Things are all up in the air. And of course, we usually say this phrase with uncertainty and dismay- and the dismay comes generally because of the uncertainty of a potentially bad situation. We like to have that control and certainty- it's very hard sometimes to live in uncertainty- particularly since we know the prince of the power of the air that we once trembled under still works to seek us woe. (Ephesians 2:2) But the prince of darkness grim- we tremble not for him. One little word will fell him.
Instead, we look to The Lord who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and rules over all. And when we leave things up in the air, it's an act of trust because we know it's really in The Lord's hands. And it's in the air that we meet The Lord by faith. (1 Thessalonians 4:11)
So while we don't want to put on airs, we do want to air not on the side of caution, but air on the side of reckless abandon in the Creator of air and everything else. I keep trusting Him from here and now all the way through when I cross the air Jordan- and beyond. :-)
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
For Just Anyone
Note: This is an earlier writing I had done but not published anywhere outside of a social media post until now. I am still adding stuff from my archives every so often and I will hopefully eventually have most all my writings gathered here in one place.
Just had this thought come to mind while in the shower. (As I often have random thoughts come to mind then- lol. :-)) You know how it's been said that even if you were the only person on Earth, Jesus loves you so much He would still have died and rose for just you? Well, this is true! God would have provided salvation for just you. (Just see Jesus' parable of the good shepherd who leaves 99 sheep behind to find one missing one! - Matthew 18 and also check Luke 15 for more on how God pursues the lost with relentless love!)
Now read Acts 10 and see how God used a vision to tell Peter not to call unclean what He has made clean. (Wherein God declared all food clean to eat and also declared all people valued and loved by Him!) Then think of your most hated enemy- think of the people you complain about to friends and on social media- think about the people you despise the most and all the most hated people on earth- all the criminals, terrorists, ruthless dictators, corrupt leaders, evil murderers- everyone who has done the most heinous things- and remember two things. There, but for the grace of God, go I. As James 2:10 says, if you break the Law at any one point, you're guilty of breaking it all. As Romans 2 reminds us, we're no better than them because we do the same things! (Maybe we haven't killed anyone physically, but we have with words. Maybe we haven't raped anyone, but we've committed adultery in our hearts by looking with lust at people.- see Matthew 5.)
And remember that whoever your most hated and despicable person is that you thought about, if they were the only person on Earth, Jesus loves them so much, He would have died and rose for just them too! So don't dare disparage and denigrate and demean one made in God's image! (We can deplore their sinful actions, but we are still commanded to love them as we love ourselves because Jesus loves them and wants to save them! Pray that they will let Him do just that.) (John 13:34-35, Luke 6:20-49, Luke 9:51-56- especially see the bit that some manuscripts add in verse 55!)
2 Peter 3:8-9 - God desires ALL to come to repentance!
Just had this thought come to mind while in the shower. (As I often have random thoughts come to mind then- lol. :-)) You know how it's been said that even if you were the only person on Earth, Jesus loves you so much He would still have died and rose for just you? Well, this is true! God would have provided salvation for just you. (Just see Jesus' parable of the good shepherd who leaves 99 sheep behind to find one missing one! - Matthew 18 and also check Luke 15 for more on how God pursues the lost with relentless love!)
Now read Acts 10 and see how God used a vision to tell Peter not to call unclean what He has made clean. (Wherein God declared all food clean to eat and also declared all people valued and loved by Him!) Then think of your most hated enemy- think of the people you complain about to friends and on social media- think about the people you despise the most and all the most hated people on earth- all the criminals, terrorists, ruthless dictators, corrupt leaders, evil murderers- everyone who has done the most heinous things- and remember two things. There, but for the grace of God, go I. As James 2:10 says, if you break the Law at any one point, you're guilty of breaking it all. As Romans 2 reminds us, we're no better than them because we do the same things! (Maybe we haven't killed anyone physically, but we have with words. Maybe we haven't raped anyone, but we've committed adultery in our hearts by looking with lust at people.- see Matthew 5.)
And remember that whoever your most hated and despicable person is that you thought about, if they were the only person on Earth, Jesus loves them so much, He would have died and rose for just them too! So don't dare disparage and denigrate and demean one made in God's image! (We can deplore their sinful actions, but we are still commanded to love them as we love ourselves because Jesus loves them and wants to save them! Pray that they will let Him do just that.) (John 13:34-35, Luke 6:20-49, Luke 9:51-56- especially see the bit that some manuscripts add in verse 55!)
