I recently parted with a huge amount of printed materials, reference books, and the like from my bookshelves. I was paring down to the critical few that I really wanted to keep because I use them from time to time. Most of what I can research today is online, so I even find myself not going to Webster's on the shelf so much, but the dictionary that is online when I need to look up a spelling or find the meaning / origin of the word. I recently had to go back to my trusty dictionary to look up an all too familiar word. I was surprised at the primary definition I discovered, as it really was not my first impression of the word. The word I sought out was "cynic". The primary definition is a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and then disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view. I thought a cynic was a nay-sayer - one who just opposed things because they had a genuinely "sour" disposition in life! I also believed it was possibly a person who just had been "burnt" so many times in life they no longer believed positive or uplifting things to be possible, but that definition goes way beyond my first impression of the word.
Cynics look high and low for wisdom—and never find it; the open-minded find it right on their doorstep! (Proverbs 14:6)
Cynics - those who think human beings are basically motivated by selfish actions - have a hard time finding wisdom according to our passage today. Those who cannot entertain an opposing point of view have a hard time coming to a place of learning from their experiences, because experience is made richer when we are able to see the opposing point of view, even though we may not always agree with it. They also have a hard time learning so as to gain wisdom - wisdom is often found when realize a point of view other than our own. The cynic looks high and low - not just settling. They are on a quest - although they are looking, wisdom is just something they have a hard time finding! This means the cynic is not really "disinterested" totally in finding wisdom - he or she is just having a hard time wrapping their hands around it because they have a basic "bent" which causes them to not realize it is right in front of them! They don't see it because they have blinders that prevent them from perceiving it.
Know anyone who fits this type of personality - kind of a rebel of sorts, or one you may not really like to associate with all the time? Always suspicious of the actions of another - believing they must be doing whatever it is they are doing in order to gain something for themselves. This makes for a miserable view of life. To believe all action - both human and divine - is centered in selfish ambition minimizes any action of love or grace - no wonder the cynic has a miserable bent on life. It also makes for a life in which trust is elusive - they cannot find a place of trust within relationship, nor can they give it. No wonder they struggle with finding wisdom! Wisdom has a basis in trust - you have to experience knowledge in such a manner so as to develop a trust in it. For example, if you open a package of meat, only to be encountered with an odd smell, you might not "trust" the meat is fit for consumption. What led you to this conclusion? Perhaps it was the memory of the "smell" of rotting garbage you experienced on a hot summer day when you lifted the lid of your outside trash receptacle to throw away something. That pungent smell left an impression of something being "rotten" and not really good for eating! When you open the package of meat, a little off-color in appearance, the "smell" confirms your suspicion - it is rotting!
What happened when you lifted the trash can lid? You developed a memory of the "bad smell" and equated that smell with all things we call "garbage". What happened when you opened the package of spoiled meat? You "recalled" the memory. When you threw the package of spoiled meat in the trash instead of consuming it, you were exercising wisdom (practical application of knowledge). The cynic has a hard time with wisdom because they stop short of applying the knowledge. Why? Perhaps it is the past experience the cynic has had with "knowledge" of some sort. If they reached out to take a pretty flower into their hand and were stung by a bee the first time they did this, they likely would not "trust" flowers to be safe and enjoyable again no matter how pretty or inviting they looked! We "filter" all kinds of things through our minds and form memories of them in some fashion. Those memories go a long way in helping us interpret new "knowledge" as it comes our way. Right or wrong - we apply what we came to believe by our past experience and interpret all of life through that perspective or vantage point.
The cynic is best served by learning to trust afresh - something they will struggle with a bit, but if they just begin small and work their way up to bigger areas of trust within relationships, this will begin to turn the tides for them. The second part of our verse does not just speak of the wise - it speaks of the hope a cynic has in learning to open their mind to a new perspective in life. Not every "memory" of life is a good one to trust - it may have been captured and then retained, but every memory is not a wise one to entertain. We need the wisdom of Christ to help us sort out the ones which actually keep us from experiencing all the good in life God has prepared for his kids. When we come to Christ with open minds, he delights in filling them with "memories" we can trust! The cynic isn't helpless - he or she just needs to start small and allow the memories to be revisited, reviewed in the light of scripture, and renewed if suitable for keeping, discarded if not. Just sayin!
A daily study in the Word of God. Simple, life-transforming tools to help you grow in Christ.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Balanced, not going anywhere, and resourceful
My niece has goats on her property and I am always amazed at their activities. They jump up onto higher objects like gravity didn't exist, balancing precariously on a slim edge of board like they didn't fear falling, and all the while try to keep each other away from their favored 'perch'. They would eat continuously and what goes in must come out the other end - almost continuously, as well! They butt into areas they shouldn't be into, cleverly finding ways to find stored food, and taunting others in the pasture with them if they have the chance. Interesting animals indeed. It is almost like they are the 'owners' of the pasture. Do you ever think God a little comical in what he records in scripture? Sometimes you come across something you know is really not "comical", but when you see it, you cannot help yourself - you laugh! Yep....that's what happened when I came across the portion of scripture which described a goat as a "solemn dignitary" - because I have observed it first-hand in her very pasture!
There are three solemn dignitaries, four that are impressive in their bearing—a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none; a rooster, proud and strutting; a billy goat; a head of state in stately procession.
(Proverbs 30:29-31)
There are three solemn dignitaries, four that are impressive in their bearing—a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none; a rooster, proud and strutting; a billy goat; a head of state in stately procession.
(Proverbs 30:29-31)
Okay...now come on...did you ever consider a goat as a "solemn dignitary" of the barnyard or pasture? I totally get why God calls the lion the king of the beasts (I've seen Lion King a time or two), and even the rooster strutting his stuff (having been in the line of a rooster's sight a time or two and feeling just a little intimidated). As is often the case, I laugh first, then consider what I laughed at! Think about the goat. First, he is pretty sure on his feet, as I described him leaping onto tall places and balancing with ease. I have tried to move one or two in her pasture and if they don't wanna move, there is a whole lot effort to get them moved - they stand their ground! What God may have been trying to show me in this passage is that each of us needs to be "solid" in our footing - balanced and grounded well.
The goat is pretty "unaffected" by the goings on around them - it is like they just don't care what the geese are making a ruckus about, or why the chickens are flapping their wings in haste. Whenever I observe these animals as part of petting zoo they are a little different. You will see some kid pulling at the horns of the goats, others trying to convince them to let them touch their noses because they are soft, and still others trying to 'herd' them so they can pet them all at once. There they stand...seemingly unaffected by the noise, the hub-bub of the moment, and all the urging to do other than what they intend to do. Maybe this is what God intended when he presents the goat as an impressive creature - the ability to not be swayed by the chaos. I think God may be talking to all of us here!
The goat is pretty resourceful in finding of food - having entered the pen a time or two with scraps from my niece's kitchen, only to find them almost sensing I had something intended just for them! They come quickly to my side and almost bowl me over to get something. They seem to make a beeline to the anyone with the food. Amazingly - they know where to look for their food! My hands are almost always empty - I just want to pet them. When they are hungry - they want more than a pat on the back! They have a way of tapping the resources available to them - they know who will provide for them and they go to the one who provides quicker than anyone else! The next time we want to laugh at something God "labels" as worthy of the status of "dignitary", perhaps we'd do well to consider what God might have to show us when we take time to really observe the one he "labels" as a 'dignitary' of sorts. I bear many labels - "mom", "daughter", "employee", "friend". The most important label I hope to wear is "faithful one". Solid in my footing, unaffected by the hub-bub of the hour, and resourceful in finding my sustenance! How about you? Just askin.
The goat is pretty "unaffected" by the goings on around them - it is like they just don't care what the geese are making a ruckus about, or why the chickens are flapping their wings in haste. Whenever I observe these animals as part of petting zoo they are a little different. You will see some kid pulling at the horns of the goats, others trying to convince them to let them touch their noses because they are soft, and still others trying to 'herd' them so they can pet them all at once. There they stand...seemingly unaffected by the noise, the hub-bub of the moment, and all the urging to do other than what they intend to do. Maybe this is what God intended when he presents the goat as an impressive creature - the ability to not be swayed by the chaos. I think God may be talking to all of us here!
The goat is pretty resourceful in finding of food - having entered the pen a time or two with scraps from my niece's kitchen, only to find them almost sensing I had something intended just for them! They come quickly to my side and almost bowl me over to get something. They seem to make a beeline to the anyone with the food. Amazingly - they know where to look for their food! My hands are almost always empty - I just want to pet them. When they are hungry - they want more than a pat on the back! They have a way of tapping the resources available to them - they know who will provide for them and they go to the one who provides quicker than anyone else! The next time we want to laugh at something God "labels" as worthy of the status of "dignitary", perhaps we'd do well to consider what God might have to show us when we take time to really observe the one he "labels" as a 'dignitary' of sorts. I bear many labels - "mom", "daughter", "employee", "friend". The most important label I hope to wear is "faithful one". Solid in my footing, unaffected by the hub-bub of the hour, and resourceful in finding my sustenance! How about you? Just askin.
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Rear-view or Full-view?
And how blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel; they wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain! God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!
(Psalm 84:5-7)
Some of us may have God in our rear-view mirror right now. It is like we look up one day and realize that he isn't in front of us any longer - we aren't following him as closely as we were at one time. Sometimes that is a result of us taking our focus off him, while at others it is more of us having drifted into just doing things by rote. We read the Word, but it is because it is habit - we aren't really getting much out of it. We say a few prayers, but it is also out of habit - we aren't really expressing our heart or listening to his. Ever start out on a journey and find yourself there, almost unaware of the twists and turns you took to get there? We all have roads we travel so frequently, we could drift into a state of total day-dreaming and still get to our destination without even noticing how we got there! The ability of reaching the destination time and time again is really based on how frequently we "travel" the same path. The more we travel it, the more every twist and turn becomes something we maneuver through with ease - oftentimes even without much thought. Have you ever considered the paths you travel with God in this manner - with frequency, but not with much thought?
When God "travels" the roads of our hearts with a frequency, we find we are on roads leading to some of the choicest destinations we could experience in life. Places like peaceful springs of his everlasting life, abundant fields of choice fruit, and lush valleys of perfect rest. I liked this illustration of "familiarity" with God - our lives like roads he travels. To me, this speaks of more than the frequency of passage - well-known by both of us. He travels in our "space" and we in his - not just passing by, but actually entering into our space. The only difference between our "mindless" travels from one point to another in a day-dreaming mode is our active participation in his "traveling" the roads of our lives. God doesn't impose himself upon us, but he does ask for us to pay attention. Those places God "frequents" in our lives are the very places we need to experience his presence and touch the most. Did you ever consider the places God seems to "frequent" in your life as "purposefully" frequented - planned out time and place that God has created just for the revelation that comes by beholding him in 'full view'? Take a moment to consider just one "place" God seems to 'end up' in your life - those places you sense his watchfulness and care over right now. It may be in the area of your emotions, your thoughts, or even him passing through the 'space' of your spoken words. In these very areas, he hopes to create lush valleys of his rest, abundant fields of the very best fruit, and springs of life galore - but we have to be attentive to his work within us! God doesn't belong in the rear-view mirror!
God-traveled lives are "affected" lives. We cannot have the passage of God's presence without the corresponding effect of his presence. It is impossible to be "touched" by God and not bear some evidence of his touch. The very frequency by which he "touches" certain "paths" in our lives is evidence of how much he wants to makes an impact in those very areas we may not even know he is desiring to travel with us. The impact may be subtle at first, but in time, the evidence of his passage will be clear to all who look upon us. We live blessed lives - simply because of the "travels" of God in our lives. We are also blessed to have a God who "travels" the same paths in us until we are affected by his passage in those areas. Even if we don't realize he is traveling the same path time and time again, we oftentimes can see the destination he is preparing us to reach. I have traveled many places, but some I know much better than others. Those places I have only visited once or twice are not well-known to me. There are no landmarks I recall with ease. Those places I travel frequently have a familiarity to them indicate the frequency of travel! God's desire is to travel our lives with such frequency so as to have our lives bespeak his travels! So, the next time you look up and realize God isn't in front of you any longer, look in the rear-view for a moment. Is he there? If so, isn't it about time you get him back in 'full-view' again? Just askin!
Some of us may have God in our rear-view mirror right now. It is like we look up one day and realize that he isn't in front of us any longer - we aren't following him as closely as we were at one time. Sometimes that is a result of us taking our focus off him, while at others it is more of us having drifted into just doing things by rote. We read the Word, but it is because it is habit - we aren't really getting much out of it. We say a few prayers, but it is also out of habit - we aren't really expressing our heart or listening to his. Ever start out on a journey and find yourself there, almost unaware of the twists and turns you took to get there? We all have roads we travel so frequently, we could drift into a state of total day-dreaming and still get to our destination without even noticing how we got there! The ability of reaching the destination time and time again is really based on how frequently we "travel" the same path. The more we travel it, the more every twist and turn becomes something we maneuver through with ease - oftentimes even without much thought. Have you ever considered the paths you travel with God in this manner - with frequency, but not with much thought?
When God "travels" the roads of our hearts with a frequency, we find we are on roads leading to some of the choicest destinations we could experience in life. Places like peaceful springs of his everlasting life, abundant fields of choice fruit, and lush valleys of perfect rest. I liked this illustration of "familiarity" with God - our lives like roads he travels. To me, this speaks of more than the frequency of passage - well-known by both of us. He travels in our "space" and we in his - not just passing by, but actually entering into our space. The only difference between our "mindless" travels from one point to another in a day-dreaming mode is our active participation in his "traveling" the roads of our lives. God doesn't impose himself upon us, but he does ask for us to pay attention. Those places God "frequents" in our lives are the very places we need to experience his presence and touch the most. Did you ever consider the places God seems to "frequent" in your life as "purposefully" frequented - planned out time and place that God has created just for the revelation that comes by beholding him in 'full view'? Take a moment to consider just one "place" God seems to 'end up' in your life - those places you sense his watchfulness and care over right now. It may be in the area of your emotions, your thoughts, or even him passing through the 'space' of your spoken words. In these very areas, he hopes to create lush valleys of his rest, abundant fields of the very best fruit, and springs of life galore - but we have to be attentive to his work within us! God doesn't belong in the rear-view mirror!
