THE GIFT OF CONSCIENCE

Isaiah 60:1-62:5; Philippians 1:27-2:18; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 24:11-12

“Though you were once despised and hated…, I will make you beautiful forever, a joy to all generations.  Powerful kings and mighty nations will satisfy your every need, as though you were a child nursing at the breast of a queen. You will know at last that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel. No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.  Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory.”

“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.”

“Don’t excuse yourself by saying, ‘Look, we didn’t know.’ For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew.”

At first, I truly thought he was deranged, lost. An Hispanic man of indeterminate but considerable age, he seemed to be wandering aimlessly in the middle of a five lane intersection. That he had not already been hit seemed a miracle; that he continued to stumble between the cars seemed downright dangerous. His clothes were faded and torn, nearly rags. He had no pack or bag, no obvious purpose. I felt sorry for him and was just beginning to wonder if I should stop and help him off the street when I saw the wax paper cup, empty, as he held it to the window of a passing motorist. I don’t know why, but the sympathy I had been building immediately dissipated. I looked away, hoping he would stay out of my line of sight. No longer did I see him as the helpless derelict he probably was. He promptly became just a beggar, one more in the endless line of homeless who line that road during rush hour. Many such folks, in fact, have deliberately cultivated their personas because they have learned it is far more profitable and easier than a real job. I had no idea if this man was genuine or not, but my cynicism quickly overwhelmed my empathy, nonetheless. Suddenly, he went from victim to trespasser. Even though he was not even soliciting near my car, I felt uncomfortable, almost violated, because I could not avoid the thoughts his presence generated in my head.

As quickly, another voice spoke from my heart. I am not sure precisely what thoughts it conveyed, but I suddenly felt dirtier than the man I was judging. All my self-congratulatory attitude about my so-called Christian development dissipated in a second. “Oh, Lord,” I thought, “You still have so much to teach me. How could I have been so blind as to even think anything about me has really changed?” Just as quickly, I had an answer. This time, I felt something after I turned away. I’ll admit this is not exactly a giant step of faith or spirituality, but it is a change. The man had not been transparent this time. I saw him, really saw him, in the moments before my own prejudice once more blinded me. And God used the opportunity of my sin to have a little dialogue with me about what – more importantly, who - I had seen.

Conscience is rarely convenient. The right thing is not usually the easy thing to do, or the comfortable thing. It is, however, God’s thing and the road Christ calls us to travel if we are going to truly be His disciples. Most of us have the practice of looking the other way down to a fine art. We disregard the ethical lapses at work. We ignore immorality in the media and even in our homes. We figure dishonesty will just become irrelevant if we just allow enough time to pass without acknowledging it. And with each concession to the evil One, our hearts’ calluses grow thicker.

The Holy Spirit lives in us and stimulates our conscience for a reason. Conscience is a gift of our Creator. It is what allows us to live in harmony with each other, and develop a sense of charity and compassion. Without conscience, we become morally and socially separated from our God, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even the best part of ourselves. We may, in fact, develop other “friends” during the course of our wanderings, but invariably, those types always take more than they give, and we end up lost and berefit with only our conscience to guide us home. Conscience is really the Holy Spirit’s GPS unit. We turn it off at our peril.

RESTORATION

Isaiah 57:15-59:21; Philippians 1:1-26; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 24:9-10

“’I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,’ says the Lord, who heals them.”

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

“Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God?  You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.  You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.”

“If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.”

Redemption. Restoration. Resurrection. These three “R”s of Christianity provide our hope and our motivation for faith. Their light pierces the darkness of this world. Their power lifts us above the adversity in our lives. Take some time today to simply meditate on these three words, repeating them quietly until they become their own Psalm. Does not your pulse slow down? Is not your spirit stilled? For just a moment, did you feel the Spirit’s breath against your cheek? He is very near. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people! God is good, and His steadfast love endures forever. We can never fall so far that we fall out of the grip of grace.

There are times in life when we just need to stop, take stock, claim our blessings and say a word of thanks, whatever our circumstances. We need to give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to remind us who and Whose we are. We need to give ourselves the opportunity to be and feel loved by our Creator, whatever we may think of ourselves. Today, for me, is one of those days. Nothing much has happened; little has changed over the past few days. But I am beginning to see more small signs that the Lord is with me, and I have been greatly encouraged. Things have improved notably at work. A deposition went well, resulting in a very favorable settlement for a major client. We made it through three graduations, getting a nice visit from my parents in the bargain. Our concerns for my Dad’s health continue, but he did well while here and made it home safe. Due to falling water levels, our dock got beached on our neighbor’s water pipe, but we were able to have it lifted off and re-floated with no damage to the dock or the pipe (although it was an expensive lesson). Even the car, which broke down this morning, had the decency to demonstrate early symptoms in our driveway and waited until we got it to the dealer for service to give up the ghost completely. Praises that we can afford these fixes as well (most will be under warranty, thank God!). 

Honestly, looking back, this week has not been a whole lot different from any other. Obstacles have arisen and been overcome. Joys and concerns alternatively had our attention. We experienced success and adversity. All in all, it’s just been another typical, atypical week. Yet somehow, in a way I can only appreciate but never define, Christ has felt closer. This relaxation and trust discipline - which I am beginning to understand is God’s foundational spiritual goal for me during this year’s journey through His Word - is finally taking hold and becoming real. So, today, Jesus has asked me to claim that and mull it over not just in my mind, but in my heart.