2 Peter 3:8-9 - God desires ALL to come to repentance!
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
How About Them Apples?
The Bible doesn't say what kind of fruit it was that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and brought sin into the world, but tradition says that it was an apple. (See Genesis 1-3). If that's true, I think it must have been a sour apple. It may have tasted good at first, but in the end it turned sour just as its taste turns stomachs.
Satan still packages sin the same way- it always looks good wrapped in pretty paper with a sweet smell, but in the end it rots in your stomach. "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel." (Proverbs 20:17) In contrast, Scripture calls us to feast on Jesus and His death and Resurrection that has brought us salvation from sin instead. (See John 6:25-59). "Oh, taste and see that The Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalms 34:8) Chew on that for a while. :-)
Satan still packages sin the same way- it always looks good wrapped in pretty paper with a sweet smell, but in the end it rots in your stomach. "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel." (Proverbs 20:17) In contrast, Scripture calls us to feast on Jesus and His death and Resurrection that has brought us salvation from sin instead. (See John 6:25-59). "Oh, taste and see that The Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalms 34:8) Chew on that for a while. :-)
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Cross Beams
Maybe we shouldn’t pray for God to take away sinful desires. These continue to plague us in the form of temptation and that won’t go away until the devil is locked away in Hell for good. They also plague us in the form of the spiritual battle between the old man of sin and the new man in Christ. That battle will continue to wage until the day we are in Heaven with Jesus. And until that day, the world will still be here egging us on to accept what God says is wrong. This is the three-pronged war we must fight every day.
Instead, we should pray for God’s grace and help to stand up under temptation and not give in to it. Pray that He will strengthen us to resist the devil so that he will flee from us. Pray that we will have His power to ignore the world and its evil desires that are passing away, and instead do the will of God- that is the way of life eternal; knowing Christ as Savior through trusting His death and Resurrection for salvation.
And then we are called to keep walking on the straight and narrow path, though it be beset with painful trials and struggles that we must endure. Yet we keep on, asking Jesus to pick us up and set us right again when we fall, but always moving forward on that path and still seeking to obey God out of gratitude to Him and reverence for His precious sacrifice. It is not a misguided effort to repay Him or earn what He’s already given to us for free- it is rather an effort to fulfill the call and charge He gave to us in Ephesians 2:8-10. We must do the good works He prepared in advance for us to do. And He has warned us that following Him will not be easy. It will be hard and it will demand harsh sacrifice on our part as well. But we can never give more than what God has already given. Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us on the day of Christ Jesus. No matter how hard our sufferings are, let us boast in our weakness so that Christ may be revealed as strong in us.
And let us trust God not to lead us into temptation but rather to deliver us from evil. Let us trust that He can and will give us the way of escape when we ask Him for it. Let us endure hardship like good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Let us deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus daily. And as for you brothers, never tire of doing what is right. God bless and Godspeed.
Instead, we should pray for God’s grace and help to stand up under temptation and not give in to it. Pray that He will strengthen us to resist the devil so that he will flee from us. Pray that we will have His power to ignore the world and its evil desires that are passing away, and instead do the will of God- that is the way of life eternal; knowing Christ as Savior through trusting His death and Resurrection for salvation.
And then we are called to keep walking on the straight and narrow path, though it be beset with painful trials and struggles that we must endure. Yet we keep on, asking Jesus to pick us up and set us right again when we fall, but always moving forward on that path and still seeking to obey God out of gratitude to Him and reverence for His precious sacrifice. It is not a misguided effort to repay Him or earn what He’s already given to us for free- it is rather an effort to fulfill the call and charge He gave to us in Ephesians 2:8-10. We must do the good works He prepared in advance for us to do. And He has warned us that following Him will not be easy. It will be hard and it will demand harsh sacrifice on our part as well. But we can never give more than what God has already given. Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us on the day of Christ Jesus. No matter how hard our sufferings are, let us boast in our weakness so that Christ may be revealed as strong in us.
And let us trust God not to lead us into temptation but rather to deliver us from evil. Let us trust that He can and will give us the way of escape when we ask Him for it. Let us endure hardship like good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Let us deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus daily. And as for you brothers, never tire of doing what is right. God bless and Godspeed.