God-traveled lives are "affected" lives. We cannot have the passage of God's presence without the corresponding effect of his presence. It is impossible to be "touched" by God and not bear some evidence of his touch. The very frequency by which he "touches" certain "paths" in our lives is evidence of how much he wants to makes an impact in those very areas we may not even know he is desiring to travel with us. The impact may be subtle at first, but in time, the evidence of his passage will be clear to all who look upon us. We live blessed lives - simply because of the "travels" of God in our lives. We are also blessed to have a God who "travels" the same paths in us until we are affected by his passage in those areas. Even if we don't realize he is traveling the same path time and time again, we oftentimes can see the destination he is preparing us to reach. I have traveled many places, but some I know much better than others. Those places I have only visited once or twice are not well-known to me. There are no landmarks I recall with ease. Those places I travel frequently have a familiarity to them indicate the frequency of travel! God's desire is to travel our lives with such frequency so as to have our lives bespeak his travels! So, the next time you look up and realize God isn't in front of you any longer, look in the rear-view for a moment. Is he there? If so, isn't it about time you get him back in 'full-view' again? Just askin!
Monday, December 28, 2020
My size? GRACE!
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. Immediately the two of them did "see what's really going on"—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. (Genesis 3:6-7)
How are you doing with this 'blame' thing? Maybe hit the snooze button one too many times because of a rough night, then blame your tardiness at work on being "caught in traffic"...really, who was to blame? Perhaps a deadline passed without your work being finished, while your online shopping is all complete, and you excuse it away with just how "busy" you have been...really, who was to blame? It is silly how we try to "cover up" our little "missed steps" with all kinds of make-shift things that are really a 'cover-up', isn't it? As I was reading the story of Adam and Eve being tempted by the serpent this morning, I had the revelation of this "cover up" concept being a pretty OLD way of dealing with our short-coming! Truth is...we have been playing this 'blame game' for a long, long time!
Our "cover-ups" are nothing better than "makeshift clothes" - "cover-ups" that really don't hide all that well, aren't they? At best, they provide a "flimsy" excuse - a little 'covering' to let us have a few moments to regroup, get our stories straight, and then craft one excuse after another. Think about it - Adam and Eve had to likely remake their quickly made 'cover-ups' time and time again because leaves just don't last! Neither do our excuses! Any time we try to cover up our failures, we are trying to "make do" with our short-comings. We "improvise" - or as some may say - we try to jury-rig our "fix". I found myself suggesting the use of silicone tape to cover over something that I couldn't quite figure out how to fix the right way. This may not seem like much to you, but if you know anything about the right way to fix a leaky pipe, that isn't it! The proper "fix" would be to totally dig up the sprinkler pipe to find out where the leak was occurring and then to get the replacement parts to glue it together properly.
Healing only begins when we submit our failures to the one who can do something about them - he does way more than apply a little 'quick heal tape'. Healing began when Adam and Eve finally admitted their "naked" condition to God - explaining WHY they felt the need to cover-up. We do all kinds of things to cover our "naked" condition of soul that sin leaves us with - yet nothing adorns us in the same way as grace! Why does grace "fit" us so well as a "cover" for our sinfulness? Simply because grace is "formed" on the frame of all Christ did at the Cross. If you have ever sewed, or watched a seamstress in their craft, you will know the purpose of the "form" they use to pattern a dress. The "form" helps them provide an end-product which is beautifully "form-fitting" and uniquely designed for the individual. The Lord "form-fits" grace using the form of Christ as the "model" by which grace is made a specific 'fit' to our need! Every time I have asked God to "outfit" me with his grace, I feel so well-adorned, like it just "fits" me like a glove! When he sees me, he sees Christ. I don't know how this all works, but I do trust him to "outfit" me with the best for my life - and the "outfitting" begins whenever I stop trying to "outfit" myself with my makeshift excuse of a "covering" for my misguided responses to life's issues!
How about you? Have you considered how you are adorned today? If you have been 'settling' for the makeshift coverings that you can somehow 'craft' yourself, you may want to consider the one God has designed on the form of Christ - the one marked "MY grace is sufficient for YOUR need"! You'll love the fit! Just sayin!
How are you doing with this 'blame' thing? Maybe hit the snooze button one too many times because of a rough night, then blame your tardiness at work on being "caught in traffic"...really, who was to blame? Perhaps a deadline passed without your work being finished, while your online shopping is all complete, and you excuse it away with just how "busy" you have been...really, who was to blame? It is silly how we try to "cover up" our little "missed steps" with all kinds of make-shift things that are really a 'cover-up', isn't it? As I was reading the story of Adam and Eve being tempted by the serpent this morning, I had the revelation of this "cover up" concept being a pretty OLD way of dealing with our short-coming! Truth is...we have been playing this 'blame game' for a long, long time!
Our "cover-ups" are nothing better than "makeshift clothes" - "cover-ups" that really don't hide all that well, aren't they? At best, they provide a "flimsy" excuse - a little 'covering' to let us have a few moments to regroup, get our stories straight, and then craft one excuse after another. Think about it - Adam and Eve had to likely remake their quickly made 'cover-ups' time and time again because leaves just don't last! Neither do our excuses! Any time we try to cover up our failures, we are trying to "make do" with our short-comings. We "improvise" - or as some may say - we try to jury-rig our "fix". I found myself suggesting the use of silicone tape to cover over something that I couldn't quite figure out how to fix the right way. This may not seem like much to you, but if you know anything about the right way to fix a leaky pipe, that isn't it! The proper "fix" would be to totally dig up the sprinkler pipe to find out where the leak was occurring and then to get the replacement parts to glue it together properly.
Healing only begins when we submit our failures to the one who can do something about them - he does way more than apply a little 'quick heal tape'. Healing began when Adam and Eve finally admitted their "naked" condition to God - explaining WHY they felt the need to cover-up. We do all kinds of things to cover our "naked" condition of soul that sin leaves us with - yet nothing adorns us in the same way as grace! Why does grace "fit" us so well as a "cover" for our sinfulness? Simply because grace is "formed" on the frame of all Christ did at the Cross. If you have ever sewed, or watched a seamstress in their craft, you will know the purpose of the "form" they use to pattern a dress. The "form" helps them provide an end-product which is beautifully "form-fitting" and uniquely designed for the individual. The Lord "form-fits" grace using the form of Christ as the "model" by which grace is made a specific 'fit' to our need! Every time I have asked God to "outfit" me with his grace, I feel so well-adorned, like it just "fits" me like a glove! When he sees me, he sees Christ. I don't know how this all works, but I do trust him to "outfit" me with the best for my life - and the "outfitting" begins whenever I stop trying to "outfit" myself with my makeshift excuse of a "covering" for my misguided responses to life's issues!
How about you? Have you considered how you are adorned today? If you have been 'settling' for the makeshift coverings that you can somehow 'craft' yourself, you may want to consider the one God has designed on the form of Christ - the one marked "MY grace is sufficient for YOUR need"! You'll love the fit! Just sayin!
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Why fear?
Light, space, zest— that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. (Psalm 27:1)
Light - the very message we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in him there is no darkness at all (I John 1:5 NIV). In him we find all glory and majesty - the two things that can be said to represent 'light'. No wonder scripture repeatedly refers to God as "light" - it is not something that is so much "in" him - it is that he is the perfect and purest LIGHT that exists. There is no darkness within him because he is holy and his absolute holiness reflects in the purest of Light. If we were to describe God's holiness, we could use 'light' and we'd be 'spot on' in our descriptor.
Space - John 4:24 tells us God is "Spirit". Perhaps this is the best way for us to understand just how he can be with everyone at one time, knowing all things, and being all powerful to boot. He transcends the limitations of our finite human nature, making it hard for us to comprehend God because he doesn't fit within 'space' - he is space itself. He is above all, in all, and creator of all. As such, he is like "space". Unlimited and totally uncalculated in greatness. Try as we might, we cannot "box" God in - he is not an equation - something we can sum up! He is not limited - therefore he is beyond explanation.
Zest - he gives liveliness to all he animates and that includes each of us. In him is the inherent ability to impart the truest form of energy - that which animates and gives abundant life to a lifeless or dead soul! Sin robs us of this "animation" of spirit - God's touch restores it! I guess we might describe God as a 'life giver', but also we could describe him as the very thing that gives life that 'oomph' we all need. No wonder David stands so assured when he considers the one who is "on his side" in his daily walk! The purest of the pure - able to push back all darkness. The limitless one - powerful beyond our calculation. The one full of life - imparting life with each passage of his breath over our lives!
Afraid of no one and nothing! Why? We fear the dark, but it is time for us to recognize fully that God's light exposes what is hidden. We fear the unknown, but God's limitless supply of all things that we could ever need is ours. We fear death. but God's life is assured to those who actively choose him. Therefore, why fear? The Lord is my light and the One Who saves me. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom should I be afraid? (New Life Version) Whenever we are afraid, we are filled with apprehension, sometimes unknowingly giving into that apprehension even though we know better. When we describe ourselves as fearful, we are saying we are filled with a dread of the impending danger, evil, or pain we perceive is awaiting us.
The Lord is MY light - the one who saves ME. He is the "grip" we hold onto in the midst of impending doom - MY light, the one who saves ME. In the words of an old hymn: His eye may be on the sparrow, but he watches over ME! He is a personal God - he walks WITH us. In his carefulness over us, light dispels darkness, perceptions are enlarged, and we are reanimated again! No wonder David proclaims God as Light, Space and Zest - there is nothing quite so appropriate as those three words. Try as I might, I am at a loss to add anything else to those descriptors! Just sayin!
Saturday, December 26, 2020
Step One - Observe the Prepared Ingredients
I find myself looking down at a plate of food I have made, all very good ingredients and smelling very inviting, only to realize I have prepared a 'white' meat, 'white' veggie, and a 'white' starch! The plate is kind of 'bland' in appearance, although it smells and will taste wonderful! The action of considering how the plate would 'present' didn't even cross my mind as I prepared it. In fact, I just pulled this or that from the cabinets, fridge, and freezer - combining ingredients and seasoning just right - without even one thought to it all being rather 'bland' in appearance on those white plates. I wonder just how often we go through life, pulling this or that together without one thought to how it will all 'appear' in the end. What gets 'combined' will one day be 'presented' - we might just want to give some thought to that one! We can have all the right ingredients and still lack something in the presentation.
Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
There are times when we know we have all the "right ingredients" when it comes to living for Christ, but really haven't thought one iota about the "presentation" of what he is and has been doing with those "ingredients" in our lives. The stuff "going into" making us strong in the Lord, building us up, and producing the image of Christ in us is all there - we certainly have all the right ingredients at our disposal. Yet, we lack just a little bit in the presentation! That which isn't presented well doesn't have quite the same appeal as that which is presented with deliberate thought and focused intent, does it? The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to help us with the "presentation" of our lives in such a way that there will be evidence of the 'deliberate thought' and 'focused intent' that has gone into producing the character of Christ within.
Presentation is indeed everything! We can present almost anything as reality - but have you ever presented something so well that you almost believed it yourself? The fact we present something as reality doesn't always make it real! For years, I put a false front out there that made others think my life was this totally 'put together' kind of existence, all the while falling apart on the inside, totally insecure and frustrated with all the compromise in my life. We have been given all things for living a solid life in Christ Jesus (vs. 3). What we "do" with what we have been given definitely determines the "finished product" that will one day be on full display. If you are not sure how to live a godly life - don't fret - you have been given all the things you need (the ingredients are all prepared and ready for use)! Now we need a "tutor" to assist us with the "ingredients" and the "presentation"!
We are enabled to share in the divine image of Christ - simply by the gift of all God provides in giving us everything that goes into a life of pleasing God! We don't even need to "find" the ingredients - he gives them all to us. Do you ever remember going into the Home Economics classroom, finding a recipe laid out on the counter, and then finding all the ingredients you'd need right there? It is kind of like that with God - he does all the prep work for us! Our "mind's eye" may see the ingredients coming together in one way - while God's "divine eye" sees them in quite a different way! Because our minds are limited by finite thought and comprehension, we just don't consider all the ways God sees his graces coming together into a glorious presentation of his goodness and love in us. God knows best how to display his graces in our lives - he is the master of "presentation". We'd do well to trust him with it! Our part in the process is to lay down the 'ingredients' that only corrupt - those choices which would "taint" the freshness and goodness of what God is creating within. Just sayin!
Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
There are times when we know we have all the "right ingredients" when it comes to living for Christ, but really haven't thought one iota about the "presentation" of what he is and has been doing with those "ingredients" in our lives. The stuff "going into" making us strong in the Lord, building us up, and producing the image of Christ in us is all there - we certainly have all the right ingredients at our disposal. Yet, we lack just a little bit in the presentation! That which isn't presented well doesn't have quite the same appeal as that which is presented with deliberate thought and focused intent, does it? The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to help us with the "presentation" of our lives in such a way that there will be evidence of the 'deliberate thought' and 'focused intent' that has gone into producing the character of Christ within.
Presentation is indeed everything! We can present almost anything as reality - but have you ever presented something so well that you almost believed it yourself? The fact we present something as reality doesn't always make it real! For years, I put a false front out there that made others think my life was this totally 'put together' kind of existence, all the while falling apart on the inside, totally insecure and frustrated with all the compromise in my life. We have been given all things for living a solid life in Christ Jesus (vs. 3). What we "do" with what we have been given definitely determines the "finished product" that will one day be on full display. If you are not sure how to live a godly life - don't fret - you have been given all the things you need (the ingredients are all prepared and ready for use)! Now we need a "tutor" to assist us with the "ingredients" and the "presentation"!
We are enabled to share in the divine image of Christ - simply by the gift of all God provides in giving us everything that goes into a life of pleasing God! We don't even need to "find" the ingredients - he gives them all to us. Do you ever remember going into the Home Economics classroom, finding a recipe laid out on the counter, and then finding all the ingredients you'd need right there? It is kind of like that with God - he does all the prep work for us! Our "mind's eye" may see the ingredients coming together in one way - while God's "divine eye" sees them in quite a different way! Because our minds are limited by finite thought and comprehension, we just don't consider all the ways God sees his graces coming together into a glorious presentation of his goodness and love in us. God knows best how to display his graces in our lives - he is the master of "presentation". We'd do well to trust him with it! Our part in the process is to lay down the 'ingredients' that only corrupt - those choices which would "taint" the freshness and goodness of what God is creating within. Just sayin!
