Yikes! Where Was (Is) the Church?

Yikes! Where Was (Is) the Church?

I have been reading a historical novel about Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian who struggled with what God was calling the church to be and do in the years leading up to World War II and throughout the war. He was imprisoned toward the end of the war and executed just weeks before the surrender of Nazi Germany. Deitrich studied the Sermon on the Mount and other Scripture and called the church to wake up and not stand by in apathy watching the Jews first lose their right to work and then their right to live. The church in Germany at that time chose to exist by turning their faces away from the things that were happening and supporting the government under the leadership of Hitler. To speak out against the government was putting oneself in jeopardy of imprisonment and death. A church division yielded a “Confessing Church” that, after an attempt to stand up to the government and having leaders imprisoned and executed, became nearly as apathetic as the state church.

So why am I compelled to write about this? I have watched the struggle of the Church in the last number of years. The political ties to both extremes have become very divisive. And that is precisely what gives me cause for concern – not just the divisiveness, but the energy invested in politics. I hear hate speeches coming from both sides condemning the other side, the right condemning all the “sin” being allowed in the church and the left condemning the apathy and/or apparent blindness to the hatefulness toward anyone who does not fall within the expected behaviors of the church. 

And I wonder… Where does Jesus fit into this mess? Is there a “Dietrich Bonhoeffer” of our day trying to speak out and wake up the church? Is the church apathetic enough to allow atrocities to happen around us and are we turning our face away from them and continuing life as usual, seeking comfort in our existence and refusing to confront anything so that we can remain safe and untouched by the atrocities? What are the atrocities of our day? Slave trade? Sex trafficking? Racial discrimination? Annihilation of people groups by other people groups? Opioid epidemics? Abortion? Broken families? Suicide among teenager? Starvation? HIV epidemics? Oppression by governments or people groups over other people groups? 

In the Bible, the book of Matthew has so much to say to us. In the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), Jesus calls us to be salt and light, to follow and teach Scripture, to not be angry with each other but to seek reconciliation, to stay away from anything that causes us to sin, to speak truth and have integrity, to love our enemies, to give to those in need, to pray, to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth, to not worry about how our needs will be met but to trust God to provide, to not judge others, to love others as ourselves, to bear good fruit and recognize others who are bearing good fruit, and to build our lives on a solid foundation. Jesus promises to send His Holy Spirit to guide us into Truth. 

So how is all of this applied to the world we live in? When I read through the Scriptures and especially in the Gospels that speak directly about Jesus’ life here on earth, it seems that Jesus is calling us into a deep relationship with God. And as we spend time with Him, our hearts and our thoughts will be more and more conformed to who He is. The things we do – where we choose to spend our time and our money, what we say – will begin to look more and more like Him. His concerns will become our concerns and He will place us in circumstances where we have the opportunity to choose if we will be sheep or goats as described in Matthew 25:31-46. We won’t have time for politics or throwing cheap pot shots at people who don’t meet our expectations. We will be working for His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. We will become salt and light, permeating our society around us with the Good News of the Kingdom of God by being the Church God has called us to be.

Holy Father, arouse the Church from its slumber. Wake us up, Lord! Draw us close to Your heart and teach us how to act as Your children, knowing that we are loved by You and sharing Your forgiveness and redemption with those around us. Help us to encourage faith to grow in each other as we seek You. I ask this in the precious and holy name of Jesus, Amen.

When Lotion Feels Like Sandpaper

When I was 18, I got a blistering sunburn. The one thing that stands out to me about that experience is that cold creamy lotion gently applied to the burned skin felt like sandpaper being scraped across the skin. What normally would be a soothing process – gently rubbed in lotion – became a very irritating and painful process.

Trying to comfort someone who is grieving can be like that – especially in the early stages when the world has just turned upside down and nothing can make it right again. No matter what anyone says or does, it doesn’t make the grief stop or even subside. Nothing can fix it. And so we have person after person telling us what to say or not say, do or not do, when a friend is grieving. And much of it is coming from the experts – those who have grieved deeply.

On my journey through grief, the one thing that stands out to me is that everyone grieves differently and responds differently to attempts to comfort. What I find comforting to me may actually be irritating to someone else. Some of that stems from the relationship to the deceased. Some has to do with whether or not the grieving person has been through hard loss before. Some has to do with the depth of faith of the grieving person and in whom or what that faith is found. Some of it just has to do with personality. I don't think anyone can write the perfect textbook for dealing with grieving friends or come up with the perfect list of what to say/not say, do or not do for a grieving person.

Each person needs space and time to grieve in their own way. One loves to receive cards, another hates the constant reminder that the world has just been upset by significant loss. One needs to hear people say, "I'm sorry for your loss." And another wants to punch the next person that says that. One needs a friend to sit with them. Another wants to be alone for a while. And that can all occur in the same household and change with an individual from hour to hour and day to day. After I got over the shock and the earliest, hardest grief, I began to realize that people were not trying to annoy or hurt me. Their hearts intended to be loving and caring. And I began to receive whatever they offered as a gesture of their love (a healing lotion) rather than an affront (sandpaper) to me even if they didn't say what I wanted to hear or do what I wanted them to do. No one can read minds and when I was in the deepest part of my grieving, I was in no position to tell others what I needed. So it was a learning experience for me to try to be gracious with whatever people offered. Some obviously clicked better for me than others. But in the end, they all cared the best way they knew how. And I'm grateful.

