Tag: James 1

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Our Wise and Sanctified Souls

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"But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." Jude 1:20-21

You began your journey on the road of the sanctified life by professing your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.  You may not even have realized what that meant but, you took the step.  You began reading your Bible, going to church, seeking others of faith.  Your Knowledge Basket filled little by little.  Your soul became refreshed and watered at rest stops along the road by the Word.

The inevitable pothole leaps out at you suddenly.  You may even veer off the road a bit.  Your soul takes a beating with heartache and loss.  Your sins become a glaring, flashing red light.  But you look in your Trials Basket and remember God will never leave you or forsake you.  (Deut 31:68) You recall Him telling us to ask in His will and you shall receive.  (Matt 7:7-9)

The verses you so carefully plucked and memorized tell you the Holy Spirit is your strength and He has a plan for good.  We learn such jewels from Proverbs as, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Prov 26:11)

You pick up and dust off your bruised soul and get back on the path, gathering experience after experience. Confirming over and over the truth of God’s Word.  The truth that He sees you and knows every hair on your head. (Luke 12:7) You remember each time a new pothole jumps at you to pray for His hand on your life.  You affirm to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, and He will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5) 

You come to a fork in the road.  To the left you see what appears to be an open, empty road.  It’s just you and the path.  It looks so easy to take.  To the right you see broken down souls trudging outside the path.  Ones who are weary and thirsty; ones who are lost.  Ones who are being deceived.  Souls who are in need.  But you also see the Holy Spirit ahead, like a busy traffic cop beckoning you forward.  

You must ask yourself, “Do I turn left, lock my doors and enjoy the blessing of salvation by myself?” Or, do I choose to submit myself to the entirety of God’s teaching?  Will you choose to fill your Stewardship Basket? To love your neighbor, to share the Gospel with your family and friends, to give your time, talents and treasure to those in need for the glory of God? (Matt 22:39)

God’s path calls for us to submit ourselves wholly to Him – not just part.  The “easy path” so often doesn’t turn out all that easy.  It’s a mirage, set up by the devil to deceive.  James tells us a partial faith is “double mindedness.” (James 1:8) And that person shouldn’t expect anything from God.  1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  It means we take all God has gifted us and we turn it back into glorifying Him to others in need.

As our soul matures along this road, we choose.  Yes, we choose which fork to take.  We choose to submit every sin, every action, every word, every need and every gift for His Kingdom.  When we do, God continues filling our Submission Basket with new experiences and new revelations.  We trust in Him and He gifts us the best road trip snacks – peace and the security of our eternal future.

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal." Isaiah 26:3-4

My friends, humans are the only created beings to which God has blessed this amazing opportunity of sanctification.  The animal kingdom obeys God’s plan instantly upon birth.  They do what they are made to do.  Yet, those actions are limited in scope.  We have so much more opportunity to glorify God with what He has given us!

God has placed us on this road to travel and gather.  Each mile marker brings us new insight into Him, the world, and the adversary.  Wisdom is not a far off mirage.  No, the jewels of wisdom sit firmly in our baskets which have been gathered along the way.

“Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.

I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.  

I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.  

I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.  

I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  Psalm 119:98-106

One day I will be an “old soul.”  Right now, however, I’m working my way down the road of life.  Making mistakes and re-submitting my life to Christ each day.  Forgetting to pray and rely on God’s sovereignty then having a friend ask me, “Have you prayed about that?”

I can feel my soul growing wiser, growing more at peace.  I want my roots to run deep in His Word so I bear good fruit for others to enjoy along the path. (Matt 7:17-18) But most of all I want to be ever thankful that Jesus took it upon Himself to build this path toward the heavenlies.  

A Path Freely Given

He didn’t have to.  We need to remember that fact when others abuse what Jesus did for us.  When they complain when we re-affirm Jesus is the only Way.  God didn’t have to make a way at all.  Not only did He build it, He gave us the full recipe, He gave us a guide.  All so we can make it safely home.

As I write this my 86 year old, cancer riddled, atheist dad has come to live with us before he travels his final path.  I’ve had many friends concerned for how hard this will be.  It is hard at times. Especially at 2:00 am when bed clothes and sheets need changing. Or when I must choose to forgo activities dear to me. But I am at peace.  

I realized this the other day.  It’s a peace I’ve prayed for a lot in my life.  I never expected during a trial such as this that peace would be what God gifted me on this road.  

The other day, I took my dad for his first ever mani/pedi experience to fix his old crusty toenails.  He loved it.  When I sent my Bible study sisters a photo of him in the salon, one commented: “I love that you are loving on your dad this way!  A foot washing like Jesus would do today!” 

