Month: April 2011

Actually Finding Life

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The majority of humans, no doubt, wish to save their lives – to hold onto what we deem so precious. Most people hope to retain their souls – to continue to enjoy that which is enjoyable. Recent research reported in Putnam & Campbell’s book, American Grace (2010), says that “Sixty percent of Americans are absolutely sure there is a heaven” (p. 7). Largely, people from all walks of life want to believe that a good life awaits us after this earthly life is finished.

Desiring to hold onto our lives is no guarantee that we will. In fact, Jesus Christ boldly declared, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25, NASB). Notice keenly Jesus’ use of the word “wishes.” People who wish to save their lives, in fact, lose them. On the other hand (and quite amazingly, I might add) people who actually lose their lives for the sake of God will actually find life!

There we have it . . . the great paradox. Attempting to grasp at life by our own methods ends in utter loss, whereas, forthrightly giving up our lives for the particular sake of God culminates in gain. Here we have spelled out before us an undeniable truth from the very mouth of the Son of God. It is a sure thing that any attempt to cling to life and any of its “treasures” is a mistake of inexplicable cost. Accordingly, it is also an indisputable thing that the sacrifice of all we hold dear for the cause of Christ results in finding life that both never ends and never lets us down.

Please allow me to expound upon the hope at the near horizon. Jesus went on to say, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:27, NASB). Clearly, then, Jesus will return a second time with glory as the Judge; this visitation stands in stark contrast to His first coming with humility as a Servant. No, when Jesus returns to His earth again, it will not be to offer salvation, but to enact judgment. Christ will grant to His followers great reward, and He will deliver to the rest wrath and indignation (Romans 2:8).

The decision to follow Jesus is a decision to deny self. It is a determination to count earthly desires as nothing compared to the work of building God’s kingdom. Self-indulgence comes in countless forms: buying what we do not need, gorging simply because we crave, mindlessly absorbing entertainment for hours upon end, envying what we do not own, allowing laziness a regular place, blocking from our vision the needs of others, ignoring the eternal to pursue the temporal, and . . . the list goes on ad infinitum. Self-indulgence will one day meet its bitter end: loss of soul and life. In the same way, self-denial for the sake of Jesus Christ and the fame of His name will one day meet its glorious result: eternal reward and life unending.

The determination of the judgment is not arbitrary, but precise. Jesus Christ will repay every person in exact accordance with his or her deeds. Am I saved by Jesus’ death and resurrection? Then my life – and all its content and moments – belongs to Him! My actions each and every day of living ought to emit a resounding declaration that Jesus is the reason I exist!

I know that as we await the return of Jesus, the prevalence of good and bad in human lives seems random and unfair. Hold on, for one day the Savior and Judge of the universe will repay every man according to his deeds.

Distracted to Death

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Choices abound. Distractions are pervasive. Our demise may very well be our decision to lend too much credence to choices and distractions. While I may feel good about standing in a cereal aisle at the grocery store with the freedom to choose from hundreds of quite similar options for an early morning feast, it may not be in my best interest to spend an inordinate amount of time differentiating between wheat and oat delights. Similarly, just because our current culture offers us myriad options for filling our time, it is not necessarily in our best interest to allow limitless distraction for the sake of pleasure and entertainment. Where do so many options leave the soul?

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure,” says Proverbs 4:25-26, ESV. God lets His people know that a direct approach to living is best. We ought to keep our focus forward and fixed on the path God has given to us. Looking constantly to the lives of other people can lead to envy, bitterness, or even idolatry. How much time do we waste speculating about others or adoring their lives as ours passes us by? Looking frequently to potential activities rather than actually engaging in the one God has set before us leads to nonfulfillment, dissatisfaction, and wasted resources. Looking often to ways to escape the sometimes arduous task of committed work can lead to laziness and unrealized dreams.

God is clear: Look directly forward. Furthermore, He tells us to ponder the path of our feet. In other words, be intentional about what you are doing. Always take time to consider your actions and their alignment with the revelation of God. In this forward momentum of life to which the Lord has called us, be doubly sure to forsake all turns of your feet that run counter to God’s heart. Keeping your eyes on your Savior, never hesitate to step over or step away from obstacles on the path that are contrary to biblical principles. Ponder that path beneath your feet, and God promises to make your way sure. Your life will be one of clear purpose and stability.

