Tag: christian life

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The Ingredient for Holiness

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, or I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Welcome back to our second look at the recipe for holiness in our sanctification journey!  If you missed last week’s post and my quest for the perfect Southern buttermilk biscuit, click here!

In today’s scripture, Jesus reaches out His hand and yearns for you throughout the Gospels.  It’s like you’re His perfect buttermilk biscuit!  However, so many read the first line of this scripture and forget the rest.  How does that turn out in following a recipe?  

Jesus goes on to say, “take my yoke.”  That means to put it on and bear it.  You see, we all are yoked right now to something.  We are obedient and submissive to many worldly things.  The rules of the road, rules of propriety, relationship rules, government rules, corporate rules, and the modern virtual signaling rules.  We commit ourselves in obedience each day to them, seeking to be accepted, seen, and loved.  Yet when Jesus commands us to be obedient and submissive to Him, so many decide His rules leave a bad taste in their mouths.  

Unbelievers so often think of Christianity as a set of rules you have to follow.  Plus, plus a bunch of fun-filled ingredients of life you have to give up.  All the while, they search in futility for fulfillment of those nine life goals we talked about last week by being obedient to the culture and fleshly desires.  

Come and Belong

Jesus says, come, all you who are weary.  Weary of trying recipe after recipe to find a sense of belonging and being seen and understood.  Weary of the world’s weight on your shoulders, never feeling like you’re winning at life.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” Luke 9:23-25

Friends, I know Christians who yearn for good relationships yet harbor unending unforgiveness.  Others turn their backs on God’s demand for submissiveness as they write up their own life plan to which God must submit.  There are plenty of Christians who seek treasure over Christ.  Man’s approval rather than God’s eternal love.  There are so many miserable Christians wearing God’s head chef hat.

Come and Enjoy

We can enjoy all the goodness God offers today.  The ingredients for the life we all so desperately desire can be found in His Word.  Throw off sexual immorality, despise greed and selfishness, forgive even your enemies, and be loving and a peacemaker to all.  If we know His Word and we have seen Him at work at our most desperate hours, how can we continue to just dip our finger in the cake batter and call us “done?”  I want to be the finished product that God desires for me, don’t you? 

If Jesus, on the eve of His death, could pray, “Your will, not mine” to the Father, then shouldn’t we? 

Christian friend, are you just a churchgoer, someone knowledgeable about God?  Have you gone through trials and learned God loves you?  And yet when you hear His voice speaking to you through His Word, you either pretend it doesn’t apply to you or you flat out ignore what He asks of you.  

He says “forgive” and you won’t.  He says “give” and you don’t.  He commands you to love and you say you can’t.  You are missing out on God’s gloriously good gifts.  True fulfillment means casting off being worried about what the world (and your family and friends) thinks of you. We put on Jesus’ yoke of obedience and submission. 

Come to Eternal Happiness

I may not yet know how to make the perfect buttermilk biscuit.  But I do know the recipe for eternal happiness.  It’s written out in 66 God-breathed books.  Ask yourself today what you are refusing to do for God?  He has a great recipe for your life.  But He needs you to put on your apprentice apron and get to the work He has laid out for you.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8

This week’s question: What is the one thing you continually refuse to be obedient or submissive to God about?

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Day 6 All of My Days

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Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:10

According to a University of California Irvine study, it takes an average of 23 minutes after having been distracted to get back to the task at hand.  Now imagine if that “task at hand” was to stay on the narrow path laid out by Jesus in His famous Sermon on the Mount – “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.”  Keeping our mind and body focused on the goodness and mercy of God.  On how much He loves us.  And responding to Him throughout our day in obedience and gratefulness.  

There’s never a moment, not ever, that the Lord of all creation has forgotten you.  He knows every single thing about you.  He has plans and blessings for you; not just for your earthly days but for all eternity.  

How often do we, however, forget about God?  We aren’t desperate for Him.  We don’t think to ask Him to help us.  Worse yet, we don’t think He will help us.  We get distracted by all the flashing billboards along that narrow path luring us to take the off ramps and spend a little time (or a lot) seeking pleasure or life that fits in so nicely with the rest of the world.  Every off ramp leading us further away from His loving arms.

