Tag: god

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Oh, To Be Wise

krisshetter

They kept begging me to run for PTA president.  Having served on a PTA nominating committee I know how difficult it can be to fill two key positions – president and treasurer.  At least the treasurer can hide from people, but the president must stand in front of rooms filled with either at best bored or at worst annoyed parents.  My children attended an elementary school with almost 1,300 students K-5.  We put on large community events.  And our parents and teachers were very demanding.  On top of this, our school was about to go through a few major changes.  I told them “no.”  Actually, what I told them was: “You don’t want me to be your president.  You won’t like how I will clean up the ‘old boys’ way of doing things.”   But they kept asking. 

Eventually I caved.  I recall clearly after I said yes, I finally prayed for the first time.  “Lord, help this not to have been a mistake.”   I did that a lot many years ago.  You know, make a decision and then beg God to make it turn out ok.  I’m pretty sure King Solomon didn’t write a proverb saying, “Decide, then pray for your will be done.”

I should’ve watched Harper Valley PTA before I said, “Yes.

As I moved along on my Christian spiritual growth chart, I realized that order of things was a bit backward.  With each switching up of the order of prayer vs. action, I was getting closer to the concept in Ephesians 5: 15-16, “Be careful then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. 

James 1: 5-8 challenges believers to wise decision making.  He gives us the action we must take (asking God for wisdom) and the result of not accepting and acting on that wisdom (double mindedness).

‘’If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you;  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

James 1: 5-8

You see, had I prayed to God in the midst of being asked to take on such a large role as PTA president I would’ve acted in God’s name, not mine.  If he told me to do it, I would know I had His strength to aid me in difficult times because it was His will not mine.  If I was told to not do it then I would’ve been able to clearly and confidently say, “no thank you.” And importantly – not feel guilty about it.

There are two ways to seek wisdom – spiritually and earthly.  While we can take both paths together, if we only use earthly knowledge, we live without an anchor to truly define what is “right” and “good.”  That is the Humanists’ approach.  They make decisions more based on what feels right or good or what society deems worthy or correct.  But God is immovable.  His Word never changes.  When we use that as a touchstone for our lives, we know we start our wisdom journey on solid ground.  God has all the solutions — while we can usually only see them in a narrow, protective framework.  

Charles Spurgeon once said, “How foolish would the believer be who would lay up his treasure anywhere except heaven?”  In other words, you only have one life to live.   It’s precious and what you create, such as children, are precious.  Why would you ask the world how to live your life, raise your kids, invest your money, use your time, instead of God?   He went on to say, “Change is written on the forehead of nature so don’t put your trust in earthly things.”  This reminded me of a friend I had at an old job.  She had her kids in the 1970s.  With her first child she was told by the nurses to absolutely not breastfeed her child.  It was imperative that women not be tied down to a child and instead be free to do whatever she pleased.  When her second child came along the winds had shifted.  She was encouraged to breastfeed.  She cried as she told me what she realized she missed out on with her first child – the bonding and loving moments breastfeeding affords.  She was angry she had let a nurse decide for her what was right and good. 

Warren Wiersbe defines God-given wisdom this way, “Wisdom keeps us in harmony with the principals and purposes that the Lord has built into His world so that as we obey God, everything works for us and not against us.”  I don’t know about you but I’d like to know more about how to get things to work for me and not against me!  

Step 1 for gaining that sort of wisdom – praying.  

But not just any praying.  Praying for His will to be done, not ours.  Praying for wisdom and good discernment means asking God to light the way for us.  He alone knows ALL the possible solutions and outcomes.  We can only know a limited number of solutions, based on our limited knowledge and emotions.  We can’t possibly know the outcomes.  When we pray to God for our will we need to be careful He might just give us what we keep asking for – and that can frequently be exactly what we don’t need.  God tailors our teaching based on where we are in our spiritual growth.  He might give us a little leeway or He might admonish us.  But we will definitely learn a lesson if we listen and pay attention.

Step 2 in our wisdom growth is listening.  

James 1: 19 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this, we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”  After we’ve prayed, we need to shut up and listen.  He will speak to you.  But if we keep yammering on to him, our friends, people we don’t even know on social media, we will assuredly miss His voice.  We need to be like Jesus – slow down and hear from God.  Instead we frequently start worrying and researching and talking and fretting and more worrying.  In my study group we asked the question: “What are some challenges that come with obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit?”  We all agreed that discerning whether it is God or our own voice (or worse, Satan) speaking is the greatest challenge.  The solution is knowing the character of God.  Thankfully, there’s a complete autobiography about God at our fingertips – the Bible.