Most things in life actually are determined by how we approach them. Trials certainly will be trials (and not opportunities) if we elect to fight them on our own. Stress will be stress as long as we insist on carrying it alone. Anger and frustration are the inevitable perspectives of those without hope, or those too myopic to see their blessings. The Holy Spirit offers His children a far better way. The Lord actually wants not just to walk along with us, but to share our burdens and to always, always, be our source of joy and hope. I am learning I spend far too much time struggling against things I cannot control and am not supposed to control. I must be reconciled to the circumstances and situations the world and the Lord send my way, and trust my Creator to make all things work to good, even as I adapt to His timing. Nothing about any of this is easy. However, twice in the last two days, my wife has commented on what she has seen as a new and unusual calmness in me. Regardless of how I feel at any given time, then, it’s beginning to look just possible that God actually is making progress with my redemption and restoration. That is a very cool thing to know.

PLAYING FOR KEEPS

Isaiah 54:1-57:14; Ephesians 6:1-24; Psalm 70:1-5; Proverbs 24:8

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.”

“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

“Please, God, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me.”

“A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker.”

Faith is serious business. It is literally a matter of life and death. We are opposed by a powerful Enemy. And most of us are woefully unprepared for the adversity this world and the Prince of it throws at us. Logically, this makes no sense at all… unless we simply don’t take our opposition, or the stakes of our battle, seriously enough. Our continued vulnerability to sin and all that comes with it can only be the result of one of two things. We do not appreciate that we truly are eternal beings whose souls are the prize of our spiritual warfare; or we do not really believe what the Bible tells us about the consequences of leaving our souls unprotected. Either way, we need to work on our preparation and our strategy for survival. Refusing or failing to do so is either brazenly and terminally fatal or just plain stupid. The Lord does not want us to be either.

Several years ago, I began long distance bicycle riding and participated in several 100-150 mile race rides, one in the absolute hottest part of the Texas summer. I began training six months in advance for each, which pretty much made it a year around project. While some of our training rides were really nice and enjoyable, overall, by the time the races arrived, those days were long forgotten. There was one goal – finishing with personal bests – and only one way to do it. We had to train past the point of established endurance. We had to build up a higher pain tolerance. We could only prepare for the race by practicing in a zone that itself was beyond suffering. We knew going in that, during the races, most “weekend warrior” athletes like me would “hit the wall” at some point on the course. When that time came, there were only two options. Those who had trained to the point of adversity would understand the pain and persevere. Those unfamiliar with the stress of a century ride were quick to quit and wait for the vans to carry them back to the starting line and their cars.

I remember clearly my own experience of “the wall.” Having cruised through 70 miles of my second “Hotter Than Hell 100” race in Wichita Falls, Texas, in personal best time, I took a hairpin turn into a 30-35+MPH headwind, and everything just sort of stopped. In was like giving it all on a stationary bike set to maximum resistance after hours of struggling. Even professional teams were slowed to a literal crawl. Worse, the sun broke full through, and there was not a tree in sight. After about ten more miles, the course became littered with the bodies of defeated riders. Emergency vans could not keep up. A leg of the course was closed to save slower riders from collapse. Those lucky few who found them huddled in the mostly illusory shade of giant tumbleweeds and cacti. The rest of us had little choice but to press on. Finally, I stopped sweating in the 113 degree weather. Anyone who has ever participated in an endurance sporting event knows this is a very dangerous sign. Nevertheless, I had nowhere to go but forward. To have stopped would have been to fry, literally. There was no shade, no place to take refuge, no water but what I had to ration out of my own bottles. The wind did eventually stop, but even this was a mixed blessing, as we baked further. At least on the bike, I had some additional circulation. So I forged on.

The next rest stop was 7 miles away, and it was the longest seven miles of my life. My dream of a personal best evaporated. Survival really became the goal, and the odds continued to drop. Physical stress was only part of it. The fear of heatstroke and possible death became very real and wore on me mentally as the miles stretched on. I knew I was in serious trouble. Finally, I stumbled into the shelter and collapsed on a cot in front of a large fan. Never have I been so grateful to have a strange woman cover my body with towels soaked in ice water, including shoving several down my pants. Eventually, I recovered and finished the race, but I will never forget the near thing it became. What started out as a fun adventure ended up being a real battle for continued existence. It was tough enough as it was. Had I not been trained, the outcome almost certainly would have been far worse.

When we look at today’s verses, it is plain Christ has given us all we need for the battle, from sustenance to armor. He, at least, takes the battle seriously. Two conclusions can be drawn from His provision. First, He expects serious resistance against His people. Second, He does not expect His people to simply go quietly into the night when faced with it. The Spirit expects us to fight for Him. He recognizes blood is going to be shed. He wants us ready. The only rational response is to prepare as our Commander in Chief recommends. A life of faith is not a game, nor is it something we can do just when we feel like it. It requires total commitment and a plan of rigorous training. We must play for keeps because Satan knows no other way. He is ruthless and unrelenting. We have to be ready and prepared to fight back. Our souls are at stake.

JUST ONE

Isaiah 51:1-53:12; Ephesians 5:1-33; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverbs 24:7

“Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.  He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

“Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me. But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.”

“Wisdom is too much for a fool.”

Today’s Psalm broke my heart because it brought home the reality that no one – not a single, solitary soul – made any move to lessen the suffering of our Savior during His final hours. To the extent this Psalm can be read as prophesy, it is even more disturbing that God knew us so well so far in advance. How could He know such despicable cowardice and inhumanity would be shown His Son and yet send Him to die for those very sins (among others)? Even this sad slice of history was not the worst of today’s revelation, however. Because the next question which naturally arose got very personal. What I have done to lessen the suffering of my Savior today, to relieve the burden He carries in His heart for the downtrodden and suffering in the family of God? Certainly, not enough. I have no defense. I am stunned anew that the Holy Spirit has anything to do with me. Truly, His grace is unimaginable.

