Daring To Dream

“All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of day are dangerous men, that they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.” –T. E. Lawrence 

In looking around, I can't help but believe that our world needs daydreamers who not only dare to dream, but dare to dream dangerously.  The table of history is seasoned with men and women who have dared to dream of a world better than this.  Men and woman who have been emboldened by their visions to live life defiantly in the face of the status quo and have courage enough to ask an Almighty God to change His creation through them.  Adding much needed and exquisite God-flavor to their surroundings, they have brought vivid color to a world of dull and dingy black and white and stirred the imaginations of those audacious enough to follow in their footsteps– encouraging those who come afterwards to take a hold of hope and visualize a world better than the one we live in.  I’m inspired by each of them.  I want to dare to dream dangerously. 

Dreamers, from Walt Disney to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., from Rev. Billy Graham to Mother Teresa, have quite literally changed the world by envisioning a state of affairs better than before.  The impression they have left on countless millions–their global emotional and spiritual footprint, if you will–is immeasurable.  Yet each of them set out not to stroll onto the stage of international superstardom or sainthood, but simply to right what they perceived to be a wrong in the world in which they lived.  We need today such men and women who have not just familiar vision and foresight but that possess a courage, conviction, and passion to engage the injustices of our present society.

This generation longs for a sense of belonging; it values authenticity, transparency and humility; it emphasizes praxis over dogma, it values deeds over creeds; it admires kingdom thinkers rather than empire builders; it finds meaning in the uncertain valleys of ambiguity, paradox, metaphor, mystery, and artistic creativity; it expects and even demands meaningful engagement with those who strive to lead them; it views the Bible as the story of God’s redemptive purpose rather than the repository of propositional truth.  That’s this generation.  And it’s waiting for you to lead.  It's waiting for you to dream. 

I’ve committed myself to daring to dream dangerously.  I am convinced that as I do so, not only will my life change, but the lives of those around me will as well. As I influence the relationships in the arena of my existence, I am convinced that we can collectively change the world.  I might be crazy.  I might be idealistic.  I might be a radical.  I might even be a bit of a biblical heretic.  But I’m daring to dream dangerously. 

I dream that God can and will move in, through, and around us.  I dream that He can and will reform His Church.  I dream that He can and will redeem all of creation unto Himself.  I dream of Heaven on earth.   I dream that a community of wayward followers can and will usher in the Kingdom of God by running hard after Jesus Christ.  I dream of a day when those who claim to follow Him are defined, not by their religious codes and creeds, but by their conduct and love one for each other.  I dream of a day when the chief purpose of our being is to meet the needs of those around us, thus honoring the One who created life.  I dream of a day when the Church has been restored to comfortably and confidently fulfill her role as the Bride of Jesus Christ.  I dream of Christ followers living in a supernatural, divine unity that transcends our human understanding and tendency toward division, that we would be one just as the Father and the Son are One–that in this unity we might be found complete and made whole as Jesus prayed in John 17.  I dream that we may live out the principles of Kingdom Living found in Jesus’ sermon on the mount and in the end of Acts chapter 2.   I dream that this will happen in my world and in my day!

In this generation.  I dream that we can and will live out the abundant life Christ has in store for us–to love God and love others above all else, and that in every decision we make and every action we take; in every conversation we have, this divine love would shine forth.  I dream that we can and will fulfill our calling to bring hope to the afflicted; to mend the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom to the captives and liberty to those who are held in chains; to comfort those who are mourning; to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked; to be a beacon of hope and light in a world afflicted with darkness and despair. 

In the words of a man who dared to dream dangerously, 

“We are not here for ourselves alone, but as necessary fragments of divine love, working together to rebuild lives and communities.  I am convinced that we are here to do something, to extend ourselves for the Kingdom.” –J. Andrew Cole, RISE Founder 

"Heaven on Earth?" you ask.  You must think I’m idealistic, radical, crazy, a dreamer.  I consider myself all of those things.  To borrow a few words from a well-known book entitled, The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne:   

I used to think that those of us who hope for things we cannot see and who believe that the world can be different than it is were the crazy ones.  We are usually called that by people who spend their lives trying to convince everyone that the crazy things they do actually make sense.  Now more and more people are starting to imagine that maybe another world is possible and necessary and actually quite imaginable.  I’m starting to wonder if, actually, we have gone sane in a mad world.  In a world of smart bombs and military intelligence, we need more fools, holy fools who insist that the folly of the cross is wiser than any human power.  And the world may call us crazy.