Step 3 is reading His word.  

I’ve heard people call Christians “sheep.”  The assumption is that we don’t need to think for ourselves once we turn our lives over to Christ.  But we don’t put our minds on a shelf and stop thinking.  In fact, we must turn our lives to more active thinking and discernment when we become Christians.  One of my BSGs (Bible Study Girls) and I were talking the other day and she told me she was glad the Bible can be read at different understanding levels.  She says she has always had a more difficult time delving deeper and between the lines – not just when it comes to reading the Bible but any literature.  She appreciates those of us that have that skill.  That is the beauty of the Bible and God’s gifts.  One friend of mine sent out a text that said, “The Bible is the only book that as you read it, it reads you.”  Amen to that! 

There are a few books in the Bible considered “wisdom books” but the most recognizable is Proverbs.  The words “wise” or “wisdom” are used 125 in this book.  Its wise words are made to be memorized since the people of that time didn’t have access to books.  One liners can be easily remembered such as:

“Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it, resist them.” 28:4

“Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.” 29:1

“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” 21:9

“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting and strife.” 17:1

Then there’s longer, deeper instruction such as Proverb 1: 32-33

“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me (wisdom/God) will live in safety and be at ease without fear or harm.”

And Proverb 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all ways submit to Him and he will make your path straight.”

I wish I had read that one before deciding to be a PTA president.  From day 1 the bickering and strife and lies and hurts I faced were almost unbearable.  I cried to the Lord for help.  His help came in the form of wisdom – how to pray first, listen second, and read His Word third and then act.  

In my Bible study library I now have Bible commentaries, devotionals, books about prayer, apologetics books and more.  When I read a passage in the Bible that either seems confusing or sounds like a message I really need to hear, I pull out various other tools to help guide me, in addition to praying over the verse.  This has expanded my study time from about 15 minutes to about an hour.  It centers me for the day ahead and places my feet on His path.

Praying, listening, reading.   These steps help us to gain God’s wisdom.  Without taking these steps it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish God’s plan for us.  I love what Proverbs 8 says, speaking as God’s Wisdom:

“Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.  All the words of mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.  To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge.  Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

I am issuing a challenge today.  Take Proverbs and create a “Wise Words” list.  Create categories that each 1 liner falls into and place it in its category.  Some of the proverbs are repeated so you don’t need to write them again – but you might put a tick mark by the verse to show how many times it is mentioned.

For comments today, let us know a time that either 1) you didn’t pray and got yourself into a mess or 2) you heeded God’s word and realized what a blessing it was!

Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Show Me, Tell Me

krisshetter
Building A New Us In Christ

They didn’t want to add to our current, stressful situation.  My husband, their son, owns and operates residential Alzheimer’s care facilities and each day the state government was changing rules related to COVID-19.  The staff were worried, residents’ family members were worried. And true to my in-law’s gracious ways, they didn’t want to pile on more bad news.

You see, my precious mother-in-law had been diagnosed with uterine cancer.  When we talk about angels on Earth you’re talking about her.  When I picture her I see love.  I see goodness. She is one of my touchstones.  She’s a lot of people’s touchstones. During the last 32 years she has quietly guided my faith journey.  And she has cancer.

James leaps from the starting gate in his letter to the church with a challenging statement:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

James 1:2-3

A few years ago, that statement might have received the response, “Are you ‘cray, cray’?”  Meaning you’ve got to be kidding.  Not only “joy” but “pure joy.”  It reminds me of the scene in the movie Animal House — a pop culture film about a college fraternity. In it, actor Kevin Bacon is being initiated into the fraternity.  He is required to be harshly paddled by its members.  But not just paddled, he must also request the beating each time by yelling, “Thank you sir! May I have another!”  The pain is evident on his face with each whack.  Yet he knows he must ask for more to achieve his ultimate goal — membership.

While I don’t believe God wants us to be begging for trials, He knows in the course of our existence they will naturally come.  In Mark 10, Jesus tells the disciples that not only will they receive a hundred times what they have given up to follow Him but also persecutions.  Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to embrace our trials, whether from persecution, loss or affliction, so that our faith may mature.