Each time a friend, a pastor, a word here or there, or the Holy Spirit nudges us back to the path you have to wonder, how much time did we waste that could’ve been spent doing His will.  Serving someone He wanted us to bless?  Or even strengthening us for future trials?  

23 minutes each time we are distracted.  Add up all those times we chose not to go to church, not read our Bibles, not go to Bible study, not choose the narrow path.  I know for me that adds up to a lot of days.  Thank goodness for His free flowing mercy!  

I spent a lot of years being distracted by the world.  But I am forgiven.  I’ve joined up with the narrow path.  We need to keep our face lifted to the God who loves us all of the rest of our days.  Won’t you join me?

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Enjoying The Surrender

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Part One of our look at Ecclesiastes Two

A friend of mine recently surrendered a bitter, past hurt over to the Lord.  She started with obedience, albeit reluctantly she admits.  The pain caused by her last church has been difficult to overcome.  She told me she’s been praying one of the best prayers you could ever pray: “Help me imitate Jesus.”  As part of a study about revival we’ve been doing she’s also spent a lot more time just listening for God’s Word.  Not asking, pleading, telling, or even praising.  Just listening.  And He has spoken.

You see my friend used to love teaching children the Word of God.  At her old church she was deeply involved in children’s ministry.  After a tumultuous pastor change and the subsequent wrangling for top dog positions within the church, a few staff members were laid off without warning.  She was one of them.  She had given her whole heart over to the ministry and felt betrayed.  It caused her to pronounce she would never work in children’s ministry again, ever.  

And then in January we opened Pastor Robby Gallaty’s study on revival titled, Revive Us.  He encouraged us to spend time with God starting with just five minutes of quiet time.  We soon worked our way up to 15, then 20 and finally 30 minutes.  Over the course of the next two months, we shared what God showed us.  A word here and there, a vision of being loved, a message of strength, a picture of His majesty.  

For my friend?  After praying yet again on how to imitate Jesus, she found herself in her quiet time with a vision of a beach scene.  A man teaching little children at the edge of the sea.  Love abounded from child to teacher and teacher to child.  The teacher turned and looked at her and smiled.  It was Jesus.  She was overcome with tears; real tears streaming down her face in realization that to imitate Jesus would be to do the one thing she had refused.  To do the one thing she knew God had gifted her.  To teach the children.

So, although she had obeyed the week prior and told her new church she would dip a toe in to Sunday school the next week by “observing” she said it with trepidation.  That vision, given to her the day before she was to serve, filled her with love and joy.  When she walked into the children’s ministry department the administrator was so happy to see her – they were short leaders in Kindergarten.  “Would she take on the class?” she was asked.  Without any hesitation my friend agreed.  You should have heard the joy in her voice when she told us how she was immediately loved by the children, how she danced and sang, how she was filled with the Holy Spirit.  How she was healed!

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. " Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

Juxtapose my friend’s experience at Sunday School with King Solomon in chapter 2.  The richest man in the world at the time.  He had everything at his fingertips.  He built palace after palace.  He made large parks and orchards.  He had plenty of female slaves to do his every (and I mean every) bidding.  He had singers, dancers, gold, silver, food, drink – all the delights of a man’s heart (Ecc 2:8).  And he was miserable.  He was seeking meaning and purpose.  He tried buying it and building it and owning it.

The abundant life is to be found in “treasuring up for God” rather than for self.”

Kenneth Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes

What did my friend have?  A humble servant heart, slightly broken and needing mending.  She didn’t seek to enrich her life.  She asked to serve the One True God, Jesus Christ.  So, He gave her 10 little, beautiful faces that Sunday.  Little children who were eager to be her new friend and to mend her heart.

I read once that we should look at ourselves as channels not reservoirs of joy.  Meaning we don’t store up all the blessing for ourselves but rather send them on to others.  Pastor Gallaty reminded us of this truth.  Through intercessory prayer and acts of service we become those channels.

If revival coming to your family or community depended on your prayers, would it come?”  

Pastor Robby Gallaty

When our prayer life and subsequent actions serve only to enrich ourselves, we find our situation mirroring Solomon’s.  Striving and chasing wealth, status, knowledge and even wisdom – with God as a supplemental figure or not thought of at all, really.  When our seeking pleasure or even “peace” is above all else we miss the beautiful work of God He wants to do in our life.  

