Uncertainty

I was thinking about how quickly things can change.  Here are two examples:

 ²⁴Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁵And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver.

¹But Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD: thus says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria." ²Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, "If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" But he said, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it."

¹⁶Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. ¹⁷Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. And the people trampled him in the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said when the king came down to him. ¹⁸For when the man of God had said to the king, "Two seahs of barley shall be sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria," ¹⁹ the captain had answered the man of God, "If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?" And he had said, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it." ²⁰And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate and he died.

2 Kings 6 & 7


¹³Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴and there came a messenger to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." ¹⁶While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." ¹⁷While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." ¹⁸While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

          Job 1

For me the lessons from both stories come from Job:

²¹And he said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." [Job 1]

¹Then Job answered the LORD and said:
 ²"I know that you can do all things,
   and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.  [Job 42]

Trusting All the Way

Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends. If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn't touch your real treasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back. So don't throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It's still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion.

   It won't be long now, he's on the way;
      he'll show up most any minute.
   But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust;
      if he cuts and runs, I won't be very happy.
But we're not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We'll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way. 

 Hebrews 10:32-39 [The Message]

Utterly Preoccupied

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional: THE HARD LESSONS OF COMPLIANCE

Oh, how I love your law!  It is my meditation all the day.  Psalm 119:97

I will value something more if I've suffered from the want of it.  If I lived much of my life without the daily revelation that comes through a relationship with God and His Word, then I will embrace it now with intense passion.  The contrast between how desperate I was without the words of Jesus compared to what it's like to live now with His presence and guidance will be stark.  I'm not speaking hypothetically here.  I'm speaking from experience.

But some who know me say, "Wait!  You've been a Christian since you were seven years old.  What do you mean you didn't know the joy of following God's ways?"  I will tell you that it might have appeared I did.  But I took the paths other Christians prescribed for me.  I was a compliant person and when you put me in the company of strong willed visionaries, I caved to fit in.  I wanted acceptance more than I wanted to know the joy of pioneering my way with God.

For the first 40+ years of my life, I lived by other people's rudder.  When faced with any challenge, I asked those around me, "What would you do?"  It seemed there was always a plethora of answers to follow.  Most were given with good intentions, with firm conviction.  Not knowing how to really hear God's Spirit speak to me, I felt I needed their direction and chose to trust it.  While some advice was solid, much of it was not.  Over time, I harbored bad feelings toward those whose advice led me astray or I punished myself for being so weak as to listen to them.  There was no winning, no peace.

Do I echo David's words and proclaim my love for His personalized instruction in scripture and in prayer?  Oh yes!  Have I turned into a lone ranger who never asks others for counsel?  No.  It's just that now I have a place to go to weigh their words.  God will confirm the validity of their input or direct me a different way.  His law is life and throughout my day, I have the absolute joy of being utterly preoccupied with it.

I am only compliant to Your Spirit, the place where my independence melts away.  Amen

Deliver Us

Post from Miscellanies:  Deliver Us From Morality

C.S. Lewis:

“…In reality [William] Tyndale is trying to express an obstinate fact which meets us long before we venture into the realm of theology; the fact that morality or duty (what he calls ‘the Law’) never yet made a man happy in himself or dear to others. It is shocking, but it is undeniable. We do not wish either to be, or to live among, people who are clean or honest or kind as a matter of duty: we want to be, and associate with, people who like being clean and honest and kind. The mere suspicion that what seemed an act of spontaneous friendliness or generosity was really done as a duty subtly poisons it. In philosophical language, the ethical category is self-destructive; morality is healthy only when it is trying to abolish itself. In theological language, no man can be saved by works. The whole purpose of the ‘gospel,’ for Tyndale, is to deliver us from morality. Thus, paradoxically, the ‘puritan’ of modern imagination—the cold, gloomy heart, doing as duty what happier and richer souls do without thinking of it—is precisely the enemy which historical Protestantism arose and smote.”

Source: English Literature in the Sixteenth Century Excluding Drama (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1944), 187.

Ultimate Healing

Excerpts from John Piper:  Born Blind for the Glory of God

Let’s turn to John 9:1. Jesus had just said perhaps the most outlandish thing he ever said. He said in John 8:58, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” This was doubly outrageous. “Before Abraham was, I was,” would have been outrageous—a man claiming preexistence thousands of years ago. But what he said was, “Before Abraham was, I am.” He used the sacred name of God in Exodus 3:14, “I am who I am.” So he claimed to be God in the fullest sense.

They take up stones to stone him, but he goes out of the temple, and the next thing that happens is the encounter of a disabled man—a man who had been born disabled, blind. There is a connection between this man’s blindness and the reality that Jesus is God Almighty and the purpose of God in this man’s disability. Verses 1-3:

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

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What is that work? Be careful with your answer. Jesus is always doing more than you think. In verses 4-5, Jesus continues,

We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

This signals that something more is going on here than merely healing the man’s physical eyes so that he can see natural light. Jesus calls attention to the fact that he is the light this man needs to see. “I am the light of the world.” Which many blind people see, and many seeing people are blind to. Verses 6-7:
Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Yes, he came back seeing natural light. Is that enough? Is that what Jesus cares about most? Do you recall back in chapter 5 when Jesus healed the man who had been crippled for 38 years? The man stood up and walked. Was that the point—mere physical healing? Yes, I say “mere” in view the infinitely more important spiritual change needed.

So John 5:14 says, “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.’” In other words, I healed you, yes. But I have tracked you down to make sure you know holiness is the main point. That’s the real healing. Go, sin no more.
Now here in chapter 9, Jesus does the same thing. Verses 35-­38:

Jesus heard that they had cast him out [the man born blind], and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.”

Now we see all the connections between, “Before Abraham was, I am,” and blindness and healing and Jesus as the light of the world. Seeing the glory of Jesus as God and worshiping him was the main point. Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the “I am” who was here before Abraham. The most important thing is that the man see the glory of Jesus and worship him. That is what he did. This was the ultimate healing.

