Planting Ourselves in the Word in 2008

Psalm 1 is the perfect door into the Book of Psalms. Here we find the description of the BLESSED life. The blessed life is the one that is full of the favor and grace of God and therefore is satisfying and contented. How do get this kind of life?

The Psalmist tells us it begins with a "NO." That is, there are some things we must put OUT of our life if our life is to receive God's blessings. The blessed man/woman says NO to wickedness is all it forms and degrees.

The way to blessing? DO NOT compromise with sin! Don't fool yourself into thinking you can get near and remain unaffected. "Fear the Lord and turn away from evil" Proverbs 3:7. How serious are you about keeping your distance from evil? What TV or cable or satellite stations do you watch? What do you read? What do you listen to? What friends do you spend primary time with? We cannot live in this world and stay completely away from evil. But we can choose to LIMIT the influence of evil coming into our lives and our homes. We DO NOT have to watch shows that mock God and righteousness. We DO NOT have to watch violent movies. We DO NOT have to attend movies that are laced with sexual provocation. We DO NOT have to read detailed descriptions of violent crimes. We CAN say NO. And...WE MUST!

But the blessed life does not come with just saying NO. There must be something that we DO pursue, that we do purposefully put INTO our life. The Psalmist says the "put on" of the blessed man is "his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night" v.2. Do you "delight" in God's Word? To "delight" means that it brings you pleasure. It means that your heart bends towards it like a plant toward the sun or roots towards water. Our delight shows the true condition of our heart. It shows evidence of a saved-heart (Romans 7:22). What does the blessed men/woman's heart-delight do? It moves him to "meditate in the law of the Lord day and night."

To meditate means to murmur. That is, it means to talk to yourself about the Word. It means to ask the Word questions, seeking to draw out its nourishment. It means you carry on a conversation with God about what HE is saying in any particular passage of the Scriptures that you are thinking over. Meditation asks these kind of questions:

• What does this teach me about God?
• What does this instruct me to do?
• What does this instruct me to stop doing?
• What does this tell me to believe?
• What attitudes does this address?

These questions and others are meditation type questions.

Meditation has a GOAL. The goal of meditation is APPLICATION. We meditate so that we can know God and please Him by acting, thinking and believing in a way that pleases Him. It is meditation that bridges understanding of the Word into obedience to the Word so that the grace of God can flow into our lives.

Now, in v.3 of Psalm 1 the writer tells us the results of this saying NO to wicked influence and YES to the Word of God: fruitfulness. "He is like a tree planted by streams of water..." Much of Israel is arid. Water has to be brought into the land by irrigation. Fruit trees are planted by these canals of life-giving water ON PURPOSE. There the roots can pull up all that is necessary for life and fruit-bearing. The lesson is clear. The Word of God is to our souls like water is to the roots of a fruit tree. If we want to bear fruit, if we want stay healthy and green, if we want whatever we do in our lives to prosper and succeed in God's ways WE MUST STAY IN THE WORD. We must "plant" ourselves daily in waters of the Word.

Do you have a Bible-reading program? What will you do to take in the Word in 2008? Will you spend at least some time each day meditating in the Word? As absurd as a man dying of thirst on the edge of a clean, freshwater lake is a Christian shrivelling up spritiually with Bibles laying around their house.

God WANTS to bless our lives in 2008. He WANTS to give us patience when times are trying...He WANTS to give us love when we are being attacked...He WANTS to fill us with kindness for others when the whole world is living for self...He WANTS to make us fruitful witnesses to Christ and the gospel with our family and friends. He WANTS to. How will He? As we PLANT ourselves in His Word day by day, meditate on it, and live it out in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We MUST do this in dependence on Him and in relationship with Him. When we live in the Word, God reveals Himself to us in ever fuller ways.

"For the Lord KNOWS the way of the righteous..." v.6. That is, He watches over, cares for, is involved with, blesses with all that is needed.

I plan to plant myself in the Word in a deeper, more faithful, more obedient way in 2008. I pray that you will, as well.

What is Real Forgiveness?

Why is it that "little" things seem to cause "big" eruptions in relationships? It might be that real forgiveness is not taking place on a regular basis. Life together means offenses against one another and the need for both asking and granting forgiveness. If forgiveness is not sought and when sought is not given, disease inevitably sets into any relationship.

Of course one can ask for forgiveness and not really mean it. That is, I can ask for forgiveness even though I believe I am the one who was in the right, just to make peace. That doesn't count in terms of relational healing! And one can grant forgiveness and not really mean it. That is, I can say, "I forgive you" but not really release the offense and therefore leave with the perfect recipe for long-term bitterness.

What is real forgiveness? We are commanded in Ephesians 4:32 to be "forgiving one another just as God in Christ has forgiven" us. What does that mean?

Forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven us means to let the offense go and to promise NEVER to bring it up again. The glorious New Covenant promise to us in Jeremiah 31:34 is, "I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more." This means at least 3 things:

• I will never bring this offense up to you to use against you again.
• I will never bring this offense up to someone else to color their opinion of you.
• I will never bring this offense up in my mind to stew over and rekindle anger against you.

So...do YOU know how to forgive as you are commanded to forgive, as God in Christ has forgiven you? This kind of forgiveness can suck the remaining venom out of your relationships and infuse them with joy.

May 2008 be a year of Real Forgiveness for you and from you!

YOU Know My Heart

As Solomon prays the dedication prayer for the magnificent temple of Jehovah in 2Chronicles 6, he includes, "...for You, You only, know the hearts of the children of mankind" v.30.

As future Isrealites and even Gentiles would pray towards the temple, where God's presence on earth dwelt, Solomon was asking God to give the pray-er what he deserved according to God's knowledge of his heart. God alone could and did know the heart of every pray-er.

God alone knows your heart. That is, only God knows your heart completely, top to bottom, inside-out, thoughts and intents.

Why is this important to know?

• So that I do not trust my OWN knowledge of my heart and instead look to God for a true diagnosis of where I am and what I need. Psalm 139:23-24
• So that I go to God's Word regularly, where the thoughts and intents of my heart will be revealed to me by God: Hebrews 4:12; and where the prescription my heart needs will be supplied, Psalm 19:7-11.
• So that I realize I am naked before God in the innermost core of my being. That being so, I can be amazed by the grace that still embraces me as a child. Jesus' death and resurrection allows God to see me as I am and love me without reservation. And, if I know that God sees me as I am, I can stop the pretending before Him. Then I will be free to TRULY love Him back, knowing that He loves me with a love that does not flow from His being impressed with me but from His infinite, loving nature.
• If God knows me at my heart-core, I can believe that everything that comes into my life day by day is designed by the heart-Knower to perform needed spiritual surgery so that I learn to love Him with all my heart and to love my neighbor as myself.
• Because then I can listen to what my brothers and sisters (and even non-believers) tell me they see regarding my heart. God still speaks through His people to His people. Iron still sharpens iron, if we let it.

I pray that 2008 is a year of allowing the heart-Knower to do His work within you.

Wisdom for the Asking

The beginning of King Solomon's reign is chronicled in 2Chronicles 1. There we find that God appears to Solomon one night and asks Solomon "what I shall give you?" v.7. Solomon hits the prayer nail on the head when he asks for "...wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?" v.10.

Note WHY this was such a great prayer and why it was fully answered +:

• Solomon humbly recognized that he did NOT have the resources needed for this great task IN HIMSELF. He was king, after all! But he was also a young man, without the experience of his father David, and this was indeed a vast people. The reservoir of wisdom needed to guide and judge the people of God was vast indeed. He was charged to lead the people in strict accordance with the Law of God. Humble people PRAY.
• Solomon also recognized that the resources he needed WERE to be found in God. So...he asks for them. This is the ongoing battle of the spiritual life: WHO does have what I need and WHO doesn't? Solomon wisely recognized that only God can supply what is needed for God's work.
• Solomon's request is NOT selfish, it is centered on GOD'S interests: His covenant people. Solomon recognized that Israel was GOD's people, v.10. "If we ask anything according to His will, he hears us" 1John 5:14. When we align ourselves with God's interests, we will have one answered prayer after another.

