Month: March 2014

Ransomed

Posted by

0

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

I think it was one of my favorite authors, Buddy Owens, who said, when reading Scripture, read “for depth, not distance.” And when a word “pops” out at me, one of my favorite ways of doing that… of digging deeper and allowing God to whisper to me… is to look up that word in the dictionary.

As I read the verse above, the word that stood out to me was “ransom.” It’s a word that’s not heard nowadays unless I’m watching a movie or TV show involving a kidnapping or the like. So I looked up the definition:

Ran’-som (n.) a consideration paid or demanded for the release of someone or something from captivity. A sum of money or a price demanded and paid for the release of a prisoner.

Okay. So what? But then I let my mind wander… “Captivity”…. Jesus came to set the captives free… I know that Scripture… but set “free” from what?

It’s here that I think of what we all need to be set free from. Sin. Yes, of course. But that seems so… religious. It’s so vague. So general. So religious.

Then I think about my own life. What is at the root of all my sin? Self. Plain and simple. Self. Self-absorption. Selfishness. Self-pity. I want to do things MY way. I have my plans and my agenda. I want. I need. Self. Self is at the root of all sin, both mine and yours. It was self that caused the Original Sin. Not only the fall of Adam and Eve but the ORIGINAL original sin.

When Lucifer, God’s original worship leader, fell from grace, it was because he wanted to set himSELF up to be like God. (See Isaiah 14) And when Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation, they became convinced that God wasn’t watching out for their best interest, and they knew what was best for themSELVES. I am not so different.

I need to be set free from my self. I need to be set free from that thing inside me that thinks that God isn’t looking out for my best interests… which thinks that God can’t be trusted to take care of ALL my needs: physical, emotional, financial, sexual, relational, amd spiritual needs… I need to be set free from that thing inside me that thinks I can handle all of that myself.

But the ransom has been paid. The price has been paid. In full. Once and for all. At the Cross, Jesus paid the price for you and me. I know that, but how does that set me free? Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly (John 10:10). That abundant life is a life free of having to do it all myself. I don’t have to fulfill all those needs myself. God does it for me in Christ. He sets me free from mySELF by living inside of me. As I allow Him to do so, His thoughts become my thoughts. His heart becomes my heart. And from that, His ways become my ways.

It doesn’t happen overnight and at times, it seems like I take one step forward with Him, and two steps back with my SELF. But He knows how I’m made. He knows I desire to be free.

His grace carries me yet again and this one-time prisoner walks forever free.

Trusting…

Posted by

0

As I was working at my desk, I heard a customer, as he looked at his phone, say to no one in particular, “Oh wow. The market is up again today.” He then proceeded to talk about investments, both long and short term, and about watching them closely.

Sharon and I have investments. We have a reputable firm which watches them. They have analysts which look for trends and potential dangers. These people are smarter than me. They live and breathe this stuff. I trust them to do what’s best for me, based on the goals I’ve given them. It’s not blind trust… I’ve done my due diligence. It’s a reputable firm, with a strong history, and a firm foundation.

So, when the market fluctuates wildly, which it’s been doing for a number of years now, I try not to watch. I try not to think about the impact a great day would have, or more importantly, what a lousy day in the markets would mean. It’s not that I don’t care, but I’ve been prudent and that’s all I can do. So, I don’t watch the markets or our investment very closely. Maybe that makes me stupid or foolish… I don’t know.

What I do know is this: My future is not based in financial security. Whatever I’ve been blessed with, however great or small, I’ve been blessed to be a blessing.

Maybe you’re thinking, “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not living from paycheck to paycheck.” That’s true. However, we did live paycheck-to-paycheck for a long time. And during that time, early in our marriage, my wife Sharon taught me about tithing. She taught me from the Scripture in Malachi. She taught me that all of it belongs to God, and He asks for a tenth. The word “tithe” actually means “tenth.” So we began giving a tenth, right off the top. It was (and is) the very first check (“firstfruits”) we write after getting paid. It is a tenth of our gross pay, before taxes.

