Missing pieces

You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything. Colossians 2:10 (The Message)

Years ago the church I attended sponsored an adopt a college student program. We adopted one, then two, then three. Some afternoons after church we’d have five or six college students come over for lunch and to relax and enjoy a touch of home. A favorite activity was putting puzzles together. It was so cool to hear them having a great time talking about their lives and laughing while assembling a puzzle. And when one was finished, it was as if they’d created a masterpiece. A contest, which evolved during the assembling a puzzle, was to be the one to find and place the last puzzle piece. One Sunday a young man, tired of never winning, skewed the odds in his favor by inconspicuously slipping a puzzle piece in his pocket and waiting until the rest of the puzzle was assembled. After the room was turned upside down looking for it he’d pull it out of his pocket. His actions killed the joy of seeing the picture completed.

On Sunday our Senior Pastor was talking about how we are the church of Jesus Christ, perhaps the only church a lot of people will ever see and if we don’t show Jesus to them through our words and actions, they may never experience His presence in their lives. I thought of that group of students putting that puzzle together like so many people today, trying to make sense out of everything happening around them; trying to figure out what the picture of their lives is supposed to look like, most of the time not knowing that something is missing.

And here I am, with that critical Christ piece in my pocket, perhaps causing others great difficulty in making sense of an important section of the puzzle. I’m going to try to make sure that the Christ piece of the puzzle stays on the table. Ultimately no matter how much fun we have figuring out this puzzle, and no matter how nice it looks, without Christ, there’s going to always be a Christ sized hole in the lives of those I come into contact.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Truth or dare

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32

Staying in touch with what is going on today has its disadvantages for me. I tend to get really disquieted about what is going on in the world. It seems sometimes that those in positions of leadership and “knowledge” are playing a game of Truth or Dare with modified rules. I’m told what the “truth” is and then dared to not accept it as the truth. Rather than receiving unbiased facts, and straight forward information, I get admonitions of dire consequences of not accepting the “truth” as stated.

Jesus set the example of demonstrating the truth. With the cast of thousands of prophets and saints who came before telling of who He would be and what He would do. He came quietly to the earth (except for that otherwise unexplained astrological phenomenon, and a not so subtle choir of heavenly hosts. He went about doing what He said he would do, “His Fathers work.” He always told the truth, He proved that he was a man, but didn’t hide the fact that He had powers of the most high. He didn’t have a hidden agenda, it was foretold generations earlier, and He reiterated it constantly. He didn’t ask us to do anything he wouldn’t do himself and He backed up everything he said. His mission was clear and He executed it flawlessly giving selflessly of everything He had (as a man) to validate the truth, to include dying an unimaginable death to “set us free.”

Sometimes it seems that when I seek the truth of anything today I find some who has self credentialed themselves as more savvy than I am in matters of economic, political and social knowledge, getting nose to nose and yelling, Truth, you can’t handle the truth. I guess the real question is and will all ways be, what is the truth of any matter on earth and what relevance does it make to eternal truth? The answer is probably nothing, unless you are one who won’t seek and accept either.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Disconnected

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”. John 15:5

Last Wednesday morning around 5:00 a.m., a lightning strike fried my phone and internet connection. It was just restored Sunday night about 3:00 p.m. Brother, talk about being digitally disconnected.

When I get used to having something, like electricity, internet and such, I sometimes act real silly. I’ve more than once, during a power outage, walked around the house flipping light switches, duh. And when my internet went out, and my internet connection didn’t work, I thought to myself, “I’ll send an e-mail to the carrier telling them…”, duh.

I do the same thing when I allow myself to be distracted by the world and become disconnected from Jesus, usually without even realizing it’s happened. I might be feeling a little down and I’ll think “just put on some peppy music or eat some ice cream that’ll fix it”. I always get the same result as flipping the light switch when the power’s out or trying to go to a different computer when the internet is down, nada. And worse yet it’s like ignoring my best friend who is always there to help with a problem.

Staying connected, as I’ve painfully discovered, isn’t something that I can do once in the morning, like shaving, and forget the rest of the day. It’s a discipline reinforced by queues such as a cross in my pocket or a Bible verse on my key chain. I pray that someday, I’ll be like some of the saints that I’ve known who can’t take a breath without giving thanks for it. For now I’ll just keep working on improving my intermittent connectivity. And the really cool thing is, when I realize something’s missing and I move to restore the connection, He’s always there ready to receive, already knowing what I need.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Enemies

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:43-44

Love my enemies? Hold on a second, I can understand the “pray for those who persecute you” part, but, love my enemies? I’m supposed to love someone who wants me dead, and maybe just because of my belief in Jesus? I guess the only way to even begin to understand that concept is to see it from God’s eternal view, and I find that requires a great deal of faith, sometime more than I can muster on my own.

Dealing with someone I just don’t agree with is easy as Paul’s admonitions on how to treat those who we just don’t like because they don’t “pull their own weight.” Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother 2 Thessalonians 3:15 But for those who truly hate me, my God, and my very way of life, I sometimes feel like David pleading with God to remember His people during the Babylonian exile, How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever? Psalm 74:10 The very survival of Christians, Christianity and nations like the United States founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs for the past two thousand years has been primarily our adherence to the concept in Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Our bonds of Christian unity are critical in times like these.

I sometimes ask myself, as enemies closes in around, how will this end? I think of God’s promise to Moses during the exodus regarding the angel God sent ahead to protect them. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. Exodus 23:22, and I rest confident that there is no enemy more powerful than my God. And finally I consider Peter’s reminder of who the real enemy is to be feared. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:8-9

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Jerry M. Gill

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Life by the spirit

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. Galatians 5:16-17

In discussions with several brothers recently, I heard the painful results of failure to heed Paul’s advice for us to live by the spirit. These men related stories of hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, and factions, all “acts of the sinful nature” enumerated in Galatians 5:20. And yes, these would be bad enough in the workplace, these were in their churches.

I think that sometimes, we who call ourselves by the name of Christ, try to pretend that we are above the fray of secular life and live in bubble of love and extraordinary compassion which protect us from being human. My experience tells me that it is just the opposite. It seems to me that the evil one frolics among and vacations with the godless, but does his most serious work among those who are trying to live his message. His brilliant two pronged strategy is to weaken and divide those who worship him along religious, legalistic lines and then use those divisions to reinforce the view of Christians as bigoted hypocrites who have more questions than solutions.

