Psalm 16 reminds us that God's purposes and His pleasures are eternal:
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
As Annie Herring related in a song from a number of years ago, we are earthbound - the apostle Paul said that we groan while we are in this body. We live in a world that is governed by our senses, and we are sometimes held in bondage by our limited human emotions and understanding. But God wants to take us into His realm, life without limits, where we walk by faith and not by sight, where we can experience His presence daily, to understand truth according to His Spirit and to live in a state of dependence on Him.
2nd Corinthians 4 reminds us that we walk by faith and not by sight, and that God calls us to see beyond the finite things of earth and experience the infinite realm of the supernatural:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
For movie buffs, Wednesday could have been a rather notable day...a picture made the rounds on social media that June 27, 2012 was the date that Marty McFly and Professor Brown travelled to into the future in the 2nd installment of "Back to the Future" - in episode one, they travelled in the reconstituted DeLorean from 1985 to 1955. So, in episode 2, they went to...2012, right? Wrong. Watch the clip on YouTube - it was 2015. Somebody with too much time on his or her hands photoshopped a picture to indicate the incorrect date. This incident illustrates how things are not always the way they appear.
Bulgarian archeologists announced two years ago they had found the bones of John the Baptist. Tom
Higham, an Oxford University scientist and an atheist who, according to the CNN Belief Blog, doesn't believe in "any kind of religion or God or anything like that," was asked to test six small bone fragments found on an island named Sveti Ivan - St. John.
The bones turned out to be from a man who lived in the Middle East at the same time as Jesus. Higham said that they had a date right in the middle of the first century. Now, this is not proof that the bones belonged to John the Baptist, since there's no DNA database of early Christian saints, but it does present compelling evidence. But, they could be the bones of John.
But, our faith is not predicated on whether or not these are the remains of John the Baptist. Our faith is based on the authenticity of the word of God, His inspired, infallible, written testimony which reported the activities of John and his relationship to Jesus. I think of Dr. Gary Habermas, who shared on this program and in a recent conference. He discussed and displayed a replica of the Shroud of Turin, which is believed by some, not necessarily him, to be the burial cloths of Jesus. But our belief in the resurrection is not based on whether or not Jesus was buried in the Shroud, it's based on the fact that He was buried and the tomb is empty.
Jesus cautioned about living only according to what we can see. There is a vast unseen realm that is actually more real than what we experience here on earth. It's the realm of the Creator, rather than just the creation. He calls us to look beyond our senses and to embrace the Holy Spirit and gain a sense of His presence and His work in our lives. As Jesus said to Thomas in John 20:29, "...because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
God is the Great Liberator
There is a desire in the hearts of human beings for true freedom - and that freedom can only be known and experienced through dependence on the power of God. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Liberty - true freedom - comes from a dependence on Jesus Christ - in losing ourselves, we gain a sense of what life in the Spirit is all about, life that is characterized by love, peace, joy, and the fruit of the Spirit, the pleasure of a relationship with God, who gives us power to walk in an elevated life in the midst of a fallen world. Our God is in control, but He is not an oppressor; rather He is the liberator through Christ - The apostle Paul wrote about that sense of liberation in 2nd Corinthians 3... 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. In John chapter 8, Jesus discussed our bondage to sin and the freedom that we can experience and enjoy in Him::34 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Jesus taught that we can only experience true freedom by losing ourselves - declaring independence from sin and exercising dependence on Him, who releases us from the bondage of sin, which leads to separation from God and death. In Matthew 16, Jesus taught on the nature of the true freedom that we all long for:(24)"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? The website, Founding.com, a project of the Claremont Institute, highlights 4 references to God in the principles of the Declaration of Independence, which is based on the premise that our rights, all rights, come from God, not from governmental institutions. And, that can helpful, as we attempt to understand the moral and spiritual foundations of our nation. The site states that:"There are four references to God in the Declaration:
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Liberty - true freedom - comes from a dependence on Jesus Christ - in losing ourselves, we gain a sense of what life in the Spirit is all about, life that is characterized by love, peace, joy, and the fruit of the Spirit, the pleasure of a relationship with God, who gives us power to walk in an elevated life in the midst of a fallen world. Our God is in control, but He is not an oppressor; rather He is the liberator through Christ - The apostle Paul wrote about that sense of liberation in 2nd Corinthians 3... 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. In John chapter 8, Jesus discussed our bondage to sin and the freedom that we can experience and enjoy in Him::34 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Jesus taught that we can only experience true freedom by losing ourselves - declaring independence from sin and exercising dependence on Him, who releases us from the bondage of sin, which leads to separation from God and death. In Matthew 16, Jesus taught on the nature of the true freedom that we all long for:(24)"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? The website, Founding.com, a project of the Claremont Institute, highlights 4 references to God in the principles of the Declaration of Independence, which is based on the premise that our rights, all rights, come from God, not from governmental institutions. And, that can helpful, as we attempt to understand the moral and spiritual foundations of our nation. The site states that:"There are four references to God in the Declaration:
- The "laws of nature and of nature's God" entitle the United States to independence.
- Men are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights."
- Congress appeals "to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions."
- The signers, "with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence," pledge to each other their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor."
The term "nature's God" refers to that which responsible for human (and the rest of) nature being what it is. It is a way of speaking of God insofar as God is knowable by human reason. In other words, our minds, unassisted by divine revelation, can figure out that there is such a thing as human nature, and that there are laws or rules that we must follow if we are to live justly and well. Reason can see that if we violate those laws, we will suffer such evils as death, slavery, or misery.In declaring independence from the oppressive hand of the British government, the Founders stated their dependence on God. If we as believers are to experience true freedom, then it is incumbent upon us to die to self and to allow the nature of God to penetrate our hearts and to encompass our minds. Almighty God, "nature's God", has set up a system of laws, rights, and duties - I believe that the Scriptures teaches that if we follow His will, then we will enjoy His blessings and if a free society makes the right choices and lives according to God's principles, then we will experience His favor. In our quest for the freedom of the human soul, it's important that we are submissive, dependent upon the laws of God, which do not oppress and enslave, but serve to set us free - Jesus said: "you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free". David Barton of WallBuilders gives some great historical background on the 4th of July:
On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to approve a complete separation from Great Britain. Two days afterwards – July 4th – the early draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed, albeit by only two individuals at that time: John Hancock, President of Congress, and Charles Thompson, Secretary of Congress. Four days later, on July 8, members of Congress took that document and read it aloud from the steps of Independence Hall, proclaiming it to the city of Philadelphia, after which the Liberty Bell was rung. The inscription around the top of that bell, Leviticus 25:10, was most appropriate for the occasion: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.”
Adams was right, you know! Independence Day will once again be a day of celebration, to appreciate the spirit of America, and, for the Christian, the Spirit of God, who had a profound impact on the foundation of our great nation. In their yearning for freedom, the Founders also recognized that they needed to integrate Biblical principles into their founding documents and statements. I believe they saw God as the giver of rights, acknowledged His principles, and realized that they needed to depend on Him in order to see the new nation succeed. In submitting to the great liberator and protector, they showed their understanding of the nature of true freedom.To see the turmoil in other nations, their struggles and multiple revolutions, and yet to see the stability and blessings that we have here in America, we may ask how has this been achieved? What was the basis of American Independence? John Adams said “The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity.” Perhaps the clearest identification of the spirit of the American Revolution was given by John Adams in a letter to Abigail the day after Congress approved the Declaration. He wrote her two letters on that day; the first was short and concise, jubilant that the Declaration had been approved. The second was much longer and more pensive, giving serious consideration to what had been done that day. Adams cautiously noted: “This day will be the most memorable epic in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.”
Valuable Time
Colossians chapter 4 outlines for us the attitude that we can strive to have as we regard each day as a gift from God, full of opportunity:
5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Yesterday, I shared here and on The Meeting House about idle talk, making sure that our words are consistent with God's truth. It is also important that our time is spent with the intent of bringing glory to God. Each day presents its unique set of challenges, but we also recognize the hand of God - that He is at work and He can give us a template for each day, rejoicing in Him and anticipating how He will work in and through out lives.
From Ephesians 5, we read:
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Yesterday, we discussed idle talk - making sure that we are speaking in accordance with God's truth, making our words count for His glory. Today, we touch on the subject of idle time. Ephesians chapter 5 highlights the concept of "redeeming the time". I believe that entails regarding each day as a gift of God, realizing that since He has ordained the number of our days, He has placed us here for a purpose. So, we adopt the attitude according to Psalm 118:
24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save now, I pray, O Lord... Well, there has been talk of this being a historic day, with the Supreme Court's ruling on health care and the vote in the House on holding the Attorney General of the U.S. contempt. It's a troubling day for residents of Colorado Springs, who are hoping and praying it will be a triumphant day for the brave firefighters who are battling the monstrous blaze threatening their city. So, what kind of day will you have? Are you dedicated to fulfilling God's agenda for you today, or are you content to spend your time idly and perhaps unproductive with regard to the matters of the kingdom of God. Each day is a gift, and an opportunity to bring glory to God, to have an attitude that "this is the day" that He has made, so we rejoice in Him and anticipate what He will do through us today.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Valuable Words
God's word has the power to transform our lives, to enable us to walk in triumph from the power of sin. Jesus said in John 17:
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As God's truth enters our mind and we meditate on that truth and seek to apply it and live by it, we can experience life transformation. We have that daily choice to speak words that are consistent with God's word or to walk in the ways of the world, and engage in idle words, misuse of the tongue, and actions that are not pleasing to God. So important that we recognize that our words can bring life and encourage, or can tear down and not bring glory to God.
We have received the life-altering truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, who transformed the life of the apostle Paul, who wrote in 1st Timothy 1:
(3) I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk...
