What could go wrong?

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping. (I Corinthians 16:13-14)

Keep your eyes open. The eyes are the window to the soul - they give insight into the condition of the man in what they reveal. Having our eyes opened is the beginning of seeing. Try to see with your eyes closed! You probably do a poor job of actually avoiding the hazards in your path when you do! Eyes have the purpose of allowing input - taking in what they behold, interpreting that input as either pleasant or not, beneficial or not, or even beautiful or not. The eyes are the gateway into a man's heart - the input we receive moves us in some respect. It is almost impossible to take input without some form of output! We are asked to remain in a position of taking in what God puts in our path. Be vigilant and aware, for in being alert, we can respond to what we receive as input. We can plan our escape, our response we will have in the moment. Maintain, cause to continue, so as to set the course. Our eyes have a lot to do with the course we keep. Whatever we choose to focus on will go a long way in affecting how we take all the other steps God asks us to take!

Hold tight to your convictions. A conviction is more than just some clever theory or persuasive fact. A conviction is a fixed or firm belief - it has some basis - roots which give it soundness. When the right stuff is entering through our vision, we begin to form sound convictions - we have all the right evidence to present. The action associated with convictions is that of "holding tight" to these convictions. We need to know what gives our "case" foundational truth. Some evidence is weak at best. Other evidence is so strong, it cannot be denied. Hold onto the truth we have been given so as to have an undeniable foundation upon which we base our lives. Give it all you've got. The idea of being something of worth, value, and importance is in view here. Come to the place of realizing your fullest potential. All we've got - not part - is what God says is called for in this life of serving Jesus. Ever serve someone half-heartedly? How'd that make you feel? Do you think the one being served knew you were only half-interested in serving them at that moment? Probably! The action required is that of "giving" - present willingly and without expectation of compensation. I wonder what this world would be like if we began to equate being all we could be with what it is we could willingly give without the expectation of some form of compensation as a result of our service?

Be resolute. To be set in purpose - not easily swayed - this is the idea presented next. Taken in order, if we have our focus correct, allowing the right stuff to be taken in, we will form the right basis of evidence in our lives which will cause us to begin to act differently toward others (and even ourselves). To this, God adds we are to be set in our purpose - fixed, determined, unwavering, undaunted by what life throws at us. When the preponderance of evidence is significant, the ability to "stand behind" the evidence is easier than when there is very little evidence, right? What gets us to the position of being able to be resolute? I think it is in the building up of the evidence in our lives of being new creations in Christ - realizing the actions of grace within our lives. Each action of grace gives us some additional evidence upon which we ground our convictions - we stand stronger by the revelation of grace. Some will say grace is that which was undeserved. You would be correct, but even the best of attorneys will tell you evidence discovered in the most unlikely places or by the most unlikely means is still evidence! We can stand undaunted by life - by grace.

Love without stopping. Can anyone actually do anything without stopping? I tire easily, how about you? Yet, there are some involuntary things which occur within my body which continue to occur without thought or action on my part - like my heartbeat or my breathing. I can hold my breath, but there is some overriding impulse center in my brain which tells my body to begin to take a breath before it is too late. Why? Simply because life is sustained by these actions. I am not presenting the love being an "unthinking" action. It is quite the opposite - it requires we are "invested" in its actions. When something becomes a way of life for us, the "thought" we put into those actions is almost automatic. We just do it because it is what we do. God might just be telling us to make love such a way of life that we love without really having to work ourselves up in order to love. It becomes "natural", free-flowing from a heart which has been convinced by the love and grace of God. If we actually take all these five principles together and begin to focus our lives on each action, we might just learn to walk a little differently. Just sayin!

Purpose and Intent - Prerequisite to Learning

Mindless pursuit is really not pursuit - it is just us being there without being present in the moment. The more we engage in mindless pursuit, the less we remember what it is like to really pursue with a true passion. If we really stop long enough to consider why we go to church, we'd all probably enjoy the experience a whole lot more! If going to church was more about us 'being the church' than about us 'attending' church, we might actually walk away a different person! Yet, most of us go to church in a kind of "mindless" manner - not really passionate about it, but more or less there because it has become routine for us.

Watch your step when you enter God's house. Enter to learn. That's far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, doing more harm than good. (Ecclesiastes 5:1)

There is an importance in "entering to learn" - not just to be able to "check off" one more thing on our list of weekend experiences or 'to do's'. Why does this come with a "warning" to watch our step as we enter? The reminder is to be cautious in what we might commit to doing - because a vow spoken in haste is really a thing we will trip on in the end - it will be like a weight tied around our neck! The three words "enter to learn" tell us a great deal about how we should "approach" church. First, we enter - we go in. This suggests more than mindless entry, but rather an active engagement in the process of moving from one spot to another. In entering, we are joining with others. Now, imagine if we were all there with only one purpose in mind - to praise God with our whole heart, body, and mind. What could be accomplished if there was such unity in worship?

