Trust me on this one....

Trust is a big thing, not so much because we do a great job with this one, but it is so often the focus of attention because of how frequently it is breached. Look at how many 'hacking' issues have left millions exposed to identity fraud because one individual was able to breach what others thought they could trust in. Consider how many relationships dissolve each year, simply because trust was breached. Trust is based on the integrity of another - we count on them to do what it is that they represent themselves capable of doing. When trust is broken, we find ourselves questioning the strength of that relationship because we have based everything on the belief that the other party would perform as we expected and how they 'promised' they would be able to perform. I know I have antivirus software on the computer, but has that kept me free of SPAM, occasional virus invasions, or computer crashes? No, because the 'lines of trust' are always changing today! It is harder and harder to know what or who it is that can be trusted.

But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims, a sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God! But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to. (Romans 10:14-17)

Within this passage, we find the idea of calling out for help - expressing there is a need, being honest with others about what that need truly is, and then being willing to open up to having that need met. Society is full of individuals just waiting to know where they can place their trust without having it crushed in utter disappointment. It is hard to be in a position of wanting to trust, but not knowing in where to place that trust so it is not violated. It is important for each believer in Christ to realize that is exactly our mission while on this earth - to point the way for others to see and know Christ - the basis of all trust, the very image of true integrity, the One, true God. All other foundation for 'trust' is really a pretty shaky foundation! It is true that very few of us are called to be missionaries, evangelists, preachers, or teachers of the Word. We aren't moved upon with that compulsion to make this a "full-time" ministry in life. Yet, we have a place of influence that is unique to us wherever it is we are placed in this world. A family in which we were raised, a neighborhood in which we dwell, or a business in which we associate with customers and labor alongside others. The message is ours to carry to a lost world - how can anyone hear if no one is telling them?

What does it mean to be living epistles? It means we find very practical ways to be messengers of Christ to a lost and hurting world. We find the idea of us sharing the hope we have paired with the idea of our message needing to fall upon listening ears. I have often been encountered by individuals so earnest about sharing their faith with family or friends, yet feeling like the message is just never embraced by them - it is almost rejected, or perhaps we might say the individual sharing the message feels rejected rather than the message itself. Why is it that we share and they don't get it? Isaiah struggled with that same question thousands of years ago - how come they don't get it, God? He found himself repeatedly warning Israel that their missteps as a nation were leading them deeper and deeper into compromise and further away from relationship with God.

Listening ears are prerequisite to a responsive heart. Trust stems from the heart - there is always going to be an emotional investment in trusting someone else. People don't want to make an emotional investment if their past experiences with trusting have ended in disappointment or catastrophe. Sometimes the only thing we can do is to continue to prove the trustworthiness of our God - both in our example and in our words. Trust implies reliance upon someone - someone that surpasses the trustworthiness of anyone else in our lives at times. There are times when we are so reliant on ourselves, we fail to reach out to rely on another. That may be the case in a soul that seems resistant to the gospel message. At other times, the individual may have reached out in reliance, only to find that what they were counting on was inadequate and incapable of performing as they hoped. When individuals are facing this type of confusion about who or what they can trust in, there is a reluctance to attempt to trust again.

Listening ears are ears touched by the grace of a holy God. We can share the message, but we also need to ask God to touch the ears of the one who has the opportunity to hear that message, in turn opening their heart to receive the truth that gives absolute and confident hope. Paul and Isaiah both were right - there needs to be messengers who will bring the message of hope. There also needs to be prayer warriors that will come alongside to intercede for the opening of ears, the softening of hearts, and the responsiveness of spirit required to develop trust. Together, the message is a dynamo that will ignite hope like nothing else this world has to offer. So, whether you are the preacher/teacher or prayer-warrior, your influence is great. Don't be defeated when it appears no one is embracing the message - keep on living it out! The lived out message is often the one that encourages the non-trusting soul to "take a chance" at trusting God! Just sayin!

Chosen to Tell

But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 ERV)

Commercials on TV are written to tell a quick story related to a product the manufacturers hope to sell us. It could be they have created the most comfortable pillow known to man and they want to convince us to spend far more on one pillow than we ever did on all the pillows we have owned combined! It could be they have developed a sure fire cure for some ailment if we just use their salve, or will delight our families with the latest flavor found in some product they package for us to snack upon as we watch our favorite sports on TV. Regardless of the "product", the "story" told is supposed to create a "desire" in us to "want" the product. Could it just be that God knows the importance of "advertisement"? Could it possibly be in his design to have created us to be "walking advertisements" of his grace?

God chose us to tell of his grace - to be examples of how his grace can not only "convert" or "change" an individual, but how it also can "keep" and "protect" that individual. God's plan is to have us "shine" as his "billboards" of grace's ability and capability. By being "brought out", we are also "brought into". As a result, we have a story to tell. Grace in undeniably the most profound gift an individual can receive - for it has the power to convert what was otherwise "malformed" or "mal-positioned" into something that is perfect and aligned correctly. This is a story so many desire to hear, but it is also one they wish to experience - but it must be told!