It struck me that I have been sanctified for a time such as this. (Esther 4:14) Blessed with the opportunity to take the fork to the right and share the love, mercy and salvation message of Jesus Christ with my father.

My friends, I pray that you too will have many opportunities to do the same.

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Our final question: What’s the best lesson you have learned so far on your sanctification journey?

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Laborers In His Garden

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“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”  Colossians 3:23-24

In my own sanctification journey, I thought that I’d come to a good place to not have to work so hard at doing God’s work.  When my mom died last year, I was suddenly given the role as faithful steward in caring for my dad.  A new “garden” had been planted for me to tend.

There’s quite a lot of weeding and tending going on right now in this new garden.  The Holy Spirit allows me plenty of opportunities to go backwards in my journey.  Seemingly endless doctor visits, hours long emergency room trips, and being the mental keeper of all the various issues he has at this time.  On top of it, I did the one thing I never wanted to do but realized we had to do  – place my dad in a short term health facility while he receives ongoing medical treatment.  

God rarely seems to give us these more difficult tasks to perform alone.  He has blessed me with wonderful family and friends who have pulled on their gardening gloves as well.  An opportunity to make this a community garden filled with love, compassion, humility and service.

Each day, after tending this garden I give thanks to the Lord for all He has given and shown me.  I give thanks for the friendly staff at all the places, even when things don’t go as planned.  I give thanks for the knowledge He gave me about His character – that He would never leave me or forsake me.  Thanks for the Holy Spirit teaching me patience, kindness and compassion.  And I give thanks for each opportunity to share the Gospel and God’s Word with my atheist father.

You may recall I wrote a few weeks ago that during Covid I sought the advice of a Christian counselor in answering the question: How do I honor my mother and father who have rejected me?

 I never dreamed He would answer my question with the great responsibility He has now gifted me. He gave me baby steps to steward my new self, given through faith in His Son.  He planted forgiveness and love in me to tend. 

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” – Matthew 25:21

My friends, on this journey we are never done in our gardens until our last breath.  Until then we are to plant the seeds with our children, grandchildren or the children at our churches.  We tend to our gardens by helping others see the weeds growing in their lives – and we ask them to help us in turn.  

We may even need to spray for those pesky bugs in our midst.  Pastors, teachers, and elders who try and introduce words counter to the truth of God.  And we join together to celebrate the harvest.  Friends, families, and acquaintances who ask to be baptized in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In my favorite “go to” book of the Bible, James, we are reminded to be faithful stewards of God’s garden.  Faithful doers of the Word so that the Word is not forgotten, in ourselves and in others to come.  

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."  James 1: 22-25

Jesus lamented the lack of garden laborers in Matthew 9:35-38 when He said, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.”  The Lord is signing up people like you and me for the most important job in the history of mankind.  People who know the Word, who have experienced His presence in times of trial, people who are obedient to His Word.  

It’s time to gather your tools and get to work.

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Day 29 Good Day

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Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 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. James 1:1-5
“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lordturn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:24-26

I’ve heard a famous Christian teacher tell audiences this profound truth: “It’s one thing to see a miserable sinner but a miserable Christian is a tragic thing.”  While we all, believers and non-believers, have heartbreaking or difficult events in our lives, we have to acknowledge that the majority of our lives run from fun and exciting to dull and average.  Yet throughout it all Jesus followers should emulate the apostle Paul and be always searching and living gratefully for God’s ever presence in our lives.

This truth really hit home for me when I read Corrie Ten Boom’s famous book, “The Hiding Place.”  Her sister Betsie could find joy in God’s provision even in the darkest moments of a Nazi concentration camp.  Corrie, more of a like-mind with me, would roll her eyes when her sister would make joyous declarations such as, “Give thanks in all circumstances.  It doesn’t say ‘in pleasant circumstances.’  Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.”

As lights of the Lord reflecting out God’s love and goodness to the world, we need to be especially mindful of our outward attitude and appearance when events go awry in our lives.  Showing the world who we trust and who is working for our good. And when events turn to joy we need to give it all up to God in His bountiful mercy and glory.

I first heard this song about having a good day when I was visiting and caring for my two-year old grandson.  My daughter had shared with me Owen’s Spotify playlist so we could listen to his pre-school songs in the car.  You know, fun stuff like “icky sticky bubble gum” and the “wheels on the bus” played on repeat.  When this bright and joyous song came on in the car he exclaimed, “Mommy’s song!”  We sang along with vigor.