Treasure

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional:  WHEN THE GLITTER IS REMOVED

I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.  Psalm 119:96

            Consider David's many disillusionments.  He saw Goliath, the strongest man around, overcome by a small stone.  He saw his nephew, Asahel, one described as 'swift as a gazelle', killed on the battlefield.  He saw his fairest son, Absalom, deform in character and turn on him.  He watched the seeming perfection of everyone around him take on their true limits.  Their glitter was removed.  The only thing that grew taller and wider with time was the Word of God.

            It was a painful thing to have that which beguiled me take on its true form.  The disillusionment unraveled my world.

            I just finished teaching this weekend at The Cove in Asheville, NC.  I talked with a woman whose daughter was dating someone that was not good for her.  Yet, her daughter was absolutely taken with him.  "What can I do," she lamented.  I suggested that she pray and ask that his true colors be exposed, that the glitter that her daughter sees be removed by a God who wants her daughter to know truth.

            Jesus is to be my treasure.  Any other person or thing that my heart covets in place of Him has had a bonified paint job by the enemy.  Satan allures me to the counterfeits, making each one seem as if it will fill my soul where it aches.  It's a mirage.  Though it may seem for a time that it's the thing I was looking for all along, eventually its glitter is removed.  The downward spiral into the mire of disappointment can cripple me permanently if I don't turn to the only One who expands with time.

            The more I attempt to see the glory of Jesus, the more glory there is to discover.  The more I attempt to understand a stunning Bible truth, the larger and more expansive it becomes.  The things of the kingdom are broad, never disappointing the true seeker.

I've known so many disappointments and, for a while, they crippled me.  It took me a while to find you as my treasure.  Now that I have, my joy of discovering your limitless love and power only abounds.  Thank you for drawing me to you, the source of all pleasure.  Amen

Meaningful

"The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either." 

Author Note, Donald Miller, A Millions Miles in a Thousand Years

Not Incidental Additions -- Foundational Words

"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. 

"But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards." 

Matthew 7:24-27 [The Message]

Undone

Words of Life Devotional

Know His Comfort
by Ruth Graham

“For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will
shower us with his comfort through Christ.” (2 Cor. 1:5)


Ruth Graham explores God's comfort in her book Fear Not Tomorrow, God Is Already There

One day, my daughter, Noelle, called asking if I could keep my then-two-year-old granddaughter for part of the afternoon. My desk was stacked high with mail and my email inbox was full, but Noelle assured me that Virginia Ruth would probably nap the whole time. I quickly agreed. I would just put my granddaughter down for a nap and go back to what I needed to do.

When Noelle arrived, she broke the news that she had left both “bear” and “blanket” at home. I knew this would pose some difficulty, but I didn’t realize the seriousness of our situation until I tried putting Virginia Ruth down for her nap. She wanted “bear” and “blanket.” Trying to be innovative, I showed her the monkey that was left over from my son Graham’s childhood, thinking it would substitute for “bear.” She looked horrified when she saw it. Then I offered her a baby blanket that belonged to Noelle. Her big, blue eyes filled with tears and she moaned, “Nooo…” I reached for an old doll, hoping that would comfort her. Her wail grew more intense. I felt helpless. Finally, I scooped my granddaughter up and held her close. I sat down with her as she snuggled and nestled her little blond head on my shoulder. Soon she was breathing heavily and sleeping sweetly.

My granddaughter would take no substitute for her bear and blanket, but so often we try to substitute something else for God’s comfort. God certainly uses relationships and the things of this life to comfort us. The problem comes when we look to our comforts to stop the pain. True comfort doesn’t stop the pain. It makes the situation bearable. It gets us through. We are human – we want the pain to stop. And yet, sometimes, pain is what opens the door to experiencing God’s comfort. It is when we are desperate that He steps in and touches us in unusual ways. He wants to cradle us, rock us, and soothe us.

We need comfort in a host of situations, experiences and emotional states, but there is a difference between needing comfort and what I call “coming undone.” We can come undone in our greatest moments of loss, failure, betrayal or fear. We are unable to find relief. When you are undone, you have exhausted your ability to get comfort from anything around you. People can’t comfort you. None of the familiar comforts work anymore. There’s nowhere to turn. No letup. You’re just undone.

When you are undone, it is as if you have been thrown out of the boat. You can’t touch the bottom, see the shore, or even get a hold of the boat itself. You feel alone and desperate. You can’t see what is ahead, nor can you reach back for what is behind you. You are at a complete loss. You are exhausted physically, emotionally and spiritually. And yet the waves keep hitting you, one after another. You are tired. You can’t battle it anymore. You have none of your own resources left. The problem has taken over, and you can’t focus on the Lord. He is out of focus; everything is out of focus. All you know is the problem. And it is overwhelming.

“Undone” is not a place God wants us to stay. His goal is to comfort us in our brokenness and then lead us out of it. But you do have an enemy committed to keeping you undone. He will use whatever means necessary to shut you down and convince you that you will never function and never be whole again. The enemy wants you to believe that undone is the new normal.

Jesus enlightens Peter about the enemy’s plan against him as they are sitting at the Passover meal. To his headstrong, passionate, willful disciple, Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat.” (Luke 22:31) That’s what the enemy wants to do – sift us, fragment us, take us apart. When Peter is older, long after Jesus has been crucified and resurrected, the seasoned disciple-turned-leader advises the early church with a similar warning: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Satan knows our failures and weaknesses. He knows our fears and the areas in which we find ourselves insufficient. The Bible calls him “the accuser” (Revelation 12:10) Some of his diabolical words will sound familiar to you:

“Nothing will ever change.”
“No one will ever love you.”
“You can’t possibly do that.”
“You’re inadequate for this – you’ll never pull it off.”
“You’ve blown it again.”
“You’ll always be a failure.”
“You’re destined for mediocrity.”
“Your hopes and dreams will never come to pass.”
“God can’t use you anymore. You’ve made too many mistakes.”