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Blind
(Note: This was written in 2018 and my brother's album was released in 2008. I have just recently come across it again and thought it was worth publishing here. And I still LOVE this song and listen to it and others from the album regularly. These are some things I've drawn from books (Tim Keller's "The Prodigal God" for one- which is the book the Sunday School class happened to be reading at the time of this writing, by the way) and other stuff I'd been kicking around for a little while. The pastor preached from 2 Peter 2 last Sunday before I wrote this and in the course of looking in my Bible during the sermon, I noticed 2 Peter 1:9 and I thought it fit perfectly with Kevin's song "Blind". )
This year marks the 10 year anniversary of this release from my brother Kevin.
https://kevinludwick.bandcamp.com/album/come-home
The song "Blind" is still one of my favourites on it (along with "Come Home", of course.)
I just recently listened to the CD again in my car. :-)
The topic raised is a super important one that I have wrestled with over the years. I have gotten to a place of being settled with it but it still crops up every so often. It seems lately I have been bombarded with the issue of grace/faith vs. works in regards to salvation.
It came up in a discussion I was having with a friend recently and then showed up again in an article I happened upon and then yet again during Sunday School and church service yesterday and again today in a Bible verse post on Facebook.
It is important to do as 2 Corinthians 13:5 says and examine ourselves to see that we are in the faith. It's also important to remember Jesus' words in Matthew 7 that not everyone who calls to Him, "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of Heaven- only he who does the will of The Father in Heaven.
Motivation makes a huge difference. Am I trying to build a resume of "righteousness" so I can impress God with good works and manipulate Him to get what I want? Or have I truly recognized that I have no righteousness of my own and even my good works are as filthy rags before the holy God? (Isaiah 64:6)
Thus, I repent of both my wickedness and my righteousness because I recognize that there is no good in me. "All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us have turned to our own way and The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6) (That verse is one of the earliest I remember learning and it was a key one in bringing me to salvation as a young child.)
Sometimes I used to think, growing up as a MK and PK and hearing the Gospel at an early age and getting saved when I was around 5 or 7, I didn't really have a dynamic testimony like Nicky Cruz or the Apostle Paul. I mean- I wasn't out robbing or killing people. But I knew that I wasn't always truthful or obedient or selfless. And all those sins are equally as bad and offensive before the holy Lord. Thus, every Christian has a dynamic testimony, whether coming to Christ like the prodigal in Luke 15 or (hopefully) like the elder brother. (The parable doesn't say if he repented but he's the image of the Pharisee we can so easily become who needs to repent of supposed righteousness.)
And I sometimes feel like this is an easy trap to fall into for those raised going to church and knowing about Christ at an early age. (Not that it's bad to have either one of those things in place- it's a great thing!) I've sometimes wondered how I can even know if all the things I've done that I think are good are really a result of The Holy Spirit working in me because I've asked Jesus to save me and I rely on His completed work of death on the cross and Resurrection to pay for my sins- OR that I am really still relying on my good works.
There's the conundrum right there. Yet I don't have any good works of my own. There are places I've seen growth in my life to be more like Christ, including areas I would not be comfortable or desiring to do on my own. Anything good in me is Jesus Christ, not me.
I believe He's God and He's true and He has done what He said He would and when I die or He returns, He'll take me to Heaven instead of banishing me to Hell (as I deserve)- just as He said He would. That's the beauty of grace believed by faith- which produces the good deeds in gratitude to the One who gave His life to save me because He loves me! I love Him because He first loved me! I thank Him for all He saved me from and even for the doubts and fears that He helps me overcome because they make my faith reaffirmed and stronger.
I still struggle with these things at times because I know Satan likes to get Christians so messed up and freaked out about their own salvation that they can't very well be used by God to help bring anyone else to Christ. Thankfully, He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world! 1 John 5:13 says we can KNOW we have eternal life because of our faith in Jesus. Habakkuk 2:4 as well and 2 Corinthians 5:7. We walk by faith and not by sight.
In grappling with this, I have found a number of things helpful- prayer, Bible reading and memorization (particularly of promises that speak directly to this- John 6:37-40, John 6:68, John 8:32-36, John 10:27-30, Galatians 3, the whole book of Romans, Philippians 2:12-13, Ephesians 2:8-10, Jeremiah 31:3 and lots of others), counsel from respected Christian leaders and friends, and writings from Christians and awesome songs.
Here are some articles I found helpful in this recent spate-
https://www.versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/how_do_i_know_im_truly_saved/
And
https://capmin.org/is-salvation-by-faith-alone-in-christ-alone/
And books like "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning and "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.