I don’t think we need to be theologians or biblical scholars to understand that what is needed in our hearts and in our congregations is for us to simply reject this sinful nature and accept Paul’s charge to Timothy to live by the spirit; But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Eating fish and feeding lambs

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." John 21:15

Eating freshly caught fish is something of which I never tire. I think it reminds me of this scripture where Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection while they were fishing in the Sea of Galilee. He is sitting around the fire after a bumper catch, having prepared a meal of fish and bread. It is there that He brings Peter to redemption by asking him to confirm three times (the same number of times Peter denied Jesus) if Peter loved him. Each time Peter confirmed that he in fact did love him, Jesus directed Peter to “Feed my lambs.” Sometimes the problem with feeding lambs is that they tend to wander off and get lost, and they don’t know or care that they are lost. Jesus related many parables of gathering lost sheep.

During our Sunday morning worship around the campfire, on that little island in the middle of Namakan River, Ontario, Canada, Pastor Jim challenged us to consider what factors keep us from relating our faith to our “lost lamb” brothers. For a few moments all that could be heard was the sound of the falls adjacent to our campsite, and then one by one the men began to share their thoughts, fears, and concerns. Some expressed what many including myself have felt, that we fear being intrusive into another’s “business.”

We were reminded of the family we found in the river, capsized, freezing and bewildered. We thought of how they were so far gone they couldn’t even ask for help, and perhaps had no idea how badly they needed it. Our instinct is to separate those who we observe are in grave need of help and those who appear to be ok. The difficulty is in knowing if there’s a need or not. And the reality is the only way to find out is through relationships; getting involved with guys in ways which go beyond surface pleasantries to becoming a trusted friend who can probe and seek wounds for which we have the solution; a relationship with Christ. Eating fish and feeding lambs, two of my favorite things to do.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

God’s time

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalm 24

Blogger Andy Merrick said countering the well known quote from avowed atheist and comedian Woody Allen, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans,” says, it just isn’t biblical. The Bible actually says, Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 There is a caveat to this a couple verses earlier…To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue. Proverbs 16:1 In other words he says, “Go ahead and plan things, but the Lord will be the One who ultimately decides what happens.”

With our delay crossing the border behind us we drove two hours into Canada. Once on the river, we began paddling up the Namakan River and after about an hour we were nearing Hay Rapids. It was then that we saw a capsized canoe with two persons clinging to it as it was being swept along in the swift river current. Several of our men swam out and pulled the battered canoe and its exhausted crew to shore. They were an elderly man and his grandson, in an unresponsive state of hypothermia. When he’d warmed enough to gain his composure, the man informed us that he was in the first of two canoes which were swamped at the beginning of Hay Rapids (a ¼ mile long challenging set of rapids which they’d tried to navigate in lieu of portaging as instructed by their outfitters.) Our team quickly went upstream and located the second canoe and its occupants, two women and a teenaged son, who’d made it to shore with their severely battered canoe. After salvaging some floating contents, patching up their wounds and straightening their canoes, we prayed with the family for their safety and sent them on their way to meet with their outfitters a few miles downstream.

There was no doubt in our minds that this family had pushed the envelope of safety which could have just as easily ended in tragedy. But we were even more strongly convinced that God had placed us when and where we needed to be; in His time. I don’t think any of us looked at our watches quite the same after that experience.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Forgotten but not forgiven

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace… Ephesians 1:7

(This is the first of several truths that were revealed during the Canadian Canoe Trip from which I just returned. Thanks to the insight of our mentor and leader Pastor Jim, these lessons were not lost on us.)

There are computers, databases, grudges and lots of other mechanisms to ensure that there’s a high probability that anything we do or say on this earth, especially things we wish we had not, will be remembered and recalled later to our embarrassment, shame or detriment in some way. When crossing through customs into Canada, a cursory view of Passport and ID takes place, but like any process with a quality control element, there is the sampling process where in a small percentage of vehicles are scrutinized more closely.

One of our brothers in the vehicle chosen for screening had, many years ago, received a vehicle citation which he thought had passed the period of tracking and was completely expunged from history. But, you guessed it, the computers, even in Canada, hadn’t forgotten. That’s the way it is with man. Sometimes even when we forget we still don’t forgive. We hang on to hurt, and betrayal like prized possessions and lock it into our memory with such meticulous digital encryption and password security that Bill Gates would be envious.

Praise be to God that we have the ultimate example of forgiveness and Grace to turn our attitude and tendencies away from just forgetting to truly forgiving. Paul summarized Christ’s teaching when he said, Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13 Not easy, brother don’t I know, but rest with me in Jesus’ promise of salvation, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 We were thrown off our itinerary by an hour, but gained an offsetting insight into Gods plan for our lives and for our trip. It only gets better...

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Refreshed

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

Back from the Men’s Great Adventure now, physically and mentally. There is lots to process from such a short five day outing. I’ll share more about the events and lessons of the “Adventure” as time passes, but today I wanted to share something that has weighed heavily on me since returning.

Our host and guide, a young man named Tom, is in his personal life a shining body of evidence of the redemptive saving power of the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but his life of servant hood oftentimes leaves me speechless. Tom is in every sense of the word a man’s man. He’s a God fearing, but otherwise fearless guy. He built his log cabin lodge style home on a remote patch of land in northern Minnesota on a lake that takes your breath away. He displays a reverence and respect of nature which transcends its beauty. In addition to raising his family, building his home and teaching school he’s helping to salvage the lives of young Native American kids from the drug and alcohol ravaged society into which they find themselves. He helps them learn of the nature in which their ancestors flourished and reacquaints them with their heritage while teaching them of the Creators masterpiece.

And then once a year he takes on a group of “city slickers” from Indiana, anxious to live a real adventure and he doesn’t disappoint. He takes us to areas we’d have never found on our own and to experiences we’ll remember for years. And when we return, we’re refreshed in spirit, in body, and in soul. And as we say our goodbye’s Tom’s eyes reflect the words of the Proverb, he too has been refreshed in seeing our excitement and joy. Thank you Lord for men like Tom, and Lord may I find a way to refresh someone’s spirit today as Tom refreshed mine.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Great adventures

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

The day has finally arrived, today myself and several good friends strike out on our annual Great Adventure. Traveling north into Ontario, Canada this year, we’ll be canoeing, fishing, camping, eating, praying and generally enjoying the counsel of fellow Christian Men.