A few years ago, I started hearing the term, “baby Christian.”  The implication being that we are born with our commitment to Christ and then grow with our faith.  We can choose to stay “baby Christians” just like we can also choose not to become mature adults.  It seems more obvious to the world when we see people who have opted to not get a job, educate themselves, learn to live on their own, have a solid bank balance, and take care of themselves.  You might have someone like that in your own family. Or you might be aiding in someone’s stunted path to maturity. What doesn’t always seem obvious is our stunted Christian spiritual growth.  It takes much of the same concerted effort to grow in our faith. To be at the place James calls us to — finding Pure Joy in the difficult times.

Where are you at on the Spiritual Growth Chart?

With James’ simple opening salvo he blasts us into paying attention. We can either 1) scoff and choose to ignore him as a crazy person or 2) say, “tell me how.”  In Luke 22:28 Jesus listens to a dispute among the disciples. They are arguing who is the better disciple (sounds like one of my PTA meetings).  He interrupts and tells them, “You are (all) those who have stood by me in my trials.”  His trials.  You see, Jesus was sent to not only verbally teach us our Father’s ways but to experience our earthly ways to show us how to handle them.  We mark our spiritual growth chart with each trial when we turn to Jesus and say, “you’ve been here, show me what to do.”  

There’s lots of self-help books out there to guide us to being mature adults. But the best book to read for both spiritual growth and worldly maturity is the Bible.  Every single book of the Bible talks about trials or persecution.  And without fail the solution is prayer. Not just any prayer. A personal plea.  A demanding of God’s blessing to rain down on us.  A clearing of our eyes to see the joy.  And then listening.  He will speak to you.

God uses nature to speak to us!

God rarely just throws us first into the fiery pit.  And even if he does, he is always with us.  That alone is a blessing for which to be thankful. With each trial, each persecution, He expects us to grow more trusting of Him. Yes, expects.  Dr. Charles Stanley’s Life Lesson #7 says, “The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.”  So, my advice to you, accept and learn early and as quickly as possible.  

With each trial thrown in your path you gain perseverance, patience and clarity of God’s presence. But we must do the work of asking Jesus, “Show me.”  I once told my Bible Study group we need to shorten the “ah ha moment gap” from years, to months, to days, to instantly. We all can look back at situations where maybe we didn’t get the job we’d hoped for or maybe even got fired from a job.  Or a loss of a home due to fire, a friendship that soured, a marriage dissolved.  How long has it taken you to accept the way God was working in that time?  Have you seen it yet?  He was there. He spoke to you.

Why is all this important? We know there will be trials so that means we can’t do anything about them, correct?  When we dread what we think is to come, when we are poured into concrete boots of fear during trials, we’ve taken our eyes off Jesus.  And if we are to grow in this project called Us we need a strong foundation of keeping our faith and trust in Him alone.  This is not an easy task.  For some of us it takes every minute of every hour re-focusing our mind on Him – especially when we are afraid.  I’ve come to use the term, “Perspective Change Moment” with some of my friends.  When we start in on our ills, fears, anger, dread it helps to have someone say to us,” Yes, that’s awful and…..” 

We all need friends who can be our “James!”

With the same practice we put into doing our hair every morning or working out or learning how to use our smartphone or figuring out how late we can sleep and still get to work on time we need to attack the devil that keeps trying to pull our eyes away from Jesus.  Show me, Jesus.  Speak to me, God.  It’s not enough to tell yourself, or others, “don’t worry” or “don’t be afraid.”  We must fill our minds with something other than that fear and worry.  In Luke 11, Jesus tells the story of an impure spirit coming out of a person and goes looking for a better place.  When the spirit doesn’t find it he returns to find a nice, clean, empty house.  And you know what that impure spirit does?  He invites a few more friends to join him!  Our lives end up looking more like a Weight Watchers check-in session – we have a week we are up and a week we are down and on and on.  Had that person cast out the spirit with Jesus’ help and filled that home with God’s Word, Jesus’ love, and the constant presence of the Holy Spirit you can bet the evil spirit wouldn’t make it past the garden gate!