In II Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul says, “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

We need not be afraid to reach out to those around us who are grieving. God through His Holy Spirit is able to instruct us if we are uncertain what we should say or do. And even if the grieving person responds a bit roughly, understand it is not because you failed but because their grief is so deep that even creamy lotion will feel like sandpaper for the moment. Pray for them and pray with them if they will allow it. Pray God’s peace and comfort over their troubled and weary souls. And if you are able, walk with them over the long haul – however long it is. I recently sat with someone whose spouse had died five years ago. As they spoke about the experience, tears streamed down their face as if it had just happened last week. When everyone else is done comforting (usually within a few months), the grieving person often takes the social cues and quits talking about it though they are far from done with their grieving. We have the opportunity to be a caring and listening friend and continue to bring comfort through the years when needed. We can pass on the comfort God has provided for us.

God, Your grace is sufficient to meet all of our needs – especially when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances and feelings. And as we experience that grace and heal from our afflictions, please give us the grace to reach out to others and offer them the hope that we ourselves have received from You. Thank You. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

God is Alive! Am I?

In the morning I prayed, “God, here I am. I give myself completely to You today to use as You see fit. Let my words to others be Your words, that they would receive the message that You have for them. Help me to stay out of the way and let You work Your good for others.” And then I went about my day. I went to work and people came in and out of my office for various reasons. Small conversations happened here and there. I wasn’t so aware whether God was working any good for them. But sometimes I just don’t see it. 

Then it happened. There was a young woman sitting across the room outside my office and I could see her through my office door. I felt the urge to go to her. So I did. I knew her by name and have had a few conversations with her in the past, so she is not a stranger to me. I asked her how she was doing and there was hesitation in answering. I could tell she was feeling down and gave her space by showing interest but not pushing. As she talked about what was happening in her life, I responded here and there and began to sense that God had things to say to her and was working His good for her. I could relate to her pain and spoke of how God had used hard times in my past to work His good in me. I told her how God truly is good and He truly has our best interest at heart. He does not let anything happen to us that He cannot use for our good. It’s hard – sometimes it is so very hard, but God is good. And we will become vessels of His love when we learn to trust Him and allow Him to do His work in us. Tears ran down her face as we talked. Tears formed in my eyes and my voice too. Then she said, “My pastor is planning to do a teaching on forgiving God. I didn’t think I needed it because I didn’t need to forgive God for anything. But after this conversation, I see that I do need it. Thank you.” And it hit me. God was using me to work His good. He was preparing this young woman to receive words and learn how to trust Him to work His good in her life.

As I was reading I Corinthians this morning, I noticed something I had previously glossed over many times. “In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.” It is tucked in this passage: “I always thank my God for you because of God’s grace given to you in Christ Jesus, that by Him you were enriched in everything—in all speech and all knowledge. In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 1:4-7 HCSB.

Most of our churches are a pretty big mess – just like the Corinthian church was. Many people go through the motions each week of sitting in a church service, sometimes listening, sometimes distracted by thoughts or commotion around them, but mostly observing with little participation. And I wonder what a church service would be like if people couldn’t wait to get there and share what God has been doing in their lives throughout the past several days. We think of our testimony as the day we said yes to Christ and then we are saved and that is the end of our story. But what of the testimony of this week? Of yesterday? Of today? Does God just save us so we can go on doing the same things in the same frame of mind we did before we were saved?

In a recent email devotional from Walk Thru the Bible, I read, “When we become Christians, we exchange our citizenship on earth for citizenship in heaven. Therefore, we live according to the value system in heaven, not the value system on earth. On earth we look out for ourselves, and we satisfy our own wants and desires. In heaven we look out for the welfare of others.” And I wonder, am I holding on to a dual citizenship. We are saved by God’s grace, but are we fully living according to the value system of heaven or are we holding on to the value system of earth. If we are holding onto the value system of this earth, we do not have an active testimony of what God is doing daily in our lives.

It is this daily testimony of God working in us and through us that speaks into the lives of others with encouragement, grace, comfort, and healing which then gives them a testimony to speak into the lives of others. I envision a church full of people who have a daily testimony of God working in them, coming together and sharing with joy all that God is doing. Our churches should not be a place where we are asking if God exists. Indeed it should be obvious that He is alive and well as we encourage each other through our daily testimony of His grace at work in us and through us.

Thank you, Father, that You do not leave us here to fend for ourselves but that You are always available if we invite Your presence in our daily lives. Today, I present myself as a living sacrifice to You to do with as You will – to work Your good in me and in those You bring into my life. And to You I give all the honor and glory which belongs to You for what You have done and are doing in my life. I thank You and praise You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

What is a Demon?

We live in a world that is “reality” oriented. Those of us who grew up as scientific discoveries were being made exponentially learned that if you couldn’t see it, touch it, or taste it, it didn’t exist. Yet, as we read the Bible, Jesus was frequently casting out demons. Many have decided that they are psychological events, brain chemistry issues, or that a person is just “messed up”. What are demons? We can’t see them, touch them or taste them. Or can we?

In the Gospels, we see several versions of the story of a demon possessed man. He lived in the region of the Gerasenes. He was seen as someone totally out of his mind – out of control and dangerous to others and himself. Today we would have him on the psych ward in the hospital heavily sedated with drugs. While no one could “see” the demons that possessed him, Jesus could. He talked to them and told them to leave the man. I wonder why Jesus allowed the demons to go into the pigs. That farmer lost a lot of income and/or food!

But today as I read this story once again, I realized that one of the reasons Jesus could have allowed the demons to enter the pigs and allow the pigs to run into the lake and drown was to demonstrate that demons are real. They do horrible things to people. And people are helpless to free themselves of these demons.

So I wonder then, do demons exist in people today and if so, what do they look like?