God answers Solomon's request and then more: he makes him the richest, most famous man of all time. Why? Because a man/woman who cares first of all for God's kingdom and not to build his own kingdom can be trusted with the stuff of this world as well as spiritual riches.

So...what are YOU asking for? James says that "you ask and do not receive because you ask with selfish motives" James 4:3. For the work that God has called YOU to, are you asking:

• For wisdom and knowledge to do it God's way, according to His Word?
• That God will become famous through your work?
• That God will keep you seeking all the resources you need for your work from HIM?

If God can trust you with the work He's given to you, if He can trust you to do it in constant dependence on His resources, He will trust you with more. He will give you even what you have NOT asked for.

If the task seems as vast as the sand on the seashore, then that measure of wisdom and knowledge and resources will be given...and more.

Terror and Comfort: From the Same God

"And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear." Luke 2:9

Angels were mostly known from the Old Testament stories as those who brought the judgment of God against men. Remember the angel who killed 70,000 Israelites due to David's sin of numbering the fighting men? Remember the angel who killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night (2 Kings19:35)? An angel appearing to men in the shining glory of the Lord is nothing but a call to alarm! Then consider that these men were shepherds. Shepherds were at times outcasts. Their job kept them from the religious rituals necessary to remain "clean." They tended to be despised and on the lowest social rung. Could it be that these men had heard over and over how much they deserved God's judgment? The appearing of a glorious angel was NOT good news as far as they knew..."...they were filled with fear."

But the message of this glorious angel was, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord" Luke 2:10,11.

Expecting the "woe" of judgment, the shepherds instead received "good news." Joy for judgment, the opposite of what they reasonably expected. What turned deserved judgment into delivered joy? "A Savior." But not just any savior, THE SAVIOR, the promised One, "Christ, the Lord." There were many pretending saviors politically and militarily in their day. But this Savior was not sent to lead every Israelite into the realization of their fondest dream: defeat of Rome. This Savior is the Savior who was anointed to "bring good news to the poor...to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and the opening of prison to those who are bound...(Isaiah 61:1). This Savior came to give men like the shepherds what other men said they could never have: favor with God..."peace among those with whom He is pleased" Luke 2:14.

The Savior still turns expected judgment into joyful good news. He still gives outcasts like you and me peace with God. He is still offered to those who live this life on the lowest rung. But ONLY this Savior can do that. Good news is offered ONLY in Him. And it is only offered to those who KNOW they deserve judgment and are therefore suprised by the joy of good news in the Savior.

It is offered to you, to me, to our neighbors, to our extended family...to "all the people."

Terror and comfort from the same God.

The Love of God #6

God's love is a TRANSFORMING love. 1John 4:7: "...whoever loves has been BORN of God and KNOWS God."

Divine love is not satisfied to leave us like it found us. God will NEVER be satisfied until we are the very image of Jesus Christ. And so, He "causes all things to work together for our good...that we might be conformed to the image of His son" Romans 8:28,29.

If God loves you He will transform you...and keep on transforming you...and keep on transforming you. He is relentless in love. And in His omniscient sovereignty He is using EVERY circumstance and interaction of every day to make you like Jesus...especially the HARD ONES! Romans 5:3-5.

A love that allows others to stay the same...to remain in ignorance or self-destroying habits or blindness to sin without seeking in every way possible to bring them to the light and to the freedom of Christ is really NO love at all. Well...that is not really correct. It IS love...self love.

But God will NOT love us in that way. He WILL have His way with us. When we cooperate through willing and joyful submission and obedience His love becomes a heart-filling elixir of wonder and awe. But if we will NOT cooperate, His love WILL be tough. He chastens those He loves (Hebrews 12).

Let us cooperate. Let us be wise to what HE in love is up to.

OH, LOVE THAT WILL NOT LET US GO!!

Love of God #5

God's love is a LIFE GIVING love. "God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might LIVE through Him." 1 John 4:9.

God gives us life through His Son's death. This life He gives is ETERNAL life. This is not only life without end or diminishing, but God's kind and quality of life! We deserved eternal death but have been given eternal life. That is God's love for us.

In ourselves we are TAKERS, not givers. We suck the life out of others for our own good. We use others to make our life better. We see others as those who are to be consumed. We measure others according to their potential for making our life better.

Not the God who is love. He is life. He has no need to siphon off the life of others.

God gives His own son to death for us to have life. Then He raises His son to life and raises Him to heaven where He now lives to intercede for our continuing life (Hebrews 7:25).

And the Father and the Son do all this for our life out of their infinite, eternal, unchanging life-giving love.

Who needs life from you?

The Love of God #4

God's love is a HURTING love. It hurt God to love us redemptively. "God...loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" 1 John 4:10.

God did not just send the eternal Son to become also man. He sent Him to become also man that He might live a perfect life under the law and so be qualified to be our propitiation. Propitiation means the "sacrifice that turns away wrath." The animal's blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Temple's holy of holies was obtained at the cost of the animal's life. When that blood was sprinkled on the lid of the ark of the covenant, it was a sacrifice that then stood between the Holy God above the ark and the broken law within the ark. How could this infinitely Holy One who dwelt between the cherubim not bring wrath down upon the head of His people who had continuously rebelled against His law? The answer, bring that wrath down on the head of someone else, upon someone who deserved no wrath, who was unblemished.

Jesus was the final lamb, the spotless One who perfectly obeyed the law of God and therefore was qualified to be the sacrifice who's blood would be sprinkled once and for all forever in the Holy of Holies in Heaven (Hebrews 9:11-14). He qualified to have the wrath WE deserve brought down on His head. And it was. God the Father's white-hot holy wrath was brought down, full-measure, on the head of His perfect Son. He watched His Son writhe and gasp and shake with horror as He was treated like the sin-scum of all sinners since Adam. My sin...my unkindness, my lust, my food-idolatry, my dishonoring and critical spirit, my laziness, my meritless pride, my tight grasp on things, my rush to the morning paper with a passion that my Bible reading lacks...this and so much more, multiplied by a number with so many zeroes that only the Infinite Mind can call the number, multiplied again by the sin of billions of other sinners...ALL of this was brought down on the head of Jesus on the cross.

And the Father not only watched...His will HELD Jesus there to suffer the entire torment, to drink to the dregs the cup of God's wrath until ALL my sin and your sin and the sin of millions yet to come was paid for in full. Until "It is finished!" could truly and agonizingly be screamed.

THAT...is a hurting love. And that is the kind of love the Father has loved us with and its shadow is the kind of love with which we are to love one another.

The Love of God - #3

God's love is a GIVING love, not a GETTING love. All of us know John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only Son..." How about 1John 4:9-10: "...God SENT His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him...God...loved us and SENT His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

And when God gives, He doesn't give the left-overs. No back-ups. He doesn't give what is expendable. He gives the BEST - "His only Son."

For the redemption of you and me, God sent THE Son...the ETERNAL Son with whom the Father had unbroken fellowship through the ages. The Son, who created all things, who upholds all things by the word of His power was sent. Not Gabriel or Michael, archangels by trade. They weren't qualified for this work of eternal redemption.

John writes that we should "love one another, for love is from God..." 1John 4:7. Therefore, the love with which we love one another should be, in some way and to some measure, a GIVING of the BEST.

What kind of GIVING the BEST? How about...

