Influence me

But don’t let sin control your life here on earth. You must not be ruled by the things your sinful self makes you want to do. Don’t offer the parts of your body to serve sin. Don’t use your bodies to do evil, but offer yourselves to God, as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used for doing good. Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace. (Romans 6:12-14)

I know sin doesn't seem to just leave us alone - there are opportunities to compromise at every turn in the road and more than we might seem to recognize. When we welcomed Christ into our lives, we actually 'died' to sin - meaning that sin has no control over us any longer. We all know that temptation is real. We all realize the appeal of certain 'habits' don't just disappear. We have to put forth some effort to resist - to 'repel' sin's pull. What we might not recognize is that by offering our bodies to God daily, we are actually asking God to help us resist or repel those urges to do what we know we shouldn't be doing any longer.

The sad truth is that we actually 'offered' ourselves to serve sin. We might not realize how often we do this, like when we engage in just a bit of gossip about another individual. Is that information you are receiving honorable? Not usually. It isn't as though you have the best interest of the other individual in mind when you are taking it all in. You just want the juicy tidbits! We 'offer' ourselves to sin by listening when we have no business knowing what is being shared! Sin has a way of luring us in, creating a sense of 'ease' for the moment, but later we find that we aren't feeling all that good about what we just did, said, or are now thinking about. We let sin have an entrance and now we deal with the guilt.

What does it mean to offer ourselves to God. I can only share what it means to me, so let me begin by saying I offer my thoughts to him repeatedly throughout the day. I know how carried away my thoughts can get when they are left to their own devices and influenced by all the stuff around me, so I need his help to keep me 'on task' with him and able to resist those 'influential thoughts' that come at me. I also ask him to guide my words so they will be spoken in a gentle, healing, and wholesome manner. Does that mean I always succeed with my thought life and my speech? Not always, but I soon recognize when I am not in a 'safe place' with both areas because he brings little moments of conviction that turn me around quickly.

Perhaps offering ourselves to him means we take time to ask him where we struggle the most. I know my thoughts and words create the majority of issues in my life. So, I start there! Your struggles may be a little different, but you get the idea. When you offer yourself to him, he will show you where he needs to 'influence' your life the most - then all you need to do is allow him to do it! Just sayin!

Grace operationalized

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. (Corrie Ten Boom)

Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

How well we know God will determine how well we are able to trust him when things are going a little 'willy-nilly' in our lives. We cannot develop trust in the moment - it is developed in the long haul. The more we put into this relationship with Jesus, getting to know him better and better with each passing day, the more we will trust him with 'willy-nilly' seems to be the agenda of the day.

With every step we take, do we focus on what God wants, or what comes naturally or the easiest? If we are honest here, there are times when we are faced with the two choices, and we don't always choose wisely. For example, when a person drops some bomb on us, words meant to undo us or cause us to enter into an argument, do we focus on what God wants (the soft answer or the turning of the other cheek), or do we just see the open door to the argument and 'enter in' like there was no tomorrow?

The more we trust Jesus with our today, the easier it will be for us to trust him with our future. This type of trust isn't built quickly - it comes over time. Yes, we can trust Jesus with everything, but learning to do just that takes a bit of effort on our parts! We want to hold onto what we 'know' when faced with the 'unknown', so until we get to know Jesus better, we might just choose the easiest path over the less traveled one.

Don't depend upon your own knowledge - this is key to learning to trust Jesus. His knowledge supersedes ours. It isn't limited by what is seen or heard. It excels in uncovering truth because trust is built on truth. Thinking about what he wants is only possible when we have been able to uncover truth about how he acts, how grace would respond when it is 'fully operationalized' in the hard moments. We get to know that by observing what is said about his Son as he lived on this earth. The more we get to know Jesus, the closer we get to responding how he responded. In other words, 'grace operationalized'. Just sayin!

No silver platter

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him... And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3-8)

Some of us expect everything on a silver platter. Others of us expect to work for everything we get in life. Somewhere in the middle are the rest of us, doing a little to get what we need, while hoping we might get a bit more without having to work too hard to get it. Which of us is doing life correctly? Just turn to scripture to find the answer. We are given EVERYTHING we need for living a godly life - receive all of this by coming to know him. All we are asked to do is to make every effort to respond to God's promises, but how can we do this if we don't ever get to know his promises?

We are given the faith to believe, then God asks us to supplement it by living according to his high moral standards - the standards he provides for us in his Word and by having observed those standards lived out in Christ's life. We learn of him and then from him. As we incorporate more and more of what he teaches us through his Word, we find our faith growing - not because we make it so, but because his Word helps us set down solidly growing roots. The rest we find in be solidly planted allows us to endure every challenge life throws our way. In time, we begin to observe fruit - fruit we did not produce but which came as a result of responding to God each and every time he speaks to us.

Most of us desire to live productive and useful lives, so we 'do' or 'try' certain things that we equate with productivity. God's view of productivity is responsiveness to him! We respond to his request to change certain attitudes and preconceived ideas of how we should make choices in life, and we soon find our 'moral compass' begins to change direction toward moral excellence. In time, we add a bit more knowledge as we spend time with him, leading to just a bit more self-control when we are faced with familiar choices that weren't the best for us and make new ones. Little by little, we see our faith growing and our 'spiritual endurance' increasing - what gave us so much difficulty in the past seems like a piece of cake now. 

There is no magic in achieving moral excellence, but there is always God's grace and his tender prodding that drives us on. Just sayin!