I do not today address unbelievers or those in foreign lands. Others have and will continue to call Christians to evangelistic mission work. This one time, let us acknowledge the dark reality of the full depth of our depravity, our disregard of the plights of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us feel it in our bones. People like us who do not respond to the suffering of family members do not deserve to be saved. We really, really need to appreciate that fact. We simply do not do enough to relieve the suffering of our own, let alone others’. Worse, our disregard of other believers’ pain actually prolongs and intensifies their feelings of isolation and abandonment. We live as if we are heedless of the deserved consequences of our callous disregard for the needs of our spiritual relatives. It is a reality many of us see, but few feel. We have utterly no right to claim exemption or an exception to the wages of our sins.

Oh, I know: no one can meet all the needs they see, even in church. Not even Jesus attempted that in this life. There are very real human limits. However, we also need to own that history is replete with examples of individuals who shine forth the best in humanity. They did so precisely because they took it upon themselves to live beyond their limits for no other reason than that someone else needed them to.

“Insamuch as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to Me…. When you refuse to help these “lesser ones,” you refuse to help Me….” Jesus was not kidding or waxing metaphorical. He lives in and with His children who suffer, every bit as much as He does in us. All believers are bound in and to His Body. When we do not come to the aid of our brothers and sisters, we are, by definition, wounding Christ. More personally, we wound ourselves.

It is an interesting scientific fact that the only cell in the human body that lives utterly for itself is a cancer cell. When we, as members of the Body of believers, neglect the pain and needs of fellow believers, we may as well be cancer cells. Make no mistake: I am indicting myself and am unsure what to do about it (or, more painfully, if I am going to do anything about it). But that is a question for another day. Today, the Lord is just holding up a mirror, and asking me if I like what I see. I do not.

So, the Lord asks me one thing more. He asks whether I am willing to be the one soul He commissions to provide a unique, supportive touch to one of His children in need. He asks if I am willing to respond to His invitation unconditionally, unquestioningly, or if I am going to stop when I begin to count the cost. He asks, simply, if I will change my perspective and begin to see that helping others is not just a spiritual obligation, but an eternal opportunity. That is a paradigm shift for me. It should not be, but it is. Getting outside myself, extending myself outside my comfort zone, is simply not where I want to be. For crying out loud, I have enough to do already…, too much in fact. Hey, a lot of it is “good Christian work.” But somehow, the Lord is not interested in any of that today. He asked me a specific question. And all I really know right now is that I’d prefer not to answer. One soul matters. Perhaps the one who needs real help is me. Who knew?

THE PRESUMPTION OF DISCIPLESHIP

Isaiah 48:12-50:11; Ephesians 4:17-32; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 24:5-6

“I replied, ‘But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.’ And now the Lord speaks—the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him. The Lord has honored me, and my God has given me strength. He says, ‘You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

“O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.”

“The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.  So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers.”

Sometimes as I write these entries, I feel an intimidating sense of presumption. I have little formal religious training. I don’t know the first word of ancient Greek or Aramaic, let alone Hebrew. Most of what I have learned has come by way of bad experience and faulty decision making. I live the principles I write about mainly when it’s convenient or easy. Little of my life is worthy of imitation; certainly, much of it is actually a contradiction of what I say I believe. Yet, God has given me this mission, this journey, and the responsibility of sharing it with anyone who cares to read it. I wonder why.

That’s how it is with obedience, isn’t it? We don’t get to question orders. We follow or disobey. It’s as simple as that. God’s purposes and choices are not subject to our own second guessing. We either live in faith and respond when He calls, or we say no to the adventure that life in Him could be. I don’t expect there is an answer to why the Lord chooses one person to do that and another to do this, at least, not one we can see with mortal eyes. I don’t even have a clue about how, if at all, He is really going to use this journey of mine to encourage others over the long haul of their own lives. But maybe that’s the point. I am not supposed to know. I am to accept the blessing that my study and journaling is for me, and leave it to the Holy Spirit to take things from there. Oh, and if the end result of all this work is simply that I have grown and come to understand things a little more clearly in my own heart, I am to be content with that. Such is the nature of our Lord’s apparent inscrutability, and what He requires of our faith in Him. We are not to know His end results or purposes. We are simply to proceed as if we are certain that they exist and that they are good.

This can be especially hard on days like today when it seems I have to quite literally chisel the time to read and write out of the granite of an already over-scheduled day. I find myself wondering if this really has to be so hard. Even as the question frames itself in my mind, the answer comes clear. Sometimes, yes. The obedience of discipleship stopped being easy the second Adam and Eve ate the apple. We have no “right” to see the finished product of Christ’s redemptive efforts, whether in the lives of others or our own. We must invest ourselves in the process, nevertheless. If we are going to be true to our calling as disciples, our only option, according to Scripture, is to accept the sovereignty of God, enlist subject to His command and carry out His orders in trust that our Supreme Commander actually does have a greater purpose and vision than we can or need to see.

Christ depends on each of us just because He does (at least, as far as we know). We spend much fruitless time questioning our own worthiness or qualification. Satan makes us timid. We want to know the end game before we embark on the trip. None of our reasons for not following the Spirit’s promptings have anything to do with faith. However, we are called to live by faith. The conclusion is inescapable: if we are to live a life of faith, we must be content with our callings – however illogical they may seem to us – and quit trying to talk ourselves out of, or justify, the opportunities God gives us to make disciples of others. When it comes to discipleship, a certain amount of presumption is probably a good thing.