Friday, December 25, 2020
Scrubbed Up and Ready to Go!
Have you ever considered just how 'clean' your hands really are? In nursing school, I remember this exercise we did where we rubbed hand lotion on our hands, then were told to go scrub them to practice a good handwashing technique. Most of us were going the extra mile by scrubbing back and front, in between the fingers and then even up above the wrist area. Surely our hands were clean, right? We came back to the room for the 'inspection' of our handwashing jobs only to find our instructor had turned the lights off, had a black light set up, and inspected our hands under that glowing beast! Guess what else 'glowed'? Our hands! The lotion was 'laced' with this 'dust' that illuminates under the black light, allowing each of us to see the specific areas around cuticles, under nails, and even here and there on our hands that got totally missed by our good 'handwashing' technique! What we thought was clean really wasn't clean at all. Clean hands and a pure heart - two conditions we often proclaim we'd like to enjoy, but we might just find they are both harder to achieve than we'd like to admit. Our hands get "dirtied" by the things we do - the actions we take. Our hearts reveal their "soiled" condition by the words we speak and even the thoughts we entertain.
Who may go up the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. He who has not lifted up his soul to what is not true, and has not made false promises. He will receive what is good from the Lord, and what is right and good from the God Who saves him. (Psalm 24:3-5)
The question posed - who may go up to the mountain of the Lord? Today we don't find ourselves making the journey to the holy city of Jerusalem in order to go to the Temple of the Lord. In the times of the psalmist, this was a regular journey for the worshipers of the Lord. In fact, there were regularly "scheduled" feast days when all of Israel was expected to gather in Jerusalem, bringing various types of offerings and a penitent heart. Each offering served a purpose - some to make "atonement" for sins, others to offer thanks for the tremendous harvest taken in from the fields, and others to just celebrate the greatness of God. Today, we think of "going up to the mountain of the Lord" as us going into God's presence, sitting at his feet, and worshiping him. Since the completed work of Christ at the cross, we all have this free access to the "holy place" of God's presence - we don't have to travel to some 'holy city' in order to enjoy that presence. Scripture declares we may come boldly into his presence, yet the majority of us might admit the "condition" of our hands and hearts give us a little concern in doing so - kind of like seeing the glowing 'black light' in nursing school!
Clean hands and a pure heart are not a one time condition. The ability to keep clean hands is impossible without frequent and thorough washing! Think about it - how many times in a day do you "physically" wash your hands? Why do you wash? Simple - to get rid of what "contaminates" those hands - hand hygiene is heightened when we are concerned about the spread of germs or viruses, especially during a pandemic! You desire they be clean before you eat, after you touch something that "soils" them, or just as "good measure" so you and your family stay safe. The same is true of our "spiritual hands". They need frequent washing to remain clean! Purity of heart is elusive if the heart is not continually touched by the great healer himself. In time, our physical heart will become "occluded" with all kinds of fatty build up and hardened by "calcified" crusts if we don't take good care of what goes into our bodies and what we do to keep our bodies physically fit. A similar process occurs when our heart is not continually renewed by the touch of God's healing. We begin to feel the "choking off" of the very supply we need in order to survive. We become hardened to the things which move his heart so freely. Our hearts need "tending" and "mending" in order to beat as his does!
He who has not lifted up his soul to what is not true and has not made false promises will enter boldly into the presence of God. Guess what? All of us struggle with getting a grip on truth - some of us more than others. All of us absent-mindedly promise things we have very good intentions of doing, but find the will to do it is harder than the intentions ever were. By the grace of God, we can enter boldly into the presence of God - not because we do all we intend to do, or hold onto truth as we should. It is by grace. It is as we "wash again", or perhaps as actually "washed again", and submit to the "purifying process" of God's touch we are made "clean" and "pure". No one struggles alone - we are all in the same boat of being a little 'less than clean' when it comes to our thoughts, actions, motives, and intentions! Maybe this is why God encourages us to look out for each other, spurring one another on in this walk of grace! We all need grace - renewing of our minds, cleansing of our hearts, and anointing of our actions. So, who goes up to the presence of God - ALL who are willing to be washed! We don't wash alone! There is a BIG "sink" in God's house - one in which grace runs freely and the 'scrub brush' of his love gets into all the corners! Just sayin!
Who may go up the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. He who has not lifted up his soul to what is not true, and has not made false promises. He will receive what is good from the Lord, and what is right and good from the God Who saves him. (Psalm 24:3-5)
The question posed - who may go up to the mountain of the Lord? Today we don't find ourselves making the journey to the holy city of Jerusalem in order to go to the Temple of the Lord. In the times of the psalmist, this was a regular journey for the worshipers of the Lord. In fact, there were regularly "scheduled" feast days when all of Israel was expected to gather in Jerusalem, bringing various types of offerings and a penitent heart. Each offering served a purpose - some to make "atonement" for sins, others to offer thanks for the tremendous harvest taken in from the fields, and others to just celebrate the greatness of God. Today, we think of "going up to the mountain of the Lord" as us going into God's presence, sitting at his feet, and worshiping him. Since the completed work of Christ at the cross, we all have this free access to the "holy place" of God's presence - we don't have to travel to some 'holy city' in order to enjoy that presence. Scripture declares we may come boldly into his presence, yet the majority of us might admit the "condition" of our hands and hearts give us a little concern in doing so - kind of like seeing the glowing 'black light' in nursing school!
Clean hands and a pure heart are not a one time condition. The ability to keep clean hands is impossible without frequent and thorough washing! Think about it - how many times in a day do you "physically" wash your hands? Why do you wash? Simple - to get rid of what "contaminates" those hands - hand hygiene is heightened when we are concerned about the spread of germs or viruses, especially during a pandemic! You desire they be clean before you eat, after you touch something that "soils" them, or just as "good measure" so you and your family stay safe. The same is true of our "spiritual hands". They need frequent washing to remain clean! Purity of heart is elusive if the heart is not continually touched by the great healer himself. In time, our physical heart will become "occluded" with all kinds of fatty build up and hardened by "calcified" crusts if we don't take good care of what goes into our bodies and what we do to keep our bodies physically fit. A similar process occurs when our heart is not continually renewed by the touch of God's healing. We begin to feel the "choking off" of the very supply we need in order to survive. We become hardened to the things which move his heart so freely. Our hearts need "tending" and "mending" in order to beat as his does!
He who has not lifted up his soul to what is not true and has not made false promises will enter boldly into the presence of God. Guess what? All of us struggle with getting a grip on truth - some of us more than others. All of us absent-mindedly promise things we have very good intentions of doing, but find the will to do it is harder than the intentions ever were. By the grace of God, we can enter boldly into the presence of God - not because we do all we intend to do, or hold onto truth as we should. It is by grace. It is as we "wash again", or perhaps as actually "washed again", and submit to the "purifying process" of God's touch we are made "clean" and "pure". No one struggles alone - we are all in the same boat of being a little 'less than clean' when it comes to our thoughts, actions, motives, and intentions! Maybe this is why God encourages us to look out for each other, spurring one another on in this walk of grace! We all need grace - renewing of our minds, cleansing of our hearts, and anointing of our actions. So, who goes up to the presence of God - ALL who are willing to be washed! We don't wash alone! There is a BIG "sink" in God's house - one in which grace runs freely and the 'scrub brush' of his love gets into all the corners! Just sayin!
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Seek the 'advantageous additions'
I have to admit to being a totally insecure individual when I was growing up. I thought nobody could every like me, that my life was always 'less than' someone else's, and that I needed to do or give things to get somebody to really like me. What a crock of lies that was! God made me complete with all kinds of wonderful character traits and yet I totally sold myself short. I just didn't think of myself as much of a 'bargain' when it came to relationships. In fact, I thought I'd have to really 'market' myself to get 'liked'. Truth be told, bargains are kind a neat thing! I have come across individuals in my lifetime that proclaim to be pretty awesome individuals, only to find out they lack a lot in the 'awesomeness' realm! What I found out is that what they proclaimed would be an 'advantageous addition' to my life by simply being in relationship with them was no real 'advantage' at all - the bargain was flawed! Sometimes we sell ourselves short - other times we promote ourselves at a little bit of an inaccurate descriptor! Remember this...made up 'bargains' are not really bargains at all!
Don't for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-God — that's where your future lies. Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing. (Proverbs 23:17-18)
In relationships with each other, we need to remember a "bargain" is really not a "bargain" whenever it is like loading ourselves up with "armloads of nothing". We find we have been "sucked into" the frenzy of believing the "false claims" of the things portrayed outwardly, but there is something definitely quite different we come to see inwardly in that individual. We load ourselves up with all kinds of supposedly "good things" and "good relationships" in our lives - but we do it without truly thinking (in a frenzy - in a hurry - without attentive thought). We have a natural "bent" of comparing ourselves to others. We see another walk past us and in an instant, our minds go into the "processing mode" of analyzing how they are dressed, how their hair style fits their "look", and maybe even evaluating their other physical attributes (such as fat/skinny, tall/short, blemishes/perfect skin). In one quick glance, we form all kinds of opinions. It is like we have one of those infrared scanner devices in our mind's eye, passing each "subject" over it, registering the "coded" information we store in our brains, and then coming to a conclusion just as quickly.
The danger lies in the immediacy of how quickly we jump from our own place of contentment to envying others who "pass our scanners" with the "appearance" of having it all together! You know, if you have ever seen me on a 'perfectly put together' morning, you might even have come to this very conclusion about me! The conclusion that says, "There goes someone who has it all together." I hate to burst your impression of me, but I do NOT have it all together - rarely do I even reach the point of 'looking like' I have it all put together! I struggle with judging others, involving myself in conversations which would be better off not said, and being careless in so many choices, just to name a few of my not so 'bargain-like' behaviors and attitudes! None of us is above envying the carelessness of those who seem to have life by the horns - living by their own might. We just naturally jump to the conclusion they must "have it all together". The cold reality is those very individuals we envy are probably struggling terribly just beneath the surface! One who is without Christ is without hope. Although they may possess every physical attribute man considers worth having, they lack the one which assures them lasting peace, unending joy, and constantly renewed faith in hard times.
Soak yourself in God - wise words indeed. Why? Simply stated - one without Christ has no real hope for the future. Theirs is a life of "today" without any real sense of what tomorrow will bring - they seem to have all the 'advantages' of life today, but they lack the real advantage of what eternity could hold for them in Christ. One who rightly pursues Christ as the center of their life will not always know what circumstances tomorrow will bring, but they will know who holds them close as they venture into each new day. I wonder how many times we senselessly pursue armloads of nothing. If our arms are so packed with "nothing", when Jesus offers us "something", we have little room to accept his greater gift. It is only as we lay down the armloads of nothing that we are able to embrace the things of greatest worth that Christ desires to bestow upon us. It is not in how "full" one's arms are that we "judge" the greatness of an individual - it is the "load" those arms carry! Christ told us his "load" was light, unlike the armloads we amass in our frenzy of envy! One more thought - the armloads the careless rebels amass are acquired in haste. The armloads of blessing God gives are acquired in moments of stillness. Sometimes the greatest "load" we carry is the peace of having "offloaded" a burden we were never meant to carry in the first place! Just sayin!
Don't for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-God — that's where your future lies. Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing. (Proverbs 23:17-18)
In relationships with each other, we need to remember a "bargain" is really not a "bargain" whenever it is like loading ourselves up with "armloads of nothing". We find we have been "sucked into" the frenzy of believing the "false claims" of the things portrayed outwardly, but there is something definitely quite different we come to see inwardly in that individual. We load ourselves up with all kinds of supposedly "good things" and "good relationships" in our lives - but we do it without truly thinking (in a frenzy - in a hurry - without attentive thought). We have a natural "bent" of comparing ourselves to others. We see another walk past us and in an instant, our minds go into the "processing mode" of analyzing how they are dressed, how their hair style fits their "look", and maybe even evaluating their other physical attributes (such as fat/skinny, tall/short, blemishes/perfect skin). In one quick glance, we form all kinds of opinions. It is like we have one of those infrared scanner devices in our mind's eye, passing each "subject" over it, registering the "coded" information we store in our brains, and then coming to a conclusion just as quickly.
The danger lies in the immediacy of how quickly we jump from our own place of contentment to envying others who "pass our scanners" with the "appearance" of having it all together! You know, if you have ever seen me on a 'perfectly put together' morning, you might even have come to this very conclusion about me! The conclusion that says, "There goes someone who has it all together." I hate to burst your impression of me, but I do NOT have it all together - rarely do I even reach the point of 'looking like' I have it all put together! I struggle with judging others, involving myself in conversations which would be better off not said, and being careless in so many choices, just to name a few of my not so 'bargain-like' behaviors and attitudes! None of us is above envying the carelessness of those who seem to have life by the horns - living by their own might. We just naturally jump to the conclusion they must "have it all together". The cold reality is those very individuals we envy are probably struggling terribly just beneath the surface! One who is without Christ is without hope. Although they may possess every physical attribute man considers worth having, they lack the one which assures them lasting peace, unending joy, and constantly renewed faith in hard times.
Soak yourself in God - wise words indeed. Why? Simply stated - one without Christ has no real hope for the future. Theirs is a life of "today" without any real sense of what tomorrow will bring - they seem to have all the 'advantages' of life today, but they lack the real advantage of what eternity could hold for them in Christ. One who rightly pursues Christ as the center of their life will not always know what circumstances tomorrow will bring, but they will know who holds them close as they venture into each new day. I wonder how many times we senselessly pursue armloads of nothing. If our arms are so packed with "nothing", when Jesus offers us "something", we have little room to accept his greater gift. It is only as we lay down the armloads of nothing that we are able to embrace the things of greatest worth that Christ desires to bestow upon us. It is not in how "full" one's arms are that we "judge" the greatness of an individual - it is the "load" those arms carry! Christ told us his "load" was light, unlike the armloads we amass in our frenzy of envy! One more thought - the armloads the careless rebels amass are acquired in haste. The armloads of blessing God gives are acquired in moments of stillness. Sometimes the greatest "load" we carry is the peace of having "offloaded" a burden we were never meant to carry in the first place! Just sayin!