Yesterday, I spent several hours with a friend whom I love dearly. She is about 5 feet tall and a few years ago, she weighed about 125 pounds. She was joyful and enjoyed life to the max. A couple of days ago, she weighed in at a new low of 80 pounds. She is skin and bones and is beginning to look like a holocaust victim. No, she doesn’t have cancer. She is anorexic. Does she want to die? She says not. Why then does she refuse to eat enough to stay alive, I ask. “I don’t know,” is her simple answer. “I just don’t know. I think I can fix it, but I can’t.” Is it an addiction, I wonder? “Yes,” she says, “I am addicted to losing weight. Seeing the scale keep going down brings me great joy.” Even if it keeps taking you closer to death, I wonder. “I can’t stop,” is her answer.

As I sit and gaze at her fragile, pale, cold body (it is 80 degrees F and she only takes her sweater off when in the full sun) I begin to wonder, is this what demon possession looks like today. If Jesus were to come upon her, what would He say to her? Would He talk to her or to the demons possessing her? Would He set her free from this addiction that binds her and brings her closer and closer to death? I believe He would. Would He wait for her to accept Him as Lord of her life before healing her or would He heal her instantly? And out of her gratefulness would she would want to stay with Him forever?

I try to broach the subject of Jesus being able and ready to heal, but she does not appear to be interested in that right now. She is not sure what to do with the historic Jesus so tries not to think about it too much. But what of Jesus in me through His Holy Spirit? Am I willing to release Him to do His work in me and others with whom I engage in friendship and conversation? How much will He do if she says she is not interested in being healed?

I watch Jesus extend healing in many ways in the recorded stories throughout the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Sometimes He is walking by and sees a need and responds. Sometimes people come to him and ask and He freely touches and heals. It seems to be His heart to heal anyone who comes and asks.

But one story leaves me pondering… Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, and Luke 18:18-23 all tell the story of a rich young ruler who comes to Jesus wondering what he must do to inherit eternal life? After talking about what he is already doing, Jesus gives him an answer. He was to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. Why did Jesus ask him to do that? Was the man addicted to wealth? Was that what bound him and had his full focus? Was that what he trusted to take care of him?

What was the man’s response? “After he heard this, he became extremely sad, because he was very rich.” Luke 18:23 He apparently walked away from Jesus sad but still bound. I don’t see Jesus running after him saying, “Wait! Come back! Let’s talk some more about this.”

It seems that the one ingredient of being freed from an addiction is a desire to be free. How sad it is to watch someone continue in the chains realizing that they cannot help themselves but refusing the help that is extended to them. It is like handing bread to a hungry, starving person and have them say, “No thank you. I am content to continue starving.” I believe that not only was the man grieved, but Jesus was grieved as well.

And I grieve with Him for all those who are bound by addictions even after healing has been extended to them. They are those to whom Scripture refers, “And He replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10

Oh LORD God! Open the eyes of the blind! Open the ears of the deaf! Open the minds that are closed! Help them to see your hands stretched out to them desiring to heal them. Teach me when to pursue and when to allow them to walk away. Oh that they would see you and be free from the chains that bind them! My heart weeps for them – for all of us who find ourselves bound by things that take us further away from You. Teach us to trust in Your healing grace and to walk free beside You, learning from You, breathing in Your grace and breathing out Your praise. Amen.

Forgiven and Free to Love

We all desire to be loved and accepted by others. It is a basic need to belong and know others care about us. People without that can feel pretty lost in this world. I wonder if it is this desire that causes us to strive to put our best foot forward – to only show others the parts of us that are good, clean and acceptable. Our churches are full of people putting on their Sunday best, pasting smiles on their faces and assuring everyone that they are fine and doing great. Yet in all of us lurks dark corners – places in our lives that are still a work in progress, places of pain and need, places of guilt over sin we can’t seem to shake.

As I ponder the story in Luke 7:36-50, I see the religious Simon the Pharisee holding fast to the laws and expecting Jesus to appreciate the fact that He was invited to a meal. Simon may have been trying to impress Jesus with just how good he was. And then there is the sinful woman who sheds many tears just being in the presence of Jesus. She understands her grievous sins and seeks healing. As she weeps at His feet, she notices His feet have not been washed and she uses her tears to wash them and dries them with her hair. She then proceeds with the added touch of perfume and kisses to his feet. Jesus responds with mercy and grace, accepting her expression of love and using it all as a teachable moment.

While Simon is busy judging Jesus for not being able to tell a sinful woman when he sees one, he totally misses the mercy and grace Jesus extends to all who seek Him. Those of us who have grown up in Christian families going to church every Sunday may quickly find ourselves a little closer than we want to admit to being a “Simon” in this story. We haven’t done outrageous sinful things that tag us as “sinners” to the public eye. We try to maintain a good public persona and find it beneficial to keep a low profile on the areas of our lives that still need redemption. But here’s the catch on that… if we don’t expose the areas of our lives that need redemption and ask Jesus for His mercy and grace, we don’t experience the great love that He lavishes on us through mercy and grace. And if we don’t experience our need for that mercy and grace, we cannot love God or others the way God intends for us to do. Jesus says, “But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Luke 7:47b

Herein lies a key to becoming a loving church that draws others to Jesus… we need to be quick to confess and seek forgiveness for the sins in our lives in order that we can be free from a judging spirit and free to love and accept others in spite of their sins so that they too can come and experience the mercy and grace and healing of Jesus. Admitting that we have sinned and confessing that sin helps us realize our need for Christ and His mercy. It keeps us humble and approachable. And the freedom that comes from being forgiven brings an energy that is inviting to others. Many would call that love. Whoever has been forgiven much loves much.

Father, I too have sinned and need your grace and mercy. Open my eyes and show me where I am hiding things to protect my image. Help me to expose them and seek Your forgiveness. Teach me to love as You love – a love full of mercy and grace so that others will come to know You as their loving God. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen

Holy is His Name

“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.” Deuteronomy 5:11

Growing up in a home filled with faith and trust in God, swearing was never an option. That was a misuse of the holy name of the Lord our God. Even slang was not allowed because it was considered words that were other forms of the swear words. I always considered that the keeping of this law to not misuse the name of the Lord our God.

