Who may?

Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. (Psalm 15:1-2)

Who may worship in the presence of a holy God? Those who lead blameless lives - who do right and speak the truth they have been given by their loving heavenly Father. The first time I read this passage, I thought there was absolutely no hope for me because I was a sinner, not living blamelessly and not speaking God's truth, much less my own truth! Yet, as I read it time and time again, I found God reminding me of his grace, pointing me toward his finished work on the cross, and assuring my doubting heart that there is hope for the one who gives God access to their heart.

Blameless lives are more than just living 'above suspicion'. I made some pretty questionable choices in my younger life, no one really pointing the finger at me, but I was not blameless - I was just 'above suspicion'. Blameless lives are guilt-free. There might be questionable stuff that occurs within those lives, but because of the grace of a merciful and loving God, there is the ability to confess and live 'guilt-free'. As a teen, I struggled with acne, usually with large red blotches developing into 'Mount Vesuvius" on my face or the end of my nose. Those areas 'cleared up' in time, but not before they became quite obvious and embarrassing. Our sin is a bit like that - it develops and eventually exposes some ugly stuff - but it needs more than a 'clear up' to be totally gone. It needs an excision!

It is indeed a blessing to live 'unblemished' than it is to deal with the 'blemishes' of sin in our lives. The good news is that the blemish of sin doesn't have to remain. There is a way to excise it once and for all. We need the truth of his Word washing over our lives daily. We must listen to the still small voice of his Spirit within prompting us to make right and wise choices. We also must relinquish control of our willful pride and ask God to do within us what we have been unable to do within our own strength or 'will-power'. When we finally do that, we realize we are living what God calls 'blameless lives'. We have entered into fellowship with him and value the 'cleanliness' of living guilt-free under his grace. Just sayin!

Be unstoppable

If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God. (I Peter 3:18)

I am gonna meddle a bit this morning, so get ready. I have to ask you how your 'conscience' is fairing these days - is it clear some of the time, most of the time, or very infrequently? Truth be told, hardly anyone can say their conscience doesn't get a little 'muddied' from time to time. We all entertain doubts, get wrapped up in ways of thinking that are not very edifying for us or the other person we are thinking about, or just get a little too close to entertaining things in our minds that we would be best to never have explored. How do we keep a clear conscience before God? It really isn't all that difficult, but it does require some concerted effort on our part. This whole business of 'taking every thought captive' is harder than it sounds. Get one thought reined in and the next unruly one begins to brew. That's why our passage today reminds us we need to 'keep' our hearts 'at attention' - in full adoration. 

I served in the military after high school and remember being called to attention for the first time as we all piled off the bus onto the grounds of our training base. We were a rough looking bunch, all mismatched in our civilian clothing, and a bit 'unruly'. Let me assure you of one thing - those Drill Sergeants were not going to allow any 'mismatched' or 'unruly behavior'. Why? They were charged with getting us into sync with each other, creating a group of individuals that no longer thought only about themselves. We don't keep our hearts at attention all alone - it is hard to do that alone. We need each other and the 'company' of positive influences. I oftentimes keep Alexa tuned into one of my favorite Christian artists or music stations for this very reason. The 'background' of the music reminds me whose I am, how much I am forgiven, and how greatly I am loved and cared for each and every moment of the day. 

Too frequently we give the opposing forces in our lives way too much of our attention. As pointed out in this passage, we aren't even to give that opposition any 'mind space' in our lives. That means we don't entertain those thoughts that the enemy of our souls wants us to ponder - even for the smallest amount of time. Do you want to be an unstoppable force on this earth? Then keep your conscience clear! How? By 'filtering out' the stuff you don't need to ponder and allowing a continual renewal of your mind by 'bringing in' the stuff you do need to ponder. A steady 'diet' of the Word of God. The pleasant reminders of worship songs that center our attention on the one who loves us so much. Solid and honest conversation with God on a regular basis. These are the things we can do to 'bolster' our thought life. In time, our conscience is 'filtered' because we are allowing the 'evil' or 'vile' to be washed out by the 'holy' and 'pure'. Just sayin!

A little litter box story

I will praise You with a heart that is right when I learn how right You judge. 

(Psalm 119:7)

I had to reread this passage a couple of times this morning, until it finally sunk in and I 'got' what God was trying to tell me! Ever have one of those moments when you know something is right in front of your face and you just cannot see it? Sometimes I praise God a little 'timidly' because I am sure he knows I haven't been all that good, or that I am walking too close to the line with something he asked me to stay away from. I am not really on the 'wrong side of the law', so to speak, but I have this feeling inside like I have been on that 'wrong side of the law' too many times and maybe there is something lingering there that hasn't been forsaken, so it hasn't been forgiven. I bet some of you are like that at times, too. You cannot get that stuff out of your mind that keeps telling you God isn't happy with you, or that he is about to unleash a bit of judgment on you because of that thing you haven't let go of yet. Let's both get this straight in our minds, so it can begin to affect our hearts - God 'judges' us based on what he sees when he looks at Jesus in us! I didn't quite get that until I looked at how God sees Jesus - as perfectly fulfilling every 'requirement' for our forgiveness.