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
The Fast & The Furious
We all probably know someone who lives 'fast and furious' - either a family member or friend. They seem to be kind of oblivious to the risks they are taking. What they may fail to recognize today is that the enemy of their soul is about to 'strut his stuff' because all this 'fast and furious' living is about to cave in on them! That makes the enemy of our soul very, very happy! He gets his 'glory walk' on and struts around like a little peacock just relishing every moment of every 'crash and burn'. Do you ever feel like the enemy of your soul is just strutting his stuff when it comes to the choices you have made? It seems like he has repeatedly dealt blow after blow in 2020, until each of us are left low and beaten down. It could be we find ourselves experiencing this "beaten down" state simply because of the subtle, but consistent, compromises we have made. Either way, God hasn't left the throne. The enemy of our soul may be 'gloating' a little right now, but God's not done!
She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow, and now she's crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand: "Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts." (Lamentations 1:9)
I believe all scripture is given "by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). So, if God took the time to leave us these words to consider this morning, we should take the time to consider how they might apply to our lives. I would like to consider the condition of soul that leads to one being 'in pain' and feeling life has left them wrung out. She played fast and loose with life - it kind of says it all. All of us are subject to this same condition of "soulish" enjoyment of life. We give into our whims and fancies, only to find ourselves totally unfulfilled and the cost of our fast living too much for us to keep up with. Don't miss it - she played FAST. The old idiom, "Haste makes waste," comes to mind here. Whenever we don't take time to really consider our choices, we frequently regret the outcome! Fast is not always best - there is something to be said about 'pondering' our choices - that moment or two of pondering may just make the difference between a crash and burn moment and a positive outcome!
The condition of mind that many live by is never considering tomorrow - living for the moment. When one is living fast and loose, there is nothing more alluring than the pleasure of today - completely missing tomorrow's demands. Take for example the choices we make to ignore the few extra pounds we see on the scale today. Eat as we like and those few will soon amount to many more in the tomorrows which come! It is often our lack of "forethought" which gets us into so much doggone trouble. Our mind plays a tremendous part in the activities of today - for all action is based on thought - but when we are living 'fast and furious' lives, we rarely consider the long range effect of whatever it is we are thinking about doing! She has crashed royally because of her choices. There is a tremendous cost to inattentive living rarely considered in the moment. If you have ever experienced the "crash" of your computer, getting that 'blue screen' of doom, you know the sudden panic at having "lost everything"! The spirit of man is what gives us the unique animation and capability of deep, interpersonal relationship with others (especially God). When the spirit crashes, it is like our "hard drive" has crashed! The very thing which animates us, drawing richness from the throne of God, is interrupted in its ability to "make the connection".
The condition of heart exhibited by those living way to 'fast and furious' is that there is no connection to others. She has no one to hold her hand - a place we could find ourselves in quite easily if we are living without purpose and thought. We lack the very thing we need to help in life's darkest moments! Compromise has a cost far greater than the moment of soulish enjoyment we experience. Mind, spirit and heart all bear the effect. A disconnected spirit leads to a truly empty heart. If we have been living way to 'fast' and with a little bit of 'fury', it is time to slow down. God's able to regenerate us even when we "crash" and "burn"! We just need to submit to the touch of his hands. Respond with a new animation of spirit, the total submission of your mind, and a new-found determination to consider carefully the steps you take. In turn, his hands remain close, bearing us up until we are "fully regenerated" into purposeful and restored condition! Fast and furious may be okay for a while, but life has a way of beating us down without us even noticing just how much it has. I am not about to give the enemy of my soul a chance to strut his stuff because I am living that way. How about you? Just askin!
She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow, and now she's crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand: "Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts." (Lamentations 1:9)
I believe all scripture is given "by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). So, if God took the time to leave us these words to consider this morning, we should take the time to consider how they might apply to our lives. I would like to consider the condition of soul that leads to one being 'in pain' and feeling life has left them wrung out. She played fast and loose with life - it kind of says it all. All of us are subject to this same condition of "soulish" enjoyment of life. We give into our whims and fancies, only to find ourselves totally unfulfilled and the cost of our fast living too much for us to keep up with. Don't miss it - she played FAST. The old idiom, "Haste makes waste," comes to mind here. Whenever we don't take time to really consider our choices, we frequently regret the outcome! Fast is not always best - there is something to be said about 'pondering' our choices - that moment or two of pondering may just make the difference between a crash and burn moment and a positive outcome!
The condition of mind that many live by is never considering tomorrow - living for the moment. When one is living fast and loose, there is nothing more alluring than the pleasure of today - completely missing tomorrow's demands. Take for example the choices we make to ignore the few extra pounds we see on the scale today. Eat as we like and those few will soon amount to many more in the tomorrows which come! It is often our lack of "forethought" which gets us into so much doggone trouble. Our mind plays a tremendous part in the activities of today - for all action is based on thought - but when we are living 'fast and furious' lives, we rarely consider the long range effect of whatever it is we are thinking about doing! She has crashed royally because of her choices. There is a tremendous cost to inattentive living rarely considered in the moment. If you have ever experienced the "crash" of your computer, getting that 'blue screen' of doom, you know the sudden panic at having "lost everything"! The spirit of man is what gives us the unique animation and capability of deep, interpersonal relationship with others (especially God). When the spirit crashes, it is like our "hard drive" has crashed! The very thing which animates us, drawing richness from the throne of God, is interrupted in its ability to "make the connection".
The condition of heart exhibited by those living way to 'fast and furious' is that there is no connection to others. She has no one to hold her hand - a place we could find ourselves in quite easily if we are living without purpose and thought. We lack the very thing we need to help in life's darkest moments! Compromise has a cost far greater than the moment of soulish enjoyment we experience. Mind, spirit and heart all bear the effect. A disconnected spirit leads to a truly empty heart. If we have been living way to 'fast' and with a little bit of 'fury', it is time to slow down. God's able to regenerate us even when we "crash" and "burn"! We just need to submit to the touch of his hands. Respond with a new animation of spirit, the total submission of your mind, and a new-found determination to consider carefully the steps you take. In turn, his hands remain close, bearing us up until we are "fully regenerated" into purposeful and restored condition! Fast and furious may be okay for a while, but life has a way of beating us down without us even noticing just how much it has. I am not about to give the enemy of my soul a chance to strut his stuff because I am living that way. How about you? Just askin!
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
I see you this way, but I see myself....
I have to say Craig Groeschel hit the nail on the head this past weekend when he pointed out how differently each of us views a 'fault' depending on whether you have it or it is my own personal one! He said something like 'we view your life by your actions, while we view our own by our intentions'. Telling isn't it? We judge another by their actions - while all the while we justify our actions by evaluating out intentions, not our actions! At times, we are presented with individuals who seem to have an "ulterior motive" in their actions. In other words, what is presented is really a "mask" for something being done to deceive the individual on the receiving end of the action. One thing is said, another is meant. One thing is done, but the intention behind it is completely contrary to the "appearance". This is dangerous ground for us - simply because we really don't know what to expect, or when to trust. If it is out own actions getting us into this muddle, good Lord help us!
Mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road. (Proverbs 21:8)
We would probably call an "ulterior" motive a "second motive" - one which is usually a little selfish in nature. The end result is a life in tangles - a messed up wad of goofy stuff that has to be untangled, or discarded as a waste of time and energy! Not my idea of where I want to be living! In fact, when I am faced with these kind of individuals, I tend to pull back from relationship with them - simply because I cannot trust their intentions and they have a tendency to "complicate" my life! Imagine that individual as yourself and then ask yourself if that may be the reason others pull back from you on occasion - they are tired of dealing with your "mixed motives" and "double standards" - one you set for others, while you maintain a totally different one for yourself. I have been there! I have lived that way and it is just not right.
I don't always have the purest motives! I just try my best not to purposely work in the realm of "secret" or "hidden" agendas! I don't like the tangles they create and have chosen to allow God to help me avoid some of those tangles I had created in my life in times gone by. God is perfectly aware of our "hidden" motives - those we'd call "selfish" in nature. Like the times we ask God to bless us with a new car, a new job, a new relationship, and what we are really saying is, "God, I don't like the one you have already blessed me with!" People who purposefully set out to deceive by their actions leave the lives of those they touch in a mess of tangles. In fact, they are never free from the tangles themselves - because any life of deception requires a whole lot of effort to keep up the façade of untruths used to mask the reality of what lies just beneath the surface! I think these are the individuals God was "aiming at" in the verse above - those who hide their guilt behind a façade. I lived there for a long time and am so glad to be free of that 'masked life'.
Pure motives keep you on a straight path. God understands our "bent" toward selfish motives, but he expects as we become aware of them, we will hurriedly lay them at the foot of the altar and have them changed by the touch of his grace. If we are finding our life caught up in a jumble of tangles as a result of the deceptiveness of our actions and thoughts, we might need some altar time to untangle the mess we've created! In examining the word "tangle", I found it not only relates to the mess of inter-twisted parts, but also to be caught up or held in a trap or snare of some sort. Mixed motives actually entrap us - snaring us in their strong and strangling grip. There is a hampering effect which occurs anytime the motives we choose to obey are those which are not pure in nature. They hamper our growth, relationships, and even our access to God. Perhaps this is why God places so much emphasis on purity of heart! His goal is to never have anything keep us from straight-forward, immediate, and unhindered access to him! Mixed motives deceive - pure motives open the doors of trust. Mixed motives ensnare - pure motives allow freedom in relationship. Mixed motives will overgrow if never checked! We need to be constantly examining our motives - not in light of our own perceptions - but in the light of the Cross. The Cross exposes what is just beneath the surface - hidden though it might have been - revealing exactly what it is we are "covering over". Never forget...at the altar - we are altered. Never "under-value" the time you spend at the altar of God's grace! Just sayin!
Mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road. (Proverbs 21:8)
We would probably call an "ulterior" motive a "second motive" - one which is usually a little selfish in nature. The end result is a life in tangles - a messed up wad of goofy stuff that has to be untangled, or discarded as a waste of time and energy! Not my idea of where I want to be living! In fact, when I am faced with these kind of individuals, I tend to pull back from relationship with them - simply because I cannot trust their intentions and they have a tendency to "complicate" my life! Imagine that individual as yourself and then ask yourself if that may be the reason others pull back from you on occasion - they are tired of dealing with your "mixed motives" and "double standards" - one you set for others, while you maintain a totally different one for yourself. I have been there! I have lived that way and it is just not right.
I don't always have the purest motives! I just try my best not to purposely work in the realm of "secret" or "hidden" agendas! I don't like the tangles they create and have chosen to allow God to help me avoid some of those tangles I had created in my life in times gone by. God is perfectly aware of our "hidden" motives - those we'd call "selfish" in nature. Like the times we ask God to bless us with a new car, a new job, a new relationship, and what we are really saying is, "God, I don't like the one you have already blessed me with!" People who purposefully set out to deceive by their actions leave the lives of those they touch in a mess of tangles. In fact, they are never free from the tangles themselves - because any life of deception requires a whole lot of effort to keep up the façade of untruths used to mask the reality of what lies just beneath the surface! I think these are the individuals God was "aiming at" in the verse above - those who hide their guilt behind a façade. I lived there for a long time and am so glad to be free of that 'masked life'.
Pure motives keep you on a straight path. God understands our "bent" toward selfish motives, but he expects as we become aware of them, we will hurriedly lay them at the foot of the altar and have them changed by the touch of his grace. If we are finding our life caught up in a jumble of tangles as a result of the deceptiveness of our actions and thoughts, we might need some altar time to untangle the mess we've created! In examining the word "tangle", I found it not only relates to the mess of inter-twisted parts, but also to be caught up or held in a trap or snare of some sort. Mixed motives actually entrap us - snaring us in their strong and strangling grip. There is a hampering effect which occurs anytime the motives we choose to obey are those which are not pure in nature. They hamper our growth, relationships, and even our access to God. Perhaps this is why God places so much emphasis on purity of heart! His goal is to never have anything keep us from straight-forward, immediate, and unhindered access to him! Mixed motives deceive - pure motives open the doors of trust. Mixed motives ensnare - pure motives allow freedom in relationship. Mixed motives will overgrow if never checked! We need to be constantly examining our motives - not in light of our own perceptions - but in the light of the Cross. The Cross exposes what is just beneath the surface - hidden though it might have been - revealing exactly what it is we are "covering over". Never forget...at the altar - we are altered. Never "under-value" the time you spend at the altar of God's grace! Just sayin!
Monday, December 21, 2020
Not gonna miss out!
I have moments where I am so acutely aware of what is going on around me, I am pretty sure I don't miss much. Then there are lots of other times when I am not as acutely 'dialed-in', knowing I may miss something, but not really all that concerned about it. How is it we can be so acutely dialed-in at times and then be so 'out there' at others? It has to do with our thoughts, for sure, but it also has a lot to do with our hearts - where our emotions lead us, we often go without hesitation. I think this is why God doesn't just reveal his truths to us once and leave it at that. He knows we may not be as 'dialed-in' as we need to be to actually hear, see, or interpret truth each and every time. We might want to be, but honestly, our emotions just don't always point us in the right direction to see truth when it is revealed, much less use it! It could be the 'little things' in life we miss the most - simply because we 'gloss over' them or don't really pay close attention. We might just need to stop more frequently to just listen and notice, or perhaps tune in a little closer so we actually hear what is being said - but the truth is we don't always realize just how much we miss until it we do just that.
I spelled out your character in detail to the men and women you gave me. They were yours in the first place; then you gave them to me, and they have now done what you said. They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that everything you gave me is firsthand from you, for the message you gave me, I gave them; and they took it, and were convinced that I came from you. They believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world but for those you gave me, for they are yours by right. Everything mine is yours, and yours mine, and my life is on display in them. For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world; they'll continue in the world while I return to you. Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life that you conferred as a gift through me, so they can be one heart and mind as we are one heart and mind. (John 17:6-11)
The first thing coming into the consciousness of my mind this morning was the awesomeness of being "given" to Christ - then us having his life 'conferred as a gift' to us. So many times we think we "came" to Christ - like it was some doing of our own. Yes, we 'take the truth' and allow it to enter into our lives, but had Christ not 'conferred his life' to us, we would have been unable to find our way to Christ! Without his being "given" us as his own, we'd never have "found" him! We belonged to God the Father, given as a gift to his Son, Jesus - an inheritance shared with the heir-apparent of sorts! Have you ever thought of yourself as an "inheritance"? By the very definition, we are more than "junk" cast aside, but a personal possession of the God of the Universe - made to give him glory and honor - given in care as a matter of "birthright" to the Son! It should give us immense joy to know God considers us of the highest worth - for only things of worth or value are given as an inheritance!