But as an adult maturing in faith through the years, I have begun to wonder… is that all it means? Or may there be even deeper meaning in this command.

I wonder, would it be misusing the Lord’s name to say, “The Lord told me…” when it was really just a thought in my own mind? Or would it be misusing the Lord’s name to say, “God wants you to do…” when it is really my wanting the other to conform to my standards? How quickly and without thought do we credit God with our own thoughts or call on His name while doing our own thing?

I wonder, if we pray to God but don’t believe He is listening or caring about our prayer, are we misusing His name? If we fail to trust in the power of His name, are we misusing the name of God? When we use a prayer to preach a sermon to those listening, are we misusing the name of God?

In a time and place that has become so comfortable with God that we treat Him as one of the gang, I wonder if we have lost something deep and meaningful – a respect and awe of a holy and powerful God. Since the printing press came into being, Bibles are printed and distributed and easily accessible to much of the world. Do we believe that they are God’s words to us and they are holy? Or have we made them as cheap as the paper they are printed on?

As I write this, I am aware that some may be saying, “But Jesus changed all that. He ushered us into the presence of God so we can call him Abba, Daddy.” That is a comfortable place in a relationship. And for sure this is true. But it was at a terrific cost to Him. Without the atonement of the blood of Jesus, we could not stand in the presence of our Holy God. And because Jesus has made Him accessible to us and intercedes for us doesn’t negate His holiness.

I wonder if we could truly grasp the power behind His name, if we could experience the awe of worship of our Holy God, would we live a more victorious life on a day to day, minute by minute basis. Would we long to be in His presence instead of having to force ourselves to spend time with Him? Would we see Him working in situations that seem difficult or hopeless?

Oh God, open my eyes to see Your magnificent power, Your great and awesome love, and Your tender mercy. Show me where I am using Your name carelessly and create in me a sense of awe and wonder at who You are. Amen.

Leaning In To God

How do you survive the hard things in life? How do you interpret your world when ‘disasters’ overtake you? How do you view/understand God in the midst of deep trials and tribulations?

So much can be learned from the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and they are often labels as the patriarchs of our faith. But it is the story of Joseph that I go back to over and over and each time, I seem to learn a little bit more about who God is and how to deal with ‘life’ as it comes at me.

Because we know the end of the story, it is easy to discount the intensity of the circumstances Joseph dealt with along the way. But Joseph dealt with a lot of real life issues from the time he was born. Because his father singled him out as special among his brothers, he dealt with jealousy and with never being ‘one of the guys’. It must have been lonely for him as a child growing up. This must have caused a vicious cycle in family relations as the more his father doted on him, the more his brothers reacted causing his father to dote on him and protect him even more causing the brothers to react even more, etc.

But God… When Joseph was a teenager, God gave him two visions that seemed to totally deny what was happening in the family. His brothers were picking on him now, but in the future, they would be bowing down to him. This was the icing on the cake in terms of how his brothers treated him and even drove them to getting rid of their ‘problem’. They sold Joseph into slavery.

As a slave, Joseph must have wondered about the visions he had. Were they just wild dreams or were they something to hang on to?

But God… Joseph somehow decided to be a man of integrity and to serve his master well. Somehow, he held on to the faith he had learned from his father Jacob and lived by the principles he had been taught. And God caused him to prosper and be promoted to caring for everything in his master’s house. Could I hold on to faith and prosper in an environment I was forced into not of my own choosing?

Then more adversity hit. He was falsely accused of attempted rape by his master’s wife. That landed him in prison. And for several years, Joseph lived in a dungeon. If anything could have caused Joseph to lose hope, this surely could have.

But God… Somehow Joseph was able to be a model prisoner and God once again prospered him and he was soon put in charge of the other prisoners. Joseph must have exuded leadership skills. No matter where he was, he rose to the top. I can’t imagine being anything but depressed in a situation like he was in – falsely accused and forced into a horrible environment.

But God… Because Joseph continued to trust God, he had the opportunity to interpret dreams for two inmates. When his interpretations proved to be accurate, he hoped this would help him be released from prison. But there he sat, year upon year until Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. Then he was remembered and given opportunity to interpret the dream.

And God… Because Joseph had been faithful and continued to trust in his God, he was given the interpretation and because he was a born leader, he not only interpreted the dream but cast vision for how to deal with the famine that was around the corner. Pharaoh recognized a capable leader when he saw one and immediately put Joseph in charge. And Joseph worked hard for Pharaoh and was rewarded well.

But God… This could have been the end of the story, but God was not done yet. There was one more thing that needed to happen. And the famine did its work in Canaan and eventually brought Joseph’s brothers to him. And just as his vision had indicated, they bowed down before him and then his father came and bowed down before him as well. And the title of this story could have been “Joseph’s Revenge,” but it wasn’t. How hard it must have been for Joseph to work through all his feelings regarding his brothers! It must have taken years of praying to God, trusting God and believing that “all things work together for the good of those who are called according to His purposes,” even though Paul had not yet penned those words of Romans 8:28.

Joseph reveals his understanding of how God works in his words to his brothers when he revealed himself. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Genesis 45:8a It was Joseph’s belief that God was in control of all of the circumstances he found himself in and that if he was faithful to God, God would prosper him. He believed that God used his brothers to propel him into these circumstances so that he could prepare the way for them to come later and be saved from starvation. He was able to forgive his brothers for what they had done to him because he believed that God was in control even of that circumstance.