These are the kinds of words the enemy sows into our minds and hearts, but Jesus calls Satan “a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) We don’t have to believe what the enemy says about us. We have the Word of God, which tells us what God says about us. Someone far greater than the enemy is living in our hearts and fighting on our side. (1 John 4:4)

God does not create our ruins. The Bible says, “The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins.” (Isaiah 51:3, emphasis added) God sees us floundering in that water. And He is looking at us with compassion. The verse from Isaiah goes on to say, “He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”

Undone is never the final chapter with God. He promises comfort. He promises restoration. He promises joy and gladness. Thanksgiving. The sound of singing. No matter what the enemy says or does, we can know God’s comfort in our ruins. God will make our ruins opportunities to woo us with His love.

This Week
Where are you in need of comfort? Write down the areas in which you feel “undone.” Draw near to God and ask Him to meet you in the place of your pain.

Prayer
“God, I hurt, but I believe Your promise to comfort and restore me. I give you my pain and invite you to heal my heart. Please help me to know Your deep comfort. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Prince of Peace

Our soul waits for the LORD;
   he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
   because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
   even as we hope in you.

Psalm 33:20-22

In reading these verses I was reminded of the Rich Mullin lyrics from Hold Me Jesus:

Well, sometimes my life
Just don't make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace 

Terminus

Excerpt from "The Missing Motive" by Eric J. Alexander, TableTalk February 2010

Now in recent years I have been troubled by the tendency in the evangelical church to be more taken up with methods rather than motives.  So I frequently hear of conferences where brethren meet to share insights into new and better methods by which we may fulfill our ministry.  I'm sure they are very valuable and I hope I am not so naive as to think that methods are unimportant in God's work.  But I have almost never heard of a conference where brethren have met together before God to ask each other:  "In all honesty, what are the compelling motives that determine the direction of my ministry?"

Yet Jesus laid great stress on motives:  "I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me" (John 5:30).  Looking back over His ministry He says, "I have glorified you by finishing the work you gave me to  do" (John 17:4).  The glory of the  Father was the terminus of everything for Jesus.  There was nothing beyond this.  And he means it to be so for us.

Be Amazed by God

And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

Luke 5:26

Resurrection

Excerpts from Ed Stetzer interview posted as Adrian Warnock and the Resurrection

If you're online and read blogs then you probably know Adrian Warnock. Adrian is a Christian writer, preacher and part of the Jubilee Church, London, UK leadership team for more than ten years. His new book, Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything, addresses the great hope of the Christian faith; that Jesus died-- and rose from the dead! ...

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Do you think we need to mention the resurrection to effectively preach the gospel?
To be honest, I would go so far as to say that the resurrection is the gospel. Gospel means good news, it would hardly be good news if Jesus was rotting in a tomb somewhere in Israel! Without the resurrection we would still be dead in our sins. If we only preach the cross and not the resurrection we have failed in our duty to declare the full gospel. We will not know power in our preaching unless we do a whole lot more than just mention the resurrection. Perhaps this failure is precisely why so few people become Christians in the average evangelical church today. Maybe the people never rejected the gospel of Christ's victory over death but instead they never heard it.

Are you saying that the cross is overemphasized?
Not at all. In fact, we do probably need to emphasize the cross more than we do. It's just that if we want to be truly cross-centered we must also learn to be empty-grave-centered.

Why do you think Christians tend to neglect the resurrection?
There seems little doubt to me that preaching in the average church today tends to stress the cross and assume the resurrection. The exact opposite is true of the preaching of the Apostles in the book of Acts--they stressed the resurrection and assumed that their hearers already knew about Jesus' death. This has to be part of the reason for our neglect. But then, we must ask why preachers do this. I believe this is largely because there has been so much controversy surrounding the cross.

Do you want us to emphasize the resurrection rather than arguing about theories of atonement?
In the last few years we have seen a renewed attack on penal substitution. This same attack has been repeated many times over hundreds of years. I am certainly someone who has been very firm and clear in my defense of this doctrine. It is absolutely vital.

But we must never forget that without the resurrection Paul tells us we would still be dead in our sins. Without the empty grave, Jesus' death would have been just another pointless waste. I am not aware of any group today who are arguing about the doctrinal implications of the resurrection. But that does not mean we should neglect to build that part of our doctrinal wall. We cannot afford to let the enemies of the gospel define our agenda entirely. We must fully explore and preach the implications of both the cross and the resurrection. It need not be either/or--rather it must be both/and!

What are the implications of neglecting the resurrection?
First of all, we will not be as confident of our salvation, for it is only to the extent that we are sure that Christ rose that we will be sure that we are saved.

Secondly, we can miss out on the joy of our salvation. For the gospel to be good news it has to include the triumphant resurrection of Jesus! If we constantly talk about his death for us, but never mention that he rose again, we could almost find ourselves feeling sorry for Jesus! The gospel is the announcement of the enthronement of the risen King with all its implications for us today. In particular, this gives us a hope that goes beyond the grave.

Thirdly, we will never understand the gospel fully if we don't understand the resurrection's role in justification.

Finally, we may miss out on fully experiencing the benefits of the life-transforming power that the resurrection releases inside each of us.

Why is the resurrection so important for understanding our justification?
Paul tells us that Jesus died for our sins, but it was his resurrection that obtained our justification (Romans 4:25). If you have been raised on the average preaching that statement will be as shocking to me as it was to me when I first began to unpack it. I spend a whole chapter on this crucial idea.

...

Lessons

Mark Batterson post:  Leadership Lessons from Brett Favre

I was doing a video interview for our leadership retreat and Heather Zempel, our Discipleship Pastor, asked me if there were any leadership lessons to be learned from Brett Favre. Seriously? How much time do we have? I could have gone all day long. Just thought I'd share seven of them.

1) Slap your teammates on the butt.

No one does it better than Favre. Great leaders are great encouragers! They go around slapping people on the butt, figuratively speaking of course! Love the way he head butts his lineman too. Again, I would practice this one figuratively!

2) Call an audible.

On this one I'd say that the only quarterback who is better at it than Favre is Peyton Manning. Great leaders recognize when there are eight men in the box and they need to audible to a quick slant or screen pass. Leadership is not static. It takes all factors into consideration. It is the ability to process a ton of information in a short amount of time and make a good quick decision!

3) Throw a block downfield

One of the things I love about Favre is that he's not afraid to throw a block for his teammates. Quarterbacks don't do that. Favre does. Great leaders are great servants. They set the example they want others to follow.