I asked my daughter about it later that day.  She explained they play this song every morning on their way to work and daycare to set the tone for the day.  To remember that with God in our lives it can always be a good day.  Because while the Lord has blessed us with breath and we acknowledge that the creator of the universe knows our very name, we can have a great day in every single way.  

Friend, I once thought this view of life was blind to the realities of the world.  Until the scales were taken off my eyes and the truth was revealed.  Emmanuel, God with Us, shines His beautiful light on us in all circumstances.  So play it loud and sing it like ya mean it. Because today can and will be a good day.

Click here to listen to today’s song: Good Day 

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Enjoying the “Enough” Life Part Two

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Did you miss part one of Enjoying the Enough Life? Click here!

Enjoyment without God is merely entertainment.  

Warren Wiersbe

No one on this great blue planet is without sin.  Without sinful desires and thoughts.  Without sinful emotions.  So, if we seek contentment, or unconditional wholeness solely from within what do we find?  Our sinful selves just like I did when I embarked on my happiness journey a few years ago.  And we turn back to the unfulfilling emotion of fleeting happiness.

What guides a person to being truly joy-filled or content in every situation? How do we achieve that “unconditional wholeness” researcher Daniel Cordaro mentioned after visiting that Himalayan tribe?  It requires something outside us to guide us through the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations of life.  It’s easy to enjoy a new car.  But what about when it breaks down?  It takes no effort to enjoy the birthday party at the park you so expertly planned but what happens when it rains?  Does your happiness bucket completely empty and you turn into Attila the Hun, raging at others?  Or you weep and sulk feeling the cosmos hates you?

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13I can do all things through him who strengthens me."  Philippians 4: 11-13

That strength to endure a peasant life that Tolstoy witnessed, a life of labor and toil, a life of disappointments and tragedy, and yes, even a life full of wealth comes only from God.  (Ecc 5:19 & 6:2) Through the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in us when we say, “Yes!” to Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  It’s the fountain from which we draw on every single moment of every day to guide us and strengthen us.  Because my friends, you cannot find wholeness without Him.

Deep-seated in the American mind, for example, is the disastrous idea that we should pursue happiness. But what is happiness? And what are the realities through which one could achieve it? And how, practically speaking, does one pursue happiness? One might pursue happiness on the carpe diem principle. But that can be understood in many ways. It could endorse a sensuality of the present moment or endorse devoting the present moment to improvement of one’s character, to serving others, or to serving God. Usually in our times, however, it is some form of sensuality. Our choice between these options will have profound implications for our efforts to become a genuinely good person and to live harmoniously with reality, with how things really are.

Dallas Willard

My Bible study ladies are currently studying Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkins.  In the first week we read and discovered the messages behind the first 12 verses, also known as the Beatitudes.  Jesus’ goal in this sermon was to re-define for the disciples what not only the Kingdom of Heaven looks like but what its citizens look like.  The first four beatitudes describe the character of its citizens:

  1. We Are Poor in Spirit: accepting we are weak and sinful in need of a strength outside ourselves
  2. We Are Mourners: we recognize our sinfulness and weep over it daily.  Asking God for forgiveness for each time we act, speak or think (even feel) in opposition to God’s will for us.
  3. We Are Meek: in modeling Jesus’ submission to the Father in going to the cross for humanity’s sins and therefore suffering a terrible death, we too seek humility and submission to God. 
  4. We Are Hungry and Thirsty: not for earthly glory, praise and wealth but for our hearts and minds to be daily cleansed.  We constantly seek His will for our life so that we can glorify Him.  We cast off our old selves and thirst for the new bodies and New Eden to come.

These citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven?  They will be abundant with fruit and content in all situations.  The fruits of love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, patience, self-control and faithfulness can be seen by all around them.  They spread that fruit and His Word throughout our families, communities and the world.  We achieve the ultimate peace in the face of persecution.  Peace with God.  Our friction between us is gone.  We are made whole because He breathes the Holy Spirit into us, making us one with Him.

"And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one… 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." John 17: 11 & 22-23

One with the Creator of all things seen and unseen – Elohim, Jehovah.  What more could a tiny, sinful human want for all eternity?  All other pales in comparison!  No self-help book without God can help you achieve such gloriously contented status. King Solomon discovered that our sinful toil without God is usually for our own gain and our appetite is never satisfied on our own (Ecc 6:7).

