all the subtlety of a bomb going off, that make you cry from you heart and send you looking for answers, drive you to God's word to look for them. It is not in any way an absence of God's faithfulness; it is the pinnacle of His faithfulness. Charles Stanley said in a sermon once, "I've never seen God do anything with a comfortable Christian." He's right! God, who loves you perfectly, will allow pain into your life, because He loves you, and He doesn't have any intention of leaving you the way that you started off. He wants you to move on to maturity. Listen, dear souls, it is absolutely necessary that you grow to maturity, and if you haven't recognized that, then it is time that you start. More coming, dear ones.
That is why a devastating test is not to be counted as a strange thing. Dear one, if I haven't answered the question can it happen, well enough: it can and will happen. It happens, not to leave us broken, but so that we can be made whole. Let me tell you, loved one, this is not easy stuff, but I want to share with you something from Roy Underhill. He writes in his one of his book about making half-blind dovetails, which will be Greek to you, unless you have an understanding of fine furniture or of the cabinet makers trade. After he explains in detail how to make them, he describes the process as crossing a mountain and then peering in to the valley of cabinet makers. So the point of it all is this, a hack that can cobble together a bookshelf, cannot make half-blind dovetails, but a skilled cabinet maker can. You see, these things are only produced by those who have a great degree of skill with the tools of their trade. Decidedly difficult, hard to 
accomplish, but anyone who sees them instantly recognizes the mark of craftsmanship. Listen to me, loved ones, we have way too many saints cobbling together orange crate book shelves, and we are in desperate want of those who can build a case and fit it with a half-blind dovetailed drawer. I hope that you get, that I am saying that we are lacking Christians who are mature in their faith, skilled in the Word and able to pass what they have learned on to others. It is only through those most difficult situations, that literally drive you to your knees, that you learn to completely rely on God. Those trials that hit you will all the subtlety of a bomb going off, that make you cry from you heart and send you looking for answers, drive you to God's word to look for them. It is not in any way an absence of God's faithfulness; it is the pinnacle of His faithfulness. Charles Stanley said in a sermon once, "I've never seen God do anything with a comfortable Christian." He's right! God, who loves you perfectly, will allow pain into your life, because He loves you, and He doesn't have any intention of leaving you the way that you started off. He wants you to move on to maturity. Listen, dear souls, it is absolutely necessary that you grow to maturity, and if you haven't recognized that, then it is time that you start. More coming, dear ones.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Give and it shall be given . . .
Give and it shall be given to you; I've heard that often, but I'm not sure I ever really understood it, especially the part about "good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over." I finally began to comprehend this when I came across what Matthew Poole had to say about it:
Nothing can more concur to make good measure, than the shaking of the bushel, the crowding and pressing down of the corn or meal with the hand, and the pouring in till the measure runneth over.
If we all grew up in an agrarian society, we would immediately understand this concept, but for many today, if they were given a bushel of anything, they wouldn't know what to do with it. If my sister-in-law were given a bushel of tomatoes, she would probably can them; if I were given a bushel of tomatoes, I'd be eating a tomato or two with every meal, including breakfast, until they were gone or spoiled. But, I digress, the point is the concept of a bushel basket filled with grain. It is one thing to get a bushel basket that grain has been scooped or poured; it is quite another to get a bushel basket that has been shaken, so that there are no air pockets, pressed down or compacted so that it increases in weight, and then running over the top, so that the container literally holds all that is possible. How does that sound for a blessing?
I once worked with a young man that told me he had to pay his tithes, so that his sales would be good. That expresses the attitude of so many, I'll be happy to give, so long as I get. Said or unsaid, that's why many give: at least this young man was honest about it. Everybody likes the idea of taking home a packed bushel, but how many of us like to send others away with a full and overflowing bushel. I hope that you get that I am talking about more that bushel baskets. Lord, I've put in twenty whole dollars, now open the floodgates and pour out a blessing that I can't contain.
Do you give that way, or do you pack the bushel? But wait, I want to hear more about the way God gives. Listen, God isn't honored by those who only use Him as a means to the end of getting what they want. Let me revisit the previous example, what if you gave one of your friends twenty bucks, how long do you think they would put up with you acting like they owed you, big. After about five minutes they would say, "Here's your twenty bucks back, jerk." Look, if people can see the intent of your heart that easily, how much do you think that you can hide from the One who created you?
This is what I am trying to get across to you; God is not weighing grain, He is weighing what is in your heart. He said, "Prove Me," not, wait till I start giving to you and then you start giving back to me. God measures what is in your heart, the very same way that you measure what is in the basket. Think about the widow with her two mite offering. She gave, in common language, what she was going to eat on. She stared down the decision to meet her physical need or give to the Lord; and she decided to go with out, so that she could give an offering to God. Let me tell you what happened in the spiritual realm; she packed that basket so full, it started to burst, and she was honored for all time by Christ. When you give to God that way, He will honor you too. Bless you all.
Nothing can more concur to make good measure, than the shaking of the bushel, the crowding and pressing down of the corn or meal with the hand, and the pouring in till the measure runneth over.
If we all grew up in an agrarian society, we would immediately understand this concept, but for many today, if they were given a bushel of anything, they wouldn't know what to do with it. If my sister-in-law were given a bushel of tomatoes, she would probably can them; if I were given a bushel of tomatoes, I'd be eating a tomato or two with every meal, including breakfast, until they were gone or spoiled. But, I digress, the point is the concept of a bushel basket filled with grain. It is one thing to get a bushel basket that grain has been scooped or poured; it is quite another to get a bushel basket that has been shaken, so that there are no air pockets, pressed down or compacted so that it increases in weight, and then running over the top, so that the container literally holds all that is possible. How does that sound for a blessing?