"A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil.  This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. " Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

My pastor recently asked us if we are committing our lives to God or surrendering them.  What’s the difference you might ask?  I’m glad you asked! Join me for my next post Enjoying the Surrender Part Two! Click here.

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To Be The 3rd Man

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During the last five years or so I started gaining the dreaded hormonal weight. As a woman over 50 I’ve watched a donut grow around my waist.  Being tall, I can frequently hide this mysterious weight gain but I know it’s there.   So of course, I decided to try and diet my belly away.  I successfully lost weight through a program called Noom, multiple times.  Yes, after about a year of relishing my new body, the weight crept back on.  My second stint with Noom saw the same weight loss and eventual gain.  I constantly blame myself for failing to have enough self-control so I don’t become “fat grandma” instead of “fit grandma.”  And while I do recommend the Noom program – which isn’t really a diet at all but rather a healthier way of looking at food – it lacks one feature that would make it complete.  God.

The Christian way of self-control is not “Just say no!” The problem is with the word “just.” You don’t just say no. You say no in a certain way: You say no by faith in the superior power and pleasure of Christ. It is just as ruthless. And may be just as painful. But the difference between worldly self-control and godly self-control is crucial. Who will get the glory for victory? That’s the issue. Will we get the glory? Or will Christ get the glory? If we exercise self-control by faith in Christ’s superior power and pleasure, Christ will get the glory.”

John Piper, The Fierce Fruit of Self-Control

How many times in your life have you sought to abstain or control a behavior that is destructive or just isn’t serving you well by thinking, “I just need to say no!” ?  And yet over and over you fail.  Sometimes in little bits and sometimes with flair.  It seems the one thing we tell ourselves over and over not to do is exactly what we find ourselves doing.  But take heart, we are not alone.

“ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Romans 7:15-20

Paul, we feel your pain.  He sounds exactly like the second type of man that C.S. Lewis describes in his essay about the three types of man.  The one we looked at in the last post who has a divided mind.  Thankfully, Paul does not leave us in this fretful state.  He makes a right turn into Mr. Lewis’ third man.

“Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” ….” Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 7:24-25 & 8:1-2

A life free from sin, death and I might add, shame.  Sounds like a pretty good place to be, doesn’t it?  How do we get there?  How do we stop being double-minded, trying to put our weight on that wobbly rock and instead on the only solid rock we need?  First, by declaring Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  And secondly, turning our entire life over to Him.

You see, the third man in Mr. Lewis’ essay has done something violent.  They have fiercely killed their old self.  All their time, their thoughts, their actions, emotions, belong to God which means it also belongs to them because they are His.  It is a daily choice to submit their all to Him.  This man is joyfully obedient, not sullenly dragged to do good.

The abundant life is a choice you make day by day to embrace God who created you to be.  Becoming the masterpiece God formed you to be is a lifelong process, but it is worth it because of the beautiful, unique reflection you become of your Savior.”  

Charles Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

The first time I realized the cycle of failure in not including God in seeking a better, fruit-filled life was when I attempted to stop cursing.  Throughout my day I told myself to not curse.  Of course, I found myself doing it more!  My thoughts were placed on the wobbly rock – my own self.  And cursing was what was on my mind.  It wasn’t until I placed them in the Holy Spirit’s hands that I found success.  When in trigger situations I turned to God, even for a brief moment.  “What would He want out of me right now? Anger or love?”

“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13

Friend, just as in all the other Fruits of the Spirit, biblical self-control is not the same as the world’s.  The world says, “Try harder.  And when you fail, sit in shame.”  God, on the other hand, assumes you cannot be the only member in this fight of wills.   He tells us to put on our full armor – His Word, salvation, peace, truth, the righteousness gifted to you, and the shield of faith.  We take this armor and call it trust.  Trusting in the only solid rock that can hold our weight and get us safely to the other side of the river.  

When you see the words “self-control,” don’t jump to all the things you contemplated in your personal inventory and think, “I can fix this.”  Instead, drop to your knees and cry out to the Holy Spirit for help.  As the two of you begin a new life and new self together you will find your “have to’s” turning in to “get to’s.”  Your new self allows the light of the Lord to shine on all areas of your heart and mind. 