I’m sometimes asked why make this journey to such a far off wilderness; wouldn’t a trip to a State Park be adequate for some “male bonding” time? The answer might be a little different for each man who goes, but all the answers will share some of the same themes. One is that men need Great Adventures to challenge us physically and emotionally in ways we aren’t challenged in our normal daily lives. It makes us feel “real” as compared to our often times very pampered and indulged existence. We also feel the challenge to go to a place where not many go, to feel that pioneering spirit which resides deep within us. We want to see and feel as John Eldredge put it in his book “Wild at Heart”, “Most of the earth is not safe; but it’s good.” And finally to be in the company of men who want to be real with themselves, with each other, and with God.

Being in the company of other Christian men is an extremely under rated concept today. General fellowship with other believers is needed and proper, but I believe men really need the fellowship of other men to grow in their faith and their manhood. I encourage each man reading this to get away to a Men’s Retreat, Adventure Outing or other men’s event. You’ll be blessed by the experience.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Shortcuts

"Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention. Matthew 7:13 (The Message)

Whether it’s finding a way around that traffic delay or sheer boredom with the daily commute, I sometimes fall for “the shortcut” lure. Even equipped with the best maps, trusty Garman, and my automobile compass, it usually turns out poorly. I find out the alternate route is just as bad as the original route or has delays which would have made staying on the normal course more efficient.

There have been a number of books out lately which have, at least it seems to me, trying to sell me a surefire way to a successful life. Successful, in the book, is usually measured by material possessions, health, and happiness. They tell me if I’ll just belief hard enough and if I think the right way that I will be successful in this life and have everything that I want. While I certainly think that there are right and wrong ways to live and good and bad attitudes toward living it, it just seems to me that this is trying to take a shortcut to God’s will. GOD holds the high center, he sees and sets the world's mess right. He decides what is right for us earthlings, gives people their just deserts. Psalm 9:7 (The Message)

Is there a shortcut to Gods heart? I think so; it is reading, and inasmuch as possible understanding and living by his Word. Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they're bursting with health. Proverbs 4:20 (The Message) Sticking with the tried and proven route will always get me there. Worked well for Moses and Paul, I’m sure it’ll work for me too.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Fearless

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Let me start out by saying as my public confession that I’m a big fat chicken. I have my moments of absolute fearlessness which are usually reactionary to emergency situations. You know the things you do then afterwards ask yourself, “what was I thinking?” The Bible uses fear often as terms meaning honor and reverence of God, Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Deuteronomy 6:13. But there are several instances where God definitely means, people, you’d better be afraid, especially of those who worship him. People in places like Jericho found this out in very real ways.

Aside from some physiological issues with my body which give me a rational fear of fast moving directionally erratic objects which cause my inner ear to freak me out, I must admit that my fear of most things is a direct or indirect fear of dying But the question is who or what I should fear. David poetically and emphatically put it this way, The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1. Then Jesus responded, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” Luke 12:5. Then Paul summarized and drove the point home, Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14,15

To modify Winston Churchill’s famous quote: We’ve nothing to fear but the devil himself. Looks like I’m out of excuses for not doing that cliff jump this week.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Three things to remember

“But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:49

There’s an old joke that there are only three things that a man needs to know; who you are, where you’ve been, and what time it is. The punch line was that when guys arrive home in the wee hours of the morning after spending a late night reveling with friends, that there were three questions their wives will ask; who do you think you are coming in this late?, where have you been all night?, and do you have any idea what time it is? Unfortunately, there are some guys around who never got the point that those questions in that situation would be rhetorical and there would be no acceptable answers.

I’ve always remembered those three questions though. I’ve found that is good for me to continually ask of myself, “who am I?” Especially in regard to who it is God calls me to be. The Bible provides answers, from Genesis to Revelation. Now the question “where have I been” is only relevant as it relates to the general direction I now head from the origin of my journey with Christ, and begs the question, is my path HIS path? And finally, perhaps the most important question, what time is it? Not that it’s 5:00 PM on July 15th, but that I’m potentially a millisecond away from my eternity. I keep reminding myself that I don’t have until next Wednesday to make decisions that will impact my eternity, those must be made now. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Mark 13:32

The questions are still relevant, and the answers are more important than ever, but in some ways just elusive as ever. At least I know where to look. And as long as I remember that it’s not so much about the journey as it is the destination, the answers just keep coming.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

From the ashes

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5

Just a few days ago, on July 4th an accidental fire, which originated on the outside of the building, caused extensive fire damage to the two year old Muncie Mission, the inspiration and dream of founder Rev. Ray Raines. It renewed painful memories for me, as all fire losses do, of the house fire my family survived in 1985. The feeling is hard to describe but it’s like when you’re doing and job and your hand makes unexpected contact with a sharp object or a tool and through the pain all you can think about is getting that glove off and making sure all the digits are there. And finding all members present the pain is so much more tolerable. The most important thing we learned as a family from that experience was fully realizing that the most important things in our lives are our health, our family and our faith.

I’ve been in spiritual winter the past week. A chronic sinus infection that I’ve been battling all summer turned severe and its symptoms caused me to lose focus, concentration, motivation and inspiration. I equated it to having a three beer buzz with a constant headache. It is times like that I find myself clinging to my faith feeling the full impact of Paul’s words, Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 I’m now going through what my EENT Specialist called “blasting” (high dosage of antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines, etc) in preparation for a CT scan of my sinus’s and I’m starting to feel somewhat normal.

Just as our home rose and grew from the ashes to be a loving and fruitful home, and as my spirit has been renewed and refreshed by the onset of healing of my body, I’m just as certain with the help of servants faithful to the calling of Christ through the Muncie Mission, it too will rise to be stronger and more fruitful than before. "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Real freedom

I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts… Psalm 119:45

At this 225th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I pause to consider what real freedom is. God has always intended for man to be free, but we placed ourselves in slavery to sin from the get go. Then 2000 years ago God sent Jesus to free us from our slavery to sin. But even after Jesus freed us, governments rallied to prevent the free expression of worship. Then 225 years ago the United States was born not just for the sake of political freedom, but as President George Washington said in his Farewell Address in 1796, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

John F. Kennedy in his 1962 Independence Day address at Independence Hall said, “The theory of independence is as old as man himself, and it was not invented in this hall. But it was in this hall that the theory became a practice; that the word went out to all, in Thomas Jefferson's phrase, that "the God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time." And today this Nation--conceived in revolution, nurtured in liberty, maturing in independence--has no intention of abdicating its leadership in that worldwide movement for independence to any nation or society committed to systematic human oppression.”