Note this - it took a while for those given as an inheritance to actually do as they were told! See it? "They have NOW done what you said..." The very use of the word "now" suggests some point in time of NOT doing what God instructed - not being in the 'now' when it comes to obedience, dedication, and trust. This certainly pictures my life - delayed responses all around! I know I have those moments of absolute surrender - I think there is a Christian worship song which calls those moments "second chances". We serve a God of huge second chances! When we don't get the "now" right, we get a second chance to bring our focus into the 'now' so we don't end up always doing what we are NOT supposed to be doing. Nothing we get from Christ is "stale" knowledge - dry crumbs crumbling to the floor that we have to scour for as dogs on the hunt for a tiny morsel. He gives us what he receives directly from his Father. It is alive, life-giving knowledge. What else could the Creator of all things do but share knowledge capable of producing life for those who will embrace it? We have to embrace it! We settle for something "stale" so many times - crumbs we scour for on our hands and knees - when the freshness of the Creator's touch is right there for the taking! God's greatest joy is in sharing and producing life!
If you didn't realize it, Christ's life is on display in us. This is no after-thought on Christ's part - he is purposeful in his prayer to his Father about each of us. He knows we are the display of his grace - to a world who will have no knowledge of the Creator without the evidence of his Son displayed through us! We are trophies of his grace - displayed for the world to see - not once, but over and over again. Our every action, reaction, and even our lack of action displays the very character of God. Yet, his prayer is for us to be guarded - with a "watch" set over our lives. Not just a "watch" to ensure no one destroys us - but a watchfulness to ensure the display of his grace is not tainted by our tendency to divide over simple truths, wander down wayward paths, and settle for a so-so existence when he has called us into greatness in him. Jesus knew we'd struggle with the simple stuff in life. His prayer is for us to be of one heart and mind - not allowing any division, no matter how small to get an inroad in our lives. We can allow the simple things to divide us, or we can focus on the truths which are foundational and build upon them in unity. I think this is what Jesus had in mind as he prayed for us. The next time you are tempted to "gloss over" or just not "dial-in" - don't! The truths we skip may be the very blessing we need - the thing that will bring balance and restore vitality to our souls! Just sayin!
I spelled out your character in detail to the men and women you gave me. They were yours in the first place; then you gave them to me, and they have now done what you said. They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that everything you gave me is firsthand from you, for the message you gave me, I gave them; and they took it, and were convinced that I came from you. They believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world but for those you gave me, for they are yours by right. Everything mine is yours, and yours mine, and my life is on display in them. For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world; they'll continue in the world while I return to you. Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life that you conferred as a gift through me, so they can be one heart and mind as we are one heart and mind. (John 17:6-11)
The first thing coming into the consciousness of my mind this morning was the awesomeness of being "given" to Christ - then us having his life 'conferred as a gift' to us. So many times we think we "came" to Christ - like it was some doing of our own. Yes, we 'take the truth' and allow it to enter into our lives, but had Christ not 'conferred his life' to us, we would have been unable to find our way to Christ! Without his being "given" us as his own, we'd never have "found" him! We belonged to God the Father, given as a gift to his Son, Jesus - an inheritance shared with the heir-apparent of sorts! Have you ever thought of yourself as an "inheritance"? By the very definition, we are more than "junk" cast aside, but a personal possession of the God of the Universe - made to give him glory and honor - given in care as a matter of "birthright" to the Son! It should give us immense joy to know God considers us of the highest worth - for only things of worth or value are given as an inheritance!
Note this - it took a while for those given as an inheritance to actually do as they were told! See it? "They have NOW done what you said..." The very use of the word "now" suggests some point in time of NOT doing what God instructed - not being in the 'now' when it comes to obedience, dedication, and trust. This certainly pictures my life - delayed responses all around! I know I have those moments of absolute surrender - I think there is a Christian worship song which calls those moments "second chances". We serve a God of huge second chances! When we don't get the "now" right, we get a second chance to bring our focus into the 'now' so we don't end up always doing what we are NOT supposed to be doing. Nothing we get from Christ is "stale" knowledge - dry crumbs crumbling to the floor that we have to scour for as dogs on the hunt for a tiny morsel. He gives us what he receives directly from his Father. It is alive, life-giving knowledge. What else could the Creator of all things do but share knowledge capable of producing life for those who will embrace it? We have to embrace it! We settle for something "stale" so many times - crumbs we scour for on our hands and knees - when the freshness of the Creator's touch is right there for the taking! God's greatest joy is in sharing and producing life!
If you didn't realize it, Christ's life is on display in us. This is no after-thought on Christ's part - he is purposeful in his prayer to his Father about each of us. He knows we are the display of his grace - to a world who will have no knowledge of the Creator without the evidence of his Son displayed through us! We are trophies of his grace - displayed for the world to see - not once, but over and over again. Our every action, reaction, and even our lack of action displays the very character of God. Yet, his prayer is for us to be guarded - with a "watch" set over our lives. Not just a "watch" to ensure no one destroys us - but a watchfulness to ensure the display of his grace is not tainted by our tendency to divide over simple truths, wander down wayward paths, and settle for a so-so existence when he has called us into greatness in him. Jesus knew we'd struggle with the simple stuff in life. His prayer is for us to be of one heart and mind - not allowing any division, no matter how small to get an inroad in our lives. We can allow the simple things to divide us, or we can focus on the truths which are foundational and build upon them in unity. I think this is what Jesus had in mind as he prayed for us. The next time you are tempted to "gloss over" or just not "dial-in" - don't! The truths we skip may be the very blessing we need - the thing that will bring balance and restore vitality to our souls! Just sayin!
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Oh, so I have to keep it up?
Back in the day, there was a TV show in which Flip Wilson played a character called "Geraldine" who often was heard saying, "The devil made me do it!" Geraldine blamed the purchases she just made on the devil, the accidental running of the car into the side of the church on the devil, and other various shenanigans in her life all on the terrible old devil. It is easy to blame others for our own misguided steps in life, isn't it? It is much more convenient to blame them on the devil! There are even times we have the nerve to "blame" God for the ignorant stuff we do. We venture into stuff without clearly thinking - just plunge right ahead and never consider the end before we begin. In the end, we look back, wondering where God let US down - now isn't that a hoot? Proverbs reminds us people ruin their own lives by their own foolishness (Proverbs 19:3). Ouch! God is not to "blame" for our misguided steps. In fact, when we come right down to it, the steps we took were miscalculated for sure, but it was all on our part.
Grow a wise heart—you'll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head—you'll find a good life. (Proverbs 19:8)
Grow a wise heart - look closely - there is no implication of a wise heart being given to us on a silver platter! Wisdom is something that actually comes over time - with consistent (not occasional) application of truth as it is revealed to us. It is like icing a cake. You begin with a full bowl of icing - perfectly prepared for the cake. Until you take the spatula and begin to "apply" it to the cake, the cake is unaffected by the icing in the bowl. Now, cake without icing is okay - but cake with a rich layer of icing wedged between the layers and slathered all over the surface is much more luscious, isn't it? If we just look at God's Word and never apply it to our lives, wisdom isn't going to affect us! The Word of God is "prepared" for us - just like the icing in the bowl. God took special time to pour out each and every word contained within scripture. He prepared it in advance of us needing to "apply" it to our lives. In the application, we experience the rich lusciousness of the Word. It satiates us with the richness contained in it!
"The one who gets wisdom loves life..." Do you love life? If you are not pursuing the Word in such a manner so as to apply it actively to your life, you may not actually be fully appreciating the precious gift of your life! Wisdom is "grown", not just "known". Keep a clear head - look again - there is no implication of a clear head being the result of some mystical process. No amount of 'mind-clearing meditation' is going to give us a clear head. The very simple truth is we must "keep" our heads in "right" condition. Whenever we "keep" something, it implies we have brought it into right order to begin with! When you "keep up", you are saying you are maintaining possession of something placed within your control. These are "our" minds - they don't belong to anyone else - although they can be easily influenced by all manner of influences. Therefore, the keeping of a clear head is really an active process on our part - we have to 'select out' the influences that we don't really need to listen to in the first place.
"The one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper." We have a tendency to "keep up" something we cherish. Look at a man with his polished and preciously restored vintage automobile, or new heavy duty, super-hauler truck with the big wheels and huge engine. Hours of hard work, tender care, and skilled application on display for all to behold. A clear head is something like his automobile - it needs our hard work, tender care, and skillful application of truth in order to set it in right order and to keep it in this condition of perfect order! We are not left on our own to do the "ordering" of our minds and this is a good thing! The Holy Spirit and the Word of God are here to assist in the process - kind of like having the technical manual at our fingertips, along with a skilled instructor to guide us through the use of what is in that manual. I want to challenge us to examine our application of knowledge - to move beyond the attainment of knowledge. Mere knowledge is nothing without application - in applying what we learn, we soon become wise beyond our age! It the application of truth and "keeping up" the applying of it until it produces the desired result that begins to bring clarity in our lives! Just sayin!
Grow a wise heart—you'll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head—you'll find a good life. (Proverbs 19:8)
Grow a wise heart - look closely - there is no implication of a wise heart being given to us on a silver platter! Wisdom is something that actually comes over time - with consistent (not occasional) application of truth as it is revealed to us. It is like icing a cake. You begin with a full bowl of icing - perfectly prepared for the cake. Until you take the spatula and begin to "apply" it to the cake, the cake is unaffected by the icing in the bowl. Now, cake without icing is okay - but cake with a rich layer of icing wedged between the layers and slathered all over the surface is much more luscious, isn't it? If we just look at God's Word and never apply it to our lives, wisdom isn't going to affect us! The Word of God is "prepared" for us - just like the icing in the bowl. God took special time to pour out each and every word contained within scripture. He prepared it in advance of us needing to "apply" it to our lives. In the application, we experience the rich lusciousness of the Word. It satiates us with the richness contained in it!
"The one who gets wisdom loves life..." Do you love life? If you are not pursuing the Word in such a manner so as to apply it actively to your life, you may not actually be fully appreciating the precious gift of your life! Wisdom is "grown", not just "known". Keep a clear head - look again - there is no implication of a clear head being the result of some mystical process. No amount of 'mind-clearing meditation' is going to give us a clear head. The very simple truth is we must "keep" our heads in "right" condition. Whenever we "keep" something, it implies we have brought it into right order to begin with! When you "keep up", you are saying you are maintaining possession of something placed within your control. These are "our" minds - they don't belong to anyone else - although they can be easily influenced by all manner of influences. Therefore, the keeping of a clear head is really an active process on our part - we have to 'select out' the influences that we don't really need to listen to in the first place.
"The one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper." We have a tendency to "keep up" something we cherish. Look at a man with his polished and preciously restored vintage automobile, or new heavy duty, super-hauler truck with the big wheels and huge engine. Hours of hard work, tender care, and skilled application on display for all to behold. A clear head is something like his automobile - it needs our hard work, tender care, and skillful application of truth in order to set it in right order and to keep it in this condition of perfect order! We are not left on our own to do the "ordering" of our minds and this is a good thing! The Holy Spirit and the Word of God are here to assist in the process - kind of like having the technical manual at our fingertips, along with a skilled instructor to guide us through the use of what is in that manual. I want to challenge us to examine our application of knowledge - to move beyond the attainment of knowledge. Mere knowledge is nothing without application - in applying what we learn, we soon become wise beyond our age! It the application of truth and "keeping up" the applying of it until it produces the desired result that begins to bring clarity in our lives! Just sayin!
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Come on in
Mom taught me to leave the house "presentable" - be sure you wear clean underwear, comb your hair, brush your teeth - just a few of the 'rules of being presentable' that were reiterated when I was a youngster. I honestly has carried through into my adulthood, but I am probably less worried about the things that are habit now - like brushing my teeth and putting on clean underwear. It also doesn't mean I always dress up, but I don't go out in my PJs or with hair all askew! There are times when I am in the middle of a build in the shop and realize I will need a few more screws, the right size nail, or an extra piece of lumber. I don't always change out of my 'shop clothes', but I at least wash my hands, run a brush through my hair, and brush off as much of the sawdust as possible. Silly, isn't it, how much we focus on the external as our "view" of being presentable? Most of us forget there is much more importance in being 'presentable' on the inside!
So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body. So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)
Presentable INSIDE and OUT! This should be our goal! Jesus knows exactly what we are like - it doesn't matter how we "dress up" ourselves - he knows us inside and out! Amazingly, he loves us exactly as he knows us! Don't we wish everyone operated that way - loving us exactly as we are? Most of the time, we don't let people get close enough to us to know us that well, though. We 'guard' our hearts and keep that level of personal knowledge of our character 'reserved' for just a few. As a child of God, there is no hesitation in approaching God when we do it through relationship with Jesus. Just as every home needs a doorway by which we enter, so freedom of access to God is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus. There is no other way to God EXCEPT through Christ. It is this relationship which gives us the boldness to enter into God's presence - no longer fearful of what he sees when he looks upon us. Why? Simply because he sees Jesus when he looks upon us - he sees us, but he sees us the way Jesus has made us!
We often hesitate to enter God's presence because of some guilt over past or recent sin (kind of like when we have hair all askew, wrinkly clothes, and don't want to be seen in public). The truth of the matter is God already knows about our sin and he has provided a way of "covering" for our sin - the blood of Jesus. We need not avoid contact with God simply because we have sinned - in fact, we need to confess our sin and move right up close to God for his healing touch! The confidence of being fully presentable (inside and out) is something we need to appropriate in our lives. We live far below our potential when we listen to our own mind's arguments of our "worth" or "value". The very thing which gives us supreme value is Christ in us! There is no other action which makes us "more presentable". The good news is the "clean-up" has begun! We come to Christ with all our "baggage" of past hurts, wrong actions, and selfish deeds. He takes them, one-by-one, and replaces them with the touch of his grace. We need a firm grip on what keeps us "centered". Plainly put, this is the Word of God. The more we allow the Word to get INTO us, the more it will affect what comes OUT of us (inside and out affected). No amount of effort is more rewarded than the time we take getting the Word into our lives.