Did you hear this? A rare original copy of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation sold Tuesday at a New York auction for more than $2 million. It's the second-highest price ever paid for a copy of the proclamation, signed by Lincoln himself. Two years ago, one owned by the late Sen. Robert Kennedy was sold for $3.8 million.
Seth Kaller, who is a dealer in American historic documents and expert on the Emancipation Proclamation; who has handled eight signed copies, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the price and the one for the Kennedy copy are the highest ever paid for the proclamation, reflecting a "growing appreciation for documents that capture the most important moments in our history,"
At $2.1 million dollars for the document and over 1700 words, that comes to about $1200 a word. Those are some valuable words, and they changed the status of American citizens and the destiny of a race of people.
The question for each of us is: how valuable are your words? God's words lead to life, and by accepting His word, we can experience freedom from the bondage of sin, which keeps us apart from God. And, He has entrusted each of us to speak in a manner that is consistent with His love and His truth. When you consider the number of words that we speak in a day, we have to evaluate how many we are wasting - if we are constantly speaking idle words, then I believe we might just be falling short regarding the use of our tongue and our communication that God would intend for us. Lincoln's words are still valuable - they were life-giving and life-altering...perhaps God will use something that you write or speak to help bring life-transforming truth.
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As God's truth enters our mind and we meditate on that truth and seek to apply it and live by it, we can experience life transformation. We have that daily choice to speak words that are consistent with God's word or to walk in the ways of the world, and engage in idle words, misuse of the tongue, and actions that are not pleasing to God. So important that we recognize that our words can bring life and encourage, or can tear down and not bring glory to God.
We have received the life-altering truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, who transformed the life of the apostle Paul, who wrote in 1st Timothy 1:
(3) I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk...
Did you hear this? A rare original copy of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation sold Tuesday at a New York auction for more than $2 million. It's the second-highest price ever paid for a copy of the proclamation, signed by Lincoln himself. Two years ago, one owned by the late Sen. Robert Kennedy was sold for $3.8 million.
Seth Kaller, who is a dealer in American historic documents and expert on the Emancipation Proclamation; who has handled eight signed copies, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the price and the one for the Kennedy copy are the highest ever paid for the proclamation, reflecting a "growing appreciation for documents that capture the most important moments in our history,"
At $2.1 million dollars for the document and over 1700 words, that comes to about $1200 a word. Those are some valuable words, and they changed the status of American citizens and the destiny of a race of people.
The question for each of us is: how valuable are your words? God's words lead to life, and by accepting His word, we can experience freedom from the bondage of sin, which keeps us apart from God. And, He has entrusted each of us to speak in a manner that is consistent with His love and His truth. When you consider the number of words that we speak in a day, we have to evaluate how many we are wasting - if we are constantly speaking idle words, then I believe we might just be falling short regarding the use of our tongue and our communication that God would intend for us. Lincoln's words are still valuable - they were life-giving and life-altering...perhaps God will use something that you write or speak to help bring life-transforming truth.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
A Compelling Storyline
As the apostle Paul related his amazing conversion story, he gives insight into God's redemption story for us all...let's go to Acts 26:
17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
God's story of redemption is indeed compelling, and we are part of that overall story, because Christ died for every one of us - He is the one who opens our eyes so that we might walk from darkness to light, from Satan to God, to know forgiveness, and the riches of God's grace - it's a compelling story, it applies to you and me, and it is meant to be shared!!
We are part of a compelling storyline that is fueled and perpetuated by the love of God...2nd Corinthians 5 says this:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again
Any "Peanuts" comics fans in the audience? Are you familiar with "Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life?" Barnaby Conrad and Monte Schulz, son of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, asked 30 famous authors and entertainers to each respond to a favorite Snoopy comic strip with a 500-word essay on the triumphs and tribulations of the writing life.
The all-star roster includes William F. Buckley, Jr., Julia Child, Ed McBain, and Elizabeth George. Among them is also one by Barnaby Conrad himself, offering the following six tips to writing a great story, in response to a 1997 comic strip....
1-Try to pick the most intriguing place in your piece to begin.
2-Try to create attention-grabbing images of a setting if that’s where you want to begin.
3-Raise the reader’s curiosity about what is happening or is going to happen in an action scene.
4-Describe a character so compellingly that we want to learn more about what happens to him or her.
5-Present a situation so vital to our protagonist that we must read on.
6-And most important, no matter what method you choose, start with something happening!
We have each been entrusted with stories - and, if you have accepted Christ, you have a tremendous story to tell - of God at work in your life and in human history. The Lord Jesus Himself when He was here on earth shared great stories, engaging stories, that illustrated a higher truth.
And, on TMH on Tuesday, you'll hear from master storyteller Lisa Bergren and one of the actors in a movie that has impacted so many fathers and families, "Courageous", a movie that is based on - a great story. You'll find that the Sherwood producers are some of the best story tellers around. As, you'll hear from Robert Liparulo tomorrow, and as I hear from authors often, they desire to write a really, really good story and then interject spiritual truth into it. I would put it - injecting the "why" into the "what".
So, we recognize the story of Jesus, who meet us at that intriguing place - humanity's need for a Savior. And, the setting is an empty tomb or a cross on Calvary, where redemption was purchased for us. The Bible is full of adventure, centered around the most compelling character ever. He keeps our attention, and He is at work today - and that is where you come in. If God is working in your life, then you have a story to tell - as we relate to others what He has done, we are able to point to a compelling God who has loved the unlovely and saved the hopeless, so that His story could continue to unfold.
Recognize you have a story, and it's His story, and He has enabled you to tell it - so that He might receive the glory!
17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
God's story of redemption is indeed compelling, and we are part of that overall story, because Christ died for every one of us - He is the one who opens our eyes so that we might walk from darkness to light, from Satan to God, to know forgiveness, and the riches of God's grace - it's a compelling story, it applies to you and me, and it is meant to be shared!!
We are part of a compelling storyline that is fueled and perpetuated by the love of God...2nd Corinthians 5 says this:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again
Any "Peanuts" comics fans in the audience? Are you familiar with "Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life?" Barnaby Conrad and Monte Schulz, son of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, asked 30 famous authors and entertainers to each respond to a favorite Snoopy comic strip with a 500-word essay on the triumphs and tribulations of the writing life.
The all-star roster includes William F. Buckley, Jr., Julia Child, Ed McBain, and Elizabeth George. Among them is also one by Barnaby Conrad himself, offering the following six tips to writing a great story, in response to a 1997 comic strip....
1-Try to pick the most intriguing place in your piece to begin.
2-Try to create attention-grabbing images of a setting if that’s where you want to begin.
3-Raise the reader’s curiosity about what is happening or is going to happen in an action scene.
4-Describe a character so compellingly that we want to learn more about what happens to him or her.
5-Present a situation so vital to our protagonist that we must read on.
6-And most important, no matter what method you choose, start with something happening!
We have each been entrusted with stories - and, if you have accepted Christ, you have a tremendous story to tell - of God at work in your life and in human history. The Lord Jesus Himself when He was here on earth shared great stories, engaging stories, that illustrated a higher truth.
And, on TMH on Tuesday, you'll hear from master storyteller Lisa Bergren and one of the actors in a movie that has impacted so many fathers and families, "Courageous", a movie that is based on - a great story. You'll find that the Sherwood producers are some of the best story tellers around. As, you'll hear from Robert Liparulo tomorrow, and as I hear from authors often, they desire to write a really, really good story and then interject spiritual truth into it. I would put it - injecting the "why" into the "what".
So, we recognize the story of Jesus, who meet us at that intriguing place - humanity's need for a Savior. And, the setting is an empty tomb or a cross on Calvary, where redemption was purchased for us. The Bible is full of adventure, centered around the most compelling character ever. He keeps our attention, and He is at work today - and that is where you come in. If God is working in your life, then you have a story to tell - as we relate to others what He has done, we are able to point to a compelling God who has loved the unlovely and saved the hopeless, so that His story could continue to unfold.
Recognize you have a story, and it's His story, and He has enabled you to tell it - so that He might receive the glory!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Acknowledging God's Authority
Listen to the words of Hebrews 1:
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
We are created by God, and we are under His authority. As we live under that authority, we recognize that He is the author of life, the Creator who formed us, and we treat other people as those who are fearfully and wonderfully made. We respond to other people under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And, we live each day with an awareness of His presence and yield ourselves to His direction.
The apostle Paul spoke these words about the supremacy of God in Acts chapter 17:
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things... 28 ...in Him we live and move and have our being
Two incidents in a city in New York highlight the importance of prayer, a consciousness of God, and submission to His authority. These two incidents are not at all directly related, but taken together paint a powerful example.
The first: The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last month that the Town of Greece violated the Establishment Clause through a prayer practice that it says “identified the town with Christianity.”
According to WHAM Television, the decision reversed a previous ruling in a lower court that sided with Greece. Apparently, between 1999 until 2007 only Christians stood up before board meetings to give a prayer, many of which invoked the name of Jesus Christ.
The court declared, “the town neither publicly solicited volunteers to deliver invocations nor informed members of the general public that volunteers would be considered or accepted.”
The court said that prayers are allowed at legislative meetings, but deemed Greece’s policy amounted to a promotion of one religion.
So, we have another instance where certian types of prayers are being regulated or restricted.
Now, to the second: Greece is the hometown of Karen Klein - she is a 68-year-old bus monitor who endured an extended barrage of insults from a group of middle school students. The occurrence was posted on YouTube, and a rally was held in the town to show support for Ms. Klein.
So, here's the connection: we have people that want to restrict prayer in America, and as William Murray, the son of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, will highlight today, there are those that would want to remove symbols or reminders of God's authority in public life. Those individuals, and well-funded groups, want the government to dictate who should pray, where prayers should be held - shielded from the public, and what the content should be, if a prayer is even to be said. In that scenario, government becomes the authority, not the God who established that authority.