4) Laugh in the locker room.

No one has more fun than Favre. Plays the game like a kid. Anybody see his rendition of Pants on the Ground after the game? Gotta love it. I think laughter is so critical to leadership longevity, especially in ministry! There's lots of crying so you need to counterbalance it with lots of laughing!

5) Huddle Up

Favre exudes confidence when he's in the game. You're never out of it with the old gunslinger in your huddle. I think great leaders build the confidence of those around them. Love the way Drew Brees does this in New Orleans too! Amazing pre-game chants!

6) Keep Watching Game Film

Favre has played the game for eighteen seasons, but he puts in the time watching game films. After every series you can see him coaching his young receivers and looking at pictures from the coaches booth. Leaders keep learning and keep teaching!

7) Don't be afraid of throwing interceptions.

Favre had his career-best when it came to interceptions this season, but he holds the all-time interception record. Lesson? If you want to hold the record for most touchdown passes you're probably going to throw some interceptions along the way! Great leaders aren't afraid of making mistakes. They're afraid of missing opportunities! Win or lose, they leave it all on the field.

Given Me Life

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional: THE PREFERRED TEACHER

I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.  Psalm 119:93

Which of two teachers would you prefer to learn from?  The subject matter is THE COMFORTING WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The first teacher does a word study on 'comfort.  He cross references well and takes you to many passages and stories where God creatively comforted His children.  It's obvious he has a grasp of the topic and is out to impart information to those who listen.  He hopes you take good notes so you can remember the material.

The second teacher speaks briefly about the text.  He, too, defines 'comfort' and references some related passages.  Then, thoughtfully, he begins to reminisce and speak of a time when he was in desperate need of comfort and companionship.  It was not to be found.  He was alone in a world of family and friends and wondered how he could make it one more day in his sense of isolation.  He pressed into God and experienced the comforting work of the Spirit firsthand.  As he told the story, you were unaware of time and the weight of his words fell on your heart.   

The first teacher works hard at his faith but it's mostly cerebral.  Like a graduating senior who tries to remember calculus formulas so he can ace his freshman math course in college, this bible scholar files away biblical facts.  He approaches the bible like a textbook to be mastered.  His knowledge of God is based mostly on what he has read, not on what he has experienced.

The second teacher is not so much aware that he is a student as much as he is a disciple of one he loves dearly.  Life's experiences brought him to the end of himself and his great need of a Savior ushered him into a relationship with Jesus.  Anything he studies fills in more blanks about a person with whom he experiences a daily relationship.
How much easier to remember God's precepts when they are woven into the cement of our experience.  When the Word has been life-saving, it is not soon forgotten.

Not much of what I know is valuable to me, Lord, unless I find it active in our relationship.  Help me teach others through the storylines of my life.  Amen

Not Going Back

What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. 

   Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. 

 Galatians 2:19-21 [The Message]

Lifesaving Power

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional: WHEN YOU'RE OUT OF LIVING WATER

If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.  Psalm 119:92

In the morning, drink a tall glass of water.  Then spend the rest of the day in a cool house, reading a book in your favorite chair.  It just might be that you won't feel thirsty again till dinnertime.  If pressed, you could probably go till the next morning without feeling a crippling thirst.  Why?  Nothing depleted your system of water. 

Every morning, I take a drink of living water.  If the day is relatively stress free, that drink will easily sustain me.  I won't feel an intense thirst for more because that which might deplete it is absent.  Let the fires burn intensely however and I will be on my knees in prayer, in the Word, fortifying myself with fresh supplies of living water.  Trekking through stressful territory taxes my spiritual resources.  The heated exercise leaves me in a weakened state.  It is like a seasoned athlete who treks through desert heat without any provisions.

David admits that his affliction has been so severe that the word of God was the only thing that enabled him to survive.   Have you been there, meaning that you have known affliction but survived only because of the lifesaving power of the Word?  Every person, sooner or later, becomes intimate with affliction.  Most perish by exhausting all their own resources, turning inward for more, but finding themselves empty.  With no access to grace, they adopt a posture which appears to sustain.  Anger, revenge, cynicism, even apathy. 

To stay teachable, tender, and childlike in the midst of cross-carrying can only be accomplished by constant infusions of the Word.

I was not meant to perish under pressure, but soar on the wings of grace.

You have graced my life with a considerable amount of affliction - even from birth.  Through it, you have taught me how to need you.  Oh, how I do.  Thank you for planting me on your riverbanks.  Amen

Letters

And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.  2 Cor 3:3

I had a chance last night to attend a preview showing of Letters to God -- more on this in a few weeks.

Representatives

Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

2 Cor 5:16-20 [The Message]

One Man

Neil Anderson Daily in Christ

THE EFFECTS OF THE FALL
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned

Unfortunately, the idyllic setting in the Garden of Eden was shattered. Genesis 3 tells the sad story of Adam and Eve's lost relationship with God through sin. The effects of man's fall were dramatic, immediate and far-reaching, infecting every subsequent member of the human race.

What happened to Adam and Eve spiritually because of the Fall? They died. Their union with God was severed and they were separated from God. God had specifically said: "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17 NIV ). They ate and they died.

Did they die physically? No. The process of physical death was set in motion, but they were alive physically for several hundred more years. They died spiritually; their souls were separated from God. They were banished from God's presence. They were cast out of the Garden of Eden and guarding the entrance were cherubim waving a flaming sword (Genesis 3:23, 24).

After Adam, everyone who comes into the world is born physically alive but spiritually dead, separated from God. Paul wrote, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live" (Ephesians 2:1 NIV ).

How did Jesus remedy this problem? In two dramatic, life-changing ways. First, He died on the cross to cure the disease that caused us to die: sin. Romans 6:23 begins, "The wages of sin is death." Then He rose from the dead to give us spiritual life. The verse continues, "But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus Himself said, "I came that they might have life" (John 10:10).

The bad news is that , as a child of Adam, you inherited spiritual death. But the eternally good news is that, as a child of God through faith in Christ, you will live forever because of the life He has provided for you.

Prayer:

Thank You, heavenly Father, for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins and then raising Him from the dead so I may have life.