The good humored teacher and street-corner prophet Peter Maurin, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, put it this way: “If we are crazy, then it is because we refuse to be crazy in the same way that the world has gone crazy.”  What’s crazy is a matter of perspective.  After all, what’s crazier: one person owning the same amount of money as the combined economies of twenty-three countries, or suggesting that if we shared, there would be enough for everyone?  What is crazier: spending billions of dollars on a defense shield, or suggesting that we share our billions of dollars so that we don’t need a defense shield?  What is crazier: maintaining arms contracts with 154 countries while asking the world to disarm its weapons of mass destruction, or suggesting that we lead the world in disarmament by refusing to deal weapons with over half of the world and by emptying the world’s largest stockpile here at home?  What’s crazy is that the US, less than 6 percent of the world’s population, consumes nearly half of the world’s resources, and that the average American consumes as much as 520 Ethiopians do, while obesity is declared a “national health crisis.”  Someday war and poverty will be crazy, and we will wonder how the world allowed such things to exist.  Some of us have just caught a glimpse of the beauty of the promised land, and it is so dazzling that our eyes are forever fixed on it, never to look back at the ways of the old empire again.

It seems to me that God could surround us with elders as we bring new energy into an aging body, but it will take tremendous courage from old folks to dream new dreams and allow a new generation to make their own mistakes.  And it will take great humility from the new generation of the church to listen to the wisdom of our elders and know that we can learn from others’ mistakes.

If you have the gift of frustration and the deep sense that the world is a mess, thank God for that; not everyone has that gift of vision.  It also means that you have a responsibility to lead us in new ways.  Recognizing that something is wrong is the first step toward changing the world.  So for those amongst us who have nearly given up on the church, may we take comfort in the words of St. Augustine: “The Church is a whore, but she’s my mother.”

Maybe we are a little crazy.  After all, we believe in things we don’t see.  The Scriptures say that faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1).  We believe poverty can end even though it is all around us.  We believe in peace even though we hear only rumors of wars.  And since we are people of expectation, we are so convinced that another world is coming that we start living as if it were already here.  As prominent evangelical activist Jim Wallis says, “We believe despite the evidence…and watch the evidence change.”  So may we begin living as if poverty was over, and we will see it come to pass.  May we begin beating our swords into plowshares now, and the kingdom will begin to be not simply something we hope for when we die but something we see on earth as it is in heaven, the kingdom that is among us and within us.

I pray that we will have the integrity of the early church, which, in the same breath that it denounced their empire in Rome, was able to invite people into little communities scattered throughout the empire…may we spend our lives making the Jesus way of life accessible to people.  The world is thirsty.  All creation is groaning.  Christianity as it is has not satisfied the souls of those who hunger for another way of life.

One friend was asked by a skeptic, “You are all just a little group of radical idealists.  What makes you actually think you can change the world?”  And she said, “Sir, if you will take a closer look at history you will see…that’s the only way it has ever been done.”

Our world needs daydreamers daring to dream dangerously.  And it’s waiting for YOU to dream

Be Blessed!

Dirty

I’m totally convinced that God wants us to get dirty.  We often fool ourselves into believing the sanitized lie that we’re all cleaned up.  We posture and present ourselves to have it all together, when in reality we are chasing after a false definition of life – or desperately avoiding a false definition of death.  This pursuit of a false identity defines us and hinders our ability to grow. ‘Getting all cleaned up’ is really just a mask.  We’re play-acting. hiding. faking. running.  It’s hard to partner with God in the tilling of the soil of our hearts.  Our hands get dirty. And I’m convinced that God wants it that way.  

God is actively priming us for what it is He has in store for our lives.  For chapters not yet written. With a sense of anticipation, he is preparing us to take us into new territories – as his ambassadors – to fashion us for what he has planned.

