Shall we make our nation great again?

Goodness makes a nation great, but sin is a shame to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)

It is GOODNESS that makes a nation great again, not a man, a political party, or an office. It is the people who set their hearts right with Jesus, welcoming him into their lives, and living in such a manner so as to please God who make it great. No one in the past, nor in the future, whoever holds office is capable of filling hearts with goodness - the very ingredient that makes a country 'great'. 

God changes the heart of a man or woman who welcomes him into their lives, giving him authority to rule and reign in place of their own pride or selfish will. Is it possible for other things or people to change a man's heart in the same way? I don't think it is, but it is possible to change a person's heart by leading someone into the pathway of sin simply with the use of misleading untruths. 

This is why it is so important for us to observe God's actions, see what responses his Son had while here on this earth, and allow his Word to correct any misleading 'untruths' that may have found their way into our hearts. Jesus didn't need to call attention to himself - those who desired truth came to him. Jesus didn't exclude those who were different - he welcomed them openly. Jesus didn't 'cover-up' bad behavior - he behaved well because he reflected the heart of his Father at all times.

The nation who wishes to be great again needs to seek God first. Remember, if his people, who are called by his name, humble themselves and prayerfully confessing their sins, turning from all manner of evil, God will restore their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14) Very specific steps there - humble oneself, prayerfully confess, turn away (repent) from sin, and seek God with all your heart. If we want a 'great nation' again, it isn't the man in office that will make it great - it is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings in your heart thata will! Just sayin!

Driven by guilt

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. (Psalm 51:1-4)

How is it that we don't always make a beeline to God when we sin? There are excuses uttered - thinking we can somehow justify our offense as though it were impossible for us to have resisted the temptation. We find ourselves turning this way or that, in hopes of not encountering God over the issue, but find ourselves feeling the guilt 'prick' at us like thorns on a rosebush. I don't think we intended to give into the temptation, and we don't really think the excuses or 'running' will keep us away from dealing with the sin, but we respond this way for some inexplicable reason. Guilt is that 'pin prick' in our conscience that should cause us to run TOWARD restoration, not AWAY from it!

David never said he was sinless - in fact, he recognized his sin and that also made him realize his need for confession, repentance, and restoration. Confession is the admission of guilt - repentance is the action one takes to turn away from the actions of sin. Put together, we find ourselves in a place where restoration can actually happen. David showed us that when we 'do wrong', we need to be quick to admit it. That admission may be to God alone, or it could be we need to go to another to admit our 'wrongdoing' to them (because they were affected by our wrongdoing). There is something quite humbling in admitting we were wrong, isn't there? Could it be that repentance actually begins when we put down our pride and humble ourselves enough to seek forgiveness?

There are times when our sin involves us and God - others haven't been involved. We find ourselves taking actions - thinking about things in a way that we shouldn't - all without involving another in those actions or thoughts. Be humble enough to admit your sinfulness the first time you feel the 'pinprick' of guilt and you will save yourself a whole lot of 'guilt-ridden anxiety' over the matter at hand! There are no greater words we can utter than "have mercy on me". There is no better place to find healing for our sin-sick hearts and minds than at the feet of Jesus. Guilt might drive us there, but grace helps us get up again and move beyond the guilt. Just sayin!

Gotta make a course change now

Some years ago, I saw this sign: God allows U-Turns. Profound statement, right? So many times, the roads we travel upon are marked with all kinds of restrictions - U-Turns being one of them. Isn't it good to know in God's grace, he allows U-Turns? Sometimes we don't pay as close attention to the things God tells us to focus on, getting ourselves down a road or two which don't "fit" the plan as well as we'd hoped. When we find ourselves traveling in the wrong direction, I wonder if we are bold enough to do a U-Turn? When the road is wide and no traffic seems to be coming, this seems a whole lot easier, does it not? But...get a little bit more traffic, take that road down to a two lane narrow passageway, with no shoulder or "wiggle room", and you might find a U-Turn a little more difficult. Why? Maneuvering room is limited! This is the way it is sometimes - we get ourselves on paths which allow very little maneuvering room! When we need to make a U-Turn, we find ourselves almost hesitant because the room needed is not always apparent to us.