I also recommend awesome songs like this-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfGvXfe9LK8
And
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY06uA9mUlw
And
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOftdxtQgmA
And
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1lfJdDqzbk
And
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axQWC4Y5jTI
And
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMGYk3SLArk
And
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXQJFQINq_U
And, of course- Kevin's song "Blind"- which leads me back to this Scripture to close on. (Particularly note 2 Peter 1:9)
"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partners of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:3-11)
Daily Struggle
Do you ever have that experience of going from a spiritual high to almost immediately after a spiritual low? I mean, just after reading The Bible and spending some time in prayer and really being wowed and excited by the passage I read, I find myself slipping into totally the opposite direction with flipping through Youtube video clips from shows that can generally be clean but also slip into foul territory at times unfortunately....
That's one of the worst problems with having literally millions of video choices at hand, between the Internet in general and all the many channels on cable, etc. There is always a responsibility to be careful of what we take in and one I continually have to keep guarding myself on. I do generally try to be cognizant of this and steer clear of things I know are not wholesome at all, but I also know there are times I've allowed myself to watch things that I've immediately regretted and never desired to see anything afterward. And I have gone to Jesus in repentance and asked His forgiveness and I know He's faithful to do it- but I hate to keep running into this scenario so many times in life....
The spiritual answer behind this is defined for us in The Bible, of course. It's just like Paul talked about in Romans 7:15-25- I know the good I want to do, but it's the bad I don't want to do that I wind up doing. I still need The Holy Spirit to keep working in me and guiding me to the right thing. As Ephesians 6:12 makes clear, the struggle is real. ("For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.")- That's exactly why we need the armor of God strapped on each day for spiritual warfare. (Ephesians 6:13-18 go on to tell us more about this- the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes prepared with the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith to extinguish those fiery darts of the enemy, the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit [i.e. the Word of God] and we need to be praying at all times in the Spirit.
What else can we do in the fight? Certainly pray without ceasing and ask for God's help in standing firm- and resist the devil, as James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:8-9 teach. And when we do fall, remember God's promise in 1 John 1:9 to be faithful and just and forgive us and cleanse us of all our sins when we confess them to Him. "I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16)
That's one of the worst problems with having literally millions of video choices at hand, between the Internet in general and all the many channels on cable, etc. There is always a responsibility to be careful of what we take in and one I continually have to keep guarding myself on. I do generally try to be cognizant of this and steer clear of things I know are not wholesome at all, but I also know there are times I've allowed myself to watch things that I've immediately regretted and never desired to see anything afterward. And I have gone to Jesus in repentance and asked His forgiveness and I know He's faithful to do it- but I hate to keep running into this scenario so many times in life....
The spiritual answer behind this is defined for us in The Bible, of course. It's just like Paul talked about in Romans 7:15-25- I know the good I want to do, but it's the bad I don't want to do that I wind up doing. I still need The Holy Spirit to keep working in me and guiding me to the right thing. As Ephesians 6:12 makes clear, the struggle is real. ("For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.")- That's exactly why we need the armor of God strapped on each day for spiritual warfare. (Ephesians 6:13-18 go on to tell us more about this- the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes prepared with the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith to extinguish those fiery darts of the enemy, the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit [i.e. the Word of God] and we need to be praying at all times in the Spirit.
What else can we do in the fight? Certainly pray without ceasing and ask for God's help in standing firm- and resist the devil, as James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:8-9 teach. And when we do fall, remember God's promise in 1 John 1:9 to be faithful and just and forgive us and cleanse us of all our sins when we confess them to Him. "I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16)
Sunday, April 21, 2019
It's Mercy Over Blame
(Note: This is a devotional writing from the archives, first published February 23, 2011. Eventually, I hope to get all of them transferred to this blog.)
Oh, the wonderful dichotomy of Christianity! The amazing power of paradox that opens our eyes and blinds those who say they can see. It’s crazy how two seemingly diametrically opposed ideas can prevail at the same time and both compete for the title of truth- and yet both already be Pilate’s answer. The Bible seems to be full of these. How God became a man and was fully a man, tempted in all the ways we are, yet was without sin! How was this possible? Because He was also fully God at the same time.
The Jewish Shema tells us that there is one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) Yet Matthew 28:18-20 refers to God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit. There’s a Triune Godhead there. Don’t try to think on this too hard- our minds can’t take it all in. It’s kind of like thinking about it would be possible to have no sickness, death or pain or crying in Heaven and how we can just keep going on living forever and ever and ever, ad infinitum, in Heaven if we know Jesus as our Savior. It’s when I think on those kinds of thoughts too long that I fear my already strained brain might explode within my head not unlike a scene from “Scanners” (random retro reference to something I haven’t even seen- sorry, couldn’t resist.)- and at some point I have to shut down cerebral functions and switch to cereal functions (I can handle that a lot easier ;-))- and just trust that it’s all in God’s control and I like it. :-)
There are other examples of course, but I mainly wanted to focus on one.