• My best EFFORT. I cannot begin to count how many times I have given left overs of effort to others. I wait until it is almost time to teach and then do some hurried preparation. Left-overs. And not even warmed up. Yuk.
• My best TIME. When I am best able to think clearly. When my mind is not hurried or cluttered or weary. When I SHOULD be doing the task and not taking time from family or time with the Lord to get it done. The best time is the right time.
• My best CHOICES. When I serve my family, I often give them grumpy or irritated responses instead of choosing to be gentle and kind and affirming. I CAN and DO do this with others. Why cannot I do it with my family? Perhaps I care about impressing others more and so I choose to respond in the best way...the way that will make me look most spiritual and keep my reputation up to snuff in other's eyes. Pitiful!!
• My best PRAYERS. When you say, "I will pray for you," DO YOU? Do you love by giving some precious time to pour over a prayer list for those you love and who need your love? When we commit to pray, love will write the request down or tape it up somewhere and stop during the day or at the tired end of a long day to bring the person and their request to the Lord. Love will pray specifically and not just, "Lord, bless Judy."

Of course, this giving the best kind of love is God's nature by nature, but not ours. But God lives within us if we are truly redeemed. And that means the Holy Spirit, who produces LOVE in those He indwells will be at work making us giving-the-best lovers. The Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13) for help in becoming God-like, giving-the-best lovers.

The Love of God - #2

There is no horizontal movement with God's love. His love is ALWAYS from the GREATER to the LESSER. More correctly, from the GREATEST to the LEAST.

We tend to love those in our own "class" or in a higher class because there is the hope of receiving something in return for our investment. Let's face it, we love to get love. How does this show? By our disappointment or anger that our love was not reciprocated. Don't love me back and you can forget any further love from this boy!!

But God's love to us is from the Infinite and Holy One to damned sinners. God's love always flows DOWN (except the eternal love between the Father, Son, and Spirit!) and it is always to the infinitely underserving.

There is no possibility of love from us to God until He first loves us. "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us..." 1John 4:10. That downward flowing, greatest to least, holy to sinner love is what births love in us.

What a Lover!

The Love of God - #1

Which is more important for understanding God's Good News...God's love or God's wrath? Well...this is like asking which is more important for flying, the right or left wing of a jet aircraft? Or...which is most important for seeing, your right eye or your left eye? The answer, of course, is that God's love and God's wrath are equally important in understanding the Good News. First, God's wrath against the sin of sinners is the necessary context for a revelation of God's love in rescuing sinners. A gospel presentation that begins with God's love begins in the wrong place. This is why the Apostle Paul begins the gospel in Romans with nearly 3 chapters of detailed argument that ALL men are sinners facing the wrath of God with no hope of changing the situation by their own attempts at obedience. The gospel can only "fly" when both the wing of God's wrath against sinners and God's love for sinners is clearly set forth.

Both wings are seen in John 3:16: God LOVED the world and gave His Son that whoever believes in Him shall not PERISH, but have eternal life.

But here I want to begin to look at several characteristics of God's love for sinners.

God's love is His NATURE. 1John 4:8: "...God is love." God is not ONLY love, but all that He does and all that He is, is loving. God is holy and loving and therefore He exercises a HOLY LOVE. God is true and loving and therefore His is a TRUE LOVE or a FAITHFUL LOVE. God is just and loving therefore He acts in JUST LOVE. God is patient and loving and therefore He always responds to us with a PATIENT LOVE. We should not think of God's attributes or characteristics as segmented and sometimes one motivating God and sometimes another motivating Him. All that He is He is at all times and at all times He is moving and motivated by LOVE.

Since love is God's very nature, His love for us flows from WHO HE IS. God's love towards us is NOT a response to something LOVELY in us! Love flows to us from God's nature and therefore God's initiative. It is based on who HE is and not on who WE are. That is good news indeed. Because if God loved us for who we are we would be under eternal pressure to be worthy of His love at all times or to face rejection. But because love flows to us from God's nature it CANNOT change because HE cannot change.

Of course, God's love CAN move and initiate towards us because in unfathomable love He sent Christ to die in our place. With our sin removed by the redemption in Christ's blood, LOVE can flow to us, unhindered by who and what we are.

Hallelujah! What a love and what a LOVER!

"Father, glorify Your name"

These are the words of Jesus as he was in His last week on the way to the cross (John 12:28). He was the grain of wheat that was about to fall into the ground and die (John 12:24). As He faced the cricifixion, his soul was troubled (v.27) deeply. The other gospel writers tell us more about his agony as the cross approached. Now was Jesus' hour to suffer ultimate agony: he would become sin, taking the wrath of His Father, being separated from the Father as the Sin-Bearer. The sinless one would taste of death for sin. What would Jesus do?

Jesus asked: "And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour?" (v.27). "Father, keep me from this suffering. I don't deserve it. It will separate me from you for the first time in my human life. I will be humiliated beyond that suffered by any other man. Pain that causes me to tremble to the depths of my sinless soul. It is too much to ask. They don't deserve this kind of sacrifice from Me. Save me." What would YOU do? What DO you do...when you are facing suffering, unfair accusations, the anger and rage of evil, uncaring people? Do you say, "Father, save me from this hour?"

Jesus would NOT say that. Rather, He said, "But for this purpose I have come to this hour." I came for this. This is my purpose. This is the Father's will for me. This is what it takes to fulfill God's will for me. I knew it was coming and now it is here. I will not try to squirm out. I will not shrink from my duty now that the time has come to suffer.

And then He astounds those of us who are still unclear on the concept of what it means to bring glory to God through our lives. Jesus said, "Father, glorify your name." The Father would receive glory, He would be seen as great in His saving mercy, His love for wretched rebels would be made to shine to the heavens for eternity by lifting up the Son on the cross to suffer as a criminal. It would please the Father to bruise the Son like the Son deserved His wrath.

With the cross facing Him, Jesus' decision here shows what was the deepest driving force of His life..."Father, glorify your name."

Not...
Father...make me comfortable, or
Father...keep me from humiliation, or
Father...let them suffer...they deserve it, or
Father...isn't there another way? or
Father...isn't there someone else, or
Father...why me? or
Father...couldn't we talk about this? or
Father...how could you?, but
Father...glorify Your name.

May we so love the Father and so trust the Father and so desire the Father's glory!

What a Leader Does

In 1 Peter 5:1-4, the Apostle Peter gives authoritative advice to leaders in the church...elders. He gives it not as an authority over them so much as he does a fellow elder/leader. See John 21:15-17.

The exhortation or command is: "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you" v.2. To "shepherd" is to guide and provide. It is to give oneself for the safety and health of those who are cared for. The shepherd in Jesus' time was not behind driving the sheep, but out front leading the sheep. He could lead the sheep because, as Jesus said, they know the voice of the shepherd and trust him and therefore follow him (John 10:3-4). In this day of concern for numbers and gathering crowds the "knowing" part of the relationship between shepherd and sheep often goes out the back door. In this day of deep self-absorption, the loving of ourselves often turns shepherding into manipulation of the sheep for the shepherd's benefit.

Whom has God given YOU to shepherd? Kids, employees, a small group, a wife, a local congregation?? To shepherd them there must be the opportunity for them to learn your voice. To learn your voice and trust your voice your "sheep" must have interaction with you where you are feeding and leading, guiding and providing. That is, they must learn your voice in the context of your CARE for them, your LOVE for them. If they learn our voices in that context, with consistent service for their good, they will hear and they will follow.

Not to be overlooked is the primary description of these sheep: "The flock of God..." Yikes! These sheep are not really mine! They aren't primarily MY flock. They are God's flock. We care for them for God. God has given us the high calling of caring for His own. God sent His Son to redeem them. God moves heaven and earth in sovereign purpose for their good. God supplies all they need inwardly by His Spirit and outwardly by others. God protects them from Satan and evil men. It is clear...they are God's flock. But God also provides them with shepherds. Like you and me.

Any way you look at it, this is a glorious and sobering call, "Shepherd the flock of God among you." May the Chief Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) give us the heart of shepherds for His flock under our care.