DO NO HARM

Isaiah 45:11-48:11; Ephesians 4:1-16; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 24:3-4

“Listen to this, you pleasure-loving kingdom, living at ease and feeling secure. You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other. I will never be a widow or lose my children.’
 Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment: widowhood and the loss of your children. Yes, these calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic. You felt secure in your wickedness. ‘No one sees me,’ you said. But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray, and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’ So disaster will overtake you, and you won’t be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won’t be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared.”

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”

“Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.  Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.”

“A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.  Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.”

Just because we do not get caught doing affirmative wrong does not make our actions right. Engaging in the same illegality or immorality as everyone else only makes us conformists; it does not excuse our decisions nor does it make them socially acceptable. Such things are not and do not give rise to mere mistakes, either. Mistakes may be unintentional, but sins are not. We need no objective tests to tell us whether our thoughts and dealings are socially acceptable or legal or sinful. We know, because we plan them. But there is one test that will show our malfeasance for exactly what it is: the more time we spend trying to justify our actions, the higher the probability they never had any justification to begin with.

It is impossible to read today’s passages and not appreciate their relevance to today’s circumstances. Based thereon, it is extremely tempting to rant about all the frustration and injury the last eighteen months have brought us. After all, thoughtless, corrupt, selfish and heartless creatures disregarded any semblance of morality and left only desolation and destitution in their wake. Wunderkind MBAs struck out on a “me first” course which left no real room for consideration of others or of ultimate consequences. Remarkably, Wall Street still has issued no apologies or confessions for the grief it brought to our entire world. But here’s the thing: no one really thinks the bad guys didn’t know any better, precisely because we all knew better yet chose to look the other way. Totally seduced by the promise of easy money, easy housing and a comfortable retirement, nearly all of us willing sacrificed almost everything we held dear on the altar of prosperity. We even went so far as to convince ourselves our very prosperity was, in fact, the will of God. It would be easy to claim we were all just blind fools, but we were more than that. We were accomplices. We tolerated it, and in many cases, also hoped to profit from it. Alas for us all. We are reaping what we sowed, and there’s no sense complaining about it.

Sins are intentional, and it is intellectually dishonest to assert otherwise. The decision not to follow God’s way can never be inadvertent, not if we are created in God’s image and given the ability to think with the mind of Christ. When we entertain strategic decisions grounded in self and ego, we sin with calculation. Until we admit that, we are only kidding ourselves. We cannot get off the hook by trying to excuse or seek forgiveness for lesser related offenses. We must own our intent if we are ever going to allow Christ to change our hearts.

There is a reason for living according to the example set by Christ. It works. It’s the right thing to do. It allows us to achieve a power and purpose we could never realize on our own. But mainly, when we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we do no harm.

One of the most disconcerting things I think about heaven is a fair certainty that the first to meet me at the pearly gates will be those I have wounded in this life. Now, I’m pretty sure they will be greeting me with forgiveness, love and understanding, but I am not at all sure their kindness will avoid my embarrassment. It may intensify it. 

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

Isaiah 43:14-45:10; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 24:1-2

“Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago. I am going to do something new. It is already happening. Don’t you recognize it? I will clear a way in the wilderness for my people to come home. … I will make rivers on the dry land for my chosen people to drink. I have formed these people for myself. They will praise me. But my dear people, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me.”

“I’m asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory. I pray that he would give you inner strength and power through his Spirit. Then Christ will live in you through faith. I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation. This way, with all of God’s people, you will be able to understand how wide, long, high, and deep his love is. You will know Christ’s love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God. Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.”

“Do not envy evil people or wish you were with them, because their minds plot violence, and their lips talk trouble.”

I am so glad we are not bound to the past. Certainly, history contains many lessons for those wise enough to take heed of them. But the best news of Scripture is we need not be either defined or limited by previous experience. No matter the number or enormity of our failures, we are perpetually surrounded by the “green shoots” of God’s love, power and vision. However dried up and depleted we may feel, the Spirit offers invigorating Living Waters to refresh us when we need renewal most. More, Christ would instill in each of us a permanent sense of our own worth, potential and abilities. If that is not enough to get us excited and enthusiastic, there is something seriously wrong with us.

The problem is, of course, that something is wrong with each of us. It’s called sin. Our intentional decisions to usurp the preeminence of God in our lives and our actions separates us from the Source of creativity and energy. Bad, selfish choices literally sap our personal enthusiasm and endurance. But mainly, sin limits our vision. We become so focused on the boundaries of our own desires, strength and plans that, after a while, we can lose sight of God’s altogether.

Take heart! We are created in the image of God. We were created to be creative. Let us not get so consumed with the day-to-day tasks of ordinary life that we lose our imagination and resourcefulness. Christ did not die on the Cross so that we could become lost in complacency. He did not teach us to give up our dreams or our inspiration. His purpose was rather to break us free of all the ordinariness of life – of all the rules and regulations – so that we could be free to imagine a better world, and play our part to make it happen.

Like our Creator Himself, every human being on earth creates something. The creative urge is in our DNA; it is an inevitable result of our presence here on earth. Humans simply cannot not create. It is what we create that defines our character and, to a large extent, the worth of our lives.

Everyone knows someone who specializes in creating. Some create misery. Think “Debbie Downer,” for example. Others specialize in creating opportunities for themselves, whatever the cost to those around them. But praise God, there are still people who make their lives’ purpose creating joy and enthusiasm and bringing them into every aspect of theirs and others’ lives. Seemingly irrepressible, these select few know something the rest of us do not. They understand they are, in fact, free to be creative and imaginative, and they find their highest and best use is actually making their hopes and dreams into reality. These chosen ones are never comfortable with mere survival. They willingly overextend their personal limits. They are willing to risk failure because they know exactly into Whose hands they will fall when they do miss the mark. They know there is no condemnation where they are headed.