Learn how right God judges - it will set you free when you do! It isn't that we don't 'deserve' the judgment he could mete out, it is that he chooses to remember that sin has already been forgiven at the cross - there is no further judgment necessary. We are the ones doing the 'judging', my friends. We judge our actions as 'wrong' and even 'unforgivable', but God sees our actions as 'under the blood' of Jesus. His blood shed once was sufficient for all of mankind's sin for all of time. That doesn't give us license to live any old way we'd like, but it does ensure us grace any time we get a little too close to being on the 'wrong side of the law'. We can praise God with a heart that is right because he has made it right - period! The 'rightness' we are seeking in trying to make things 'right' in our lives is really silly - because we are already 'made right' in Christ Jesus. All that effort we spend trying to figure out if we can approach God with a clear conscience just keeps us from spending time doing the one thing that actually helps to wash away all that sense of guilt, shame, and anxiety over our wrongdoings - worshiping him!

Rather than focus on what is wrong in our lives, maybe we could begin to refocus on what is right. Yep, we get things wrong from time to time. We even try to cover it up a bit like a cat trying to bury a turd in a litter box. The turd is still there - no matter how many layers of sand the cat scratches over it. Until the scoop is applied - the turd lingers. Now, I hope that isn't too graphic for any of you today, but we try to cover over a whole bunch of 'turd-like' things in our lives and then wonder why we fear approaching God in praise. We cover over the 'turd-like' stuff because we think God may not be very happy with us if he saw the 'turd' there in our lives. Truth be told - he can smell it! He doesn't even need to look for it - he clearly knows it is there. God judges right because he sees us as we are in Christ Jesus. We forget that at times, thinking he must see us as flawed and unholy. He sees us as perfect and holy - because Christ is perfect and holy and he is looking through Christ at us. Get it? If Christ be in you, and you be in Christ, then you can praise God with a heart that is right because it is right in Christ Jesus. Just sayin!

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holy living

As I was listening to the online church service this week, I began to ponder the word, "Worship", and a couple thoughts came to mind. It is more than just singing a few nice songs. That is good, but it doesn't end with singing. It is more than just lifting our hands in surrender, although that is a good thing to do because it means we are ready to 'give it up' to him. It is more than getting down on our knees, but that isn't a bad posture for us to assume before the majesty of the Almighty God. The moment we really begin to 'worship' God is the moment we cross-over from being consumed with ourselves and just begin to bask in his presence. There is this emptying process that happens in order that we might be filled to overflowing. If you have ever wondered why you can become tearful in worship, it might just be this emptying process that is happening. You are beginning to experience God's touch in your life just where you needed it most. Worship is an experience, but it is also a lifestyle and we must never forget that!

Give to the Lord the honor that belongs to Him. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holy living. (Psalm 29:2)

As you can see from our passage today, WORSHIP is really 'lived out' in our living 'holy' lives. Holy lives are yielded lives - lives that are not determined to living according to our own agendas. They are lives that aren't consumed with the here and now, but are lived with an eye on eternity. Evidence of living holy lives comes in the form of obedient choices. Now, most of us don't consistently make the right choices and this worries some of us because we don't want to make the wrong choices, but they seem to 'suck us in' easier than we'd like. I am right there with you on that one because I get 'pulled in' from time to time, also. I think the thing we must keep in mind is that holy living isn't instant, nor is it ours by osmosis. It is 'lived out' in the choices each and every day. Those wrong choices aren't consistent in our lives - they come and go. Holiness is more consistent, isn't it? So, don't get down on yourself when you make an occasional wrong choice.

If you find you are making wrong choices easier and easier, with a greater consistency than the right ones, it is time to examine who you are living your life to please. It is likely you will find you are living to please self or others, not God. You have your focus turned to the wrong place and that affects all the choices you make in life. Worship actually begins to center our hearts, emotions, and minds once again. As we take our eyes off of ourselves and others long enough to really begin to focus on Jesus, we find that the things that 'pulled' at us begin to lose their appeal. The answer to being 'pulled in' is really to begin to spend a little more time 'worshiping' Jesus. A lot happens when we choose to just stop - stopping means we cease to move. Instead of spinning out of control, worship actually requires us to 'anchor' ourselves.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holy living - holy living requires us to stop, but it also requires us to start. Stop spinning and settle in. Stop responding to the pull of those emotions and begin to listen for the voice of the Lord in response to your emotional upheaval. Strongholds don't crumble because of some hopeful thought - they crumble because something stronger begins to break them down. To worship means we stop beating our heads against the walls of our strongholds and allow the Spirit of God to bring them down stone by stone until there is nothing left of the stronghold. Worshipful lives means we don't just 'settle in', but we allow the work of God to begin in those areas where there needs to be change. Just sayin!