I have a good friend who was laid off from her church position about 3 years ago. It has been difficult for her to find the joy in that trial. For me, I can remember how unhappy she was in that job.  But no matter how many times I told her how miserable she was, she still couldn’t accept it. Until she finished one of her journaling books. One day a week or so ago she started reading through her old journals from that time. In them she found her old self praying for God’s intervention constantly. Each workday entry was a distraught woman praying for God to fix the problems swirling at work. She finally had her “ah ha moment.”  God was there, telling her to leave. But she kept holding on.  That day she made a new mark on her spiritual growth chart.  God had spoken to her and she had to joy of knowing He was with her.  She could release all the negative emotions surrounding losing that job.  It wasn’t where God wanted her to be.

So, here I was, working on being the best team member I could be for my husband as we waded through the throes of the COVID-19 lockdown and my in-laws finally decided we needed to hear the news.  Cancer.  Just a year ago this would’ve put me in a tailspin. But in just that year’s time, I’ve gone through a family death, putting on a distance wedding, accepting the fact that I’m not going to work anymore, and much more.  With each trial I leaned into my Rock a little more.  With each trial I started finding the joys.  So, after the news I took my dog for a quiet walk in our nearby canyon and asked Jesus, “Show me.”   I cried out to God the great Counselor, God my Comforter.  I first pleaded and said, “You can’t take her.”  I raised my hands high and begged for mercy for my sweet mother-in-law. I reminded Him she is a faithful servant. She is His loving daughter. And then I listened. He reminded me we all must pass one day, just as her own mother did a year ago. He told me He loves her more than even I do.  He told me to just keep loving her and living out joy moments right now, today. He showed me that when her time comes, just as mine will too, she will join her mom in glory at God’s card game table.  The battle of who is the best 31 card player will continue into eternity.  And I laughed.

31!!

Are you going through a trial and need prayers?  I’d love to pray with you.  Have you gone through a trial and had your “ah ha moment?” Please share. 

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Message Received

krisshetter

I’ve long found it fascinating when I hear people say they’ve never heard from God.  In a previous church Bible Study, where the majority of the women were over 70, it actually saddened me to listen to woman after woman say she loved God but never really felt His presence or heard Him speak.  As I delve into a deeper relationship with our Lord, I keep hearing the same message from Him – you can walk up an aisle, stand when called, or raise your hand when asked if you want to receive Jesus, but until we seek out a personal relationship with Him our faith remains unfulfilled. 

I recently was reading about a centurion man named Cornelius in Acts 10.  He was not a Jew yet was devout to God.  His family was considered “God-fearing.”  He gave generously and prayed regularly.  But He did not know Jesus was His savior.  The Holy Spirit came to him one day.

“Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.  Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.”

Acts 10: 4-5

He immediately obeyed.  What was to unfold was discipleship at its finest.  Trusting God’s word, obeying even though it seemed unreasonable.  In the end, thanks to the actions of many, Cornelius and his family became the first gentile Christians – paving the way to you and me.

If you have ever watched the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” you will surely get the message of our interconnectedness.  We so often think we are small and insignificant, while strangely also thinking everyone needs to know our opinions.  But it is the actions we take – led by the Holy Spirit – that cause ripples of which only God truly knows the effects.  My current Bible Study Girls are studying Charles Stanley’s, “30 Life Principles.”  We’ve started to joke about if all Mr. Stanley wrote were the words, “obey God,” the book could’ve been much shorter!  In fact, five of the 30 principles specifically use the word “obey.”  Many of the others are really just variations of the idea.

To obey something is to first know what that something is or wants.  Which means listening.  Which means paying attention.  I’ve challenged many friends and Bible study participants to take my “Coincidence Challenge.”  For 30 days, every time you hear just the right song, see a sign that says the right thing at the right time, or a friend calls when you need to hear a friendly voice, don’t call it a coincidence.  Call it God. When you do, you’ll find he isn’t silent.  In fact, He is babbling away at you, desperately trying to get your attention.  

The Book of James calls us to that personal relationship of listening and obeying God.  His message is to those of us who already call ourselves Christians.  It would be unfair to hold anyone else to the standards of which he writes.  Many of these standards are difficult and challenging.  And we are unable to meet these standards without a faith in God.  God alone is our strength to keep us on the narrow path.  At times it seems James is shaking us out of our Christian sleepiness.  Calling us to wake up, pay attention and serve God with all our heart, mind and soul.  James is the proverbial “bad cop.”  But sometimes we need admonishment.  We need correction.  