Pray because of who he is

"Never limit your prayers because you think you are sinful or undeserving. You're not praying because of who you are - you are praying because of who he is." (Missional Women Facebook) 

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

We cannot let the 'hugeness' of our sin, impending disaster, or difficulty stand in our way of coming to God with our need. If we waited until we were 'worthy' of his grace or goodness, we'd wait an eternity. God's grace makes a way of approach - his goodness makes provision for our biggest need - PERIOD.

Be strong and courageous may seem like an odd verse to consider when thinking about approaching God with our need, but I think it fits the bill entirely. Why? God isn't after timidity - he is seeking to make us bold in his power, strong in his might, and ever certain of his presence with us. Our 'condition' means we need to be in his presence. Our 'need' means we need to seek his grace and goodness.

Wherever you go - whatever you face. God isn't just a God for the difficult times - he desires for us to approach with this boldness each and every time we enter into prayer. If we limit our prayer time to those times when we find life too difficult, we are likely trying to live life on our terms, in our own strength, and within our own abilities. There is no more desolate place than that wilderness known as 'self-assured'!

God's instruction is clear. "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16) Come boldly, come as often as you need, don't be afraid to ask this time and the next. There is no limit on his grace. There are no set words we must use. We just come, talk things out with him, and let him speak to us. Just sayin!

Nothing good comes from it...

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

God has given us his favor, love, and ultimately, deliverance from judgment - all through Christ Jesus. Our part is belief. Take credit for much more than that and you have elevated the importance of what you have done over God's free gift of grace. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done - it isn't about the good works - it all about his embracing a sinful people made completely right through the work of the Cross of Christ.

We are created anew - not by our good works, but because Christ dwells within us. We can do good works because he creates a new desire within us to no longer follow the deeds of the flesh or our sinful nature. It is that new desire that has us pursuing actions that were once 'foreign' to us. Some equate this new desire to do good works as us 'working our way to Christ', but this is not the case. It is because Christ has worked himself to us that we even desire to see these new choices take root in our lives.

Yes, Christ changes our heart. Sure, he changes our desires. Nothing good comes from our old nature, so when Christ gives us a new nature through believing in him and his finished work on the Cross, we desire to do the things God asks us to do. If we want to say these are 'good works', that is okay, because all that is good, true, upright, and holy come from God, not us. These 'good works' are an outflow of his grace active within our lives.

Do good - it is how we are all called live after saying 'yes' to Jesus. These 'good works' don't earn us anything in God's kingdom, though. They are merely the 'fruit' of being transplanted from very bad soil into the soil of God's grace and goodness. We are called to bear fruit - good fruit - not just some pretense of 'goodness'. The change God works in our desires reveals a change in 'life fruit'. We cannot produce that fruit apart from union with him. As hard as we might try, our 'goodness' is nothing compared to his. Just sayin!

Trials and Suffering, Oh my!

 Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. (Helen Keller)

We might desire all of life to be ease and quiet, but then we are living with unreasonable expectations. Jesus said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We will have many trials - not just a few. We may not face all of them with strength, but we can learn strength in the midst of them. It is important to remember there is no temptation 'unique' to any man - we all have faced a similar temptation at one time or another. What we might find 'unique' is that we all learn different things from trials that are quite similar. Why? God is developing some strength within us that will not only benefit ourselves, but will be a means of helping another develop strength, too.

Character is something developed when the mind learns to be at peace and the heart learns to be at rest. We don't learn this in the absence of trials - we learn it in the midst of them. Our character is a way of describing those unique qualities that set us apart from another, but it is also important to note that Jesus wanted us to take on his character. We are to develop in a loving servant's heart - taking the truth he gives to each of us and using what we have learned to influence this world and to encourage one another as we face life's challenges. Have all the lessons I have learned in this lifetime always come from good, God-fearing believers? Not hardly! Some of the best lessons I have learned have been from those who have failed miserably - their failure leaving a life-long influence in my life making me determined not to follow in their footsteps. 

We all want to be defined as men or women of 'good character', but we don't always make the choices that exhibit the best of moral or ethical standards, do we? Sometimes we just get a little too selfish or stubborn and go our own way. When we do, our 'character' may become a little 'tarnished', but take heart - Jesus stands at the ready to help bring beauty where only ashes remain. As others see how God can take even our worst failures and turn them into lessons that develop good character in us, they will be encouraged. Why? They might just come to the conclusion that God can do something similar in their lives, helping them put behind the things that didn't produce the best of character and move toward the things that will. Just sayin!

Grace is like rain

You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God. (I Peter 2:3)

I have tasted some pretty good stuff in my days. Chocolate, a nicely charred steak, sweet potatoes with melting butter, and mom's cheesecake. These are but a few of the things I have 'tasted', but there is one thing I have tasted that rises above all the rest: Jesus' grace and goodness. For years, the See's Candy Shops have given out a free piece of candy to the visitors in their shop. Why? To entice you to want more! God's grace is kind of like that - you get one taste of how liberating it is and you just keep coming back for more!

Grace is not meant to be tasted once and then that's all you ever experience it. It is meant to be tasted again and again, until you are overflowing with the goodness of it. Grace received is going to do something we may not have really anticipated - it helps us grow up in Jesus. Whenever we seek grace, we are seeking to grow a little. We are no longer content to let the stuff we have been 'taking in' be what we settle on in our lives. We want only the best and that is what God offers to those who seek him. 

John Updike likened rain to grace, saying: "Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life." God's grace is like rain - it falls on the driest and most parched parts of our lives, infusing all that is needed to bring growth from within. Without grace, we'd wither and die. With grace, we flourish. Maybe we need more of God's 'rain' in our lives! Just sayin!