You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. (Ephesians 4:20-24)

Why do we find ourselves requiring the U-Turn in the first place? Isn't it because we either missed something we intended to find in the first place, or we totally went the wrong way? Considering the two reasons for U-Turns, I guess we'd do well to avoid both - so why don't we? In the first instance, it is because we weren't paying close attention and something we were aiming for totally got missed along the way. In the second, we just made bad "turns" in life. Both are equally as frustrating - but the most frustrating part is how long it takes for us to find we missed our mark in the first place! Once we get that figured out, then we have to find the "appropriate" place in the road we are on where we figure we can make a "successful" U-Turn maneuver. Did you ever notice how hard those are when you are looking to make one? There just doesn't seem to be the right spot - so we find ourselves traveling just a little bit further out of our way because we need "maneuvering" room.

We can never assume that we are all paying close attention. We get to the destination, not because we paid close attention, but because God's grace "looped us around" to where we needed to be! We get good instructions, sometimes moment by moment, like from our little GPS units on the car. If we are at all distracted by the plethora of choices we have to choose from at certain intersections, it is easy to bear right, just not far enough right! We find ourselves going in the wrong direction because the directions were good, we just didn't follow them to the "t". We don't have any room for excuses. God makes a way for U-Turns, but it is quite clear in scripture he leaves no room for excuses when we need to make them. It is part of growing up to own up to our mistakes and to admit we have been going the wrong way or just plain not paying attention. It is also part of growing up to recognize the U-Turn doesn't really require all that much maneuvering room. Even in the tightest of spaces, it is possible. It may not be easy, but it is possible! This holds true when we need to make life changes which aren't easy. What we fail to recognize is what the sign says: God ALLOWS U-Turns. He has already made "provision" for the U-Turn! It is already "mapped out" for us - we just need to listen to his voice carefully as to when, where, and how to accomplish it!

God's grace provides the "maneuvering room". It also provides the "instruction" to help us through the turn. It is like he is out there directing the turns in our lives - hand signals carefully directing us into those tight and uncomfortable maneuvers which will get us back on track again. Conduct changes because there is a course change. Plain and simple. Conduct does not change because we stay on the wrong course, or completely ignore all the stops put in our path. In fact, conduct goes from bad to worse whenever we ignore the advice to make the U-Turn! A U-Turn is really a 180 degree turn. You head from where you are going into the completely opposite direction. This is the definition of repentance in scripture - a "180". To maneuver is to take the action to change direction. Therefore, a U-Turn is really a series of actions which change the direction of our lives. Repentance is often a series of actions which completely and radically change the direction of our choices. Considering this, maybe it is time we accept the wisdom of the words: God ALLOWS U-Turns. Just sayin!

It is never too late

It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel. (Henry B. Eyring)

I want Mr. Eyring's words to speak to us today. It is never too late - to repent, to forgive, to thank someone, to serve, to life up another. I know a great many struggle with the idea they have gone too far, done too much, been too bad in their judgment  - it is too late in their eyes to seek or find forgiveness. Nothing could be further from the truth - grace wins each and every time.

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end. (Romans 5:20-21)

Sin didn't - that is historical - in the past. Sin doesn't - that is here and now - the present. Sin doesn't have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace - that is then, now, and in the future! All the enemy of our souls can do is 'threaten us' with death - but even death isn't him winning - because in death, we are with Christ in eternal life. Sin has no hold - so stop thinking you are 'beyond' forgiveness. 

Sin doesn't want us to let go of the grudges we hold so closely in our hearts. It wants us to keep holding on, to not relinquish control. That is exactly what forgiveness does, my friends - it relinquishes our right and desire to control another. In truth, we don't control them - that lack of forgiveness on our part is us being controlled by our bitterness and unwillingness to let go of the wrongs done to us. 

Sin didn't want us to repent and seek forgiveness - it liked having the upper hand in our lives. God's hand is stronger than any sin or control it might try to exert in us. There is nothing too hard for God - breaking those bonds to sin is his business - letting go of them is ours. There is nothing too hard to break free of, but if we hold on for dear life to what has sucked the life from us, we are holding onto the wrong things.

When it's sin versus grace - grace wins hands down - not once, but every time! That individual may not 'deserve' forgiveness, but we don't 'deserve' the grace we have received in Christ Jesus, either. That thing we hold onto because it seems to hard to let go of isn't any match when it comes face-to-face with Jesus and his matchless grace. 

Who do we need for forgive? Let go...it isn't that person we are controlling - we are being controlled by that memory of the 'injustice' done to us. Who do we need to thank? Let's get to it...those words of thanks could be the beginning of something great in that individual's life - for those words could be the spark of life they need right now. What do we need to lay down - to repent and seek forgiveness for in our own lives? It is easier to see the speck in our brother's eye than the log in our own sometimes, but until we lay down the log, we aren't any good at helping anyone else with the speck they are burdened with right now. Just sayin!

I did it again!

Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success. (C.S. Lewis)

If you have ever tried to read trail signs on some forest trail, or around some preserve land, you may have noticed that it is kind of like an art you must master. Certain symbols mean that the path will go straight, increase your climb, maneuver through harder territory, or even turn you toward a new destination. Those markers are there for a reason - to help you find your way. Have you ever been off-course so badly you totally missed a few of those signs? I have! In fact, I have blazed new trails where no one seems to have gone before! I don't just mean the paths in the forest, my friends, because I have blazed paths into relationship faux-pas where none have gone, cut trail through 'new idea' territory that didn't end so well, and stumbled through some character choice pathways that some would never even consider traversing! What did I learn from these 'not so well-traveled paths'? As Lewis indicated, these failure paths became 'milestones' on the road to actually finding the right course to take!

For all my wanting, I don’t have anyone but You in heaven. There is nothing on earth that I desire other than You. I admit how broken I am in body and spirit, but God is my strength, and He will be mine forever. Psalm 73:25-26 VOICE

I am prone to repeated failure - it is something I do well! I am not sure why I find myself blazing new paths, or worse yet, traversing old ones that only ended up in me pursuing wrong choices. I guess it is because I am human and I am definitely not perfect yet. I open my mouth and out comes words best left unspoken. I act upon impulse and the reverberations of that impulse create relationship aftershocks I have to maneuver through time and time again. Am I much different than the rest of us? Probably not! We don't realize how much the other person right next to us is struggling to get through repeated failures until we stop long enough to recognize the 'pathway signs' that eventually become evident in their lives.

The other day I shared with my BFF my continued concern with managing my emotions when I have to continuously remind mom that she needs to do the simplest of tasks, or answer the same question for the twentieth time in a day. At 101, mom doesn't remember a long series of tasks, so the fewer I give her at one time, the more successful she will be in doing them. That works most of the time, but with age comes this thing called 'short-term memory failure'. Plain and simple - she can ask the same question twenty times over, never even realizing she has already asked it. At times, I can let a little of my frustration come through because it is the twentieth time I have told her what day it is, what we are having for dinner, or that we are the only two people in the house. Mom hears that frustration and thinks I am mad at her. Yup, there I go down the relationship faux-pas path!

If you think it is easy caring for an elderly parent, think again. There can be constant frustrations on both sides of the fence. Hers perhaps because she can no longer do the things she once did and mine because she puts herself in danger every time she tries to do one of those things. If you think it is easy caring for a toddler, husband, wife, or even a good friend in all the 'right ways' that we are supposed to 'take care' of them, it isn't. We all face times when we are going to go down the wrong path in these relationships - what we do in those moments makes all the difference. I have had to learn to step back, allow mom time, not demand so much from her, being willing to step in and do what she cannot. The one who cares for the toddler has to learn to model good behavior, love them when they are acting like spoiled little kiddos, and gently give them guidance to grow in all the right ways.

The thing I have found is that as important as the path is that we are choosing to travel, it is more important that we keep the right traveling companion on that path with us. When our psalmist reminds us that God is his strength, he isn't just spouting 'religious' words. Broken in body and spirit, but God is his strength forever. We learn from the repeated failures - never alone in the journey. Just sayin!

Finding your way back

Have you ever taken a detour, or found yourself lost on some road? I have and it gets a little bit 'intimidating' to be lost! You feel like the world as you know it is just not right! Some of us have been 'lost' for a little while, just wandering around in some form of 'life muddle' and it is likely we want to just find our way out! Have you ever just felt like it was past time for God to intervene in your life to help you out on this mess you are in - the wait has been so long, you have endured so much, and all you want is some kind of deliverance from the pressure you have been under. I imagine we all face this kind of 'loss' or 'frustration' from time to time, wondering IF God even hears us when we pray, thinking he may have his attention focused on something or someone else. The important thing in the midst of our 'muddled mess' is the object of our focus WITHIN the mess! The object of focus needs to be God himself - his Word will bolster us and get us back on track.

It's time to act, God; they've made a shambles of your revelation! Yea-Saying God, I love what you command, I love it better than gold and gemstones; Yea-Saying God, I honor everything you tell me, I despise every deceitful detour. (Psalm 119:126-128)

We are often caught between right choices and EASY choices. Have you ever noticed just how much EASIER the easy choices are? They seem quicker, to the point, and likely don't seem to cost you much up front, The "easy" choice just seems to come "naturally" to us, falling into step with wherever that choice leads us without much effort at all on our part - it is like we can do it without even thinking. On the other hand, standing up for what is right, not compromising the values God teaches in his Word, is not always the easiest path! Let me correct that - it is rarely the easiest path!
We get all kinds of little warning voices to not do something and then without anymore thought, we turn right toward those choices! Ever find yourself there?  Frustrating, huh?