I was having lunch with a good friend the other day and she said she needs friends who can call her on her “stuff.”  If we are surrounded by “yes men” we struggle to improve our lives.  It can lead us down destructive paths when the standards held by the majority of whom we associate with are “almost right” or just plain anti-Biblical.  But when we have people who love us, want the best for us, and call us on our “stuff” based on Jesus’ standards, we grow to be our better selves.  James is that friend.  More importantly, James reminds us that God is that same friend.

“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

John 15: 14-15

This week we will be talking about James 1.  Trials, temptations, wisdom, listening, and action are on the plate.  So, buckle up.  We are about to strip down to some hard truths.  But remember too, that God is a merciful, loving and thankfully forgiving God.  That same friend who said she needs friends to call her on her “stuff” also said she’s worried that a study in James will be painfully convicting.  Let’s right now agree that if God shines a light on an area that needs work in our lives He does so out of love.  He wants more for us.  He knows what the future can bring us.  So, we need to lean in to the stripping away of our old selves so that we can live in His plans for us fully.  

Do you regularly hear from God? Tell us of a time you were asked to obey and it seemed unreasonable yet you took action.   If not take the “Coincidence Challenge!”

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement

Proof of Love

krisshetter

“With our tongue we praise the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God’s likeness.” James 3:9

Sound familiar?

Join me starting September 7 on a five week journey through the Book of James. Follow to receive your daily emails!

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement

Faith Without Deeds

krisshetter

It’s much easier to talk about God than obey Him. We put on our cross necklace or stick our fish bumper sticker on our car and declared “It is good.” What if our children treated us the same way?

Join me starting September 7 as we wade through the Book of James. Follow my blog to receive your daily emails!

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement

Where’s The Joy?

krisshetter

It may be hard to find at times but there’s joy in trials. When we face a challenge we can go forward in dread or in the knowledge God is leading the charge.

Join me starting September 7 as we dig deeper into the Book of James with a five week study. Follow my blog to receive your daily emails.

Christian, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

His Works Project

krisshetter

One of my favorite visuals from the Bible is James 1:23 – “Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”   Strangely enough I find myself doing that at times.  I get up, wash my face and go about my day.  At some point I’ll go into a restaurant or store bathroom and look in the mirror as I wash my hands.  I almost shock myself when I see what my hair looks like or how old I look. 

I also do this with obeying the Word of God.  I get up in the morning, read my devotionals and Bible studies then head out into the world.  At times it may take all day before I forget the Word, other times it’s my first encounter with another human as I leave my street.  I get angry, snarky, unforgiving, worried, maybe even a bit vengeful. I forget God’s admonition – that if I want to receive mercy then I need to be merciful.  If I want to be treated kindly then I need to treat people with kindness.  I tell people that the actual act of being a faithful follower of God takes work.  It takes practice.  Some days it takes every single ounce of strength to keep my mind fixed on Jesus.  The world wants us to take the easy route.  They want us to forget what we look like.  The world says “it’s ok” to chip away at what we know to be right.  Those “almost right” temptations are what give the devil his footholds.

There’s been great debates over time about grace vs. works.  I’m not a world-renowned Bible scholar.  I don’t have a degree in theology.  But I can read James 2:14 which states,

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save them?” 

James 2:14

Throughout the New Testament it’s made clear that faith without deeds is really no faith at all.  The Book of James speaks to my Martha-like spirit.  But it also is for Martha’s sister, Mary.  Because deeds come in all forms.  Martha showed love by cooking and cleaning.  Mary showed love through adoration and giving.  

James is only five short chapters.  But they are packed with Jesus follower gems.  The foreward in the Bible study book, James, Faith that Works, says “Unlike most books of the New Testament, the letter of James is best known for the people who don’t like it.  It’s seen as a scalawag among the obviously Christ-centered letters of Paul, and the love-concerned writings of John.”  I personally like being a scalawag.

scalawag

noun

a scamp; rascal.

We feel the sting of James.  But without an occasional admonishment, we humans are extremely prone to skipping along dangerous paths. As a parent, I know the two most important roles I played while raising my girls was 1) setting and holding them to rules and 2) loving them even as they broke those rules.  Isn’t that what God does for us each and every day – when we turn from the mirror and forget what we look like?

Join me, starting September 7, 2020, as I take a chapter in James each week to spur us on to action – to be doers of the Word, not just readers.  Through James we can learn to take practical steps to living out our lives as Christ followers.