For me, I stop thinking about cursing and turn to love and kindness and gentleness.  For others they stop being angry and unforgiving and experience patience and peace and joy.  We stop obsessing over our needs, for our bodies, our hearts and minds and instead ask God what He wants of us.  In other words, we stop growing weeds and start blooming and living a full Christian life.

Thank you for joining me on this journey through the Fruit of the Spirit! Be sure to follow the blog to receive your notice about the next series!

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:19-25
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Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

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A few years ago, one of my daughters was going through some really tough stuff.  If you are a mother, you know how much it hurts to watch your child go through trials.  On top of her situation, I was struggling with my own demons, you might say.  I found myself standing in my bedroom crying.  Feeling so much hopelessness and despair.  And betrayal.  Not by any earthly being, but betrayal by God.  I looked up through my tears and yelled out, “That’s it.  I’m not going to believe in you anymore.  I’m done.”

And then I laughed.  Yes, I laughed.  Because God turned right around and said to me, “If you don’t believe in me then why are you talking to me?”  It’s impossible to feel betrayed by something you don’t believe exists!  He made it clear to me He wasn’t going anywhere.  I then needed to decide if I was going to stay as faithful to Him as He has always promised to be to me.

For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. Psalm 117:2

God’s faithfulness to us lowly humans has never really been in question.  It started in Genesis 1 when He created the heavens and the earth and then mankind.  He made it clear that this beautiful, bountiful place we call home was designed for us.  To sustain us and to bring us joy.  And although scientists have yet to confidently determine the age of this planet, we can at least say it’s been here longer than we have.  He carefully prepared the table for us and continues to have it serve His beloved people.

“Sometimes His work goes on quickly, and sometimes it goes on slowly.  Man is frequently impatient and thinks that nothing is being done.  But humanity’s time is not God’s time.  A thousand years in His sight are but as a single day.  The great Builder makes no mistakes.  He knows what He is doing.  He sees the end from the beginning. 

 J.C. Ryle

This week as we look at the fruit of the spirit: faithfulness, I will venture into three areas.  First, today, the faithfulness of God to us.  Then the opposite path –our faithfulness to Him.  And last, how our fruit of faithfulness sees its work in the world. 

I think it’s almost a given now that in each era theologians, pastors, Christians, and even non-believers determine “this is it.”  The world is coming to an end.  Some have found “proof” that the goings on of man are evidence that we are in the end times found in Revelations.  But it’s the view of the “end” taken so often that is fascinating.  The idea that God is now so done with us that He is going to rain down fire and smote the wicked has reared up throughout the ages.

To be sure, God keeps His promises.  He has since the first covenant with man.  And this version of the world, as we know it will one day end.  Many would view that as a scary and unloving idea.  That is, if we didn’t see God as loving and ever-faithful.

If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by His Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.

Charles Spurgeon

When my Bible Study Girls decided to delve into the book of Revelations many of us did so with trepidation. We were told by pastors and others how difficult and, at times, worrisome, the book can be.  In the end, what we learned was God is a faithful and merciful God.  He is working right now to create a New Eden.  One that sees no pain or suffering.  One where love reigns supreme.  Evil exists no more.  A place where the complete fulfillment of His covenant with man is revealed.  The only thing we have to do is be faithful in return.

My friends, God has never left us.  He’s not planning to, ever.  He has shown up in your life every, single day. Yes, even when it felt too hard.  Has He solved all your problems?  No.  Has He provided a path toward all your problems being solved one day?  Yes.  He has never stopped loving you or me.  

Of all the fruits of the spirit, it is faithfulness that can teach us so much about God and how to blossom in the other fruit.  Faithfulness is not just about knowing God.  As James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God.  Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.”  No, faithfulness is about stick-to-it-ness because you love and respect something so much.

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
    through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. Psalm 89:1-2

God has never disappeared.  Even during the most horrific events in time.  Even during the worst of situations now.  When you seek Him, you will definitely see Him.  And He will say, “Keep talking to me.  I’m not going anywhere.”