Joining His Mission

Excerpt from Ed Stetzer's post:  Ten Scripture Texts on God's Mission

Here is a top ten of the passages cited. Some are explicit, others less so, but the mission of God and our calling to join Him is clear. I will be using these in my forthcoming study bible article on John 20:21.

I believe that John 20:21 ties our mission into Jesus' mission. In other words, we join him in His mission. There are many verses that relate to that (and I often use Luke 4 and Luke 19:10 as good summary statements), but I was looking for verses that were more clearly connected to the call of God on His people.

Here is the list of ten verses that indicate God's people are sent on mission:

GENESIS 12:1-3 The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
EXODUS 19:5, 6
Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.
ISAIAH 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:
Who should I send?
Who will go for Us?
I said:
Here I am. Send me.
MATTHEW 24:14
This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.
MATTHEW 28:18-20
Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
MARK 16:15
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
LUKE 24:46-48
"This is what is written: the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what My Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high."
JOHN 20:21
Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
ACTS 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
1 PETER 2:9-10
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people for His possession,
so that you may proclaim the praises
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
Once you were not a people,
but now you are God's people;
you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.

Peace Revealed

The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."  


Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

John 20:20-21, 30-31 [The Message]

God Will Supply

A few years ago I shared the article "Don't Waste Your Cancer" by John Piper with comments by David Powlison (DP in article) with my mom.  There are ten points in the article -- too many to summarize in this post.  As my mom continues to battle cancer I post portions of this article as a testament to the way mom is not wasting her cancer, but is using it to show God in all things.  She writes about her battle in her blog John's Wife.

A couple of excerpts from the article:

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.

The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.

DP: God himself is your comfort. He gives himself. The hymn “Be Still My Soul” (by Katerina von Schlegel) reckons the odds the right way: we are 100% certain to suffer, and Christ is 100% certain to meet us, to come for us, comfort us, and restore love’s purest joys. The hymn “How Firm a Foundation” reckons the odds the same way: you are 100% certain to pass through grave distresses, and your Savior is 100% certain to “be with you, your troubles to bless, and sanctify to you your deepest distress.” With God, you aren’t playing percentages, but living within certainties.

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.

When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.

DP: Our culture is terrified of facing death. It is obsessed with medicine. It idolizes youth, health and energy. It tries to hide any signs of weakness or imperfection. You will bring huge blessing to others by living openly, believingly and lovingly within your weaknesses. Paradoxically, moving out into relationships when you are hurting and weak will actually strengthen others. ‘One anothering’ is a two-way street of generous giving and grateful receiving. Your need gives others an opportunity to love. And since love is always God’s highest purpose in you, too, you will learn his finest and most joyous lessons as you find small ways to express concern for others even when you are most weak. A great, life-threatening weakness can prove amazingly freeing. Nothing is left for you to do except to be loved by God and others, and to love God and others.

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it.

DP: Jesus is your life. He is the man before whom every knee will bow. He has defeated death once for all. He will finish what he has begun. Let your light so shine as you live in him, by him, through him, for him. One of the church’s ancient hymns puts it this way:
Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger
(from “I bind unto myself the name”).

In your cancer, you will need your brothers and sisters to witness to the truth and glory of Christ, to walk with you, to live out their faith beside you, to love you. And you can do same with them and with all others, becoming the heart that loves with the love of Christ, the mouth filled with hope to both friends and strangers.

Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Declaration

Mark Batterson post:  Lion Chasers

It's been quite a while since I posted the Lion Chasers Manifesto. Speaking in chapel at Anderson University today on that topic so I thought I'd post the manifesto.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Criticize by creating. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion. 

 

Messy

On Saturday night one of the songs we sang was "Follow You" by Leeland.  Some of the lyrics are:

You lived among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away.

All my needs you have supplied.
When i was dead you gave me life.
How could i not give it away so freely?

And i`ll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy god.
Follow you into the world.

Use my hands use my feet
To make your kingdom come
Through the corners of the earth
Until your work is done
`cause faith without works is dead
And on the cross your blood was shed
So how could i not give it away so freely?

Here is a related (to the message of this song) and a very interesting broadcast I heard on Midday Connection.  Audio Link

My Generation

Air Date January 7, 2010

Summary

Generation “Y” is the generation of tattoos, cell phones, social networking, and iPods. It’s also the generation of authenticity, social justice, racial diversity and community but, Josh Riebock says it’s also the generation of broken homes, school shootings,  and immense performance pressure, just to name a few. On this Midday Connection Josh joins us to talk about how we can bring restoration to this 70 million member group of young people.

Featured Guest

Josh Riebock

Josh James Riebock has been a successful youth pastor and is now a sought-after speaker at conferences, colleges, and churches across the country. He speaks both to Generation Y and to people who are involved in leading this generation. He lives with his wife, Kristen, in downtown Austin, Texas.

Object of Devotion

Interesting post (and title) from Miscellanies:  Why humans require a worldview (and why dogs don't)

Erich Fromm in The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness [(New York City: Henry Holt, 1973) p. 26], writes:

“…[man] needs a goal that tells him where to go. The animal has no such problems. Its instincts provide it with a map as well as with goals. But man, lacking instinctive determination and having a brain that permits him to think of many directions in which he could go, needs an object of total devotion; he needs an object of total devotion to be the focus point of all his strivings and the basis for all his effective—and not only proclaimed—values. He needs such an object of devotion for a number of reasons. The object integrates his energies in one direction. It elevates him beyond his isolated existence, with all its doubts and insecurities, and gives meaning to life. In being devoted to a goal beyond his isolated ego, he transcends himself and leaves the prison of absolute egocentricity.”

Desperate Straights

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional: KEEP ME ALIVE

In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.  Psalm 119:88

            Psalm 119 is the expression of extremes.  The writer (most think it is David) is in desperate straights and speaks about most everything in the context of life and death.  "Your Word is life to me."  "I languish for Your saving hand."  If any of us are in pleasant circumstances with our needs numbed out by pleasure, we will not track with the strong speech found within this chapter.