To enter also implies actually being "let in" or "welcomed in". In fact, as it relates to the church, God tells us where two or three are gathered in his name, there he is in the midst of that gathering. In going with prepared hearts, prepared to worship with all we are, God welcomes us into his presence - celebrating with us, not just being on the receiving end of our celebration! 'Being the church' means more than hands raised and singing songs of worship. It means we 'enter' to serve - to 'be' the church as Christ would move in and through us. One of the most unused meanings of the word "enter" is the most telling part of how we are to "do church". It carries the idea of penetrating or piercing. In fact, as we gather together with specific and heart-intent purpose, we are driving back the gates of hell. Satan's forces take a real blow when worship and service is done with intent!

We are to enter to "learn". If we are actively engaged in the process of joining with others, there is a greater opportunity to learn, isn't there? I am not an independent learner - neither are you! We learn from each other's "schooling" in the things we call "life". As one navigates the path ahead of us, we "learn" where to walk and what steps to avoid; what lies in our path that might be both good or bad for us; and what it takes to get from where we are to where we are headed. If we are welcomed in, it is for a purpose. We are "designed" to be in a place where we can be taught from the Word - not only to hear, but also to "do" - to 'be' the church (putting action to our learning). Something which serves no purpose other than decoration we refer to as a nick-knack. God's churches are full of nick-knacks every week simply because we come to hear without the interest or intention of doing. How much more could God do with his church if we actually entered to learn of him? In doing warfare, we are learning of our enemy's varied tactics. We experience afresh the plans of our Lord for his church - to push back the gates of hell. We enter to become effective in warfare - learning of each other, listening intently to the "plan" of our Commander and Chief, and then we walk out what it is we learn. This is warfare indeed! Don't know if this might just change how we approach church this week, but it just might for some! Let's enter to learn - challenging one another to do the same - with intent and purpose! We have no idea what might just be accomplished in the purposeful "entering to learn" rather than the passive "attending to earn". Just thinkin!

I am who I am - no more, no less

I am always surprised when I hear of these 'leagues' of children's teams where no one wins and no one loses. All are winners - that seems to be the concept being taught. Now, I understand we want the kids to become enthralled with the pursuit of the sport and that we want to encourage time involved in physical activity, but where in life do we ever see that you always win? When the child faces his or her real 'first loss', how will they handle it? The sport somehow turns to one of winning and losing - there is not an entire 'sport pathway' that is merely based on just showing up to play! In the end, someone keeps score, determines a 'winning team' or 'winning athlete'. Then we have the other side of the coin where some coaches focus so much on winning they lose sight of encouraging the kiddos to actually have any enjoyment in the sport. In fact, they almost intimidate the kids by their 'win at all cost' demands. It seems we need a balance - a realistic view of the issue of failure combined with a very rewarding view of having had all the pieces fall into place on the 'win' side of the 'scoreboard'.

Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats. (James 3:13-16)

We each have to deal with the tendency we have to not be content with who WE are and what WE are able to do - the talents we all possess. We are looking to have 'purpose' as defined by what WE are and not so much WHO we are in Christ Jesus. There is too much gray in our hair - so we rush to color it or pluck it out, quickly forgetting that each one is a mark of wisdom. The mid-section has too much "beef" - so we buy the "love handle" exercise widget of the hour, forgetting we find lots of ways to avoid even the idea of exercise in our lives. The clothes we just bought three months ago are already classified as "out of style" - so we send them off to the thrift store while we rush to the department stores to buy the latest in fashion - forgetting that God just asks us to be modestly dressed and content with what we have. All the while, we neglect the biggest thing that brings contentment in life - being happy with who and what we are in Christ Jesus!

Yes, my mid-section could use a little work and I am not up-to-date on my wardrobe selections. My hair is almost not recognizably brunette any longer. But...I am who I am! No more, no less. There is nothing I can do that will change that - try as I might, I am who I am and no one else is me! I can make myself "look" better - but it is the "inside" that counts! We have lost sight of the fact that inner character is the true measure of a man or a woman. This is something we'd do well to relearn! Mom has spent about the past nine months not always recognizing me. She sometimes thinks there is more than one of me in the house - others saying they are me, but not really me. Yesterday she seemed to come to some revelation, though. She was staring at my neck as I bent in front of her doing her hair. She reached out and touched my chain with the little dove on it. All of a sudden she proclaimed she knew I was the 'real' one! All because of the little chain. That tiny symbol helped her to connect with me and she asked me to never take it off because it would be her way of always being able to recognize me. I don't plan to remove the necklace!

We are all "what we are". No more, no less. When we come to that realization, we are liberated to begin to live "just as God made us". With all the quirks and nuances of our character. We stop judging others for what they have, how they act, or what they say. We start seeing others as gifts in our lives - someone placed there for this moment in time. We also begin to see others and ourselves as God sees us - with the 'recognizable' signs of his Spirit within each of us. The idea of contentment is being satisfied with what or who we are - not wanting anything else - because we already have much more than we realize. It is coming to a place of satisfaction - knowing that we are "perfect" in God's eyes. Yes, he encourages us to keep our bodies in shape - but he doesn't want us to make our bodies our gods. Yes, he desires for us to have things that will make life easier - but he doesn't want us to elevate those things to a level of importance that exceeds his in our life. What we "are" first and foremost is children of God - direct heirs of his grace and his love! No more, no less! Just sayin!