But we’ve got to get dirty first.  Envision the process of tilling the soil.  Think about it.  Picture it in your mind’s eye. Cultivating the ground, breaking through the hard surface and digging up the dirt with your hands, churning the cool of earth still unexposed to the warmth and light of the sun.  Insects creep back into the darkness. Worms writhe in unanticipated disruption.  Our hands get dirty. Relationships get messy. Our idols begin to fall along with all of our defenses.  We find out just how messy we really are when we dig deep beneath the surface. The chaos of our core fears rages like an earthquake, exposing our insecurities and frailty. deep wounds are uncovered and brought into clear view. We become truly self aware, and we don’t often like what we see.

In the midst of the death of our false identities and the mourning of our shattered dreams, there is hope. Hope that there is something greater, something better.  We begin to see the promise of new life, the healing of past hurts, and freedom from current fears.  We gain the assurance that in the unearthing of the ugliness, something beautiful will take root, grow and blossom.

But…only if you till the soil…only if you get dirty.

So, what are you waiting for?

Grab a shovel, my friend, and let's start digging! 

Be Blessed!

Ambassadors of Reconciliation

Our current, traditional, ‘orthodox’ understanding of the overarching narrative of the scriptures (in most evangelical churches) is the gospel, and this ‘gospel’ is summed up in many circles by the simple ‘Romans Road’ tool used in evangelism (often called the ‘Romans Road to Salvation’):  all have sinned [Romans 3:23]; the wages of sin is death [Romans 6:23a]; but the free gift of God is eternal life [Romans 6:23b]; Christ died for us [Romans 5:8]; and all who call on the name of the lord Jesus Christ will be saved [Romans 10:9,10,13].  (some even add a few more verses about being at peace with God and having no condemnation now that we’re found in Christ [Romans 5:1; 8:1; 8:38-39]).  We call this the gospel.  The good news.  The Point.

One prominent evangelical leader has said, “the only reason Jesus came was to save people from Hell… Jesus had no social agenda… He didn’t come to eliminate poverty or slavery or to fix something in somebody’s life for the little moment they live on this earth.  In other words, God was going to do away with the whole lot of us and send us away to hell as punishment for our sin in fiery eternal conscious torment, but then Jesus came and saved us.  That’s ‘why’ he came and that’s why people need to become Christians, so they can be saved from hell, too.  Instead, we can all go to heaven - and that’s the main story of the bible.”

I fundamentally, wholeheartedly (and yes, even biblically) disagree.

I would argue that the gospel — the good news — has implications that are far more reaching and redemptive than simply the afterlife.  it is much more than merely ‘the Romans road to salvation.’  In the words of N. T. Wright, Anglican Bishop and Professor of New Testament  and Early Christian Studies and the University of S. Andrew’s in Scotland, “heaven is important, but it’s not the end of the world.”

By turning knowing Jesus just into the ‘right’ to get into heaven, we have completely missed the point.  We have cheapened everything about the incarnation, His life, death, burial and resurrection.  We have diluted His teachings into a single moment in eternity that leaves no bearing on our responsibility as followers of Christ other than to convert as many people as possible to our way of thinking.

Please allow me to be clear.  I believe in Jesus.  I love Him, follow Him, and believe about Him everything the New Testament teaches about Him (though not all that has been taught about Him).  I believe with all that I am that He is the very word of God (note: He is, not the bible the word made flesh; the visible image of an invisible God; the son of God; the Messiah; the friend of sinners and the Savior of the world. I believe that He is the way, the truth, and the life; the Anointed, liberating King (the meaning behind the term ‘messiah’) for all people.  It’s what I think, speak, teach, and write about; what I seek to live out in my daily life.

The more I study His life; the more I learn about Jesus and the more deeply I come to know Him; I see that His legacy — our faith — is less about converting others to our way of thinking about Him in order to save their eternal souls, and much more about what He said was important: loving God, and loving people.  We’ve turned His life into a ticket allowing access to a cosmic amusement park called heaven; and not only do I find this terribly offensive, I find it terribly unbiblical.

If we seek to understand the scriptures for the greater purpose of understanding who God in Christ is, and who we, as His followers, are called to be, there is one particular passage that sums up what, in my opinion, is the heart of the gospel:
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  Therefore, we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in him. –2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Could it be that the way God saves is through Jesus?  That as we believe in, trust, and follow Him (in His message of reconciliation which has been entrusted to us, placing the primary priority on loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves), that salvation comes not to just the few, but to many?  Could it be that the universal fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant (that all nations will be blessed through the blessed nation) is realized in our ability to be agents of reconciliation on behalf of Christ?  Could it be that we –you and i — have a part to play in the redemption of God’s creation?