And, without the authority of God, the respect for life that is created by God is diminished, the American values of civility and respect for one another are trampled, and we begin to treat others in a cruel and harmful ways. Isn't it interesting that in the same city where there are people who want to restrict prayer that national attention is focused on actions that are indicative of a society that doesn't have it?
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
We are created by God, and we are under His authority. As we live under that authority, we recognize that He is the author of life, the Creator who formed us, and we treat other people as those who are fearfully and wonderfully made. We respond to other people under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And, we live each day with an awareness of His presence and yield ourselves to His direction.
The apostle Paul spoke these words about the supremacy of God in Acts chapter 17:
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things... 28 ...in Him we live and move and have our being
Two incidents in a city in New York highlight the importance of prayer, a consciousness of God, and submission to His authority. These two incidents are not at all directly related, but taken together paint a powerful example.
The first: The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last month that the Town of Greece violated the Establishment Clause through a prayer practice that it says “identified the town with Christianity.”
According to WHAM Television, the decision reversed a previous ruling in a lower court that sided with Greece. Apparently, between 1999 until 2007 only Christians stood up before board meetings to give a prayer, many of which invoked the name of Jesus Christ.
The court declared, “the town neither publicly solicited volunteers to deliver invocations nor informed members of the general public that volunteers would be considered or accepted.”
The court said that prayers are allowed at legislative meetings, but deemed Greece’s policy amounted to a promotion of one religion.
So, we have another instance where certian types of prayers are being regulated or restricted.
Now, to the second: Greece is the hometown of Karen Klein - she is a 68-year-old bus monitor who endured an extended barrage of insults from a group of middle school students. The occurrence was posted on YouTube, and a rally was held in the town to show support for Ms. Klein.
So, here's the connection: we have people that want to restrict prayer in America, and as William Murray, the son of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, will highlight today, there are those that would want to remove symbols or reminders of God's authority in public life. Those individuals, and well-funded groups, want the government to dictate who should pray, where prayers should be held - shielded from the public, and what the content should be, if a prayer is even to be said. In that scenario, government becomes the authority, not the God who established that authority.
And, without the authority of God, the respect for life that is created by God is diminished, the American values of civility and respect for one another are trampled, and we begin to treat others in a cruel and harmful ways. Isn't it interesting that in the same city where there are people who want to restrict prayer that national attention is focused on actions that are indicative of a society that doesn't have it?
Friday, June 22, 2012
Flying Cars, Failure, and Faith
Let's turn to Psalm 107:
31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. The Psalmist then lists a number of acts and attributes of God, and in verse 42 outlines our response... 42 The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth. 43 Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.
God is our source of wisdom, and if our hearts are turned toward Him, depending on Him and giving Him praise for His wonderful works, we will be sensitive to identify His hand in our lives. He is the one who creates desires in our hearts, He gives us a passion to follow His will, and He will enable us to participate in His divine plan, which will involve creativity and innovation for time to time, and will involve what we might perceive as failure, but we continue to place confidence in His ways.
Proverbs chapter 3 underscores the importance of being reliant on the wisdom of God:
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Passion can lead to innovation, and sometimes the attempt to innovate can lead to failure. Then, you have the choice to get back up and try again, appropriating what you've learned.
And, I am sure that Steve Saint is ready to get back up and try again, after a miscue regarding one of his innovations - well, in the human realm, we may call it a miscue, but it is an opportunity for God to show Himself faithful.
So, here's the story: Steve Saint is the son of Nate Saint, the pilot of a plane that had 5 missionaries, including Jim Elliot, as passengers. The missionaries lost their lives at the hands of a remote tribe in Ecuador, but while some would count that a failure, the follow-up by Elisabeth Elliot and others has resulted in many coming to Christ. So, God worked a greater purpose. The story is depicted in the book, Through Gates of Splendor, which was also made into a documentary, as well as the movie, End of the Spear.
So, Steve has built on his father's legacy and created a ministry called I-TEC, which stands for Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center. Last week, he was injured in the process of testing a prototype vehicle which is designed to increase access to remote areas. He has already developed a "flying car" called the Maverick, as well as other innovations. This apparently was a new sort of device or piece of equipment.
According to Christianity Today:
I-Dent: a portable dental chair that makes it possible to provide the equipment and training for basic dentistry in indigenous places.
I-See: equips indigenous God-followers with the skills they need to identify common eye disorders, fit glasses, and run a self-sustaining ministry.
I-Med: makes it possible for indigenous, non-health care workers to learn to offer safe and effective basic heath care services to their own people when such health care is not available.
So, pray for Steve, who is living out the ministry theme of "Let God Write Your Story". And Steve reportedly told his family, "let's let God write this chapter, too."
Again, if God has given us a passion for something, He will give us wisdom and direction, and we have access to His creativity, which enables us to be innovative at times. But, with innovation - and risk - will come what we perceive as failure. But, even in those times we feel we stumble, we place our trust in the ways of the Lord.
31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. The Psalmist then lists a number of acts and attributes of God, and in verse 42 outlines our response... 42 The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth. 43 Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.
God is our source of wisdom, and if our hearts are turned toward Him, depending on Him and giving Him praise for His wonderful works, we will be sensitive to identify His hand in our lives. He is the one who creates desires in our hearts, He gives us a passion to follow His will, and He will enable us to participate in His divine plan, which will involve creativity and innovation for time to time, and will involve what we might perceive as failure, but we continue to place confidence in His ways.
Proverbs chapter 3 underscores the importance of being reliant on the wisdom of God:
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Passion can lead to innovation, and sometimes the attempt to innovate can lead to failure. Then, you have the choice to get back up and try again, appropriating what you've learned.
And, I am sure that Steve Saint is ready to get back up and try again, after a miscue regarding one of his innovations - well, in the human realm, we may call it a miscue, but it is an opportunity for God to show Himself faithful.
So, here's the story: Steve Saint is the son of Nate Saint, the pilot of a plane that had 5 missionaries, including Jim Elliot, as passengers. The missionaries lost their lives at the hands of a remote tribe in Ecuador, but while some would count that a failure, the follow-up by Elisabeth Elliot and others has resulted in many coming to Christ. So, God worked a greater purpose. The story is depicted in the book, Through Gates of Splendor, which was also made into a documentary, as well as the movie, End of the Spear.
So, Steve has built on his father's legacy and created a ministry called I-TEC, which stands for Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center. Last week, he was injured in the process of testing a prototype vehicle which is designed to increase access to remote areas. He has already developed a "flying car" called the Maverick, as well as other innovations. This apparently was a new sort of device or piece of equipment.
According to Christianity Today:
The accident has left Saint, whom CT profiled for his efforts to invent a flying car for missionaries in 2010, with "no control of feet or hands"; however, "his mind is clear and he does have some motion and sensation in all four limbs," according to the I-TEC email. The injury may end his career as a test pilot.Steve had surgery earlier this week, and the ministry's Facebook page reports:
Update: Steve came through his surgery very well. One of the biggest things for him is that he does not require his neck brace. He was able to stand up on his feet for about a minute this morning, with help. This is just the start of the long road ahead, but we know that he is a fighter and hard worker. By the beginning of next week, he should be moved into an in-patient rehab facility to begin intensive physical therapy. Please continue to pray for Steve and Ginny, as well as the rest of our family and care-givers as we continue this journey together to see how God will use this for our good and His Glory.Listen to some of the innovations from this ministry called I-TEC:
I-Dent: a portable dental chair that makes it possible to provide the equipment and training for basic dentistry in indigenous places.
I-See: equips indigenous God-followers with the skills they need to identify common eye disorders, fit glasses, and run a self-sustaining ministry.
I-Med: makes it possible for indigenous, non-health care workers to learn to offer safe and effective basic heath care services to their own people when such health care is not available.
So, pray for Steve, who is living out the ministry theme of "Let God Write Your Story". And Steve reportedly told his family, "let's let God write this chapter, too."
Again, if God has given us a passion for something, He will give us wisdom and direction, and we have access to His creativity, which enables us to be innovative at times. But, with innovation - and risk - will come what we perceive as failure. But, even in those times we feel we stumble, we place our trust in the ways of the Lord.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
A Clown Question?
Proverbs 4 speaks to the power of words and how they can affect our hearts:
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. The words we speak, those we listen to, and the ones we view, can have a profound impact on our own personal lives and the lives of others. If we are absorbing affirming, positive words consistent with god's Word, then it affects the trajectory of our lives and the very atmosphere around us. But, if we are negative, discouraging, and complaining, we create the opposite atmosphere. So, we can be challenged to allow the Word of God and words that are consistent with His principles to affect our hearts and to speak in a manner that brings glory to Him.
1st Corinthians chapter 2 says:6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory...
It is remarkable how phrases make their way into our collective consciousness through dissemination through media. Often, it's lines like "Where's the beef?" or "Have it your way" that stick around for a while. And, sometimes expressions like, "I know, right?" get stuck in our brains - admittedly, I have trouble figuring that one out.
Well, we seem to have another one of those cultural colloquialisms - "That's a clown question, bro". These were words spoken by Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper in response to a question by a Canadian reporter regarding whether or not the player would have a drink in order to celebrate a home run. More on that in a moment...
This is a phrase that has now begun to pop up in a variety of places. Online video producers have begun to dub the line into their productions. Some political correspondents have suggested that the President use it in a press conference. And, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid even used it this week. You can even buy t-shirts with the phrase.