Coming up: Our Faithfulness to the Father

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The Fruit of Love: The Royal Command

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In March of this year a young woman walked in to a Tennessee church’s school and shot and killed three 9-year old children and three adults.  She was described as  “transgender” and a person with emotional problems.  If you weren’t already aware of this terrible tragedy you are now.  And my question is, as a Christian, how will you do in loving her?  In showing her mercy and forgiveness?  I can be honest in saying it wasn’t my first or even second reaction.  As I was working on this new series about the fruit of the spirit I was challenged, however, to do just that – to love someone who seems unworthy of that love. 

You may be familiar with the stories of Jesus and the disciples coming face-to-face with what were called “demon-possessed” people.  Here’s one such story from Matthew 8:

“28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” 30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. “

You notice the line: “They were so violent that no one could pass that way.”  I imagine the townspeople hated and feared these men.  Yet, Jesus healed them.  He loved them, just as He loved the townspeople who didn’t know Him and were so frightened of His abilities they sought to drive Him out of town.  He loved these two men just like He loved the disciples standing next to Him.  These vile, dangerous, murderous men.  He loved them enough to not leave them sick and imprisoned with whatever demons had infested their brains.  He freed them to live the life God intended.  And although I cannot have hope for the Tennessee shooter’s soul – because the actions led to her death – I can grieve out of love that her heart, mind and soul had been twisted by this world.

As the vitriol around the world has increasedI can’t help but see the fertile ground we have tilled for Satan to blossom.  For modern demons to take root in people’s minds and hearts.  The angry faces on the news, the destruction of property, the glee people express when someone they don’t like is “brought down” – it’s all symptoms of a world turning toward fleshly pursuits rather than the eternal.  And love?  Even love has become distorted. 

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35

Loving our enemies has become, instead, love whatever people do and whatever they desire.  On the contrary, Jesus’ reaction to every single person He met, whether murderous or not, was that living sinfully led to eternal death.  The wordly version of “love”—do whatever feels good — was never His message.  When we hand out needles to drug addicts we aren’t loving them, we are helping them destroy themselves.  When we turn a blind eye to fellow Christians living sexually immoral lives, we aren’t loving them, we are giving them a fast track pass to slavery.  

This challenge to love one another as Jesus did faces us Christian almost daily.  What does this love look like?  How can we love a person who kills innocent children and adults, at a church, no less?  It seems too impossible.  And it is.  

I recently heard Pastor Wayne Barber say, “True faith, real faith results in an obedient person of God.  The obedience is the bloom, the fruit.” That fruit cannot be created by us just as I cannot make the lettuce grow in my garden.  God creates the seed, the soil, the water, the sun and the mystery of how it all comes to together.  All He asks of me is to plant what He provides.  To water it and then enjoy it.  As with all the fruits of the Spirit in us it’s a melding of the work the Spirit does in me and the actions I choose to take in order to fully enjoy those fruits.  Or put it this way: to do the one thing I have available to honor God’s provisions in my life – to glorify Him with my daily actions and worship.  So how does the impossible become possible?  This week we will look at three ways to live fully in bloom with the fruit of love.

Firstly, as a Christian seeking to do God’s will and live a life in full bloom, we need to accept this concept of love is not a choice.  It is a command.  It is the Royal Command from Jesus.  

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

Jesus loved Judas.  Need we say more?  He loved the pharisees who hated Him.  He loves you.  Yes, you, who sins on a daily basis.  You grieve the Holy Spirit probably every day in some way or another.  Either by ignoring that person in need, holding on too tightly to your treasure, having an inner hatred for someone, not forgiving that relative, taking the Lord’s name in vain, being selfish, and more.  Yet He loves you.  You’ve stepped on His foot more times than He would want to count.  You’ve disregarded Him.  Ignored Him.  Falsely testified about Him or maybe even pretended you didn’t know Him.  And He loved you.  He loves you and me enough not to want us wallowing in our sinful chains but rather seeking Him to blossom and live in freedom.