I believe this is the gospel.  I believe that this is the good news of Jesus.  I believe that He died for the sins of the world, and that as the scriptures say, God no longer counts the trespasses of those for whom Christ died against them.  I believe that John the Baptizer was correct when he called Jesus the Lamb of God, and equally correct when he announced that when Jesus came, He came to take away the sins of the world.  I believe that when Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary and prayed for the Roman guards, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” that His prayer was efficacious, both heard and answered by God the Father.  I believe that the way God deals with his creation is in terms of restoration and redemption.  That he seeks to set things right in the order and way in which they were originally created to be.  I believe that when Peter wrote that God is not wishing that any should perish but that He desires for all to come to repentance, that God is not only willing, but able to succeed in that plan of reconciliation of his entire creation to Himself.  I believe that we did not choose him, but he chose us.

I believe that the Jesus of the gospels is the same Jesus that will usher in His kingdom in fullness, and that then, as in the gospels, He will surround Himself with and redeem modern day tax collectors, drunkards, prostitutes, and sinners…whether they recognize Him as their ‘Messiah’ or not.  I believe that there will come a day when Jesus will draw all men to Himself, just as He said He would.

I believe that this simple and deep message of reconciliation has been distorted over centuries of traditions that have (though perhaps well intentioned) misunderstood and misrepresented the message and person of the Jesus of the gospels.

Here, I would invoke the disclaimer and plea from Mclaren’s “A new kind of Christianity”:
“At this point, I need to speak directly to those for whom the Bible is a constitution and can be nothing but a constitution: I am not pressuring you to change your view right now. Yes, I would be happy if you would do so, but I understand that many people simply cannot in good conscience change their view, for reasons ranging from intellectual conviction and formation, to psychological integrity, to job security, to social loyalty to a constitutional congregation or denomination.  My plea to you is that you be careful in the way you use the Bible as a constitution… In addition, I hope you will understand that, just as you cannot in good conscience cease to see the Bible as a constitution, many of us can no longer continue to do so in good conscience; that’s why we are on a quest to find other ways to cherish, understand, and follow the Bible.

Even as I sit and write this blog, a legion of conservative Neo-Reformed Christians are writing, tweeting, preaching, and blogging AGAINST other Christ followers, denouncing them as heretics and declaring them ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing,’ Among other less-than-friendly titles.  i may be included in their slanderous attacks as one who is ‘watering down’ the good news of Jesus and preaching a ‘false gospel.’  Yet, I would suggest that, on the contrary, we are seeking to bring life giving water to a gospel that has been wandering aimlessly in the desert for far more than forty years.  The ‘ticket into the kingdom’ mentality is tired, old, and dried up.  I would suggest that particular gospel is even unbiblical, empty, and dead.

‘the message of Easter is not that Christ has been raised, so we are going to heaven.  It is that Christ is raised, and God has ushered in a new world, and now we have a job to do.’
–N.T. Wright

We do have a job to do.  
It’s a serious one. 
Our job is to be Ambassadors of Reconciliation.


Be Blessed!

Our Heavenly Home

Revelation 21:22-22:6
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.  On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.  The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.  Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.  The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

As enjoyable as traveling may be, most of us would admit to having a sense of security and delight upon arriving back home.  There's just something comforting about opening the door, seeing familiar faces and things, and feeling we're where we belong.

The apostle John was given a vision that included glimpses inside our future home, the new Jerusalem.  You may be surprised to know that some things from our old abode will be missing.  But what replaces them will be infinitely better.  For one thing, there were no church buildings in John's vision, "because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are it's temple."  (Rev. 21:22)  No longer will denominations divide up the body of Christ.  Nor will the sun or moon shine on the city in that day, "for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb" (Verse 23)  Imagine, no need for electricity, flashlights, or candles.

One other difference is that the city gates will always be open.  Since sin will not be a factor, locks will be unnecessary in our heavenly home.  Death and decay will also be absent.  In fact, nothing impure will ever enter that future residence - utter holiness will characterize the heavenly place, and suffering will be a thing of the past.  What we have to look forward to is the abundant life in Christ, pure and unmarred.