A point or two:
First of all, Bryce Harper may have really not appreciated the question. Dan Gilgoff of the CNN Belief Blog brought out the fact that Harper is a Mormon, and that alcohol use is against the teachings of the church. The reporter may not have known that, and probably should have, but if he did and asked the question recently, it continues to support our friend Dan Gainor's contention that many in the media are "foreign correspondents" when it comes to matters of faith. And, we could use some conviction about the subject of alcohol, which, the last time I looked, is a controlled substance and contributes to addiction, broken families, and the unraveling of lives. And, in a day where governmental leaders are concerned about the endorsement of religion, we are seeing that, in the name of economic development, authorities routinely endorse alcohol use. So, learning about the backstory of the phrase unveils a faith element.
And, we also see the power of a phrase. We are devoted to broadcasting God's Word here at Faith Radio, and we know that often, you'll catch hold of a nugget of truth, and that can provide inspiration and power for us throughout the day. It could even change a life. That's why Scripture memorization and meditation are important - just applying a phrase or verse to memory and thinking about its implication for our lives can provide a tool for spiritual growth. I'm seeing a greater number of short phrases or sayings posted in social media, perhaps in the form of a graphic or the proverbial 140-character Tweet. Words contain power, they can build up, instruct, heal, and more. God is speaking words of life to us - can we absorb and apply? And that's NOT a "clown question".
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. The words we speak, those we listen to, and the ones we view, can have a profound impact on our own personal lives and the lives of others. If we are absorbing affirming, positive words consistent with god's Word, then it affects the trajectory of our lives and the very atmosphere around us. But, if we are negative, discouraging, and complaining, we create the opposite atmosphere. So, we can be challenged to allow the Word of God and words that are consistent with His principles to affect our hearts and to speak in a manner that brings glory to Him.
1st Corinthians chapter 2 says:6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory...
It is remarkable how phrases make their way into our collective consciousness through dissemination through media. Often, it's lines like "Where's the beef?" or "Have it your way" that stick around for a while. And, sometimes expressions like, "I know, right?" get stuck in our brains - admittedly, I have trouble figuring that one out.
Well, we seem to have another one of those cultural colloquialisms - "That's a clown question, bro". These were words spoken by Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper in response to a question by a Canadian reporter regarding whether or not the player would have a drink in order to celebrate a home run. More on that in a moment...
This is a phrase that has now begun to pop up in a variety of places. Online video producers have begun to dub the line into their productions. Some political correspondents have suggested that the President use it in a press conference. And, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid even used it this week. You can even buy t-shirts with the phrase.
A point or two:
First of all, Bryce Harper may have really not appreciated the question. Dan Gilgoff of the CNN Belief Blog brought out the fact that Harper is a Mormon, and that alcohol use is against the teachings of the church. The reporter may not have known that, and probably should have, but if he did and asked the question recently, it continues to support our friend Dan Gainor's contention that many in the media are "foreign correspondents" when it comes to matters of faith. And, we could use some conviction about the subject of alcohol, which, the last time I looked, is a controlled substance and contributes to addiction, broken families, and the unraveling of lives. And, in a day where governmental leaders are concerned about the endorsement of religion, we are seeing that, in the name of economic development, authorities routinely endorse alcohol use. So, learning about the backstory of the phrase unveils a faith element.
And, we also see the power of a phrase. We are devoted to broadcasting God's Word here at Faith Radio, and we know that often, you'll catch hold of a nugget of truth, and that can provide inspiration and power for us throughout the day. It could even change a life. That's why Scripture memorization and meditation are important - just applying a phrase or verse to memory and thinking about its implication for our lives can provide a tool for spiritual growth. I'm seeing a greater number of short phrases or sayings posted in social media, perhaps in the form of a graphic or the proverbial 140-character Tweet. Words contain power, they can build up, instruct, heal, and more. God is speaking words of life to us - can we absorb and apply? And that's NOT a "clown question".
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Walking the Tightrope
Reading from Isaiah 43:
(1) "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God... God has promised to be with us, even in our most difficult times. And, if He has challenged us to step out of our comfort zone, to undertake what might be construed as a risky mission, we can trust in His faithfulness. Fear holds us back from experiencing what God has in mind for us, and as we build a reliance on God, we can have the confidence that it takes to walk where He has called for us to walk.
I haven't counted, but I've heard that there are some 365 references telling us to "fear not" or "do not be afraid". One of those instances is in Hebrews 13:
(5) He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
It was a big deal back in the 70's when Karl Wallenda made his tightrope walk across the Tallulah Gorge in Northeast Georgia - our family travelled there last year and actually found one of the footings for the tightrope - it was an amazing feat from the family patriarch, who had founded the Flying Wallendas in the 1940's.
Well, last Friday, his great-grandson Nik made a bold statement in carrying on the family tradition by walking on a tightrope over Niagara Falls in a nationally-televised event. He walked some 1800 feet, buffeted by 14 mile-per-hour winds and the mist rising from the falls 200 feet below. ABC reports that it garnered the biggest non-sports Friday night summer audience since 2005. 16 million people tuned in, and a crowd of tens of thousands of people witnessed the successful event in person.
A couple of made-for-TV moments: Wallenda, uncharacteristically, wore a harness, tethering him to the wire. And, ABC had placed a microphone on him. Repeatedly, he could be heard praying. Christianity Today, quoting a story from QMI Agency, said:
I began to think about how people are drawn to the idea of risk and adventure. Millions were glued to their TV sets on Friday to see a man, a God-fearing man, take a risk and use his platform to testify to God's greatness. And, where there is risk, there is opportunity for God to do amazing things. I do believe that from time to time, the Lord will call us out of the comfort zone and use us to fulfill His plan and bring glory to Him.
I think of an instance where a particular disciple was called to take a risk - Peter, in a boat with the other disciples, saw Jesus walking on the water. In Matthew 14, we read:
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Risk is a very appealing concept, and when we do take the steps "out of the boat" or on the tightrope of life, sort of speak, it's critical that we keep our eyes on Jesus, built up in faith, and not trusting in our own human effort. The Christian life is an adventure, and perhaps God is calling you to take a Spirit-inspired risk so that we might honor Him.
(1) "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God... God has promised to be with us, even in our most difficult times. And, if He has challenged us to step out of our comfort zone, to undertake what might be construed as a risky mission, we can trust in His faithfulness. Fear holds us back from experiencing what God has in mind for us, and as we build a reliance on God, we can have the confidence that it takes to walk where He has called for us to walk.
I haven't counted, but I've heard that there are some 365 references telling us to "fear not" or "do not be afraid". One of those instances is in Hebrews 13:
(5) He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
It was a big deal back in the 70's when Karl Wallenda made his tightrope walk across the Tallulah Gorge in Northeast Georgia - our family travelled there last year and actually found one of the footings for the tightrope - it was an amazing feat from the family patriarch, who had founded the Flying Wallendas in the 1940's.
Well, last Friday, his great-grandson Nik made a bold statement in carrying on the family tradition by walking on a tightrope over Niagara Falls in a nationally-televised event. He walked some 1800 feet, buffeted by 14 mile-per-hour winds and the mist rising from the falls 200 feet below. ABC reports that it garnered the biggest non-sports Friday night summer audience since 2005. 16 million people tuned in, and a crowd of tens of thousands of people witnessed the successful event in person.
A couple of made-for-TV moments: Wallenda, uncharacteristically, wore a harness, tethering him to the wire. And, ABC had placed a microphone on him. Repeatedly, he could be heard praying. Christianity Today, quoting a story from QMI Agency, said:
The King of the Wire puts his faith in the King of Kings...
The cross Wallenda wears around his neck every time he walks on a wire isn’t just a fashion statement, it’s a message about the religious beliefs the American performer holds close to his heart.
“I grew up in a born-again Christian family. A Bible-believing, God-fearing family. That’s the way I was raised and I find comfort and peace in that,” he said.It's reported that members of his family supported him in prayer throughout the walk.
I began to think about how people are drawn to the idea of risk and adventure. Millions were glued to their TV sets on Friday to see a man, a God-fearing man, take a risk and use his platform to testify to God's greatness. And, where there is risk, there is opportunity for God to do amazing things. I do believe that from time to time, the Lord will call us out of the comfort zone and use us to fulfill His plan and bring glory to Him.
I think of an instance where a particular disciple was called to take a risk - Peter, in a boat with the other disciples, saw Jesus walking on the water. In Matthew 14, we read:
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Risk is a very appealing concept, and when we do take the steps "out of the boat" or on the tightrope of life, sort of speak, it's critical that we keep our eyes on Jesus, built up in faith, and not trusting in our own human effort. The Christian life is an adventure, and perhaps God is calling you to take a Spirit-inspired risk so that we might honor Him.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Lessons from the Lighthouse
Philippians 3 gives us some insight into the importance of Godly discipline as we allow the light of Christ to radiate through us:
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul recognized that the Christian life is a journey - as we abide in Him, we experience more of His presence and we bear fruit for His glory. Walking in the Spirit means that we exhibit self-control, concentrating on Him and His light in our lives so that we do not walk in the ways of this world. Our willingness to develop Godly character will enable us to walk in freedom over those things, those sins, that would hold us back in our pursuit of spiritual maturity. 1st Corinthians chapter 9 reminds us of the importance of discipline as we seek to keep our lights shining for Jesus Christ:26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Recently, we had the opportunity to go to Pensacola to attend the burial of my wife's grandmother at the Barrancas National Cemetery at the Naval Air Station there. While at the station, we decided to "tour" the lighthouse that is located there, a lighthouse built in 1859 and still functioning today. After ascertaining that there was no elevator to the top, we proceed to go inside the core of the lighthouse...It is truly an intimidating sight to look up and see 177 stairs in a spiral staircase - stairs that don't really allow those going in opposite directions to pass beside one another very well. After about 50 stairs, I was just about done, but I wasn't about to let the rest of my family go to the top without me - so with perseverance and steady pacing, we made it to the top.