The real freedom I have comes from the same God who gave me life. He never intended for me to be a slave to sin or other men who tell me how, where, or when I can worship, live, or a host of other things. There are those who worship Christ daily in countries which forbid it under penalty of death. I pray for them and that the USA will continue to offer a place of freedom to live and worship; to experience Real freedom.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Wheat and chaff

”His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:12

I occasionally wonder how hard I can push someone toward a life of faith in Christ without alienating them. John the Baptizer painted, in this scripture from Matthew, what I believe to be, a very prophetic image of Jesus’ return. John announced that Jesus was bringing the way and the truth (of God’s Kingdom) to mankind, and made it quite clear that some were going to accept it and some weren’t, and furthermore that those who didn’t would face dire consequences.

Jesus spent a relatively short time here on earth showing and telling his message of redemption and salvation and relaying in every manner understandable to those of the time and now the hope of eternity and the price of rejecting it. And all the while the reality of his message was there, "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.” John 12:47.

The message that I take from all this is that I need to be authentic, be serious, and be bold. The next to last thing I want to do is push someone away from discovering Christ, but the worst thing would be to allow them to die without ever having known about him. One of the most often misquoted sayings of Jesus is, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Luke 12:51 Taken out of context is sounds completely contrary to virtually everything else Jesus ever said, but the true meaning is that no matter how much love I pour into the mission of bringing all to Christ, some of people are destined to be wheat and some chaff. I surely don’t want to be responsible for chaff that could have been wheat.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Bad is bad

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 3 John 1:11

Huey Lewis and the News, perhaps the last secular rock group I “got” sang the song, “Bad is Bad.” I liked it because I’ve never really liked the idea of calling good bad. I don’t know when the terms good and bad started being used interchangeably. I think calling good bad can be confusing, especially to those who have a difficult time telling the difference. Perhaps that is what the Prophet Isaiah had in mind when he said, Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,…Isaiah 5:20.

It seemed as I was growing up the movies always had a good over evil theme. The good guys wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats. Their actions made their character more recognizable than their hat color, and the good was accomplished for “goodness” sake. Somewhere through time the motives slowly changed, the good was accomplished for the benefit of “humankind” and the focus became more on the hero’s abilities not of good conquering evil and the end always justified the means; thus “revenge” movies evolved.

And now it seems that the conquest of evil; an increasingly subjective end state, is accomplished by whom, just a few years ago would have been considered the icons of evil. I’ll stay clear of examples to prevent controversies from distorting my point. I’ve always heard that I will imitate what I put into my mind through reading and viewing; GIGO (garbage in, garbage out.) So when engaging in conversation or seeking entertainment I’m going try harder to let Proverbs 8:13 guide me, He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Giving up

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22

I was talking with a brother recently about another brother who consistently has difficulty synchronizing his heart and his actions. It is as if he’s mired in that Romans 7:15 “do loop” that Paul claimed, I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. I have that problem too, more often than I wish were true.

Some brothers, because of a host of reasons, have greater difficulty fighting the urge to not do what we hate. Whether because of a physical or mental addiction, the reaction to a life of externally caused pain, or the sum total of the entire life crisis which surrounds us, we can get painfully stuck in sinful behavior.

So how long do I put up with this? How many times to I accept the excuses, the denial, and the lies? When is it acceptable to just give up? I remind myself, Jesus didn’t give up, he continued to forgive the sinners even when they hung him on a cross and killed him. Matt Redman’s song, “You Never Let Go” reminds me of Gods enduring faith in me and how I cannot let go of that. It also convicts me to continually share that hope with my brothers. In Luke 18:1 Christ tells a parable to illustrate how I should “pray and not give up.” So I won’t, ever.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Far and near

"Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away? Jeremiah 23:23

My job has taken me on the road for a couple of days. Traveling like that and spending the night alone in a hotel room always throws me out of my routine. Even when my prayers and devotion time is only slightly modified, I seem to lose focus and contact and find myself feeling far from God. I remind myself that when God seems far away the real question is who moved? It wasn’t the unmovable, unshakable God. I’m the one who has strayed. But why?

Upon evaluation of the of my heart and mind, I find that somehow being away from home causes a change in my mental state which changes my relationship with God. I hope that is not uncommon in normal people (I consider myself at least an associate member of that club.) Perhaps not, since dramatic changes in other aspects of my life seem to produce a similar effect. I comforted by the words in Deuteronomy 30:4, Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back.

With all this in mind, I vow to maintain a vigilant watch for any evidence of my heart straying from the presence of God as circumstances or environment change. God says, "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 He’s always here, I just need to do a better job of recognizing Him in a different surrounding.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Now I see

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” Matthew 7:3&5

It seems that I am constantly bombarded with messages about how wretched someone or some group is and how out of touch with a Biblical worldview they are. And most of the time I can understand the position from which the writer or speaker is striking out. I often see that the subject of the criticism is not approaching an issue from what nominally might be considered to be a Christ follower’s perspective.

Yes, I concur there are many people not living Christ focused lives and are leading others, voluntarily or involuntarily, down the same misguided path they are taking. But sometimes I have to slow down and step back when I realize I’m elevating myself through this mental transaction to a position of moral superiority of judging a person and not the outcomes and affects of their actions. This self righteousness enters my thoughts so subtly that I sometimes don’t even recognize it.

It’s so radical to the way the world wants me to think, that sometimes I just don’t know what to do with it, but Jesus did say, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37. It’s so countercultural that I find it almost painful to “love my enemies.” God calls me to arms to do battle with evil, but not to enact revenge, in word or action, on another, that I’m leaving to Him. Mahatma Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye just makes the whole world blind." Today I’m going to keep prying on that stubborn plank.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Something’s missing

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 2 Timothy 2:8

How many times I’ve started on a trip, out of town or just to the office and from the moment I put the garage door down felt that something wasn’t right. Next there’s that fateful stop for coffee and upon reaching for my wallet, oh yes, now I remember what’s missing. Once I even filled my gas tank before realizing my wallet was still where I laid it the night before.