Be sure to follow to receive your James emails each week!

Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Our Primary Purpose

krisshetter

This letter was written May 2020 after a number of attempts to sit down with my pastor or even an assistant pastor about my concerns over closing up our churches. Instead I was met with silence. Absolute silence. You see, I believe Christians are being put to the test. God’s threshing room is operating at full throttle. The wheat and chaff are being separated.

In conversations with my Christian and non-Christian friends I have made this argument: When a corporation, charity, educational institution, government, mother/father, pilot, pastor, soldier, or whatever job you can think of forgets what their primary, intended purpose is they go astray. Christian churches’ primary purpose is to bring the Word of God to people who need to hear it. It is to have Christians and searching non-Christians be in communion with each other to praise God for our salvation. It is to serve God and God’s people. The primary purpose is NOT to keep people from catching a virus. Now, that doesn’t mean that safety and security are thrown out the window. Just like our schools, whose primary purpose is to teach our children — not keep them from catching a virus — our churches must stay focused on God’s plan. I laud those corporations and small businesses who have not forgotten their primary purpose — to bring goods to customers. Somehow they have figured out how to also keep their customers and employees safe. Christian churches should place themselves at least on the same plane as Costco or Walmart. I, for one, think our churches have a much greater role to play in God’s universe.

After I sent this letter to my church and church leaders I waited for the storm to come. And it did. I found it interesting that the people we all see as “plugged in” at our churches were the most offended. In fact, I was told by one that Satan was working in me. I also got the “who do you think you are?” But it was regular, church-going people who spoke to me with shouts of “hallelujah!” We “regular Christians” are begging for communion. We NEED each other. We need to see each other raising our hands to God in praise. If you are a pastor and reading this, we need you.

“I told my friend today that I’m about to commit a “Jerry Maguire.” For those of you who haven’t seen the movie here’s what I mean.  Jerry, a sports agent at a large firm, has a “come to Jesus” moment one night about the nature of his business and how it has become de-personalized.  He writes a manifesto and shares it with all his colleagues.  And while they all think what he says is great, they turn against him, shunning him.

            My manifesto is not about a job, it’s about Faith, or the lack of it from our churches.  In these uncertain times we have allowed Satan to use all his dirty tricks against us.  And we have willingly followed him like the Pied Piper.  We have failed at God’s biggest test since Jesus’ crucifixion.  And we’ve failed gloriously.  We have been Judas in the garden willingly pointing out the rule breakers.  We are Peter denying Christ out of fear of punishment.

            Just as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:14, the devil has masqueraded as an angel of light.  His deception has been as cunning as with Eve.  Our churches have closed and our pastors have hidden away under the guise of “saving people.”  We have allowed the realm of worldliness to define the role the church plays in our Christian lives.  We have deemed ourselves “non-essential.”  All the while our role of bringing people to the one true Savior has diminished.  We are no longer in the business of saving souls. 

            In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul says he will keep on with his ministry in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about – saving people. He goes on to say, “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  Unlike today’s churches, Paul describes the Macedonian churches as giving everything they had during severe trial just for the joy and privilege of sharing in the service for the Lord’s people.  We can count on one or two hands the churches in the news that have shown this same fervent love for the gospel.

            But what have been Satan’s works?  I’m sure if you’ve read to this point you have already spoken a few of them in rebuttal.  Let’s start with the most prevalent.  Romans 13 clearly convicts us to obey the government because they rule only under God’s authority.  Rebelling against authority is considered rebelling against God.  So therefore, when the State tells churches they must close, we must obey.  Ah, but the devil loves to cherry pick scripture.  What he has done here is take advantage of the Christian desire to do what is right, to follow laws, and to be good citizens.  What he doesn’t want you to do is dig deeper.  Is the law just in the first place, in the eyes of God?  Backing up to Acts 5 we see the apostles being persecuted for performing signs and wonders among the people.  The Pharisees were angry and claimed the law prohibited them from teaching.  “We gave you strict orders not to teach in his name,” the Sanhedrin says in verse 28.  And the apostles’ response? “We must obey God rather than human beings.” (v29). Where were our major denominations at the outset of our shut down standing firm that churches are essential?  Where was their conviction that God calls us into service during times of trouble? And where have they been since?  It’s one thing for a church to have said on the outset of the shut down, “Let’s close for a couple of weeks and see what this is all about.  We will clean our facilities and come up with safe practices.  And then open.”  But allowing government to tell us that we are not even allowed to do that goes not just against one of the basic rights of this country but of God’s laws.