You Do Not Have Because You Do Not Ask

How much has NOT happened in your life because you either didn't pray or stopped praying or prayed with selfish motives? See James 4:2,3 and Matthew 7:7.

Every time I come across those open-ended promises for prayer in Matthew 7 and Luke 11 I am astounded at several things:

• That I have a Father in Heaven who desires to move heaven and earth in response to MY prayers! HE is the sovereign One. But HE has willed that HIS sovereign hand moves in response to the prayer of His children...like me...and you. Is this not astounding? Is this not sobering? Does it make you want to pray?
• That I do not pray MORE!!!!!!! With the kind of promises that my Father gives to the pray-er, why do I not pray more? More...for lost friends and family. More...for godly desires and passions that are missing from or faint in my heart. More...for His work in my church. More...for opportunities to witness to my neighbors. More...for His grace in the elections in my country which seem to exhibit all that is sinful in the human race. More...for the work of missionaries and church planters in the dark 1/3 of the world. More...for my relationship with my wife. More...for my parenting. More...for my PRAYING!!
• That my Father in Heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask (see Luke 11:13). This does not mean giving the Holy Spirit to indwell, but to give the Holy Spirit to empower with wisdom and virtue and character and courage and a spirit of prayer. How PERSONAL the Father's answer to the prayer of His children...He says He Himself will come and be the answer to our prayers!

"Father, I do not just want to be astounded at these things, I want to PRAY MORE! Help me. Fill me with Yourself in the Person of Your Spirit. Empower me to pray, to KEEP on praying, and to pray with pure motives. In Jesus' name, Amen."

WHY is this Happening?

Things are tough. Unexpected stress. It is beyond my control. Why?

• Because we live in a world that is sin-spoiled. We live in the consequences not only of our most ancient ancestor, Adam, but also in the consequences of billions of sinners all the way to ourselves. God's word continues to be true..."in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die." Not only physical but also spiritual death is a way of life for us earthlings. Fractured without and within. You cannot escape the consequences. In spite of certain schools of teaching that tell us that to accept Jesus ushers us into an immediate exemption from sin's consequences, the reality of life in a world that is groaning is our common lot.
• Because God is Sovereign. No circumstance of life "just happens." Though sin's consequences are inevitable, they are filtered for each of us through the sovereign hand of God. Nothing can come my way unless it is chosen for me by my personal, good, loving Father (for those of us who are His). Romans 8:28a: " And we know that God CAUSES..."
• Because God determines this particular circumstance or consequence is for my GOOD. This is Romans 8:28b: God causes "...all things to work together for good for those who love God..." God does not primarily have COMFORT in mind, but CHARACTER in mind for His dearly loved ones. And this is not 21st century American character, but the very character of Jesus Christ Himself. This is Romans 8:29: "might be conformed to the image of His Son..." My culture is all about comfort. My Creator is all about character. And He is relentless. He WILL reach His goal for me. No circumstance is wasted. Like the intentional motions of the highly skilled surgeon, every tool has its purpose, every incision it goal...healing. Healing for us from the marred image of Adam is progress towards the perfect image of Christ. It IS happening for you and me...and the incisions often hurt. But they are purposeful.
• Because I am not alone in this world. God intended that man in plurality image the Trinity in his relationships and interdependence and love. But sin turned that into exploitation and manipulation and abuse and rejection and pain. We often live and hurt because of the sin of others. We will never escape that until there is a new heaven and a new earth on which righteousness dwells.
• Because your destiny is Heaven, not the cemetery. God is preparing you for life on a new heaven on a new earth. It is not Zap, you are now like Christ. Rather, God's method is methodical...He patiently, slowly, circumstance by circumstance changes us into the image of Christ as we respond in faith and depend on Him. HE is transforming us NOW for THEN. Always this end is in view.

How can I thrive in the pain and stress:

• Acknowledge God's soverign power and plan in every circumstance. Worship Him that this very stressful time is from His hand and is good and is customized for YOUR good.
• Acknowlege your need for this same God's gracious help via the Holy Spirit.
• Cooperate with God's working in you by responding and not reacting to the circumstance or the person. Choose patience and kindness and mercy in response to difficult periods and persons. This choice, if made in dependence on the Spirit, will be aided with His power who is the very source of the character of Jesus. He will fill you with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc.
• Don't shoulder it all alone. Cast your burden upon the Lord, YES, but we are to share one another's burdens, as well. As many BURDENS come because of others, so COMFORT and HELP with those burdens comes through others. The church, the church, the church.

Why is this Happening? God, Me, Jesus, Heaven.

Slip Slidin' Away

Deuteronomy 4:9, "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

A constant challenge in this life, even when we have redeemed, new covenant hearts of flesh is SLIPPAGE! How quickly the wonder and majesty and desire and willingness and love for God and His Word slips from my heart. How quickly I feel cold and lost and unwilling. What can I do to stop the slippage?

1. BE CAREFUL and WATCH myself: Knowing that my heart is wander prone should make me ever diligent. I must watch compromise. I must remember where sin so easily besets me (Hebrews 12:1) and just refuse to go there. I must stay close to my Father and dependent on His Spirit knowing that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells NO good thing. I must remember there is an ever vigilant enemy who desires my damnation, and since he cannot accomplish that, will settle for my utter destruction and the shaming of Jesus Christ. I must remember my need for others who are also being careful and watching by the power of Christ. I must walk by faith and not by sight. I must remember that along with marvelous grace and the indwelling Spirit there is also insanity always at work in my heart. I must not listen to its whines and cries and poor me's and deals for compromise.
HEY! It is FIRST of all MY RESPONSIBILITY to watch myself, not someone's else's.

2. TEACH my children (and others): The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. Every time I teach others there is restorative grace that helps my slipping soul. Simply talking about God and His truth and His great deeds of salvation has a lasso-ing effect on the slipping heart. Teaching causes me to think and pulls me out of the general, vague, lazy kind of thinking that leads to slippage. Focusing on others, to share with them God's precious truths and deeds, helps to keep me from slipping on the banana peel of self-absorbtion. If I teach others these things, then one day they will remind me of what I taught them. It is a great challenge to self-disciplined living for Christ when I am responsible not only to give verbal witness of God's ways, but to demonstrate them in my daily life. Boy...the kids see the real me.

May there be no slip slidin' away any longer as we watch ourselves closely and pass on the truth of our God to those closest to us.

Thankful to be Alive!

In Ephesians 2:4-5, the Apostle Paul gives the big "before" and "now" of the Christian life.

Before (vv1-3) we were:

• DEAD in our trespasses and sins
• WALKING (dead) according to the course of this world
• FOLLOWING (death) the prince of the power of the air (Satan)
• LIVING (dead) in the passions of our flesh, and
• CHARACTERIZED as children of wrath (under the eternal death sentence of Almighty God)

BUT NOW, we are

• MADE ALIVE together with Christ.

HOW did this happen?

• Because God is RICH IN MERCY, v.4. JUSTICE is getting what I deserve. MERCY is not getting what I do deserve. GRACE is getting the opposite of what I deserve. God is RICH in mercy. Rich means abundant. God is a God of abundant, more than enough, overflowing mercy. His very nature pours over the edges with the mercy that does not give us the justice we deserve by instead brought down justice on Jesus' head!
• Because God has a GREAT LOVE, v.4. Great means multitudinous, of a great number. LOVE is agape, the self-sacrificing giving for the good of another despite their underservedness kind of love. God is not only love by infinite, eternal nature (1John 4:8), but the capacity of this love is GREAT, incalculable, immeasurable.
• Because of God's GRACE, v.5. We have been given, not just what we DON'T deserve, but the OPPOSITE of what we deserve. To not condemn us and destroy us eternally is not giving us what we deserve. But to go on and give us LIFE!!!! in Christ is the opposite of what we deserve.

WHEN did this happen?

• EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN OUR TRESPASSES, v.5. There was no remaining flicker of life in us that responded to God's overtures. WE WERE DEAD. There was no spiritual life in us. There was no possible initiation from us toward God. It was ALL God's doing. He was the initiator! Not only was there no flicker of life or desire for God in us, we were HATERS of God, rebels, vile sinners, we were head over heels in love with the world and disciples of Satan (vv.1-3).

At THAT TIME God's nature, rich in mercy, love, and grace stepped in and rescued me from my nature, dead, sin-pursuing, Satan-led, to MAKE ME ALIVE in Christ.

I am thankful to be ALIVE! "Father, I marvel in your mercy, love, and grace. I marvel that when I was rushing headlong into your wrath I was swept up by your love and mercy and grace into LIFE, LIFE IN JESUS."

No Time Like the Present to be Thankful

Some of the benefits of being genuinely thankful to God through the Lord Jesus Christ:

• I have the feet of my faith planted firmly in reality. The truth is, I always have a mountain of things to be thankful for. Since God is sovereign over all things and is good and is for me, complaining is the most rank kind of unbelief and is ridiculously blind. Thankfulness is standing where I should be, acknowledging the reality of God's unfailing goodness.
• Thankfulness directs the eyes of my heart towards Christ, where my faith can grow and I can move into greater trust and I can stay connected to Him. Thankfulness is decidedly personal and enhances my relationship to my Personal Father and Savior.
• Thankfulness is the kind of witness this cranky, "victimized," complaining world around me needs. Fate is not in control. A good, personal God is.
• Thankfulness is obedience to God. "In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1Thessalonians 5:18. To be unthankful or not to be thankful is to sin.
• Thankfulness allows me to be filled and stay filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18-20
• Thankfulness makes me so much more attractive to others. Who wants to be around a whiner?
• Thankfulness brings glory to God.
• Thankfulness reaffirms me as the needy receiver and God as the Source.
• Thankfulness allows me to infect others with something good instead of something that is soul-shrinking.
• Thankfulness makes others look better and allows me to like and love them because I do not see them as problems or as those who are blocking the way to my happiness. God is in control of that.
• Thankfulness is part of a winning strategy against the enemy of my soul, the original dissatisfied being, Satan.
• Thankfulness allows me to see others as blessings from God and not bothers.

Just to name a few.

Misunderstood and Misrepresented

In Mark 3:20-30 we see Jesus again pursued relentlessly by the crowds of those needy for healing and deliverance. The crowd is so great that He and his disciples cannnot even eat.

The religious leaders HATE it. Why? They see Jesus as the greatest threat possible to their prestige and favor and position with the people. They hate Jesus at this point so much that the Pharisees are willing to work together with the Herodians, the political group who were lovers and cooperators with Rome and Herod.

Jesus' family did not like it, either. They considered Jesus insane. WHO does He think He is? Is he delusional? What is he doing gathering crowds like this? These crowds will destroy him.

Jesus' own family, who had been around him growing up and doubtless knew that he was like no other, MISUNDERSTOOD Him. They did not believe He was the Messiah. Neither Rome nor the Jewish authorities liked someone who gathered rabid crowds around themselves. What is Jesus doing to our good name?! We better save Him from Himself! So they went out "to seize him," v.21, that is, to take control of Him.

Even for Jesus it must have hurt to be so misunderstood by his family. Have you ever been misunderstood? Have you ever been doing something that was God's will for you and you received a hard slap of criticism for it...from those you love (and who very possibly love you?)? Perhaps your commitment to purity was misunderstood. Perhaps your concern that a dying loved one was not saved was misunderstood in the gush of confidence that such a "good" person would surely be with God soon. Perhaps your commitment to serve someone that everyone else had written off was ridiculed. Perhaps your willingness to give to missions when you could have that place in the mountains. Being where Jesus is, serving His way, brings misunderstanding. We need to expect it. It still hurts. See John 12:26; 15:18f.

Jesus was MISUNDERSTOOD by his family but WORSE, He was MISREPRESENTED by the religious leaders. Since they could not overcome his wisdom by accusations and they could not argue with the results from His healing and casting out of demons, they did what men who would do anything to remain in or come to power would do - they screamed lies and made false accusations. This is one of the most sobering passages in the Bible: since it was SO plain that what Jesus was doing was by the HAND OF GOD (the Holy Spirit), they had to try to ruin his reputation with the people by accusing Him of doing His remarkable deeds by the HAND OF SATAN. "It is by Beelzebul, the prince of demons that he casts out demons" v.22.

Jesus' answer is that their reasoning makes no sense at all. If Satan is destroying himself, his kingdom is coming to an end. Rather, the truth that Jesus healing and deliverance ministry makes plain is that ONE stronger than Satan is here, and He is binding Satan and plundering his goods, He is setting free the devil's captives. Jesus is not Satan's tool, but Satan's CONQUEROR.

Jesus' next words are glorious and then frightening. All sins and blasphemies will be forgiven men. That is great news! Especially for seasoned sinners like us. That ONE sin that Satan likes to bring up over and over. Forgiven by the blood of Jesus. That sin that I've just committed for the 5,000th time. Forgiven. But frightening: the one who blasphemes the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven...it is an eternal sin. That was the sin of these MISREPRESENTING religious leaders: they called the work of the Spirit of God the work of the evil spirit. This represented a hard, calculated, malicious heart that had closed itself to the evidence and revelation of the Spirit working through Jesus.

This is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is not a one time sin. It is not a curse spoken in grief or confusion. It is not something we can do without knowing it. It is an intentional, clear-minded (as clear-minded as insanity can be), repeated, vicious, malicious rejection of the revelation of Christ by the Spirit's work. It is saying, "I will have none of this. I do not care how clear it is. I WILL NOT believe. I see but I reject what I see. This is all so much fakery and foolishness and lies. There is NO room in my heart for this ridiculous impostor. I reject God and His hand reaching out to me."

A sin that cannot be forgiven. Tremble at the thought.

This is what Jesus faced from the religious leaders. MISREPRESENTED as an envoy of Satan when the Spirit of God made it crystal clear that He was the very Son of God.

If we follow Jesus, we, too, will be misrepresented as fools, idiots, outdated, prudish, narrow-minded, life-destroyers, deluded fanatics. It comes with the territory. It is rough terrain. May God grant us grace day by day to stay true to our Lord even when MISUNDERSTOOD and MISREPRESENTED.

The Bookends of Faith

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:17 that the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel is "from faith to faith" or " by faith from first to last." That is, our right standing with God through Christ is always, on our part, "by faith."

The entire Christian life is by faith. What is faith? Faith is trusting or relying upon God according to His Word. It is being sure that God is true and will be faithful to His promises. It is clinging to God not only for my eternal desitiny, but for my present obedience, moment by moment, day by day. The object of faith is God himself: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Faith is NOT relying upon myself or my determination, or my feelings of commitment or what I think is or is not possible. Faith in its most basic sense is a raw reliance upon God because God has said so.

In another place the same Paul writes that "we walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7. That is, we live by looking at God and His Word, not my surroundings or circumstances. The ONLY stability that is available here on planet Earth is that which comes as we walk by faith. The reason for this is simple: God says, "I am the Lord, I change not" Malachi 3; and "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow" Hebrews 13. As I TRUST in the unchanging God I more and more take on His very character.

Perhaps like me, your struggle today is not so much with what that person did to you that has you in a wrestling match with bitterness, nor with the fact that you did not receive warm love and affirmation from your parents growing up, nor that others just don't understand you and give you your due, nor with the bad lot that life has thrown you... but perhaps your struggle is with FAITH. Perhaps you have decided to walk by sight and you have decided that God is not trustworthy. Perhaps you have decided God is faithful to others but not you. Perhaps the eyes of faith have been distracted to focus on all that is going wrong.