I sometimes do the same thing when I jump into a situation full of self confidence or even sheer panic of uncertainty. There is this question mark which plagues me until I recognize that I haven’t prayed for guidance, strength and discernment, even in what might have been an urgent situation. And when I have the presence of mind to stop, take a breath and talk with God things usually go better, For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. Proverbs 3:26

I pray that today I will not forget to challenge myself, when faced with any difficult situation or decision, to remember Paul’s words as he recalled the suffering that he and others faced when spreading the truth of Jesus, But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, 2 Corinthians 1:9

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Prisoners

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 4:1

Unless things get a lot worse in the good old USA, I don’t suspect any of us will ever have to physically be incarcerated for our faith, like Paul was on many occasions. And it wasn’t for his radical violent actions that he was convicted, just simply believing and professing his belief in Christ Jesus as his risen Lord and Savior. Being chained in a prison cell for my belief in Christ is difficult for me to imagine. But I know that there are many who today are under imprisonment of mind and body, not in cells, who need the same encouragement that Peter gave, For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 1 Peter 2:19.

There are men who are imprisoned by addictions which hold them as tightly as the strongest chains imaginable. There are those with hurt and anger which bind them so tightly that they find it hard to be positive about anything and with anybody. And those with physical afflictions which bring so much physical pain, they would trade sitting in a prison chained to the walls over the pain.

Each day I strive to make my life worthy of the blessing of health, peace and happiness that are mine, but more importantly I pray that my life displays a gratitude for the grace I receive through Christ even though I am unworthy. And most importantly, I pray for those who are imprisoned by fear, pain, hurt, anger, or addiction as if I were there with them, Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Peripheral living

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11

I went to a movie theater a while back. Before the show started, a very nice young man walked to the front of the theater and a voice exuding the confidence of his full 16 years of age announced, “Let me have your attention please.” I felt a sense of presence from him that I hadn’t felt from the messages flashing on the giant screen in front of me. I actually stopped cramming popcorn into my face to listen. Not everyone in the theater was so captured and there was still a hum of voices which almost distracted me from the warning of dire consequences should I fail to mute my cell phone.

It reminded me of how difficult it is to remain undivided in the world today. There are so many choices, so many options, and so many decisions. As an undiagnosed ADD child, focus and concentration are two things I constantly struggle to maintain. Too often my focus has been on the wrong things; career and leisure, and even obsessive attention to family and church. All these things are important, but aren’t what God wants. He wants from me my undivided heart and mind so that I can hear and see his truth. Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

It has taken me a while but I finally realize that my focus must be on the center of the throne of God, “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:17 The rest of my life is guided by the Spirit and the Word, but essentially peripheral.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Surrender

I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. Psalm 44:6-7

Sometimes the fight is just overwhelming. It might be a disgruntled coworker whose undaunted negativity eventfully, regardless of my efforts to counteract it, brings everyone down. Then there’s the family situation which is just out of my grasp to bring to a joyful conclusion. After a time all my weapons of words and actions are ineffective and I just want to lay down arms and admit defeat. The problem is that sometimes I wait too long to surrender.

Sometimes I act like King Zedekiah when he refused listen to the Prophet Jeremiah who passed along instructions from God. Zedekiah was to surrender himself to the king of Babylon, but instead his fear and a lack of trust in God kept him from taking the right path and things didn’t turn out so well [Jeremiah 38:21.] That path of surrendering everything to the will of the Lord all too often runs counter to my “I got this, I can handle it” attitude.

I’m learning that the sooner I yield my will, my fears, and my anxiety to God the sooner situations seem to resolve themselves. I still have difficulty accepting that because things don’t usually turn out like I think they should, that it may be what God wants. One of the most difficult things for me to do is give up, and I’m still not likely to lay down my sword at the first flash of battle, but I am trying to always rely on Gods promise that as long as I am acting honorably, not out of self interest, he’s got my back. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. 1 Peter 3:12

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Wet Hornets

Complain if you must, but don't lash out. Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking. Build your case before God and wait for his verdict. Psalm 4:4

I once lived in a home with a swimming pool and next to it was a tree in which every summer bald face hornets would construct one of their most interesting paper mache nests. Initially they built them in the top of the tree and were nearly invisible, but each year the nests were lower and closer to the pool. I refused to do anything about them until the one year the nest was at chest level built over the pool deck. The nest got splashed and the hornets began to swarm which brought light to my mother’s saying, “madder than a wet hornet.”

Aristotle said, “Anyone can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person at the right time, and for the right purpose and in the right way - that is not within everyone's power and that is not easy.” How true that is; “but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. James 3:8-9

As I reflect on the things which have caused me to be angry, the worst of them was pride. Pride only breeds quarrels, Proverbs 13:10 Someone once said when you’re angry count to ten and if that doesn’t work repeat. I find it helpful as Pastor William Arthur Ward put it; “…to direct your anger towards problems -- not people; to focus your energies on answers -- not excuses.” But ultimately I must remember this. for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:20

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Disclaimer

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

A small publishing company in Virginia recently reprinted copies of some of Americas founding documents: the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, etc. The publisher posted a disclaimer in the front of the books that says in part, “This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today.” Probably true in light of the number of Americans, even Christians, who have been pushed in to the Political Correctness corner and accepted the premise that, a least historically speaking, this is not a Christian Nation. That the Christian founding’s of the USA by its Christian founders are against the desires summarized in the founding documents by those same founders appears to me to be prima fascia counter intuitive.

I thought of how sad it would be if there came a time when a disclaimer would be printed in the front of the Holy Bible. As I think about it more, that is exactly what is happening to Christianity today. Christians are often labeled as fanatical and intolerant. John Gibson elaborates in his book, “The War on Christmas” how Christmas is being not just disclaimed, but outright banned in many segments of our secular society today.

These are difficult times to be bold for Christ, but remember what he said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

Here's my disclaimer is, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ, doing my best to imitate his love and compassion for the world as I progress to my destination, my Father’s house. I’m just a human so don’t tailgate as I’m prone to swerving, sudden acceleration and irrational braking.”

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Re-gifting

If you start thinking to yourselves, "I did all this. And all by myself. I'm rich. It's all mine!"—well, think again. Remember that GOD, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18

A practice which, has probably gone on for years unacknowledged has a name today; re-gifting. It’s when I take a gift given to me and give it to someone who I think needs it more. Yes, and sometimes because I just don’t like, want, or need it.

I heard a story recently of Indy Colt’s wide receiver Reggie Wayne’s ex-girlfriend’s stealing his credit card and charging over $90,000. She used the money to buy things and pay bills for her friends and family. The worst part of the whole story, in my opinion, was her explanation for doing it. She said, “I just like doing things for people.”