I wonder if how I view my circumstances reflects my relationship with God. Can I be totally submitted to Him in a way that would allow me to even prosper under false accusation and finding myself in a place I did not choose for myself? Am I willing to lean in to God and trust his sovereignty even when I am not comfortable with my place or my surroundings?

Lord, may it be so. May I learn to prosper wherever You place me, knowing that You are God, You are sovereign, and You are with me in the good times and in the hard times. Thank You for recording this story of Joseph to help me learn to know You more.

Hold Nothing Back

It’s not a new concept for most of us who have grown up in the church. We talk about “giving our all,” or “sacrificial living,” or “giving until it hurts,” and many other phrases that indicate we are fully yielded to God. But I wonder how much we mean it and live it.

Abraham got it in a way that few people ever do. God said, “Get up and go to the place I will show you.” And Abraham got up and went. God said, “I will give you a son in your old age.” Abraham believed, but gave in to Sarah’s pleading and Ishmael was born. God said, “I still plan to give you a son through Sarah.” And He did and Isaac was born to Abraham when he was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. Amazing!

Now a few years later, God told Abraham to take Isaac and “Go to a place I will show you and sacrifice your son.” And Abraham got up and took Isaac and went! I wonder if you or I would be able to do that. I think I would be saying, “I don’t think I heard you right, God. Surely you don’t mean that. You just gave me this son so it doesn’t make any sense that you would tell me to sacrifice him. Do you want to try again? I’m sure I’ll hear it differently the next time.” But Abraham got up and went!

There are a couple clues along the way that Abraham thought there might be more to it than what appeared at the moment even as he trusted and obeyed. When he left the servants and took Isaac to the place of sacrifice, he said, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Genesis 22:5b. It sounds like Abraham is believing what God told him previously about his offspring becoming “too numerous to count.” Genesis 16:10 Yet he continued to go forward with Isaac. He went all the way to binding Isaac and placing him on the altar and raising his knife. Thankfully, God intervened and provided a ram caught in the thicket. Abraham must have felt great relief. [Big sigh!]

For many years, I have read this and would not allow myself to stop and ponder what Abraham was doing. It was so foreign and far from my imagination that a father could slay his son, I would read over it quickly and not allow it to penetrate my mind too deeply. I pushed Abraham and what he did as far out of my focus as I could and focused instead on the trauma of Isaac and wondered how this incident affected his relationship with his father from there on out.

But now, as I ponder, I think, “Talk about a teachable moment!” Surely after the incident was over, Abraham hugged Isaac thanking God for returning his son to him. And he likely took the opportunity to teach Isaac about listening to God and obeying even if he doesn’t fully understand. God can be trusted – even with the most precious belonging we have!
 
“Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Genesis 22:12

Now I must ponder, what is my most precious belonging? Can I give this to God to do with as He will, or do I hold on to it/him/her tightly, fearing what would happen to me if I ‘lost’ this possession. What am I holding back? Could I come to a point of trusting God that would allow me to not just give it up but to actually sacrifice it and leave it to God if He will restore it or keep it?

I cannot come to a place of sacrificial living until I trust in God’s deep love for me. When I realize that God held nothing back including His One and Only Son Jesus in order to provide a way to restore my relationship with Him, I can begin to come to a place of trust that says, “I hold nothing back from You, God. I am willing to sacrifice it all to live in obedience to you.” God used Isaac to bring about Jacob who became Israel and had 12 sons whose descendants became the 12 tribes of Israel and after several generations birthed the Messiah. God can do big things when we are willing to obey – whatever He is asking us to do.

Oh Lord, show me what I am holding back and help me to release my hold on it and live in obedience to You. While I struggle to let go, I can hardly wait to see what you will do with your infinite wisdom, power, and love applied to my most precious possession. Amen.

Who is Lord?

From the beginning of time when Eve picked the forbidden fruit and shared it with Adam, we as a human race have been struggling with this question. Who will determine my destiny? Even after we make a decision to accept Christ’s gift of salvation, we struggle with who is in charge. Think you got this one down? Here are a few litmus tests to see how you are doing.

1.   Did you just do some Christmas shopping? How did it go when someone grabbed the last item off the shelf in front of you or cut in a long line or took the parking space you were obviously ready to pull into? Did you see that person as a human made in the image of Christ and pray for his/her redemption? Did you bless them or curse them with your thoughts, words and/or actions?

2.   Last time an aggressive or tentative driver got between you and your goal, did you respond with grace or did you tell them some unpleasant things even though they didn’t hear you?

3.   When you get up in the morning, is the first thing on your mind your ‘to do’ list of all the things you need to get done today and what order you want to do them in or is it to thank God for another day and ask Him what His plans are for you today?

4.   When the bills come and the paycheck doesn’t or at least doesn’t reach, do you panic or do you take it to Jesus and ask His guidance on how to proceed?

5.   When your body experiences sickness, do you gather your pharmaceuticals around you and complain about how you feel until you get over it, or do you go to the Master Healer and ask for His healing and guidance in dealing with the sickness? 

These and many other things that happen daily in our lives tell us much about our progress in allowing Jesus to be Lord. In the end, it will become very clear who is Lord and it will go much better for us if we have chosen the Lordship of Christ before we get to that point. In “Today’s Quiet Walk Devotional” for December 28, 2014, (Walk Thru the Bible), the author speaks in regard to Revelation 19: 

“Apocalypse: ‘The revelation of a violent struggle in which evil will be destroyed’ (Webster's Dictionary). The second coming of Christ will be the apocalypse fulfilled. While the symbolism of the language in Revelation makes it difficult to ascertain exactly how events will unfold, it is clear that when Jesus returns again, it will be to confront evil and destroy it. The heavens will split and Jesus will descend upon the armies of the earth which have gathered in opposition to His return. In contrast to His past role as Savior of man, He will now come as King of creation. Whereas once He made Himself subject to men, now all men will become subject to Him. History will end and eternity will begin.”