Think about the comfortable feeling you have as you open your front door.  That's but a hint of what we'll feel some day on arriving at the place our Father has lovingly and personally prepared for us in heaven.  We will finally - and permanently - be at home in a way that defies description.

Be Blessed!

Set Apart For God

Romans 12:1-3
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

It is my believe that when a person places his faith in Jesus Christ, that person becomes a new believer, and that person is sanctified - that is, set apart for God's purpose.  Unlike salvation, which takes place in a single moment, sanctification is a lifelong process.  We who are followers of te Savior should be letting the Holy Spirit control our lives.  If that is the case, we are currently being sanctified, regardless of what we may feel or how our actions appear to others.  In other words, we are progressively maturing in our faith.  And, if we are progressing, we must be working our way toward something.  The apostle Paul explained the Christian's mission:  "For those whom God foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29).  A believer's character, conduct, and conversation should be reflections of Jesus, who lives within.  On our own, we'd place too much emphasis on behavior and get caught up with following rules and rituals that look Christian without truly reflecting Christ.  But God has given each believer His Spirit as a teacher and guide.  The SPirit works to transform our minds and hearts so that we are markedly different from our unsaved peers.  When we allow the Spirit to control us, we speak and act in accordance with our true identity:  God's sons and daughters.

Our heavenly Father wants His children to be living examples of who He is.  He doesn't expect perfection - He knows we can't be totally sinless in our human body.  But He shows us how to think and act so we may "walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we are called." (Ephesians 4:1).

Be Blessed!

Conquering Fear

Psalm 63:1-11

You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword
    and become food for jackals.

 But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced. 

Every one of us will experience moments of apprehension, and denial or trying to hide from it will do no good.  When fear arises we need to ask ourselves the following questions:  Where does it come from? (You know it isn't from God.)  Has God ever failed me in the past?  Does He promise to meet all of my needs?  Does He keep His promises? 

When reading the Bible, we'll find countless stories of God's faithfulness.  For example, Paul lived through hardship, persecution, pain, and all kinds of terrible circumstances.  The apostle wrote these well known words. "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28).  This testifies to the fact that for those who trust in Him, God turns every difficulty, loss, and separation into something good.

From Abraham to Isaiah to David to Job to Jonah to Paul to John, we see God's constant love and care for His people.  His word is a lamp that will give us clear guidance when circumstances are bleak.  It offers the best direction we will ever find.  When we meditate upon it, pray over it, grapple with it, and incorporate it into our lives, His light chases away the darkness.  The psalms, in particular, are helpful in dealing with fear.

God, the sovereign ruler of the universe, is in control of our lives.  Don't make the mistake of thining that He isn't, simply because He does not operate according to our will and schedule.  If we read our Bibles and meditate on it, we will find genuine strength in His promises.

Be Blessed!

Some Side Effects of Fear

Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I think it's pretty obvious that fear not only produces anxiety, but it also creates chaos in our lives and even affects those around us.

• Fear stifles our thinking and actions - It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation.  I have known very talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure.  Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins.
• Fear hinders us from becoming the people God wants us to be - When we are dominated by negative emotions, we cannot achieve the goals God has in mind for us.  A lack of self-confidence stymies our belief in what the Lord can do with our lives.
• Fear can drive people to destructive habits - To numb the pain of overbearing distress and foreboding, some people turn to things like drugs and alcohol for artificial relief.  I've seen some who have been recognized as very "strong" actually stumble and fall into addictions.
• Fear steals peace and contentment -  When we're always afraid, our life becomes centered on pessimism and gloom.
• Fear creates doubt - God promises us an abundant life, but if we surrender instead to the chains of fear, our prayers won't be worth very much.

What are we afraid of?  Is it loss, rejection, poverty, or even death?  Everybody will face such realities at one point.  Those are some of the cold hard facts of life that just can't be avoided.  But is there a need to fear?  All we need to know is that God will never reject us.  Whether we accept Him in these times is truly our own decision.

The Bible tells us that God will meet all our needs.  He feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass with the splendor of lilies.  How much more, then, will He care for us, who are made in His image?  Our only concern is to obey the heavenly Father and leave the consequences to Him.