I thought to myself, “the ludicrousness of that notion.” How could someone say “they” were gifting another when they were doing it with someone else’s wealth? But after thinking about this a little more it occurred to me that what I give away is actually re-gifting what God has enabled me to have.

I thought, “but if someone takes from me, even if to give it away, it’s theft.” Then I received the conviction from God that if I accept a gift from him and give it away without acknowledging its origin, I’m doing the same thing as the ex-girlfriend. I have God’s blessing to acquire wealth, but I also have the responsibility to be thankful. “in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:6 and to re-gift what he’s provided "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Luke 3:11

How amazing it would be if everyone considered all their wealth a gift from God to be shared, like in Acts 4:32. I suffer no delusion that the devil will allow that to become a reality. Until then I’ll just continue to praise God for the strength he’s given me to produce wealth and re-gift as much of it as possible.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

The bold and the blusterer

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” 2 Corinthians 11:30

There are, in my way of thinking, two kinds of weaknesses. There is the powerless weakness and the voluntary weakness. I think one of the most difficult challenges in reading the bible, as it talks about weakness, is to understand differences. Otherwise, and some try to do this, one might assume that we are told to be wimps. God is a warrior (Exodus 15:3) and we are made in his image (Genesis 1:27.) Christ instructed us to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), but we’re also instructed to be prepared to fight for our faith (Luke 22:36-37.) The difficulty is differentiating between the causes: ourselves (the former) and others, especially the weak (the latter.)

I evaluate those who wield power, including myself when applicable, based on how they treat the weak; Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. Psalm 41 And I operate with the knowledge that we all have our weaknesses, especially of the flesh (Matthew 26:41) My barometer of my own weakness is whether I allow sin to overpower Christ’s desire for his will for me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

I pray that I will, this day and always, be bold for Christ and not for myself. That I as a man can be a warrior and a bold advocate of the weak knowing God is by my side, But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; Jeremiah 20:11

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Out of the frying pan

"But look!" he said. "I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!" Daniel 3:25 (The Message)

What a rollercoaster ride it was for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah a.k.a. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Taken captive from Jerusalem when God delivered Judah into the hands of Babylon in about the year 605 B.C., they were given important positions in Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Daniel 1). But when they refused to worship the gold statue god of Nebuchadnezzar’s, they were thrown into a blazing hot furnace.

I have never had my physical life in peril for believing in Christ, unlike millions of Christians around the world will today. But as for my soul; that is a different matter. Every day is a battle with temptation and to follow in Christ’s path. I’ve often figuratively had my “feet held to the fire”, but never has my life been in jeopardy. Standing firm in my faith and beliefs is not comfortable or easy sometimes but it’s necessary to avoid the eternal fire. “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” John 15:6

I pray that if it ever comes to putting Christ ahead of my physical body, I’ll have the strength of conviction and belief to say as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said: ”If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it,…. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:17-18

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Just a moment, please

"…’Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20

OK, I’ll admit that I have a certain level of impatience and intolerance for delayed gratification. It’s not a unique trait of mine, but I’ve noticed in me how that seeking of self gratification has translated into intolerance for delayed justice. I can relate to King David’s plea in Psalm 94, “Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.”

The reality check that the Bible gives me is that some people will never get what they deserve here on earth; good or bad. In fact many will get what they don’t deserve for following Christ. “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Revelation 13:9-10

One of the most dreaded four word phrases to me is: “Just a moment, please.” Whether I’m on the phone with a help desk or in line at the bank it implies something else must happen before my expectations are fulfilled. I constantly get reminded as I read the scriptures, ‘just a moment, please’; “Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD "for the day I will stand up to testify.” Zephaniah 3:8

The most poignant message I’ve received comes from Luke 12:35 (The Message.) "Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks.” So there you have it, God’s challenge; “keep your shirt on, I’m coming.”

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Gear up

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

I made a relatively harmless and completely honest mistake yesterday. It was in an instant where I was so focused on what was next on my agenda that I didn’t properly finish the project on which I was working. I didn’t realize it for several hours when it was too late to correct the error. That caused the rest of my day to be “ate up” with frustration, self ridicule, and worry. I totally took my eye off the “prize “and got bogged down in a knot in the wood; so much for yesterdays laser focus. It seemed the harder I tried to let it go, the more the incident permeated my thoughts, words and actions.

I knew that the Evil One was working in all of my angst, but was too consumed with my thoughts to remember how to fight it properly. I think I spent the rest of the day swinging at the air and flailing about trying unsuccessfully to fight him. I find it totally amazing that I can be so aware of Jesus’ watchful care for me always to the end (Matthew 28:20) and yet in a time of stress I can forget the battle resources I have available.

I suppose it’s like anything it comes with practice; remembering to put on the ‘Armor of God’ every day. If I’m going to be in battle every day it makes sense that I need to be armed and ready with the “belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:14-17) Now that I remember my military days, after wearing a kevlar helmet for a few days, I would sometimes forget I was wearing it. And when I’d take it off, it felt like it was still on my head, a reminder to put it back on. Hmmm…I wonder if…

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Laser guided

"I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” Acts 2:25-28

There is just something about working with tools that is attractive to guys. I came across a humorous list of tool descriptions which is a good summation of my relationship with them at times. SKIL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short. PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters. But the one I liked the best was this one: HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

I thought how true this has been of a lot of my life. I’ve spent so much of it trying to “hacksaw” my way through, using my own “human energy” to influence my relationships with others, my career, my understanding of myself, too often asking God “why?” rather than “how?”

Last Saturday I was helping my son with a project and as we were putting tools away, I spotted his new laser guided skil saw. Cool! That’s what I want my life to be like. Instead of trying to focus on a thin line (which I inevitably veer from especially when I encounter varying resistance), I use the laser to guide me to the end of the cut. Christ as my laser; focused on the end. Or as Paul said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14. Laser guided!

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

The yellow line

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

As I was driving to work yesterday I came to a bend in the road, a narrow curbed stretch of road which I have navigated hundreds of times. When I go through the curve with no other cars around barely notice the curve, but when there is another car coming toward me, there is an instant when I wonder will they stay on “their side.”

That double yellow line placed there by city ordinance represents the law; you stay on your side, I’ll stay on my side. It is not much of a safety barrier. I think sometimes drivers cross it just because they can. There is nothing overly intimidating about that line. Yellow lines are like laws, they don’t stop misbehavior, and in fact sometime laws themselves encourage defiance of the law.