If we are "chosen to tell", then what is it that keeps us from doing so? A lot of times it is that we think we don't have a story to tell. We believe we are "ordinary" or "unimportant", so we don't think the story we could share matters as much as someone else's. Let me assure you - your story is important - in the eyes of God, none of us is unimportant or ordinary. As a matter of fact, his grace declares us as extraordinary! "Ordinary" people have no way of really dealing with the sin in their lives. "Grace-filled" individuals know their sin has been dealt with, not by their own efforts, but by the personal sacrifice of Christ on their behalf. This makes their lives extraordinary - for someone who owed NO debt assumed the total debt we owed and paid that debt to the full.

There are bits and pieces of each of our lives that actually get "sewn into" the lives of each other whether we realize it or not. Each time we are together, we are experiencing a little of the other person's life and that experience changes us in some way. It may hardly be noticeable at first, but let me assure you that it is impossible for God's presence to NOT leave an impression. If God lives in you because you have reached out to be embraced by his grace, then his presence indwells you. It is now totally impossible for you to go anywhere, be with anyone, or just be in a crowd and NOT somehow leave a little of his presence there in the lives of those around you. Grace is meant to be shared - it is the message we have been chosen to tell. Just sayin!

Hark, the herald angels sing...

As the Christmas pageants and nativity scenes begin to depict the Christmas story all over the world, it is important to remember the mission of the 'heavenly messengers' which heralded the birth of the Messiah.  Their mission was not to gain the attention of the world, but to focus the world's attention on the fulfillment of prophesy - the coming of the one who would set mankind free.  All messengers have a purpose - to declare a message.  Back in the day, before telephones were in every household or the advancement of technology to the point we can search anything on the internet, people relied upon messengers to deliver these little messages called telegrams.  Across the miles and miles of wires, signals were transmitted, decoded, and placed upon a small page.  Secured in a distinctive envelope and carried to their destination by one commissioned to deliver that message to the intended recipient, those messages brought news of both joy and disappointment.  On the night of our Lord's birth, the messengers were of a different sort - heavenly in origin and with a message of great joy!  

That is why we ought to pay even closer attention to the voice that has been speaking so that we will never drift away from it. For if the words of instruction and inspiration brought by heaven’s messengers were valid, and if we live in a universe where sin and disobedience receive their just rewards, then how will we escape destruction if we ignore this great salvation? We heard it first from our Lord Jesus, then from those who passed on His teaching. God also testifies to this truth by signs and wonders and miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit lighting on those He chooses. (Hebrews 2:1-4 VOICE)

Of what value is a message, or the messenger who carries it, if it is not ever delivered or heard?  Imagine if the telegraph office employed the swiftest of carriers to take that telegram message to the intended recipient, only to find the recipient of the message didn't even bother to open it.  Wouldn't you think someone going to all the trouble to share that message with you would be extremely distraught to find out you were not even interested in it?  Now, imagine how God must feel when he sees us treat any of his messages in the same manner. The most important one he could send our way is that of salvation - yet so many just turn away as though it were too hard to "open the envelope".  Most of us would open our doors to the teaming throng of folks carrying bundles of balloons, TV cameras posed to catch our every reaction, and that huge check prominently displayed which says we are the winners of the huge jackpot in some raffle or contest, right?  We wouldn't just look out the window, say "that's nice", and keep on doing whatever it is we were doing!  We'd throw push our hair into place, straighten our clothes, and throw open the doors wide!  I wonder if our response to the message may be all in how we attach "value" to the message being delivered.

Look at all the ways God has sent the message of salvation to us through the course of time. In the plagues of Egypt which set Pharaoh's heart in motion to let the Israelite people go from their place of slavery within their nation.  In the voice from the Mount, as Moses communed with God and Israel stood waiting to hear the message.  In the symbolism of the Tabernacle of Moses set up in the wilderness and the Temple built in Jerusalem.  In the prophetic words of the broken heart of Hosea, or the call to repentance delivered by Isaiah. In the heralded message of John the Baptist, urging hearts to prepare to receive their Messiah.  These are only highlights of God's message of salvation - the scriptures are filled with them.  Why on earth would so many choose to ignore such a consistent and dynamic message?  Maybe it is because they just don't "attach the value" to it yet.  Thank goodness God isn't finished proclaiming it, or millions would miss out on it!  Maybe one of the most important things we can learn from our passage today is how God uses various means to communicate his message.  It isn't as though he just speaks it one day and then it is all over.  His message is consistent and frequent.  It is delivered in ways we can see it and hear it.  It hasn't dulled in brilliance through the ages, nor will it fizzle into oblivion in the ages to come.  In the declaration of his love, there is no end to the message! 

Now, a message requires a messenger.  For the message to be of significance, it also requires a receiver.  Salvation is of no value unless it is received.  It is nothing more than words on paper until a sinner's heart opens the pages of the message, embracing the tenderness and compassion of the heart of God in the message.  No message is meant to be heard and then ignored.  In every message sent down through the ages, whether it be from a friend, relative, or agency of the government, there was an intent behind each of those messages.  In the passed notes in the classrooms while the teacher turned her back, or the carved initials in the tree, messages have been proclaimed and received.  In the banners unfurled behind the plane soaring high above, or the neon display radiant with color galore, messages beckon us to embrace some way of life, invest in the wisest of plans, or come experience some awesome discovery.  How much more significant is the message of the Messiah's coming and his actions on our part to provide a means for our deliverance from sin and judgment?  