"The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
    there is none who does good." Psalm 14:1-2

I once saw an interaction with a non-believer and a street preacher.  The young, unbelieving woman stated, “How can you say I won’t go to heaven (which as a non-believer why would she care?) when I’m a good person.  I’m better than most Christians.  I don’t lie, cheat or steal.”  Yet, as Jesus reminds us further in the Sermon on the Mount if you even let your heart yearn to do any of those things you are guilty.  And I would bet all that I have she has, in fact, actually lied.  She has probably stolen something – maybe someone’s dignity by gossiping about them.  And cheating?  She might have thought that little deed or breaking some municipal law wasn’t that “big of a deal” but it’s still cheating.  She is at odds with God, broken and not whole.

It is only through the gift of reconciliation for our sins, no matter their size, of which Jesus Christ paid for, that we can come upright before the God of the Universe.  Where we receive mercy and forgiveness so we don’t have to live in shame and hurt, grasping for pleasures to dull our pain.  No, instead He brushes us off and clothes us in white garments.  He brings us into His family and calls us His sons and daughters.  He pours out His love and gives a piece of Him to live in us so we can have that “unconditional wholeness.” He gifts us with “enough” each day so that we may be satisfied.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

We are made perfect and complete, meaning made whole, when we face life’s trials and rely on the God who gives us strength and hope.  We are honed and shaped into the image of the only being that walked this earth who was sinless and fully content — Jesus.

Friend, if you want to get off the roller coaster of seeking “happiness” and then being brought low by trials, look to our All Mighty God and His Son.  He is our provider, our protector, our armor, our joy, our hope.  He has never broken a promise and He never will.  He promises you a new life at the end of the rainbow – not a pot of gold.  And with that promise and hope we can live a contented, meaningful life of “enough” in a world of chaos.

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Turn Your Face To Him

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“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55

At the end of this month my friend Andrea will gather her family together and celebrate, not just the beautiful birth of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but she will also ring a bell. A bell, which when rung, signifies the end of a journey and the beginning of something new. This journey has been about pain, about anger, disappointment, weakness, sadness, and loss. It’s also been about healing, discovery, love, friendship, strength and faith. At the ringing of that bell she and her family will celebrate her final breast cancer treatment and so much more.

As she looks out into the faces what she will see are the people who love her and who have yet to love the Lord. Her suffering, however was not wasted. Her faithfulness in this journey was seen and questioned by those needing to hear the Word. They can see she is not the person who started on the journey. She has been honed and sharpened. They can also see what some might call her “crutch.” And they can see its supernatural power.

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

Yesterday I listened to a podcast featuring Christian author and founder of Joni & Friends, Joni Eareckson Tada. After a devastating diving accident more than 55 years ago, Joni became a quadriplegic. At just 16 years of age her life completely changed. She spent years in depression and despair. Today, when she looks back she saw herself as a “hypocritical Christian.” She went to church and knew some prayers but wasn’t living her life for Christ. When tragedy and suffering struck she prayed to God for healing — and yet her healing didn’t come. She had read enough times in the Bible that God works things for our good and wants the best for us. So why wouldn’t he heal her?

An older, faithful friend of her family who visited her frequently and listened to her sorrows finally said to her one day, “God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.” And while the unbelieving world may scoff and use this to turn even farther away from Him, Joni called those the 10 most important little words she had heard in a long time. Even to this day, through continuing pain, illness and suffering she remembers those wise words. The friend continued, “Can you hang on to that truth and trust that God will, in time, show you His goodness?”

When the day came, like it does to just about every person on this planet who suffers, when she had nothing left — no strength, no more tears, no more “get up and go” — she prayed a new prayer. “Help me God! I have no where else to go.”

 “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-69

Joni, like my friend Andrea did, turned her face outward to God rather than inward. And God in His great glory and supernatural power turned His face to her and healed her inwardly. When I heard Joni talk of this I had this vision of a double sided puzzle. If we take the box and dump out the pieces, never reading the instructions, just looking at the picture on the front we may never know the promise of the completed puzzle. As we work its pieces with our own knowledge and strength we may get frustrated when the pieces just won’t fit. We search for the missing pieces that may have fallen on the floor. We may give up temporarily or toss it all back in the box in frustration. Or, we can look at the box again and see there’s something else at work. A mystery on the backside. Something we can’t know all the details about but yearn to know more. So, we keep turning back to the original photo looking for help in completing our side.

Christian teacher and author John Piper once said, “Never let suffering go to waste.” To the world of the flesh that must seem so strange. Yes, we can whine and moan seeking human attention, and we all will probably do that to some extent. But that will never fully satisfy us. Or we can turn our faces to God and say, “I can’t, but you can.” He, my friends, is the only one who can fully satisfy our souls.