Our good and gracious Lord wants us to dream and create without ceasing. He wants to be allowed to inspire us to find new ways of thinking, responding and acting. He wants to infect our lives with a completely illogical imagination that is as boundless as His power to make it happen.

Each day is a gift, an opportunity to bring the creativity and imagination of the Holy Spirit to bear on our own and others’ problems, issues, blessings and prospects. When we become so consumed with mere survival that we cannot think ourselves out of our ruts, it’s past time for a clean break with the ordinary. In the power of Christ, then, let’s do something crazy today. Let’s take some time to dream and imagine. Rekindle the spark of creativity. Create a bit of heaven on earth. It is entirely possible. We just have to live free, intentionally claiming the new life we are offered in Jesus.

GOD'S MASTERPIECE

Isaiah 41:17-43:13; Ephesians 2:1-22; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 23:29-35

“Here is my chosen one, with whom I am pleased. I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise his voice…. He will faithfully bring about justice. He will not be discouraged or crushed until he has set up justice on the earth…. This is what the LORD God says: ^‘I, the LORD, have called you to do what is right. I will take hold of your hand. I will protect you. I will appoint you as my promise to the people, as my light to the nations. You will give sight to the blind, bring prisoners out of prisons, and bring those who live in darkness out of dungeons.’”

“Listen, you deaf people. Look, you blind people, so that you can see. Who is blind except my servant or deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one who has my trust or blind like the servant of the LORD? You have seen much, but you do not observe anything. Your ears are open, but you hear nothing.“

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good works that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.”

Back when I was growing up, my Dad and I would play golf with a friend who spent most of his time bemoaning the foibles of our local professional baseball team. He would rant and rave and always conclude with the same line. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m their biggest fan.” Dad or I would routinely reply, “Well, if you’re number one, I’d hate to see number two!” Sometimes, I think God may have the same reaction to our self-evaluations. Commanded to love ourselves, most of us are far more familiar with our faults than our talents and gifts. We are seldom our own biggest fans. Instead, we look in the mirror and cry out, “Oh, Lord, please shuffle and deal again!” The idea that we would be seen as any kind of art by anyone is as foreign to us as quantum physics. We are blinded to our potential. Yet, the One who created us never loses sight of our promise or our capabilities. We are exactly who, and where, He created us to be, fitting perfectly into His grand mosaic of Creation.  We are His masterpiece. It’s time we stop letting the perspective of the world and/or of Satan run us down.

We are God’s masterpiece, regardless of how we feel about it. He did not make a mistake in giving us life, and He loves us exactly the way we are. True, He loves us too much to let us stay as we are, but what parents do not want their children to grow and develop so they can more perfectly experience their full potential? There is a fundamental difference between destruction and purification. We don’t always see it or understand it. Certainly, we don’t always appreciate that God is working in productive ways in our lives. We give up on ourselves, and we assume He shares our views. But in this, too, we are wrong.  The Lord of Creation Himself is our biggest fan. He believes in us even when we do not believe in ourselves.

As God’s children, then, we need to work on seeing ourselves as Christ sees us. Forgiven, we are free to fail. Empowered, we are capable of achieving things for the Kingdom beyond any we could ever dream or imagine. Blessed, we have tools and guidance from the very Author of life that we have yet to even begin to explore or put into practice. It is as if the Lord has set us in front of a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts and said, “My child, open as many as you like.” Like any four year old would, we ought to be tearing into our gifts. Many of us, though, cannot accept that the gifts are really ours. We literally don’t know what to do with them. So, they remain unopened until even the ribbons droop and the wrapping paper fades and they do not even attract us any longer.

This is an absolutely foolish way to live! Jesus wants us to open every gift we can possibly get our hands on, to use it until it is used up, and to fully experience the amazing bounty of His love. We are His masterpiece, but He has an infinite number of accessories for each of us to make us even more capable, more effective, more useful and more beautiful. Now that we are truly His, the Lord wants to fully outfit us for the journey ahead. Let us not close our eyes or our hearts to our potential or our beauty. Instead, let us be bold in claiming the blessings and gifts of the Holy Spirit. They were tailor made just for us, after all, and no one else can use them as effectively. Life, love and blessings are terrible things to waste. We can, and should, be bold when it comes to claiming the gifts of God.

BENEDICTION

Isaiah 39:1-41:16; Ephesian1:1-23; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 23:25-28

“Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.  He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young…. O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.  He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.  Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

“So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.  He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.”

“Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me.  For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke.  If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.”

“O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes delight in my ways of wisdom.”

Today my son graduates from law school, and last night we celebrated my father’s 80^th birthday. I have much to be thankful for and many memories to cherish. But mainly, as I look backward and forward, I am simply amazed at how the Lord has sustained our family, sometimes even in spite of ourselves. There have been – and are – scary and tough times in God’s plan for us. There has been alienation and forgiveness, anger and joy, frustration and peace, and new birth and death. But somehow, in ways we did not, and still may not, understand or even comprehend, the Lord has kept us all safe and together. At this family reunion of sorts, I marvel at how the hand of divine providence has touched each of us over the years. More, I would give each of us reasons to feel encouraged about our future, as uncertain as the present seems. We all need to pause and reflect on how our heavenly Father has moved us in ways that brought us closer together and closer to Him. We need to know, and remind ourselves, that His plans are always for good, even when they don’t feel like it.