Life Hack #20 - Tether Carefully

Life Hack #20:

Don’t envy bad people; don’t even want to be around them. All they think about is causing a disturbance; all they talk about is making trouble. (Proverbs 24:1-2)

Bad people seem to be everywhere in this world. It seems like evil just runs rampant and we cannot seem to regain the ground we have lost. As we begin to ponder how easily things seem to be going for those bent on doing wrong, we almost wonder why things can't be that easy for us. It is amazing what we can get worked up over - stuff we probably don't want to be involved in anyway, but because we see some advantage to the other guy, we get ourselves all in a twitter about the issue. Evil people cannot help us stay on the right path - in fact, they might get us off it without even trying very hard - simply because our tendency is to follow what moves our feelings rather than what keeps our spirit on the up and up. To get caught up in the talk and the ruckus of their madness is to end up in a truly dangerous place.

The "soundness" of a safe foundation for our lives will keep us on the up and up. When God tells us not to envy bad people or even desire to be around them, it is because he doesn't want us to become corrupted by their way of thinking, acting, or speaking. They are "pot stirrers" and as such, they delight in getting people "stirred up", but not for the right reasons. It is good to get our "juices flowing" once in a while over some issues, but when we are just getting caught up in the manipulative plotting of those bent on making life a little more complicated, we might just do well to turn away and run as fast as we can.

We are warned to avoid those whose hearts plot evil - they have an end in mind which only furthers their intentions. We must evaluate their words. All their talk appears to gravitate toward the culmination of their plotted evil. We all know how deceptive words can be, so we cannot simply take words at face value, but they are one of the indicators that give us a sense of warning that this is not the crowd we want to be keeping company with. Why? The "herd effect" of this type of negativity and wayward bent is in view here. We get "caught up" in the way they are moving simply because they have a way of almost "stampeding" those around them. They take off running and those who don't realize the misdirection of their path can easily be caught up in the "running" and just follow suit.

God asks us to know the hearts of those we companion with and to not be swayed by the words playing on our emotions so that we get into motion without really thinking through what it is we are moving toward. Be certain as to the heart intentions of those we companion with - the principle taught in scripture of being "equally yoked". To be equally yoked, two oxen were placed side by side in the yoke. Together they plowed the field. If one was too strong, or given to being too lazy, that one would constantly be pulling against the other and the fields would not get plowed well. The farmer would work way too hard just controlling the animals to get the plowing done! When we "partner" with another in relationship, we often find ourselves "working" together. If there is too much stubbornness on one's part, or perhaps a propensity to allow another to do the work, one of us will become disillusioned with the other and begin to regret the choices we have made. Evaluating who it is we "step into the yoke" with will save us a lot of regret down the road. Just sayin!

Life Hack #3 - A Real Windfall

Life Hack #3:

Forbes magazine published an article November 28, 2012, entitled "Why Winning Powerball Won't Make You Happy" written by Susan Adams. Citing multiple studies which point out the IMMEDIATE high or exuberance of winning, but then focus on the quick return to a low point within just a short point in time, she concludes: "While winning the lottery can make a difference, it won't affect the other conditions of your life". We can "bet" on the one-time windfall, or we can count on the certainty of what God provides with consistency. The choice seems pretty simple to me, but obviously there are a whole lot of others who actually don't believe this!

Don’t gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, hocking your house against a lucky chance. The time will come when you have to pay up; you’ll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back. (Proverbs 22:26-27)

"Life Hack #3" looks at where it is we determine our "windfall" or "riches" to rest - in the 'windfall' or in the 'consistency'. Life's joy isn't in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The "lucky chance" many take will do little more than make them more than financially broke in the end. Gambling seems like a pretty risky business to me. My mother used to say to me, "My poor wee lassie". My response to mom each and every time she says this to me: "I no so poor". Yep, the grammar is wrong, but you get the point. I am not poor in any respect - in fact, I am as rich as I can be, blessed beyond measure in Christ Jesus - even when things may not be "quite right" in my life. A lot of us determine our disposition in life based on the circumstances we are dealt. Look at the one who carries us through those circumstances, not at the circumstances themselves!

If we look at wealth to give us a sense of "worth" in life, we will always be chasing an elusive dream, for today's "wealth" will not keep up with tomorrow's demands. If we look at "image" to give us a sense of worth in life, we will be chasing a pretty unmanageable dream, for our "image" will fade in time, no matter how much plastic surgery we have done! God's direction to us is to look to him to give us our sense of worth - for this is truthfully the only thing which "imputes" value into our lives. We could hold out for the windfall at the end of the rainbow, but I would rather have my value determined today, not some day down the road when I "hit it big". I don't think there is anything "bigger" to "hit" than being redeemed by the grace of God from a life lived without him for all of eternity!

Keeping our focus on the "what if" of tomorrow will not benefit us any today. In fact, it serves to do nothing more than make us yearn for what we don't have and what we will be unlikely to ever achieve. Rather than focus on the "what if" of tomorrow, we would do well to focus on the "what is" of today. We have been granted so much in Christ Jesus - it will take us a lifetime to actually realize the significance of the TRUE and lasting "windfall" we have in HIM! Just sayin!

What flows from your heart?

We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne. (Marcus Aurelius)

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” (James 2:14-18)

Do good - for faith is manifested in the goodness produced without thinking - all because the heart is so in touch with God that goodness just flows from it. Actions speak louder than words, but actions alone are not enough. The spirit bears witness to the actions as much as the actions bear witness to the condition of the heart! God expects us to keep our heart in the very best of condition so that goodness is the natural outflow.

