With things back to normal, Paul called the disciples together and encouraged them to keep up the good work in Ephesus. Then, saying his good-byes, he left for Macedonia. Traveling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope. Acts 20:1-2 (The Message)
As a creation of God, I somehow instinctively know that it is my purpose to worship and serve Him who created me, but like all humans since the beginning, I rebel and fight it. Rebellion seems somehow to be as innate a human character as doing what I was created to do. Just a day or two ago I viewed a short video on one of my favorite devotional websites, Simple Truths. The video was entitled “Even Eagles Need a PUSH”, written by David McNally. The video asks the question, “Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?”
The video states, “Until we discover our wings, there’s no purpose for our lives.” That line stopped me in my tracks; where have I heard that before? For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind. Isaiah 40:27 But even eagles don’t just wake up one morning and say this is the day I’m going to fly and jump out of the nest (sometimes hundreds or even thousands of feet in the air.) Even they need a push from a loving mother eagle.
Encouragement in the faith: the push. As McNally says: “The PUSH: sometimes we need it, sometimes we give it. It can be the greatest gift you can ever give [or receive.]” This is a good day to get a little pushy and be alert for someone who needs encouragement and even as important, be open and responsive to those who give it to me.
Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Speaking the truth
Monday, January 3, 2011
The answer's simple: Live right, speak the truth, despise exploitation, refuse bribes, reject violence, avoid evil amusements. This is how you raise your standard of living! A safe and stable way to live. A nourishing, satisfying way to live. Isaiah 33:15 (The Message)
I have an odd sense of humor, I’ll admit it. One of my all time favorite cartoons is a Far Side cartoon showing a man looking into the rearview mirror of his car, one that has small print at the bottom which says, “OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.” And all the man can see in the mirror is a very huge eyeball staring at him. That eyeball has, of late, come to symbolize my mortality. Already having outlived the majority of men on my mother’s side of the family going back three generations, I harbor no unrealistic expectations for a long life, but that’s not up to me.
I am constantly reminded of my rapidly diminishing earthly shelf life. Every time I get a little ach or pain, it seems to be more debilitating than the last time I had that same ailment. For me the good thing about being faced more and more with the inevitability of mortality is an increasing sense of frankness. There lies the conundrum, speaking the truth in love and urgency vs being “in yo face” obnoxious with my faith.
One of the problems that I always encounter when talking the truth of my faith is the inevitability of the discussion deteriorating from a personal witness to a political discussion. Those multi-issue discussions usually turn a life changing discussion of faith into a lose, lose, my perspective is more accurate than yours, proposition. One of my goals for this year is to stay out of the arena of political discussions. I really hate to see people ignorant about what is going on in the world and in their own country, but I dislike even more the chance that my “opinions” could result in someone’s turning from the Word because of political or philosophical reasons. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m reassured it will be a much more, “safe and stable way to live.”
Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.
The answer's simple: Live right, speak the truth, despise exploitation, refuse bribes, reject violence, avoid evil amusements. This is how you raise your standard of living! A safe and stable way to live. A nourishing, satisfying way to live. Isaiah 33:15 (The Message)
I have an odd sense of humor, I’ll admit it. One of my all time favorite cartoons is a Far Side cartoon showing a man looking into the rearview mirror of his car, one that has small print at the bottom which says, “OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.” And all the man can see in the mirror is a very huge eyeball staring at him. That eyeball has, of late, come to symbolize my mortality. Already having outlived the majority of men on my mother’s side of the family going back three generations, I harbor no unrealistic expectations for a long life, but that’s not up to me.
I am constantly reminded of my rapidly diminishing earthly shelf life. Every time I get a little ach or pain, it seems to be more debilitating than the last time I had that same ailment. For me the good thing about being faced more and more with the inevitability of mortality is an increasing sense of frankness. There lies the conundrum, speaking the truth in love and urgency vs being “in yo face” obnoxious with my faith.
One of the problems that I always encounter when talking the truth of my faith is the inevitability of the discussion deteriorating from a personal witness to a political discussion. Those multi-issue discussions usually turn a life changing discussion of faith into a lose, lose, my perspective is more accurate than yours, proposition. One of my goals for this year is to stay out of the arena of political discussions. I really hate to see people ignorant about what is going on in the world and in their own country, but I dislike even more the chance that my “opinions” could result in someone’s turning from the Word because of political or philosophical reasons. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m reassured it will be a much more, “safe and stable way to live.”
Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Missing the point after
Sunday, January 2, 2011
I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. 1 Corinthians 9:26 (The Message)
I’m writing this before the kick off of the Colts Titans game ( do or die for both teams), so I have no direct or indirect meaning for my words other than the thought “close enough isn’t good enough.” I’ve seen a lot of games of all types won/lost by just one point. Seems so sad that all the tremendous effort put out in a game can come down to one missed or blocked kick, on free throw or inches that would have made a two pointer a three pointer, a double instead of a triple. But that is the way it works out in sports, every point every goal, every run is critical.