The good news is we don't walk alone - we have been given each other to spur one another on. No race is easy to run! In fact, whenever we "ramp up" our momentum, there are usually multiple obstacles to overcome - things get in our way, making it more and more difficult to remain true to our convictions. This makes it all the more important to not run alone! We need each other! A spur "digs in" and causes the one being spurred to become acutely aware of the action required. It is good to have others who will alert us to the need for action and to assist us in "ramping up" when we need to! So, dirt and all, don't be afraid to enter his presence! Who knows - maybe his touch will leave you with so much inward beauty you won't care about those dirty garments any longer! Just sayin!
So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body. So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)
Presentable INSIDE and OUT! This should be our goal! Jesus knows exactly what we are like - it doesn't matter how we "dress up" ourselves - he knows us inside and out! Amazingly, he loves us exactly as he knows us! Don't we wish everyone operated that way - loving us exactly as we are? Most of the time, we don't let people get close enough to us to know us that well, though. We 'guard' our hearts and keep that level of personal knowledge of our character 'reserved' for just a few. As a child of God, there is no hesitation in approaching God when we do it through relationship with Jesus. Just as every home needs a doorway by which we enter, so freedom of access to God is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus. There is no other way to God EXCEPT through Christ. It is this relationship which gives us the boldness to enter into God's presence - no longer fearful of what he sees when he looks upon us. Why? Simply because he sees Jesus when he looks upon us - he sees us, but he sees us the way Jesus has made us!
We often hesitate to enter God's presence because of some guilt over past or recent sin (kind of like when we have hair all askew, wrinkly clothes, and don't want to be seen in public). The truth of the matter is God already knows about our sin and he has provided a way of "covering" for our sin - the blood of Jesus. We need not avoid contact with God simply because we have sinned - in fact, we need to confess our sin and move right up close to God for his healing touch! The confidence of being fully presentable (inside and out) is something we need to appropriate in our lives. We live far below our potential when we listen to our own mind's arguments of our "worth" or "value". The very thing which gives us supreme value is Christ in us! There is no other action which makes us "more presentable". The good news is the "clean-up" has begun! We come to Christ with all our "baggage" of past hurts, wrong actions, and selfish deeds. He takes them, one-by-one, and replaces them with the touch of his grace. We need a firm grip on what keeps us "centered". Plainly put, this is the Word of God. The more we allow the Word to get INTO us, the more it will affect what comes OUT of us (inside and out affected). No amount of effort is more rewarded than the time we take getting the Word into our lives.
The good news is we don't walk alone - we have been given each other to spur one another on. No race is easy to run! In fact, whenever we "ramp up" our momentum, there are usually multiple obstacles to overcome - things get in our way, making it more and more difficult to remain true to our convictions. This makes it all the more important to not run alone! We need each other! A spur "digs in" and causes the one being spurred to become acutely aware of the action required. It is good to have others who will alert us to the need for action and to assist us in "ramping up" when we need to! So, dirt and all, don't be afraid to enter his presence! Who knows - maybe his touch will leave you with so much inward beauty you won't care about those dirty garments any longer! Just sayin!
Friday, December 18, 2020
Engraved faces?
Okay, true confessions here - have you ever dropped like a whole box of paper clips and watched in horror as they skittered all over the floor, or worse yet, that box of straight pins? I have and let me just tell you that a bag of beads is even worse! As the saying goes, "If I didn't stop to laugh, I'd just cry". Some of life's littlest hassles can seem really big in those moments, huh? We forget there are bigger ones others are facing - much, much bigger than a few paper clips, straight pins, or beads that require us to scour the floor to pick up. Golda Meir said, "Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don't know how to laugh either." One of the most popular columns in the Reader's Digest is "Laughter is the Best Medicine" - something that has made me chuckle on more than one occasion. Why is it we enjoy laughter more than tears? I don't think any of us like the tears we shed, but there is something quite 'cathartic' about a good cry!
A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. (Proverbs 17:22)
A cheerful disposition is good for our health! Sadness leaves us feeling like we have been wrung out and left to dry out like a used or soiled washrag. Ever see a dried washrag? It is brittle, stinky, and pretty inflexible! No wonder we enjoy the cheerful laughter moments so much! There is an old Jewish proverb: "What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul." Think on this one for a moment. Tears have a real "cathartic" effect, something we may need on occasion. We may feel a little "wrung out" for a while, but there is definitely something "cleansing" in having shed those tears. William Shakespeare reminds us, "To weep is to make less the depth of grief." So, tears are really not a bad thing - we may dread them, ward them off, and attempt to remain stoic in our grief, disappointment, or fears, but we shouldn't deny our body's the right to shed those tears.
Why is it we prefer laughter to tears? The clue lies in the word "disposition". It is not the tears that do us in, it is the disposition we maintain throughout the ordeal we are facing! The prevailing "tendency" of our spirit is what determines either the sense of release, or the turmoil of remaining under an overwhelming burden. When the "tendency" of our spirit is consistently submitted to God's will and his love, even the tears of sorrow can leave us liberated! Laughter is a good thing indeed. I enjoy a good belly-splitting laugh now and again. The kind that leaves you with tears leaking from your eyes and your side hurting, but oh so much endorphin release has occurred. There is nothing as enjoyable as sharing some laughter with a friend. In fact, to make light of a "faux-pas" is often the most delightful release!
Disposition is everything. How we approach life's challenges is based on our disposition - the "set of our spirit". It is truly a sad thing to be so weighed down by life's griefs so that it affects the very bones of our frame! Yet, there are many who carry loads beyond their bearing - all because they choose a disposition of holding onto their grief, disappointment, or fear instead of letting it go! Why do you think the scriptures warn against holding onto unforgiveness? Easy! It affects our disposition of spirit! We call its effect "bitterness" - it makes us "sour" on people, life, and sometimes even God. Why does scripture advise not to turn our backs on wise counsel? Simple! Unwise counsel trips us up and gets us down on ourselves. Gloom and doom leave you "bone-tired". As a nurse, I know this to be a fact. I see many a "worn-out" soul carrying many a burden beyond their capacity - all because they cannot or will not let it go! As some food for thought today, here's one final quote: "Time engraves our faces with all the tears we have not shed." (Natalie Clifford Barney) What is your face telling you about your disposition? Maybe it is time for a little release of what we have kept so deeply pent up for some time! Just sayin!
A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. (Proverbs 17:22)
A cheerful disposition is good for our health! Sadness leaves us feeling like we have been wrung out and left to dry out like a used or soiled washrag. Ever see a dried washrag? It is brittle, stinky, and pretty inflexible! No wonder we enjoy the cheerful laughter moments so much! There is an old Jewish proverb: "What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul." Think on this one for a moment. Tears have a real "cathartic" effect, something we may need on occasion. We may feel a little "wrung out" for a while, but there is definitely something "cleansing" in having shed those tears. William Shakespeare reminds us, "To weep is to make less the depth of grief." So, tears are really not a bad thing - we may dread them, ward them off, and attempt to remain stoic in our grief, disappointment, or fears, but we shouldn't deny our body's the right to shed those tears.
Why is it we prefer laughter to tears? The clue lies in the word "disposition". It is not the tears that do us in, it is the disposition we maintain throughout the ordeal we are facing! The prevailing "tendency" of our spirit is what determines either the sense of release, or the turmoil of remaining under an overwhelming burden. When the "tendency" of our spirit is consistently submitted to God's will and his love, even the tears of sorrow can leave us liberated! Laughter is a good thing indeed. I enjoy a good belly-splitting laugh now and again. The kind that leaves you with tears leaking from your eyes and your side hurting, but oh so much endorphin release has occurred. There is nothing as enjoyable as sharing some laughter with a friend. In fact, to make light of a "faux-pas" is often the most delightful release!
Disposition is everything. How we approach life's challenges is based on our disposition - the "set of our spirit". It is truly a sad thing to be so weighed down by life's griefs so that it affects the very bones of our frame! Yet, there are many who carry loads beyond their bearing - all because they choose a disposition of holding onto their grief, disappointment, or fear instead of letting it go! Why do you think the scriptures warn against holding onto unforgiveness? Easy! It affects our disposition of spirit! We call its effect "bitterness" - it makes us "sour" on people, life, and sometimes even God. Why does scripture advise not to turn our backs on wise counsel? Simple! Unwise counsel trips us up and gets us down on ourselves. Gloom and doom leave you "bone-tired". As a nurse, I know this to be a fact. I see many a "worn-out" soul carrying many a burden beyond their capacity - all because they cannot or will not let it go! As some food for thought today, here's one final quote: "Time engraves our faces with all the tears we have not shed." (Natalie Clifford Barney) What is your face telling you about your disposition? Maybe it is time for a little release of what we have kept so deeply pent up for some time! Just sayin!
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Be at home here
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples." (John 15:5, 8)
A few moments this morning pondering this passage may help us to understand just how much God is concerned with our growth - not just our statements of faith or acknowledgements that he is God. He really wants us to know that he is a 'fruit inspector' - he looks for us to bear fruit! Yes, it will be over time because no fruit is instantaneous, but he still looks for signs of a harvest! Jesus points out the 'connection' that results in fruit-bearing without which we will be barren - something he refers to as 'deadwood'. I don't know about you, but if someone labeled me as 'deadwood' I would be pretty offended because I know it carries the connotation of being useless or a burden. In terms of writing, deadwood refers to those words that are added, but that may not always be necessary. For example, if I were to say, "The lamp on that table that is brown with a white shade", there is some 'deadwood' in that sentence. I could say, "The brown lamp with the white shade on the table", eliminating the 'deadwood' entirely. Deadwood serves very little purpose - it just 'takes space'. In God's kingdom, he doesn't need 'space occupiers' - he needs vital participants.
The relation we have with God is described as 'intimate' and 'organic'. When we hear the word 'intimate' today, it probably conjures up different meanings as it is used in different settings, but Jesus uses this to describe the closeness of the union necessary for growth to occur. A branch of a tree may be able to sprout roots and grow in a totally different location, but when the connection is lost there is a danger of death occurring. Closeness to the 'life source' is essential. Organic may simply refer to us being 'living' beings - participating in a close family relationship in God's kingdom. Both describe evidence of growth - of being alive. Separate we cannot produce a thing - that is pretty telling as to the necessity of maintaining a living (vital) connection with Jesus on a daily basis. Lose that connection and you lose the capacity to 'produce' - we become 'deadwood' - useless. How do we maintain this close union with Christ? We get to know the one we are in relationship with!
How is it we get to know each other on this earth? Don't we spend time with each other, listening to stories we each tell, recalling events of our lives so that we learn more and more about what went into who we are today? Don't we observe the movement of the other person - observing if they are hunched over and displaying fatigue or worry, or perhaps bouncy and giddy as though their world was about to explode with fireworks all around? We 'take note' because we want to understand what makes them 'tick'. We hope they do the same in getting to know us - so the 'union' or 'relationship' grows and has permanent roots that hold us through thick or thin, good or bad times. Why would it be any different in getting to know Jesus? It isn't! We need to take time to get to know him just as we do getting to know each other. In time, we won't even need to ask what he is thinking we should do right now because we will just sense it and move when he moves.
Make God's Word at home in your heart. This isn't just us doing a little bit of reading every day and then expecting the short passage we take in will somehow change us. It is continual contemplation of the Word we are provided as 'intake' each day. Honestly, this is why I journal - writing this blog is a form of me journaling what God is speaking to my heart. In contemplating the passage, I am allowing it to impact those areas of my life where I need to have God's attention focused more intentionally. It is 'pruning' me so that I am readied for the production of the fruit in the right season! How about it? You up to a little 'pruning' today? Get close enough to Jesus, allowing his Word to be at home in your heart, and you might just be surprised what fruit you see produced over the next year in your life. Just sayin!
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Too many to count
I am always on the look-out for a good deal. I like to find those mark-downs on the end-caps, come across a great garage sale with items so reasonably priced, and even find the perfect good deal on the social media marketplace. A person on the 'look-out' really has to be on their toes, or it is quite possible a good deal could pass them by. Staying on your toes is a term used to describe being prepared for whatever could happen - ready for action - ready to jump in and to take action no matter what it may require. We also could describe this type of 'look-out' stance as being alert and aware of what is going on around us - not missing a beat. There is attentiveness, preparedness, and an investment which is spoken of when we are 'on the look-out'.
So watch your step, friends. Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we're in this with Christ for the long haul. (Hebrews 3:12-14)
Scripture tells us to take a good, hard look at Jesus. This is suggestive of more than just merely "entertaining" a fleeting acquaintance with who he is or what he has been doing. It is suggestive of being really deeply engaged in finding out who this Jesus really is to us. In taking this "good, hard look" at Jesus, we are to come to the place where we recognize he is the center of all we believe and do - not just some small part of our belief system. As the center, it is important to realize everything else we believe must begin and end with him. We are reminded throughout scripture to consider the failure of our forefathers in the faith - the Israelites - who failed miserably in trusting God over and over again. For a while, they'd surge ahead in faith, aligned with God's plans, but when they got "comfortable" with God's grace in their lives, they began to take God's grace for granted - he drifted out of center in their lives. In the end, they'd fall into all kinds of sinful misdeeds which God had clearly warned them to avoid. Their actions are described as "trying God's patience". I so totally see myself doing that! I wonder just how many times I have taken God for granted, settled into my comfortable place, and drifted into complacency? Too many to count.
Guess what? I am not in this "comfort zone" alone! I think I have other companions in this journey who have done the same! In fact, this is why God reminds us to "keep each other on our toes"! He knew comfort's extremely easy "drift". He also knew the best way to avoid the "drift" is to have a companion in the journey - one who helps us to remain on our toes. I honestly believe having someone in our lives who keeps us on our toes is more than having someone we confess our struggles to and ask for them to pray for us on a particular matter of concern. One of my most important "accountability" partners doesn't even know she is holding me accountable at times - she just does because I give her permission to 'call me out' when I am acting a little out of sorts! In the simple ways she challenges me to consider my actions, to temper my words, or even to just get it together, I am kept on "my toes". Yep, she is helping me to draw nearer to Christ just by being in my life. A boxer in the ring needs to be "on his toes" when he is faced by an opponent. It is the presence of that opponent that brings him to attention - demands his focus. I wonder how many times we have discounted the activity of being faced with an opponent in life? Perhaps the presence of an opponent is really helping to keep us on our toes! Through comfort and unease, we have to be ready for anything. We will face much in the journey - some more enjoyable than others. In the midst of it all, we need each other's "coaching" to remain on our toes - so we don't give into the "drift" and lure of that place of comfort. Who's in your life, keeping you on your toes today? It could be a friend, or it could be the one in the ring with you! Either way - keep Christ at the center, stay on your toes, and don't get too comfortable! Just sayin!