You see those little reminders on bumper stickers from time to time that challenge us to practice 'random acts of kindness'. You hear of the person at the coffee shop paying for the person's order behind them, or the customer adding a hundred-dollar tip to the five-dollar coffee and pie they enjoyed. Yes, these are perhaps 'random acts of kindness', but could it be that someone is so in tune with the goodness of God that their heart just overflows with that goodness to others? Perhaps, but not always. It is possible to 'practice random acts' such as these without ever knowing or trusting in God.

It may come as a surprise to some that good deeds don't always mean someone has said 'yes' to Jesus. It just means they chose to think of someone other than themselves for a moment. When God is at the center of one's life, ALL that flows from that life is bathed in God's goodness. Mercy and kindness are byproducts of having experienced God's grace. The heart is transformed and what flows from the heart is genuine and consistent. I see many a Christian beating themselves up because they don't feel they are living as well as God wants them to. Just know this - live for God, not for man. What flows from that is bound to be good. Just sayin!

Desire and Delight

Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will. Your innocence will be clear to everyone. He will vindicate you with the blazing light of justice shining down as from the noonday sun. (Psalm 37:4-6)

A heart's desires can be many - no doubt your desires differ from mine, but if we were to list them all, our lists would be long! I desire for my children to know and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. My delight will be to see my two grandsons to grow up to be morally strong, obedient to the commandments of Christ, and to trust him fully with the control of their lives. My desire to see both my children and grandchildren realize their dreams burns deeply with. I desire health, so I do what I can to preserve it wherever possible. I delight in time in the Word of God, good worship music, and the freedom to share my heart in open communion with my Lord. A heart's desires and delights - many though they may be, the one that is most important is the one that leads us to the commitment to do all the Lord desires.

According to the seed sown shall be the harvest reaped. We sow seeds that are a result of our desires - desire the good and the seed will be good; desire the unholy or impure and you know the harvest will be filled with all manner of 'weeds and tares'. I learned that the wheat seed and tare seed are very similar, producing a plant that almost looks the same in the earliest part of their growth. When you begin to see the difference is when the fruit is being produced. The seed of the wheat plant is brown, while that of the tare is purple with a black seed. While the wheat seed is good for consumption, the seed of the tare is actually poisonous, containing a soporific poison. I wouldn't want a diet of tares, would you?

Desire functions as the seed for many an action in our lives. Perhaps this is why God reminds us to examine our desires - for our desires often reflect our delight. What is it you find your greatest pleasure in? Maybe the better question is 'who' is it you find your greatest pleasure in? A boyfriend and girlfriend, captivated by young love may immediately say it is the one they are in relationship with. A father of a newborn may be absolutely delighted in the new life he holds in his arms, but his delight in his wife may actually become more profound as he observes her take such good care of that new life. A man or woman who has asked Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, finding unending and unconditional grace at the foot of the cross, may actually find their greatest delight in him. 

Desire and delight go hand in hand. One leads to the other. We desire more of Christ and are delighted to find him in the stillness of our time with him. We desire to understand his ways and are delighted to see his hand in action in so many ways around us. We desire to fully grasp a teaching from his Word and are delighted to find those words come to life in us as we are faced with a challenge too great for our human wisdom. Desire leads to delight - delight leads us to the feet of Jesus. What desire is the greatest in your life today? If it is anything other than Christ and his goodness, perhaps it is time to take a break from whatever stands in the way of us finding our greatest delight in his presence. Just sayin!

Abandoning it all

 Seek God while he’s here to be found, pray to him while he’s close at hand. Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness. (Isaiah 55:6)

During a time when the nation of Israel stood divided into two kingdoms and were constantly threatened by attacks from Assyria and Egypt, the prophet Isaiah is called to write these words - a prophesy of redemption to those who would seek it. The nation had been mostly deaf and disobedient to the words of God through the prophets - in fact, if they could break the rules, many of them did. Isaiah was called to focus on the redemption that would come through the Messiah (Christ), but the divided nations of Judah and Israel stood in opposition to much of what they knew they should be doing. Isn't it just like us independent humans to choose our own way of doing things, even when we know it stands in complete opposition to what we know to be right and true? Even worse, the two kingdoms did much to 'display' the 'look' of righteousness, but in reality, they were living without any form of intimate relationship with God. In today's vernacular, we'd call them hypocrites.

Do you ever stop to consider scripture and just have one of those 'huh' moments? You know - those times when you just sit and ponder the 'why' behind what you are reading and then realize you might have a bit of the same kind of attitude or behavior. If you find that happening from time to time don't get discouraged. It is just God's way of reminding you (and me) just how much you are loved. God only exposes our hypocrisy in order to help us realize he has something so much more for each of us. In fact, he shows us where we have a 'facade' of righteousness, but lack the 'heart' of right-living. Anything short of 'heart-investment' into the 'right-living' we do is just nothing more than hypocrisy. Did I step on any toes with that one? Remember, God talks to me about this stuff first, then he allows me to talk with you! 

Abandoning our way of thinking affects our way of living. Whenever we compromise our beliefs, we will see a change in our living - our 'heart' for right-living will be affected. We might put up a good front, but the reality is that we are like the kid who is sitting down on the outside, but standing up on the inside. God warned his people to avoid certain things because he knew it would begin to affect their 'heart' for right-living. He warned them not engage in certain behaviors they might see around them because he knew those would prohibit the development of solid morals. The 'heart' of the mankind is really all God had in mind as he gave instructions to avoid certain thinking/actions/behaviors and to embrace others. If you have ever developed a wrong way of thinking, you know how hard it is to break free from it. It is much easier to avoid it in the first place!