We can’t fully rely on any law for our security. The only real protection we have against harmful acts of each other is a mutual love for and respect of one another. Without those optional acts of “grace” all the laws in the world aren’t going to protect us, they are just good ideas in words, paper and paint. This mirrors the observations of Paul as he differentiated the Laws of Moses, Gods prohibition against sinful behavior and God’s new covenant, Grace given in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as the ultimate protection from the wages of sin , death (Romans 6:23.) That is protection which lasts for an eternity.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Who cares?

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16

I believe in my life that my greatest obstacle in becoming all that God intends me to be has been apathy. Apathy that starts as a simple, “why should I care, that doesn’t involve me” then morphs into and justifies itself by “my resources of time, money and talent are too limited for me to have any kind of meaningful impact anyway,” and finally falls into the pit of, “I might just as well just watch some TV and take my mind off of it.”

The first hurdle of overcoming my own apathy has been simply to be thankful for my own blessings of health, wealth and abilities. The times in my life when I am the most complacent about my blessings are the times I am the most apathetic toward others. “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.” Hosea 13:6

The next hurdle was of focus. I get bombarded with so many opportunities to make a difference, that I can become numb, frustrated, and desensitized. I must keep reminding myself that I can’t do it all, but I must do something. The hard part is to prioritize the needs of the world against God’s will for me. My diviner is prayer. ”I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 17:6.

And finally, my goal is to just do it! I committed to God that I’m going to do it and all that remains is to act. Whether it’s writing a check, helping a friend, or something more complicated, “Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37

Who cares? God does, and so, therefore, do I as well.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Bring it on

"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. Matthew 5:39 (The Message)

I ran across a story I received from a friend a few years ago called the Law of the garbage truck. The story reminds us that in many people’s lives (sometimes including our own) there is anger, frustration, and disappointment. We fill up like a garbage truck until we can’t hold anymore. And then something happens and we “dump our junk” as my wife puts it. It may happen at an intersection or in a parking lot from a total stranger, or at work or home from those we know and love.

When the garbage truck dumps on us, we can choose to respond in one of two ways; in-kind, dumping our own garbage on someone, or we can respond in grace, forgiveness and love. Paul emphasized the desired outcome this way, “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12. The story concludes with the Irving Berlin quote: "Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it." Don’t let the garbage truck hijack even a moment of your day stealing the joy that God intended for there to be in it.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

The real deal

They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor." John 9:24

Pretender. Fraud. Phony. Charlatan. Poser. Impostor. Those titles bring strike fear in the heart of any man who is trying to be someone or something he’s not. The thought of being seen as who we really are is frightening to a lot of us in one way or another. Some of us hide from our emotions, some from our addictions, others still from ourselves, but ultimately from the man God intended us to be.

In the movie, “Flywheel” the main character, Jay Austin, was a fraud, a swindler; at home and in his business; a complete imposter. But his life spun out of control, and through the help of other Godly men he opened his heart to Jesus and humbled himself. I think it all comes down to the moment in time that we accept humility and acknowledge our ‘secondplacedness’ to each other and especially to our Creator. “…All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5. In the end of the movie, Jay Austin, made full restitution for his errant ways, and those he’d wronged acknowledged his good character.

Jesus came to earth knowing ‘who he was and whose he was’ so whiny charges of imposter didn’t faze him. When others speak of a man’s authenticity, like the blind man Jesus healed, “He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind… I now see." John 9:25, then there’s a real good chance that he is the real deal.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Remembering

Monday, May 31, 2010

“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.” Deuteronomy 32:7
The Lord had already made known to Moses that he and many of those he was addressing with the “Song of Moses” would not see the Promised Land. He challenged those of future generations to ‘remember’ not for the sake of history, so as not to go down the same wrong paths, but rather to remember the faith of those who lead them to where they are today. And to remember the faithfulness of the God who never give up being faithful to us.

I have on my bookshelf in front of me the airman wings of Sgt. James Baker, my uncle who died October 1943 in a training flight in California. He, like all Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen who’ve ever served, did so for the purpose of keeping us “free” and safe in our homeland. They sacrificed so that we would be free to worship as we please, a rarity especially in the world of today.

This is the day that we’ve set aside to honor those men and women who sacrificed their tomorrows so that we can have our today’s. I believe their example of selflessness stands to be cherished, admired and honored. And for those who did so leaning heavily on the cross of Jesus as their hope, the fulfillment of his command to put others welfare ahead of our own magnifies the honor that I have for them. “For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:40.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Faith alone

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews11:1

It seems to me that “faith” as a word gets misused a lot. It seems to get substituted for words like beliefs, works, and religion. Sometimes I cringe to hear such a powerful word being watered down.

Faith stands by itself as supreme acceptance by man of Gods undeniable sovereignty over our lives. We cannot work hard enough or be good enough to find God’s favor, only through Christ’s death and resurrection. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Some try to substitute reason, which exists to deny faith. Those who employ reason over faith are still sitting under the ‘tree’ devouring the forbidden fruit of the glory of themselves and the power of their self awareness over the one who created them. Then at the opposite end of the spectrum there is religion. “Religion exists to control faith; faith exists to keep religion in check. Religion is mans interpretation of God’s will, faith is its acceptance.” (biblestudymanuals.net)

On this Memorial Day, it seems fitting to honor those who took with them into death a faith which upheld them in life. If we think about all of the ‘faithful’ listed in Hebrews 11, we noted that all didn’t necessarily go well for them in life. “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Hebrews11:39-40; this to remind us that our final redemption is not of this world, but the next.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Fear the Lord

“Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.” Psalm 33:8

I did a brief curiosity look at a show called “Fear Factor” a couple of years ago. It appeared that the whole idea of the show was to see how close the producers of the program could take the participants to experiencing cardiac arrest. Is that what people want; to be scared? Unless they’re being tempted by a lot of money, probably not. I believe most people want to trust that someone is watching out for them. That probably the only way most people could stand to watch it, trusting that the producers were watching out for the safety of the participants.

There have been several times in my life that I’ve been truly afraid. Usually it was due to some bonehead blunder of my own doing. But, but in a couple situations, circumstances far beyond my control brought calamity and potential disaster, and I did fear the consequences of what God might potentially bring into my life. I knew that he is in control and that whatever happens will be as he wills it. My real fear was that it might not be the outcome that I wanted.