What probably amazes me the most is how immensely patient God is with us when we do this! He takes us back to the Word, reminds us what he says, and then sets us on course again. If you are finding yourself dealing with a little "guilt" over not ending something very well, don't fret. God has already prepared the route for you to get back "on track" in the area of your struggle. This is the great thing about God's Word - it stands the test of time. It has the staying power of generation after generation. Put to the test, it continues to do the job it was intended to do - guide and direct our course. We may have despised "every deceitful detour" we've taken from the truth revealed in the Word. We can come full-circle into the place of renewed faith, determined obedience, and refocused perspective. The Word may bring conviction, but it is because we need to be convicted and respond with obedience! It is in this conviction where we find our way back to where we find our greatest hope! The "easy" path may have taken you somewhere you really don't want to be. If so, allow God's Word to guide your steps back to the path he designed just for you! Just sayin!

Waiting doesn't mean we won't move on

"I waited, and waited, and waited for God..." Have you ever been in the position of just waiting, and waiting, and waiting - all the while growing more fearful and frustrated that nothing is happening - at least nothing you can see? If you have walked with Christ for more than an hour, I think it is safe to assume that you might have experienced this kind of agony in waiting - not because he wants us to experience agony, but because we might just not realize all that is going on behind the scenes to get everything ready for the ultimate answer! We don't understand the delays and we don't remember the next time how long of a wait it was the last time!

Now God, don't hold out on me, don't hold back your passion. Your love and truth are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn't see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out. But all who are hunting for you—oh, let them sing and be happy. Let those who know what you're all about tell the world you're great and not quitting. And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing: make something of me. You can do it; you've got what it takes—but God, don't put it off. (Psalm 40:11-12, 16-17)

"At last he looked; finally he listened." When the answer is delayed, we come to that "FINALLY" moment. I don't want us to miss something else contained within the text of this psalm, though. David really gets down to the crux of things in the middle of the psalm - when he begins to describe what he had come to realize about his own personal condition of heart. Here's just a taste of what David had been through: "Doing something for you, bringing something to you—that's not what you're after. Being religious, acting pious— that's not what you're asking for. You've opened my ears so I can listen." Like us, he had been in a place of "doing" - being religious, acting pious - perhaps it is he has been doing all this with a lack of genuine heart devotion behind those actions. In fact, he goes on to say that it was when he actually took time to read what God wrote about him (from the Word) that he made the turn-around. I think that is a natural response to the "waiting". We sometimes experience waiting with whatever it is we expect God to do, how we expect he will answer. We "fabricate" all kinds of "doing" in order to see if in the "doing" God will take notice and act on our behalf! All the "doing" in the world really does not move the heart of God - our heart devotion is what moves him!

"I am so swamped by guilt - I could not see my way clear of it!" Perhaps, like with David, the "wait" is sometimes to bring us to a place where we see our need for heartfelt repentance. God allows his children to experience some delay in the answer they are seeking so they come to a place where they recognize unrepented sin in their lives, and when they begin to reveal their desire to be free of their guilt, God begins to intervene. For some, waiting results in an instant time of self-examination and repentance. For the rest of us, we wallow a while in our misery of sin's guilt and try to figure out why the prayers we lift are not answered! Yet, look at what David said, "More guilt in my heart than hair on my head!" He was pretty down on himself at that point, yet he acknowledges that if God would "unleash" his passion over David's life, his guilt would be lifted. It was God's love and truth that would restore him - hold him together when all else seemed to be working to tear him apart. This is true of us...nothing holds us together, puts the pieces back together quite like the passion of God unleashed in our lives.

There are always going to be men and women around us who are "stronger" than we are at the moment. We need to turn to them and ask them to proclaim the truth over our lives when we are unable to do so ourselves. Let this be our proclamation - God is NOT quitting! We may be a mess personally, but it is God that can take that mess and turn it into a glorious thing. You may be in the place where you feel that all you have to bring to God are the "messes" of your life. That is okay - God can deal with the total honesty of our repentant heart. He already knows about the messes anyway - at the moment we bring them to him, we begin to realize that he is NOT quitting on us! He has us in his sights and he desires to intervene right where we need the greatest interventions! We may need the strength of another who is walking this path with Christ to proclaim that truth over our lives until we finally "get it". That is okay! Let me be the first to proclaim it -- "God is NOT quitting!!!" He has you in his sights and he is at the ready to release his passion in your life once again! Open up to him and see him restore what your doubt, fear, fatigue, and wrong attitudes have destroyed! God is NOT a quitter - don't you be either! Just sayin!