            The psalmist's words today are gut wrenching.  To paraphrase this out of the Hebrew language, the meaning takes on even more desperate overtones.  Here it is.  "Because you are so kind, keep me alive so that I preserve the testimonies of your mouth."  It is not made clear whether David is in physical danger or spiritual danger.  But when threats against either are high, it really doesn't matter, does it?  The truth is ~ God is the giver of life whether we need a physical resurrection or a heart preserver.

            If you are looking for a Psalm to ponder out of mere interest, this is not the one for you.  So many of God's children read the Bible to get facts, be entertained, and say to another, "Oh, that was so interesting."  As dispassionate reader will never know life change.

            This Psalm is meant for those who know they would be 'walking dead' without the swift and life-saving hand of God.  Many who read this devotional every day (and I hear from so many of you) are walking on hot coals everyday.  Their heart is bombarded with regret, pressure to survive another's cruelty, or any other circumstance which threatens to snuff the life out of a person's soul.  The weight is so great as to make you throw up your hands and say, "I quit.  I'm numbing out to life.  It's too painful to care anymore."

            Ah, this verse is for you and me whenever we're in that situation.

Oh God, you are kind.  You reach down and keep my faith alive when I ask you.  I can't even decide to follow you.  The desire and strength, even for that, is a gift out of the kindness of your heart.  Amen

For Us

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31b

I like the lyrics from God Is On Our Side by Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin and Jesse Reeves

Everyone around the world 
Hear the joyful sound 
See the heavens open up 
Hear the music coming down 
Nothing's gonna separate us from the Father's love 
I can't help but celebrate 
'Cause we're not alone 

If God is on our side 
Who can be against us? 
If God is on our side 
We won't be afraid 
Though the mountains may fall 
And the sky will crumble 
There ain't nothin' gonna stand in our way 

Come on down to the riverside 
Wash it all away 
Leave behind your troubled mind 
For an uncloudy day 
Nothing's gonna separate us from the Father's love 
I can't help but celebrate 

'Cause we're not alone

Be Someone's Friend

Excerpt from email message from Thomas Johnston, Sr. Pastor, St. Peter's Church

...

Each of us has a list of acquaintances, colleagues, and folks we generally hang out with.  These relationships, however, rarely move beyond the surface appearances and generalities of life.  And then someone enters your life who isn’t looking for someone to use, is available enough to explore what is really going on in your life, is secure enough not to use that information for their own gain, and then becomes an encourager and advocate for all that is good, noble, and life-giving within you.  A friend.

It is the friend in life who will help orient you when all around you is disoriented.  It is the friend in life who will love you for who you are and not for what you will do for them.  It is the friend in life who will encourage you to persevere.  It is the friend in life who will pray with you, laugh with you, weep with you and when necessary give you a kick in the tail to get you going again.

Jesus calls us his friends and he gives us the power to be friends to others (John 15:12-17).  The Apostle Paul says that you and I will never rise above the expectations and standards of our closest friends – bad company corrupts good character, intentions, and plans (1 Corinthians 15:33).  I believe Paul is right and that Jesus is pointing us to something that will be defining for our lives.

Friendship is often left off the list of what people think of as being spiritual.  Yet it is through a friendship with Jesus that our lives are changed into something holy.  It is through a friendship with Jesus that we are able to persevere, finish well, and have a level of peace and joy in the midst of it all.  And then it is Jesus who says to you: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you”, basically: Go and be someone’s friend.

...

A Seasoned Vessel

Christine Wyrzten Devotional: HEAT DAMAGE

I have become like wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statues.  Psalm 119:83

A wineskin is a ancient bottle made of leather.  If it got too near someone's campfire for too long a period, it would dry out, crack, and become unusable. However, a little bit of exposure to the smoke would be a good thing because the wine would take on a distinctive smoky overtone. 

Time in the valley of suffering has changed the spiritual properties of many believers for the worse.  They spent so much time near the fire that, over time, their inner landscape began to deteriorate.  They became brittle; their heart fractured.  Those closest to them were the last to notice how radical the transformation was.  It happened slowly over time.  However, an acquaintance who had not seen them in some time was struck by the comparison.  One glance told them that something inside had deeply changed since the last time they were together.  They wore their story in their whole demeanor.

I am no stranger to the fire and its effects.  Perhaps you aren't either.  Sometimes, our crises are not of the 'overnight' kind.  They are years, even decades long.  I have become acquainted with myself when under great stresses.  I have seen how easily I can be broken, how prone is my soul to cynicism and hopelessness.  Only God's grace and His perspective on my suffering can save an otherwise tragic passage.

Perhaps you've heard the saying, "Pain makes us bitter or better."  King David might say, "It makes us an unusable vessel (like a smoke damaged wineskin) or a seasoned vessel that just gets better with time."  Which one I turn out to be is not determined by some luck of the draw.  Becoming better will only occur because I made a daily, intentional choice to walk through my fire with a childlike spirit, trusting in God to help me, change me, and keep me tenderhearted.  If any of this is to be accomplished, it is only a work of His grace and mercy.

I love the metaphor of what happens to wine in the wineskin when it has been touched by smoke.  The flavor and aroma is appreciated by any connoisseur.  That reminds me not to run from pain but to allow God to touch my life with its effects.  I want to be one who tells myself the truth of my own story.  I want to grieve the losses and celebrate the mountaintops.  The spiritual wine I offer to others will have the flavor of something aged, something divine.

It's a delicate balance, Lord.  The pain of today can kill me or save me.  Make me a better vessel and save me from destruction.  Amen

Your Faith Has Saved You; Go in Peace

⁴¹"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"⁴³Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." ⁴⁴Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." ⁴⁸And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." ⁴⁹Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" ⁵⁰And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Luke 7:41-50

Pray

Excerpt from Dan Kimball post:  Starting 2010 with "Too Busy Not to Pray"

...