Joni’s faithful Christian friend asked her one day to read 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Her reponse was to say “STOP! I am not thankful for this!” He told her to re-read the verse. You see it doesn’t say to give thanks for your circumstance. It says to give thanks IN your circumstance. She began each day praying thankfulness for things like her hospital bed being close to the window. For the love of her parents. For the faithfulness of friends. And her heart began to catch up with her words.

Joni gives thanks for being able to sit up in a wheelchair — something most quadriplegics can’t do. She gives thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed on her since that tragic day. And she has vowed to “squeeze out every energy from her quadriplegic body” to bless others. Her organization, Joni & Friends, has touched the lives of thousands of disabled people and their caregivers throughout the world. And while my friend Andrea may not be an international sensation, God has pressed her into service among those who need her faith the most — her family.

The introductory verse today shows the disciple Stephen as he is being persecuted and chased by those who were fearful of God’s Word. In just a few verses later, the mob takes him out of the city and begins stoning him. As he turns his face to God he pleads that his attackers are forgiven. At that moment we are told his suffering comes to an end — he falls asleep and is taken home to his Father. He was the first of the saints to give His life up for Christ. He was the first to show us how in our suffering, as Christ did, that God will give us peace.

Friends, we are all promised some level of suffering throughout this short life here on earth. Be it physical, financial, relational, natural disaster, addiction or something else we will be touched by it because of this world’s brokenness. God, in His infinite glory, power and wisdom has had a plan all along to call us home into His perfect kingdom. He wants to use our suffering for the glory of that promise. Turn to Him and use it well.

May God bless you in all circumstances so that you may give Him all Glory and Honor. Amen

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Gentleness & Zeal

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I believe I’ve mentioned in studies past about an incident I once had that gave me a completely different view of the power of meekness.  As a softball coach I sat in on all the board meetings where coaches were presented to be approved for the following season.  During a previous season I had a difficult time with an overbearing and aggressive parent.  With the board’s backing I expelled him from all practices and he wasn’t to be near the dugout during games.  He was abusive not only to me but to his own daughter.  At the next coaches’ approval meeting he showed up and ranted in front of about 20 coaches (all men and then me) about how if the board were to approve me, he would work to have the league’s field use permit negated.  As he stood pointing and gesturing at me, calling me names, and disparaging my character I could do nothing but sit in stunned silence.  I didn’t speak up and defend myself.  I didn’t argue.  And when he verbally attacked the president of the league he was told to sit down and stop talking.

What happened after the meeting shocked me even more.  Coach after coach approached me and expressed how impressed they were with my stalwartness.  They all thought I was fabulously and coolly dismissive of the angry man.  I walked to my car that night with pats on my back.  When I got into my car I started sobbing and trembling.  I was silent in the meeting because I was terrified.

And this was just over a children’s sport!  Imagine the torment, abuse, vitriol, that Jesus withstood.  Many might say, “Of course He could, He was God.”  Ok, fair point.  Now imagine the disciples, once Jesus ascended, facing that same abuse, violence, and hatred.  Continue on to all the new members of Christ’s church.  Today there are still Christians in that same situation.  The faithful in China, Iran, UAE, Cuba, Sri Lanka and more face persecution.  According to an article in Christianity Today, 13 Christians are killed everyday because of their faith.  Every day 12 churches or Christian buildings are attacked. (CT Jan. 13, 201).  And we are still asked by the Lord to be gentle.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  Matthew 5:5

Warren Wiersbe, on his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, says Jesus’ message is one of the most misunderstood that He ever gave.  And it’s no wonder.  Just a focus on Jesus’ definition of gentleness and meekness and the world’s shows diverse paths.  When studying this sermon, given to disciples, Jesus was concerned about our conduct as believers.  We are expected to live in full submission to the Father.  And that full submission leads us to humility, mourning over our sins, a gentle heart, and an obvious separation from the world.

When we look over Jesus’ life here in the flesh, we see a man who was God – a man who was powerful yet gentle.  And then the clearing of the temple happened.

“In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” John 2:14-16

This was the angry Jesus.  He saw how the poor were being manipulated and abused when they came to the temple to worship.  He saw the wrong-hearted attitude of those who twisted God’s plan.  This didn’t sound like the meek and gentle Jesus!

I told my husband the other day how this passage in scripture is the one place people point to and say “See, Jesus got angry too!  So, I can have the same zeal about unbelievers!”  I would counter, in His three years what defined Jesus was how loving and gentle He was.  In the few moments of anger toward either the Pharisees or those on the temple grounds He was able to make a solid point.  His meekness and gentleness made these moments all the more powerful.