Some times when we know that there is nothing more that we can do, all we can do is pray for strength and trust, with faith like David riding into battle saying, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7.

So if I see someone today who needs encouragement, I’ll try to remember that the basis of my fear of God is in his awesome power and irrevocable plan for his creation. Then I pray I’ll do my best to put “the fear of God [Trust in God]” in them, too.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Focus

“Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:27

Yesterday’s story made me think about an interesting human trait that we all have, that is how we gravitate towards what we think about the most. I participated in a sales training seminar years ago, and I heard an illustration of this. Try it the next time you are riding your bicycle or even walking. If there is an obstruction in your path, focus on the obstruction, not the path. Be careful! In most cases unless you are using a lot of concentration to avoid the obstacle, you will go straight for it. It’s just the way we’re wired.

Paul lamented “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” Romans 7:19. It seems that we are surrounded by so much negativity and evil, it is hard not to focus on it, and therefor be drawn toward it. “He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.” Proverbs 11:27. Whether in thought, word or deed we sometimes just can’t help ourselves if we allow ourselves to be drawn in to the evil that surrounds us in TV, movies, media, or conversations.

Job provided the best answer for me when he said, “…The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." Job 28:28. And wisdom, he says, “cannot be found in the land of the living.” Job 28:13. Wisdom can only be found in the Spirit of God, which resides in his Word. So, I’ll just keep reading my Bible, not to be shackled by rules and guilt, but as Peter instructed, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” 1 Peter 2:16

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Kicking the tree

“for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:20

I was about 9 years old, bicycling down the gravel driveway of my rural Madison County home, the most enjoyable childhood summer activity that I remember. Suddenly, my front tire struck a large rock in the driveway. I lost control of my bicycle and glanced off a large oak tree and was knocked to the ground. Jumping to my feet and with all the energy I had, I kicked that tree. Seems I’ve spent a lot of my life kicking trees.

According to William R Fraser, DO, Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, in the US, 16 million people are treated annually in emergency rooms for hand injuries. Most are reactions to stressful situations of which an angry person is often not even aware. There is a lot of truth to what Nurse Elizabeth Kenney said, “He who angers you conquers you." Solomon said, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” Proverbs 29:11. Ouch, that hurts!

Of course, being angry is not in and of itself bad; Jesus gave us several illustrations of “righteous anger”, demonstrating that there are right and wrong reasons to be angry as well as appropriate ways to demonstrate that anger. What I try to ask myself when I start to get angry is my anger sinful? King David said, “In your anger do not sin…” Psalm 4:4. Paul challenges us even more broadly to, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32. It’s going to take a real man to do that, I pray I’m up to the task today.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

The right path

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11

Boy Scouts still learn a very important subject, Orienteering. It teaches Scouts how to navigate using a map and compass. Using a compass is almost a lost art with the proliferation of Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, even built into watches now. My life training, whether military exercises, scout outings or family vacations, has convinced me that there will always be a need to know: Where I am? Where I’m going? And, what is the best way to get there?

Our culture addresses men’s lives with a lot emphasis on where we are (or where we aren’t) and shows us the quick and easy path to get somewhere else. There isn’t a lot of emphasis on helping guys determine where it is we really want or need to go. Robert Lewis’s, “The Great Adventure”, a part of his “Men’s Fraternity” men’s study series, helps men focus on that ‘where am I going’ question. I realized, after participating in the study, that I needed to examine that question at a much deeper level than the desired end state of my retirement fund or the contents of my ‘Will.’

Once I had a firm fix on my final goal of spending eternity with my Father in heaven, I put together a list of bench marks for my remaining years, and the focus of my direction became much clearer. The walk I take, even with Christ can get tricky too, but Jesus provided a very clear illustration, the parable of the sower, to help me understand what I’m facing. Read the account in Luke 8:4-15. Then, “Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Proverbs 23:19 It’s my choice, and yours guys, to choose the right path, or navigate to it.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Life worth living, life worth giving

“Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don't hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night.” Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 (The Message)

Two things that I’ve noticed as I’ve grown older; first, my desire for earthly stuff has not diminished; I still have visions of owning a big boat. Secondly, my desires are much easier to set aside to satisfy the overwhelming basic needs of others. God wants goodness for my life, but he doesn’t want me focused on “things” in my life. He wants me focused on Him.

I recently read a devotional, the “Thought for the Day” on the National Coalition of Men’s Ministries Website, entitled Spoiled Child. It essentially said that I am spoiled by my possessions if I have an attitude of ungratefulness for them. It seems that the more grateful I am for the blessings in my life, the more I want to help others experience fulfillment in their lives. Jesus reminded his disciples “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want…” Mark 14:7 He reminds us here that our real act of sacrifice is in worshiping and serving Him, and that serving the poor is something we can and should always do. Then, also as we serve the poor we serve honor Jesus’ desire for our lives to “Love one another.”

God has been very good to me in so many ways. That is not to be construed as boldness as I know at any moment I could face a “Job” reckoning. But I default to wise Solomon’s suggestion: “Be generous to the poor – you’ll never go hungry; shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.” Proverbs 28:27 Solomon always had a way of getting right to the point didn’t he?

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.

Peace of mind

“Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.” Psalm 119:27

Some situations in life require action, some contemplation. There are situations where quick thinking and immediate action are crucial to saving lives or to quickly resolve problems. In these situations, success is usually a result of anticipation, training, and experience; soldiers and paramedics will agree. As some of us have experienced, ingenuity and creativity can play a big part of success as well, I call it the “MacGyver syndrome.”

During the times when immediate action isn’t required, however, consider contemplation. For me the best technique for finding solutions to stressful situations is meditation. Meditation sounds scary to some men. I was once told if you know how to worry, you know how to meditate. When I worry, I take a problem and dwell on it ad nauseam, imagining every negative aspect that caused and could result from it.

When I meditate, I take the problem and hand it to Jesus, and ask him to, “hang on to this a minute.” Then I open my bible and pick a scripture, Psalms are great; Psalm 23 is my favorite. I read or recite the verse over and over until its words settle over my mind and heart. Then I ask myself what God is saying to me with regard to my current situation. Sometimes He tells me “there’s nothing you can do about this, just let me hold on to the ‘problem’ a while longer.” Sometimes He gives me insight to deal with the situation.

Jesus wants us to live at peace with each other and especially with ourselves, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.