The message is clear - if we don't pay attention to the message, we will not escape the judgment for our sin and disobedience.  Some may argue they have no sin - but I believe the truth of scripture - no man is without sin (Romans 3:23).  Some may think their own wisdom is sufficient to guide their lives - but I believe no one is truly wise (Romans 3:10-12). Some may argue their lives haven't been "all that bad", so their end will be fine without a Savior - I believe all men will "earn the wages of sin" which are death, unless they embrace the grace only available through the salvation of God (Romans 6:23).  Some may think no message is significant unless they can see the messenger - I believe God has used prophets to declare his salvation, angels to declare his coming, and preachers down through the ages. If God took so much time, used so many means to declare the message, and continues to declare the message of grace all these years, isn't it just possible the problem may not be in the sending of the message, but in the receiving of it?  Just askin?

God's Grace-Graffiti

We have come to think of graffiti as a pretty negative word associated with all manner of words, artwork, and the like just haphazardly placed on walls, bathroom stalls, and almost any inanimate object which stands long enough for the "artist" to gain access.  In looking up the origin of this word, I found it means any type of "inscription" which is written upon an object.  In the psalms, David repeatedly talks about the power of the Word of God "inscribed" on his heart.  In giving the Law to the people of Israel, Moses spoke of binding them upon their hands and foreheads, as well as inscribing them on the doorposts of their houses.  This idea of "inscribing" has been around for a long time, but it has taken on a different meaning with the evolution of "graffiti" becoming an "eye-sore" these days.  In the most literal sense, anything which is "inscribed" by God is something worth remembering!  

I call to you, God, because I’m sure of an answer.  So—answer! bend your ear! listen sharp!  Paint grace-graffiti on the fences; take in your frightened children who are running from the neighborhood bullies straight to you.  (Psalm 17:6-7 MSG)

David starts this psalm with a plea:  "Listen to me God - I need to build my case before you."  He goes on to tell God this is going to be the most honest prayer he will hear.  In other words, David is about to "get real" with God.  He is not holding back.  I think God delights in these types of prayers - the times when God finally hears us bearing it all to him.  Here we find him saying something which struck me this morning as pretty insightful:  "I’m not trying to get my way in the world’s way.  I’m trying to get your way, your Word’s way." (vs. 4 MSG)  Reread this if you need to - it is the evidence of his intention.  David's recognizes there are two paths he can choose in life.  He can choose to go his own way - the world's way.  Or he can choose to go "God's way" - revealed in the Word.

This is the age-old struggle of man's heart - which way will we gravitate toward the most?  Will it be our own - or God's?  In David's mind and heart, he has settled into the latter.  Now, he calls to God to intervene in his life.  He sets forth his desperation, in absolute honesty, knowing God will not turn from him, but toward him.  Why is he so certain of this?  Perhaps we find the answer buried in our passage above.  David knows he has all kinds of "grace-graffiti" written on his heart - this speaks volumes about his "standing still" long enough for God to do some "inscribing" of his heart!  This may not seem very significant at first, but it is.

In order for "graffiti" to occur, something has to be "stationary" long enough for the "writer" to actually have access to it.  If you have ever seen trains passing by with wild artwork on them or some symbol of a writer's identity, you probably have not really given much thought to "how" the writing actually got there.  The train had to be "stationary" at some point in order to allow the "artist" access.  The same is true of our hearts - they need sufficient time to get still before God in order to give him time to do the necessary inscription of grace!

Now, think about some of the graffiti you have seen in recent days.  Some of it is quite quickly done, is it not?  The evidence of this is in the almost "roughness" of the image portrayed - one color, mere words.  Then there is other graffiti displayed which you know someone had taken some time to create - such as when a picture takes form in more than one color, calling attention, capturing the eye.  Both have meaning, but which one will we remember the most?  It is likely we will remember the "image" created by the use of color and form.  God's grace is like that - it writes upon our hearts in such a way it brings "color" and "form" to our lives in a way which captures the attention and focus of those who behold it.

In order to have our hearts "inscribed" by God, we must remember a couple things:

* Access - God cannot inscribe what he is never given access to.  Access is really the state of mind and heart which makes us approachable.  Where does the graffiti artist of today go to do his/her work?  Isn't it in the areas where others will see evidence in the daylight, but where he/she can do the work in secret?  I don't think God does all his work in "secret", but he does have to get into some pretty dark places sometimes in order to inscribe his "grace-message" upon our hearts and minds.

* Availability - God can only make use of that which is available for his use.  If we want a life filled with etchings of God's grace-messages, we need to make ourselves available for etching!  Access and availability go hand-in-hand.  When we get "still" long enough, we often find God taking this as an indication of our availability - we give him access in these moments.

My hope is that we will not resist the inscribing of our hearts by the one who knows the beauty he can bring in the writing of his "grace-messages" there.  So, if we want to be "inscribable", we have to also be available and accessible.  Just sayin!