I tell you my friend, the opposite of love is hatred.  And hatred kills.  It imprisons us.  It creates an ugliness that permeates into every pore of our being.  It is that hatred or anger I came to realize, along with my  pride, being the root of a very bad habit — my cursing.  I’ve tried for many, many years to stop.  It wasn’t until I realized the Spirit was already in me and I was fighting against it that the seedling of love for others began to sprout.  The Holy Spirit, sent to guide us until Jesus’ return, is living in every one of us who has accepted Jesus as our Savior.  It is there, showing us, guiding us, admonishing us.  It’s the tap on our shoulder saying, “Be kind.  Forgive her.”  It’s the great battle of whether we let the outer world rule our hearts or the inner world of the Holy Spirit take control.

When considering this command to love, especially those who have harmed us or others, take a moment to consider Saul. He hated the Jews and especially Jewish Christians.  He was murderous, feared and downright despicable.  He terrorized and destroyed communities.  And on his way to Damascus to do more damage, oblivious to God’s love for him, Jesus sought him out.  He brought light into the darkness of Saul’s heart.  The conversion of Saul to the ever-faithful disciple of Christ, Paul, might be the greatest love and rescue story in all history.  He was loved even in his blackest days.  Loved enough to be sought after by Jesus.  He didn’t have to accept this change – because the life path set before him would be the most difficult he would ever face.  But he did.  In doing so the Christians around him were also faced with a difficult decision – to love him as Jesus did.  To love him even though.  Imagine Paul coming into a community he had torn asunder.  They stood at the edge with a decision to make.  To show the world what real faith looks like or to turn their backs on God.

I once read that God is love.  He made us from His love to enjoy this world along with Him.  When He sent His Son for our final cleansing He was telling us, “I know you’ve messed up beyond belief.  I want you to be made righteous to stand next to me in all eternity.”  An eternal bond of love, never to be broken again.  He’s asking us to mirror that for all the world to see.  To live in the hope that Jesus can cleanse a blackened heart.  And in doing so the owner of that heart may take his or her place next to us as children of the One Most High.  So today, think of who you seem unable to love.  Ask God, ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse your heart and bring about a tender sprout of love.  Have faith, real faith, without doubting.  I know hard it sounds.  I’ve done it.  I love a few people who don’t seem to deserve it based on the world’s rules.  When I did as Jesus commanded it changed my life completely.

Coming up: Hatred breeds the weeds in our heart.

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The Christian Life In Full Bloom

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She said it with a slight sadness in her voice yet behind it was also feeling of joy and hope.  “I only became a Christian three years ago,” she spoke in a confession-like tone.  We all sat back in confusion.  This woman, this seemingly long-faithful daughter of Christ, who grew up in church and even worked for years at a church, was revealing something so personal and at odds with her religious past.  

“But you accepted Christ as your savior a long time ago,” I maintained.  “Yes, but it wasn’t until three years ago that I began to understand what it meant and what the life He wants for me looks like,” she declared. 

I call that her “Claritin Clear” moment.  You might have seen those commercials for the allergy medicine where a person miserable with allergies sees life through a foggy, sneezy lens.  And upon taking the medicine, the foggy lens is peeled away, revealing a clear view look at life.  Unfortunately for Christians, it’s not as easy as taking a pill to finally get to this moment.  But when you do, you’ll find yourself feeling like you’ve entered another realm, peering back through the foggy looking glass which shows chaos, hatred, unforgiveness, immorality and more blackness.  The brokenness that God never intended for our lives.  The danger could be to regret how long it took you to get to the other, clearer side.  But that would only mean you still have one foot left to drag over.  Because, my friend, the life Jesus wants for us looks nothing like regret.  Nothing like chaos, only joy and peace and forgiveness.  It looks like freedom

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

I was listening to the amazingly smart pastors over at The White Horse Inn podcast the other day and as usual they nailed this concept.  In their discussion about The Law and our Christian understanding of it, they pointed listeners to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5).  Starting at verse 21 Jesus seems to make being a “good Christian” an even more difficult task than just following the basic 10 Commandments:

 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. 

Yikes!  Here I was thinking, “well, I haven’t murdered anyone to date and I’m good about going to church and praying so I must be doing swell.”  Yet, Jesus ups the ante.  Because I don’t know about you but I was pretty angry with someone just last night! Pastor Bob Hiller goes on to reveal in the podcast that Jesus doesn‘t want to just change our behavior but our heart, thereby freeing us.  And heart-change can only happen in partnership with Him and the Holy Spirit.  If you have ever tried not getting angry at someone who has clearly done you wrong, and instead with true grace and forgiveness turned your cheek, you know how difficult it can be.  