How does it work that God can possibly have forgiveness upon us and instead of doling out the punishment, judgment, condemnation, and pain and torture that we so much deserve – instead, He decides to shower us with blessings, blessings so rich with His grace and mercy that it totally envelopes us and when truly considered and taken in, at least to some degree that we can take it in, leaves us absolutely astounded, astonished and amazed- and silenced in front of the Holy God and His love that can only leave us speechless with wonder and praise.
It’s really the simplest message ever but so incredibly profound in its mystery. Jesus loves me, this I know- for The Bible tells me so. God proved that- He demonstrated it for while we were yet sinners- while we were yet separated from God and while we were yet haters of God- Christ died for us. Not only did He die, but He rose again from the dead!
(Romans 5:6-8)
How can I keep myself from singing? What more appropriate response is there other than to willingly, joyfully and rejoicingly take Jesus at His Word and confess Him as Lord, believe that God raised Him from the dead and experience His salvation? (Romans 10:9) What response should we have other than what 2 Peter 3 talks about- seek to be spotless and blameless before the Holy God- not out of a fear of not truly having His salvation and having to earn it. You don’t need to- He’s already given it to you for free! All the “good” we do is really nothing more than filthy rags in any case. (Isaiah 64:6) We can never do enough so just stop trying. And because God lovingly gave us salvation as a gift, there’s no need to pay Him back. Again- we can never do enough good things to pay Him back. We may feel like Wayne and Garth telling Alice Cooper, “We’re not worthy”- and yes, we’re not worthy at all. What is man that God should be mindful of us? After all, all we are is dust in the wind- and to dust we shall return. (Psalms 8 and others)
And just like boys love to do, God likes to play in dirt- in Genesis 2 and John 8- and He made man and then played the first game of “Operation” and made Eve out of one of Adam’s ribs. (Although one wonders about the Adam’s apple- did that come after he got some of Eve’s apple and the veins in his neck started throbbing after got through warning Eve and all before he broke down and sinned too? Oh well- separate topic there, I guess.)
Okay, I think the point I was trying to get to is that sometimes I feel like there gets to be an amount of bravado and bluster in the Christian church which just really has no place there whatsoever. Don’t you ever just get mad at these folks who seem like they’ve gotten it all together and they’re so on track with God? And with all the signs they claim they see and feeling the will of God for their lives or having God speak to them and all? Okay- maybe this is bad to feel like this sometimes- I don’t know. But I know I’ve gotten kinda mad sometimes and maybe it’s just jealousy or enviousnessy (or maybe even envy) – I don’t know. I kinda wonder if maybe it’s just people are thinking that they should be hearing from God if they’re truly a Christian and so any particular choice that is made must be the leading of God or maybe it just gets interpreted that way so that it’s easier to make reassurances for themselves that they feel God’s Spirit moving in their lives.
And one thing I’ve concluded on this is this- Martha, Martha, why are you so worried about this? Mary has found the best thing and it won’t be taken from her. God speaks to different people in different ways- perhaps that includes audibly, perhaps that includes strong impressions on the heart or a peaceful easy feeling that lets you mount up on wings like eagles. Or maybe it’s a quiet voice in your head that says you should do this thing and you wind up debating it but eventually go do it and find yourself the better for doing so. I think maybe God speaks through our decisions informed by His Word, prayer and perhaps through a word from other Christians. And maybe when we come to make those decisions that we can later look back on and realize that we would never have made unless Jesus was directing us to do so- maybe that’s where we can see God speaking to us and directing our paths.
And we just have to be careful to listen for The Spirit and not quench Him. And ultimately we read enough in The Bible and pray to God enough to know Him and His character better and know what He would have us do as He reveals things to us. And we shouldn’t begrudge or judge anyone on how they feel God communes with them and they commune with God (within the confines and context of Scripture of course)- if we are, maybe it’s coming out of a cry from our spiritual despondency and our need to be more built up in The Spirit and connecting with God better. Keep seeking God and you will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 and James 4:7).