When she taught me that, I was very hesitant to give that money away. After all, we needed it to make ends meet. But we started anyway, and then she lost her job and was out of work for 5 months. Somehow, we still tithed. Somehow, we never lacked anything. We were never late on a payment or a bill. Somehow.

It taught me to trust God. No matter what. It taught me to hold loosely to the resources He gives us. It taught me not to worry about the turmoil we face in this world, or worry how limited my resources may look. It taught me to look to the Prince of Peace and see His endless resources. I can rest in the knowledge that He loves us and cares for us. No matter what.

Whatever is in my wallet, my checking account or any other account is to be used as God sees fit. It is His money. If he says “Give”, I give. I don’t need to see what the markets are doing.

I just trust.

I need to be reminded…

Posted by

2

Maybe its just a trait of the generation that preceded mine, but I grew up in a fairly strict household. As I think about it, maybe it wasn’t strict. But I was constantly on the lookout for my dad’s temper. Don’t get me wrong: he instilled really good traits in me: I was raised to work hard, think about others, and work hard. Oh wait. I said that. But if I strayed off course, I’d have to answer for it. And that was scary because dad had a bad temper. That was something else he “instilled” in me.

So when I screw up nowadays – either by accident, or on purpose by rebelling – my “default” setting is to be on guard, looking out for God’s anger and temper. I feel like I have to look out for a “hammer” coming from the hand of my heavenly Father.

I can remember a time, when I lived in Roanoke, before I knew God, when I got caught out on the golf course during a lightning storm. Somehow, I knew instinctively that I wasn’t living a pleasing life. I was in a panic, thinking that God was going to punish me and was going to literally send a lightning bolt.

But as I think about that, I realize that is Old Testament thinking. That is what Job’s friends thought when Job was enduring the onslaught of tragedies that came his way. That was the kind of thinking his disciples wrongly had when they asked Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” (See John 9:2) Yes, God disciplines those he loves, but he does so as a father does a son he DELIGHTS in (Proverbs 3:12, Hebrews 12:7). He does it to shape us and mold us into the image of His Son.

I have to remind myself that he desires to be merciful (Hosea 6:6, Matt 9:13) to me and you. His “default” setting is love, grace and mercy. (James 2:13) A time is coming when He will judge, because He is a holy and just God. The tragic time is coming for that. But as we seek to walk in His ways, He isn’t looking for an opportunity to scold us and punish us when we mess up. He’s not looking to send a lightning bolt.

Lastly, He is not mad at you and me. We may screw up, but He knows how we were made. He delights that we are seeking to draw close to Him. He delights that we think about Him. He delights in the fact that we are trying to walk in His ways. He is not mad at us.

The Gospel is called the Good News. It is good news for everyone. It is good news for the wayward prodigal looking to come home. It is good news for the one (like me once) who is falling off his barstool. And it is STILL good news for you and me today.

He is not mad at you. He delights in you. That is Good News.

Surrendered to Love

Posted by

0

I’ve been thinking about the term “Sanctification” recently. It’s term used by certain denominations within the Christian church which means, in essence, totally sold-out or surrendered to the Lordship of Christ in your life. It’s turning over the reins of all aspects of your life to God. It happens both in a moment in time and over a span of time. It is an instantaneous occurance and a process. It can be interchanged with the words or phrases “consecrated” and “baptized in the Holy Spirit”, depending on the denomination. I’m sure there’s other terms for it as well.

But I’ve come to understand it in a new way recently.

I used to believe that when I surrendered fully to God in my life, I was fully sanctified. I wanted to be his vessel to use as He wished. I still do. But it seemed like it depended on my degree of surrender. It seemed like it depended on me. It seemed like it depended on my effort.

We sing “I Surrender All” in our church services. In fact, we sang it yesterday. Surrender or yielding to God’s will and God’s ways certainly must happen. But what I don’t understand is how there can be differing degrees of surrender. Maybe some of you can chime in with your thoughts.