I’ve never been very athletic, I like to tell the story that I think I was the only boy to ever be cut from my elementary school basketball team; all legs no coordination or game perspective. When I ran track and cross country in High School though, I can vividly remember having been passed at the finish line and wondering, could I have given just an extra ounce of effort and prevented that kid from passing? The lesson I’ve learned is that every point, every millisecond counts and once the time to get it is past, that opportunity is gone forever. I have use that moment to its advantage or it’s lost to history.
In life there are so many opportunities to make a extra difference in the final outcome of eternity for myself and for others; giving a little bit more of myself, my resources and my prayers, instead of sitting back and being satisfied with my good effort. Putting my best effort into the race for the finish line (a place in heaven with God), as Paul so eloquently put it, requires my all out effort every day, every moment, not being satisfied with that touch down, but giving my all to get that point after too!
Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.
I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. 1 Corinthians 9:26 (The Message)
I’m writing this before the kick off of the Colts Titans game ( do or die for both teams), so I have no direct or indirect meaning for my words other than the thought “close enough isn’t good enough.” I’ve seen a lot of games of all types won/lost by just one point. Seems so sad that all the tremendous effort put out in a game can come down to one missed or blocked kick, on free throw or inches that would have made a two pointer a three pointer, a double instead of a triple. But that is the way it works out in sports, every point every goal, every run is critical.
I’ve never been very athletic, I like to tell the story that I think I was the only boy to ever be cut from my elementary school basketball team; all legs no coordination or game perspective. When I ran track and cross country in High School though, I can vividly remember having been passed at the finish line and wondering, could I have given just an extra ounce of effort and prevented that kid from passing? The lesson I’ve learned is that every point, every millisecond counts and once the time to get it is past, that opportunity is gone forever. I have use that moment to its advantage or it’s lost to history.
In life there are so many opportunities to make a extra difference in the final outcome of eternity for myself and for others; giving a little bit more of myself, my resources and my prayers, instead of sitting back and being satisfied with my good effort. Putting my best effort into the race for the finish line (a place in heaven with God), as Paul so eloquently put it, requires my all out effort every day, every moment, not being satisfied with that touch down, but giving my all to get that point after too!
Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Starting over
Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Galatians 3:3 (NIV)
Beginning a new year is pretty exciting as I think about it. It can be like hitting the reset button on a video game on which I’ve not scored as well as I’d like to have, while keeping the high score from the previous game. Sure, there is the some lingering sense of frustration or perhaps even failure, but outweighing all that is the excitement of trying to do better; that expectation that this time is really going to be awesome and that somehow, I’m going to make a Kingdom impact.
As I look back at the past year, I recall so many great adventures, wonderful friendships, incredible milestones; it’s difficult to categorize which meant the most. I also see missed opportunities and disappointing outcomes, many of which I can only attribute to my own failure to follow through and finish. Too many times I can see, in retrospect, those uncompleted projects and missions were not completed because I took too much ownership in them instead of making them God sized projects.
Long before there were do-over’s, resets, handicaps, mulligan’s, there was Grace. I thank God everyday for that Amazing Grace which gives me the opportunity to pick up the pieces of my sinful life and broken self and move forward in confidence and expectation of a heavenly reward for faithfulness in Christ Jesus, being lead by the Spirit.
Bless you brothers, live this day (and the rest of the year) in peace, in His Word.
Jerry M. Gill
Beginning a new year is pretty exciting as I think about it. It can be like hitting the reset button on a video game on which I’ve not scored as well as I’d like to have, while keeping the high score from the previous game. Sure, there is the some lingering sense of frustration or perhaps even failure, but outweighing all that is the excitement of trying to do better; that expectation that this time is really going to be awesome and that somehow, I’m going to make a Kingdom impact.
As I look back at the past year, I recall so many great adventures, wonderful friendships, incredible milestones; it’s difficult to categorize which meant the most. I also see missed opportunities and disappointing outcomes, many of which I can only attribute to my own failure to follow through and finish. Too many times I can see, in retrospect, those uncompleted projects and missions were not completed because I took too much ownership in them instead of making them God sized projects.
Long before there were do-over’s, resets, handicaps, mulligan’s, there was Grace. I thank God everyday for that Amazing Grace which gives me the opportunity to pick up the pieces of my sinful life and broken self and move forward in confidence and expectation of a heavenly reward for faithfulness in Christ Jesus, being lead by the Spirit.
Bless you brothers, live this day (and the rest of the year) in peace, in His Word.
Jerry M. Gill
Monday, September 13, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, August 16, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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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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
Click here if you would like to be REMOVED from my email list.
Monday, August 9, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
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.
(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.
Monday, August 2, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, July 19, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, July 16, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, July 2, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
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.
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.
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