Finally, our Creator prefaced the two aforementioned verses with another that appears critically tied to the same notion. Verse 24 proclaims, “Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.” One aspect of the direct gaze we are to have toward our Savior and His plan is a mind that determines to act and speak truthfully and beneficially. Do not waste time talking wrongly of others, and do not lie. Rather, let your speech be honest, springing from a heart genuinely desiring the best for others. At times talk will be easy and at times it will be difficult, but it must always be truthful and rightly motivated.

“Let your eyes look directly forward.” This proverb reminds me of Hebrews 12:2 (NIV), “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Stay focused for the sake of Jesus and His kingdom. The byproduct is a life of surety, rather than demise.

Equipped

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Does God give us what we need to fulfill our calling? Most Christians answer, “Yes.” However, would you like a very precise passage of Scripture to build your godly confidence? Oddly enough, we find the unique and inspiring verses in the Old Testament book of Exodus. The setting is God’s directive to the Israelites to build the tabernacle and make all its furniture. Recall the serious nature and glory of this task. Each craftsman and builder is charged with the construction of God’s dwelling place! Exodus 36:1-2 (ESV) says, “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded. And Moses called Bazalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.”

May I promptly call to your attention two phrases? The first is “in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence,” and the second is “in whose mind the LORD put skill.” Way back in the Old Testament era – more than 3,500 years ago – we see God interacting directly with the minds of men to equip them for the specific task at hand. I simply marvel at the fact that the Creator of this universe cares enough for His servants to touch our minds with His Spirit in order that we may work skillfully and intelligently. When it comes to the work of your hands and – simultaneously – the work of your mind, never allow the enemy to steal from you confidence that is found in your relationship with God. Similarly, never allow the enemy to tempt you toward the sin of conceit, believing your skill comes from anywhere or anyone other than God.

On a broad level, God intended humans to harness the creation He made in order to fill and subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28). He, of course, meant for this to happen in accordance with His will as people walked in right relationship with Him. Though sin has complicated things, God’s will continues to prevail. In this day of grace, the Lord allows people to carry on in the moment-by-moment work of interacting with and taking dominion over creation. Though some human beings refuse even to acknowledge their Creator, still God permits them to function, providing their minds and their lives to them.

As we examine Exodus 36:1-2 again, we notice that true success is found as God’s people determine to “work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded” (verse 1). The tabernacle was a most elaborate and beautiful edifice. A brief study of it provokes thoughts of color, detail, majesty, and care. God ordained the details of the construction, as this work would be the location for the heart of worship. The skilled men and women who labored at the task committed to follow God’s plan down to the minutest of details.

Additionally, we realize that each of God’s people worked precisely because his “heart stirred him up to come to do the work” (Exodus 36:2, ESV). In other words, the Lord is pleased to provide the intelligence and skill necessary for our labor as we rejoice deep inside to serve Him. The stirring of the human heart to work for God is a treasured concept. How overjoyed the Lord must be to see a heart that wants to serve and to equip that same heart, mind, and body with all things necessary to go forward.

God is your Maker. No matter your IQ or socioeconomic status, He can give to you the skill and intelligence necessary to do what He has called you to do. The keys are obedience and a willing heart. We see obedience reiterated in II Timothy 3:17 (ESV), where Paul instructs us to immerse ourselves in the Scripture so that we may be “competent [and] equipped for every good work.” Whereas God commanded specifics in the building of His tabernacle in the aforementioned part of the book of Exodus, His commands for all of life are found throughout the Bible. Every word of it is critical for faith and obedience. We observe a willing heart emphasized at the close of God’s revelation: “whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17, NIV).

My friends, your equipping by your Creator is both free and nearly unbelievable. His grace gives you all you need to do all He asks, and His own Spirit touches your mind and your hands. Go to it!

Rest, Not Religion

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Salvation is rescue
– not reward.

Heaven is given
– not earned.

Obedience is reaction
– not action.

God’s burden is easy
– not oppressive.

Worship is natural
– not forced.

Joy is relational –
– not conditional.

Forgiveness is real
– not fairy tale.

Jesus died for all your sin
– not just some of it.

He asks for all your heart
– not just most of it.

God gives rest
– not religion.