A little lesson in electricity

Yesterday I spoke a little about 'pre-planning' for temptation. I touched on the idea of the 'planning' of our response to temptation when it comes because it WILL come and we need to be prepared. Minds are a powerful thing, but most of the time we use our minds for things that only defeat us, pull us down, or keep us twisted and conflicted. The mind has to be prepared for service - it has to be prepared for obedience. These things don't come naturally to us - they are conscious choices. The unconscious mind is a powerful thing - doing things by 'memory' that we don't even know we are doing. If you have ever been a nail-biter, did you consciously say, "Now is a good time to bite my nails. I think I will give it a go right here and now"? Most likely you were engaged in some other thing and in a moment of conscious awareness you noticed you were chomping on those stubs! We cannot rely upon the unconscious for obedient choices - these come more from our conscious awareness!

So prepare your minds for service. With complete self-control put all your hope in the grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ comes. In the past you did not have the understanding you have now, so you did the evil things you wanted to do. But now you are children of God, so you should obey him and not live the way you did before. Be holy in everything you do, just as God is holy. He is the one who chose you. (I Peter 1:13-15)

In terms of electrical circuits, there are little 'resistors' that are placed at key locations in the circuitry. As electricity travels through the wires, there are really three components at work. The wire allows electrical current to flow without any limitation. The coating on the wire acts as an insulator, not allowing any escape of the electrical current. The resistor is what controls the actual flow of the electricity so only a certain amount of electrical current reaches the electrical outlet. In terms of our minds, we have all manner of thought bouncing around in there. Without both the resistor and the insulator in place, no telling what will escape! The resistor actually heats up as it is engaged - because it is controlling the escape of the electrical current, allowing an even and 'metered' flow of current. In terms of our brains - we need an even and 'metered' flow if we are ever to accomplish what we might call 'self-control'!

The greater the resistor's capacity, the greater the current that can flow through it without the resistor becoming damaged. The same thing is true in our minds. We need a 'great resistor' if we are to resist some of this stuff that causes us to get all 'tripped up' in life. The more we apply the Word of God in our lives through actively recalling it when temptation comes our way, the greater the 'resistor' will be to control the 'current' of activity that might come forth! We don't always need to 'engage' the resistors in the electrical current, do we? They are 'built in' and do their job because they have been strategically placed where they are needed. We need 'strategic placement' of God's Word in order to resist some of the stuff that attempts to get us all twisted and out of control. We 'build in' safeguards by actively studying the Word, applying the truths contained therein, and then relying upon the Spirit of God to bring them to memory when 'resistance' is needed most.

Holiness isn't ethereal. It is real! It is accomplished by allowing God's 'governance' over our lives. He acts as that 'resistor' that keeps the current at a steady flow so we don't get to the point the circuits of our lives are overloaded or fried. Just sayin!

Oh, I am dirty again!

What are some of the ways you get the 'dirtiest' in life? For me, I am tinkering with learning to work with wood. All that type of work can leave you incredibly 'dusty', 'stained' with this or that, and kind of 'stinky' by the end of the project. Clean hands and a pure heart - two conditions we often find eluding us or hard to maintain. Our hands get "dirtied" by the things we do - the actions we take - like the times I am working out in the shop. Our hearts reveal their "soiled" condition by the words we speak, the thoughts we entertain, and the ways we respond to life around us. There are clearly benefits to maintaining both clean hands and a pure heart, but I wonder just how often we focus on one and not the other?

Who may go up the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. He who has not lifted up his soul to what is not true, and has not made false promises. He will receive what is good from the Lord, and what is right and good from the God who saves him. (Psalm 24:3-5)

The question posed - who may go up to the mountain of the Lord? Today we don't find ourselves making the journey to the city of Jerusalem like they did in the times this passage was penned. The journey was for them to go to the Temple of the Lord - to kind of 'go to church' as some might think of it today. In the times of the psalmist, this was a regular journey for the worshipers of the Lord. In fact, there were regularly "scheduled" feast days when all of Israel was to gather, bringing various types of offerings all the way to the city - regardless of where they lived or how long the journey might be for them. Each offering served a purpose - some to make "atonement" for sins, others to offer thanks for the tremendous harvest taken in from the fields - but all pointed to some aspect of the work of God in our lives and the ultimate sacrifice his Son would make for us.