Precious friend, LOOK UP! There in heaven is seated the Father, who planned a great salvation for you and then sent His Son. There at His right hand is the Son, who accomplished your salvation by His death and resurrection and continues to hold you in His hand by His present intercession. And HERE is the SPIRIT, indwelling you, never to leave you, ready, if you cease to grieve Him by unbelief, to fill you with the power and character of Jesus Christ. And this blessed and eternal Trinity's help is only a PRAYER OF FAITH away.

This life is by faith from first to last. The bookends of it all. Let us PRAY IN FAITH!!

Serving the Jesus Way - Part 2

Jesus' primary commitment in serving was to His 12 disciples. You don't impact a world or start a movement that goes to the uttermost by only serving crowds. There has to be investment in individuals...individuals who can then invest in others.

Investment serving happens through relationships. Jesus called the 12 "to be with Him." Mark 3:14 It may not seem or sound "fair" in a culture like ours, but not everyone was eligible to be with Christ in this way. In fact, Jesus could be VERY "unfair" (it seems to us) because he had the 1 (Peter), the 3 (Peter, James, John), the 12, the 72 (Luke 10:1ff), and the 120 (upper room?). How dare He make distinctions between who was and wasn't to be with Him! How dare He leave the other 9 behind to take Peter, James, and John on select outings! How dare He? Because He spent the whole night in prayer to the Father to make sure just the 12 were chosen that should be chosen (Luke 6:12). These were a prepared 12 men, even though one of them was the betrayer.

For us, Paul gives instructions re: who we should choose to invest in, in this "be with us" way. In 2 Timothy 2:2 he tells Timothy to "entrust" the things Paul had invested in him to "faithful men, who will be able to teach others also." In one sense, we are to "move with the movers." We are to love and serve all men, but investment of life is for those who will not just take, but become givers and servers and disciplers in their own rights.

Some critical lessons from Jesus' "be with Me" choices:

• Since I never outgrow my need of being discipled by Jesus, I need to be with Him regularly to HEAR Him (Word) and SPEAK to Him (Prayer). But do I?
• I am also discipled by Jesus when I am "with" others who are committed disciples of His. If I look around and it's just Jesus and me (all the time or most of the time), it is debatable whether any true discipleship is taking place. There is NO substitute on earth for the fellowship of the local church. But this fellowship must be real and a "rubbing" kind so that iron can sharpen iron.
• Are you investing your life in someone? Maybe you don't know too much, but you probably know enough to share with and benefit someone else. If you are walking with Jesus and spending regular time in His Word and participating in your local church and therefore growing yourself, you can choose someone to be with you. Ask them out for tea or coffee or a sloppy burger. Inquire into their spiritual life. Share with them what you are learning. Share with them how to pray for others. Just do it.

Life investments all around. It's the Jesus way to serve.

Thoughts on Extravagant Love

In John Chapter 12 we see the extravagant love of Mary (sister of always-busy-Martha and alive-again-Lazarus) as she washes the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume and her hair. She did everything wrong. That is, from her culture's perspective and from the perspective of a thief.

Mary used perfume worth about a year's wages to anoint the feet of Jesus. Usually it was the head that was anointed. Only water was used for washing the feet. Mary always seemed to be at the feet of Jesus (see Luke 10:38-42 and John 11:32, also). She uses what could easily have been the most precious of her possessions to grace His FEET. Then, she lets down her hair, a definite cultural no-no, especially in the presence of a respected guest. She's doing the servant's work, with the wrong items, in the wrong way.

Judas' take on the anointing was, "What a waste!" Jesus' take, "Leave her alone, she has kept it for the day of my burial." Mary's "waste" fit right into the center of God's sovereign plan.

There is no waste in extravagant love. Was not Almighty God's sending of His eternal Son for sinful rebels like you and me extravagant?

Am I willing to give what is most precious to do the lowest of tasks for my Lord and Savior?

Am I willing to love Jesus to the embarassment of those around me?

Do I think I belong beside Jesus or at His feet?

Am I like Judas, being critical of the extravagant love of others for the Savior?

Whose approval am I LOVING for?

"Lord, make me like this Mary."

Serving the Jesus Way - Part 1

In the early chapters of Mark, Jesus is off to a rapid-fire ministry of preaching and healing and casting out of demons. Always in tow are his disciples, observing and assisting (I assume) in Jesus' interactions with the crowds. Jesus is healing people from many diseases and incurable handicaps and soul-slavery at the hands of Satan's unclean spirits. Word is getting out. In Mark 3:7ff, we see that crowds are beginning to seek out and follow Jesus from all over Israel and beyond. It is no small wonder.

When you are truly helping people, people needing help will seek you out. You can't keep good things like healing and demonic deliverance quite. Soon Jesus had to have a boat ready for escape in case the crowds became too suffocating and dangerous. They weren't going to let Him out of their sight!

The price of being a true people helper is having ever more people to help. Truly helping and loving people can bring us face to face with radical decisions about time and energy and priorities. The more you help, the more some people want help. If you are willing to give, they are willing to take...and take...and take...and take. Of course, we have the help of the Holy Spirit. Praise God for that. But notice a couple of things regarding how Jesus served the increasing crowds of the needy:

• He made a way to escape from the crowds when their demands became dangerous: v.9
• He got away at intervals to be with the Father: v.13
• He showed compassion to the crowds, but He gave His full commitment to the small band of disciples he chose: v.14

It is no small part of wisdom and survival in ministry to learn how to do each of the above, not out of fear or selfishness, but in obedience to the Father.

"Lord, help me to be willing to serve the needy beyond all that I have previously experienced. May I be known as one who has something that the needy need."

Better to be faced with choosing the BEST over the BETTER rather than always settling for the least.

Noisy Nothings

To live without love is to be a NOISY NOTHING. That is what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."

I can exercise the greatest spiritual gifts and abandon my body in life-giving sacrifice and it all count for NOTHING! A sobering thought. I can "minister" to others and it only be a loud, obnoxious NOISE to them. I can "give, give, give" and gain absolutely NO REWARD in heaven for it in the end. How? If I do all these things but "have not love."

More important than the question, "am I serving others?" is "do I LOVE others?" If my ministry is seeing no fruit perhaps the problem is lack of love. I have known believers who for all appearances had very little in the way of giftedness, but yet had a great impact on many people. Why? A "little" gift with a "lotta" love goes a long way. Too much of our (my) ministry is plagued with lovelessness.

What can a love-lacking servant of Christ do to move from being a "noisy nothing" to a bearer of much, lasting fruit?

1. The FRUIT of the Spirit is LOVE. Cry to the Father for the Spirit (Luke 11:13). He loves to give the Spirit of love to those who ask. As you face your next "ministry" opportunity...stop and pray for God to give you the help of His Spirit.

2. Meditate often and deeply on God's love for you. We love because He first loved us (1John 4:19). Think of the One who spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for you (Romans 8:32). Think of the One who knew no sin but became sin for you (2Corinthians 5:21). To know His love is to be transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (2Corinthians 3:17-18).

3. Remember that love is not first of all a feeling (yet when healthy and free it feels plenty!) but a choice to act for the good of others. God so loved the world that He GAVE (John 3:16). I can love those I do not at present like. That is, I can act for the good of someone I feel little positive feelings for. God has given to us a spirit of power, LOVE, and self-control. I have power to love. I have power to act, to speak, to pray for even my enemies.

4. Develop real relationships. It is easy to live in a world of critical, judgmental, arm's length relationships. I can easily lack love towards those I live at a distance from. Perhaps your family past is shallow. Perhaps you don't know how to develop close relationships. Be honest about it. Ask for mentoring in love. Cling to Christ for the safety your heart needs when launching out into the deep of real-life relationships with others, even in the church. But decide that you will live in a fantasy world no longer. There is hope for the most love-less amongst us in the grace and Spirit-supply of our Father and our Lord.

May God be pleased to transform us "noisy nothings" into lavish lovers for His name's sake.