We had been told that at one time, in order to provide the fuel for the lights, that workers had to carry 5-gallon buckets of oil up those 177 steps. And, there was a bit of difficulty following the Civil War in maintaining well-behaved and competent lighthouse keepers - During the 23 years following the relighting of the tower, 11 individuals served as head keepers. Nine of them had to be removed for reasons ranging from intoxication to dereliction of duty. Finally, in 1886 the appointment of George T. Clifford ended the string of short-timers. Clifford served thirty-one years, until his retirement in 1917.
Keeping the lighthouse lit was therefore no small task. And, it speaks to the degree of difficulty in keeping our lights shining for Christ. To get to the light itself, you had to climb 177 steps...that is no small feat, especially when you're carrying the oil for the lamp. So there is a significant measure of discipline. Getting the oil - the fuel - to the top was a critical and even burdensome task. Our lights are fueled by the Holy Spirit, the indwelling presence of Christ - as we allow Him to flow into our lives and as we grow in him, we radiate the character of the Lord and impact the lives of others for Him. The apostle Paul wrote often about self-discipline and self-control, recognizing that our fruitfulness for the Lord and our fellowship with Him are dependent on our willingness to be disciplined and determined to press forward in Him.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul recognized that the Christian life is a journey - as we abide in Him, we experience more of His presence and we bear fruit for His glory. Walking in the Spirit means that we exhibit self-control, concentrating on Him and His light in our lives so that we do not walk in the ways of this world. Our willingness to develop Godly character will enable us to walk in freedom over those things, those sins, that would hold us back in our pursuit of spiritual maturity. 1st Corinthians chapter 9 reminds us of the importance of discipline as we seek to keep our lights shining for Jesus Christ:26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Recently, we had the opportunity to go to Pensacola to attend the burial of my wife's grandmother at the Barrancas National Cemetery at the Naval Air Station there. While at the station, we decided to "tour" the lighthouse that is located there, a lighthouse built in 1859 and still functioning today. After ascertaining that there was no elevator to the top, we proceed to go inside the core of the lighthouse...It is truly an intimidating sight to look up and see 177 stairs in a spiral staircase - stairs that don't really allow those going in opposite directions to pass beside one another very well. After about 50 stairs, I was just about done, but I wasn't about to let the rest of my family go to the top without me - so with perseverance and steady pacing, we made it to the top.
We had been told that at one time, in order to provide the fuel for the lights, that workers had to carry 5-gallon buckets of oil up those 177 steps. And, there was a bit of difficulty following the Civil War in maintaining well-behaved and competent lighthouse keepers - During the 23 years following the relighting of the tower, 11 individuals served as head keepers. Nine of them had to be removed for reasons ranging from intoxication to dereliction of duty. Finally, in 1886 the appointment of George T. Clifford ended the string of short-timers. Clifford served thirty-one years, until his retirement in 1917.
Keeping the lighthouse lit was therefore no small task. And, it speaks to the degree of difficulty in keeping our lights shining for Christ. To get to the light itself, you had to climb 177 steps...that is no small feat, especially when you're carrying the oil for the lamp. So there is a significant measure of discipline. Getting the oil - the fuel - to the top was a critical and even burdensome task. Our lights are fueled by the Holy Spirit, the indwelling presence of Christ - as we allow Him to flow into our lives and as we grow in him, we radiate the character of the Lord and impact the lives of others for Him. The apostle Paul wrote often about self-discipline and self-control, recognizing that our fruitfulness for the Lord and our fellowship with Him are dependent on our willingness to be disciplined and determined to press forward in Him.
Monday, June 18, 2012
The Best Father
James chapter 1 reminds us of the father-heart of God:
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Because Jesus has died for us to bring us into His family, we have now been adopted as children of God - He is our loving, heavenly Father, who gives us good gifts and who trains us in righteousness, disciplining and correcting us when we go astray, and transforming us into the image of Jesus. He is the ultimate Father, and His ways become a model for us as we seek to father our children. Psalm 78:5-7 give us some insight into the important role of fathers: 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;
At a morning briefing in the movie, Courageous, the sheriff offers words insight about young men who join gangs and commit violence: “Most of them are from fatherless homes.”
“When a father is absent, kids are five times more likely to commit suicide or use drugs. They’re twenty times more likely to wind up in prison. So tonight after you clock out, go home and love your families.”
While this movie character is describing the epidemic of fatherlessness that leads to so many of our social problems today, he is also encouraging the male officers to not be absentees in their approach to being fathers. We have so many activities that are not bad in and of themselves, but if they become distractions that keep us from being mentally and spiritually engaged with our children and our spouses, then we become less of the leaders that God has called us to be.
When we communicate a message of disinterest when our children come to us to tell us something that has happened to them, even to share a story or even a joke, then we are not walking in the love of Christ that puts the needs of others above our own. We can be present physically in our homes but absent or disengaged mentally, and if our children or mates sense that we are not really in sync with them, then they pull away, they don't come back as often.
Socially, we have a challenge to intervene in situations where there are absentee fathers, and may even be directed to seek to become fathers to the fatherless, reflecting the nature of our heavenly Father. But, we also have to guard against being an absentee father ourselves - emotionally and spiritually - relying on God, who gives us the capacity to be excellent dads and to reflect His love.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Because Jesus has died for us to bring us into His family, we have now been adopted as children of God - He is our loving, heavenly Father, who gives us good gifts and who trains us in righteousness, disciplining and correcting us when we go astray, and transforming us into the image of Jesus. He is the ultimate Father, and His ways become a model for us as we seek to father our children. Psalm 78:5-7 give us some insight into the important role of fathers: 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;
At a morning briefing in the movie, Courageous, the sheriff offers words insight about young men who join gangs and commit violence: “Most of them are from fatherless homes.”
“When a father is absent, kids are five times more likely to commit suicide or use drugs. They’re twenty times more likely to wind up in prison. So tonight after you clock out, go home and love your families.”
While this movie character is describing the epidemic of fatherlessness that leads to so many of our social problems today, he is also encouraging the male officers to not be absentees in their approach to being fathers. We have so many activities that are not bad in and of themselves, but if they become distractions that keep us from being mentally and spiritually engaged with our children and our spouses, then we become less of the leaders that God has called us to be.
When we communicate a message of disinterest when our children come to us to tell us something that has happened to them, even to share a story or even a joke, then we are not walking in the love of Christ that puts the needs of others above our own. We can be present physically in our homes but absent or disengaged mentally, and if our children or mates sense that we are not really in sync with them, then they pull away, they don't come back as often.
Socially, we have a challenge to intervene in situations where there are absentee fathers, and may even be directed to seek to become fathers to the fatherless, reflecting the nature of our heavenly Father. But, we also have to guard against being an absentee father ourselves - emotionally and spiritually - relying on God, who gives us the capacity to be excellent dads and to reflect His love.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Our Own Adoption Story
Galatians 4 says:
(3b) ...we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
We have been brought into God's family, and we have not only the power and presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, but we have brothers and sisters in Christ who have that same spirit. Our story is one of family, of a new identity - in Christ, and of the wonder of adoption - realizing that we were once apart from God, but He has now made it possible to know Him and fellowship with Him through Christ.
From Ephesians chapter 1, we recognize that God has a plan for us and we are His children because of what Jesus has done for us: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
It pleased God to call us His own - we now belong to Christ, if we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, and, as the Bible says, when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Even though we don't deserve His love and our sins separate us from the Lord, He reached out to us in love, to the point of death, so that we might be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the family of God. Romans 8 reminds us that we have been adopted into the family of God and we are now children of the Most High: 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God... Jen Bricker, who was born without legs, did not allow the physical impedence to keep her from participating in gymnastics - today she is a professional acrobat and aerialist. She grew up, in a sense, idolizing a famous Romanian gymnast Dominique Moceanu. Jen even acknowledged that she looked like Dominique. Turns out that Jen and Dominique are sisters.
Bricker was born when Moceanu was six years old. Jen’s parents gave her up for adoption immediately, and she was taken in by an Illinois family. When she was 16, Jen's adoptive parents revealed the identity of her biological parents and her famous older sister. Jen reached out, and the girls have had the chance to get to know one another.
This is a story about identity, family, and adoption. Jen, even though she had physical handicaps, did not allow them to hold her back, and she relates that her adoptive parents made her feel, as she says, "everything but handicapped".
You know, God does not reject us - we were not worthy to be brought into his family, separated by sin, and born apart from Him, but the spiritual separation of sin was not enough to keep us apart from God's love. He sent His son, so that Jesus might be the firstborn of many brethren - and we are part of an enormous family of believers who now share the common bond of knowing Christ. As we seek for our true identity, Jesus transforms us into His very image and in His Word, shows us who we are in Him - redeemed, greatly loved, endued with a plan and purpose, and called righteous and holy in His sight.
(3b) ...we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
We have been brought into God's family, and we have not only the power and presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, but we have brothers and sisters in Christ who have that same spirit. Our story is one of family, of a new identity - in Christ, and of the wonder of adoption - realizing that we were once apart from God, but He has now made it possible to know Him and fellowship with Him through Christ.
From Ephesians chapter 1, we recognize that God has a plan for us and we are His children because of what Jesus has done for us: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
It pleased God to call us His own - we now belong to Christ, if we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, and, as the Bible says, when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Even though we don't deserve His love and our sins separate us from the Lord, He reached out to us in love, to the point of death, so that we might be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the family of God. Romans 8 reminds us that we have been adopted into the family of God and we are now children of the Most High: 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God... Jen Bricker, who was born without legs, did not allow the physical impedence to keep her from participating in gymnastics - today she is a professional acrobat and aerialist. She grew up, in a sense, idolizing a famous Romanian gymnast Dominique Moceanu. Jen even acknowledged that she looked like Dominique. Turns out that Jen and Dominique are sisters.