            But what is wrong with keeping people healthy?  You now entered into Satan’s second lie.  To accept this premise, you have to believe that our churches are irresponsible, unnecessary and incapable of keeping people safe while attending church.  Somehow, we have a greater respect for our grocery store management than for our church management.  I laud those few pastors who have found creative ways to do church – beyond the impersonal video exchange.  Drive through confessionals, drive up church, drive through prayer time, and more.  The bold few have even ripped the veil off one of Satan’s other lies – that going to church is somehow not a choice.  So, they open their churches to anyone who chooses to attend.  Do they still adhere to safe practices, of course, because God doesn’t call Christians to be stupid.  He calls us to trust and to obey Him.  Why have we expected more from Walmart than from our church?  Why have we put ourselves on equal footing with our gyms?

            Even our most trusted faith leaders have failed us.  While they preach on trusting God, they cower behind their computer screens.  Where is the trust?  Where is the bold faith?  Where is the healing of lepers and of the sick?  Where is the knowledge and belief that God is in our midst?  Who do you think God is smiling on – the church that closes and locks their doors or the church that is open to the sick, the anxious, the scared, the homeless, the alcoholic, the abused, the weak and the poor?  The other lie Satan tells us is that living in our impersonal, technology connected faith, God’s work is full, is enough.  We say things like, isn’t great we can connect with missionaries across the world during this time?  Isn’t’ amazing how we can still be together through a video screen?  If that were true, then why didn’t the apostles just rely on letters to the churches?  Why did they feel the need to enter into cities that were sure to persecute them, sure to throw them in jail?  Where are the pastors who say as Peter and John, who after laying hands on a lame man cured him, said to the Sanhedrin, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man is healed.”  Yes, technology is great for those who can’t be with us.  But we’ve preached and preached over the last few years about the dangers of relying on technology and becoming less connected rather than more.   And what about the supposed connections we’ve made?  Besides videos, have our churches and our denominations reached out regularly to their parishioners via phone calls, letters, etc? Have they been regular guests on news shows teaching about ways to ease our anxieties?  Have our pastors personally reached out to people who have reached out to them about their concerns? And what about the non-members that attend our churches?  How have those people been personally connected?  What about the non-believer who one night, feels called by the Holy Spirit to enter a church and hear the Word?

            You see, the devil has used our goodness, our desires to do the right thing against us.  It’s time to gird our loins with Truth.  God does not want our churches locked.  He does not want us hiding in fear.  He wants those doors thrown open.  He wants us to welcome all who are lost, who are lonely, who are fearful, and who are spiritually sick.  We must stop allowing Satan to define God’s mission for us.  As my friend once said to me, “This should be a pastor’s ‘jam’.”  Meaning this time in the world is when the fight between dark and light should be most obvious.  It’s what we have been training for.  It’s the time to call for peace in His arms, for faith in His words, for trust in His love. “

Here’s the thing about what happens to Jerry Maguire. He wins in the end. He gathers up the believers. He tears down the old way of doing things. He renews faith. He remembers what his intended purpose is.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

From Master to Husband

krisshetter

When I was a kid one of my most favorite shows was, “I Dream of Jeannie.”  My friends and I would take turns playing the Barbara Eden character, Jeannie, and the Larry Hagman character, Tony.  Major Anthony Nelson (Tony) crash landed his space capsule on a remote beach.  He discovered a beautiful bottle and opened it.  With a puff of pink smoke out popped a gorgeous, blonde genie.  She, of course, offered him three wishes and the opportunity to be her “master.”  Being a gentleman, he refused not only the wishes but to be called “Master.”  She fell deeply in love with him.  Jeannie and her bottle came to live with Tony in Cocoa Beach, Florida.  As the tv seasons went on, Tony also fell in love with Jeannie and eventually, they married.  The problem along the way was she kept calling him “Master.”  He always insisted she call him “Tony.”  It was a way of life she lived for 1,000s of years.  In that time the rules stood – when someone opened your bottle, they were your master.  It took a lot of training to break that habit and eventually call him “husband.”