So, to my Dad: You are the family patriarch! Under all the teasing, and in spite of the occasional pontification, you have led us with wisdom and the best of intentions from the start. Even if I had nothing else to thank you for or remind you of, I could point to your incredible example of how a man should cherish his bride. (Mom, stay with me on this.) Dad, you’ve helped me establish in my own family one true nonnegotiable: husbands must not just love their wives; they must also adore them, and there is a difference. Even when you fuss at Mom, there is never any doubt (in my mind, at least) that you know exactly where you would be without her, and it ain’t pretty. Our wives really are our better halves! They are the Spirit’s buffer between us and a world that continues to tell us we will never be good enough, strong enough, wise enough or handsome enough to be a critical part of anyone else’s life. Our wives remind us we matter, even when everything around us seems to indicate the contrary.

But man-to-man, your greatest gift has been your example of simple perseverance. You probably never knew how closely I have watched you struggle over the years. You always did your best to hide it. But truth wins outs, and besides, God and your sons (and even your grandkids) had a greater need. We (not God) had a need to know the world is not always fair, and how to respond when it isn’t. Right does not always triumph, at least in the short term. We needed to know how to handle adversity, how to overcome, and how to maintain our integrity in the face of all that could have destroyed us. We needed a model of teachable humility, however reluctantly it developed. So, God used your struggles as our model, whether you liked it or not. At times, the model was sloppy, even ugly, as you and the Lord confronted your humanness. But together, you came out of the process reconciled, and that is the most important lesson a father can ever teach his kids. We have a heavenly Father who cares, who will provide and sustain. Maybe He does not always do so in the ways we expect or desire. We certainly have to play our part, and that usually means some kind of sacrifice. But actually, when it comes right down to it, our present struggles give us reason to hope for the future. Because even in the midst of adversity, we can choose to stand. We have the capacity to bear the sacrifice, and there is a Power greater than ourselves that will help, if we allow it. The key is, again, humble reconciliation to the ways of Christ, like it or not. You showed me that, eventually. That is your gift to me, and to us.

To my son: As “backhanded” an opportunity as what you presently face may be, understand that it is, nevertheless, an opportunity. Use this time to learn more about how to persevere and overcome as a man. Learn from your grandfather, and your father. Recognize and forgive our mistakes; claim our victories for yourself; and pray for wisdom enough to know the difference. Open your heart to gain wisdom from adversity. Above all, cherish your wife – she is your sanctuary.

We all understand this is a spooky time, especially for attorneys. But God has brought you both this far, and He did not teach you to swim to let you drown. Yeah, you may have to tread water for a time. But that’s not drowning, however it may feel. Take some time this weekend to recognize you really are surrounded by support and grace, not adversity. Adversity cannot penetrate the hedge of love with which we and Christ surround you – unless you allow it. You know in your heart of hearts what it means to have Jesus carry you. Lean ever more heavily on Him. Decide to consciously and intentionally claim grace and power and optimism on a daily basis, and live like you know what that means. Need we remind you how the Lord saved you, literally, right from the womb? He has a plan for your life, and just because it may be murky right now does not make it any less real or immediate.

Do not look in life for what you want to do. Want to do what Christ has planned for you. And persevere. Learn from experience and practice that it is possible to simply say no to fear. It is never easy, but it is possible. Because you know how to love, you know how to say no to fear. Perfect love casts out fear. You get that; do not forget it in the midst of your present situation.

As compared to biological relatives, “family” does not just happen, any more than the universe itself just happened. We should all give thanks that the Creator of the whole universe saw fit to create, love and bind us together. He has allowed us to learn, even when that included turning our backs on Him. But look around the room now. He’s here, right where He’s always been, in the middle of everything. Whether we acknowledge Him or not, only He could have brought us this far. And we will only get to the next point in the journey He has planned for us as we reconcile ourselves to, and trust in, his unknowable ways. I have unquenchable hope for the future because I know our entire family will be together eternally with the One who saved us all. That, my friends, is a very big deal – the biggest deal of all – to me.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR JOY

Isaiah 37:1-38:22; Galatians 6:1-18; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 23:24

“Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”

“Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us inside your holy Temple. You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.”

“The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise.”

I have a friend who, whenever our Bible study meets, reminds us to “give thanks for the thorns.” The point, she maintains, is that the thorns of life build character, provide maturity and wisdom, and help us to appreciate the blessings we do enjoy. Fair enough, but that doesn’t make her prayer any easier to say, especially when one is so surrounded by thorns that the rose is not visible. Another friend puts it another way: “Give thanks anyway.” The take away is that gratitude, like love, is actually more a decision than a feeling. It is a commitment to a particular mindset, and not simply an emotion. In fact, gratitude is one of the Lord’s main antidotes for stress and depression. We just don’t worry and strive so hard for things when we fully understand and appreciate what we already possess. It may sound trite or even unattainable for some, but the fact is a truly grateful heart is one that is secure, free of anxiety and able to find the positive blessings in virtually any situation.

My pastor tells a related story of an old man moving to a nursing home. When being led down the hall to his room, he began talking. “I like it very much. This will meet my needs perfectly.” The nurse, interpreting this as a sign of senility, gently reminded her charge that they had not reached his room yet. “Oh, I know,” came his reply. “But I made a decision long ago that my circumstances are not going to determine my state of mind. Instead, I have decided to let my state of mind determine my circumstances.” He saw the room as he willed it to be. Soon, it actually was as he first saw it in his mind: the busiest, brightest and happiest place in the facility. People were always stopping in to say hi or share a cheery word or get cheered up, and none of them ever left disappointed.