In John 18:4-6, we see the first glimpse of every knee bowing to our great and awesome King. “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10 all tell us that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. We can either choose to bow or we can bow as the soldiers did when they arrested Jesus, but we will bow. 

Lord, I want you to be Lord of my life. Help me in my weakness when my flesh wants to take over to listen for Your voice and to allow You to be Lord of each circumstance as it occurs. You are indeed Lord and I am not. Thank You for the gift of peace when I acknowledge that. Thank You for the grace that washes over me and allows me to speak blessings over others rather than curses. Keep opening my eyes to see You and give me a heart to follow You every day of my life. Amen.

Transforming Power: Not what I expected!

The story of Joseph in the Old Testament continues to intrigue me. I wonder, could Joseph have become the leader he was if he had not gone through the years of slavery and prison? I wonder how those years transformed Joseph’s spirit and mind. How could he go from being a prisoner to being second in command – only Pharaoh had more power? We are not given his thoughts while he was in the caravan on his way to Egypt, sold by his brothers to be a slave. We don’t know what he was thinking when he was unjustly accused and thrown into prison where he was ‘forgotten’ for a few years. I’m guessing it was a process working through anger and trusting in God’s goodness. He didn’t have the “story of Joseph” to look back on… he was living it!

And then I hear story after story of people who have been ‘relieved’ of their ministry positions where they were being eroded by the prevailing powers, unable to use the creative gifting God had given them and unable to express their love for people because of all the ‘stuff’ that was going on. They were so controlled by the situation, they didn’t even have the power to resign. I have watched them go through a time of searching, longing, and sometime self-deprecation. But in the end, they are transformed into powerful leaders, placed in positions that are ready for them, and able to be God’s ministers of reconciliation and healing to people around them. They would tell you that while it was hard, they are now blessed to be working in effective ministries where they are fulfilled and full of God’s grace.

Very few, if any, people go from the womb through blissful childhood, untainted by teen years, and given positions of power and authority which they maintain happily ever after. It seems that the tough things in life are the things that get our attention and allow God to transform us into useful vessels for His purposes. And in the end, we can say with Joseph, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20

Having been through some hard things myself, I have learned some of the deep secrets of God. And I can see quickly in another person when they have been through some hard things. The marks of God’s grace are on them. We become less taken by the things and positions of this world and more filled with compassion and desire for others to really know God – not as the guy who keeps us out of hell, but the One who loves us deeply and would stop at nothing including the death of His Only Son on a cross to open all the doors for us to come ‘home’ to the One who created us. We are learning, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” We are learning His grace is sufficient for every day He gives us breath and that there is nothing to fear because we know we are called and we have an eternal focus, knowing that when we are done on this earth, we will be going to heaven to worship our Lord and King forever.

The world may be in turmoil, but we live in peace, trusting God to help us navigate the path before us. Thank You God, for Your grace each day and for the joy that I can experience here on earth regardless of my circumstances. You are an awesome God. Thank You for Your awesome love. Amen.

Why God Doesn't Like Lukewarm

Have you ever choked on lukewarm coffee or soup? It’s not very pretty as it goes flying across the table and/or your clothes. It’s even kind of embarrassing if it happens in public and all around frustrating as you clean up the mess. But that is the reaction Jesus has to the Church of Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16 That is the NIV version. Other versions use words like ‘spew’ or ‘vomit’ rather than ‘spit’ which are probably closer to what happens when you choke on lukewarm liquid.

I’ve often wondered why Jesus is so strong in His reaction to the Church of Laodicea. All the other churches, in Revelation 2 and 3, He begins by complimenting them on what they are doing right and then challenges them to work at something they have been missing. But with Laodicea, He jumps right in with ‘spewing’ them out. So I wonder what makes them lukewarm to begin with and why this is so very disturbing to Jesus that He gives this message to John.

Recently, I was talking with a friend who is a pastor. He was sharing the pain of a young friend who recently was sexually abused and very confused. He commented on how bold sin has become in our world. It is not even hidden anymore. We talked about how important it has become for us as a church to be bold and clear on who we are. We cannot afford to ‘blend in’ but must stand out as different. A picture came to me of using a vacuum cleaner when I was young. I preferred to vacuum when the floor was really dirty because it was easier to see where I had been and where I needed to go yet. There is a bigger difference when you clean a dirtier floor. I wonder if this is some of the picture of hot or cold vs. lukewarm.

What made the Church of Laodicea lukewarm? “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17 It appears that they have become self-sufficient. They don’t need ‘cleaning’ because they have become comfortable with themselves just the way they are. They have found a way to ‘blend in’ and not stir things up too much around them. And they are happily going along ‘blind’ and ‘naked’!

I wonder then, if the reason God hates for the church to be ‘lukewarm’ is because we just blend in with the world. We keep accepting more and more of the worlds’ view on things and pay less and less attention to what Christ came to change. How then can others see any need for Christ in their lives if we as the church are really no different than anyone else? If we don’t need Christ daily in our lives because we are self-sufficient, how can others see their need for Christ in their lives? In essence, we hide the Gospel from others because we appear to be something we are not – good in and of ourselves. If we can’t see that we are ‘blind’ and ‘naked’ and in need of God’s help, we really have nothing to offer to others but another social gathering of the ‘feel good club’.

So what is Jesus’ remedy for lukewarm sickness? “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me” Revelation 3:19-20 Did you ever notice that this invitation is for the church?!