Today, we think of "going up to the mountain of the Lord" as approaching the throne of grace - getting ourselves in a frame of mind and heart to receive from God what he might provide to us in that time of focusing on him for just a while. It is us going into God's presence, sitting at his feet, and worshiping him - not always alone, but with deliberate focus and purpose. Since the completed work of Christ at the cross, we all have this access to the "holy place" of God's presence. In fact, scripture declares we may come boldly into his presence! Yet, the "condition" of our hands and hearts may give us a little concern in doing so! We 'get dirty' with things we don't even know are 'soiling' our lives at times. The condition of our hands and hearts oftentimes isn't even in our focus as we enter his presence, but God knows the condition of these two things determines how well we will receive what he has prepared for us!

Clean hands and a pure heart are not a one time condition. The ability to keep clean hands is impossible without frequent washing! Think about it - how many times in a day do you "physically" wash your hands? Why do you wash? Simple - to get rid of what "contaminates" those grubby little hands! You probably are like me and desire they be clean before you eat, after you touch something which "soils" them, or just as "good measure" to avoid spreading all manner of 'unseen diseases'. The same is true of our "spiritual hands". They need frequent washing to remain clean! Purity of heart is elusive if the heart is not continually touched by the great healer himself. In time, our physical heart, if not taken care of, will become "occluded" with all kinds of fatty build up and hardened by "calcified" crusts. A similar process occurs when our spiritual heart is not continually renewed by the touch of God's healing hands. We begin to feel the "choking off" of the very supply we need in order to survive. We become hardened to the very things which move his heart so freely. Our hearts need "tending" and "mending" in order to beat as his does!

He who has not lifted up his soul to what is not true and has not made false promises will enter boldly into the presence of God. Guess what? All of us struggle with getting a good and solid grip on truth! All of us absent-mindedly promise things we have very little intention of ever doing! Yet...by the grace of God, we can enter boldly into the presence of God - even when we aren't all that 'pure' or 'washed' prior to coming into it. It is as we "wash again" and submit to the "purifying process" of God's touch we are made "clean" and "pure" all over again. No one struggles with this 'purity' thing alone - we are all in the same boat! Maybe this is why God encourages us to look out for each other, spurring one another on in this walk of grace! We all need grace - renewing of our minds, cleansing of our hearts, and our actions being anointed by his grace. So, who goes up to the presence of God - ALL who are willing to be washed! We don't wash alone! There is BIG "sink" in God's house! The moment we realize we need to be 'washed' is the moment we realize where it is we find this 'cleansing'. Just sayin!

A few gaps?

Mind in gear? What does that mean to you? When I consider a 'mind in gear', I think of the one who is deep in thought, creating, coming up with plans and ideas, or working to put those ideas into application. I think of the carver who looks at a plain piece of log and begins to fashion what he sees in his mind. I also think of the one who might calculate the risks and benefits of a particular set of actions and then formulate a plan they will act upon - such as a surgeon considering the best course to take with a patient to optimize their health. Having one's mind in gear is really a sign of being engaged in the process - you are more than a casual observer. God isn't after those who have all the answers as much as those who will engage with him and be more than casual observers in his kingdom.

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (1 Peter 1:13 MSG)

As long as we are doing nothing more than 'casually observing' the promises and commands of God, we are never going to really grow into our full potential in Christ. We each have been given so much potential - but how we engage in the use of that potential determines if we will reach the fullest extent of it! God doesn't just ask us to follow him, all getting in a line and following after him like a game of "Simon says". He is looking for those who will learn of him, engaging in the things that exemplify his love and grace in our everyday lives. It doesn't take a 'message from on high' to take some actions - they are common sense! They are in alignment with his will because they exemplify his love and grace, so act upon them. 

We are shaped by God - that 'shape' takes form with each step which reveals our total engagement with the things he is teaching and doing in our lives. He looks for a mind in gear, a heart in total dedication, and a body willing to be used in the labor he sees fit for us to engage in. This is how he operates - ready hearts receive, open minds understand, and eager hands are set into service. It is easy to see that God is pleased when a life is willing to be pulled into a way of life shaped by his hands, energized by his Spirit, and filled by his grace!

Lest you or I think it is impossible to be holy (right, true, and honest), think again. God's existence in our lives actually fills us to overflowing with this 'rightness'. We are free to move about, not as 'unclean' and 'unholy', but as examples of his holiness. As such, we are also examples of his 'wholeness' - for where his presence dwells you will always find his grace filling every gap in a man's character that has been left by sin's outcome. If you feel a little 'drafty' today because of all of the 'gaps' in your character, take heart....those gaps are filled, sealing out all manner of unholiness because Christ isn't going to leave us deficient in any manner. Just sayin!