Isn’t it curious how we stubbornly fight the Spirit for control of our lives only to abdicate the authority we do have when the chips are down? It seems a simple enough analysis. We can choose to surrender ourselves to the Spirit and subject ourselves to His will, or we can grasp ourselves firmly by the bootstraps and choose to make something out of life in our own strength. The latter choice has its limitations, to be sure. However, the real problem with being human is we usually are so busy reacting to life that we rarely make any proactive decision about how we are going to respond to it at all. Because we aim at nothing intentionally, we invariably hit it. We are left feeling adrift and purposeless. If we are passive long enough, we can waste even the blessing of life, leaving it unexplored and undecided.

I am not advocating self-determination here. But I am saying that, in this area at least, even a bad decision may be better than no decision. Move ahead. Take command, if that’s what it takes to get started. Do you want to be healed? Get up and walk. No worries; God will catch up and be there when needed. Maybe He actually wants you to know it’s OK to first walk on your own for awhile….

It is a simple law of inertia that a body at rest is harder to move correctly than even a similar body going the wrong way. Momentum can be harnessed to make a turn. Those with no energy go nowhere fast.

So, my conclusion is I’ve been looking at failure all wrong. The only failure of a Christian which cannot be redeemed is the decision not to try. Everything else is available for the Master to use for good. Everything else has at least some positive potential. A foundational attitude of gratitude helps us see and understand this, even during the rough times. It provides us a stable base of operations even when we cannot see what our next step should be.

Opportunities for joy surround us daily. We don’t seem them, many times, because we have not affirmatively decided to see them. Sadly, we sometimes even decide not to see them. May the Lord forgive us for the times we have chosen to disregard opportunities for joy. Life has much more to offer than can be seen with human eyes. May we allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to look past the obvious and see everything through the potential of Christ!

A CAN OF WORMS

Isaiah 33:10-36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 23:23

“Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God. With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.’ And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.”

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.”

“The godly will rejoice in the Lord and find shelter in him. And those who do what is right will praise him.”

“Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.”

Today, I’m opening a can of worms because a haunting line from the novel, The Shack, keeps repeating itself in my head. In the book, the Lord points out that if we truly thought God good, we would trust Him completely. But we don’t. This one thought knifes straight to the heart of all that faith is and means. It makes sense. After all, only fools or psychopaths trust what they know is not good. No one willingly steps out on a crumbling ledge. So, I need to honestly confront what my inability or unwillingness to fully trust the Father says about who I think He really is.

I always though of my reluctance to place my life fully at the disposal of the Spirit as a matter of pride or, at worst, simple human weakness. I never thought it a reflection of what I really think about the Father. Having now been forced to think about it, I am troubled. There’s no argument about me not fully trusting God. Control is not something I’m inclined to give away easily. But do I continue to cling to an illusion of personal control because I believe God is unworthy of my trust? Do I actually doubt His goodness? Yikes!

Absolute goodness is not something humans are familiar with; it’s conceivable we even mistake it at times for something else. For example, according to Scripture, God has been directly responsible for the death of a lot of folks throughout history. Good for Israel, perhaps, but not so great for the pagan victims. I understand why the wages of sin is death. But is something “good” just because it’s necessary or inevitable? In my humanness, it’s sometimes hard to accept that all the judgments of the Lord are good, even when Scripture says so.

Finally, then, I’ve hit bedrock. In my heart of hearts, I still do not fully trust God because I still fear His judgment and have a tough time calling it “good.” From our politically correct, human perspective, almost any judgment, by definition, is “bad.” It certainly is if and when it’s directed at us. Since I know I am not worthy of anything but judgment when measured by the yardstick of holiness, I still fear God. So, I don’t – can’t – fully trust Him as good.

Now, because of Christ, this fear has been pushed deep into my subconscious. Thanks be to Yahweh! But I know it’s still there precisely because I still do not fully trust in my own salvation. Short and simple, I have yet to fully get my mind and my heart around grace.

Until we fully embrace the grace and forgiveness Jesus bought us at the Cross, it’s doubtful we can ever fully trust God. When the chips are down, most of us still worry about abandonment. Our practical sides question whether the Spirit is truly real and powerful enough to provide for our daily needs and protection here on earth. This is not comfortable stuff. It challenges the very idea that my little “quasi-trust” ever was or ever will be sufficient. Maybe that’s why Jesus so emphasized growth of a “mustard seed” faith.

I don’t want to fool myself any longer with half way or conditional trust. I know now I lack power and confidence and suffer from anxiety for the same reason (and because, obviously) I fail to fully trust God. I remain stubbornly unconvinced that He always has my best interests at heart. This is not a selfish thought, though it sounds like one. I am not afraid of sacrifice, for instance. But it would be nice to be sure our sacrifices will always be used for good by the Spirit. On the other hand, Scripture, and Christ, say God is good. Faith says that ends the debate. Maybe if I get more intentional about focusing on how God sustains me on a daily basis – instead of how He might let me down or judge me – I will be willing to trust Him more.

RESISTING THE WIGGLES

Isaiah 30:12-33:9; Galatians 5:1-12; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 23:22

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it….’ So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.”

“But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others - a little yeast spreads quickly through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to bring you back….”

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.”

“Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother’s experience when she is old.”

It was tough getting up this morning. After weeks of summer temperatures, there was a slight chill in the air last night, and we slept with the windows open. Turned out, my wife was considerably warmer than the morning air coming through the window, and I really had no motivation to leave. On mornings like this, it’s particularly difficult to believe anyone would intentionally reject the ability to simply be with the one they love in quietness and confidence. But we do. After what we judge to be enough time has passed, we get antsy to do something, to move, to get about the business of life. So we break fellowship and move out once again into the cold to fend for ourselves.

My wife calls this “the wiggles,” and by 7AM most mornings – including Saturdays! – she has a serious case of them. I’d probably be content to lay around holding her and dozing for several more hours given the choice, but alas, it is never to be. Once she’s up, she’s up. She cannot lay still. In our world, it’s gotten to be kind of a joke neither one of us takes seriously. We know we don’t actually need to lie there letting the morning expire. Besides, there is much beauty and charm to the early hours we’d miss if we did not get out of bed.