Okay- and that went a good ways off from what I was trying to say- but the point is that it really is mercy over blame when it comes down to how God judges us. When He sees the blood of Jesus that covers us, He passes over. Yes, He can come off sounding like The Punisher in The Old Testament and Mr. Rogers in The New Testament but we forget Ezekiel 18:24, Lamentations 3:22-33 and the Psalms and the book of Revelation that show that God is both in both places. (Another one of those paradoxes! Great Scott! Yeah, I know- this is heavy, Doc.) But it’s ultimately Jesus’ grace that gives us salvation through our faith in Christ! Now here comes the kicker- James says that if we’re going to say we have faith in Christ, we have to show our good works to back it up. But though the good deeds God prepared in advance for us to do help prove an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ- they never predicate it. They are a symbol in a way of what’s already happened. Good deeds are the fruit of the change in someone’s heart that Christ brings.
And Jesus’ salvation through grace and faith frees us from God’s wrath because of Christ’s death and Resurrection. In gratitude for His amazing love and grace that is greater than all our sins- even though we keep messing up and falling back on Christ and desperately begging Him to remain Lord of our lives and ruling as Savior once more- and we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. But it’s really God working in us – so it is us, but it’s not really. It’s Christ in us and that’s what it comes down to you. Do you have Christ in you? If so, we realize that we are nothing without Him and so we don’t think highly of ourselves. Rather, we realize that we are not worthy to even unlace His Nikes and it’s Jesus who must increase and we who must decrease. As Matthew 5:3 reminds us- “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Our intense sense of need keeps us very much dependent on God always and well aware of our spiritual poverty and spiritual richness that Jesus brings. So we should be all the more thankful and relieved and wrapped in love to fall on Jesus’ everlasting arms and His most wonderful kindness.
A few things have hammered these points home to me recently- “The Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brennan Manning, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan and Rich Mullins’ music. This is essentially what I shared about recently at an Upward basketball game, along with my personal testimony of putting faith in Jesus as a child and continually holding on to it and Him every day now. What a mighty God we serve! Praise God for His love!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5RWve3yD1o&feature=fvsr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNYtYRbH6aI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKFld_ZY9D0&feature=related
I picked up a great VHS tape of one of Rich Mullins’ last ever concerts on video- it runs about 2 hours long and it’s incredible! I love it! Take a moment and look at the videos here, some of which are pulled from the video. It’s not just his songs that I love- though those are certainly incredible- but it’s the life of straining after God and seeking to please Him that I love. It’s how he was humble enough to be honest about his failings, and to admit his need for God so freely. And in such a freeing way to fling off the trappings of life and seek after God with such abandon that it’s infectious. He was a huge fan of St. Francis of Assisi and I admire both of them. Rich Mullins also had this habit of being on stage with a plain white T-shirt, jean shorts, unshaven face and barefoot. He also left a lot of his concerts while the audience was singing the Doxology, so that he slipped out of the spotlight and instead people were left focusing on worshipping God- as it should be.
I know Rich Mullins was just a man too and certainly by no means perfect- he suffered with doubts and struggles of his own and felt free enough to share many of them on stage. And I love his efforts to reach out to Native American children and bring them music and more importantly, the love of Christ.
I want to be an arrow pointing to Heaven like Rich did and continue to witness wherever I can.
This gets into a bit of some personal sharing experiences here that I may just briefly mention. Suffice it to say that I did feel like God was leading me to talk with someone who I typically avoided and maybe even snubbed some on the inside though I never said anything. So I had to get down and talk with him- and when I did it turned out to be the brother of a student I had shared with before at my work. And it turned out to be a great opportunity to share the Gospel with the guy and to pray for him. It’s amazing the opportunities God brings to you when you are willing to obey Him and follow Him wherever He leads- even to the “creepy, weird dudes.” Maybe they’re not so creepy and weird. Like everyone else- they need to know the love of God. And we need to show it to them.
Anyway- that’s all I have right now. I’ve completed some parodies lately and maybe I’ll post some soon enough. But this is pretty much what I wanted to share for right now. I’m just continuing to cling to Jesus and seek His will for my life and try to follow Him every day. And that’s all there really is to say- Jesus loves you and so do I. Keep being awesome and stay cool. And as Rich Mullins told us, be God’s. :-)
Oh, the wonderful dichotomy of Christianity! The amazing power of paradox that opens our eyes and blinds those who say they can see. It’s crazy how two seemingly diametrically opposed ideas can prevail at the same time and both compete for the title of truth- and yet both already be Pilate’s answer. The Bible seems to be full of these. How God became a man and was fully a man, tempted in all the ways we are, yet was without sin! How was this possible? Because He was also fully God at the same time.