It is a wonderful place to come to - the place of forgiveness. The place where God embraces you with his grace and goodness. It is a far more beautiful place to never have abandoned that place of grace and goodness in the first place! Just sayin!

True Freedom is Not

Cicero said freedom was the power to live as one wishes. I have to challenge that idea a bit today, though. Freedom - true freedom - is not the ability to live as you wish - allowing every whim and fancy of your flesh to rule your life. Freedom is actually living within boundaries - knowing truth and allowing that truth to change how you make choices and what you allow as a response from within your being. Freedom involves the soulish parts of man, but it also is intensely founded on where our spirit man is anchored. If we have never said 'yes' to Jesus, allowing his freedom to be our true anchor, we are likely still living mostly soulish lives - self-centered, self-motivated, and self-fulfilling. We want what we want and we go after it. Cicero would have said we allow whatever force within us to direct our paths - Jesus says we deny self and listen to his voice, conducting our lives within a framework of goodness and grace.

That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God. (Romans 6:12-14)

Sin has a way of telling us there is no real freedom within boundaries, but I would like to challenge that a bit. Freedom doesn't mean an absence of boundaries - in fact, it is best found within the boundaries God establishes in his Word because there is no greater respecter of persons than God himself. If we have been inclined to follow our own desires and fulfill our own wishes in life, we might have realized we don't do a great job of 'respecting' ourselves. In fact, we do a whole of unwise things that don't really reveal a great deal of respect for who we are and what we can be. While living without rules seems like it might just be freedom, it isn't. Imagine a whole group of a hundred people in various cars or trucks of their choosing, all driving the freeway or highway around your home. Now, imagine no speed limits, no dividing lines, and no limitations on which way the traffic is to flow. Is that safe? No, the lines divide so as to give each a safe passage; the limits on speed have been calculated to allow for a good flow of traffic and safe transitions; and the traffic flow divided one way for those lanes is there to get us safely to our destination. Follow the rules and there is safety - live outside of them and there will be chaos.

So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom! (vs. 15-18)

Some acts destroy freedom, don't they? Think of the last truly selfish thing you did and ask yourself what that action really demonstrated. It is likely you might realize that action left others out, excluding them from the joy of the experience. It is also likely you might realize that one selfish action led to another and another until all the actions of the day or week were really self-focused. In the end, your 'desires' were fulfilled, but what about those around you? What impact did those actions have on others? If you don't think they impacted anyone else but yourself, think again. Freedom to act as we want never affects us alone - there is always someone else observing those actions and they are impacted by our choices. We set the example that it is okay to indulge self, allowing our actions to be dictated by whatever our emotions (feelings) demand. I have to ask a very telling question here - how many times have we 'acted' upon our desires only to feel disgusted by what we did or didn't do? It is likely our emotional actions left us feeling a little down on ourselves. Why? We realized doing 'what we wanted' didn't really produce the results we desired. 

Freedom isn't really living as we want, but rather living within the openness of God's grace and goodness. There are tons of things we can pursue in life, but not all of them will lead into the 'wideness' of God's goodness and grace. When those things we pursue are selfish in nature, they lead away from that 'wideness'. We may not think it will, but trust one who has engaged in many a selfish action in this lifetime - it doesn't really compute to true freedom. It actually makes you feel a little 'bound' and 'captive'. Just sayin!

Utter amazement

God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet. He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel. God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud. Men and women don’t live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. God’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, Making everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said. (Psalm 103:13)

I don't know if this prompts you to utter even a few words of gratitude and worship, but this passage always gets me to my knees. Why? God doesn't EVER treat me like I deserve and that fills me with utter amazement. That amazement spills over into praise and thanksgiving - because if I was treated the way I deserved it, I don't think I would like life very well! This passage is loaded with things we need to understand about our God:

1. He isn't in the business of just letting things happen - leaving things up to fate. He puts everything right and makes them come out in ways no one ever expects. This suggests a position of action in our lives - putting things right, making us stand strong again, opening up his plans to us - these are all actions he not only engages in within us, but all around us. 

2. He isn't shy about letting us see how he works - in fact, he relishes the opportunity of letting us see his movement, understanding little bits and pieces of his bigger plan, and then moving right there along with him. While our lives are short, they are abundantly 'endless' in his grace and mercy - probably by far the most amazing 'work' he does is within each of us that least deserve his attentiveness and care.

3. He isn't into using our sins against us or keeping us under his thumb - he gives us his grace and mercy and then lets us live again in the freedom of that forgiveness. His love isn't mamby-pamby - it is intentional, not situational. It isn't given in limited amounts - barely eeking out any sign of his care or compassion - it is lavished in endless proportions.

4. He doesn't just 'watch over' our lives - he is actively engaged and in tune with every need, desire, and hope. Follow his instructions and you will live 'within' this state of intentional care - step outside and he will reach out to bring you back again. Why? His love is limitless and unconditional. That is probably the hardest thing for us to grasp fully - the lack of conditions. We equate love with doing something and then receiving something in return. In God's economy, all are free, all are loved, all are given grace as they seek it. 

5. We leave little impact upon this world - wouldn't it be the best to leave the greatest impact we can leave? How? By living within his grace - giving of our lives as he has given of his. Grace isn't to be squandered - it is to be multiplied and guess who God intends to use as the multiplier of that grace? You and me! Just ponder this passage today and let God speak into your soul a bit. Just askin...