Talk to Him today
– not tomorrow . . . before it is too late.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:28-29 (ESV)

Endure

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“And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” – Matthew 10:22 (ESV)

Reality check: Genuine followers of Jesus Christ will have a rough time of it in this lifetime, and endurance is required. Jesus was speaking to His hand-picked group of twelve apostles when He warns, “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22, ESV). Yes, God is brutally and lovingly honest with His own.

When Jesus alerted His followers of the persecution they would surely face because of their relationship to Him, Jesus had already been accused of blasphemy and of casting out demons by the power of Satan. The unbelieving world proved ferocious. The people were determined to discourage and destroy the Son of God, as they were fueled by their “father,” the devil. Certainly, Jesus instructed His disciples that we who follow Him will also come under direct attack of the powers of darkness working through people and circumstances. What is the response we are to have in the middle of this fierce hatred? Persevere to the end, and God will take care of everything in ways unimaginable.

My heart is thrilled by the terms our Savior uses here, “The one who endures to the end will be saved.” In other words, the end is not the end; it is essentially the beginning of a real and tangible salvation of our whole being. God saves us now from sin, then we endure through the persecution of the enemy during our brief lifetime, and finally God saves us completely and in all ways from every hint of destruction that sin promotes. As we have been saved from the power of sin, so we shall be saved from the possibility of sin’s damning effects and given the promise of the redemption of the entire universe.

For now, the battle rages. For now, the devil tempts us at every turn. For now, the light in our hearts is scorned by those in darkness. For now, we hear the words of Jesus and realize we must continue to bear up under every evil plot; and we are not alone. When encouraging the disciples not to be fearful in the face of confrontation, Jesus promised that “it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:20, ESV). Clearly, God’s own Spirit residing in us provides the wisdom needed in what to say and the power needed to keep trekking forward through the forest of wickedness. With the Holy Spirit in us, where shall we find excuse to give in? With Jesus having given everything of Himself on our behalf, how shall we claim we are not loved deeply enough to go on? With the Father’s plan prevailing and ready to be entirely revealed, why should we give up?

Endure to the end – to the end of this age, because the end is the beginning of the fullness of God’s kingdom (Revelation 11:15). Persevere until the end – until death or His return. Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you believe it? There it is, spoken by the Lord of All, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Greater than a Fairy Tale

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If God brings us to Himself through the death of His Son, can you imagine what He does through the life of His Son, now that we are near? If God loved us enough to reconcile us to Himself while we were still in rebellious sin against Him, can you imagine what He will do for us now that we are on His side?

The questions above reflect the heart of God’s Word found in Romans 8:10 (NASB), “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” The words of this passage have on different occasions penetrated my mind and soul at least three times in the past few months.

Perhaps at times fearful we will be functioning in fairy-tale land if we hope too much, I believe followers of Jesus sometimes live far beneath His blessing because we do not digest His truth as He intended. The message is right there in Paul’s letter to the Romans: God saved us from His wrath by Jesus’ death, and He shall surely deliver us in all ways imaginable by Jesus’ life. We need not be afraid that this verse is too good to be true. After all, fairy tales are the result of human imagination flowing from a mind given by a God who has an unbelievable “end” to this “story” of life. In other words, we can only dream of great endings because we were made in the image of the all-creative God who has planned from the foundation of the earth a real and tangible culmination to history that defies the highest expectation of limited, human reasoning. Fairy tales do not discourage me, but rather remind me that we were originally intended to “think big.” The momentous point to remember is that the God behind our creation is actually able to complete His plan for reality! Human fairytales are feeble, short-sighted shadows pointing to an Almighty God who works in the stuff of actuality and truth.

Friends, stand on the promise that “we shall be saved by His life.” Jesus’ death was so powerful it brings sinners close to a holy God. How much more powerful is the life of Jesus! For one, we know that as He lives, He intercedes for us. Hebrews 7:25 (NASB) proclaims, “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” The sacrifice of Jesus’ life and blood paid the cost for our nearness to God, and now that we love our King, Jesus is so pleased to present us continually to the Father for help and deliverance.

We also know that the resurrection of Jesus has caused us to be “born again to a living hope” (I Peter 1:3, NASB). As a child comes out of a mother’s womb and is surrounded by air he must now breathe, so Christians emerge from sinful darkness and are now enveloped by the hope of God they must now take in.

