Dad, hear my prayer....

14 I have given them your commands. And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am. 17 Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world, 19 and I consecrate myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness. (John 17:14-19 TLB)

Jesus is just about to leave this earth and he is in prayerful communication with his heavenly Father. As he speaks with him, he recounts several things that I think bear our attention. First, Jesus reminds God the Father that each of us has received his commands - we are not ignorant of his plans or purposes when we have been given the most concise and thorough accounting possible. We have the Word and we have the examples of those who have gone before us - our ancestors in the faith. We are without excuse - we cannot plead we don't know God's plans! 

Second, Jesus reminds us that we might often feel like we "don't fit" in this world. The distress we can sometimes feel by not "fitting in" can almost be our undoing as human beings. If you don't believe me, just go to the mall one day, sit in a place where you can observe the traffic of humans passing by and just watch them. You will notice groups trying to "fit in" by "standing out" in their attire, wearing of body jewelry, and even the body art they display. There are others trying to "fit in" by spending an awful lot of money for something with this brand name on it or that one, simply because it is the "brand" of popular people. It can actually be quite easy for us to get caught up in trying to "fit in" when what is within us make us "stand out"!

Third, Jesus has our best in mind and he is always interceding on our behalf that we would be "kept safe". There is much more to this than words can describe, but suffice it to say we don't know a fraction of what stands against us and how much his intervening power is what keeps us safe! The powers against us are sometimes recognized, but most of the time, we don't even appreciate what is behind the event we might be enduring. We see the display of the power, but we don't always recognize the power behind it - therein lies Jesus' prayer for our safety.

Lastly, we are made pure and holy, not by our efforts to be pure or holy, but because he has consecrated himself to meet every need we have for growth in truth and holiness. Yes, we take steps toward obedience and this is honorable, but it is lifeless if those steps aren't energized by the Spirit of God within. The power within becomes the power to withstand the power without. Just sayin!

Cookies for the King

^1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

(Romans 12:1-2 The Message)

Consecration goes beyond the surface - in fact, it embraces all of our being when it is operational in our lives.  Consecration is simply the act of setting something apart for a specific use.  When we say that the chocolate chip cookies are just for daddy because they are his favorite cookies, we have the expectation that the one receiving enjoyment out of those cookies will be daddy.  The same is true when we say we have dedicated our lives to the service of our heavenly Father - he will receive the enjoyment our dedication brings.

Grace and mercy are two very powerful forces at work in our lives.  It is the "favor" of God and the "pardon" of God that is at work in us.  The first step in dedicating our lives to his service is to yield what he already owns!  We are in a kind of "territory dispute" with God most of the time.  We want to enjoy the liberty of his grace and release of his pardon, but when it comes to actually turning over the "deed" to our lives, we hesitate.  We are called to be separated UNTO God for his special work within and through us.  What we fail to recognize is that separation is completely voluntary.

In the off chance that I am not clear here, let me explain.  God never REQUIRES our dedication.  He is honored by it, but he never compels us to serve him.  WE choose whom we will serve.  What we fail to recognize is that by dedicating ourselves to him, we are really being set apart for the most awesome enjoyment that one could ever experience.  Just like daddy may savor those chocolate chip cookies that have been "dedicated" to him, our heavenly Father will savor our dedication - giving over our "right" to hold control of our lives into his hands.

The most awesome thing happens when we finally yield the control of our lives to Jesus - we begin to bear the image of that which we yield to.  Did you ever see two totally close friends and notice how much they "resemble" each other in their habits, ideals, and even in their communication?  "Likeness" actually occurs because of the frequency of contact that they have with one another.  

When we finally desire God's enjoyment of our lives more than our own enjoyment of our sin, God is honored to take what we yield to him.  But...he only takes what is yielded (dedicated / consecrated)!  There is a practice in the Old Testament that we don't see any longer in our church services - the practice of the altar sacrifices.  That is okay, since Jesus was the perfect sacrifice!  Yet, I think there was some value in seeing how the altar affected what was dedicated to God by being placed on it!

Every gift laid at the altar is affected by the altar.  I call this the "altering" effect of the "altar".  It is like putting those chocolate chip cookies in the cookie jar for the enjoyment of one person only - each time that jar is opened, the aroma of those cookies rises.  At the altar of God's grace and mercy, there is an aroma that reaches God's nostrils and invites him to enjoy that which has been dedicated to him.  Yet, at the altar, God awakens a sense of need in us, as well.  It is at the altar that we are acknowledging our dependence upon him.

One last note - the CALLED OF God are CALLED FOR God - his enjoyment alone.  He already paid the price for our souls at the cross.  When we yield the right to govern our lives (our will), we are truly giving evidence that we are willing to have that which controls us the most affected by the altar.  Paul refers to this as having our minds renewed.  I think he might have had the picture of the altar in mind - leaving no part of our self-will untouched by the fire of the Spirit.

Sermon Lessons: Concentration

^16-18"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint. If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well."

(Matthew 6:16-18)

When I was growing up, homework required peace and quiet.  I was not allowed to have the radio on (yep, that means I did not have a stereo!).  I could not have TV going (as a matter of fact, it could not be on till chores were done and homework was finished!).  I did not get to chat on the phone with a friend while we worked on the homework together (maybe because we didn't put phones in kids rooms at that time!).  Mom and Dad were really trying to give me an environment in which I could "concentrate" on what I needed to get done. 

Jesus points out that there will be some times (periods) in our lives when we will set aside some time and energy toward really "concentrating" on God.  We may think of these times as going to a retreat, choosing a time to fast and pray, or even just a few days set aside with limited interruptions from the outside world, such as camping in the outdoors.  The purpose of the "set apart" time is to focus on God.

In the process of "concentrating" on God, we are bringing all our efforts, our activities, and our attention to one central place.  We are moving from being very scattered in our efforts, activities and attention, to being very focused.  When we are concentrating on something or someone, there is a tendency to come to a place of "convergence" - we become in sync with each other.  

For example, my grandson is at a stage where he loves to talk - sometimes about anything that comes to mind.  In that "talking" he sometimes doesn't make a lot sense.  Yet, when I take the effort to really concentrate on him (putting aside all other distractions), I find that he is really trying to connect with me, learn something, or share some very meaningful experience he has had.  If I miss the chance to concentrate on him and what he is sharing, I miss the chance to connect with him.

When we are in the process of concentrating on something, we are coming to a place where that object becomes clearer, stronger, and more intensified.  It is like turning up the power on a microscope, with each lens serving to intensify the view we have of the object of our focus.  Jesus reminds us that we need those times when we are concentrating on him - not because he needs to be the center of our attention - but because we gain something in the time of examining him this closely.

It was no big production to do my homework - nor is it a big production to take time to listen to my grandson.  All it takes is a little time, effort on my part to concentrate, and a heart desire to get something out of the encounter.  That is what God says he will reward.  Not a big show of religious activity - just the simplicity of a heart focused on knowing him better.

So, don't miss out on the times of "concentrating" on God.  The ability to focus on him, the desire to have him "intensify" himself in us, is really a matter of us making the time and effort into the encounter with him.