Pastor Jonathan Edwards once remarked on the necessity and danger of zeal, “Lukewarmness in religion is abominable and zeal an excellent grace; yet above all other Christian values, it needs to be strictly watched and searched.”  You see, we can let our zeal for any topic take over our lives and it becomes a breeding ground for pride.  Prideful ways lend themselves to anger and bitterness.  A passionate Christian, when not allowing the Holy Spirit to weed out pride, will sound more like a clanging gong.  Had I, in that moment at the softball meeting, engaged in a back and forth argument with the angry parent, I wouldn’t have been viewed so positively.  I had every right to defend myself but silence made a more powerful point.  Had I been a faithful believer at the time I wouldn’t have been so frightened but I realized later that God was teaching me an amazing lesson.

I’ve long searched for ways to be more gentle in my dealings with, well, just about everyone.  I’m a doer, a hard-charger, a take no-prisoners type.  And too frequently I have stepped on a lot of feelings.  When I’ve tried to be the “kinder, gentler” me I realized I came across as a phony.  Even to strangers.  It wasn’t until I allowed God to work on a heart change that I saw the fruits begin to bloom.  

 "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." James 1:19-21

Not only does human anger (and being oblivious to anyone else’s needs or point of view) not produce righteousness but it also doesn’t produce gentleness.  Quietness, listening and responding appropriately based on God’s will, which is implanted in us, brings us the ripe, juicy fruit of the Spirit.  However, zeal and passion are never eliminated from our Christian way of life.  God wants a passionate believer. One who seeks truth and to live it.  A person who defends the weak and loves the unlovable.  A believer who gives everything over to the Lord.  

Friend, yes, the Father wants submission to His Way.  To the Truth.  That submission can look to the world like weakness.  But as we stand while people berate us or even spit at us, we know the strength inside us.  We can grieve for their sins, for our sins.  We can love those who hate us because of the one who loves us.  We can be kind and gentle knowing our all-powerful God has done the same with us throughout all time.  

And in those times the Lord calls us into greater action, like Jesus in the temple, our passion instead of it being lost in the din, will be noticed.  

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Our Faithfulness to the Father

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I met Jill* when I volunteered to be part of a new discipleship program at my church.  I was to guide her through a program which helps newer or younger believers understand their faith in God and Jesus.  At our first meeting she described her life situation as fairly dire.  After becoming pregnant as a teenager much of her family disowned her.  If not for her godparents she would have found herself destitute.  Fortunately, she and her mother eventually came to a place in their relationship where she and her son could temporarily live in her mother’s house.  

As I listened, I discovered a few things.  First, her professed Christian grandfather had a lot to learn about love.  At every turn he made her and her son feel outside the love of God because of her sin.  Second, I realized, having asked her what she believed, her faith was based on what others believed.  She could not answer what she honestly believed.  And lastly, I witnessed how easily it is for us to focus on the terrible things in our life and push God to the outskirts.  

“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."  James 1:5-6

I’ve referenced the book of James before because it is a no nonsense look at life’s reality – we will experience trials and temptations.  We shouldn’t be surprised by this statement.  Sure, we are maybe stunned by what the trial is or the level of its awfulness.  But we live in a broken world full of sin and sinful people.  The key to all of this is first seeking God’s wisdom in a trial.  Turning to Him before all else.  And secondly, to have faith without doubting that He will find a way.  That path He works you through might have a few more bumps and bruises in store but with our eyes fixed firmly on Him we will also see the blessings before us.  And when we feel we can’t or don’t know what to pray?  We ask the Holy Spirit for help.  “Help me stay faithful, help me to know what to pray!”

So why did I bring up Jill?  Over the next few months, I tried encouraging her to ask God in prayer for direction, both about a job and her housing.  I pointed out the blessings in the midst of her trial.  I urged her to see the work God was doing in her life.  What I got back from her was the opposite.  I’m sure we have all been in relationships like this (or maybe we’ve been the one like this).  At each turn a blessing she received was still not good enough.  There was always something else wrong.  She told me she was getting nothing from God.  And yet she had a place to live, food to eat, a school for her son, a church that was helping her, and someone to talk to – me.

How many of us when we are in the inevitable troughs of life, troughs that feel lacking in joy and love, create an equally deep trough of faith?  If asked that question just a couple years ago I would have raised my hand in agreement.  God’s not there.  God’s not listening.  God doesn’t care about me.  God doesn’t see me.  And sometimes leading to my cry, “I don’t believe in you anymore!”  