So watch your step, friends. Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we're in this with Christ for the long haul. (Hebrews 3:12-14)
Scripture tells us to take a good, hard look at Jesus. This is suggestive of more than just merely "entertaining" a fleeting acquaintance with who he is or what he has been doing. It is suggestive of being really deeply engaged in finding out who this Jesus really is to us. In taking this "good, hard look" at Jesus, we are to come to the place where we recognize he is the center of all we believe and do - not just some small part of our belief system. As the center, it is important to realize everything else we believe must begin and end with him. We are reminded throughout scripture to consider the failure of our forefathers in the faith - the Israelites - who failed miserably in trusting God over and over again. For a while, they'd surge ahead in faith, aligned with God's plans, but when they got "comfortable" with God's grace in their lives, they began to take God's grace for granted - he drifted out of center in their lives. In the end, they'd fall into all kinds of sinful misdeeds which God had clearly warned them to avoid. Their actions are described as "trying God's patience". I so totally see myself doing that! I wonder just how many times I have taken God for granted, settled into my comfortable place, and drifted into complacency? Too many to count.
Guess what? I am not in this "comfort zone" alone! I think I have other companions in this journey who have done the same! In fact, this is why God reminds us to "keep each other on our toes"! He knew comfort's extremely easy "drift". He also knew the best way to avoid the "drift" is to have a companion in the journey - one who helps us to remain on our toes. I honestly believe having someone in our lives who keeps us on our toes is more than having someone we confess our struggles to and ask for them to pray for us on a particular matter of concern. One of my most important "accountability" partners doesn't even know she is holding me accountable at times - she just does because I give her permission to 'call me out' when I am acting a little out of sorts! In the simple ways she challenges me to consider my actions, to temper my words, or even to just get it together, I am kept on "my toes". Yep, she is helping me to draw nearer to Christ just by being in my life. A boxer in the ring needs to be "on his toes" when he is faced by an opponent. It is the presence of that opponent that brings him to attention - demands his focus. I wonder how many times we have discounted the activity of being faced with an opponent in life? Perhaps the presence of an opponent is really helping to keep us on our toes! Through comfort and unease, we have to be ready for anything. We will face much in the journey - some more enjoyable than others. In the midst of it all, we need each other's "coaching" to remain on our toes - so we don't give into the "drift" and lure of that place of comfort. Who's in your life, keeping you on your toes today? It could be a friend, or it could be the one in the ring with you! Either way - keep Christ at the center, stay on your toes, and don't get too comfortable! Just sayin!
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
It is up to us
I have days when it seems like I can accomplish just about anything, and others where it seems like there is nothing getting done. Interruptions seem to rob my planned activities and replace them with those that were unplanned. The harder you seem to work at something (especially those things that are a little harder to accomplish in the first place), the more difficult it seems to become. You never seem to "catch up", never seem to fully "grasp" the goal - making it harder and harder to get to the desired end. In the end, you just stand there in total frustration, more in a muddle than you were when you first began. Just as quickly as we started, we find ourselves out of energy to continue the journey toward that goal! We stop short of the goal - never really crossing the finish line. What a waste, huh? Or is it? We all need reminders from time to time to stay focused even when there are things that aren't going so well for us.
You know by now that I like the writings of the Apostle Paul - I seem to associate with his heart, I guess. His honesty is what always draws me to his words - the struggles, the questions, and then his simple trust. One of my favorite passages: "I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back." (Philippians 3:12-14) He hasn't "arrived" - and neither have we! He is open about the struggle (the strain) it takes to reach the goal set out before us - it could be a spiritual, emotional, physical, or even a financial goal. He isn't the "expert", but he knows the voice of his God beckoning him onward. Here we find the point of most of our failure - in our hearing of God's voice beckoning us onward, telling us not to forsake the goal. We all struggle with the "stretch" once in a while, but sometimes we struggle more than others - either because we hear and don't respond, or because we just refuse to hear.
So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it. (Philippians 3:15-16)
Anything less than total commitment really is not commitment! Commitment suggests engagement - active participation, purposeful movement, active listening. Anything less is really "dis-engagement". Paul's reminder to us is of the need for total engagement. Throughout scripture, we see accounts of many who start well, then get off-course along the way, heading down some path that just doesn't make any sense. Why? It usually begins in the "listening" deep within their hearts and minds. We "hear" a lot of stuff, BUT what we "listen to" is what affects us the deepest. I have shared many times - listening is an action, not a passive process. Listening is indeed engagement. It makes no sense to hear clear direction and then ignore it, right? Yet, we do! We read God's Word, become acquainted with God's will for us, then just go on without ever "conforming" to his will - all the while wondering why we aren't making any progress toward that goal. It is all a matter of focus - the clearer our focus, the easier it is to stay on track. It is God who gives us clarity - it is up to us what we do with the clarity we receive! Just sayin!
So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it. (Philippians 3:15-16)
Anything less than total commitment really is not commitment! Commitment suggests engagement - active participation, purposeful movement, active listening. Anything less is really "dis-engagement". Paul's reminder to us is of the need for total engagement. Throughout scripture, we see accounts of many who start well, then get off-course along the way, heading down some path that just doesn't make any sense. Why? It usually begins in the "listening" deep within their hearts and minds. We "hear" a lot of stuff, BUT what we "listen to" is what affects us the deepest. I have shared many times - listening is an action, not a passive process. Listening is indeed engagement. It makes no sense to hear clear direction and then ignore it, right? Yet, we do! We read God's Word, become acquainted with God's will for us, then just go on without ever "conforming" to his will - all the while wondering why we aren't making any progress toward that goal. It is all a matter of focus - the clearer our focus, the easier it is to stay on track. It is God who gives us clarity - it is up to us what we do with the clarity we receive! Just sayin!
Monday, December 14, 2020
Gathered, but also brought
“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father.” (John 10:14-15)
We have all probably read or heard this portion of scripture at one time or another, but I never really caught something that Jesus was saying until this morning. Read that passage again with me and stop at the sentence where Jesus talks about having other sheep in addition to those in this pen. Did you ever see that before? I guess I just glossed over it, but if we want to know why Jesus delays his return to this earth, maybe we can extrapolate from this verse that he is doing some 'sheep gathering' so the pen is more than full - it is overflowing! He was talking with his disciples when he shared these words - telling them truth in simple story form so they can begin to understand it. His 'pen' wasn't full enough - he had more work to do in order to gather more sheep into the pen. He needs to gather and bring them into the fold - meaning that this 'pen' we call Christianity and the churches that make up his 'pens' aren't really 'full' yet. There is more room to grow!
Do you know what the response was to Jesus' teaching that day? It was a 'split' in the Jewish ranks. Why? Truth divides the sheep from the goats every time! Think of the 'religious' as the goats and the ones Jesus called his 'disciples' as the sheep. There are a lot of 'goats' in this world, concerned about all the rules they have to keep in order to attain some form of 'right-standing' with their god. Goats serve a 'god' of some form, but not the One True God. Sheep follow the Shepherd - their very existence and sustenance is because of his tender care over his flocks. We aren't one big 'pen' of believers, but many 'pens' spread hither and yon - soon to be gathered into his presence all as one, but now we are in a kind of 'holding pen' we call our local church. It is within these 'pens' we find we can feed and grow, share and multiply.
Look at what Jesus says again - I need to gather and bring them. Gathering sheep may be one thing - getting them to all move in the same direction at the same time may be quite a different task! If you have been part of a local church for any time at all, you know exactly what I mean by that statement! It isn't easy getting all of the 'sheep' to get moving in the same direction. Some doddle along, not overly concerned about the pace being set by others. There will be some who are always out front of the rest, just ready to 'move out' at a moment's notice - attentive, quick to respond, always listening to the Shepherd's voice. We may find others just so intent on whatever it is they are focused on that they are totally unaware the rest of the flock is about to move on to the next place God has prepared for them spiritually.
Churches are filled with all kinds of sheep - some may label them lazy or crazy, regular or 'out there' - but regardless of what 'label' we attach to those sheep within our 'pen', they are all under his care and watchful eye. All must be brought along - not just gathered in. I think this is the purpose of the 'pen' we call our local church. God intends for our 'pen life' to be the place where we are gathered with the purpose of us being 'brought along' in this Christian walk. It is a place for us to grow - to be brought out of where we have lived for so long in unsheltered and unsafe spiritual, emotional, and physical conditions. Then he brings us into a place where we learn to walk together - providing for our spiritual needs, healing our emotional hurts and hang-ups, and then helping us to break free of those things that have bound us physically. Be gathered, but don't forget he is also doing the work of bringing us along! Just sayin!
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Long forgotten?
He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it." (Matthew 13:52)
I enjoy watching the older movies where life just seemed to be a little easier and less complicated. The simpler times have an intrigue all their own. The struggles to remain true to the convictions when times are quickly changing around us is a reminder to all of us of the speed of change that demands our attention today. What touches me the most is those older movies is what I would call simple trust - in their neighbors, in their family, and in their God. God has much in store for us, but we have to remember there is something very important about 'simple trust' when it comes to seeking his direction or intervention within our lives. The student well-trained in God's Word is the like the owner of a small general store - able to put their hands on anything needed - exactly when it is needed! I never really thought of what study of the Word does for us quite this way, but it is true. It is this idea of "access" that Jesus is reminding us about today.
We often have "access" to many things. I have access to a copy machine at work. In fact, I have access to a laser printer, copier, and fax machine without having to walk more than 20 feet. Yet, none of these office machines are mine. I can "use" them in the day-to-day operation of my work, but I don't get to take them home at the end of the day. They are not owned by me. Access is the ability to "use" these items only. I have been granted "permission" to utilize them, and I can grant permission to others to utilize them as they have need, as well. They appear as a option in my printer dropdown menu, but I still don't own any of those items listed in that menu. As Jesus is speaking with his disciples, he refers to being "students" - well-trained in God's kingdom - equating them to being like store "owners". The one who owns the store is able to access anything within the store whenever the need arises. The one who merely "purchases" from the store is one who must seek permission to purchase what is needed - they need 'special access'. Being a disciple of the Word is like being the keeper of a vast storeroom of "good stuff" you may "access" at any time.
New or old - exactly when you need it - the storeroom is packed full. Here's the joy of becoming a student of the Word - the vastness of the resources available to you! Some truths will be like the pillars of a building - holding us strong through thick and thin. Other truths will be used less frequently, but like the fine china that comes out on special occasions, they grace our lives with beauty. Then there is the cumulative effect of one portion of the Word adding to another - providing wisdom for our journey and sustenance to our soul. It is often in the "de-cluttering" of our lives we find out just how blessed we are - what accumulated 'wealth' we really have been given access to freely! Sometimes we "clutter up" our storeroom of faith with all kinds of things which only serve to push the good stuff to the back, making "access" a little more difficult. Maybe we need to "de-clutter" our spiritual storerooms a little, too. In so doing, we may find treasures we'd long forgotten! Just sayin!
I enjoy watching the older movies where life just seemed to be a little easier and less complicated. The simpler times have an intrigue all their own. The struggles to remain true to the convictions when times are quickly changing around us is a reminder to all of us of the speed of change that demands our attention today. What touches me the most is those older movies is what I would call simple trust - in their neighbors, in their family, and in their God. God has much in store for us, but we have to remember there is something very important about 'simple trust' when it comes to seeking his direction or intervention within our lives. The student well-trained in God's Word is the like the owner of a small general store - able to put their hands on anything needed - exactly when it is needed! I never really thought of what study of the Word does for us quite this way, but it is true. It is this idea of "access" that Jesus is reminding us about today.
We often have "access" to many things. I have access to a copy machine at work. In fact, I have access to a laser printer, copier, and fax machine without having to walk more than 20 feet. Yet, none of these office machines are mine. I can "use" them in the day-to-day operation of my work, but I don't get to take them home at the end of the day. They are not owned by me. Access is the ability to "use" these items only. I have been granted "permission" to utilize them, and I can grant permission to others to utilize them as they have need, as well. They appear as a option in my printer dropdown menu, but I still don't own any of those items listed in that menu. As Jesus is speaking with his disciples, he refers to being "students" - well-trained in God's kingdom - equating them to being like store "owners". The one who owns the store is able to access anything within the store whenever the need arises. The one who merely "purchases" from the store is one who must seek permission to purchase what is needed - they need 'special access'. Being a disciple of the Word is like being the keeper of a vast storeroom of "good stuff" you may "access" at any time.
New or old - exactly when you need it - the storeroom is packed full. Here's the joy of becoming a student of the Word - the vastness of the resources available to you! Some truths will be like the pillars of a building - holding us strong through thick and thin. Other truths will be used less frequently, but like the fine china that comes out on special occasions, they grace our lives with beauty. Then there is the cumulative effect of one portion of the Word adding to another - providing wisdom for our journey and sustenance to our soul. It is often in the "de-cluttering" of our lives we find out just how blessed we are - what accumulated 'wealth' we really have been given access to freely! Sometimes we "clutter up" our storeroom of faith with all kinds of things which only serve to push the good stuff to the back, making "access" a little more difficult. Maybe we need to "de-clutter" our spiritual storerooms a little, too. In so doing, we may find treasures we'd long forgotten! Just sayin!
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Gonna meddle a little...
Application being the basis of all change - without application, there is no advantage to knowledge - most of us would probably 'cop' to the plea that we aren't all that good at applying what we know. I have lots of cookbooks and recipes around the house, but that doesn't mean I am a gourmet chef. I can cut a piece of wood on my table saw, but that doesn't make me a master carpenter. I can clean my house so you don't see too many dust bunnies, but that doesn't make me an expert on cleaning. It is only when spiritual and emotional knowledge is applied that we can say we are truly developing "wisdom". I think this may be what Jesus was trying to tell these religious leaders that day when he told them they only sought what would 'titillate' their curiosity rather than really develop an understanding of the One True God.
Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees got on him. "Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?" Jesus said, "You're looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles." (Matthew 12:38-40)
Day after day, Jesus has been healing the sick, setting the demon-possessed free from their torturous existence, and teaching the truths of the Word. Even after all these "signs and wonders", the religious scholars "get on" Jesus' case, looking for his "credentials" - because they believed being called 'Rabbi' was a position only obtained after years and years of 'scholarly study' of the Old Testament! If I had been there, my response would have been something like, "Wake up dudes!" - they missed the point of all he was doing and didn't have a clue that here was the Messiah they had been studying about for all those years! So blinded by their own 'determination' of what should be 'proof' of being able to do God's work, they missed that it was being done all around them.