Do we face difficulty and disappointment? Certainly we do. However, do we have God’s promise for ultimate deliverance? Absolutely, we do! As surely as spring follows winter – and as surely as Jesus’ resurrection followed His death – that is how surely our deliverance will follow difficulty and disappointment.

If God loved us when we were rotten and staunchly turned against Him, will He not love us now that we have run into His arms? If God thought us valuable enough to send His Son to die, does He not count us valuable enough to benefit from His Son’s life? This metanarrative – this overarching plan of God for the universe – turns out greater for followers of Jesus Christ than our minds can comprehend.

Actually, it does not just “turn out” that way; it exceeds what we can imagine in this present moment, because not one circumstance is lost in the working of God. Jesus, the Son of God, is all-knowing. He lives and intercedes for us. He does not miss one thing. Not one. As He goes to the Father on our behalf for every great and infinitesimal circumstance of our lives, the Holy Spirit moves in ways sometimes obvious and often mysterious to save us completely. We are being shaped into who we need to be for God’s glory and to shine in that beautiful Heaven of His. This is no fairy tale, but a true account of the God in charge of reality.

Like Water Through My Fingers

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Like water through my fingers
Slips the promise of satisfaction
In any other source but Christ.

Spent rapidly and uselessly
Are the myriad moments
Of craving and seeking to no avail.

As dark as a midnight sky
Is the feeling in the heart
When worldly things become our aim.

Pounding as hail on the rooftop
Is the pressure to give in –
To live a life stuck in the temporal.

Pressing in on every side
Are the messages of concealed defeat
Beckoning us to waste our days.

Like a bridge built on false calculations
Crumbling to the water below
Is a life lived for material things.

As a rock falls to the bottom of a stream
Drops the meaning of a life
Squandered on selfish indulgence.

Sorrowful one, call to Jesus.
Broken one, live for Him.

As the promise of spring follows winter
Is the assurance of joy in the soul
For those who go against the flow.

As God will not be mocked
So He shall surely give
Very real, heavenly treasure.

As God will not be mocked
So He shall surely return to earth
For those who love Him more than life.

As God’s Word stands true forever
His heart has been made known
And the cost is everything.

Prayer or television?

Trivial conversation or discussion of things eternal?

Another movie or a chapter of the Bible?

Shopping trip or memorizing God’s Word?

Ipod and texts or sitting quietly with Jesus?

Sporting event or gathering with His people?

Investment in a bigger house or investment in the kingdom of God?

Time spent taking care of more and more material things or time to be thankful for what matters?

A schedule so hectic our head spins or a day built with time to adore the Savior?

The easy road or the difficult walk of the Cross?

A life of the temporary or the present infused with the everlasting?

“Yes” to the world or “Yes” to Jesus?

Like water through my fingers
Goes the world.

But tightly shall I grasp
the Cross of my Jesus.

And more firmly still shall I be held
By the One who holds forever.

Get a Taste of This Kingdom!

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Weariness. Struggle. Disappointment. Separation. Helplessness. Grief. Illness. Battle. Pain. Regret. Fear. Disillusionment. Sorrow. These are just a few of the words to describe parts of our experience in the kingdom of this world. By “this world,” I mean the aggregate of all things earthly – the entire system of this currently broken cosmos. Temporarily, Satan is permitted to exert influence and humans are free to rebel against God. Hence, the Psalmist notes, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed” (Psalm 2:2, ESV). The apostle Paul also reminds us of the devil who is “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2, ESV). The force of evil rebellion is wielded, and God’s creation suffers.

Enter Jesus Christ. Diving wholeheartedly into the mess, Jesus begins to tread the dirt of this earth two millennia ago. At the inauguration of His ministry, he walked to Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee and began preaching some of the sweetest words I have ever heard, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17, ESV). The kingdom of heaven is at hand! Praise God! We can now begin to sense the infiltration of a kingdom ruled by what is right; the invasion of all we have longed for has begun!

Just in case we are questioning what the rule of God’s righteousness is honestly like, Jesus works His way through all of Galilee “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matthew 4:23, ESV). Did you catch the wonderment of His action? Jesus healed every disease and affliction that broken humans could present to Him. He single-handedly demonstrated the heart of God . . . to cure what ails and destroys us. This heart of God prevails with the kingdom of heaven, so let us go back to Jesus’ prescription for the ushering in of that glorious kingdom.