Friend, God never, ever leaves.  He never stops listening and responding.  He never stops loving.  But we do.  And it’s time to start a new practice.  I used to tell the girls I coached in softball, “If you keep practicing something the wrong way you will get very good at doing it…the wrong way.”  So, yes, it’s time to look in the mirror and tell yourself a new approach is needed.  A new way of practicing our faith.  The second life takes a twist we must drop to our knees in faith.  We become people with buckets overflowing with faithfulness rather than fruitlessness.  Because let’s be honest, the old way really wasn’t working that great in the first place, right?

"When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, 'Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.'" Matthew 8:10

Do you want to be recognized by Jesus like the Roman centurion who pled with Jesus to heal his servant?  He told Jesus he had faith that Jesus didn’t even need to come to his house in order to perform the miracle.  He told Jesus – “just say it and it will be done.”  Whew!  That’s some amazing faith for a man who shouldn’t have had anything to do with this Jew.

I love this quote by Charles Spurgeon about our relationship with the Almighty during difficult times:

When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.

Charles Spurgeon

When it comes right down to it you have to ask yourself, “Do I trust God? Do I have real faith that He is faithful?”  Not just in the good but in the bad.  When you are facing homelessness, financial ruin, the death of a loved one, sickness, pain, betrayal, and more – are you finally ready to say to Him, “You give every good and beautiful thing. And I know you will work this out for my good.”?

It’s time for a perspective shift in our faith lives.  Seek the blessings.  Search them out more earnestly than we do trying to find the worst in any situation.  You’ll find it’s not that difficult after a while.  That’s the fruit of faithfulness.  That’s loving a God who loves you deeply.

I have read mystery and detective books my whole life, starting with Nancy Drew.  Recently I decided to use any free time to read various theological books.  I’m currently in the midst of the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  For those not in the know about this book, it’s letters from a “head” demon advising a lower demon on how to best ensure his assigned “patient” goes to hell.  I was writing this post on faithfulness and came across this passage:

“In a week or two you will be making him doubt whether or not the first days of his Christianity were not, perhaps, a little excessive.  Talk to him about ‘moderation in all things’.  If you can once get him to the point of thinking that ‘religion is all very well up to a point’, you can feel quite happy about his soul.  A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all – and more amusing.  Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.  

On the troughs of faith, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis

Think on that spiritual battle in your next trough.  Will you allow it to pull you further down?  Or will you fight back in faithfulness?

Coming up: Faithfulness in action

*Jill is not her real name

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The State of Peacefulness

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Throughout the last three years with my Bible study girls (BSGs) I noticed what we all struggle with the most — control.  Or on the flipside, lack of trust.  The results of that need to control typically lead to lack of peace.  We humans like to manage situations and people without first consulting the “man upstairs.” The inevitable results create frustration, hurt feelings, anger and more.  

Instead, we turn to the desires of the flesh listed just above the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy.  

We must picture hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives with the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

You may look around your own Bible study groups, church friends or even just the “good” people you know and think, “Nah, we never do any of that horrible stuff!”  You might recall, however, at the beginning of this study on love that Jesus considers gossiping or defaming someone “murder.”  Yikes!

We take our newly signed peace treaty with God and consider it a license to do what our flesh desires.  Maybe thinking He won’t notice.  We turn from the peace table, walk out the door and get angry at the first person who doesn’t do what we think they should.  We fantasize of a spouse who would love us so much better, we drink away our anxieties, hold onto our bank accounts for fear of the poorhouse, speak of “Karma” when hurt by others, become jealous of our non-Christian neighbors with the fancy new car, or just turn away from others who need a bit of kindness.

Friend, God has implanted in each and every one of us the knowledge of His existence.  Somehow, we all know what His desires are for our behavior, for our hearts.  

"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." James 1:21

We know, through the Holy Spirit what is right and wrong in God’s view.  When we actively or even passively work against this you know what the inevitable result is?  Lack of peacefulness.  That niggling in your heart and mind is God’s way of reminding you of the path toward peace.  And yet we so often ignore it. We’ve been rejecting the Prince of Peace and His path since He walked on this Earth.

“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they (the Pharisees) were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.” Luke 13: 44-46 

How incredibly sad is this point in scripture?  The Pharisees and Sadducees were spoon-fed by Jesus, Himself, the truth.  The glory of the heavens was opened to them.  The bountiful, beautiful life was placed on a platter before them and they rejected it out of jealousy.  Out of fleshly desires.  Do we want to be listed among them?  I pray your answer is no.  