They came with the demand for "hard evidence". If opening the eyes of the blind from birth, or unraveling the shriveled hand of a man born with a birth defect is not "hard evidence", I am not exactly sure what they were looking for! They ask for a miracle! What on earth had they been seeing over these past several weeks? In fact, they had seen more miracles in one day than most of us see in a lifetime and they were still looking for "hard evidence"! Jesus hits the nail squarely on the head - all they wanted was something to "titillate" their curiosity. It is amazing to me how many times we fall into this same trap. We wander off to church each Sunday or watch it online these days, go to our small groups one night a week, attend a revival meeting or watch some video to inspire us, all in search of something to "titillate" our senses. What we miss in our "wandering" is the touch God specifically designed for our spirit, not so much for our senses!
Did you know the root of the word "titillate" is "tickle"? We are often looking for God to "tickle" our fancy - give us just a little sense of his presence, assurance, or direction. We aren't really looking for life change - we want "sensationalism". God gave us the awesome functional capacity to be curious - he also gave us the often unrecognized spiritual capacity to be in sync with his movement. When our focus is only on the "feeling" of being "tickled" by God's grace, we often miss the evidence of his grace right in the midst of our most desperate need for it! Jesus did not back down - he called it what it was - sensation seeking! Whenever we want the "sensation" of God's presence apart from the change his presence desires to bring within us, we miss it! Those who received their miracles came expectantly - not looking for the sensation of healing, but for the ACTUAL healing touch of God! This is what God honors - expectant faith, hungering hope, and a seeking heart. I wonder how many times we have missed what we so desperately needed for our deliverance from some life struggle simply because we came to Jesus hoping he'd tickle our fancies with some "feelings" of deliverance? I have come to realize Jesus does more in one moment of yielded obedience than he ever does in the hours we spend in church! If we were honest here, it is in the quiet of alone time with him where we are most frequently touched by his grace! Maybe we need to open our eyes afresh to the "hard evidence" of daily consistent obedience in our lives - this seems to be the real "evidence" which produces change! Just sayin!
Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees got on him. "Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?" Jesus said, "You're looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles." (Matthew 12:38-40)
Day after day, Jesus has been healing the sick, setting the demon-possessed free from their torturous existence, and teaching the truths of the Word. Even after all these "signs and wonders", the religious scholars "get on" Jesus' case, looking for his "credentials" - because they believed being called 'Rabbi' was a position only obtained after years and years of 'scholarly study' of the Old Testament! If I had been there, my response would have been something like, "Wake up dudes!" - they missed the point of all he was doing and didn't have a clue that here was the Messiah they had been studying about for all those years! So blinded by their own 'determination' of what should be 'proof' of being able to do God's work, they missed that it was being done all around them.
They came with the demand for "hard evidence". If opening the eyes of the blind from birth, or unraveling the shriveled hand of a man born with a birth defect is not "hard evidence", I am not exactly sure what they were looking for! They ask for a miracle! What on earth had they been seeing over these past several weeks? In fact, they had seen more miracles in one day than most of us see in a lifetime and they were still looking for "hard evidence"! Jesus hits the nail squarely on the head - all they wanted was something to "titillate" their curiosity. It is amazing to me how many times we fall into this same trap. We wander off to church each Sunday or watch it online these days, go to our small groups one night a week, attend a revival meeting or watch some video to inspire us, all in search of something to "titillate" our senses. What we miss in our "wandering" is the touch God specifically designed for our spirit, not so much for our senses!
Did you know the root of the word "titillate" is "tickle"? We are often looking for God to "tickle" our fancy - give us just a little sense of his presence, assurance, or direction. We aren't really looking for life change - we want "sensationalism". God gave us the awesome functional capacity to be curious - he also gave us the often unrecognized spiritual capacity to be in sync with his movement. When our focus is only on the "feeling" of being "tickled" by God's grace, we often miss the evidence of his grace right in the midst of our most desperate need for it! Jesus did not back down - he called it what it was - sensation seeking! Whenever we want the "sensation" of God's presence apart from the change his presence desires to bring within us, we miss it! Those who received their miracles came expectantly - not looking for the sensation of healing, but for the ACTUAL healing touch of God! This is what God honors - expectant faith, hungering hope, and a seeking heart. I wonder how many times we have missed what we so desperately needed for our deliverance from some life struggle simply because we came to Jesus hoping he'd tickle our fancies with some "feelings" of deliverance? I have come to realize Jesus does more in one moment of yielded obedience than he ever does in the hours we spend in church! If we were honest here, it is in the quiet of alone time with him where we are most frequently touched by his grace! Maybe we need to open our eyes afresh to the "hard evidence" of daily consistent obedience in our lives - this seems to be the real "evidence" which produces change! Just sayin!
Friday, December 11, 2020
Alignment assures the hold
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me. (John 6:35)
I have probably read this passage a hundred times if not more like several hundred, but each time we go through scripture God can bring something new to mind. I think it is because we are more ready to 'see' things or 'hear' things at some times than we are at others. Life's circumstances, our attitude of heart, the removal of distractions, and creating a 'space' for God's presence are just a few things that influence how 'open' we are to what God wants to show us. I am the Bread of Life - how many times have you read that yourself? What does that mean to you? That isn't the portion that jumped out to me today, though. If you read on, you discover a couple of very specific words that caught my attention. Aligns - explicitly - I hold on and don't let go. Those are the words that captured my thoughts for just a while this morning.
Aligns - the person who 'aligns' with him hungers no more and thirsts no more. We all know this is not a 'physical' hunger or thirst being addressed here, right? It is more than likely a hunger or thirst that is spiritual and even emotional. Yes, emotional! God knows we have many 'hungers' and we 'thirst' for things like feelings of belonging, being appreciated or cherished, and even feeling like we aren't a bother to him. Jesus reminds us today that our 'alignment' with him will do more than just set us right spiritually - freeing us from our sinful pasts, but it actually helps us find that emotional balance we are so desperately craving. To align really symbolizes us bringing our every thought and attitude into 'cooperation' or 'agreement' with how he has created us to live life. It means we don't have to crave belonging any longer because when we align with him, our sense of belonging is not just realized, it is met to the fullest extent.
Explicitly - God doesn't tell us to align with him in a manner that is going to be hard for us to grasp - he tells us our most fulfilled place or sense of belonging is found when we align with him - period. He knows we need to hear this clearly, and even to have it demonstrated in our lives, because we don't need anymore complicated explanations - religious pursuits give us enough of those already! God is 'specific' with us because he knows when we understand it is our 'cooperative' and 'yielded' spirit that brings us into the place of hungering and thirsting no longer, we will not want to wait a moment longer to enter into that place!
I hold on and don't let go - maybe this is a little odd for me to focus on within this passage, but here is why it caught my attention this morning - God does the holding - we don't. He only asks for us to align with him - like when we turn the two poles of the magnet toward each other - then he pulls us into that closeness with him, much like the magnet attracts and holds the object that is now in alignment with it. As we align ourselves with him, he pulls us closer and closer until that union is not able to be severed. It is a 'firm grip' he has on each of us - we can count on that. No matter how 'feeble' my grip - his is stronger and more capable of holding me even when I feel like I am slipping away! This is indeed good news for us - our grip isn't what matters - it is just our alignment! He does the holding - we just need to do the aligning! Just sayin!
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Let it unfold, God
At times I expect God to do things a certain way just because I know he did them that way before. I forget that he is the God of Creation - meaning he is not 'locked into' one way of doing things. He doesn't have to do things he same way each time, but the principles of how he moves are generally pretty consistent. Do you ever expect God to "appear" or "move" one way (the way you imagine in your mind)? Do you expect him to "perform" in a certain manner (the plans you have so carefully calculated or devised that you want him to follow)? When he doesn't "appear" or "perform" as we imagined, how do we handle it? For some of us, we get mad at God for a while, or a little bit confused by his actions - because he did not "fit" our "mold" of how we thought he should act. The Pharisees probably had this same kind of "mental argument" with Jesus as he walked this earth - simply because he didn't "fit the mold" of how they envisioned the arrival of their Messiah - he didn't "fit" the mold of the religion of the day! They missed out on so much of what Jesus wanted to do in and through them simply because they refused to believe Jesus could "operate" outside of their mind's conceived "box" - their image of who Jesus would be and how he would move among them.
A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah: Look well at my handpicked servant; I love him so much, take such delight in him. I've placed my Spirit on him; he'll decree justice to the nations. But he won't yell, won't raise his voice; there'll be no commotion in the streets. He won't walk over anyone's feelings, won't push you into a corner. Before you know it, his justice will triumph; the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even among far-off unbelievers. (Matthew 12:15-21)
There was quite a group of followers - some more curious than dedicated to his service - but all following with some form of hope they might receive his touch. He never asked them to get "rowdy" or have a revolution against the leaders of the time. Instead, he went about his work, healing those who came to him, teaching those with open hearts, and spreading hope to the hopeless. Why did Jesus caution the crowds to keep quiet? He knew the cross would come, but he knew the time was NOT NOW. He had much to do before that day - and each thing he did something 'miraculous', it fulfilled scripture's recorded prophesies of him. He was led by the Spirit of God. Even Jesus took his lead from the Holy Spirit as he walked this earth! Is it any wonder God asks (and even expects) the same of us? Certainly not! There is not only guidance in taking our lead from the Holy Spirit, but their is protection and great wisdom! If Jesus was directed by the Spirit of God, we can assuredly see the need for this same direction in our lives - because we don't know it all, we aren't always spot on with our timing, and we aren't always sure of where we are headed!
He was not boisterous or loud in his action. Jesus did more in the quietness of a single touch than any man could ever hope to accomplish in the many activities of their own efforts! He doesn't need to yell to get noticed - he is all around us, as he was all around them - we simply need to look hard enough to see him - to notice he is there! He respected the feelings of others. Jesus never needed to back a soul into the corner in order to touch that individual's life! There are times we may feel a little "backed into the corner" - but it usually our own doing which gets us into that corner! Jesus simply waits for us to discover the limits of our own attempts at "saving ourselves", respectfully waiting for our surrender, admitting that the "corner" has us pretty doggone confined. He knew the power and hope in his name. He was never afraid to have his name spoken. Have you ever overheard someone speaking your name in a conversation and wondered just what it was they were saying about you? In a moment, you may run several scenarios through your head - considering if you said, did, or overlooked something for which you were now the topic of discussion. We could call this "paranoia"! Jesus never worried about his name being spoken - simply because it was backed up with his power and his hope (something we would come to discover meant grace).
The various ways we "imagine" God will move or act may not always align with the image we actually should have of him! He is a quiet God - yet his name carries such "weight" (power) - he doesn't need to shout to get our attention. He is a caring God - yet his "delay" in some timing within our lives may give us the fear he is not aware of our need. He is a compassionate God - respecting us enough to give us time to yield to his touch even when we may not have any inclination to do so at first. Maybe today is your day to meet God in the stillness of this very moment! He won't yell to be noticed. In fact...we may just have to get a little quieter to actually hear him speak and observe him move. When we are quiet enough and cease from other activities that actually keep us from noticing how he is moving, we might just be amazed to discover what it is he has been unfolding all around us. Just sayin!
A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah: Look well at my handpicked servant; I love him so much, take such delight in him. I've placed my Spirit on him; he'll decree justice to the nations. But he won't yell, won't raise his voice; there'll be no commotion in the streets. He won't walk over anyone's feelings, won't push you into a corner. Before you know it, his justice will triumph; the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even among far-off unbelievers. (Matthew 12:15-21)
There was quite a group of followers - some more curious than dedicated to his service - but all following with some form of hope they might receive his touch. He never asked them to get "rowdy" or have a revolution against the leaders of the time. Instead, he went about his work, healing those who came to him, teaching those with open hearts, and spreading hope to the hopeless. Why did Jesus caution the crowds to keep quiet? He knew the cross would come, but he knew the time was NOT NOW. He had much to do before that day - and each thing he did something 'miraculous', it fulfilled scripture's recorded prophesies of him. He was led by the Spirit of God. Even Jesus took his lead from the Holy Spirit as he walked this earth! Is it any wonder God asks (and even expects) the same of us? Certainly not! There is not only guidance in taking our lead from the Holy Spirit, but their is protection and great wisdom! If Jesus was directed by the Spirit of God, we can assuredly see the need for this same direction in our lives - because we don't know it all, we aren't always spot on with our timing, and we aren't always sure of where we are headed!
He was not boisterous or loud in his action. Jesus did more in the quietness of a single touch than any man could ever hope to accomplish in the many activities of their own efforts! He doesn't need to yell to get noticed - he is all around us, as he was all around them - we simply need to look hard enough to see him - to notice he is there! He respected the feelings of others. Jesus never needed to back a soul into the corner in order to touch that individual's life! There are times we may feel a little "backed into the corner" - but it usually our own doing which gets us into that corner! Jesus simply waits for us to discover the limits of our own attempts at "saving ourselves", respectfully waiting for our surrender, admitting that the "corner" has us pretty doggone confined. He knew the power and hope in his name. He was never afraid to have his name spoken. Have you ever overheard someone speaking your name in a conversation and wondered just what it was they were saying about you? In a moment, you may run several scenarios through your head - considering if you said, did, or overlooked something for which you were now the topic of discussion. We could call this "paranoia"! Jesus never worried about his name being spoken - simply because it was backed up with his power and his hope (something we would come to discover meant grace).
The various ways we "imagine" God will move or act may not always align with the image we actually should have of him! He is a quiet God - yet his name carries such "weight" (power) - he doesn't need to shout to get our attention. He is a caring God - yet his "delay" in some timing within our lives may give us the fear he is not aware of our need. He is a compassionate God - respecting us enough to give us time to yield to his touch even when we may not have any inclination to do so at first. Maybe today is your day to meet God in the stillness of this very moment! He won't yell to be noticed. In fact...we may just have to get a little quieter to actually hear him speak and observe him move. When we are quiet enough and cease from other activities that actually keep us from noticing how he is moving, we might just be amazed to discover what it is he has been unfolding all around us. Just sayin!
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