Bricker was born when Moceanu was six years old. Jen’s parents gave her up for adoption immediately, and she was taken in by an Illinois family. When she was 16, Jen's adoptive parents revealed the identity of her biological parents and her famous older sister. Jen reached out, and the girls have had the chance to get to know one another.
This is a story about identity, family, and adoption. Jen, even though she had physical handicaps, did not allow them to hold her back, and she relates that her adoptive parents made her feel, as she says, "everything but handicapped".
You know, God does not reject us - we were not worthy to be brought into his family, separated by sin, and born apart from Him, but the spiritual separation of sin was not enough to keep us apart from God's love. He sent His son, so that Jesus might be the firstborn of many brethren - and we are part of an enormous family of believers who now share the common bond of knowing Christ. As we seek for our true identity, Jesus transforms us into His very image and in His Word, shows us who we are in Him - redeemed, greatly loved, endued with a plan and purpose, and called righteous and holy in His sight.
A Personal Speech Ordinance
Psalm 63 says:
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When we have a heart full of adoration and appreciation for God and set our lips to bring praise and honor to Him, we not only please the heart of our Father, but it corrects the words that we speak, and we can participate in creating an atmosphere of grace, of civility, and of building people up instead of spreading an attitude of negativity.
Ephesians 4 sets the standard for our speech and other areas of our behavior:
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
In Middleborough, Massachusetts, one of the members of the Downtown Business Council thought there was too much public profanity, and that council member, 63-year-old Mimi Duphily decided to do something about it.
Ms. Duphily is quoted as saying: "Kids were standing on the sidewalks, well, adults too, really, and yelling at someone like 100 feet down the block, using incredible profanity...It was gradually getting worse and worse."
Monday night, residents voted overwhelmingly - 183-50 - to pass an ordinance that imposes a $20 fine for swearing in public. The town had tried to deal with the issue before, but it was problematic:
Duphily said, "We used to have a law against swearing but it wasn't enforced because that meant it was criminal...But now, if you pay the ticket, then it's done and over with."
She says the ordinance targets aggressive behavior or verbal assault of someone who's a distance away from you. She and the Downtown Business Coalition began to complain about the use of profanity in Middleborough because it was affecting businesses in the area.
This can serve to remind us that the words of our mouths can have an effect on other people, and if we speak in public in an uncivil or inappropriate manner, it can affect many other people, as apparently was the case in Middleborough. And, I believe that we have a coarsening in our culture, with words that are spoken in conversations, in public places, or heard in the media.
We have to watch ourselves as believers that we are speaking words that bring honor to God - the Bible prescribes that we speak words that build up, not tear down, that we are not to take part in what the Scriptures call "coarse jesting", and that we allow the Holy Spirit to guard our tongues. And, taking to heart what Jesus said about our words flowing from what's in our hearts, we have to be very careful to make sure that our hearts are right before Him. We can pass a personal ordinance to speak in a manner that pleases Him.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Working to Solve a Mystery
In 1st Timothy 3, Paul writes to Timothy about what he calls the "mystery of godliness":(15) I
write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the
house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
ground of the truth.
16
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God
was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in
glory.
The good news is that we can come to know God - we can read about the nature and wonders of God in His Holy Word; we can acquire knowledge, and then the Holy Spirit will give us understanding of His ways. As we accept Christ as Savior and grow in our relationship with Him, then we can mature in wisdom - applying God's truth to our lives as we continue to seek Him.
In Colossians 1, the apostle Paul discusses the plan of salvation as a "mystery" that has been revealed:
(25) I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
2 mysterious Civil War-era photographs are being circulated online today...yes, even in that time period, pictures were fairly widespread. The photographs are of 2 girls, each of them posed on chairs, one has ringlets of hear, the other is clothed in a hoop dress.
The photograph of one girl was found between the bodies of two soldiers — one Union, one Confederate, at Port Republic, Va., 150 years ago this month. The other was retrieved from a slain Union soldier’s shoulder bag in 1865 on a Virginia farm field just a few days prior to the end of the war.
But, there is a mystery - no one seems to know who these girls are or why their pictures appeared near Civil War soldiers.
It's no surprise that this story has caught the attention of people across the Internet...after all, a lot of us really love a good mystery...add in the war element, and the intrigue of the infancy of photography, and you have quite a bit of substance here.
And, this story reminds us of a mystery that we're all called to investigate, which turns out be less of a mystery after all as we diligent look into it. That is the mystery of godliness, the plan of redemption, the concept of how we as finite creatures, sinful human beings, can be brought into a relationship with Almighty God. On the surface, it seems like an improbable tale - how someone so unrighteous can experience the righteousness of God, but as we approach the Scriptures and investigate God's truth, we find that is a much more than a possibility - by faith, we accept God's work toward us as a certainty.
Back to these Civil War-era girls - the investigation is now underway. In order to ascertain the identities of these young ladies, knowledge will be acquired through research, understanding will be gained as the information is gathered, and wisdom - the application of the data - could lead to the identification, the solution. So it is with the Scriptures - we gain knowledge, but as the Bible says, we are to get understanding, as well - facts are great, but grasping the significance of the facts is far more productive. And, we use wisdom so that we can apply what we've learned and solve the mystery.
God's mystery has now been revealed powerfully through His Word - He calls us to not only investigate the truth and know the Scriptures, but to seek to understand and to allow the Spirit to show us how to apply truth to our lives.
The good news is that we can come to know God - we can read about the nature and wonders of God in His Holy Word; we can acquire knowledge, and then the Holy Spirit will give us understanding of His ways. As we accept Christ as Savior and grow in our relationship with Him, then we can mature in wisdom - applying God's truth to our lives as we continue to seek Him.
In Colossians 1, the apostle Paul discusses the plan of salvation as a "mystery" that has been revealed:
(25) I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
2 mysterious Civil War-era photographs are being circulated online today...yes, even in that time period, pictures were fairly widespread. The photographs are of 2 girls, each of them posed on chairs, one has ringlets of hear, the other is clothed in a hoop dress.
The photograph of one girl was found between the bodies of two soldiers — one Union, one Confederate, at Port Republic, Va., 150 years ago this month. The other was retrieved from a slain Union soldier’s shoulder bag in 1865 on a Virginia farm field just a few days prior to the end of the war.
But, there is a mystery - no one seems to know who these girls are or why their pictures appeared near Civil War soldiers.
It's no surprise that this story has caught the attention of people across the Internet...after all, a lot of us really love a good mystery...add in the war element, and the intrigue of the infancy of photography, and you have quite a bit of substance here.
And, this story reminds us of a mystery that we're all called to investigate, which turns out be less of a mystery after all as we diligent look into it. That is the mystery of godliness, the plan of redemption, the concept of how we as finite creatures, sinful human beings, can be brought into a relationship with Almighty God. On the surface, it seems like an improbable tale - how someone so unrighteous can experience the righteousness of God, but as we approach the Scriptures and investigate God's truth, we find that is a much more than a possibility - by faith, we accept God's work toward us as a certainty.
Back to these Civil War-era girls - the investigation is now underway. In order to ascertain the identities of these young ladies, knowledge will be acquired through research, understanding will be gained as the information is gathered, and wisdom - the application of the data - could lead to the identification, the solution. So it is with the Scriptures - we gain knowledge, but as the Bible says, we are to get understanding, as well - facts are great, but grasping the significance of the facts is far more productive. And, we use wisdom so that we can apply what we've learned and solve the mystery.
God's mystery has now been revealed powerfully through His Word - He calls us to not only investigate the truth and know the Scriptures, but to seek to understand and to allow the Spirit to show us how to apply truth to our lives.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Learning the Value of Life
2nd Corinthians 1 reminds us that we can experience the Lord's comfort, even in the midst of suffering:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4
who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God.
5
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
This is a world that is full of suffering - a sinful world, where people who are steeped in sin do sinful things. And, even when individuals resort to violence and take the life of another, when there is loss in our lives, we can know that God is present with us, and while we may not understand why unspeakable tragedies happen, we can know His sustaining hand and His unconditional love.
2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 can serve as an encouraging passage when we suffer in life, the loss of a friend or loved one, or circumstances that can shake our faith:
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
The Auburn football team, Auburn family, and state of Alabama are still reeling from the events Saturday night at the University Heights apartment complex near campus, where 2 former players and another young man were shot and killed. One current player and 2 others were injured, one of whom is still fighting for his life at the UAB Hospital. This comes on the heels of the triple murder in Montgomery, including 2 children.
And, while police are still looking for the Auburn shooter, friends of the victims, those that live in the complex and around the campus, are searching for answers. And, while apparently the gunman had squared off against others at the party because of a woman, that type of conflict - or other conflict - does NOT warrant taking the life of another.
Auburn police chief Tommy Dawson said:
Auburn Head Coach Gene Chizik has a huge task on his hands, to provide comfort and strong leadership in the midst of a tragedy that has touched the lives of some of his players. He said:
This is a world that is full of suffering - a sinful world, where people who are steeped in sin do sinful things. And, even when individuals resort to violence and take the life of another, when there is loss in our lives, we can know that God is present with us, and while we may not understand why unspeakable tragedies happen, we can know His sustaining hand and His unconditional love.
2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 can serve as an encouraging passage when we suffer in life, the loss of a friend or loved one, or circumstances that can shake our faith:
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
The Auburn football team, Auburn family, and state of Alabama are still reeling from the events Saturday night at the University Heights apartment complex near campus, where 2 former players and another young man were shot and killed. One current player and 2 others were injured, one of whom is still fighting for his life at the UAB Hospital. This comes on the heels of the triple murder in Montgomery, including 2 children.
And, while police are still looking for the Auburn shooter, friends of the victims, those that live in the complex and around the campus, are searching for answers. And, while apparently the gunman had squared off against others at the party because of a woman, that type of conflict - or other conflict - does NOT warrant taking the life of another.