I heard a podcast recently by John Ortberg on taking a hold of the beautiful life God wants for us.  He spoke of not just cutting out actions and thoughts from our lives but more importantly replacing them with a positive action and thought.  The Bible speaks of cleaning house but not leaving it empty for the thief to come and take up residence.  Therefore, if we want not just the glorious peace with God but God’s gift of peacefulness, we need to replace our desires of the flesh with His goodness.  With the blossoms of love and joy.  With trust that our God does in fact know what He is doing.  He is greater than us in every aspect and will provide.  

Through prayer, obedience and knowledge of His Word we can, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, rest in His peace.  Ask Him today to shine a light on the areas that are creating deadly weeds in our hearts.  The Great Gardner will create a beautiful peacefulness in you that you never could’ve imagined!

Coming Up: Resting In Peace

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Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

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The search for joy and happiness has been called one of the great universal mankind desires by pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards.  It’s this craving for joy that leads some to dangerous, adrenaline junky activities.  For others it sets a bar so high in relationships that they burn through marriages to find the “perfect one.”  Some seek this seemingly elusive state of being through drugs, alcohol, or the accumulation of stuff.  “If I only I had that car or house, I’d be happy,” the poor man speaks.  “If I had a husband or children then I’d be happy,” says the single woman.  As God so often does, however, He turns the world’s understanding of this simple three-letter word, joy, inside out.  

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

When I first read these verses a few years ago I had to laugh.  It reminded me of a scene from an old movie, National Lampoon’s Animal House.  In it, young men are pledging to be members of a college fraternity.  In one scene they are being given the paddle and are required to yell out, “Thank you, Sir!  May I have another?!”  In other words, they are to act like they are enjoying the painful beating.   

The disciple James admonishes the scattered Jewish Christians to rejoice in the persecution and difficulties they face.  And so many of us read that, scrunch up our face and say, “What?”  Prior to studying the Bible and taking my faith seriously I thought joy or happiness meant smooth sailing.  When I wasn’t in that state of joy, I surmised I just wasn’t trying hard enough.  When trials came, as they always do, I despaired over my lack of joy.

I spent an entire year announcing to anyone that I was seeking “sparkliness.”  Yes, that’s a word I made up.  But you probably know what I mean.  I wanted to exude joy whenever I walked into a  room.  To be shiny and happy and light in my demeanor.  To be free of sadness and negativity.   Sounds beautiful, right?  So, I put on a happy face wherever I went.  I worked hard at not saying anything negative.  I told myself to shake off being mad or sad.  Friends, I’ve got to tell you, I failed miserably.  Because if we are “faking it,” it will show up in our fruit.

“It is evident, both by Scripture and reason, that God is infinitely, eternally, unchangeably, and independently glorious and happy.”

Jonathan Edwards

So, why couldn’t I be gloriously happy as well?  Which brought me running headfirst in to the book of James. My worldly version of joy was completely upended.  I learned what makes God truly, gloriously happy – when we place our trust, our love, our worship in Him and Him alone.

You see, while I was striving so hard to find joy, I hadn’t realized what can truly give me a life of joy.  A life where I allowed the Holy Spirit to burn away my joy-killers – discord, gossip, neediness, conceit, and envy.  A life that worships and gives glory to the giver of all beautiful gifts, Jesus.  The difference between those young men trying to get into a fraternity and receiving their “dues” is as a Christian we can find joy in knowing any persecution or affliction we face can be experienced in Jesus’ name.  Can be turned over to our loving God for help and comfort.  

The Holy Spirit and I, we started off with little tests along the way.  Helping me to see the bits of goodness when things didn’t go as planned.   The process of rebirth led me to one of the most difficult experiences I’ve had to date.  Through terrible sadness and mountains of tears I found joy.  I found it by leaning heavily on the Lord.

John Calvin was right when he said, “We can experience joy in adverse circumstances by holding God’s benefits in such esteem that the recognition of them and the meditation upon them shall overcome all sorrow.”

This week our look at the Fruit of the Spirit, joy, may feel like one of the hardest to understand to some.  If, however, we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior,  we must also look to Him for the truth of what lies beyond this world.  An eternity with our gloriously happy God who loves us so much He longs to be with us in the New Eden.

Coming Up: Obedience vs. Joy or Obedience=Joy?

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Blessed Is The One…

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Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

“…whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world . . . whether you can consent to her exposure to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God?” Adoniram Judson “Father of Missionaries”, on asking his future father-in-law to allow his daughter to travel as a missionary to Burma