Be Blessed!

 

Choosing Faith over Fear

Isaiah 41:8-13

“But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    you descendants of Abraham my friend,
I took you from the ends of the earth,
    from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
    I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“All who rage against you
   will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
   will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies,
   you will not find them.  

Those who wage war against you
  will be as nothing at all.
For I am the Lord your God
  who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
  I will help you.

In these days and times there are plenty of reasons to fear.  Our world seems to be in a continuous state of war and crisis.  The jobs market  is dismal, natural disasters wreak havoc, sickness seems to be striking out at everyone, and stories of crime dominate the headlines.  As Christians, we know that fear should have no place in our lives, but how can we ignore what's going on around us?

Basically, there are two paths we can walk:  faith or fear.  It's impossible to simultaneously trust God and not trust God.  Another way of saying this is that you cannot both obey and disobey Him - partial obedience is disobedience.  So, which road are we traveling?

Some people who read the Bible and believe in God nevertheless choose to live with fear.  Seeing others experience hardship and heartaches, they start wondering if it could happen to them. 'Someone at my office lost his job, will I be next?  Someone died in an accident - I could die too.'   But this kind of "logic" places your circumstances above your relationship to God.

If Satan can get you to think like this, he has won the battle for your mind.  But when you focus on God rather than your circumstances, whatever the situation is, you win.  The Bible tells us, "God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Our heavenly Father understands our disappointment, suffering, pain, fear, and doubt.  He is always there to encourage our hearts and help us understand that He's sufficient for all of our needs.  When I accepted this ias an absolute truth in my life, I found that my worrying stopped.

More on this topic later...

Be Blessed! 

Our Firm Foundation

Luke 6:46-49  “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 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.”

God has ways of shaking the world when He is at work.  He literally caused the ground to quake when Jesus died on the cross, and Hebrews 12:26 describes a time still future when the earth will undergo a similar display of His power and presence.

Likewise in our present day, He often lets the foundations of our world be shaken - whether political alliances, financial systems, or other forms of human security.  Then we can see the flimsiness of the structures on which we've based our pride and hopes.  Individual lives are also often shaken when a family experiences crisis or a marriage begins to unravel.  If we have built on the fragile cornerstones of human wisdom, pride, and conditional love, things may look good for a while, but a weak foundation causes collapse when storms hit.

While adversity affects everyone, we can have peace in knowing that God always has a greater purpose when He allows upheaval in our world.  Hard times can also shake believers out of apathy and self-focus, reminding us not to trust in ourselves or the temporary structures of this world.  There is only one secure foundation:  a genuine, deep relationship with Jesus Christ, which will carry us through any and all turmoil.  No matter what storms are raging all around, we'll stand firm if we stand on His love.

It's not enough for believers to simply enjoy the security of knowing that our 'house' is built on a solid foundation.  As God's ambassadors on earth, we have a responsibility to extend His compassion to people whose lives are crumbling.  Be a living message of hope to those around you today and always.

Be Blessed!

Self-Inflicted Adversity

Psalm 119:95-72   
Do good to your servant
according to your word, Lord.
Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
for I trust your commands.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
You are good, and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.
Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,
I keep your precepts with all my heart.
Their hearts are callous and unfeeling,
but I delight in your law.
It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. 

The difficulties we face originate from one of three sources.  Some are sent to us by the Lord to test our faith, others are the result of Satan's attacks, and still others are due to our own sinful choices.

As we consider these three causes, which type is the hardest for us to bear?  I think most of us would say the last one, because we have nobody to blame but ourselves and it seems as if no good can possibly result.  After all, the Word of God says that we will reap what we have sown (Gal. 6:7), so we see nothing ahead except a painful harvest.

What this kind of thinking fails to take into account is the Lord's redemptive abilities.  Although He never promises to remove all the consequences of sin, He can use our failures to teach us to fear Him, hate evil, and walk in obedience.  The difficult lessons we learn can also become our protection from sin in the future.  Having suffered the pain of going our own way, we're more likely not to take that path again.

God's arrows of affliction are sharp and painful so He can get our attention.  He won't let His beloved children get away with sin because He knows it robs us of blessings, opportunities, and even character refinement. 