Needed and Needy

In the Body of Christ, all are needed and all are needy. This is why the Apostle Paul emphasizes in 1 Corinthians 12 that no one has all the gifts and all have no one particular gift. If you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, you have been given "the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" 1Corinthians 12:7.

The other members of your local church need the gift(s) you have. You are charged to use them for the benefit of others. How important you are to your church!! If you do not serve in your church using your gift(s), your church loses out and YOU lose out!

I am constantly blessed by the service gift of D.E., who makes coffee for the church on Sunday mornings. He does it because he wants to and because the Holy Spirit in him motivates him to serve us in this way. He also helps to take up the morning offering...again, just because he WANTS to serve. This past Sunday S.C. blessed us all with his gift of teaching during the morning's message. He excels in painting visual images that illustrate great gospel truths. We would have all missed out if he had buried that gift under a bad attitude of pride or the complaint that he just doesn't have the time. P.W. blesses me continually with the gift of encouragement. He doesn't just say, "That was a blessing"...he gives specific details about what blessed him. HOW we would all miss out at my local church without these individuals and many others. THEIR GIFTS BELONG TO US! They are NEEDED!

On the other hand, even though we are gifted by the Spirit, we are not given ALL the gifts. We NEED the gifts given to others. In the New Testament there is no such thing as a believer saying, "I just trust in Jesus for what I need, I don't need anyone or anything else." SOUNDS spiritual, but it is the WRONG spirit!! Jesus ministers to us in a significant way through the gifts given to others. This is one of the primary reasons NOT to forsake fellowship with your brothers and sisters - if you don't, you will miss out on what you need to stay spiritually fit.

False humility says, "I'm not needed." Plain ole arrogance says, "I'm not needy."

I CANNOT walk with Jesus in an ongoing intimate and growing way unless I both serve with my gifts and receive the service of others through their gifts.

I am needed and needy. I will always be. But I have you (plural) and you have me. Hallelujah!

Never Stop Applauding

In Ephesians 1 the Apostle Paul opens up the treasure chest of spiritual blessings that God has ALREADY blessed us with in Christ. Amongst these are:

• Being chosen in Christ to be holy and blameless, v.4
• Being predestined for adoption through Christ, v.5
• Being redeemed from slavery to sin's penalty and power through the blood of Christ, v.7
• Being sealed as a guarantee of our final inheritance by the indwelling Holy Spirit, vv.13,14

The reason God has done this?

"To the praise of His glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved" v.6

A good and accurate synonym for "praise" is "applause." God has blessed us from eternity past with blessings that are ours in time and will be ours until eternity future. And He has done this that He might receive APPLAUSE for His "glorious grace."

Glorious grace is the grace that takes God-haters and adopts them into the very family of God. Glorious grace is the grace that takes willing slaves to sin and Satan and buys them out of the slave-market of sin at the price of God the Son's own blood. Glorious grace is grace that gives the holy robe of Jesus' righteousness and makes it standard garb for the most filthy and vile of mankind...that is, you and me!

Right now (as He will throughout eternity), God is parading you and me, the objects of His glorious grace, before the heavenly beings that there might be APPLAUSE ringing across the 100,000 light year span of the Milky Way and far beyond. The giant and dwarf stars echo the ceaseless thunderous clapping of angels. The thousand thousand galaxies beyond us reverberate with the sounds of "Glorious grace! Glorious grace! Glorious grace!"

Are you a part of this universal APPLAUSE? Is God's grace to you GLORIOUS? Are you constantly calling for Grace Encores amongst the lost who have yet to learn how to really "put them together"?

"Lord, I applaud Your glorious grace! I am a blood-bought, made-holy, adopted by Deity, can't lose object of that LOVE that gives the opposite of what is deserved. May heart-applause fill my days until that endless day of eternity dawns."

Who's the Head Governs the How

When Christians emphasize the biblical teaching that wives are to submit to their husbands, aren't we creating an environment where abuse will flourish?

Answer: NOT if we teach the biblical teaching with biblical balance.

One passage where the biblical balance of the submission teaching is clearly taught is 1 Corinthians 11:3:

"But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God."

"Head" in this passage seems to refer to something like "authority." Paul most often uses it this way, especially when referring to Christ as the Head of the Church (e.g. Ephesians 1:22). God in His loving wisdom has set up relationships with an order of authority. This verse in 1 Corinthians 11 refers to that order in marriage and in Christ to man and God to Christ.

Isn't it dangerous for a wife to have her husband as an authority? NOT if that husband has any understanding that HIS HEAD is Christ! And isn't it repressive for a man to have Christ as his authority? NOT if he understands that even Christ has God the Father as His head. Did Christ model the life of a man lived under the repression or oppression of a higher authority? Not unless perfect freedom, perfect joy, perfect love, and sinless living could be considered repressed! Christ existed in perfect love and submission from eternity with the Father. Though equal with the Father, he lived in a submission that was "economic" in the sense that this is how the purposes of the Godhead would be accomplished. Living in constant obedience to the Father was the joy of the Son for the shared purposes of eternal redemption and glory.

Husbands, Christ is our head. May we learn to submit to His marvelous cross-proven, life-reaffirmed love. We can partner with Him for purposes that are eternal and redeeming, including the sanctification of our precious wives.

Wives, your husband is your head. The authority of Christ comes into your life in a significant way through him. Pray for him that he will understand and live in joyful submission to his Head, Christ, that he might imitate that always good authority in his life with you. And partner with him for God's purposes for your relationship and your family and your church.

Let us not shrink back from but lean into the relationships of authority and submission that God has ordained for redemptive life in this world.

The Grass is Greener...Right Here!

In the NT church in Corinth there was this crazy, almost American, unsettledness that caused the members to think that the ideal spiritual life was...somewhere else. That is, if they were unmarried, marriage would be the entryway to a spiritual Eden. If they were married, especially to an unbeliever, the single life was the way up and in. If they were slaves...get free or remain a spiritual pygmy. Underneath it all there seemed to be this thought, not at all foreign to ME, that they could not realize the true freedom in Christ which was their lot unless their situation changed.

The Apostle Paul answers that thinking with a clear, settling, God-centered view of WHERE I AM:

"...Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him." 1Corinthians 7:17

Married or unmarried, working for someone else or self-employed, kids at home or empty-nester, senior citizen or teenager, college-degreed or street-smart, physically handicapped or tri-athlete, raised up in a godly home or a child of abuse, in an apartment or my own home, in the perfect church or a Corinthian-like mess, tight finances or picking fruit daily from the money tree...

The ultimate reason we are where we are is...the Lord. He has "assigned" us and "called" us to the place in life we occupy. Note: HE has assigned us and called us to this place. Not fate or chance or stupid choices (though there may have been plenty of them!!) or discrimination or Satanic evil. Why has He assigned us this place? That we may learn to walk with Him HERE, in humility and dependence. "So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain WITH GOD." 1 Corinthians 7:24

If God has assigned me this place then it is a place where GOD IS. It is a place where I can thrive spiritually and walk with Him. It is a place where all the promises of God apply. It is a place where the Holy Spirit of God will fill me with His fruit and gifts and help. It is a place where my cries to God will be heard as well as any other place on earth. It may NOT be EASY, but easy is not the way to spiritual growth.

May the Lord who assigns and calls to THIS PLACE free me to pursue Him NOW and HERE, believing that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. May He free me to take my eyes off of whoever or whatever I have charged with my stunted spiritual life and set them resolutely on Him. HE IS THE GREEN GRASS, wherever I am.

Hard-headed ministry

Has the Lord given you someone to minister to who is exceptionally challenging? It may be an unbeliever or a believer. Perhaps a spouse or teenage child or boss or even a fellow church or small group member.

Ever feel like giving up? Ever feel like their hard-headedness or hard-heartedness is going to win out?