Be good or be made good

It was Henry David Thoreau who reminded us, "Be not simply good - be good for something". I am reminded today of what it means to be good - because I see around me lots of individuals who have allowed the creation of a rewarding and fulfilling life flow within their lives. How? By inviting Christ into their lives - not as a guest - but as the one to take control, guide their steps, and fill their lives with a totally different meaning than they had known. In short - they were made good - then they were made good for something! Apart from Christ, we can do 'good actions' and even have a little 'good intent' within our hearts. With Christ in control, our lives are more than just 'good actions' - they are good to the core.

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

If you look up the meaning of 'good', the first definition you are likely to come across is that of being morally excellent, virtuous, and righteous. That totally describes this exchange of character that occurs the moment we welcome Christ into our lives. We exchange our moral mediocrity for his moral excellence. We lay down our self-righteous actions - those 'good deeds' we have been doing in hopes it would make some difference in making us 'good individuals'. We embrace a new virtue that stems not from a hope of being good, but from the new root of goodness that has taken hold within us. In place of our attempting to be 'good' - we become good to the core - hear that one, my friends - it isn't about us anymore - it is about him IN us.

United with him - this is more than a mere acquaintance with him - it is an outright investment of our lives into the relationship we now enjoy. Yes, we begin by 'cooperating' with him in this new life, but eventually we are doing more than just 'cooperating'. We begin to sense and truly know that we are 'integrated' into his thoughts and actions. His thoughts are not must mingled with ours - they begin to bring the muddled ones to the surface so they can be removed - because they don't belong any longer. Our actions aren't just interspersed with his - they begin to be motivated by his heartbeat deep within us. In other words, we begin to not only 'be good' - we 'are good'. 

For someone who lived a whole lot of her growing up years 'being bad', this comes as a great comfort to my weary soul. Growing up you could not have told me I was 'good' or even had the potential of anyone considering me 'good'. Why? I had convinced myself no one really loved me the way I was - I needed to be something different than what I was. How foolish our minds can be when we begin to focus so intently on 'us' and not on 'him'. We think life is all about us and forget it is all about him. At that time, even though I was raised in church, I really didn't know him. I sought fulfillment in meaningless relationships, always seeking to be liked by someone - all the while not 'liking' myself at all. Imagine the conflict when I put myself out there to be 'liked' as 'good for something' in another's life and found my actions rejected. 

It was somewhere in my early adult years when I discovered the truth that my goodness was never what anyone needed - they needed the goodness of Christ in me to shine through. As I invited him into my life in my teens, his work began within my heart, changing it from 'me being good' to me being made good in him. I recall the day in Anchorage when I came to the reality that simply 'inviting him in' was not enough. I needed to allow him full and total control. I don't know about you, but there are times we think just 'having Jesus around' is enough, but until we make him the 'center of our attention' our actions won't really change. We won't think differently. We won't stop trying to 'be good' until we realize we are 'made good' in his presence - with him in control of our lives. Just sayin!

Truly Good

But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true: Death swallowed by triumphant Life! Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now? It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God! (I Corinthians 15:55-57)

It was guilt brought on by trying to keep 'all the rules' on our own that gave sin its leverage. The 'law-code' that says we have to obey all these rules upon rules actually did more to keep us under a load of guilt than anything else. We just aren't capable of keeping all the rules on our own. Rules are boundaries - some are set by men to keep men in line; others are set by God because he knows the destructiveness of sin's full consummation in our lives. Either way - they are hard to keep all of the time in our own effort or 'will-power'. 

In a single stroke - sin, guilt, and death - all are wiped away. How is that possible? Guilt seems to linger on long after we have confessed our short-comings. Sometimes shame replaces the feelings of guilt, making the 'sting' of our sin felt time and time again as we come to believe we are never going to be free of the sin's pull. Yet - - - in a SINGLE action, Christ dealt with all three! Sin was swallowed up in the action of the cross - along with the guilt and shame of that sin. Death - life lived apart from God for all of eternity - was dealt a final blow. 

Don't miss it - freedom from sin; victory over shame; and triumph over the 'finality' of the grave is ALL ours - as a gift given by the one who holds all three in his claim - Christ. Not anything we earn, but everything we count on as ours from now through all of eternity. So, why do we live as though we don't have victory over our sin and shame? We likely do so because we are listening to the lie that we will never be good enough, do enough good, or influence enough good in this life. That is true - apart from Christ's presence within us. 

With the presence of Christ within, 'good enough' is made 'so much more than just good enough'. We are exalted into the position of Kings Kids - we are royalty! With the presence of Christ within 'doing good' isn't about keeping all the rules, it is about living the way he desires because we are so in love with him that we desire to do nothing less. With the presence of Christ within, our life is an influence for good and a deterrent to evil. We are light and life - examples of his love, grace, and peace. We are living testimonials of his ability to release from the hold of this 'do good' spin we try to convince ourselves we can do on our own.

Death swallowed by triumphant life - sin brings death in the spiritual sense - separating us from the presence of God and the peace that comes by living close to his heart. Christ did what none of us is capable of doing - triumphing over death's pull and sting. Nothing pulls us toward eternal death any longer - everything pulls us toward eternal life - a life lived in the presence of the One True God himself. We can 'try' to live good, but only the presence of a good God within us can make us truly 'good'. Just sayin!

The good worked in is about to become the good worked out

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (Romans 8:28)

If you are anything like me, you get a little tired not knowing what God is doing, why it is taking so long, how he plans to take the next steps in your life, or if he is even paying attention. It is always good for me to recall this verse, reminding myself there is no distance between God and ME at this moment or at ANY moment in time. He is right there alongside and his 'role' is to help us along. That suggests to me there is always some action God is looking for from ME. It is usually some form of obedience or trust step. I have to do as he asks - he does as he promises. I have to lean in when I don't see the evidence - he does as the rest. 