A few months ago, I realized my consistent prayers of trying to fix a bad habit – cursing – were focused on the entirely wrong problem.  Cursing was simply a product of a wrong heart, an angry heart, a prideful heart.  When I had that “Claritin Clear” moment my prayers changed to reflect the great blessings Christ left with us when sent someone in His place to be with us, the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17).  This Spirit of Truth, the Advocate, our Teacher, shows us the true life God wants for us while we walk on this earth.  It’s a life of love, a life of peace and mercy, of freedom, a life in full bloom.  It’s a journey of sanctification so that our behavior can reveal the good work He is doing in us.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

When I took a step toward Christ saying, “I don’t want to live in anxiety, anger and chaos” the Spirit showed me the other side of that looking glass.  It’s a place I want to live the rest of my days.  How about you?  Please join me on this 9-week journey as we look at A Christian Life in Full Bloom starting May 1. Be sure to follow the blog to receive your weekly Full Bloom post!

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Peace-Creating Discipline

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For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly. Proverbs 5:23

Charles Spurgeon, one of the most prolific pastors of all time said just a few weeks before his death, “I look back, and remember what I might have done and have not done; what opportunities of usefulness I have not seized; what sins I have allowed to pass unrebuked; what struggling beginners in grace I have failed to help.”  A man who had spoken to millions.  Who brought the good news of Jesus’ healing lights to so many, this man in all humility felt he could have done more.  

How many of us can say we have used our time as wisely for the Lord?  How many of us have instead placed so many other activities ahead of helping others out of their darkness?  Of allowing the Holy Spirit to help us out of our own darkness?

When we hear the words “Christian discipline” it may cause us to cringe or to worry about what will be required of us or what we will have to give up.  It sounds harsh and monk-like.  Our thoughts on it may be borrowed from what the world may think of Christians – joyless, rule followers.  However, we are told throughout Proverbs that God’s idea of discipline is actually a lifesaver, peace creator, and joy maker.  

Because God loves all of us – believer and non – He yearns for us to live on the disciplined path.  One that seeks to keep us from the darkness of sexual immorality, greed, self-importance, violence, and more.  

Christian discipline includes these aspects: spiritual, social, physical and mental.  Each, when practiced close in hand with Jesus, is intended to live the full, beautiful, peaceful and joy-filled life God wants for us.  When we stay in His Word and prayer, when we are careful and loving with our relationships with others, when we are good stewards of our bodies, and when we keep our thoughts free of lust, greed and self, we will find our paths simpler.  Our decisions about life get easier.  That’s not to say we won’t encounter push back from the world or even trials.  But in the midst of all that life will throw at us, our Christian discipline will keep the path forward clear.  

Heavenly Father, help me to develop a disciplined life that aligns with your Word so that I may become more like Jesus and experience the life you intend for me.  Amen

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His Mercy

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“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” Proverbs 25:2

Heavenly Father, King above all kings, you know my sinful heart and yet you love me.  You know my sinful ways yet you love me.  You know my idolatries that I struggle to get out from under yet somehow you forgive me and love me.  I reach out to you Lord in all your mystery and glory and thank you for the mercy only you can give.  Amen

I was asked in a study to write down all the reasons why I pray.  I listed thankfulness, requests, intercession, praise and repentance.  I was then asked to circle the reason that comes up most in my prayer life.  I have to admit “repentance” wasn’t one of them.  Thankfulness is probably the most frequent expression I find in my prayer life.  And it’s usually related to blessings – not for keeping me from the fires of my sinful ways.

A few years ago, I finally grasped the concept of God’s mercy with this helpful saying, “Mercy is when you don’t get what you deserve and grace is when you get something you don’t deserve.”  Boy, should I be constantly thanking God for His mercy!  

"Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions." Psalms 51:1

The problem is we sometimes lack of awareness of our destructive swaths we create through sin.  Realizing that, we should find it even more amazing that God gives us believers His mercy.  He doesn’t always save us from earthly consequences but we know that when Jesus returns to judge the earth we won’t be thrown into the fire.  What a glorious and loving God!