Regret vs. Repentance

Saw a post this morning that I just had to re-post: "There's a difference between remorse and repentance. Remorse is being sorry for being caught. Repentance is being sorry enough to stop." (Greg Laurie)  I think this is so very true! There are probably a whole lot of us walking around out there with some warped idea of repentance - thinking it is what Greg said - being "sorry".  The truth of the matter is that until we "stop", we are only "sorry".  It isn't regret which brings a change of heart and mind, but truthful desire to do whatever it takes to change the way we have been thinking and acting! Regret may seem legit, but it is nothing more than a sense of thinking about what one has lost!  I dropped my breakfast pastry on the floor the other morning - something I regretted. I thought about that warm pastry stuffed with strawberry filling for a little bit - eyeing it just lying there on the floor. I could have scooped it up - the five second rule, you know - but instead, the trash can became the resting spot for this "fallen pastry".  I regretted my quick movement and slippery plate.  I regretted my inability to enact the "five second rule". I regretted it all, but nothing changed the fact of the fallen pastry being just that - fallen!

Now this type of deep sorrow, godly sorrow, is not so much about regret; but it is about producing a change of mind and behavior that ultimately leads to salvation. But the other type of sorrow, worldly sorrow, often is fleeting and only brings death. Look at what is happening among you! Notice how authentic and diligent you have become because this godly sorrow has been at work in your community. But there’s more: your desire to clear your name, your righteous anger, your respect, your longing, your zeal, and your concern for justice. All these demonstrate how you have been made clean. (2 Corinthians 7:10-11 VOICE)

Paul had written to the church at Corinth to take action against some sinful actions within the church - things which were just being tolerated without ever being really addressed as sinful.  He takes a pretty hard stand on what is "allowable" in the believer's life and what is not.  Evidently the issue of a son taking his father's wife to bed was not really being addressed, so Paul takes a stand on the matter and his words are kind of interpreted by some as a little "harsh".  His concern is because they have taken this sin "lightly" - not addressing it themselves.  After a little time has passed, the second letter is written, and here we see the good news - the church leaders have addressed the sin, seen the man change his ways (repent),  and now he is restored to fellowship among the believers in Corinth.  At first, the letter to "take action" instead of sitting around with blinders on seems a little harsh, but if we aren't willing to be a little "harsh" on sin, then we will never see real change in our midst!

In this second letter, he commends them for not only taking the action to confront the sin, but the response of the one who has sinned - embracing the conviction by making a full change of mind and behavior.  Herein is the crux of the matter - regret doesn't really change the behavior.  The whole point of repentance is this change in action - we stop doing one thing and begin doing something completely different. If my sin was one of flying off the handle at the slightest thing which got on my nerves, then I would say the opposite of this was to become more even-tempered, less volatile, and kinder in my responses.  The potential to sin still exists - people will do stuff around me which could "stimulate" my anger response - but I will choose a different response.  Behavior is about choices.  We choose something over something else. I could have picked up the warm pastry from the floor, brushed it off and consumed it - but that would have been putting myself at risk.  We need to begin to see even the subtle compromises as "risky behavior" in our lives, for even though we think we can "justify" them (like we do with the five second rule), they still place an unwanted "risk" in our path.

Regret might open the door to repentance - it isn't all bad.  If we stop at regret, we will always be looking back with longing at what we could have had, done, enjoyed.  It is this "looking back" which Paul challenges us to deal with - no real change happens until we start looking ahead!  Focus on the thing we think we will miss and we will never move away from it. We will just be drawn back to it over and over again!  After that pastry landed in the trash can, I didn't pursue it again.  It was a "goner" to me.  Sin needs to be that way for us - put away, removed from our focus, and just a "goner" to us. Repentance points us in a new direction - through a change of mind and then a change of heart. We begin to think differently and then we act differently.  Plain and simple, but oh so hard to do, right?  We do ourselves an disservice to simply regret bad decisions.  We do ourselves (and those around us) great service when we finally walk away from those things and make a new plan, allowing it to work in our lives, until it becomes the "new way" we live.  This is what Paul commends in the Corinthian church - they acted upon what they knew to be true, taking tough steps to encounter sin, and then allowed God to do the rest.  Maybe this is what separates regret from repentance - taking the tough steps to encounter what we know to be wrong and then allowing God to become our focus so we can allow him to do the work of renewing our behavior. Just sayin!