Wordless sighs - do you ever 'utter' those types of prayers? I do a whole lot of the time. Usually it is because I am so confused by the circumstances, or overwhelmed by the speed at which things are happening, and I just 'utter' that deep sigh that clearly lets God know I am out of juice. I don't have the energy - spiritually, physically, or mentally to take on another thing. I find myself 'undone' and utterly at his mercy. Ever groan a little in those moments when you know something is about to break loose and you are standing right in the middle of it? I do! I know there is an avalanche of something coming my way and I am far from prepared to take it on.

It is indeed good news that God knows us better than we know ourselves. Every detail of our lives is ordered, worked out, perfectly orchestrated - even when it seems like the avalanche is coming, there is order about to come out of what seems like nothing more than a big load of chaos! Chew on that one for a moment - what looks like nothing good is really about to become the 'medium' by which God creates something good within us. Just as a potter has the 'medium' of clay from which he creates something that doesn't even remotely resemble the 'blob' of formless mess he starts out with, so God takes the 'mess' of our chaos and forms something beautiful in us.

Every detail is ordered. Don't miss that one - EVERY detail - not just the bigger stuff, but the tiniest and seemingly most 'insignificant' detail in that chaos is about to be used for something good. When something good is worked into our lives, do you know what comes next? We get to share that 'goodness of God' with others. The good worked in is about to become the good worked out. Just sayin!

The goodness of God

You are my God, and I give You thanks; You are my God, and I praise You. Give thanks to our Eternal Lord; He is always good. He never ceases to be loving and kind. (Psalm 118:28-29)

There is a certain sense of 'intimacy' in these words, isn't there? Our psalmist capture the essence of the relationship desires of his kids. The closeness of one who can proclaim, "You are MY God...", is something that isn't known by all who claim to know him. They may claim him as God, but not as 'their God'. Our psalmist starts with the acknowledgement of God being close to him first, giving praise to him, then acknowledges that God is good to all, moving from a personal to corporate view of the relationship. God always asks for us to focus first on the personal, then engage with the corporate. Does that sound a little too 'self-centered' to be something God would want? Not at all, because he created us to commune with him in a deeply personal sense and then to bring that communion relationship into our relationships with others.

God is good ... and the people say, "All the time". Have you heard that in some church service at one time or another? If you have ever experienced the goodness of God in your life, you know the "all the time" part comes from within you in a little deeper way than just repeating some words by rote, right? How has God been good in your life today? As I write these words, I can recount multiple examples in just the past week. A daughter who lovingly stepped up and helped me care for my mom's needs at the end of her life, kept me fed when I didn't feel like cooking, and continued to call/text to be sure I was doing okay myself. My BFF who came morning and night to help me bathe mom, change her sheets, and get her situated for her day/night, countless times of holding mom's hand, and endlessly just letting me weep a little. God's goodness comes through in our lives through people, in special memories that flood our souls, and in times of just breathing in and out as we think upon him. 

Goodness isn't always a 'thing' - very often it is something felt, known, and sensed. Goodness is something we are to celebrate - with passion and purpose. If we consider the goodness of God in our lives, we begin with the 'personal' goodness he has revealed in and through us, then we consider the more 'corporate' goodness he reveals in and through those around us. When was the last time you acknowledged his goodness? If it hasn't been in a while, maybe it is time to just sit down, get quiet, then begin to allow his goodness to flow over you, bringing forth moment after moment of praise, adoration, and worship from within. His goodness is something to be celebrated - so shout it out! Just praising God today!

Pure and simple

Some days, I am on top of the world - sailing along without worry or hindrance. Others I am in the pit looking up - barely able to keep my head above water, really uncertain about the way things are going to turn out that day. The ups and downs, twists and turns of life just keep us in knots, wondering what is coming next, not sure we will be able to 'keep up' or 'make it through'. It is one thing to feel these various emotions because of another's action within our lives - quite another to feel them because of our own poorly prepared and 'dumbly executed' actions, isn't it? One brings a sense of anger, mistrust, fear, and perhaps even the desire to retaliate a little. The other brings a sense of frustration, guilt, remorse, and if we are being totally honest here, even a little bit of what we call shame.

Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. (Romans 12:3)

The main reason we experience these ups and downs in our emotions is our viewpoint or vantage point in life - it colors our interpretation of all life sends our way. I wonder if we really know what it means to live in "pure grace". I think we might have an idea of grace, but I think most of us actually do not fully appreciate the depth of grace in our lives - going to the deepest places of hurt and sin in our lives. We don't understand its breadth - reaching into the periphery and uncovering what only festers where it is secretly hidden. Amazingly, we do understand how to cover up, run from, work to be free of, and involve ourselves in all kinds of spiritual contortions in order to "feel forgiven". Yet, that 'feeling' is a waning thing - probably for about as long as it takes for us to do something else that is kind of dumb, or poorly executed in our lives! Paul writes to us about the grace of God - pure and simple - we are incapable of adding nothing to it! It is this grace which sets man right with God - pure grace - nothing 'mixed into it' that we can add on our own merit. This same grace restores hope to the hopeless soul - the soul that keeps doing the same dumb things time and time again. Nothing is quite like grace. Grace is indeed not fully understood, but I wonder if we were ever supposed to 'understand' grace, or to simply accept it, allow it to regenerate us, and then walk free of the very thing that required grace in the first place?