However, I also get the spiritual “wiggles” from time to time. I leave the presence of my heavenly Father before He is through equipping me for the day. I check out early. And it matters. By the end of those days, I usually feel like I took a knife to a gunfight. Running on empty, I may even find myself turning mean-spirited and cynical by 2 or 3 PM. When that happens, like Paul’s “poisoned yeast,” I can end up turning everyone around me sour and listless.

We all know folks who, although usually well intentioned at the start, obviously exit the presence of Christ too early in the day. They begin well, full of enthusiasm, and just run out of gas as the day’s worries and schedule begin to encroach upon their sense of security and confidence. Some of these folks don’t bother to even start their day with prayer. We aren’t concerned with them today; they are always on their own. Today is about those would-be saints who simply cannot muster the spiritual strength to be at 5 or 7PM who they started out to be at 7AM. Today is about the saints, like all of us, who sometimes find themselves spiritually depleted after just a few hours.

Here is where the illogic of God can challenge us the most. If we are to be the people the Lord created us to be, we must make whatever time is necessary to fully recharge our spiritual batteries on a daily basis. Whatever we think the price is for that few minutes (or hours, in some cases) of meditation and grace, the dividends are greater. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is as essential or as immediate as intentionally dedicating part of each of our days back to the Holy Spirit who gave them to us in the first place. In the rush of our over crowded days, it often feels like God just has to wait. We think we cannot possibly take time for Him right then. Time’s awastin’, and we fool ourselves into believing we have to tough some things out on our own. However, particularly in hindsight, we usually realize to our chagrin that our feelings were really just pride – and a dangerous lack of faith – talking.

Not many of us would intentionally deprive ourselves of life, but when we make a relationship with Christ a thing we do only at our convenience, it amounts to much the same thing. Jesus was clear that He is the way, the truth and the life. When we fail to allow Him time to give us what He is, we necessarily limit ourselves to something less than the life He planned for us. We may as well try fitting a square peg in a round hole. Life apart from Jesus is, at best, always an exhausting, uphill struggle. We need to stop fighting the spiritual currents that would bring us back to Him and allow ourselves the time to go where the Living Water would take us. 

REPORTING THE GOOD NEWS

Isaiah 28:14-30:11; Galatians 3:23-4:31; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 23:19-21

“These people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions. They tell the seers, ‘Stop seeing visions!’ They tell the prophets, ‘Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your “Holy One of Israel.” We are tired of listening to what he has to say.’”

“And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir, and everything He has belongs to you.”

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

“My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course.”

Today, make it a point to watch the news. Log on to today’s top stories. Consider well what gets the media’s attention. Almost across the board, we are awash in gloom and doom. Now, I don’t mean to be insensitive to our problems or the millions who are out of work or unable to pay their bills. I simply mean to lay hold of the obvious. Even sinners need hope. Beating folks up over their wickedness is, in my humble opinion, an outmoded and ineffective way to draw people to Christ. If guilt really worked as a motivating force, our churches would be much fuller than they are. To bring people into the Kingdom, we really need to spend more time modeling the benefits of a life in Christ, instead of pounding on seekers about their inadequacies as leaders, parents, workers or just plain members of the community. Jesus spent far more time telling people how to improve their lives and live beyond their individual limitations than He spent haranguing them over their shortcomings. Today’s selection from Isaiah, read in isolation, might suggest people who tire of hearing bad news are ducking the real issues. But remember, that is only an excerpt from a much longer chapter in a long book from a much longer Book.

There’s no arguing the Bible spends a lot of time convincing humankind of their sinfulness and essential need for Christ. That is an important part of the Gospel, but it is not the only, or even the major, storyline. When sinfulness instead of grace becomes the cornerstone of our evangelistic efforts, we are probably more interested in ascending the throne of judgment than in freeing souls from the bondage surrounding them. Friends, that is no good at all.

The message of every Christian ought to begin with the idea that, through Christ, gloom and doom can be changed into joy and celebration. Creation can be recreated. People can be converted and made new. The old can become irrelevant, and with it, the penalty for our willful desire to be like God. If anyone wants to hear some good news, let them focus on that great word! Stop bludgeoning others with personal opinions of what they are doing wrong and how they might be “fixed.” People cannot be “fixed.” Pets get “fixed.” People must be healed, and that is a process we humans can never initiate for anyone else. It is a process that has to start from the inside out. All we can do is encourage others to open their hearts to the power of the Great Physician.

I grow weary of bad news. Its messengers are, frankly, tedious, and they typically offer few helpful solutions. Judgment requires no character, either, and its absence is often quite obvious to all but the judge. Few listeners are so blind they cannot recognize that those who focus on bad news just have nothing good to report. Always looking at the downside soon stunts one’s own growth potential. It is both a limited and limiting perspective.

We all need the Cure for our sinfulness, pettiness and judgmental attitude. That’s old news. Let’s start our work for God by letting Him first deal with and heal our lack of compassion and empathy for the plights of others. Let’s open ourselves up to His healing grace before we start trying to break others. When we do, it’s pretty much a given that our perspective will improve. We won’t need to batter others with their spiritual poverty. We can be agents of grace and healing instead of destruction. We will have good news to report.

We are heirs of God. Everything He has, He longs to share with us. He will be our Rock and our salvation, if we will but allow it. So let us never beat on others so hard that we chase them off to another refuge. There is no other which can hold a candle to the sanctuary our Father provides for His children in His heavenly mansion.