As painful as our situation may be, thank our heavenly Father that He cares enough to send out His loving discipline.  Now it's up to us.  How will we respond to His warning?  When we learn from experience, the scars of sin can lead us to restoration and a renewed intimacy with God.

Be Blessed! 

Don't Waste Our Adversities

James 1:2-4  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything

Are we wasting our troubles?  Anytime God allows trials to enter our life, He has a purpose for them.  He wants us to squeeze out every ounce of spiritual growth instead of letting difficulties squeeze us into despair and discouragement.  If we'll just respond in the right manner, the trial that looks as if it could destroy us will become an instrument of blessing.

A most natural response to adversity is to groan and plead with the Lord to remove it.  If that doesn't work, we might get angry or try to find our own way out of the difficulty or pain.  Sometimes we resort to blaming others for the trouble.  And in truth, someone else might have caused the problem, but ultimately God allowed it.  No matter where affliction originates, who is involved, or how evil their intentions, by the time it reaches us, it's been dipped in the Father's love and shaped to accomplish His good purpose.  The question is, will we cooperate with Him, or will we resist?

Perhaps the key word is found in verse 4 of James.  God wants to use our trials to develop spiritual maturity, but unless we let it do it's work, that opportunity will be lost.  If we could forsee all the benefits the Lord designed our trials to accomplish, maybe we'd be more cooperative.

Although we can't see all the specifics of God's plan, we know that His goal is to use our adversity to supply something we lack so we can be mature and complete.  Even though the experience is painful, rest in the Father's comforting arms, and let Him to His perfect work in you.

Be blessed!

The Purification of Our Faith

Hebrews 11:32-40  And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.  These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 

Although most of us would love to have the heroic trust of the men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11, few of us are willing to go through the process which God uses to develop this kind of dynamic faith.  We love reading about the great victories and accomplishments of those who trusted the Lord, but we cringe at the descriptions in verses 36 - 38.  None of us want to go through such horrific situations, but adversity is God's way of purifying our faith.

Picture the Lord as a master sculptor standing before a block of marble - that slab is you!  Picturing the hidden work of art within the rock, He lovingly and carefully chips away at everything that does not fit the masterpiece He's creating. 

CHARACTER - One of the first areas the Lord deals with is our character.  His goal is to shape us into the image of His Son, and there are some traits and attitudes that must be chipped away in order for Him to accomplish the task.  His chisel lays bare roots of sin and selfishness. 

IDOLATRY - When anything or anyone becomes more important to us than the Lord, we have an idol in our lives.  To protect us, God sometimes uses adversity to strip away everything we have relied upon so that we'll cling only to Him.

The chisel hurts - it sometimes feels as if God is taking away everything we hold dear.  Unless we understand His goal and believe He's working for our good, we'll think He's cruel.  But if we trust Him and yield to His shaping tool of adversity, our faith will be purified and strengthened through affliction.  

Be Blessed!

Proven Faith

1 Peter 1:3-9  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

Faith is perhaps the most central element in the Christian life because it is the means by which we enter into salvation.  But that's only the beginning.  From then onward, our faith - or lack of it - shapes our lives and determines what happens to us when the winds of adversity blow.  I recently had close, dear friends who were faced with adversities or enormous proportions.  They were experiencing the most tragic adversities that anyone could ever be faced with.  While offering my love, prayers, and what few words of hopeful comfort I could muster in such a time, I became more aware of how they handled it all.  Some Christians never lose their footing even in hurricane-force winds. while others are toppled by the slightest gust.  To understand why this is true we need to examine the source of our faith

INHERITED FAITH:  If we grew up in a Christian home, we probably adopted some of the beliefs of our parents.  This kind of godly foundation is a wonderful gift from the Lord, but eventually, each person must assume responsibility for their own beliefs.

TEXTBOOK FAITH:  The Bible is the ultimate guide for establishing our beliefs.  But that's not the only source of influence.  Books, preachers, teachers, and friends all impact our convictions.  Our theology may in fact be sound, but faith is merely mental acceptance until it's put to the test.

PROVEN FAITH:  Only when we trust the Lord through the fires of adversity will we have faith that can stand.  It is no longer based on what others  have told us or what we've accepted as true but on our firsthand experience of His faithfulness.