The Jewish Shema tells us that there is one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) Yet Matthew 28:18-20 refers to God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit. There’s a Triune Godhead there. Don’t try to think on this too hard- our minds can’t take it all in. It’s kind of like thinking about it would be possible to have no sickness, death or pain or crying in Heaven and how we can just keep going on living forever and ever and ever, ad infinitum, in Heaven if we know Jesus as our Savior. It’s when I think on those kinds of thoughts too long that I fear my already strained brain might explode within my head not unlike a scene from “Scanners” (random retro reference to something I haven’t even seen- sorry, couldn’t resist.)- and at some point I have to shut down cerebral functions and switch to cereal functions (I can handle that a lot easier ;-))- and just trust that it’s all in God’s control and I like it. :-)
There are other examples of course, but I mainly wanted to focus on one.
How does it work that God can possibly have forgiveness upon us and instead of doling out the punishment, judgment, condemnation, and pain and torture that we so much deserve – instead, He decides to shower us with blessings, blessings so rich with His grace and mercy that it totally envelopes us and when truly considered and taken in, at least to some degree that we can take it in, leaves us absolutely astounded, astonished and amazed- and silenced in front of the Holy God and His love that can only leave us speechless with wonder and praise.
It’s really the simplest message ever but so incredibly profound in its mystery. Jesus loves me, this I know- for The Bible tells me so. God proved that- He demonstrated it for while we were yet sinners- while we were yet separated from God and while we were yet haters of God- Christ died for us. Not only did He die, but He rose again from the dead!
(Romans 5:6-8)
How can I keep myself from singing? What more appropriate response is there other than to willingly, joyfully and rejoicingly take Jesus at His Word and confess Him as Lord, believe that God raised Him from the dead and experience His salvation? (Romans 10:9) What response should we have other than what 2 Peter 3 talks about- seek to be spotless and blameless before the Holy God- not out of a fear of not truly having His salvation and having to earn it. You don’t need to- He’s already given it to you for free! All the “good” we do is really nothing more than filthy rags in any case. (Isaiah 64:6) We can never do enough so just stop trying. And because God lovingly gave us salvation as a gift, there’s no need to pay Him back. Again- we can never do enough good things to pay Him back. We may feel like Wayne and Garth telling Alice Cooper, “We’re not worthy”- and yes, we’re not worthy at all. What is man that God should be mindful of us? After all, all we are is dust in the wind- and to dust we shall return. (Psalms 8 and others)
And just like boys love to do, God likes to play in dirt- in Genesis 2 and John 8- and He made man and then played the first game of “Operation” and made Eve out of one of Adam’s ribs. (Although one wonders about the Adam’s apple- did that come after he got some of Eve’s apple and the veins in his neck started throbbing after got through warning Eve and all before he broke down and sinned too? Oh well- separate topic there, I guess.)
Okay, I think the point I was trying to get to is that sometimes I feel like there gets to be an amount of bravado and bluster in the Christian church which just really has no place there whatsoever. Don’t you ever just get mad at these folks who seem like they’ve gotten it all together and they’re so on track with God? And with all the signs they claim they see and feeling the will of God for their lives or having God speak to them and all? Okay- maybe this is bad to feel like this sometimes- I don’t know. But I know I’ve gotten kinda mad sometimes and maybe it’s just jealousy or enviousnessy (or maybe even envy) – I don’t know. I kinda wonder if maybe it’s just people are thinking that they should be hearing from God if they’re truly a Christian and so any particular choice that is made must be the leading of God or maybe it just gets interpreted that way so that it’s easier to make reassurances for themselves that they feel God’s Spirit moving in their lives.
And one thing I’ve concluded on this is this- Martha, Martha, why are you so worried about this? Mary has found the best thing and it won’t be taken from her. God speaks to different people in different ways- perhaps that includes audibly, perhaps that includes strong impressions on the heart or a peaceful easy feeling that lets you mount up on wings like eagles. Or maybe it’s a quiet voice in your head that says you should do this thing and you wind up debating it but eventually go do it and find yourself the better for doing so. I think maybe God speaks through our decisions informed by His Word, prayer and perhaps through a word from other Christians. And maybe when we come to make those decisions that we can later look back on and realize that we would never have made unless Jesus was directing us to do so- maybe that’s where we can see God speaking to us and directing our paths.
And we just have to be careful to listen for The Spirit and not quench Him. And ultimately we read enough in The Bible and pray to God enough to know Him and His character better and know what He would have us do as He reveals things to us. And we shouldn’t begrudge or judge anyone on how they feel God communes with them and they commune with God (within the confines and context of Scripture of course)- if we are, maybe it’s coming out of a cry from our spiritual despondency and our need to be more built up in The Spirit and connecting with God better. Keep seeking God and you will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 and James 4:7).