I shared in the staff meeting that this book is not a book which says we should all live passive monastery-like lives as Christian leaders. It is a very realistic book. No where in the Bible does it say that when you are on mission, it is not going to be time consuming or difficult.  Whether you are on staff or volunteering in a church. I don't agree when I hear that church leaders put in more time and are more wiped out than the average person. I know moms at home that are consumed all day with working hard raising their kids and wiped out at the end of the day. I know people who commute almost an hour back and forth to high stress jobs in places. There are students who work full time jobs and go to school at the same time and try to juggle everything. Then on top of that they faithfully volunteer time in their local church. In many ways, church staffs have more flexibility with time. I do think that pastors and leaders of a church bear more burden for the whole church and the whole mission. So I think that is different to some degree. But volunteers are heroes as they give up time for the mission in addition to everything else they are doing in their lives and jobs.

I shared with the staff is that those in ministry have the most urgent and critical mission on earth. We are leading the mission of being the body of Jesus and communicating and living the gospel here on earth (empowered by the Spirit). So of course we should be working hard. And of course it isn't going to be easy. And of course there will be very tough times and extra hours. I think of the book of Acts and the stories of the disciples on mission. Most of us in the USA aren't having to experience being beaten up, stoned, and put in jail and even killed for our faith. So our efforts and time is not about running programs or putting on Sunday gatherings (although that does happen) but it is about lives being transformed here and for all eternity. What greater mission is that? So as we strive and put time and energy and effort into ministry, it is worth the effort. And it isn't easy. But it is worth it.

...

Every Time

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart.

Philippians 1:3 [The Message]

Word

Miscellanies post:  Image vs Word

Neil Postman in Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (Penguin, 2005) p. 9:

“‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth’ [Exodus 20:4]. I wondered then, as so many others have, as to why the God of these people would have included instructions on how they were to symbolize, or not symbolize, their experience. It is a strange injunction to include as a part of an ethical system unless its author assumed a connection between forms of human communication and the quality of a culture. We may hazard a guess that a people who are being asked to embrace an abstract, universal deity would be rendered unfit to do so by the habit of drawing pictures or making statues or depicting their ideas in any concrete, iconographic forms. The God of the Jews was to exist in the Word and through the Word, an unprecedented conception requiring the highest order of abstract thinking.”

Not a Means But the End

Mark Batterson post:  Is Your Dream Your Idol?

For years I dreamed of speaking at conferences and writing books. And I think both of those desires were God-ordained passions. But they didn't happen for a long time. And I think the main reason is simple: I wanted it for the wrong reasons. I don't think you're ready until you are willing to let the dream die. And when you are willing to let the dream die, God often resurrects it.

I'm certainly not suggesting that my motives are 100% sanctified now. Not there yet. But as I look back and look forward, I realize that many of our dreams never happen for one simple reason. We want it more than we want God. God becomes a means to an end. And our dream, which was meant to be a form of worship to God, becomes our god. This is especially true of pastors. We go into ministry to serve God, but ministry can become a god. Your church becomes your idol. Is your ministry more important to you than God?

God is not a means to your dream. Yes, your God-ordained dreams will never become reality without divine intervention. And God wants it to become reality more than you do. But the dream isn't the end. God is the end.

Is your dream your god? Or is God your God? God will not be used. God will not be manipulated. God will not be played. If you want what God wants for the wrong reasons it won't happen. It's not until you sanctify your motives that God will bless it.

Are you willing to sacrifice Isaac?

Live a Lover's Life

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1: 9-11 [The Message]

Four Emerging Themes

Excerpts from The Barna Group Year-in-Review

Based on his company’s interviews with thousands of people during the year, researcher George Barna synthesized the findings across numerous studies and summarized four themes that emerged from his research regarding religion in 2009.
 

Theme 1: Increasingly, Americans are more interested in faith and spirituality than in Christianity.


“Faith remains a hot topic in America these days,” George Barna commented, expanding on the theme. “Politicians, athletes, cultural philosophers, teachers, entertainers, musicians – nearly everyone has something to say about faith, religion, spirituality, morality, and belief these days. But as the fundamental values and assumptions of our nation continue to shift, so do our ideas about faith and spirituality. Many of our basic assumptions are no longer firm or predictable.

“One of those assumptions relates to how we develop our faith. These days,” he continued, “the faith arena is a marketplace from which we get ideas, beliefs, relationships, habits, rituals and traditions that make immediate sense to us, and with which we are comfortable. The notion of associating with a particular faith – whether it is Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or some other strain – still has appeal because that connection provides a discernible identity and facilitates the possibility of belonging to something meaningful. But the actual components of what we choose to belong to are driven by our momentary needs and perceptions.

“Our studies consistently demonstrate – as explained in unChristian, the book by my colleague, David Kinnaman – that being a Christian or associating with the Christian faith is not as attractive to Americans as it used to be. That is largely due to two realities. First, the mass media have unfavorably caricatured the Christian faith, devout Christians and Christian churches. Second, it is relatively rare to find someone who is an exemplar of the Christian faith,” the researcher explained. “Consequently, millions of Americans have less trouble embracing Christ than they have embracing Christianity, but many people assume it is a package deal: that is, you cannot be a Christian without adopting the institutional framework and limitations of the Christian world. Young adults, in particular, find that unappealing.

“Ultimately, in a culture where people are busy, distracted, confused and trying to keep it all together, there is less loyalty to a faith brand than to self. The purpose of faith, for most Americans, is not so much to discover truth or to relate to a loving, praiseworthy deity as it is to become happy, successful, comfortable and secure. For a growing percentage of citizens, their sense of spirituality, more than Christianity, facilitates those outcomes.”

...


Theme 2: Faith in the American context is now individual and customized. Americans are comfortable with an altered spiritual experience as long as they can participate in the shaping of that faith experience. 


“Now that we are comfortable with the idea of being spiritual as opposed to devoutly Christian,” Barna pointed out, “Americans typically draw from a broad treasury of moral, spiritual and ethical sources of thought to concoct a uniquely personal brand of faith. Feeling freed from the boundaries established by the Christian faith, and immersed in a postmodern society which revels in participation, personal expression, satisfying relationships, and authentic experiences, we become our own unchallenged spiritual authorities, defining truth and reality as we see fit.