Ezekiel had a whole NATION of hard-heads and hard-hearts to prophesy to. God told him on the front end of his ministry:

"But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me. Because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart." Ezekiel 3:7

Well, so much for the glamor of ministry! Any bubble that Ezekiel had about the masses ooohing and ahhhhing over his prophecies was graciously popped by God before his prophetic ministry began. He knew what he was facing and it would take super-human persistence and endurance to do it well and finish well.

HOW could he serve a granite-headed people for years without throwing in the servant's towel?

God promised to make Ezekiel equal to the task.

"Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house." Ezekiel 3:8-9

In essence, God said, "I have made you equal to the task. They will be resistant as stone, but I have given you a steel-will to keep speaking my word to them. They will give you looks that could kill, but I have given you flak-jacket heart that will keep looking to me."

God can and will make us as graciously hard-headed as sin can make others hard-headed and stubborn. He will make us hard-headed enough NOT to stop trusting Him for love and courage and compassion and wisdom and plain 'ole hang in there toughness.

Don't give up! Cry out to God for a hard-headed ministry.

Ownership Comes at a Price

I love my pda. I have had my Tungsten T5 for about 2 1/2 years now and it is like a right arm to me. It is filled with study resources and tools and loads of pictures of the family and mission trips and schedule reminders. Between the device itself and the programs I have purchased and loaded it has COST ME PLENTY!! I am VERY careful to keep track of my T5. I have it with me almost all the time either in my fannypack (I am the nerdy local who looks like a tourist) or pocket. You might say I am JEALOUS over it. I am.

In 1Corinthians 6:19-20 we are reminded by the Apostle Paul that a great price has been paid for us by God and as a result we are not our own.

"...Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Bought with a price. That price was the very life blood of God the Son, poured out in His unparalleled suffering of the cross. And that price was not paid so that I would be CALLED God's child and then live for myself, as though I still own the keys to the front door of my heart. No, the price has been paid so that I am no longer my own. The result? I am to live to glorify God in my body.

God rightfully owns me because He gave His Son for me. Therefore, He is jealous over me. He keeps close tabs on me. In fact, He is so jealous and so diligent to watch over me that He has taken upresidence WITHIN me! My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

All of this tells me:

• This temple of God's should be kept HOLY. My mind and body should be free from junk reading and eating. The visual images I load into my mind's pda do not delete. The extra pounds I am carrying on my body at this time do not give me more physical "curb appeal" to God or others. If God himself is in residence in my body, I should keep it more clean than when I have special guests in my home.
• God has the right to the first and last decisions in every area of my life. I am not my own. My time is not my own. My money is not my own. My body is not my own. My talents and gifts are not my own. The direction of my thoughts is not my own. The response to irritating drivers is not my own. Wow, nothing is my own to use as I will but as HE wills. Why? I have been bought with a price.
• What a glorious love God has loved me with! Why would He spend the life of His Son to purchase me? Why? The answer is not in me. The answer is in the infinitely loving heart of God. He is an extravagant Lover. And He is jealous over what He has paid dearly for. Keeping sight of this beyond comprehension love makes personal holiness and bowing to Lordship a whole different matter.

My OWNER is the GREAT LOVER of my soul. Ownership came at a price for Him.

4 Inches of Life

It is a good thing to be reminded just how short my life is. When I am healthy and full of energy and busy with work and family life seems like it will just go on forever. In the busyness I do not often take the time to meditate on the shortness of my days.

In Psalm 39 King David is suffering, possibly from physical illness. He is struggling inwardly with all the questions that suffering raises to the surface. He is trying to be careful to hold his tongue so that he does not say anything that shows disdain for the Lord or that questions His goodness. When he finally speaks, the outpouring of his soul includes questions and statements regarding the brevity and frailty of his life. He says,

"O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!" vv.4-5

God has made our days a "handbreadth." A handbreadth was the distance across the 4 fingers of the hand, about 4 inches. My life...a few inches of time. From where I stand most of the time life looks endless. I am strong and healthy and encouraged (much of the time) and life for this guy looks like kilometers or miles! But against the backdrop of eternity, in comparison to God, I can measure my life with a grade school ruler.

A few implications from this truth:

• I need to live with the END in mind. If I am in Christ, eternity in Heaven is my permanent lot. Life is for loving and serving God in a way that lays up rewards that will be measured in more loving and serving God through the endless ages to come. As Randy Alcorn says, "You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead." What are you sending ahead?
• Humility. I tend to think that my life is the BIG PIECE of the puzzle of what God is assembling in this world. Surely the impact of my life is what the church through the ages has been waiting for and the angels in heaven have been longing for. But my life is one small, short piece. A piece to be sure, by God's grace, but one amongst the numberless multitude that Christ will win as a reward for His sufferings and that He will use to bring universal applause to His name when it's all said and done.
• God is my hope. David writes in v.7 of Psalm 39, "And now, O Lord, for what do i wait? My hope is in you." I can forever moan over the brevity and frailty of my life or I can turn my heart's gaze to the ETERNAL ONE, who sovereignly and purposefully controls all things. My confident expectation is that God is FOR ME, the 4-inch life, with plans and rewards that are quatrillion of miles in length...and that's just the warm up phase!

A proper view of a short life is meant to lead us to a LONG look at our eternal God.

Evangelism and Fishing

The first disciples Jesus called were fishermen. As Jesus always seemed to do, he told them what He would make them in terms they well understood.

"Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." Mark 1:17

Peter, Andrew, James and John did not use monofilament line or fancy colored hooks. They had no underwater fish radars for help in locating the catch. They threw out nets weighted with lead that would hit the water in a circular shape and then sink, trapping the fish below (if there happened to be any below). Then...they'd pull in the net hoping there was something edible or sell-able in it.

They understood fishing for fish. How about fishing for men? They had much to learn, but they already understood key concepts that were very transferable to fishing for men. They were:

• GO. These Galilean fishermen knew you have to go out into the water to catch fish. They did not stand on the shore waiting for the fish to come crawling or flopping up out of the water at their feet. So we have to go to where the "lost" fish of this world are. This is why Jesus' last and great command was, "Go...and make disciples" Matthew 28:19-20. Our homes and haunts can become fortresses from instead of launching pads for evangelism. Are we going?
• THROW. James and John were mending nets when Jesus called them. When they would launch out into the Sea of Galilee they would always take nets. Nets are how you catch fish. It took skill to cast a net, it took strength, and it probably took a certain amount of patience. But without a net, no fish. They're not going to jump into the boat of their own free will or be coaxed by testimonies of how great a fisherman you are or by promises that they are deeply loved by the Maker of Fish. You need a net. Our net is the GOSPEL. The gospel of sinful man under God's wrath, God providing a Savior in Jesus Christ, and a response commanded of repent and believe is the net that God sovereignly uses to fish successfully for men. But the gospel must be THROWN out. It must be shared. People need to hear it clearly, correctly, compellingly, and lovingly. My example may whet their appetite, but only the gospel will save. There is NO salvation apart from hearing the gospel. "How shall they believe in Him of whom they have never heard?" Romans 10:14
• PULL. Once the net settled the big fishermen would PULL it back into the boat to see what was for supper or sale. Remember the time when Peter and friends were fishing all night with no catch? Jesus told them to throw the net on the other side of the boat. I imagine there might have been some unbelieving fisherman eyes rolling in response to that command! But they knew enough about Jesus to obey. And, man oh man, or, fish oh fish! Did they get a haul!! Where did the fish come from? Jesus brought the fish!! Friends, when we obey and throw out the gospel to the lost, Jesus WILL call some into the gospel net. There WILL be a catch. There will be men and women, boys and girls who respond. WHO will respond? Those Jesus brings; those HE calls; those who, like Lydia (Acts 16:14) have their hearts opened to pay attention to the good news. And when folks respond, PULL them in. Share with them what it means to be a follower of Jesus and help them get off to a good start.

What is my responsibility? GO, THROW, PULL. It's the only way to be a fisher of men. It's the Jesus way.