What I’ve been “yielding” to recently or “surrendering” to is God’s overwhelming love for me (and you). It is an amazing love that has nothing to do with you and me, because, I don’t know about you, but I can be quite un-loveable at times. It is a love that depends solely on the Lover. It is so irrational, so incomprehensible, and so amazing. Once I really understood and meditated on that kind of love… once I got that deep down inside me… and I mean DEEP down… it transformed me. And now it’s working its way out.

As I stated yesterday, I’ve re-discovered grace. I’ve found that I don’t have to “be a better Christian” to have God love me any more than He already does. I don’t have to do anything to have Him accept me more than He already does. I can rest. There is tremendous freedom in that.

The funny thing is: It doesn’t “free” me to live my life any “looser”. I don’t feel like I can get away with anything and then ask for God’s forgiveness. On the contrary, it is a freedom that compels me to live my life totally for Him. It makes me “sold-out” by default. There’s no effort involved. I just “am.” As you can tell, I almost can’t explain it.

One or more denominations refer to sanctification as a “second work of grace”. Well then, by definition, it is a gift. There is nothing I can do to earn it. It is a gift that God gives. The only thing I think I’m surrendered to is God’s unconditional acceptance of me and unbelieveable love for me.

If that makes me “sanctified”, then I need to go into Staples and hit the button that says, “That was easy!”

Buried Treasure

Posted by

0

Did you hear of the couple in California who were digging in their backyard and found a huge collection of gold coins throught to be worth $10 million? Of course you did. How about the 100-year old baseball card collection found in the attic worth over $500,000? Astounding.

Have you ever found something like that? No, not something worth millions or even several thousands of dollars, but something that you didn’t know was there or forgot was there, and when you found it, it was like you discovered it for the very first time? Maybe some old clothes or old photographs of your children? I found something recently and it was like I discovered it for the very first time.

I was raised by parents who valued acheivement and good grades. They were both high achievers themselves and they instilled a work ethic into me and into my two older brothers. We knew the value of hard work. We still do. But when we wanted to rebel, we would get lazy. I can still remember the first time I purposely didn’t do my homework in 5th grade. What a sick feeling I had in my stomach as the bus approached the school!

Until recently, I still felt sick when I failed. When I failed to live up to expectations – either my self-imposed perfectionism or someone else’s – I still had this empty feeling. Truth-be-told, I imagine there are others out there like me.

But over the past several months, I discovered something that was “buried” in my “attic”. And that something is grace.

It’s not that I’ve been rebellious or have fallen into some pit of sin. I haven’t. It’s just that I’ve discovered grace as if for the very first time. No, I haven’t discovered God’s forgiveness for the very first time; I’ve known that and experienced that and am so thankful for that.

What I’ve discovered is that I don’t have to do ANYTHING to experience God’s acceptance and love. I don’t have to “get my act together.” I don’t have to “get serious” about my faith… I’ve already been plenty serious, believe me. I don’t have to “step-it-up” or “take it up another notch” or “double my efforts” or any other cliche you’ve heard before. Jesus has already done all that’s necessary by (literally) His own blood, sweat, and tears. I don’t have to work for it. The work’s already been done. I’ve discovered my utter dependence on Jesus and this loving grace. And utter dependence IS OKAY. Actually, there’s no better place to be. Again, this flies in the face of “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” thinking.

This “discovery” or re-discovery has been life-changing. It has been so liberating, especially for the perfectionist like me, always trying to get good grades. And it compels me to live only for Him. It compels me to give my all for Him.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

Incidentally, this kind of liberating grace is annoying to the legalists, those who are still trying to measure performance (either their own or someone else’s). If it rubs you the wrong way, ask yourself (as I did), “How do I measure my righteousness?” Is it by something you do – prayer, Bible-reading, serving, etc.? Or is it only by the blood of Jesus? The blood of Jesus is the only thing that makes you righteous. It’s the only thing that matters.

That, in itself, is liberating. I guess that’s why it’s called Good News.