We need to quit trying to ride in the middle of the road. That is a very dangerous place to be. We are not saved because we are “good” or because we are doing “good” things. We are saved because Jesus Christ gave His life for us. We need Him. He is the very air we breathe. He desires relationship with us – deep abiding relationship with us. We need that relationship with Him. We cannot be His church, inviting others into relationship with Him if we are anything but in desperate need of Him ourselves. Then we will stand out like a light in the darkness and help others find their way to Him. We will be the salt bringing out the flavor in life.

Oh Lord, do not let me hinder your Gospel message from going out into the world. Help me to be bold – to live humbly in desperate need of You so that others can see who You are and how You forgive, heal and restore. Thank You for providing everything I need. Amen.

The Battle Rages

If we are not experiencing suffering and loss at the moment, we all know someone who is. What do we do when a friend, neighbor or acquaintance is going through a difficult time? Do we stay away because we don’t know what to say? Or do we babble nonsense because we need to say something? Or do we seek to understand God’s wisdom and heart and encourage them for the journey? As many times as I have read Job, I don’t remember ever distinguishing so clearly between man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom as on this read through.

I wonder how often readers read Bildad’s words, Zophar’s words, or Eliphaz’s words thinking, “They are in the Bible, so any verse here is God’s truth.” After all, they make sense to our impoverished minds as we read them. But, they come totally from human wisdom and not from God’s wisdom. While Job continues to confront them throughout the whole book, we don’t hear from God until the end of the book of Job. After God has dealt with Job, He addresses Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has… My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.” Job 42:7-8

Keeping that in mind, as I read the book of Job, I know pay better attention to who is speaking and what they are saying. This book now begs me to think about how I speak to those who are suffering – to be careful to not spout off platitudes of my own understanding, but rather to prayerfully and humbly speak to the person who is suffering.

The mistake I see in Job’s friends as they speak is that they look at what is happening and, trying to make sense of it, pronounce judgment on the one suffering. Essentially they are saying, “Why would all this bad happen to you if God were not judging you for something?” And then they proceed to make up the things they believe God is judging Job for. Job must have cheated people, stole from them, disregarded people’s needs, etc. in order for God to be so angry with him as to treat him so badly because they are sure that is how God works.

Job defends himself saying that he has always cared for others. His friends don’t believe him because all the evidence (God’s judgments in their minds) point to the opposite. In the end, God vindicates Job and replaces all he lost with even more and humbles his judging friends saying that He will forgive them when Job prays for them.

“Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18. Chris Tiegreen writes, “At a practical level, that means that hardships you endure today are pointing toward a purpose. They will give Him occasion to demonstrate Himself, and they will give you occasion to demonstrate your faith. Both occasions lead to a glory that far outweighs the pain. In the end, it will all be worth it. The God who endured the Cross gives you His guarantee.” January 21 in ‘Wonder of the Cross Devotional’

My hope and prayer is that I will prayerfully and humbly approach those who are currently suffering and that I will offer them the encouragement of God’s compassion, comfort, and love and together we can watch for God to demonstrate Himself and use this opportunity to grow in faith. That He is to be honored and glorified is not selfishness on God’s part and disregard for our suffering, but rather a demonstration of His caring intimately for us as He continually rescues us, comforts us, and opens our eyes to see Him for who He really is! Our God is worthy of our praise!

And Lot Went With Him

“God doesn’t have grandchildren – only children.” I’ve heard that phrase countless times in many different settings. We all know that it means each one of us must make a personal commitment to accept God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ because we won’t be able to ride to heaven on the coattails of our parents.

Many times I have looked at the story of Abram and Lot and noticed that Lot’s life was not nearly as fulfilling as Abram’s. Today, as I was reading the story of their journey again, something stood out to me that helps me understand more why that might be. In the beginning, Terah ‘took’ Abram, Sarai, and Lot with him when he left Ur. After Terah died, Abram was called by the Lord to “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you… so Abram left as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.” Genesis 12:1-4 Later, “Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him.” Genesis 13:1.

We don’t see Lot talking with the Lord or committing to obeying the Lord. We only see him going along for the ride with Abram. Maybe he liked adventure. Maybe he saw something in Abram that he liked and was drawn to but didn’t see the need to purpose his life to obeying the Lord. For a time, at least, he was enjoying the blessings by hanging out with Abram.

But when their servants began to fight over pasture and water for their herds, Abram suggested they split ways. He gave Lot the first choice which way to go. And Lot (like many of us would) chose what he perceived to be the best. “Lot looked up and saw the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar.” Genesis 13:10

Now Lot is on his own. And when trouble comes to the land he is living in, he and all his family and possessions are taken as plunder by the conquering kings. When Abram hears about it, he takes 318 of the trained men born in his household and pursues them. They successfully recover the plunder including Lot and his family and return them to their home in Sodom. Abram is still looking out for Lot even though Lot is no longer ‘his responsibility’. God blessed Abram and his men with the strength to overcome the kings who had overcome Sodom. Lot once again benefits from Abram’s relationship with the Lord and seems to be content with that and not motivated to have his own relationship with the Lord.

Years later, when the Lord has made a covenant with Abram and renamed him Abraham, Lot is once more in trouble because the Lord is planning to destroy Sodom because of the great sin there. Abraham pleads with the Lord to not destroy Lot. And the Lord sends angels to remove Lot and his family before destroying the city. In that action, Lot loses everything – even his wife who seemed more attracted to what was left behind and not able to focus on what was ahead. Lot and two of his daughters survived and lived in a cave because they were afraid to stay in Zoar. So Lot has escaped with his life, but the ‘good life’ he had in Sodom is a thing of the past. Lot doesn’t ever seam to recover from that because he has never sought his own relationship with the Lord. Even in his distress, he didn’t seem to understand that it was the Lord leading and protecting Abraham and that he could experience that too if he were to be obedient to the Lord. He was content to ‘take care of himself’ and not ‘need the Lord’.