It takes a lot of work to be called a “master” of something.  Journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the 10,000-hour rule in his 2008 bestseller, “Outliers.” The rule is simple: mastery comes after someone practices one skill for 10,000 hours.  And new studies show even that may not make you great at something.  In some areas you still need talent or clearly defined ways in which you practice.  When you break down the 10,000-hour rule it’s overwhelming.   It can take more than 20 years to accomplish this feat for one skill.

God has been at work as Master of our world much longer.  And who knows how long he has been Master of the Universe!  I’m thinking He has gotten pretty good at being in charge, not only of our lives, but the entirety of our world.  And yet we still buck under His authority.  He doesn’t ask for a “master-slave” relationship from us.  In fact, in Hosea, God clarifies His role in our lives.  He wants to lead us, speak with us tenderly, shower us with riches.  And when we respond in loving obedience He says:

“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“you will call me ‘my husband’;

you will no longer call me ‘my master.’”

Hosea 2:16

I think as Christians we struggle in life between seeing God as our “master” as in “the boss” and as our “husband” because we constantly try to pull away and lead our own lives.  The sin that is created from this brings feelings of condemnation and pain.  Instead we should see God as “The Master of the Universe” – the being who has put in way more than 10,000 hours of practice.  He’s who we can lean on, trust, look for guidance, find hope in, and gain strength from.  And with that, He wants a personal relationship with us — as a loving “husband.”

A lot of feminists bristle at the Christian ideal of family structure.  A husband as the leader of the family brings up hackles.   And yet men and women who truly know and understand the Bible realize God created a loving hierarchy in our families based on our God-centered, world hierarchy.  There are no slaves with brutal masters.  There are masters who had responsibilities to slaves throughout the Bible.  There are business people who must treat their workers appropriately, just as God has treated them.  And it’s very clear that both a husband and wife have responsibilities for loving and caring about each other.  

God, the All Knowing Master, is also our betrothed.  I praise Him for being both – a powerful force that I can rely on and love with all my heart.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

The Heaviest of Burdens

krisshetter

The other day while out walking with my dog I was listening to a podcast by a well-known Christian speaker.  She asked the question: “Do you remember a time when you sinned, I mean really sinned?  How did it feel?”  I stopped to think on this.  I’ve never murdered someone.  But I did encourage a friend in my younger days to get an abortion.  I’ve never been a thief, although I have, at times, realized I wasn’t charged for something correctly and didn’t go back to the store clerk.  I’ve never cheated on my husband.  But do those lustful thoughts count?  I check in with my mom and dad, through gritted teeth.  I put God first. Well, except for the times I put money and my children first.  I’m good to my neighbors even though I’ve spoken badly about some.  See, I’ve only sinned a wee bit.  

I realized that every single time I sinned “just a little” made me feel a “little bit” broken.  At times it made me feel a lot broken.  The Christian speaker went on to say, “Now imagine Jesus on the cross.  He is the only person to walk the Earth who has not sinned.  But at that moment His Father placed all your darkness, all your brokenness, all your pain caused by sin on Him.  There is no one else who has experienced so much pain. Imagine how He must have felt.”  It brought me to tears.  It brings me to tears as I write this.

This visual is what I praise God for today.  The understanding of Jesus’ pain and sacrifice made for us.  I previously hadn’t made an emotional connection to this powerful, earth shaking moment in our time.   I had the knowledge but not the emotional response.  Baptist teacher Oswald Chambers once said about Jesus on the cross:

The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of hell were shaken. There is nothing more certain in Time or Eternity than what Jesus Christ did on the Cross: He switched the whole of the human race back into a right relationship with God. 

Oswald Chambers

My father is reading The Saxon series books.  In it, a character refers to Jesus as the “Nailed God.”  It brought to mind movies I’ve seen showing the crucifixion.  With each hammering of a nail through Jesus’ feet and wrists I cried.  But it was out of sadness and horror.  That day, when I visualized Jesus on the cross pulling, drawing and tearing our sins from us and placing them squarely in His own heart and soul I was overcome with gratefulness and sorrow.  I want to apologize to Jesus.  His gift to us caused Him so much pain.

It’s a well-accepted fact that when we are forced to work hard for something, say a new car, home, a good job, we tend to take better care of it.  I didn’t have to work for the gifts of salvation and redemption.  I’ve proven over and over that sin is easy for me to commit.  I need to keep Jesus’ pain, his suffering, and His willingness to take mine, closer to mind each and every day. His love for us can only be repaid with obedience and thankfulness.