Auburn police chief Tommy Dawson said:
"I'm saddened by this. This is very much an unusual event for the City of Auburn and Auburn University. It's sickening that these young lives were cut short. And also the shooter is such a young man. As a society, we have to learn the value of life again. If I could bring them back today for their parents, I would..."He's right, you know - we have a culture that is saturated with violence, and at the same time our view of the value of human life is declining. If we were to see each other truly as creations of the Most High God, born with innate worth and dignity, wouldn't it make a huge difference in the way we behave toward each other, the words we speak, and the restraint from doing harm?
Auburn Head Coach Gene Chizik has a huge task on his hands, to provide comfort and strong leadership in the midst of a tragedy that has touched the lives of some of his players. He said:
"Nobody should ever have to endure such unimaginable grief, and we will love and support the victims' families during this terribly difficult time. We have a lot of people on our football team that are hurting right now and we're going to do everything we can to help them get through this...This is a very trying time for everyone involved, and I would just ask that you lift up the victims and their families in your prayers."I can echo that - we can pray for God's healing touch, for the recovery of those who were injured and survived, and for the emotional healing of those who are family members, friends, neighbors, and perhaps witnesses. And, we can pray for people to turn to the comforting hand of a loving, Almighty God, who understands sorrow and tragedy and can bring peace amidst confusion and hope when all seems lost. This incident did not take God by surprise, and I am confident that He can and will work in the midst of the fallout in order to show Himself faithful and perhaps draw people who are not trusting Him or don't even know Him to Himself.
Friday, June 8, 2012
The Pacific Garbage Patch and the Sea of Forgetfulness
Some reassuring words from Psalm 103, beginning in verse 10:
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. We can be grateful because God, in His Son, Jesus, has provided us an avenue through which we can experience freedom through forgiveness. Christ's blood is a powerful cleansing agent that makes us right with God and can help us be free from the guilt and shame that can keep us from moving forward in our spiritual life. While spiritual debris can clutter our souls, God's spiritual detergent can cleanse us and release us to walk in freedom.
Micah 7:18 and 19 show us that we serve a forgiving God, who not only forgives our sins, but He forgets them once they are confessed:
18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. 19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. USA Today reports that recently, in Oregon a large dock washed ashore. How large? 7 feet high and 19 feet wide - it is thought to be debris from the tsunami that struck Japan in March of last year, bringing to mind a question - how much is out there? Japanese officials estimate some 5 million tons of debris washed into the Pacific Ocean, and some 70% of it sank - and there are some wild estimates out there about the remaining 30%, what it could look like, and how it will affect coastal regions of the U.S. There have been some signs: According to the Los Angeles Times:A ghost ship arrived in the Gulf of Alaska this spring. A rusting Harley Davidson from Miyagi prefecture was discovered on a remote beach in British Columbia.
Also, a soccer ball found on an Alaskan island and marked with a personal message was returned to its delighted teenage owner in a tsunami-devastated town. Now, the oceanic experts expect much of the floating debris to follow the currents to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an accumulation of millions of tons of small bits of plastic floating in the northern Pacific.
The area is located about 1000 miles north of Hawaii, stretches for hundreds of miles, and is about the size of the state of Texas. And, while this combination of plastic and other materials has clumped together, some pieces of debris will break loose and wash ashore. Yes, this Patch is a huge problem, and has a potentially devastating effect on marine life. And, it presents a compelling image about the nature of spiritual debris in our lives. For one thing, Micah 7 says that God has buried our sins in a sea of forgetfulness, and as a preacher has said, He has put a "No Fishing" sign there. We do tend to go back in the recesses of our memory and bring to the surface what God has hidden - we allow the guilt of past sins to affect us, sometimes years after the occurrence. And, while God offers healing and forgiveness, and the ability to forget - we want to hold on indefinitely and allow that debris to consume us in the present and clutter up our spiritual lives. We fish around our own spiritual debris patch, and the enemy helps some of that stuff to break loose - the smaller pieces that He brings to our minds, instances of sins that have long been forgiven, and it's important that we take the necessary steps to appropriate the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, God's Word and His Spirit so that we might enjoy the freedom we have in Him. The debris is there - God's forgotten it, we sometimes hold on to it, and the enemy uses it to snare us - but we have powerful cleansing agents in Him.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. We can be grateful because God, in His Son, Jesus, has provided us an avenue through which we can experience freedom through forgiveness. Christ's blood is a powerful cleansing agent that makes us right with God and can help us be free from the guilt and shame that can keep us from moving forward in our spiritual life. While spiritual debris can clutter our souls, God's spiritual detergent can cleanse us and release us to walk in freedom.
Micah 7:18 and 19 show us that we serve a forgiving God, who not only forgives our sins, but He forgets them once they are confessed:
18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. 19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. USA Today reports that recently, in Oregon a large dock washed ashore. How large? 7 feet high and 19 feet wide - it is thought to be debris from the tsunami that struck Japan in March of last year, bringing to mind a question - how much is out there? Japanese officials estimate some 5 million tons of debris washed into the Pacific Ocean, and some 70% of it sank - and there are some wild estimates out there about the remaining 30%, what it could look like, and how it will affect coastal regions of the U.S. There have been some signs: According to the Los Angeles Times:A ghost ship arrived in the Gulf of Alaska this spring. A rusting Harley Davidson from Miyagi prefecture was discovered on a remote beach in British Columbia.
Also, a soccer ball found on an Alaskan island and marked with a personal message was returned to its delighted teenage owner in a tsunami-devastated town. Now, the oceanic experts expect much of the floating debris to follow the currents to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an accumulation of millions of tons of small bits of plastic floating in the northern Pacific.
The area is located about 1000 miles north of Hawaii, stretches for hundreds of miles, and is about the size of the state of Texas. And, while this combination of plastic and other materials has clumped together, some pieces of debris will break loose and wash ashore. Yes, this Patch is a huge problem, and has a potentially devastating effect on marine life. And, it presents a compelling image about the nature of spiritual debris in our lives. For one thing, Micah 7 says that God has buried our sins in a sea of forgetfulness, and as a preacher has said, He has put a "No Fishing" sign there. We do tend to go back in the recesses of our memory and bring to the surface what God has hidden - we allow the guilt of past sins to affect us, sometimes years after the occurrence. And, while God offers healing and forgiveness, and the ability to forget - we want to hold on indefinitely and allow that debris to consume us in the present and clutter up our spiritual lives. We fish around our own spiritual debris patch, and the enemy helps some of that stuff to break loose - the smaller pieces that He brings to our minds, instances of sins that have long been forgiven, and it's important that we take the necessary steps to appropriate the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, God's Word and His Spirit so that we might enjoy the freedom we have in Him. The debris is there - God's forgotten it, we sometimes hold on to it, and the enemy uses it to snare us - but we have powerful cleansing agents in Him.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
A Recipe for Spiritual Growth
In Galatians 5, Paul lays out a recipe for a fruitful, productive Christian life:
(16) Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. (Then he lists some of the deeds of the flesh) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
I appreciate Biblical lists - these indicate some ingredients that contribute to our walk with Christ. Galatians 5 has one, 2nd Peter has another, and Romans chapter 5 has even more ingredients. In fact, as we abide in Christ and really seek to develop the components of a recipe for spiritual growth, we can find that certain characteristics can become more apparent in our lives. I'm thankful that God has provided the tools we need to draw closer to Him.
I read earlier this week from 2nd Peter chapter 1 about become "partakers of the divine nature" - and later in the chapter, Peter gives what we might call a recipe for spiritual growth. We pick up in verse 5:(5) giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Last week, it was announced that fans of the KFC Facebook Pages would be able to access exclusive content from a book, called, “Colonel Harland Sanders: The Autobiography of the Original Celebrity Chef.” It was apparently written by the Colonel himself in 1966 and discovered by accident more than 40 years later, and now can be downloaded for free from Facebook - it is not available in book stores or via online book sellers.
Free content available beginning today includes: a foreword written by KFC’s first franchisee Pete Harman, an introduction written by Colonel Sanders, and the first chapter. Also available as part of the book are 33 never-before-seen recipes. A glaring omission (of course) - the famous chicken recipe containing the mysterious 11 herbs and spices. Now, there are plenty of sites where you can get imitations of the fried chicken recipe, but, to my knowledge, the real recipe has never been released.
I began to think about the ingredients of a recipe for spiritual growth, based on this new free book release. First of all, you have to get the book to get the recipes. And, isn't that true for our Christian lives ?- we can't really know the ingredients for spiritual growth without spending the necessary time in God's word to discover what will help us grow.
And, there are many imitations to the Christian faith. Just as many have tried to reinvent the Colonel's secret chicken recipe, there are those that would attempt to grow in Christ using other than Biblical means. There are those that would ignore the power of the cross, the confession of sin, the Biblical definition of certain sins, and the exclusivity of the gospel and design their own religion or approach to God. We have to be so careful that we are adhering to Scriptural truth as we mix the ingredients to our spiritual life.
Finally, it's vital that we identify the ingredients contributing to our growth in Christ and mix them carefully in our lives. Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research crafted a list of ingredients and challenged participants in a Bible study to fill out a recipe card according to what they desire to realistically experience that week in their spiritual lives. Ingredients included: grace, forgiveness, joy, patience, peace, love, hope, the Holy Spirit's power, prayer, personal Bible study, serving, worship, evangelism, and fellowship. And, perhaps selecting one or two of these areas on which to concentrate can be helpful in our walk with Christ.
So, are you following the recipe and growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ?
(16) Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. (Then he lists some of the deeds of the flesh) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
I appreciate Biblical lists - these indicate some ingredients that contribute to our walk with Christ. Galatians 5 has one, 2nd Peter has another, and Romans chapter 5 has even more ingredients. In fact, as we abide in Christ and really seek to develop the components of a recipe for spiritual growth, we can find that certain characteristics can become more apparent in our lives. I'm thankful that God has provided the tools we need to draw closer to Him.