To evaluate our faith, we must consider how we react to adversity.  Do we cling to the Lord or get angry at Him?  Is our attitude one of rejoicing because He's making us more like His son, or are we bitter?  No one can escape adversity, but those with proven faith will benefit from it. 
  
Be blessed! 

Evidence of a Growing Believer

James 4:8  Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 
  
I have a friend, who at one point, was a self-confessed shopping addict.  Recently, her family realized that her activity had stopped, though she hadn't intentionally curtailed it.  Why, they wondered, did her longing to acquire more goods seem to dissolve?

The reason was that my friend had become more satisfied with the Lord.  She no longer needed fulfillment from what the world had to offer.  What a terrific illustration of growth in Christ.

In addition to finding fulfillment in God, there are many other growth indicators that are noticeable to the believer.  For instance, offering forgiveness becomes easier over time.  Consider our Savior, who asked God, to forgive even those who crucified Him on the cross.

Also, as we mature, our faith will increase.  God loves us, and He gracefully and gently builds our confidence in Him.  Then, as our trust grows, we realize how faithful He truly is - which grows our assurance even more.

Another mark of a closer walk with Christ is an expanding concern for others' spiritual condition.  And finally, as our relationship with the Lord deepens, we will increasingly desire to obey Him.  This desire is born not out of fear but out of love for our heavenly Father.  Similarly, when we do sin, our hearts will become saddened and repentant. 

Are you satisfied spiritually?  Or do you have a growling, insatiable hunger for more of Jesus?  My friends, if you think that you've come far enough in your journey with Christ, you have made a terrible mistake.  You are missing great fulfillment and the excitement that comes from getting closer to Him.  He seeks to have that relationship with you. 

Be blessed!

Measuring our Spiritual Growth

2 Peter 3:17-18  Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 

All around the world, people go to church, bow their head to pray, and hear sermons, but many are not growing spiritually.  I truly consider this a great tragedy.

It is all too common for believers to assume these actions fulfill Christian obligations.  We may complete a checklist but experience no thriving relationship with Jesus.  Do we see evidence in our own life that we're maturing in our walk with Him?
 
To blossom spiritually, we must be saved.  This happens the moment God makes us new, cleansing us of unrighteousness and adopting us as His own.  Upon that foundation, we can begin to grow.  Yet even with this new life, we can be stagnant.
 
I believe that there are at certain indicators that reveal the quality of our Christian journey.  This morning I'll  address three of them.  First, growing believers should sense a deepening hunger for Christ.  As we experience more of Jesus, who is the bread of life (John6:35), our desire for Him will increase.  Second, believers dwelling closely with the Savior will notice that their discernment of sin sharpens.  Faulty teaching and thinking become more obvious as we accumulate truth within our spirit.  Third, our sphere of love should continuously expand.  In time, the Holy Spirit enables us to care for people who  previously were either unnoticed or difficult to accept.

Do we have an insatiable hunger for God and an increasing awareness of sin?  Is our love available only for those who match our personal standard of performance - or are we caring even for difficult people?  These are important questions to ask when determining the quality of our spiritual growth.

Be Blessed!
 

The Faith to Endure

Hebrews 11:23-27  By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.  By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

Struggle and heartache seem to be a part of the human experience.  Who has not walked through valleys that seem hopeless or unending?  Even Jesus cried out on the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt.27:46).  Isn't it true that we sometimes ask the same kind of questions.  "Where are you God?"  "Why won't you do something in my life?"

I believe that we should always encourage one another to keep holding on, even in the bleakest hour.  When our faith is stretched thin, when our strength seems nearly gone and our dreams have shattered like broken glass, we need that encouragement to NOT give up on the Lord.  That giving up on the Lord would lead only to damaged self-esteem, forfeited blessings, and a strict limit on our usefulness to God.  It's also a denial of 1 John 4:4, which teaches "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."  I believe abandoning divine help in favor of our own human strength is a rejection of the truth that God is faithful all the time.

The opposite of giving up is NOT always immediate triumph; sometimes we are called upon to persist until victory.  The Lord may want us to bear up under affliction and remain steadfast in the face of temptation.  Like Moses, we may be called on to persevere, "because he saw him who is invisible." (Heb. 11:27)

Stand Firm, Endure, and Be Blessed!