Ingested Truth

Posted by

0

As virtually all of you know, Sharon and I left our church after investing 15 years there. It was one of the toughest decisions of our life together. It was one we agonized over in the months preceding our decision, with many sleepless nights leading up to it.

It’s been almost seven months since that decision. To be honest, every Sunday for four months, while sitting in other churches, I would just cry. Literally. Every Sunday. Not from remorse over the decision we made, but just… sadness. My thoughts were consumed by that church: the friends I missed, the great times we had together, the victories won with God together, and all the things that led to our decision, too. I worried and fretted about the future and where we’d end up and where the church was headed. Continue reading →

Worth It

Posted by

0

I don’t know about you, but I want to do big things for God. I want to make an impact. I want to leave a legacy. I want the epitaph on my tombstone to say something besides my name and some dates. I want my obituary to have some meaningful content. I want to do big things for God.

You do, too, I’m sure. But there’s some days where I’d settle for being able to do the small things for God, too. Things like not complaining or gossiping, but instead building and affirming others or being a blessing with my words.

Or maybe just living a day with integrity, being able to not “hedge” my Christianity based on who I am surrounded by. Or maybe it’s just telling the whole truth throughout the entire day. Continue reading →

Treasuring…

Posted by

0

Yesterday’s message at church centered around these familiar verses in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Pastor Brandon asked an insightful question: “What if that ‘treasure’ were people? What if you ‘treasured’ people like God treasures people? What if you asked God to allow you to see people as He sees people and have a heart like His for the people He created? How different would this world be?”

Now that’s not an exact quote, but it’s pretty darn close. He brought up the example of Mother Teresa, who, when she ministered to the uber-poor and the uber-sick on the streets of Calcutta, believed she was literally ministering to Jesus himself. You remember His words, “Whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me” (Matt 25:40)? She took that literally.

But what if we looked at and valued people like that, especially those that our society doesn’t value or takes for granted? How would the world be different if we REALLY showed those people that they were valuable, folks that we see every week and don’t give them another thought: newspaper carriers, mail carriers, trash collectors, waitresses or sales clerks. What if we demonstrated that we value them and God values them? How different would this week be?

Our “Soul Training” exercise this week is to de-accumulate — to give away some of our worldly things, things that won’t last. But I think I’m going to add to that by investing in eternal things this week, like people.

All the faith I need…

Posted by

0

I just read a teaching by a preacher (not local) who talked about healing. He mentioned two people: one a long-time, faithful servant of God; the other, someone walking in off the street. They have the same affliction, and both pray for their healing. The one off the street receives the healing; the long-time, faithful servant does not.

This teaching was making the point that God does not always heal the “deserving”, but those who “receive” the healing “by faith”. He goes on to say:

“Many people believe that God heals only the deserving. But that is not how God works. God looks at faith, not works. His power is made manifest in those who trust His goodness instead of their own good behavior.

“So if we go back to the above example, God wants to heal both. All they need to do is receive grace, or unmerited favor, by faith.”

What this teaching implies is that the faithful servant did not have enough faith to be healed. What this implies is that those who do not get healed do not have enough faith. “Have more faith and you’ll receive your healing.” He doesn’t say that, but this kind of teaching implies that. In this line of teaching, FAITH BECOMES THE WORK.

God doesn’t impart His grace by some formula that says if I believe enough, then it’ll happen. That’s exactly the same thing as trying to earn it by working for it.

It’s dangerous teaching.

The older I get, the less I know. I don’t know why some get healed and others don’t. I know it IS by God’s grace, and God’s grace alone. Sometimes it seems to make sense; other times it makes no sense at all. Jesus talks about having “great faith” (Matt 8:10) and “little faith” (Matt 8:26), so certainly faith plays a part. It’s a difficult subject. But as soon as you think you have it all figured out, God shows you that you don’t.

My final point is this: I don’t know why some babies die of brain cancer and some don’t. I really don’t know why. I don’t understand the purpose of mental illness or autism. I don’t understand why one person is healed and another isn’t. But I don’t need to. That’s what faith is all about: trusting in the One who does know.

And that’s all the faith I need.