I read earlier this week from 2nd Peter chapter 1 about become "partakers of the divine nature" - and later in the chapter, Peter gives what we might call a recipe for spiritual growth. We pick up in verse 5:(5) giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Last week, it was announced that fans of the KFC Facebook Pages would be able to access exclusive content from a book, called, “Colonel Harland Sanders: The Autobiography of the Original Celebrity Chef.” It was apparently written by the Colonel himself in 1966 and discovered by accident more than 40 years later, and now can be downloaded for free from Facebook - it is not available in book stores or via online book sellers.
Free content available beginning today includes: a foreword written by KFC’s first franchisee Pete Harman, an introduction written by Colonel Sanders, and the first chapter. Also available as part of the book are 33 never-before-seen recipes. A glaring omission (of course) - the famous chicken recipe containing the mysterious 11 herbs and spices. Now, there are plenty of sites where you can get imitations of the fried chicken recipe, but, to my knowledge, the real recipe has never been released.
I began to think about the ingredients of a recipe for spiritual growth, based on this new free book release. First of all, you have to get the book to get the recipes. And, isn't that true for our Christian lives ?- we can't really know the ingredients for spiritual growth without spending the necessary time in God's word to discover what will help us grow.
And, there are many imitations to the Christian faith. Just as many have tried to reinvent the Colonel's secret chicken recipe, there are those that would attempt to grow in Christ using other than Biblical means. There are those that would ignore the power of the cross, the confession of sin, the Biblical definition of certain sins, and the exclusivity of the gospel and design their own religion or approach to God. We have to be so careful that we are adhering to Scriptural truth as we mix the ingredients to our spiritual life.
Finally, it's vital that we identify the ingredients contributing to our growth in Christ and mix them carefully in our lives. Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research crafted a list of ingredients and challenged participants in a Bible study to fill out a recipe card according to what they desire to realistically experience that week in their spiritual lives. Ingredients included: grace, forgiveness, joy, patience, peace, love, hope, the Holy Spirit's power, prayer, personal Bible study, serving, worship, evangelism, and fellowship. And, perhaps selecting one or two of these areas on which to concentrate can be helpful in our walk with Christ.
So, are you following the recipe and growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ?
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
What's a Worldly Christian?
1 Corinthians 2 reinforces for us that we are called to life in the Holy Spirit:
12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
We have been delivered, set apart from the world, and God calls us to walk according to His Word by His Spirit. Where there is worldliness in our lives and we've bought in to the principles of this world, it's important that we submit those areas to the control of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to conform us more fully to the image and character of Christ.
Galatians 4 tells us that:
3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ""Abba", Father."
According to a report in The Christian Post, an online quiz started a year ago that examines how consistently Christians are living out the teachings of Jesus Christ has found an increase in the number of believers who are "Christians in name only."
R. Brad White, the founder of Changing the Face of Christianity, which created the test, said "The results are disturbing, as 1 in 3 self-proclaimed Christians admit they rarely live the teachings of Jesus Christ...Our goal is to work with local churches and to help transform these unChristians into spiritually mature Christians who walk the walk, and better represent our faith to the world."
The self-assessment test asked Christians how they would act in real-life dilemmas and sought to determine whether respondents were "Far from Christ," a "Worldly Christian," a "Good Christian," or a "Spiritually Mature Christian." Started in 2011, the results initially indicated that one in four scored as "Worldly Christians," or "Christians in name only" as the organization describes them, but now, the latest results show that the number has risen from 23.7 percent to 30.9 – or almost 1 in 3 who are now "Worldly Christians."
More than 1,500 people have responded to the quiz, which was started in Sept. 2011 and collected results up to April 2012. In the three other categories, only 2.9 percent ranked in the "Far From Christ" section, 38.5 percent were "Good Christians," while 27.8 percent were "Spiritually Mature Christians."
Some of the questions on the quiz included: "How often do you read your Bible and/or have quiet time with the Lord?" and "How have you been transformed by your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your savior?" The test is still available on the website, www.changingthefaceofchristianity.com/christianity-quiz for people wishing to take it.
There has been quite a bit of debate about what makes a carnal, or worldly, Christian. And, while we are all sinners and continue to sin, our ambition should be to please God and to release the power of His Spirit in order to reduce the amount of sin in our lives. There are some who would have a "just getting by" mentality or who would want just enough of Jesus to get into heaven, thinking that perhaps walking the aisle or praying a prayer will be sufficient - I think that is a truly dangerous place, spiritually speaking. It's important that we correct our motives to obey God in all things, to be totally committed to following Christ.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Hearing, Hoarding, and Doing
2nd Peter 1 says this:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
God is calling and challenging us to be partakers of the divine nature, not to merely learn, know, or receive, but to apply and then to act. In this consumer culture, it's so very easy to go to church, to read God's word, even to listen to Faith Radio, and receive knowledge. But the Lord is calling us to take what we have learned, use those principles to grow in Christ, and to reach out and impact others in His name.
Some words of encouragement now from 1st Corinthians chapter 8 about applying knowledge and growing in Christ.
1bWe know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.
2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.
3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
The second season of Secret Millionaire premiered this past Sunday. That's the ABC series where people of wealth go into the areas where those less fortunate live and reach out with charitable actions. It began last year with the story of Dani Johnson, who, in an interview with The Christian Post, summarized her life into four major points: she grew up on welfare, became pregnant at 17, was homeless by 21 and became a millionaire by 23.
When the offer for “Secret Millionaire,” came to her, she refused to participate in the show four times because to her, giving to charities had always been done in secret.
While fighting the offer, she said she “came to the revelation that I was fighting God and that God was the one to open up the door and it was clear that He wanted this message to get out there.”
12.6 million viewers watched that first episode last year, and it was rebroadcast this past Saturday night before the season opener on Sunday. I think Dani Johnson is a great example of someone who has been blessed by the Lord, and in the name of Christ, wants to use what she has been given to bless and strengthen the lives of others.
And, I think when we are blessed or we accomplish something in our lives, we are to be quick to give the credit to God - and to give to others as He directs. This week, interestingly enough, I have 3 guests who have been successful in the corporate culture, but do not want to hoard their financial and/or spiritual resources, but are devoted to giving back.
Take Diane Paddison, for instance - successful in the field of commercial real estate, but willing to take what she has learned and use it to equip and encourage young professional Christian women through her ministry, 4Word.
There's Joel Manby, successful auto industry executive, coming up on the Wednesday show - he was featured on Undercover Boss, and as people saw the corporate culture of love in his current employer - true acts of love, putting others first - that was present in his company, people responded.
And, Michael Hyatt, who started a blog to motivate his employees at a large Christian publisher, and aggressively communicated those principles to a wider audience - he is now one of the most popular Christian bloggers.
So, are you a spiritual hoarder? Or do you use what you've been given by the Lord to grow in love for Him and bless other people...The Bible reminds us that knowledge puffs up, and you may have gained quite a bit of spiritual knowledge - God calls us to apply what He has taught us to deepen our relationship with Him. And, as God has loved us and we grow in our love for God, I believe He directs to give it away, as we minister to others and fulfill His purpose for us. Don't hoard what God has granted to you.
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
God is calling and challenging us to be partakers of the divine nature, not to merely learn, know, or receive, but to apply and then to act. In this consumer culture, it's so very easy to go to church, to read God's word, even to listen to Faith Radio, and receive knowledge. But the Lord is calling us to take what we have learned, use those principles to grow in Christ, and to reach out and impact others in His name.
Some words of encouragement now from 1st Corinthians chapter 8 about applying knowledge and growing in Christ.
1bWe know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.
2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.
3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
The second season of Secret Millionaire premiered this past Sunday. That's the ABC series where people of wealth go into the areas where those less fortunate live and reach out with charitable actions. It began last year with the story of Dani Johnson, who, in an interview with The Christian Post, summarized her life into four major points: she grew up on welfare, became pregnant at 17, was homeless by 21 and became a millionaire by 23.
When the offer for “Secret Millionaire,” came to her, she refused to participate in the show four times because to her, giving to charities had always been done in secret.
While fighting the offer, she said she “came to the revelation that I was fighting God and that God was the one to open up the door and it was clear that He wanted this message to get out there.”
12.6 million viewers watched that first episode last year, and it was rebroadcast this past Saturday night before the season opener on Sunday. I think Dani Johnson is a great example of someone who has been blessed by the Lord, and in the name of Christ, wants to use what she has been given to bless and strengthen the lives of others.
And, I think when we are blessed or we accomplish something in our lives, we are to be quick to give the credit to God - and to give to others as He directs. This week, interestingly enough, I have 3 guests who have been successful in the corporate culture, but do not want to hoard their financial and/or spiritual resources, but are devoted to giving back.
Take Diane Paddison, for instance - successful in the field of commercial real estate, but willing to take what she has learned and use it to equip and encourage young professional Christian women through her ministry, 4Word.
There's Joel Manby, successful auto industry executive, coming up on the Wednesday show - he was featured on Undercover Boss, and as people saw the corporate culture of love in his current employer - true acts of love, putting others first - that was present in his company, people responded.
And, Michael Hyatt, who started a blog to motivate his employees at a large Christian publisher, and aggressively communicated those principles to a wider audience - he is now one of the most popular Christian bloggers.
So, are you a spiritual hoarder? Or do you use what you've been given by the Lord to grow in love for Him and bless other people...The Bible reminds us that knowledge puffs up, and you may have gained quite a bit of spiritual knowledge - God calls us to apply what He has taught us to deepen our relationship with Him. And, as God has loved us and we grow in our love for God, I believe He directs to give it away, as we minister to others and fulfill His purpose for us. Don't hoard what God has granted to you.
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