Enter Here

If someone actually pointed out the way for you to find entrance to something you didn't even know you were looking for, would you go there? There are a whole lot of individuals who don't know they are looking for Jesus in their lives, but when they find someone pointing the way for them to find him, they are amazed at what they discover when the 'enter in'. We all need to be 'pointers' to the one who can answer every question, settle every dispute, open every mind, heal every heart, and bring peace to every troubled emotion. 

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:9-10)

Come in through him - no other way will matter, nor will it bring the same reward. We try a whole lot of 'ways' to get peace, settle our emotions and sort out our troubled minds, but there is but ONE way - discover that 'entrance point' and you will discover more than you ever knew you needed! The moment we say "yes" to Jesus is the moment we discover hope. The 'thief' of our peace, joy, and stability has many ways to disturb those things - lots of entry points, so to speak. The ONE entry point into truth is through Christ alone.

A rich and satisfying life is the gift offered to you today. Will you accept it? You may have been looking all over the place to find that 'one thing' that would bring you deep and lasting satisfaction, but it is futile to look elsewhere. There is only 'one thing' that we all need - Christ. The enemy of our souls will try to convince us that we don't need Christ in our lives - that 'religion' is silly or kind of lame. 'Religion' isn't what Christ offers. He offers eternal life, freedom from our hurts and hangups, and even a deep and lasting peace that surpasses all of our understanding.

We can enjoy this life with him - not because we find the entry point, but because he prepares that entry point, readying our hearts, and opening our minds. Then, when we say 'yes' to him, he enters into our lives, sets things in order that where once kind of a mess, and begins the work of transforming our lives into lives of purpose, with a truly rich and satisfying end in mind. Just sayin!

Just right

Sacrifices and offerings are not what please you; gifts and payment for sin are not what you demand. But you made me willing to listen and obey. And so, I said, “I am here to do what is written about me in the book, where it says, ’I enjoy pleasing you. Your Law is in my heart.’” (Psalm 40:6-8 CEV)

In the Old Testament, sacrifices and offerings were expected. The people would bring lambs, goats, bulls, and even birds or grains to the temple to offer to God. These would be prepared in a particular manner and either consumed on the altar, or parts of the offering would be consumed on the altar, and the remainder would be enjoyed by the priests who served in the temple. Jesus declared this "form" of worship no longer necessary when he offered himself as the "perfect sacrifice" for our sins. Yet, in our worship today, we often find we are still all actively trying to bring some "gift or payment" for sin, thinking God "demands" this of US. We have the illusion that our sins can be "covered over" by something we do or bring to God. 

Nothing we bring to God in the way of "good works" could ever encompass the demands of the cross. We can do our very best and still fall short of being able to live a sinless life. Our "best" is still not "good enough". This is exactly what has become the stumbling block upon which so many who call themselves "Christian" today find themselves tripping over. As long as we are relying upon what we can "bring" or "do", we will always be "bringing" or "doing" something far less than what is needed to find ourselves "forgiven", "grace-filled", and "restored". These are three "tasks" clearly outside of our ability to "do" or "bring" into our own lives! We think God "demands" something of us - but it is simply that we trust in the finished work of Christ on our behalf. That "perfect sacrifice" cannot be added to - we are simply asked to move from trying to "out-perform" what God has already done into the place where we accept his provision and walk in liberty because of it! God doesn't expect us to "do" this "salvation thing" on our own. He stepped in, provided the best and most perfect sacrifice, all so we could enjoy the beauty and majesty of celebrating in his presence. He made a way for our permanent experience of his presence - all through the work of grace.

That doesn't mean any of us is off the hook when it comes to the way we choose to live our lives after we say "yes" to Jesus. We turn away from living in a way which in not pleasing to God and we turn into his open arms. It is impossible for us to live on our own in grace. Most of us will constantly try to add to grace in some manner. This is how silly we are - for grace is perfect all by itself - nothing can be added to grace! What God does for us is help us to turn our ears toward his voice - learning to listen for his direction in our lives. Then he gives us the "want to" and the ability to do as he requests or requires. Obedience is our response to his grace, but even obedience is mostly his "doing" in our lives! A transition of heart is all God is really after - he will work on the rest in the course of time. Wherever it is we direct our heart (mind, will, and emotions), we begin to spend time. Time yields a greater understanding of the one we spend time with. In turn, this deeper understanding begins to bring a closeness which is hard to break. God is helping us lay down our desire to be "doing" stuff to "be made right with him" and settle into what he has "done" in our lives already. Before long, we find ourselves responding as we should because obedience is the outcome of being in his presence and his presence being in us!

So, instead of trying to bring "just the right" sacrifice for God, why not start trusting him to bring the right amount of grace into our hearts which will help us connect with him on a deeper level than ever before? Just askin!

All who would come

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28 MSG)

Why is it some embrace grace so easily and others seem to 'dance around it' for quite a long time? I think if may just be the way they feel about 'the church' as a whole. Stop for a moment to consider what someone may think about your local neighborhood church. Is it a positive place that embraces the sinner, or will the sinner feel the outcast upon entering in? That is a tough question for some of us to answer honestly, but it is an important one to consider today. God's intent for the church wasn't for us to create buildings and denominations, but places of refuge and healing - places of safety and sanctuary - so that all who enter in will be able to find the unforced rhythms of grace moving over and into their lives in limitless quantities!

I hear people say they are 'burned out on religion' - tired of what the 'church' people say or do, frustrated by the judgment they receive by others 'in the church', or the outright 'bigotry' observed in some arenas of 'church-goers'. I have to admit, I have observed some of the same 'in the church' and I know it disappoints Christ immensely to see us acting that way! His grace was never intended to exclude those who don't quite see things the way we do, but it was extended to all who would come. In time, as those who come are around his truth long enough, their lives begin to change - all at differing paces, but changing nonetheless. 

We aren't to judge their pace as too slow, nor are we to portray the image that says one needs to be cleaned up before they can come into grace. God intends for the church to be a place of refuge - of safety, rescue, and restoration. We come - all of us - unclean and unwashed. Our sins are as filthy rags - our lives are impure, unholy, and downright unbecoming - all of us. None is without sin - therefore, none is without the need for grace! Be the church of Christ - BE the grace of God - BE the healing touch of the Savior. That is the mission of the church, my friends - to bring others into the place where they will come to walk in the 'unforced rhythms of grace God offers to all who will come.

Church isn't something we 'go to' at a particular time or day of the week. Church is people with issues - all kinds of hurts and hang-ups - coming together to learn of the grace of God and to learn to leave behind the issues. Church isn't a building - it is a living, breathing group of sinners, learning to live freely for the first time in their lives. Yes, we have buildings and we call them churches, but the real 'church' is not the building, but the bodies that gather together in worship. God's grace is never more felt than when his people gather together, learning from him in unison, and then lifting holy hands and voices in worship to his name. 

It is as we 'get away with Jesus' that we are brought into a life of 'recovery'. Some may think they are above the place of recovery, but as long as you are taking in breath on this earth, you need to embrace the principles of 'recovery'. It is not the 12-Step kind of recovery I reference here, but the multiple step process of recovery that comes as we allow grace to wash us, make us clean, and then restore us to life as it is meant to be lived. We learn to 'do' relationship all over again, all because of grace. We learn to 'do' life again, all because of grace showing us how to change our choices. We learn to 'do' CHURCH together - because CHURCH is really something that is lived out daily, not a place we frequent weekly. Just sayin!