Okay- and that went a good ways off from what I was trying to say- but the point is that it really is mercy over blame when it comes down to how God judges us. When He sees the blood of Jesus that covers us, He passes over. Yes, He can come off sounding like The Punisher in The Old Testament and Mr. Rogers in The New Testament but we forget Ezekiel 18:24, Lamentations 3:22-33 and the Psalms and the book of Revelation that show that God is both in both places. (Another one of those paradoxes! Great Scott! Yeah, I know- this is heavy, Doc.) But it’s ultimately Jesus’ grace that gives us salvation through our faith in Christ! Now here comes the kicker- James says that if we’re going to say we have faith in Christ, we have to show our good works to back it up. But though the good deeds God prepared in advance for us to do help prove an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ- they never predicate it. They are a symbol in a way of what’s already happened. Good deeds are the fruit of the change in someone’s heart that Christ brings.
And Jesus’ salvation through grace and faith frees us from God’s wrath because of Christ’s death and Resurrection. In gratitude for His amazing love and grace that is greater than all our sins- even though we keep messing up and falling back on Christ and desperately begging Him to remain Lord of our lives and ruling as Savior once more- and we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. But it’s really God working in us – so it is us, but it’s not really. It’s Christ in us and that’s what it comes down to you. Do you have Christ in you? If so, we realize that we are nothing without Him and so we don’t think highly of ourselves. Rather, we realize that we are not worthy to even unlace His Nikes and it’s Jesus who must increase and we who must decrease. As Matthew 5:3 reminds us- “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Our intense sense of need keeps us very much dependent on God always and well aware of our spiritual poverty and spiritual richness that Jesus brings. So we should be all the more thankful and relieved and wrapped in love to fall on Jesus’ everlasting arms and His most wonderful kindness.
A few things have hammered these points home to me recently- “The Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brennan Manning, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan and Rich Mullins’ music. This is essentially what I shared about recently at an Upward basketball game, along with my personal testimony of putting faith in Jesus as a child and continually holding on to it and Him every day now. What a mighty God we serve! Praise God for His love!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5RWve3yD1o&feature=fvsr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNYtYRbH6aI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKFld_ZY9D0&feature=related
I picked up a great VHS tape of one of Rich Mullins’ last ever concerts on video- it runs about 2 hours long and it’s incredible! I love it! Take a moment and look at the videos here, some of which are pulled from the video. It’s not just his songs that I love- though those are certainly incredible- but it’s the life of straining after God and seeking to please Him that I love. It’s how he was humble enough to be honest about his failings, and to admit his need for God so freely. And in such a freeing way to fling off the trappings of life and seek after God with such abandon that it’s infectious. He was a huge fan of St. Francis of Assisi and I admire both of them. Rich Mullins also had this habit of being on stage with a plain white T-shirt, jean shorts, unshaven face and barefoot. He also left a lot of his concerts while the audience was singing the Doxology, so that he slipped out of the spotlight and instead people were left focusing on worshipping God- as it should be.
I know Rich Mullins was just a man too and certainly by no means perfect- he suffered with doubts and struggles of his own and felt free enough to share many of them on stage. And I love his efforts to reach out to Native American children and bring them music and more importantly, the love of Christ.
I want to be an arrow pointing to Heaven like Rich did and continue to witness wherever I can.
This gets into a bit of some personal sharing experiences here that I may just briefly mention. Suffice it to say that I did feel like God was leading me to talk with someone who I typically avoided and maybe even snubbed some on the inside though I never said anything. So I had to get down and talk with him- and when I did it turned out to be the brother of a student I had shared with before at my work. And it turned out to be a great opportunity to share the Gospel with the guy and to pray for him. It’s amazing the opportunities God brings to you when you are willing to obey Him and follow Him wherever He leads- even to the “creepy, weird dudes.” Maybe they’re not so creepy and weird. Like everyone else- they need to know the love of God. And we need to show it to them.
Anyway- that’s all I have right now. I’ve completed some parodies lately and maybe I’ll post some soon enough. But this is pretty much what I wanted to share for right now. I’m just continuing to cling to Jesus and seek His will for my life and try to follow Him every day. And that’s all there really is to say- Jesus loves you and so do I. Keep being awesome and stay cool. And as Rich Mullins told us, be God’s. :-)
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