Jesus exhorted, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The prerequisite for my part in this kingdom is repentance. I must rightfully acknowledge my guilt in the hellish schemes of a sinful heart. I must confess that I am a sinner, and that I desire to be forgiven of my sins. The gist of repentance bids me go further – to agree to turn away from sin and toward God by the power Jesus grants to me. A repentant heart says, “I run to God and away from sin; and I desire to never look back, even though I know the cost will be great.”

You will notice that after calling people to repentance in anticipation of God’s kingdom, Jesus approaches individuals and asks them to follow Him (Matthew 4:18-22) – not just in a walk by the lake, but in a walk of self-denial and God-exaltation. He asks Peter and Andrew to come with Him, and both men left their fishing nets and embarked on a relationship with Jesus Christ. They deemed Him worth the adventure and all that would be asked of them.

After the call to repentance and the invitation to follow in the everyday walk of life, Jesus begins to display the heart of the heavenly kingdom with His miracles. How overjoyed the disciples must have been to begin realizing the momentous nature of that of which they had become a part. God wants things right! He wants our hearts right, our words right, our actions right, our relationships right, our bodies right, and our universe right! Jesus began in that small province in the Middle East to shine forth hints of what the kingdom of heaven is, and what indescribable joy we shall experience when – finally – “the kingdom of the world [becomes] the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15, ESV).

Friends, as surely as the words of John 3:16 are true, the words of Revelation 11:15 are true. One day this world’s dark kingdom will be replaced with the kingdom of our Lord. Then we will witness in full what Galileans witnessed in part in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We will see with our own eyes afflictions disappear, weariness turn to strength, love prevail without challenge, grief be obliterated, fear become trust, sorrow vanish, regret run away, the earth be restored to perfection . . . and Jesus take charge forever.

Get a taste of this kingdom now, and join me one day when we feast together with our Savior!

God on Good and Bad Days

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While cleaning our house recently, I was keenly reminded of a vital spiritual truth: God never changes, though my emotions do. Have you ever had a bad day? A good day? A mediocre day? What does it imply for us to qualify any given day by a description that is usually tied closely to our emotional state? For example, while enduring an incredibly minor inconvenience, I realized how quickly I can become irritated by circumstances. In that very moment, God brought to mind James 1:2-4 (NIV), “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The very thing that Satan would like to use to harass me is actually something God employs to help make me complete. God does not have “good” or “bad” days; He has created the whole concept of days and is continually in charge of them – with His glory as the end in mind.

Often we need to step back and realize that God’s plan for us never changes. He is in no way caught off guard by any component of our lives. In fact, He superintends all of our joys and trials to make us who we are supposed to be -“conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29, NIV).

We experience moments, hours, and days when we do not feel the presence or goodness of God, but this in no way changes the fact of His abiding love. We humans are fleeting, changeable, easily-confused, moody, and limited in our understanding. In fact, when compared to God, even the heavens and earth “will perish, but You [God] remain; and they all will become old like a garment, and like a mantle You will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end” (Hebrews 1:11-12, NASB).

Everything changes except God, who stands above all reality and takes control as He sees fit. His unchanging nature – His immutability – is our hope on “good” and “bad” days. Though we may be feeling discouraged, God is never thwarted. He is not downtrodden, because He is perfect and knows the supremacy of His plan; and even though He reigns, He has compassion on us in times of disappointment and grief. Psalm 103:13-14 (NIV) declares, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

What spectacular news! God’s plan goes on no matter how dark the day or inconvenient the circumstances. We need not be overcome by the flood of emotions we experience as created beings. Instead, we need to remind ourselves of the eternal Word of God which boldly proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when the morning dawns” (Psalm 46:1-5, NASB).

Did you catch that phrase above, “though its waters roar and foam”? Sometimes that is how we imagine the flood of feelings that come against us – they roar and foam and threaten our demise. No way, however, will they be our undoing! God is always present and in the midst of our emotions; He cannot be moved. Cling to God, stand on His truth, and remember Who He is. Our God is both unchanging and unchangeable. He cannot change and He will not be changed by anyone or anything. On good days and bad days and every moment in between, our God stands ready to roll up the heavens and earth like a garment in order to usher in His perfect kingdom where we will finally see that He had it under control all along.