“Consequently, more and more people are engaged in hybrid faiths, mixing elements from different historical eras and divergent theological perspectives,” Barna stated. “In some ways, we are creating the ultimate ecumenical movement, where nothing is deemed right or wrong, and all ideas, beliefs and practices are assigned equal validity. Everyone is invited to join the dialogue, enjoy the ride, and feel connected to a far-reaching community of believers. Screening or critiquing what that community believes is deemed rude and inappropriate. Pragmatism and relativism, rather than any sort of absolutism, has gained momentum.”

...


Theme 3: Biblical literacy is neither a current reality nor a goal in the U.S. 


Barna’s findings related to Bible knowledge and application indicate that little progress, if any, is being made toward assisting people to become more biblically literate.

“Bible reading has become the religious equivalent of sound-bite journalism. When people read from the Bible they typically open it, read a brief passage without much regard for the context, and consider the primary thought or feeling that the passage provided. If they are comfortable with it, they accept it; otherwise, they deem it interesting but irrelevant to their life, and move on. There is shockingly little growth evident in people’s understanding of the fundamental themes of the scriptures and amazingly little interest in deepening their knowledge and application of biblical principles.

Barna noted that some of the critical assumptions of many preachers and Bible teachers is inaccurate. “The problem facing the Christian Church is not that people lack a complete set of beliefs; the problem is that they have a full slate of beliefs in mind, which they think are consistent with biblical teachings, and they are neither open to being proven wrong nor to learning new insights. Our research suggests that this challenge initially emerges in the late adolescent or early teenage years. By the time most Americans reach the age of 13 or 14, they think they pretty much know everything of value the Bible has to teach and they are no longer interested in learning more scriptural content. It requires increasingly concise, creative, reinforced, and personally relevant efforts to penetrate people’s minds with new or more accurate insights into genuinely biblical principles. In a culture driven by the desire to receive value, more Bible teaching is generally not viewed as an exercise in providing such value.”

...


Theme 4: Effective and periodic measurement of spirituality – conducted personally or through a church – is not common at this time and it is not likely to become common in the near future. 


“There are two levels on which evaluation of where we stand spiritually can take place,” noted the California-based author. “There can be external measurement, such as that conducted by pastors, teachers, coaches or peers, and there can be self-evaluation. At the moment, we’re seeing very little of either form of review related to a person’s spiritual condition.

“Our studies this year among pastors showed that almost nine out of ten senior pastors of Protestant churches asserted that spiritual immaturity is one of the most serious problems facing the Church. Yet relatively few of those pastors believe that such immaturity is reflected in their church. Few pastors have gone so far as to give their congregants a specific, written statement of how they define spiritual maturity, how it might be measured, the strategy for facilitating such maturity, or what scriptural passages are most helpful in describing and fostering maturity. Those pastors who made any attempt to measure maturity were more likely to gauge depth on the basis of participation in programs than to evaluate people’s spiritual understanding or any type of transformational fruit in their lives. Overall, less than one out of every ten pastors said they were completely satisfied with how they assess the spiritual condition of their congregation.

“The situation is similar among Christian individuals. Americans have an almost insatiable curiosity about themselves and how they stack up against others. Yet, in the spiritual realm, that same level of curiosity is much less apparent. Perhaps it is because of the lack of tools for such measurement or even the absence of motivation to grow or to deepen their relationship with God.

“Not surprisingly,” he continued, “our research found that a majority of churchgoing adults are uncertain as to what their church would define as a ‘healthy, spiritually mature follower of Christ’ and they were no more likely to have personally developed a clear notion of such a life. 

“It may well be that spiritual evaluation is so uncommon because people fear that the results might suggest the need for different growth strategies or for more aggressive engagement in the growth process. No matter what the underlying reason is, the bottom line among both the clergy and laity was indifference toward their acknowledged lack of evaluation. That suggests there is not likely to be much change in this dimension in the immediate future. In other words, as we examine the discipleship landscape, what we see is what we get – and what we will keep getting for some time.”

...

In Advance

Mark Batterson post:  Sense of Destiny

One of my favorite verses, top 10 at least, is Ephesians 2:10. In fact, my next book will really revolve around that verse. Here it is: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works prepared for us in advance."

I love that phrase: in advance. What an awesome thought. God is already in your future. He is setting you up. He is preparing the way.

The word "prepare" comes from the oriental custom of servants going before kings to insure safe passage. The King of Kings turns the tables. He goes before His servants to prepare the road ahead. I hope that gives you a sense of destiny for 2010. We ought to walk into the New Year with holy anticipation.

Agur Prayer

^7-9 And then he prayed, "God, I'm asking for two things
   before I die; don't refuse me—
Banish lies from my lips
   and liars from my presence.
Give me enough food to live on,
   neither too much nor too little.
If I'm too full, I might get independent,
   saying, 'God? Who needs him?'
If I'm poor, I might steal
   and dishonor the name of my God." 

Proverbs 30 (The Message)

Hope in Him

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional: HOPE IS SECURE

My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.  Psalm 119:81

The hope of a new year lies in expanse before us today.  Something not yet unresolved may be resolved within the confines of this next calendar year.

Right now, someone is waiting to get well.  Someone else is waiting for a job.  Someone is waiting for inner peace.  Someone is waiting for intervention.  Someone is waiting for a definitive diagnosis.  Someone is waiting for deliverance out of crushing circumstances.  Someone is waiting for the fulfillment of a Word.

I can never know if the salvation I seek is of the immediate kind, the kind that will come in the next twelve months, or is of a distant kind.  The prophets waited on a word and it stretched their eyes to the max.  Abraham believed but he never got to see "the Word become flesh."  Yet, the hope of it sustained him.

All my hope lies in God.   The knowledge of salvation, now or in the future, sustains and comforts me.  I do know this ~ I will live to see His Word fulfilled over the next fifty two weeks.  My hope is well placed because His promises are solid.  In whatever ways my faith is stretched, in whatever ways salvation waits on some distant horizon, God will give me grace to wait.  He will fill my heart with the Word of promise and with the hope that comes with His Word.  I don't need to see it come true today to know joy.  I just need to know that it will come true.

Creation groans for the revealing of the sons of God.  In the waiting, His Word pulsates in my spirit with the kiss of promise.

Your Word simmers beneath the surface of my heart. Ever warm, I feel its hope.  Amen