I once worked with a young man that told me he had to pay his tithes, so that his sales would be good. That expresses the attitude of so many, I'll be happy to give, so long as I get. Said or unsaid, that's why many give: at least this young man was honest about it. Everybody likes the idea of taking home a packed bushel, but how many of us like to send others away with a full and overflowing bushel. I hope that you get that I am talking about more that bushel baskets. Lord, I've put in twenty whole dollars, now open the floodgates and pour out a blessing that I can't contain.
Do you give that way, or do you pack the bushel? But wait, I want to hear more about the way God gives. Listen, God isn't honored by those who only use Him as a means to the end of getting what they want. Let me revisit the previous example, what if you gave one of your friends twenty bucks, how long do you think they would put up with you acting like they owed you, big. After about five minutes they would say, "Here's your twenty bucks back, jerk." Look, if people can see the intent of your heart that easily, how much do you think that you can hide from the One who created you?
This is what I am trying to get across to you; God is not weighing grain, He is weighing what is in your heart. He said, "Prove Me," not, wait till I start giving to you and then you start giving back to me. God measures what is in your heart, the very same way that you measure what is in the basket. Think about the widow with her two mite offering. She gave, in common language, what she was going to eat on. She stared down the decision to meet her physical need or give to the Lord; and she decided to go with out, so that she could give an offering to God. Let me tell you what happened in the spiritual realm; she packed that basket so full, it started to burst, and she was honored for all time by Christ. When you give to God that way, He will honor you too. Bless you all.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Coping with Depression . . . The Survival Kit
These are the things that will help you most in dealing with depression.
1. Read your Bible daily, at least a chapter.
2. Pray, not just a prayer from the time you get into bed and your head hits the pillow. Take your shoes off. Get on your face before God first thing in the morning. Pour out your heart to God, and then wait and listen. Get up when God says your done.
3. Go to church every time the doors are open, and then see if you can get a mature saint to meet you there and open the doors to pray with you and counsel with you.
4. Get out of bed, and get out of the house, spend time doing something fun.
5. Cry when you need to cry.
6. Adopt a loving and forgiving spirit.
7. Let God handle all of the things you can't.
Bless you all loved ones.
1. Read your Bible daily, at least a chapter.
2. Pray, not just a prayer from the time you get into bed and your head hits the pillow. Take your shoes off. Get on your face before God first thing in the morning. Pour out your heart to God, and then wait and listen. Get up when God says your done.
3. Go to church every time the doors are open, and then see if you can get a mature saint to meet you there and open the doors to pray with you and counsel with you.
4. Get out of bed, and get out of the house, spend time doing something fun.
5. Cry when you need to cry.
6. Adopt a loving and forgiving spirit.
7. Let God handle all of the things you can't.
Bless you all loved ones.
Coping with Depression . . . The Power of Surrender Part III
Surrender is the diving board to freedom. Listen, when you trust God enough to let go of the hurts and let Him take care of the circumstances that you can't control anyway; you give God room to work in the situation. Why else would He say, "Be still and know that I am God?" You have two options: Let God work in the situation, and leave the results up to Him, or you can have a daily conniption fit and scream and cry why me. You are not going to be happy, if you constantly push God out of the way and try to do His work, for which you are not equipped. But, if you yield, in the fullest since of the word, to God and His providence, He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than you could ask or think.
Surrender to God's will, is the very thing that puts you in God's will. Look, it is one thing if you suffer for what you deserve, but it is quite another to suffer for something that you don't deserve. When you surrender to God's will and bear up under the trial, the Bible tells us that it is there, that you find grace. Do you understand that in the worst of circumstance, that you can then be honored by the Father? Loved one, there are servants of God this world is not worthy of, according to Scripture. It is because, they choose the will of God, not matter the cost. What you get in return for choosing God's will is peace.
Dear one, you must understand that you need the peace of God to make it through any trial, and that only comes with surrender. Let me just tell you plainly, if you have a score to settle: you are wasting your life. God is not interested in you vindicating yourself while passing yourself off as a Christian: that's right, no matter how well versed you are in getting your pint of blood, God doesn't have anything to do with it. Loved one, submit yourself underneath His mighty hand, let Him deal with what you are not capable of dealing with anyway. Follow God, and trust the situation to God's care, and find the freedom that comes from surrender.
Surrender to God's will, is the very thing that puts you in God's will. Look, it is one thing if you suffer for what you deserve, but it is quite another to suffer for something that you don't deserve. When you surrender to God's will and bear up under the trial, the Bible tells us that it is there, that you find grace. Do you understand that in the worst of circumstance, that you can then be honored by the Father? Loved one, there are servants of God this world is not worthy of, according to Scripture. It is because, they choose the will of God, not matter the cost. What you get in return for choosing God's will is peace.
Dear one, you must understand that you need the peace of God to make it through any trial, and that only comes with surrender. Let me just tell you plainly, if you have a score to settle: you are wasting your life. God is not interested in you vindicating yourself while passing yourself off as a Christian: that's right, no matter how well versed you are in getting your pint of blood, God doesn't have anything to do with it. Loved one, submit yourself underneath His mighty hand, let Him deal with what you are not capable of dealing with anyway. Follow God, and trust the situation to God's care, and find the freedom that comes from surrender.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)