Living is at its best when it is in "pure grace". There is nothing more fulfilling than to be aware of how much God has forgiven in our lives, the ways he has changed a hardened and unyielding heart, or the phenomenal job he does in changing our sometimes pretty 'warped' mindset. Yet, we live far short of "pure grace", don't we? We "muddy" the grace of God with the actions of our own attempts at "feeling forgiven". We want to do something to "feel forgiven" - like serving out of obligation rather than love, engaging in religious activities for the sake of how it makes us feel. Then we wonder why we just don't break free from the feelings associated with our past failures. It is almost always because we don't understand grace - a gift, pure and simple, with no strings attached. We don't bring our "goodness" to God - he brings it to us! No matter what, God's grace is ours - we just have to learn to accept the grace we have been given and stop trying to "add" to it! We only understand ourselves when we behold God. Why? He is our creator - we are created in HIS image. When we look upon him, we see exactly what he created us to be! As we behold him, we see how he sees us! It is in beholding what he is - pure, holy, loving, righteous, long-suffering - the revelation of how he sees us becomes more real. We are definitely not pure - but in Christ, we are totally pure. We are definitely not the embodiment of love - but in Christ, we experience pure love. We are certainly not very patient or long-suffering - but in each extension of God's grace, we begin to understand the limitless supply of his grace.

It is his action within us which helps to "even out" those ups and downs of emotions. It is what he does in and for us that produces "evenness" in our character. Left to our own devices, we would still ride the roller-coaster of emotions. We simply cannot experience lasting emotional stability if we are counting on any human effort of our own to make us "feel" right. Eventually, given enough time, we will disappoint ourselves! We will do something, say a few choice words, or forget our commitments. In the end, all the religious effort to be "good" or "pure" will just not "make us" so! Only grace has the ability to accomplish what grace is intended to do - to pardon, to release, to erase. Nothing is quite like grace! I have observed a trend to hand out all these 'powerful' sports drinks at soccer, football, and baseball games now. The question that comes to mind is if we are losing water while exerting ourselves, why aren't we drinking water? The drinks may be good, but if all we need is water, why do we try to put more in? I have to ask, if we have fallen from grace, why are we trying to replace it with anything other than grace? Just askin!

Is this really creme brulee?

The believer comes to a place of revelation and deep introspective consideration from time to time - pondering the greatness of the gift they have received in their redemption from sin. The realization of just how selfish one had become before Christ bestowed such magnificent grace on their life can bring a person to their knees in grateful adoration. The truth be told, many of us need those 'knee bending' moments because they are what help us realize just how much God has done for us in the gift of grace. Most of us want more than just a 'basic salvation package' from God, though. We want the initial forgiveness of our sins, but we also want the ongoing forgiveness we will need because we 'keep on' sinning. We also want to be embraced in God's goodness from day to day, with a fresh revelation of who he is, what he is doing in our lives, and how much more he has prepared for us. We don't want to miss out on any of the blessings he has prepared for us. We occasionally forget there are 'efforts' on our part that are prerequisite to experiencing this incremental growth - 'efforts' that we might find hard from time to time, but are still expected if we are to grow 'into' the grace we have been extended.

Do you want more and more of God’s kindness and peace? Then learn to know him better and better. For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us! And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character. But ...you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply. The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Peter 1:2-8 TLB)

We all want more - this is a given. Don't believe this to be true? Think about your last Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter dinner. Even on days when we can fill our bellies to the brim, leaving the table almost 'miserable' because of the massive feast we have enjoyed, we are still thinking of the turkey sandwich we will indulge in within just an hour or two after leaving the table! We are filled to the brim as we leave the table, but we are imagining just one more delicacy. It is kind of like that with God's grace - we know we are filled to the brim, but we leave each and every encounter with Jesus feeling satisfied, but with just a hint of a craving for more! With each new 'feast' we enjoy in his presence, there comes a desire to experience more of what he offers at his banquet table.

All of us desire to be fruitful and useful. We want the best in our lives. Most of the time, we rise in the morning with positive intent - we desire to do well that day. We don't really want to compromise ourselves, selling ourselves out to sin's pull, but we also live in a world filled with all manner of things that can entice us at every turn. We know the real and consistent struggle of living where there is ample temptation. We want all those wonderful blessings God has prepared for us, but we forget there is a whole lot of work to realizing those blessings in our lives. The work? It is really in the consistency of obedience we maintain daily. There is a direct correlation between our enjoyment of God's blessings and our obedience. It isn't that God is stingy with his blessings, he just knows we will enjoy them so much more when we aren't trying to fill up on 'cheap substitutes'. 

I went to a restaurant just before Christmas with a couple of friends. I enjoyed a nice meal with them, but as we were about to pay the bill, the waitress asked if she could bring us a dessert specially prepared for us by the chef. It was complimentary - something new he was trying out to see if he'd add it to the menu. Now, if you are like me, although you are trying to be 'good' in watching what you eat, when a waitress offers you FREE creme brulee, you don't pass it up! After all, three spoons in one tiny dessert cannot put that many extra calories in one's belly, right? When you expect creme brulee, complete with that nice crispy layer of 'fired' sugar on the top, but are delivered a dish with kernels of corn in it, what do you think? You might think you have been scammed! This isn't creme brulee! This is a cheap substitute, where someone has taken liberties to 'change things up', and it isn't the same!

Yes, it was 'tasty', but it wasn't 'as advertised'. God's blessings are always 'as advertised'. His desires for us are always 'as advertised'. There are no cheap substitutes in his house! If we are offered any cheap substitute for his grace, we need to run from it pretty doggone quickly! It might 'taste good', but it isn't the same as his goodness and grace. We focus on the 'taste', but God focuses on the 'integrity' of what goes into what it is that we get a taste of in life! Just sayin!