I wonder how often I am content to ‘take care of myself’ and ‘not need the Lord’ and how many blessings I walk away from because I am too busy to listen and be obedient to what the Lord is calling me to do. It is so very easy to get caught up in the daily living things, to develop ‘comfort habits’, to take the easy way that looks inviting, and to ignore the voice of God speaking into my life. When I look at the outcomes between Abraham and Lot, there is no comparison! Being obedient to God has a much, much better outcome than following my own desires.

Lord, please open my eyes to see and my ears to hear You. I desire to obey you, serving you with my whole life, holding nothing back. I know Abraham had to do a lot of hard things and I will too, but in the end, those hard things bring me closer to You and that is where I want to be. Thank You for Your great love and awesome grace through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus Wept

Sometimes, I feel guilty for feeling sad. God has done such awesome things and blessed me in so very many ways. But I still really miss having our son around here in the flesh. Today is one of those days. And as the sadness washes over me, I find myself apologizing to God for feeling this way.

But the Spirit within my quietly says, “Jesus wept.” And I remember, there are at least two very specific times Jesus wept. One was when He was looking over Jerusalem and agonizing that they would not recognize Him for who He was – God with them in the flesh; and that their hearts were so far from Him. He wept over lost souls refusing to come to God. How lost are those who know the truth and yet refuse to believe it!

The other time was when He went to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus and Lazarus had died. Death caused Jesus to weep. Death came as the result of disobedience/sin. And Jesus had come to conquer death once and for all, to remove the fear of death and replace it with the knowledge and the hope of the resurrection and the promise we would be with Him for eternity. He knew all of that and yet He wept.

I often wonder what Jesus was thinking when He wept over Lazarus. I wonder if He was weeping for all of our pain and suffering we go through in this world because of sin. I wonder if He was weeping for all of us who have had to say good-bye to those we love for a time until we can be together in heaven. And I wonder if He was weeping because His good friend, Lazarus, had gone through the physical process of dying and His good friends Mary and Martha were in emotional distress and pain because of Lazarus dying. Even though He knew He was going to call Lazarus out of the grave, Jesus wept!

I wonder if He might also have been weeping knowing He too would be going through the suffering and death because of those whose hearts were hardened toward God. His earthly body was going to have to suffer and die too.

So today, as I weep, I know that Jesus is weeping with me. We are weeping because death is a horrible thing. We are weeping because there are so many who continue to turn their backs on God and refuse the blessings He has waiting for them. And we weep because there is still a lot of pain and struggle in this world. But even as we weep, we rejoice that Jesus did conquer death. We rejoice that we live with eternal hope because of God’s power demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus and the promise that we too will rise to be with Him. We rejoice because each day He waits to return, people are waking up and discovering new life walking with Him. We rejoice because this is not the end. There is more to come… much more… eternity in the presence of God our Father.

“Weeping will last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

Will the True Me Please Stand Up!

I wonder, who is responsible for people coming to faith in Christ Jesus? There are many answers to this question and many angles to come from. Ultimately, it is Christ Jesus himself. He says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:44 “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32

But as we go to the next level, I wonder, how does Jesus do this? And here is where it gets a bit more complicated. Sometimes, it seems He makes Himself known to people without the involvement of anyone else. They have a dream, see a vision, or something happens that they become aware of the true, living God and are transformed through that experience into true followers of Christ. Other times, they get there through a search – sometimes to prove God does not exist – and by reading the Bible and other historical documents, they come to believe in the true God and begin to follow His teachings.

But many times, it is by invitation of followers of Christ. While He doesn’t need to involve us in calling people to Himself, He often chooses to use us and let us be part of the experience. And here is where it can get very tricky. I am weary of hearing people say things like, “Christians who go to church think they have the truth. Well, I don’t see any difference in them more than anyone else. They are all just a bunch of hypocrites and I’m out of here!” Many times, it is an excuse they give themselves to not follow Christ but rather follow themselves, making themselves their god. But as a Christian, their accusation stings a bit and causes me to wonder about whether or not I am one of those ‘hypocrites’ who drive people further from the true, living God.

There is a list of sins in the last days in II Timothy 3:1-9. In the past, I have always thought these were sins of people outside of the church. But as I read this scripture today, some things caught my attention causing me to wonder how much of this is actually directed to people within the church, and might it be a definition of hypocrites. “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,… ungrateful,… unforgiving,… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power… always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth…”

Many of these are the subtle sins of the heart. They are related to motives for behaviors, not always easy to see, but even more damaging because of that. I wonder how many of us sit in church on Sunday morning listening to (learning) the truth, but never applying (acknowledging) it in our daily living. Are we allowing the Truth to sink in and transform our lives from the inside out? Paul says, “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.” Romans 12:2 God’s will is stated in II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” And in Matthew 18:14 “In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” And in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” And in John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

So I wonder, how can we live out God’s will that no one would perish? I believe there are several steps and it is an ongoing process. First, I need to seek after God with everything I have – to study His Word and let it sink in. Second, I need to open myself to His Holy Spirit living in me, to be obedient to His instruction and as I do this, He will be transforming my thinking – renewing my mind – so that I respond to others the way Christ responds to others. And third, I need to die to myself. As I die to my flesh, there is more room for Him to live through me. So in the end, it is still Christ calling others to Himself, but He is choosing to do it through me as I live in submission to His Spirit in me.

I do not want to be responsible for others turning away from Christ because I am a follower on the outside, but not transformed on the inside. So Lord, do your work in me. Show me where I am in need of repentance and change. Heal me and make me a true follower of Jesus Christ from the inside out. Make me into ‘salt’ and ‘light’ so others will know who You are. Amen