God has not asked us to wander bewildered by our transgressions and consequences.  From beginning to end He has set the stage for our success.  Through first giving us the Law, therefore defining sin, then sending Christ to teach us about God, how to live the Christian life and best of all, cleansing us of eternal punishment, He has taught us how to align ourselves with His ways.  The Holy Spirit, which He left to dwell in us, provides us a daily conduit to keep us on track.  

Friend, He thought of everything because He is our Glorious God!  His mercy is our safety net.  He knew we would struggle, and boy do we ever!  Maybe you, like me need to tune in better to the Holy Spirit before we pray today.  Ask Him to search our hearts and minds, like only the King of Kings can do.  Have Him show us those corners of our life that seem blind to us.  Let His glorious light shine to cleanse you.

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The Well-Worn Path

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Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

In the mid-1800s hundreds of thousands of pioneers left the comfort of their eastern homes beyond the Mississippi River and traveled West toward what we now call Oregon.  The result of those courageous pioneers is hundreds of miles of well-worn wagon wheel ruts.  In some places the gouges from the wagons extend four feet deep in the rock.  It became a symbol of being on the right path when your wagon wheels found the ruts for which to follow.  And because they were so deep it meant your wheels would stay true to that path.

And there lies the idea behind “being in a rut.”  A well-worn path that, in some cases, is a good place.  So often, however, the result of creating those paths in our lives leads us down roads we long to escape.  I wonder how many of us Christians find ourselves in a well-worn path that either isn’t to our liking or to God’s?  

The last few weeks we’ve looked at ways Christians are expected to stand apart, be held to a higher standard, and stand resolutely with Christ, not the world.  But for many of us that means climbing out of that four foot deep rut.  The rut of going along to get along.  The rut of living in half-truths such as only expressing love without truth or vice versa.  The rut of an unintentional life.  The rut of sitting in a church where you aren’t convicted or spurred to share the message of eternal life.  The rut of any number of sins.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. Psalm 91:9-10

The Apostle Paul was in a rut.  He followed half-truths taught by the Pharisees and then he, himself, passed those false truths along with a vengeance.  It wasn’t until Jesus abruptly entered his life and yanked him out of that four foot hole that he realized his state.  And when he did, he took the message in Psalm 91 to heart.  He pressed on and on staying close to Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  He trusted that although perils would befall him it would not stop him from his mission.  And thank God.  Because he, like you and I, was just a man.  A regular flesh and blood human.  A person filled with sinful ways.  Without his trust in God, without his life of intentionally following Jesus we wouldn’t have his wise words to guide us.  He was like Jesus in a sense that God wanted us to have a fleshly example to model.  Jesus clothed Himself in skin so he could endure our earthly life.  And endure it with full trust in God.   

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Psalm 91:14

Because He loves me just as much as He loved Paul, I know that I can live a bold life in the name of Jesus.  I know that even when hands come against me or when words try to hurt me, I will receive the ultimate promised prize.  And when we live a life in worldly ruts – cowering before our accusers, afraid of speaking our faith, staying in the shadows not helping pull our fellow travelers from the flame – we are saying to God, “I really don’t trust you to work all things for my good.”

The ruts we need to seek are the well-worn paths of the saints, not the sinners.  The paths that Jesus has laid out for us are so clearly defined in His Word.  We need to look for them as parents, as spouses, as co-workers, as sisters in Christ, as citizens.  

He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Psalm 91:15-16

We can’t do this alone my friends.  Through praying in the Spirit (not the flesh), through Christian fellowship, good teaching, and constantly living with God just ahead of us as our pioneer guide we can accomplish everything He asks of us.  And He will satisfy us with salvation and the glory of heaven.

Friends, what well-worn worldly paths are you living in?  Is it your parenting style?  Or maybe you’ve flipped the script in your marriage.  Are you in too deep with equating your faith with your politics?  Have you forgotten that God sees and knows every word you speak, every emotion that lies in our heart?  Are you taking advantage of God’s promised salvation and disobeying Him without repentance?   It’s time to stop in our tracks and look up to the edge of the rut.  Stick out your hand and ask the Holy Spirit for a leg up.  You can do it, we can do it.  You are not alone.

Join me starting November 1-30 for 30 Days of Thankfulness!